Fire in a Haystack: A Thrilling Novel (Legal Mystery Book Book 1) (9 page)

Ofer found himself at one end of Ibn Gabirol Street. He began to walk aimlessly. His feet took him all the way to the end of Rothschild Boulevard, and he continued to walk down the wide street. He turned right on Allenby Street and continued to the Nahalat Binyamin pedestrian mall.

A few minutes later, he felt severe stomach cramps. He found a bench to rest on, but he was struck with nausea and hurried to the yard of a nearby apartment building and threw up everything in his stomach. His head hurt and his stomach didn’t stop spasming even for a second. He vomited for almost five minutes until only yellow gastric juices came out of his mouth.

He returned to the bench. A few minutes later he felt a little better and began to walk pensively. His lungs filled with warm air, drenched with the exhaust fumes of the buses that smelled better to him than the scents of urine and mold of the Abu Kabir prison cell.

Tender thoughts filled his mind. He felt his headache worsening. Perhaps he really had caught the deadly virus?

His mouth was dry from throwing up and from his growing sense of dread. He made some quick calculations. It all happened on Saturday night. How much time did he have left? Seven days would end in the coming weekend.

The last day of the waiting period would be Friday. Damn and bloody Friday. He wouldn’t be at all surprised if it was also the thirteenth but didn’t have the energy to check the actual date.

A black poodle playfully ran around next to the turn leading into Shenkin Street. A baby screamed on his father’s shoulders. Birds chirped among the trees.
Life is so beautiful,
he thought.

The questions tumbled in his head—How could he give up this red, juicy apple he hadn’t even had time to sink his teeth into yet? Is that what the last moments of life looked like? Did his father feel the same way before he died?

He remembered the pain he felt during the days of his father’s shiva, when family, friends and colleagues had come to the family home to share their grief. Even with all the time that had passed, he remembered every little detail, as if it all had happened only yesterday. 

Chapter 10

The events of those long gone days replayed themselves in Ofer’s mind in slow motion.

The days of the shiva in the Angel family home went by very quickly. A multitude of people, some he was not familiar with, others he didn’t find interesting, filled the small apartment. The heavy flow of visitors, which did not stop from the early morning hours till the late hours of the evening, did allow them time to digest the sudden death of the family patriarch.

A photo of Mordechai Angel was sitting on a small table next to the porch entry and ancient yellowing albums containing photos from better and happier days were stacked next to a memorial candle that burned day and night. Mordechai Angel had been photographed against the background of a snowy mountain, his gaze focused on distant and unidentified landscapes.

Ofer thought the photo did him justice; his father appeared as he always looked, distant and immersed in his own world.

During the evening hours of the third day, his classmate Gali Shviro came to visit on her own. Ofer saw her coming inside, dark brown and tall, her head inclined with nobility. He didn’t need to get any closer to know what scent rose from her hair.

She shook Ofer’s mother’s hand, mumbled some condolences, sat on a white plastic chair next to Ofer and grew silent. Her head was downcast, her heels tapped lightly on the floor and her eyes counted the tiles with embarrassment.

Next to the dining table, which had been moved to the corner of the room, sat two representatives from Viromedical, the factory in which Ofer’s father had worked. They spoke in hushed voices with his mother. One of them took out a cardboard file folder, fished out some documents and showed them to his mother, who looked confused and disoriented.

Ofer’s curiosity grew. He lifted himself a bit on the tips of his toes and slowly turned the plastic chair towards them, moving away from Gali.

With some effort, he managed to focus and block out all other noises, until he could hear their low voices.   

“It’s difficult for me to even utter the words, but… he committed actions which could only be defined as… criminal,” said the chubbier of the two. Ofer could see only his back and thick neck.

“The indictment would have been issued in any event,” said Yanovski, the accountant, who joined the conversation and stood next to the table. “Apparently he couldn’t escape it with such conclusive evidence,” he added after leafing through the documents. “I see wire transfers for large amounts of money and correspondences by Mordechai that look really bad. Even terrible… who would have thought Mordechai would cross the line…? I guess you can never know anything about anybody… He worked in Viromedical for so many years and he loved the place. But, if I can say something in his defense, you know his family desperately needed money…” he tried to explain to the two people who sat next to the table. They nodded with understanding. 

