Pod Insights British Scandal The Salisbury Poisonings | Early Bird | 2 About this episode Traded in a spy swap, Sergei Skripal finds refuge in England. But Moscow's shadow follows. And when his daughter Yulia comes to visit, events take a terrifying turn.
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Transcript 8,226 words · 15 speakers
Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.
0:00 Alice Levine? Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of British Scandal ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app.
0:13 Alice Levine? Oh, Matt, before we get going, could you just do me a quick favour?
0:16 Matt Forde? Depends what it is.
0:17 Alice Levine? Could you take these scissors to producer Redsey?
0:20 Matt Forde? Yeah, sure.
0:20 Alice Levine? Can you run with them, because she just is in a bit of a hurry?
0:23 Matt Forde? Hang on a minute. Every time I do you a favour, it's dangerous.
0:26 Alice Levine? What? No, it's not.
0:27 Matt Forde? You got me to go back to a lit firework last week.
0:29 Alice Levine? Briefly.
0:31 Matt Forde? How come it's always me that's taking the risk and it's never you?
0:34 Alice Levine? It's just not true. Shall we just get on with it?
0:36 Matt Forde? Yes, please.
0:37 Alice Levine? Okay. Oh, before we do, you wouldn't just grab my frisbee out of that pylon, would you?
0:42 Matt Forde? Right, if I go up there and get it, you have to let me play this time.
0:46 Alice Levine? Of course.
0:47 Matt Forde? Okay.
0:52 Alice Levine? Friday, March 2, 2018. Aeroflot Flight SU2588, Gatwick Airport. Alexander Mishkin keeps his seatbelt fastened. His eyes flit between the baggage locker and the illuminated sign overhead. His finger hovers under the buckle, ready. His nerves fizz with anxiety. If someone knocks his bag, the consequences could be deadly. Not just for him, but for everyone on board.
1:24 Alice Levine? The light flashes off. A hundred buckles clack as one.
1:29 Alice Levine? Mishkin springs from his seat, driving his elbows out to keep the crowds at bay. Shoving his way up, he flips open the overhead locker, grabs his bag with both hands, slides it out delicately. As passengers bustle around him, he carefully takes the zip between thumb and forefinger, holds his breath, and unzips it. There, sat on top of his clothes, is the bottle. In a powder pink box, the elegant logo of Nina Ricci's premier show. Still intact, his body relaxes.
2:06 Matt Forde? I think he'd be a lot less stressed if he was carrying this deadly substance in something a little bit more substantial than basically a bottle of Davidoff.
2:18 Alice Levine? I'm gonna sound like a hypocrite now because you should go back and listen to the Litvinenko series, our first one ever. We got very mad about them carrying their radioactive weaponry in their blazer pocket. But dare I say, better than on top of your hold-all, isn't it?
2:31 Matt Forde? I take better care of the chocolate that I bring back from holiday.
2:36 Alice Levine? Treat your nerve agent like you treat your lint.
2:41 Alice Levine? Two minutes later, he wheels his bag along the shiny floor of the terminal corridor. Looking in the reflection of the floor-to-ceiling windows, he sees his accomplice, Anatoly Chepega, following as planned. Six American tourists behind him, blending in like any other sightseer. In the queue for immigration, Mishkin runs his thumb along his passport, unfolds it, and looks at the fake name staring back at him. Alexander Petrov. His nerves jangle. Now that he's here, that alias feels insubstantial, not different enough to his real name. Next, please. Mishkin shuts the passport and steps forward.
3:26 Alice Levine? Where are you coming from? Mishkin watches the guard flick to the photo page. Inspecting the picture carefully, Mishkin tries to keep his rising heartbeat in check. Moscow. Excuse me. Moscow. The guard looks up at him. How long are you staying? Just two nights. And what plans do you have while you're here? He gives a pleasant smile. Sightseeing, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Salisbury Cathedral. The guard's face wrinkles, confused, as if Mishkin misspoke. But he holds the guard's stare, steals his nerves, each second creeping by slowly.
4:11 Alice Levine? Enjoy your visit. Thank you. I will. Rolling his bag out of the arrivals hall, he looks up for signs to the trains. Then takes a slip of paper from his pocket, rereads the address. Forty-seven Christie Miller Road, Salisbury. And then the name beneath. The man he's been sent to assassinate. Sergei Skripal.
4:47 Speaker 02 A dark night, a quiet house. But inside, danger was lurking.
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4:56 Speaker 02 What she didn't know is that online, there lurked an even bigger...
4:59 Speaker 03 Xfinity Cyber Secure protects us from digital threats, too.
5:03 Speaker 02 I should have stuck to rom-coms.
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5:40 Alice Levine? From Wondery, I'm Alice Levine.
5:41 Matt Forde? And I'm Matt Ford.
5:43 Alice Levine? And this is British Scandal.
5:57 Alice Levine? Matt, you've had a glimpse now into the world of international espionage. Do you think you would cut the proverbial mustard as a spy?
6:04 Matt Forde? On the one hand, yes, because I love playing with gadgets. Invisible ink sounds fun. Also, it turns out you'd have to work much. Sergei was a sleeper in Madrid with basically nothing to do and was still getting paid regularly. So that kind of spying really appeals to me.
6:19 Alice Levine? Is there another hand?
6:20 Matt Forde? Yes, and it's the hand that says no.
6:24 Matt Forde? Because in those moments where you actually have to do something, it is nerve wracking. When he's smuggling out all that information in a copy of Anna Karenina, I just wouldn't be able to handle it. I'd be sweating, shaking, crying, throwing up. Just everything would be coming out of me. So I think I would give myself away. Mainly, I'm just not psychologically cut out for it. The constant worry about being found out would be far too much for me.
