cause.'
Macandrew sighed and said, 'Maybe just 50mg Valium? Who'd know?'
Klinsman nodded. 'OK, but no more.'
'Do you think we can rely on Francini staying away for a few hours?' asked Macandrew.
Klinsman looked surprised at the question. 'I got the impression he wouldn't be back until his wife came round. He'll probably be on the phone most of the morning, making arrangements for some fat cat from LA or Frisco to come out here and teach us to suck eggs. Why?’
'I'd really like to have someone from psychiatry take a look at Jane Francini. What do you think?'
Klinsman folded his hands in front of him on the desk and thought for a moment before saying, 'Well, I don’t suppose that could be construed as administering any kind of therapy to the patient. As long as we put it through as an internal matter and don't add it to Francini's bill I guess it'll be OK. Anyone in mind?'
'I thought maybe, Karen Bliss?'
Klinsman nodded. Good choice. Dr Bliss does seem to have brains.'
'Macandrew smiled. Klinsman's lack of regard for psychiatrists was something of a legend in the Med Centre. He returned to his own office and left Macandrew to call Karen Bliss. She wasn't in her office and didn't respond to her bleep. Macandrew left a message for her to call him when she got in. She called an hour later.
'So you finally got round to asking someone how the thing you cut up all the time really works?' said the female voice.
Macandrew smiled and said, 'I thought maybe between us we could come up with something.'
'What can I do for you, Mac?' asked Karen.
Macandrew told her about the Francini case. ‘I keep thinking she’s not deranged in the usual sense. There’s more to it but I can’t say what.’
'From what you say, it sounds like a gross personality change post surgery,’ said Karen. ‘It wouldn’t be the first time. But I’m intrigued. What kind of tumour did you say she had?’
‘ Hartman’s. It’s a pineal gland tumour.’
‘ The third eye,’ said Karen.
‘ What d’you think?’
‘ Okay, I’ll take a look at her,' said Karen.
'Good,' said Macandrew. 'There's just one little problem.' Macandrew told her about Jane Francini's husband.
'I'm not so sure I like the sound of this any more.'
'He'll be gone for the best part of the morning,' said Macandrew. 'I was a bit conservative about when Janey would come round. I told him four hours but the truth is she should be starting to come round by eleven. I’d particularly like you to see her at that point. If you could come down about then you should have a clear hour with the patient and map the changes in her.'
'Okay, see you a little before eleven.'
'Bring some recording equipment with you. I don't think we'll get a second chance.'
FOUR
Jerusalem
Eli Aswar was uneasy. He’s been given pills but hadn't swallowed them: he was suspicious of everything. He’d let Benny have most of the wine to overcome his early reluctance, so he didn't even have Dutch courage to help him combat his long-time fear of all things medical. He kept the pills under his tongue until Ignatius turned his back for a moment and then spat them into his palm and pocketed them. He suspected it was some kind of drug to put him to sleep and he was having none of it. They were questioning Benny and he wanted to know why they needed needles and just what they were going to do with them. It was one thing to be hypnotised, quite another to be injected with some truth drug. He’d heard about these things. Once you’d been given one, you couldn’t help but tell the truth and there had been one or two things in Eli’s past life that he would rather be kept under wraps.
His blood ran cold as he heard Benny cry out in distress. Confusion and fear threatened to become panic. His mouth went dry. He forced himself to think clearly and it didn’t take long to decide that he wasn’t going to hang around any longer. He had to get out but how? There were no windows: they were below ground
Macandrew sighed and said, 'Maybe just 50mg Valium? Who'd know?'
Klinsman nodded. 'OK, but no more.'
'Do you think we can rely on Francini staying away for a few hours?' asked Macandrew.
Klinsman looked surprised at the question. 'I got the impression he wouldn't be back until his wife came round. He'll probably be on the phone most of the morning, making arrangements for some fat cat from LA or Frisco to come out here and teach us to suck eggs. Why?’
'I'd really like to have someone from psychiatry take a look at Jane Francini. What do you think?'
Klinsman folded his hands in front of him on the desk and thought for a moment before saying, 'Well, I don’t suppose that could be construed as administering any kind of therapy to the patient. As long as we put it through as an internal matter and don't add it to Francini's bill I guess it'll be OK. Anyone in mind?'
'I thought maybe, Karen Bliss?'
Klinsman nodded. Good choice. Dr Bliss does seem to have brains.'
'Macandrew smiled. Klinsman's lack of regard for psychiatrists was something of a legend in the Med Centre. He returned to his own office and left Macandrew to call Karen Bliss. She wasn't in her office and didn't respond to her bleep. Macandrew left a message for her to call him when she got in. She called an hour later.
'So you finally got round to asking someone how the thing you cut up all the time really works?' said the female voice.
Macandrew smiled and said, 'I thought maybe between us we could come up with something.'
'What can I do for you, Mac?' asked Karen.
Macandrew told her about the Francini case. ‘I keep thinking she’s not deranged in the usual sense. There’s more to it but I can’t say what.’
'From what you say, it sounds like a gross personality change post surgery,’ said Karen. ‘It wouldn’t be the first time. But I’m intrigued. What kind of tumour did you say she had?’
‘ Hartman’s. It’s a pineal gland tumour.’
‘ The third eye,’ said Karen.
‘ What d’you think?’
‘ Okay, I’ll take a look at her,' said Karen.
'Good,' said Macandrew. 'There's just one little problem.' Macandrew told her about Jane Francini's husband.
'I'm not so sure I like the sound of this any more.'
'He'll be gone for the best part of the morning,' said Macandrew. 'I was a bit conservative about when Janey would come round. I told him four hours but the truth is she should be starting to come round by eleven. I’d particularly like you to see her at that point. If you could come down about then you should have a clear hour with the patient and map the changes in her.'
'Okay, see you a little before eleven.'
'Bring some recording equipment with you. I don't think we'll get a second chance.'
FOUR
Jerusalem
Eli Aswar was uneasy. He’s been given pills but hadn't swallowed them: he was suspicious of everything. He’d let Benny have most of the wine to overcome his early reluctance, so he didn't even have Dutch courage to help him combat his long-time fear of all things medical. He kept the pills under his tongue until Ignatius turned his back for a moment and then spat them into his palm and pocketed them. He suspected it was some kind of drug to put him to sleep and he was having none of it. They were questioning Benny and he wanted to know why they needed needles and just what they were going to do with them. It was one thing to be hypnotised, quite another to be injected with some truth drug. He’d heard about these things. Once you’d been given one, you couldn’t help but tell the truth and there had been one or two things in Eli’s past life that he would rather be kept under wraps.
His blood ran cold as he heard Benny cry out in distress. Confusion and fear threatened to become panic. His mouth went dry. He forced himself to think clearly and it didn’t take long to decide that he wasn’t going to hang around any longer. He had to get out but how? There were no windows: they were below ground
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