Accountant Saul Yanovski had been a friend of his father’s ever since their days in the army. Ofer liked the guy. He had a large, symmetrical bald head, a wide smiley face and a kind and childlike expression.

His mother buried her head in her hands. She hadn’t slept for two nights, and her eyes were dim and grief stricken.

“I don’t think the kid should hear or know anything about all this,” said one of the two factory representatives and shifted in his chair with unease. Ofer suddenly recognized the man with the mustache who sat next to the table and continued to stuff his swollen cheeks with fresh pastries. Ofer turned his head but remained within hearing distance. He was happy to discover Gali was busy with her own growing embarrassment and did not hear the conversation.

“I can only guess why he did it,” said his mother softly. “We were close to bankruptcy. I’m ashamed to tell you. And the child’s medical treatments ruined us financially. He must have felt he had no choice.”

Ofer didn’t fully comprehend the meaning of the conversation. Terms such as “bribe money” and “selling commercial secrets” were thrown from clenched lips into the air, and he was not sure he understood their meaning. He didn’t want to listen to any more of it.

The possibility that his father had committed criminal acts that left them with the job of clearing the family name from the embarrassing stain and dealing with the situation by themselves caused him real physical pain. He felt that the words said about his father carried with them a filthy scent that would never leave him. Hatred flared up within him, even though he was ashamed to feel that way about his father.  

The knowledge that his father committed criminal acts to pay for his own medical treatment was beyond what Ofer could endure. He had been treated for severe asthma attacks that required his hospitalization for many months. The doctors could not discover the cause of the severe physical phenomenon, and therefore he had to undergo thorough weekly medical examinations. 

Up until that moment he had never recognized how his medical treatment burdened his parents financially and caused them a great distress. They’d managed to hide it perfectly. Perhaps he was too thickheaded and busy only with himself?

“It can’t be,” he mumbled to himself. It’s an outright lie. His mother was ashamed, she said so herself, so she invented stories. Before he pushed his chair back towards Gali’s, he managed to see Saul Yanovski taking the yellow cardboard file folder with the documents and shoving it beneath his armpit.

A moment later, Ofer took Gali’s hand and pulled her with him as he escaped to the yard of the building. He quickened his pace, and she dragged along after him until they reached the large grove beyond the shopping center fence.

“What happened, Ofer? Why did we run away?” asked Gali.

“All these guys smell like formalin,” said Ofer.

“You mean naphthalene,” Gali corrected him.

“What difference does it make? It means the same thing. I don’t have any patience for all the ‘old people’s' conversations. Gossip and tall tales all day long. It’s a good thing you came to rescue me.”

“I had to. We didn’t understand why you were sent home. When we heard what happened… we were in shock. We couldn’t talk at the funeral…”

“Yes, we didn’t see it coming… this disaster… and you and I were about to celebrate our two month sweethearts anniversary this Friday. What rotten luck.”

They sat on a giant log that lay at the edge of the grove. Her hand remained in his.

She began to slowly move her fingers in his hand, and a hair-raising shiver passed through him. He placed his hand on her exposed shoulder. The shivering intensified. She shifted her hair from her forehead and gave him a long stare. He could not remember who started kissing who, but their lips attached themselves to one another, and their hands explored each other’s bodies with growing urgency.

The sugary scent of her hair and the softness of her skin dazzled him. She felt his breath becoming heavier. Her pulse quickened when he passed his hand over her chest. She didn’t say anything when he continued and pushed his hand beneath her shirt and into her bra. His cold and boyish hand fondled the small breasts.

Gali felt her body filling with an unfamiliar heat. His cheeks, adorned with the first traces of stubble, rubbed against her own pleasantly. The grove’s scent of pines filled her lungs and nostrils with the perfumes of nature.  