6:48 Alice Levine? Yeah, and Sergey has been found out. We finished our last episode with him being dragged off the street and into a van on suspicion of being a traitor.
6:55 Matt Forde? Headed for a Gulag, and that's the other reason I'd make a terrible spy. I really cannot hack Gulags. Please never send me back to one.
7:03 Alice Levine? I actually think that you would fall at the first hurdle, which is having to tell a lie. I think you'd be like, look, I just want to be straight with you. I'm not who I said I was. I feel terrible about it. Let's go for a drink and talk it out.
7:13 Matt Forde? And it was all Alice's idea.
7:16 Alice Levine? Well, now for Sergey, he's on Vladimir Putin's radar, and not in a good way, in an I've been interrupted at my dojo kind of way. And the thing about Vladimir Putin is, he doesn't seem much like the kind of forgive and forget type of guy. So let's see how Sergey handles this. This is episode two, Early Bird.
7:37 Alice Levine? Eight years earlier, July the 6th, 2010, IK-5 penal colony, Mordovia, Russia.
7:47 Alice Levine? Sergey Skripal is ripped from his sleep. He bolts up in his bunk. Prisoner, up! Sergey staggers to his feet, rubs his eyes, squints at the shadowy figure jingling his keys. Leave your things. Come with me. The door clanks open. Sergey steps out, offers up his wrists, and braces for the cuffs coming down. As he's dragged through the cold concrete corridor, the warden starts clicking his fingers. A series of quick and slow snaps. It's code to other wardens nearby. In the four years Sergey has been here, he's never managed to crack what they're saying
8:30 Alice Levine? to each other. He listens out for a response echoing from round a corner.
8:39 Matt Forde? Sergey is obviously presuming that they're communicating probably quite sinister messages, but it could just be small talk.
8:47 Alice Levine? Yeah, or as I'm imagining it, it's just a
8:51 Matt Forde? The road, Jack.
8:55 Alice Levine? Where are you taking me? The warden holds a finger up, not looking back. Away. Sergey feels his skin tighten as the warden hauls him forward again. What do you mean away? Where is away?
9:10 Matt Forde? You've won the monthly prisoner lottery. We're sending you, all expenses paid, to the Maldives.
9:16 Alice Levine? Or as we say.
9:19 Alice Levine? Yay! Sergey swallows. He had only just started allowing himself to believe that he might actually see out the rest of his sentence here. But he should never have been so foolish. Sergey's stomach knots as he thinks of his family. How he missed the final few years of his children, Sasha and Yulia's childhoods. All those anniversaries with his wife, Ludmilla.
9:45 Alice Levine? He's bundled through a metal door, out into a small courtyard. It's pitch black. The air is freezing. A prison van, engine chugging, sits on the tarmac. The smell of the exhaust is intoxicating. It smells to Sergey like freedom.
10:04 Alice Levine? But he has no chance to savor it. The breath is knocked straight out of him by the warden, shoving him into the back of the van. He lurches forward, bangs his shins on the bumper, lands on the floor with a thud.
10:19 Alice Levine? And as the door slams behind him, Sergey realizes he's the only prisoner in here. The only one that's being taken away. Sergey hears more clicks from the warden than a solid slap on the side. The engine grounds, the gears heave, and the wheels beneath him start to roll. This is it. This is how it ends. He leans his head against the cold, dark cage and starts to pray.
11:02 Alice Levine? One month later, Christie Miller Road, Salisbury. Ross Cassidy hangs up his coat, slips off his shoes, and walks to the kitchen where his wife, Mo, stands at the stove, making her famous chili con carne. He slips his arms around her waist, snuggles in close, kisses her neck. Even after all these years, coming home to this woman remains the highlight of his day.
11:30 Alice Levine? But he's laying on the affection extra thick tonight because he has something to confess.
11:35 Matt Forde? He hates the way she cooks chili con carne.
11:37 Alice Levine? It's famous because it's crap.
11:42 Alice Levine? Mo takes her spoon from the pan, offers him a taste. Ross takes a mouthful. Oh God, speaking to the new neighbours outside. Thought it might be nice to have them over for a barbecue at the weekend, if the weather holds. Mo tenses.
11:59 Speaker 06 Oh Christ, Ross, not this weekend. You promised we'd visit my parents.
12:04 Alice Levine? Ross sheepishly wipes sauce from his lips. Well, the thing is, I've sort of already asked them.
12:14 Alice Levine? Mo clatters the spoon back into the pan. Ross braces himself.
12:18 Speaker 06 Oh, why do you always do this? Making me spend my Saturday night with a bunch of bloody people I don't know from Adam.
12:26 Alice Levine? She returns to stirring vigorously. The Skripals are hardly strangers. They're our neighbours.
12:33 Speaker 06 What did you just say?
12:35 Alice Levine? Ross clenches, unsure which bit has made her mad.
12:40 Speaker 06 Their name? What is it?
12:43 Alice Levine? He relaxes. Oh, Skripal. Sergey and Ludmilla, I think she said. He watches Mo's expression change, become almost nervous as she turns down the hob and scurries from the room.
12:57 Speaker 06 Jesus, Mo, what is it?
13:00 Alice Levine? He stares at his wife as she flips open her laptop. He steps closer to get a better look. And a chill trickles down his spine as he sees the lead image on a news website. It's him, their neighbour. A blurry close-up of his face taken through metal bars against a plain wall. Sergey, in prison.
13:25 Alice Levine? Mo? What is this? But Mo doesn't reply. She clicks on a video.
13:33 Speaker 06 It's the biggest spy swap completed with Russia since the Cold War. Ten undercover moles handed back to Moscow in exchange for four British and American operatives who have been imprisoned on Russian soil for years. Double agents for MI6 and the CIA. Sergey Skripal was the first of the ten, transferred six weeks ago from the IK-5 penal colony Mordovia, Russia, to London.
