Fire in a Haystack: A Thrilling Novel

by Erez Aharoni

  She got closer to the fenced enclosure’s gate.

  To her surprise, she saw Yanai, the guard with the gel-drenched hair, standing next to the inner gate. He spoke with a dwarfish woman who appeared to be in her forties and who possessed an unusually loud voice. From the bits of the conversation that reached her, Gali understood that the woman was complaining about people taking her private parking spot, and she expected the guard not to allow this sort of thing to happen again. The small woman’s bag was on a small table, close enough for Gali to reach. A lanyard was sticking out of it, and attached to one end was the woman’s magnetic entry card. Gali didn’t think twice and quickly exchanged her guest card with the one in the woman’s bag.

  The woman turned to take her bag and Gali stepped up to Yanai without any hesitation. Self-confidence, that’s what it’s all about, she reminded herself.

  “You’re everywhere, eh? Well done,” she said with a friendly smile.

  “Someone’s sick so they forced me to take another shift,” he explained with a tired, end of the workday kind of smile.

  “The CEO sent me here. He’s been delayed, but he’s supposed to join our meeting,” said Gali. She had no intention of stopping there.

  Yanai continued to stare at her with great interest and didn’t ask any questions. She wasn’t even sure he was listening; apparently the fact she had already received an entry permit and looked so good was enough for him.

  The gamble paid off. He moved the metal gate, accompanied her to the building entrance, opened the glass door in a gentlemanlike fashion and let her through.

  “I’ll be here when you get out,” he said.

  “You’d better,” said Gali and winked at him. The front desk in the lobby was deserted. She noticed there were three large screens behind the desk.

  She entered the old-fashioned building. “A quick tour and I’m out of here,” she whispered to herself. “If I’ll get caught, I’ll say I lost my way and my magnetic card got switched by mistake.” At the end of the entrance hall she saw a staircase behind a glass door. She swiped the magnetic card she had taken from the employee’s bag in the appropriate slot and the door opened. She quickly went downstairs, ignoring the difficulties caused by her high heels and the short skirt she was wearing.

  The stairway led to a basement floor. An additional thick glass door blocked her way. She passed through again with her magnetic card and went downstairs. I guess the lower you go, the more interesting it becomes, she thought.

  At the end of the second floor’s stairs was an elevator whose door was wide open.

  Maybe I’m overdoing it? Perhaps I’m pushing this too far? Doubts began to gnaw at her. She retraced her steps. To her consternation and confusion, the door wouldn’t open. Could it be that the card only allowed admittance to the building and did not allow exit? For lack of any other option, she entered the elevator.

  The minus 2 button was lit up. She pressed the exit floor button. The elevator remained stationary. Another level was marked on the button panel. Minus 3. She pressed the button. The elevator responded to her request and took her down another flight. It works if you want to go downstairs. Interesting, she thought, there was no stairway leading to that floor. She went out the elevator and into a large, illuminated corridor. The elevator door closed behind her. She found herself facing another glass door and opened that one with her magnetic card as well.

  Suddenly, she heard footsteps in the hallways and voices in conversation.

  She turned her head quickly and saw a large electrical cabinet behind her. She opened the doors, went inside, adjusted her body to the small niche, held her breath and prayed.

  A thought passed through her head that such a place must have security cameras installed. Why hadn’t she thought of that before? How would she explain her roaming about? With stupid haste, she had entered a restricted area without a cover story. She could just picture Dr. Friedman’s face when they brought her out of the electrical cabinet.

  But now was not the time for regrets. She assessed the situation quickly. The doors between the floors did not allow exit. The elevator only went down. There must be a way outside, but what was it?

  It was quiet again. The conversation of the passersby had faded. She came out of the closet and entered the first room with an open door.

  She found herself in a laboratory. Against the walls stood refrigerators of various sizes. At the center of the room were work tables with laboratory instruments on them. Gali had no idea what their names or purposes were.

  I need to at least take a peek. This is an opportunity that won’t repeat itself. She tried to calm her conscience, entered the laboratory and closed the door behind her.

  She opened one of the refrigerators. It was full of shelves each containing test tubes with different markings. At the far end of the room there was a small computer station and a cabinet containing books and ring binders. She quickly opened the small refrigerator that was next to the computer station. More test tubes.

  On the middle shelf were smaller test tubes in plastic trays. A black-lettered sign on the trays read “Do not remove without the approval of the shift manager.” A shiny red label was attached to each test tube. She lifted one of them.

  The glass tube was not even as long as her little finger. Inside it was a transparent grayish liquid, and its opening was hermetically sealed with a cork that only a syringe could penetrate. The letters UUVAR1, which didn’t mean anything to her, were written on the test tube.

  She quickly opened two additional refrigerators. There were test tubes stuck into trays in them as well.

  She recalled the contents of the documents that Friedman had torn up in a fit of anger. Could it be that the test tubes contained the deadly viruses that were not destroyed? Could it be that each such test tube contained a potential catastrophe? It seemed impossible that the viruses were stored with such poor security. They must be hidden somewhere else. There was only one way to find out.

  She returned to the first small refrigerator, took a red-labeled test tube from the plastic container and placed it in her pocket. Gotta start somewhere, and these test tubes seem more important than the others. Besides, I’m the shift manager now, she said to herself. She knew exactly who to give the test tube to. No more fairy tales and stories, she thought with satisfaction. A careful independent laboratory examination will reveal what was being done in the factory. With the test tube and the waste sample, the one she took with her own hands from the factory’s sewage pipe, the complete picture will finally be revealed.

  She glanced at her watch. Seven minutes had already gone by. How time flies when you’re having a good time, she thought and chuckled. I have to get out of here, but how?