Gali gently scratched his back. An unfamiliar pleasure passed through her own back and she marveled at the gasp of enjoyment that escaped her mouth. She objected only when his hands began to caress her thighs then went further up and became more and more insistent and demanding.

They didn’t need to talk, but if a shared thought had passed through their minds, it was this—
I wish this moment would never end
.

To his surprise, Gali suddenly detached herself from Ofer and drew away. She huddled at the edge of the large log with a rumbling silence.
What should I say?
thought Ofer, guilt beginning to flood him.
Did I go too far? Perhaps I overdid it? I acted like a wild animal in heat!

“We’re leaving in a week,” said Gali.

Her voice was trembling. She swallowed her saliva and tears appeared at the corners of her eyes. Her hair and eyes sparkled with the glow of the streetlight that illuminated the distant parking lot, and Ofer thought the news she had just given him was even bitterer than the death of his father.

“What do you mean, leaving?”

“Leaving Tel Aviv. Moving.”

“Who’s we?”

“My family. All of us, without my dad. My mother, me and my sister. He’s staying here in central Israel.” Gali’s voice cracked.

“Why, where… how did it happen?” The words were torn out of his mouth.

“He and my mom decided to break up. It’s been going on for a while. I didn’t have a chance to tell you. But now my mother can’t afford to support us financially by herself; she needs us to move closer to her family. There’s no other choice. What a nightmare it is to think that I need to leave. Leave all my friends… school… I’ll even miss Fliegelman… ‘Let’s talk about the shpring constant,’” she imitated their teacher and his weird accent.

“At least your dad is alive,” said Ofer.

“I’m not sure what’s better,” said Gali.

“What will I do without you?”

“You’ll do well… I mean it. Keep being a Boy Scout instructor, continue your activities in the student council. With your values and talent, I’m sure you’ll go far.”

“It won’t be the same…”

They sat silently for long minutes, perhaps because they knew words could only ruin the pleasure of a night that would never be forgotten. The smell of pine trees and the flavor of summer and burning kisses. The savor of the intoxicating life that had awaited them before powers beyond their control appeared from nowhere, threatened their youth and turned their sweet routine upside down.

In that moment of pleasure mixed with pain, there was no hint that after the days of shiva ended they would meet again many years later. The first time by accident, at the central bus station, and a second time in Judge Jancovic’s courtroom.

Chapter 11

Joshua Fliegelman sat on a bench at the edge of the boulevard, a full half hour before the scheduled appointment.

He stretched his blue shirt in an attempt to smooth wrinkles that were many days old. Fliegelman was proud of the security guard uniform he was wearing, black pants and a blue shirt, even though it begged for some ironing. His thin hair was combed back, and his tiny beard was carefully trimmed. Now and then he passed a hand over the butt of his revolver and felt a sense of security. He lit a cigarette and enjoyed the pleasant breeze that passed through the margosa trees.

A minute before the agreed time, he recognized Gali’s proud gait from afar. He had no doubt she’d be there on time. She was happy to find him already waiting and hurried to sit beside him on the bench. They loved that place, where their first reunion took place after many years.

The last sunbeams were still fluttering between the broad foliage of the trees, announcing the end of the day, and the boulevard gradually emptied out.

“I brought you some cookies,” said Gali and set a plastic box in Fliegelman’s lap.

“You really shouldn’t have,” he tried to protest feebly.

“Don’t thank me. Just eat them. A little fat around your waist and in your cheeks will do you some good. Besides, I baked them myself, so you have no choice,” she said.

“How are you progreshing?” he asked, trying to overcome the embarrassment of accepting food from her. 

“Slowly but surely. I’ll get there at the end, you know. You’ve probably learned a thing or two about me by now. But first of all, tell me about yourself. How’s your new workplace?”

“Not too bad, conshidering. I’ve got no complaintsh. You know I would’ve acshepted anything gladly.”

Gali winced as he spoke, remembering how cruel she and her high school friends had been about his mangled speech. “Did someone from the security company ask you anything?”

“Luckily, no.”

“They didn’t ask why you wanted to move there?”