13:58 Alice Levine? Ross's jaw lowers as he watches footage of Sergey being led across an airfield, bundled onto a plane. Is that him? But Ross can't reply. In a daze, he staggers back to the kitchen, stands at the French doors, and gazes out into the garden. There, over the fence, he can see him. Sergey Skripal, clear as day, tending to his hut of guinea pigs. His mind boggles. Ross has no idea what business a man like that could possibly have in their quiet corner of the world.
14:39 Alice Levine? All he knows is that he's going to have to keep a very close eye on the spy next door.
14:52 Alice Levine? One month later, September 2010, Salisbury city centre.
14:58 Alice Levine? Sergey dashes across the high street, stares in amazement at his new smartphone. Even his best spy gadgets have nothing on this. He follows the flashing blue dot on the screen as it guides him past superdrug, Greg's. He heads towards his destination, Coate Brasserie, and then smack headlong into something hard. He looks up in shock. Oi me, watch where you're going! Sergey takes in the scowling face of a stranger. Sorry, I'm a little lost. Bloody immigrants.
15:34 Alice Levine? Sergey grits his teeth, flushes with anger, then shame. He's barely left the house since he arrived in Salisbury, and he's beginning to wonder why he bothered today, when he hears the voice of his old friend.
15:48 Speaker 06 Sergey, bloody hell, it's good to see you again.
15:53 Alice Levine? Sergey feels his soul lift as he claps eyes on Sebastian. Finally, a chance to thank the man who gave him back his freedom. He throws his arms wide and clasps him close, like a long-lost brother.
16:08 Speaker 06 Come on, I've ordered us a bottle I think you'll like.
16:14 Alice Levine? They sit. Sebastian pours him a welcome glass.
16:17 Speaker 06 So, how are you finding life in Salisbury?
16:21 Matt Forde? Yeah, good, apart from the racists.
16:23 Alice Levine? Sergey swirls his wine, then gulps half of it down in one.
16:28 Speaker 06 Things have been... tough. Tougher than a Gulag. I know it can be hard to find your feet.
16:38 Alice Levine? But Sergey looks down at the table, takes a breath.
16:42 Speaker 06 It's also Lutmila. She has cancer. She noticed it while I was in prison, but didn't want to make a fuss, so has only now started treatment. Oh, Jesus, Sergey. I'm so sorry. How are the kids handling it? Hardly kids anymore.
17:02 Alice Levine? Another wave of sadness hits him. In truth, Sergey's son, now in his late thirties, is not good. He's drinking a lot. At least his daughter Yulia is doing well in her job.
17:14 Speaker 06 In Russia, the word is "Toska". I do not know how you say in English, but how to explain. Even though it is all over, I do not feel peace. Do you understand?
17:27 Alice Levine? Sebastian nods thoughtfully.
17:30 Speaker 06 I wonder.
17:31 Alice Levine? Sergey tilts his head.
17:33 Speaker 06 Perhaps I can help. Find you something to do.
17:39 Alice Levine? Sergey frowns. He looks at Sebastian in confusion.
17:43 Speaker 06 People would love to hear your stories. There's plenty of work for an ex-spy on the after-dinner speaking circuit. Stories? The after-dinner circuit? Yes, they fly you all over, and it pays well.
18:01 Matt Forde? All you've got to do is sit in a sports hall of about 300 drunk men, who are way more right-wing than you, tell a couple of off-colour gags, and it's basically free money.
18:12 Speaker 06 And 10 years have flown by, haven't they, Matt?
18:13 Matt Forde? Look, a man's got to work.
18:15 Alice Levine? Sergey shuffles in his seat. "I do not wish to paint a target on my back." You're a pardoned man, Sergey! Free to live your life! This isn't the Cold War anymore. Britain has an understanding with Russia. Putin can't touch you.
18:32 Matt Forde? For context, this is four years after the murder of Alexander Litvinenko in Britain.
18:39 Speaker 06 So evidence would suggest Putin can touch you.
18:43 Alice Levine? Sergey has to admit, the days have felt long. The idea of having some purpose again, it's appealing. Getting back out there will be good for you, Sergey. I promise. He knows his old friend is right. There's no point in having his freedom if he's just going to make himself a prisoner in his own house. He's been given a new chance at life, the life he'd been dreaming of all those years ago. He needs to grab this opportunity with both hands. So Sergey raises his glass, toasts with Sebastian, and vows that he's going to make the most of things here in Salisbury, and wherever else his stories take him.
19:29 Matt Forde? It's such an odd image, though, isn't it?
19:31 Speaker 07 Your headline act's fantastic, Les. You're all the way from the former Soviet Union, it's Sergey Skripal. He's got some cracking stories.
19:39 Speaker 06 Some of them sad, some of them really, really quite violent. But all in all, it's going to be a riot.
19:45 Speaker 07 Don't forget, after Sergey, we've got the meat raffle, so don't go anywhere.
19:51 Alice Levine? December 16th, 2010. Russia One Studios, Moscow. Vladimir Putin stands in the wings. He watches the cameramen double-check the monitor. He buttons his jacket, gives his pecks a quick flex. They feel pleasingly snug against his shirt. His workout this afternoon will really have them popping on screen. Tonight is his annual televised Q and A. Direct line with Vladimir Putin. It's been a tradition ever since he was first elected president 10 years ago. One he's continued despite Russia's presidential term limits, meaning he's temporarily had to relinquish the top job.
20:34 Alice Levine? But Putin's ambition remains undimmed. He fully intends to run for reelection just as soon as the rules will let him. Or he can bend them to his favour.
20:44 Matt Forde? Probably that one.
20:45 Alice Levine? He straightens his back, raises himself to his full five foot seven inches.
20:51 Matt Forde? That explains the PEC thing. It's always these short men.
20:55 Alice Levine? Just looking at heights of world leaders across the board. You're looking at your 5'7s, your 5'8s, your 5'9s. No one's really breaching that apart from Trump.
21:04 Matt Forde? What's he coming in at?
21:04 Alice Levine? 6'3 apparently, but I mean...
21:06 Matt Forde? I guess you see him next to other people, he does look taller than them. I tell you, it would be brutal in TV election debates to have them in front of like a police lineup so you could see exactly how tall they were.
21:17 Alice Levine? They should arrange it a bit like they do, which is so brutal, on school photo day. No, your back row and then the ones that are really short when you have to sit at the front with your legs crossed. He steps out onto the set, takes a seat at his desk and gets himself comfortable under the hot stage lights, ready to field questions.
21:38 Speaker 06 Hello, yes, I would like to know if Mr. Putin stayed in touch with the polar bear he met a few months ago?
21:44 Alice Levine? Putin chuckles. A charming question, and not even one of the ones he planted. Thanking the caller, he rattles through a few more softballs. A question on Russia's World Cup bid, another on the recent economic uptick. Then signals for another.
22:01 Speaker 06 Can I ask what the government intends to do about the spies that were released at the order of Britain and America?
22:08 Alice Levine? Putin clenches his jaw, shoots a glance at his advisers in the wings. He specifically didn't want to address this topic. He hasn't prepared an answer. He's still livid at having to hand over traitors to the West, but his hand was forced.
22:24 Speaker 06 I read that one of them is even giving lectures now, all over Europe.
22:29 Alice Levine? Putin feels the heat of the lights rising, his blood pressure too. That rat, Skripal has given his freedom, and this is how he repays Russia? Putin fixes his scowl into a stern smile, and speaks softly.
22:44 Speaker 06 As you may have seen, we welcomed back ten of our agents a few months ago. I met with them, glad to welcome them home.
22:53 Alice Levine? He leans in.
22:54 Speaker 06 We have people who sacrificed their lives to serve the motherland.
23:01 Alice Levine? He lets a deathly silence fill the room. All eyes are fixed on him.
23:06 Speaker 06 And there happened to be an animal who betrayed them. How will he live with it all his life? How will he look his children in the eye? Swine!
23:20 Matt Forde? I feel like this is what our politics is missing. I would love to see Kirsten McCall call someone a swine on telly.
23:28 Alice Levine? He squeezes his fingers tight, his knuckles turning white.
23:32 Speaker 06 Russia has abandoned its Soviet-era practice of killing those that betray us. Special services no longer do that.
23:43 Alice Levine? Putin pauses, casts his eyes around the studio, searching for the little red light. He wants to address these next comments directly to the camera, so that Sergey Skripal sees them, and is left in no doubt.
23:58 Speaker 06 But as for the traitors, whatever thirty pieces of silver they got, it will get stuck in their throats. They will croak, all by themselves.
24:11 Alice Levine? He seethes as he spits out the words, and makes a silent vow. Once he's president again, he's going to remind Sergey Skripal that Russia doesn't forget. Or forgive.
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26:15 Speaker 08 Eight years later, March 3, 2018, Salisbury. Alexander Mishkin pulls his jacket tightly around him, tucks his hands under his armpits, and pushes forward along the freezing pavement. He's used to Russian winters, but he hadn't expected England in March to be quite so cold. He turns to his accomplice, Anatoly Chapega.
26:42 Alice Levine? You have bottle. Chepega nods. I dig no. Chepega shakes his head. When we get to road. Mishkin stops, aghast.
26:56 Alice Levine? What? Bottle is my one job. If something happens between here and house, I get blame. I am not taking blame. You get bottle when we get to house. Mishkin glowers. He has no idea why their boss thought this would be a two-person job. He doesn't need a chaperone. He resumes his pace, walking along Montgomery Gardens as quickly as the slush allows. Then turns left onto Christie Miller Road. Mishkin takes three steps down the cul-de-sac, then stops dead in his tracks. He shoots a hand out, straight into Chepega's chest, and stops him dead too. The fuck man? Watch out for bottle!
27:40 Alice Levine? Mishkin grabs Chepega's jumper and drags him back around the corner. Down! Get down! The pear dive behind a battered yellow grit bin. Look, on driveway. Chepega peers out. Nice BMW! Mishkin shoots him a look. Imbecile! That shouldn't be a car! He looks down at his watch. He should be at airport, collecting daughter. Chepega shrugs. This is hopeless.
28:15 Alice Levine? Two hours later, Mishkin groans as cramp cuts through his quads. He's tucked along a nearby footpath, a few metres closer to number forty-seven, when he hears Chepega whistle. He flicks his cigarette away, looks back along the road, and watches as a huge black four-by-four rounds the corner. The low sun is dazzling. Mishkin struggles to see the driver through the windscreen, but as it rolls past, there's no mistaking the passenger in the backseat. Sergey Skripal.
28:49 Alice Levine? Mishkin's eyes widen. No one told him Skripal had protection. His heart and his mouth, he watches the four-by-four pull up in the neighbouring drive. Mishkin crouches lower still, his breathing shallow. Anger rising as he realises that, all this time, the house had been empty. He could have done the job and been halfway back to London by now.
29:16 Matt Forde? Why didn't he just check out the house? Rather than just presuming that because there was a car on the drive, there must have been someone in?
29:22 Alice Levine? There's a car on the drive, the radio's on inside, and also, the blinds are up. Okay, that's all of the surefire ways that you check that somebody's in.
29:31 Matt Forde? Yeah, I think Macaulay Culkin's in there with Michael Jordan. So, they've clearly got a house full tonight.