“No. They needed new guards for Viromedical so it was smooth and easy.”

“What were you able to find out?”

“Listen, Viromedical is a regular civilian factory. They manufacture medicine, vaccines, biological products. All kinds. I was pleasantly surprised. Everything is well organized and clean. It looks like the place is run with care. But there’s a factory within the factory.”

“What do you mean?”

“Inside the factory there’s an additional fenced unit, there’s inner security in addition to the outside security. One can go inside only with special badges. I asked what was being done there and they explained to me it is a secret laboratory. I haven’t been able to discover what they are doing there yet.”

“Are you sure?”

“Sure I’m sure. As much as I’m sure my name is Fliegelman,” anger crawled into his voice in response to her doubt.

“Where is it located exactly?”

“In the cellars beneath the main building. I haven’t been inside yet. There’s a chance they will transfer me there only after the trial period. Only people with a very high security clearance have access.”

“Excellent. But I need another favor from you.”

He looked at her with a slightly fearful glance. He knew he owed the girl more than he could ever repay her, but the risks she burdened his shoulders with began to make him feel anxious. “What now, girl? You know that I’m only a temporary employee there,” he tried to bargain for some time.

“Of course I know that. Who sent you there?” Gali tried to calm him down.

They grew silent as an old lady, dragged along by three galloping dogs, passed them.

“I need to know where they keep all the documents. What I’ve found in the trash cans is very nice and all, but I need more than that. I have to go through them quickly and make some photocopies. That is all, Mr. Fliegelman, find the documents.”

“Josh,” he begged her, “I ashked you to call me Josh.”

“All right, all right, Josh,” she said, “but you have to promise me, or you’ll remain Mr. Fliegelman forever.”

“No, I can’t promise.”

“Why not?” Her brown eyes became harder.

“Because I don’t need to promise. It’s very simple.”

“You know where their archive is?”

“No. But I know where it’s written. The documents are in a warehouse somewhere in the Lod commercial area. They send documents there all the time. It must be a central archive for documents from all sorts of places. When the boxes are coming out of the factory, I need to check their consignment note and address with a special stamp that approves their withdrawal. There’s also very strict documentation of what goes in and where it goes to. I need to take a peek at that notepad. There’s a special vehicle that does that. It also returns some boxes now and then and I need to check where they came from and approve their entry.”

“You don’t say. So can you give me the exact address? When’s your next shift?” Gali didn’t waste even a single moment.  

“Tonight. My shift starts at nine.”

“So perhaps I can come inside the factory for a short time. Just for half an hour. No more than that. What do you care?”

“Never, shweetheart, you’ll be shot. You can’t come inshide,” he mumbled helplessly, finding it difficult to resist his lovely savior. “If you want to come inshide, you need to find a legal way. Get invited there, or shomething. Why are you sho obsheshed with the plashe anyway?” 

“There are things going on there that I need to find out more about. The statistical information about ailments in all the surrounding settlements is unreasonable. My friends have checked and no other place or factory in the area can cause such damage. Even the court was convinced. I got a court order that prevents the selling of the factory until more is found out about what activities are going in there. But they’ll find a way to go around it, or throw me to the dogs unless I can come up with more evidence. So after disqualifying all the other factories, Viromedical is the only one remaining. A scientific deduction, right? Even you have to admit.”

“No. Not so scientific but a step in the right direction. Without proof you are merely toying with theories. But if you insist, I’ve got an idea for you.”

“Go on, tell me.”

“You don’t have to check on the inside. You can check the outside. A factory like that takes out all its waste, toxins and trash through the sewer system. Trash, for those smart enough to examine it, can tell you the whole story. Show me your trash and I’ll tell you who you are. Perhaps you should start from there.”

“Josh, you’re the greatest. You’re a real treasure. You deserve a kiss. You’ll have a guest tonight. Check your records and be ready with the address. No address, no more cookies, got it?”

Gali kissed his forehead gently, bade him farewell, rose from the bench and went away with quick footsteps before he even had a chance to react.