29:37 Alice Levine? You joke, but I think that's basically what my parents set up when they go on holiday. The anger starts to dissipate as Mishkin sees the driver step out of the car, and struggle to help Yulia unload her luggage. This guy isn't a bodyguard. This must be his neighbour.
29:55 Speaker 06 Just let me know if you need a jump start in the morning, or I'll help.
29:58 Alice Levine? Sergey turns, gripping the door handle firmly with one hand, waving his thanks with the other. As the door slams shut, locking his target inside for the evening, Mishkin smiles. His eyes still fixed on that door handle. He's going to have to come back again tomorrow. But that's okay. Because he's just figured out how he's going to kill Sergey Skripal.
30:32 Alice Levine? The next day, 11:45 a.m., London Road Cemetery, Salisbury.
30:39 Alice Levine? Sergey pulls up in a parking spot, cuts the engine, looks blankly ahead at the familiar brick wall of the Crematorium, and sighs as he slips his key from the ignition. Ready. He looks at Yulia. She bites her lip, nods, then unbuckles her seatbelt. Ready.
31:00 Alice Levine? It's a short walk to the headstones. Sergey has been making this pilgrimage three times a week since Ludmilla passed. Her treatment had given them a couple more years together, mostly endless visits to the hospital. But her cancer was too advanced. Then, last summer, Sasha died too. His drinking only worsened after Ludmilla went, and nothing Sergey could say or do seemed to help.
31:26 Matt Forde? So his son is dead at this point as well?
31:29 Alice Levine? Yeah, so sad. So his son died at 43. He was a heavy drinker. He was on holiday back in St Petersburg when he died, although he's buried in Salisbury with his mother. The official cause of death was liver failure, but relatives have said that the circumstances were suspicious and don't accept that that was just to do with his drinking. So at this point, it's just Sergey in Salisbury. Yulia spent some time in the UK, but as of 2014, was back in Russia. So a very lonely time, so he would be really happy to have Yulia back for a visit. He watches Yulia lay her flowers. He's hoping he can persuade her to move back to Salisbury, or at least spend part of the year here.
32:13 Alice Levine? He hates the idea of her being in Moscow. It's so strange, you being here. Sergey helps her back up. She clearly feels the same, and he wonders if now is the time. You know, you are always welcome here. Steven, too. She looks down at her feet. Did you get the pictures we sent? Sergey takes his phone from his pocket, an old, bricky Nokia. I do not trust that smartphone, knowing my every step, so I don't get the pictures now. Yulia shakes her head and pulls up her picture gallery. This is our apartment. Sergey peers down at the screen.
32:56 Alice Levine? It's a selfie of Yulia and her fiance in front of a part-decorated living room. She flicks the screen and he sees them both pulling silly faces in an unfitted kitchen. Then a bathroom, then a bedroom. It still needs work, but we're making it a home. Yulia flicks the screen again, and Sergey sees a photo that makes him real. His mouth hangs open, his eyes widen. It's a cot. He blinks, confused, looks to Yulia for a clue. Yulia, you're pregnant? Her face breaks into a mischievous smile. Not yet, but we are trying. Sergey doesn't know what to do with his face.
33:39 Alice Levine? A hundred emotions battle within him as he gulps and stutters. Yulia's smile starts to fall. Sorry, I know it's a weird thing to announce here, I just wanted you to know. Sergey shakes off his shock, wobbles his head, then takes his daughter up in a huge hug. It is a blessing, my love, of course. He breaks away smiling, feeling his cheeks stretch further than they have in almost twenty years. And yet he now knows he cannot ask her to stay. He thinks of his own empty, silent house. Yulia has a life in Moscow, and he has to let her live it. Family is what makes this life worth living, Yulia.
34:23 Alice Levine? You make me so proud. Yulia bursts into tears. Sergey catches her in his arms again, and they hug. Come on, we go home, get ready, I take you to lunch, and we drink to your good fortune.
34:45 Alice Levine? Ten minutes later, eleven fifty-five AM, Christie Miller Road. Mishkin looks down at the glistening molded glass of the bottle in his gloved hand, and holds his breath. He stares at the mouth of the nozzle. He's been told a single drop of this is enough to kill a hundred men.
35:06 Alice Levine? He carefully removes the lid. Casts his eyes down the cul-de-sac. Fixes his sight on the scripple's front door. When against his thigh, his burner phone buzzes. Fuck! He almost drops the bottle in fright. He fumbles in his pocket, manages to mute the call. His boss, demanding updates. It's been like this all goddamn morning.
35:34 Matt Forde? It's nice to know that even in the spy world, line managers are a real issue.
35:40 Alice Levine? Why don't I tell you when it's done, rather than you having to check in all the time?
35:44 Matt Forde? I'll tell you what, mate, any more of this and I'm going to talk to my union rep about it.
35:48 Alice Levine? He picks up his pace, his heartbeat keeping time with every quickening step.
35:54 Alice Levine? As he moves, he feels his finger twitching, ready to get the job done. But just as he's approaching Sergey's driveway, from the corner of his eye, he catches sight of something. The neighbour's door, it's starting to open.
36:09 Matt Forde? Never underestimate how nosy British neighbours are.
36:14 Alice Levine? Mishkin swerves, dives down for cover behind a bright blue Toyota Yaris, his knees slamming into the tarmac.
36:23 Alice Levine? His phone starts to buzz again. He scrambles to silence it as Sergey's neighbour shuffles down his driveway in his slippers, dragging a bag of empty bottles out to his bin. The sound of clattering glass reverberates along the street as he slings them in. Mishkin's nerves are shot. He waits for the slippers to shuffle back to the house. But they don't. Instead, they move closer.
36:51 Alice Levine? Mishkin's body freezes. Slowly, he brings the bottle up to his chest, places his finger on the nozzle, and braces himself to strike. Then, from the other side of the car, he hears a purr. The contented purr of a cat getting scratched behind the ear.
37:09 Speaker 06 There you go. Now off you pop.
37:13 Alice Levine? Mishkin glances to his right to see a collarless tabby canter past into the road, and exhales in relief as he hears the slippers turn and make their way back inside. The second the door slams shut, Mishkin springs to his feet. He surges forward, up the drive to Sergey's door, puts his left hand up to cover his mouth, squeezes his nose tight. With his right, he holds the bottle out at arm's length, puts the nozzle right up against the door handle, and presses.
37:50 Matt Forde? Okay, um, this stuff, it can kill a hundred men, a single drop. But to protect yourself, all you do is you just squeeze your nose tight, you hold it at arm's length, and you'll be totally fine.
38:00 Alice Levine? Will it irritate the skin? Uh, yeah, it can eat through flesh. Yeah, it's gonna kill a man, but yeah, just pop, pop your finger over the nozzle.
38:08 Alice Levine? A thick, gel-like substance squirts out. Mishkin watches as the viscous liquid oozes, spreading itself along the hand grip into a thin, transparent coat. Within seconds, it's invisible to the eye. He peers for a moment again at the door handle, then turns, walks briskly back along the road, Chapega waiting at the corner. Together, they break into a sprint. But as he runs, Mishkin can feel the bottle dancing about in his pocket. It's still practically full, deadly nerve agents sloshing around inside it. If it spilled in his pocket, or broke, it would kill him in an instant.
38:53 Alice Levine? He needs to get rid of it, and get rid of it now. As the train station hovers into view, Mishkin sees a bin up ahead. Before he has time to consider anything else, he sticks his arm out,
39:09 Alice Levine? pulls the bin's lever, and tosses it into the hulking metal clothes bank, its flap clanging shut behind him. He listens, praying that it doesn't smash. But he has no time to stop and check. He has to keep running forward. He needs to get out of here, now.
39:38 Alice Levine? 3pm, Zizi's Restaurant, Salisbury City Centre.
39:42 Matt Forde? This is now the most famous Zizis in Britain, surely?
39:45 Alice Levine? Although, Zizis on the Strand in London, that's the Zizis where the man ran in and chopped his penis off.
39:51 Matt Forde? How long was the food taking?
39:56 Alice Levine? Julia runs her finger down the menu. She's still famished from yesterday's flight, and the rich, sweet smell of tomato sauce wafting from the kitchen is making her stomach growl. She looks up, across the table, at her father. He's staring out of the window, at nothing. Ever since they got home from the cemetery, he's been acting out of sorts. Distracted, withdrawn. She racks her brain for something she might have said. She thought he'd be thrilled at her news. "Have you decided?" He turns absently. "Uh, oh, uh, no, I'm not so hungry." Julia sighs. He'd seemed so excited about the prospect of a grandchild
40:40 Alice Levine? after the initial shock, but now he's behaving so strangely. Barely talking, not really meeting her eye. She'd never have mentioned the baby thing if she'd known how awkward it would make him. Dad had always been so proud of all she's achieved. Her degree, her job at Nike. He'd always seemed to like Stephen, too. She'd hoped he'd be happy. She returns to her menu when their server comes over.
41:07 Speaker 06 "Hey, guys, I've got you starters here to kick you off. Have you decided on mains?"
41:13 Matt Forde? "Did you used to work in hospitality?"
41:16 Speaker 06 "Just got a nice way about me, haven't I, when I'm being a server?"
41:20 Alice Levine? Julia looks over and is perturbed to see her dad chugging down his tap water in great big gulps. "Uh, maybe just another minute? Thank you." Julia leans in towards Sergey, who she notes is now sweating. "Dad, is everything okay?" He flaps a hand at her. "I'm fine, I'm fine. It's just, uh, very bright in here." Yulia looks around. It is fairly bright. She'd noticed it catching the back of her eyes a bit too. But it shouldn't be making him sweat. Look, I'm sorry if before I... But she drifts off as she sees him shutting his eyes, scrunching his face up tight.
42:04 Alice Levine? Dad, are you sure you feel okay? It's nothing, just a headache. Please, eat. Yulia picks up her fork, stabs her bruschetta, takes a bite. She's barely even chewed it before she grabs for her napkin and spits it out. It tastes hideous, metallic. Oh, God. Have you tried yours? Dad? But she gets no response. All she hears is his fork clatter as he slumps forward in his seat. Dad! He jolts back with a start, wipes a hand across his mouth. Perhaps I need some fresh air. Excuse me, miss. Could we get our bill?
42:50 Alice Levine? Yulia begins to notice her tongue tingle with pain, like she's taken a mouthful of iron filings. She retches, hot spit filling her mouth. Excuse me, our bill, please! The sound of her father's voice hurts her ears, spikes her brain. She blinks. Orange shapes start to float before her eyes, each one burning like tiny suns. She has to leave too, right this second. Stepping out, the snowy air hits her face. Her head is now pounding, her eyelids are heavy. Through her eyelashes, she can see her dad hobbling, swaying wildly from side to side.
43:35 Alice Levine? She tries to call out, to him, to anyone, to shout for help, but her throat won't move. It's like she's choking on air. She blinks, and when her eyes open, she sees a face appear above her. A stranger. And Yulia realizes she's on her back, looking up at the sky. They're asking if she's okay, and she can hear herself screaming, "No!" Something horrible is happening to her. But her mouth isn't moving, her jaw is locked. She flails her arms desperately, trying to make this stranger understand.
44:14 Alice Levine? Visions of her fiance's face flash through her mind. Him alone, in their Moscow apartment, by an empty crib and boxes of belongings. She feels herself starting to fall, down through the ground. She has to stay awake, fight for herself, for her father, her family. But her eyes begin to close again, plunging her into darkness.
44:46 Speaker 10 Ghosts aren't real. At least, that's what journalist Tristan Redmond always believed. Sure, odd things happen in his childhood bedroom, but ultimately, he shrugged them off. Until he discovered that he wasn't alone, that everyone who lived thereafter him also had bizarre experiences they couldn't explain. And it gets even weirder. It just so happens that his wife's great-grandmother was murdered in the house next door. Is this ghost somehow connected to her murder? He decides to go where no son-in-law should, digging up a cold case and asking questions that nobody wants answered. Like, could his wife's great-grandfather have gotten away with the perfect crime? This is a podcast about family secrets, overwhelming coincidence, and the things
45:30 Speaker 10 that come back to haunt us. For the best bingeable series like Ghost Story, listen to the Audible True Crime Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Audible subscribers can get all episodes early and ad-free right now. Join Audible in the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts.
45:46 Speaker 05 A trucker merges onto the I-10 in New Orleans. He checks his mirrors. The lane is clear. And then, boom, impact. A pickup truck, seemingly out of nowhere, scrapes down the side of his 18-wheeler, multiple passengers inside. One man flees the scene, and the driver of the pickup? He doesn't seem all that upset. It didn't feel like a regular accident, because it wasn't. Across the city, truckers are getting sideswiped, all on the same stretch of the same freeway. And behind many of the cases is one person, a Hollywood stunt woman turned personal injury lawyer named Vanessa Moda. This podcast... Is a story about fake accidents that lead to real consequences and a scheme that ends in betrayal and murder.
46:31 Speaker 05 Listen to Over My Dead Body: Operation Side Swipe wherever you get your podcasts. Audible subscribers can binge all episodes early and ad-free right now. Join Audible in the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
46:54 Alice Levine? The next day, April 5, 2018, Porton Down Chemical Research Facility, Wiltshire.
47:00 Matt Forde? So this is the top-secret laboratory where they run tests on chemical weapons, on deadly diseases, and as a result, it's shrouded in mystery and often conspiracy.
47:13 Alice Levine? Yes, a place that has inspired much myth and rumor, partly because they did develop biological weapons there, although they stopped doing that in the 1950s. But they experimented on veterans. They did a lot of crazy stuff, and so people are very, very interested in it. Professor Tim Atkins peels himself back from his microscope, rubs his dry, dusty eyes. He's been up for almost 36 hours now. He's crying out for a shower and a snooze, but he can't rest until he's identified this toxin. He picks up the police report again. Two victims, father and daughter, found slumped on a park bench, foaming vomit, constricted pupils.
47:59 Alice Levine? He shakes his head, slips off his gloves, heads to freshen his coffee, when his phone rings, an unlisted number, but he knows who it is. Sebastian?
48:11 Speaker 06 Professor Atkins.
48:13 Alice Levine? Any developments with the patients?
48:15 Speaker 06 Both still in critical condition, but both still alive, for the moment at least. How about you? Anything to report?
48:23 Alice Levine? He spoons an extra heap of sugar into his mug, then wanders back to his notepad. Well, it isn't radioactive. I've ruled out sarin, ricin. The formula it most closely resembles is, well... Atkins pauses. He's not discussed this theory yet with anyone, and he's concerned that the sleep deprivation might have turned him into a conspiracy nut. It's behaving like an old Soviet nerve agent. One developed in the 70s. The samples aren't an exact match. And though the symptoms track, the speed at which they took hold, I don't know. It's just not adding up. There's silence on the line.
49:03 Speaker 06 Professor, are you talking about Novichok?
49:07 Alice Levine? The professor reels. I am.
49:11 Speaker 06 Are you aware of a Novichok compound, A234?
49:15 Alice Levine? Atkins rubs his eyes. I've never seen a sample, but I'm aware of its existence.
49:20 Speaker 06 To the best of your understanding, could it be synthesized as a liquid?
49:26 Alice Levine? He thinks for a moment. It would be viscous, almost gel-like. A dam bursts inside his mind, thoughts and theories rushing out. Liquid Novichok.
49:40 Speaker 06 How soon would you be able to confirm it?
49:42 Alice Levine? Quickly, but if what you're saying is true, there's no time. If Novichok was in a liquid form, then it's highly likely to linger.
49:50 Speaker 06 So if the patients were dining in a restaurant an hour before collapsing, that would be an issue.
49:56 Alice Levine? Atkins sickens at the thought of it. Every piece of cutlery, glassware, menus, all passed from person to person. All now smeared with enough nerve agent to kill multiple people. And each contaminated person spreading it further still. The numbers are already spiraling way beyond his grasp.
50:18 Matt Forde? When you think about how quickly this could have traveled the country, it's terrifying.
50:25 Speaker 06 Professor Atkins, do we need to shut down the restaurant?
50:29 Alice Levine? Atkins almost lets a little laugh slip out at the suggestion. They don't just need to shut down the restaurant, they need to shut down the entire city.
50:45 Alice Levine? 10pm, 10 Downing Street, London. Theresa May puts down her pen, stretches and yawns. All day she's been grinding through Brexit paperwork, and she hasn't got space in her head for another word of it. She didn't even vote for this wretched thing. Her brain feels like cold porridge. All she wants to do is kick off her heels, grab the crisp bottle of Sancerre that's rattling around the fridge, and settle on the sofa with Philip for half an hour before bed. She leaves the office and is about to head up to the residence when a voice calls out.
51:22 Speaker 06 Prime Minister, sorry to bother you. It's your National Security Advisor, says it's urgent.
51:28 Matt Forde? I mean, compared to dealing with Brexit, you'd be like, yes! Finally, something else.
51:35 Alice Levine? Some light relief.
51:37 Matt Forde? Woohoo!
51:38 Alice Levine? She squeezes the banister in frustration. The wine will have to wait. Fine, yes, put him through.
51:47 Speaker 06 Prime Minister, apologies for the late call, but I wanted to make you aware of a developing situation in Salisbury. A British intelligence asset and his daughter have been taken into intensive care.
51:57 Alice Levine? May takes a seat back down at the desk. Goodness, what's happened?
52:01 Speaker 06 He appears to have been the victim of a targeted chemical attack, and we're now all but certain the poison used was manufactured in Russia. Novichok.
52:10 Alice Levine? Her stomach plunges. Not other than Litvinenko.
52:14 Speaker 06 I'm afraid it could be orders of magnitude worse than Litvinenko. Our man at Porton Down says the contaminant used in this attack is likely still at large. We're advising an immediate lockdown.
52:25 Alice Levine? She hears her pulse thumping against the earpiece. Lockdown of what? The whole city?
52:30 Matt Forde? Exactly, Prime Minister. I said, let ZZ's see out their day. There are people out there who need pizza.
52:37 Speaker 06 It's possible people are unwittingly spreading the toxin. Anyone who gets it on their hands, shoes, clothes, they'd be passing it on to others, who pass it on again, creating an army of walking bio-bombs.
52:49 Matt Forde? She should have had that wine.
52:51 Alice Levine? Panic rises as she realizes she has no contingency for chemical contagion.
52:56 Speaker 06 And we know for a fact, this was Russia. There's only one laboratory in the world that manufactures Novichok, and it was ordered to cease production 25 years ago. So either someone is making it in defiance of international law, or they're cracking open the vaults. Either way, all signs point to the Kremlin.
53:15 Alice Levine? Theresa May feels the blood drain from her face. Suddenly Brexit doesn't seem so bad. A British spy lies dying. A British city needs locking down. And Britain itself could be under attack. Chemical warfare from an invisible enemy. Sent by Vladimir Putin.
53:46 Speaker 11 Hi, I'm Kenya Beres.
53:47 Speaker 12 And I'm Malcolm Gladwell. We're back for season two of our Audible original podcast, The Unusual Suspects.
53:53 Speaker 11 We'll sit down with extraordinary guests from the worlds of art, film, literature, comedy, and wellness to hear from their unexpected stories of success.
54:00 Speaker 12 And who do we have this season? Well, we'll talk with Grammy winning artist Anderson Paak, athlete Rich Roll, portrait artist Amy Sherald, Oscar winning director Ron Howard, legendary writer David Sedaris, and many more. These conversations are more intimate than last season, wouldn't you say?
54:17 Speaker 11 I would. Listen to season one of The Unusual Suspects wherever you get your podcasts and sign up for a free trial Audible to listen to season two in the Audible app or by subscribing to Apple Podcasts.
54:33 Speaker 13 For decades, two legendary brands fought for the hearts of American bikers, Indian Motorcycle and Harley-Davidson. The battle looked a lot like Coke versus Pepsi or Ford versus Chevy, but tastes changed and Indian didn't adapt fast enough. The icon all but died. Then came the con men, the dreamers, a string of spectacular failures that kept Indian in the grave until one company finally got it right. This is the story of an improbable revival and the reignition of an old rivalry. Hey, I'm David Brown, the host of the podcast Business Wars, and every season we bring you the true stories behind the companies that shape our world. Indian's new owners are going all in, but an existential crisis looms. Can Indian and Harley recruit enough younger riders to survive?
55:17 Speaker 13 Make sure to follow Business Wars wherever you get your podcasts. Audible subscribers can binge all episodes of Business Wars early and ad-free right now. Join Audible in the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts.
55:32 Alice Levine? From Wondery and Sammerville Audio, this is the second episode in our series, Salisbury Poisonings.
55:37 Speaker 14 A quick note about our dialogue. In most cases, we can't know exactly what was said, but all our dramatizations are based on historical research.
55:44 Alice Levine? If you'd like to know more about this story, you can read The Scriptal Files by Mark Urban, Spy Swap by Nigel West, or you can read Bellingcat's investigations into the poisoning of the Scriptals at bellingcat.com.
55:56 Speaker 14 If you've got a scandal you'd like us to cover, get in touch. [email protected] .
56:01 Alice Levine? Or a chain restaurant you'd like us to investigate. British Scandal is hosted by me, Alice Levine.
56:06 Speaker 14 And me, Matt Ford.
56:07 Alice Levine? Written by Chris Lockery. Additional writing by Alice Levine and Matt Ford. Our story editor is James Maniac. Sound design by Rich Evans. Our engineer is Jai Williams. For Sammerville, our producer is Redzi Bernard. Our assistant producer is Louise Mason. Our senior producers are Joe Sykes and Dasha Lisitzina. For Wondery, our senior producer is Theodora Leludis, and our senior managing producer is Rachel Sibley. Executive producers for Wondery are Estelle Doyle, Chris Bourne, and Marshall Louis.
56:47 Speaker 14 Imagine you're reading Pride and Prejudice, except you're not reading it. Harris Dickinson and Marissa Abella are reading it to you on Audible. Her barbs sting you. His coldness sends a shiver up your spine. Your heart aches. Your ears burn. You yearn for Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy to profess their undying love for one another. You can't bear it any longer. Well, maybe a chapter longer. Performance is so good, you'll give love a second chance. Audible. Stories that speak to you.
57:17 Speaker 10 Journalist Tristan Redman goes where no son-in-law should ever go. Deep into his wife's family history, digging up the cold case of who murdered her great-grandmother. Because, I should mention, he thinks the murderer might actually be the beloved family patriarch. For the best binge-watch series like Ghost Story, listen to the Audible True Crime Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
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