  She went to the door and tried to open it. It didn’t budge. She tried the handle again. It still wouldn’t open. She tried to apply force but to no avail.

  Can it be that I’ve locked myself inside? Maybe they saw me on the cameras? Maybe Yanai the guard missed me and came looking for me? Are all the doors programmed not to reopen once they are closed?

  A chilling wind blew from the air conditioners. Only now did she notice that her skin had goose bumps because of the low temperatures. She looked around helplessly, not knowing how she would escape from that place and what might happen to her if she didn’t.

  Chapter 20

  Nir Alush stepped into Dr. Friedman’s office and greeted him. He tried to be very polite. It wasn’t every day that he met with a distinguished doctor in the line of duty. Dr. Friedman wasn’t accustomed to appointments with police officers either.

  “How may I be of service?” asked Friedman amicably once he had introduced himself.

  “I’m sorry to be taking up your time, but I need to get some details about your factory, Viromedical.”

  “You’ll need a few days for such a task. I’ll be happy to give you an extensive tour. What would you like to study or examine and what for?”

  “Do you know a man named Rodety?” Alu
sh ignored Dr. Friedman’s offer and went straight to the point.

  “Of course, Jacob Rodety, may he rest in peace. He used to be part of the management of this factory. A few years back. He recently passed away here in Israel. Terrible story.”

  “How do you know about this?”

  “What do you mean? I received a report from the Ministry of Health. Our factory was alerted to activate emergency regulations due to the circumstances of his death and the fact that he might have carried a contagious virus in his body.”

  “Ah…I get it. So you know everything about it. And what do you know about a man called Igor Harsovsky?”

  “What? What happened to him? He’s been infected as well?”

  “He got shot last night. Severely injured.”

  “My God…you don’t say? I had no idea. Well, if it’s the same Harsovsky, then he had some ties to the factory. Years ago, before I was appointed as CEO. He was one of the company’s unofficial agents in Eastern Europe. During that time, commerce with Eastern European countries was done in secrecy and through subcontractors. I know that the communication with him had stopped, and since then there were all sorts of rumors about his affairs. What’s his condition?”

  “What rumors?” Alush stuck to the questions that interested him.

  “The truth is that I’m not too familiar with the facts. I also don’t want to bad-mouth him. And rumors, as you probably know, officer… are not very reliable.”

  “Tell me, doctor, do you have any idea how two people like Rodety and Harsovsky were hurt under such tragic circumstances at the same time? Do you happen to know if the events were somehow related?”

  “I haven’t a clue.”

  “And do you happen to know how they’re both related to your factory?”

  “I know that our factory was out for a privatization tender. The factory is a real jewel and there are many parties that desire it. And for good reason, by the way. This is a profitable factory with great products and an amazing ability for development. And I’m not saying this to flatter myself. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear they’re both related to groups that are competing over the factory. But I don’t have any concrete information. Sorry.”

  “I really appreciate this,” said Alush. “You’ve been very helpful. I’ll be sure to come back for more conversations, if need be.”

  “I’ll be happy to be of service at any time,” said Dr. Friedman.

  As soon as Alush had left his office, Friedman locked the door. He asked his secretary not to transfer any calls and sat behind his desk. He opened a drawer with a secret digital code, took out a small pocket phone book and located the number he needed. He reached for the phone and was about to make a call from his personal line.

  The ring of the telephone startled him.

  “Who is it now?” he roared at Ziva.

  “Someone says you’re waiting for a call from him. He wouldn’t say who he is.”

  Ziva, his personal secretary for many years, knew him well enough to realize the best way to calm him down was to be matter-of-fact.

  “Transfer the call,” said Dr. Friedman, wrinkling his forehead, unable to guess who the mysterious caller was.

  “Hello, Aryeh, how are you?” Dr. Friedman recognized the voice immediately. It was Reuben Haruvi, a senior official in the General Security Service. He was becoming more confused by the moment. This was the man he had intended to call.

  “I’m fine more or less. Closer to less than to more, to tell you the truth.” Dr. Friedman loosened his tie.

  “Aryeh, I’ve got some bad news. Jacob Rodety had ties with Igor Harsovsky. We think he passed Harsovsky information. We’ve also found out that Harsovsky withdrew a hundred thousand dollars in cash from his bank account. I wouldn’t be surprised if he paid him.”

  Dr. Friedman was silent. He understood well the meaning of what he had just heard. Sweat poured from his forehead down to his throat, whose veins gradually swelled. “This means he was a mole. I heard that Rodety joined with Yitzhak Brick’s group. What are you saying? A man who was once part of the factory management crossed the line and joined the other side? What, he didn’t know who Harsovsky was? He really thought that he had good intentions? That he wanted to stop the privatization and deal with environmental issues? I can’t really believe this.”

  “Believe it or not, that’s how it is.”

  “Now everything becomes clearer. I was just visited by a police officer who came to question me about both of them.”

  “The police will do their job. Or at least try to. We need to focus on our mission. International control over the country is gradually intensifying. We need to ensure the factory will be sold without the inner unit remaining in it. The decision we received was that Israel can take no more chances. You need to supervise the destruction of everything that’s inside without taking any risks. Because time is of the essence, the two actions must take place simultaneously even though it may not be ideal. The destruction must be completed before the privatization is completed. I have approval from the highest levels for this.”

  “I know. I’m working on this day and night. But listen, I have something to tell you as well. I’ve just had a meeting with an attorney who brought along some secret documents. I don’t know where she got them. The documents tell the entire story of the company. She has letters about the activities that were planned to counter the treaty. She threatened to give the documents to the press.”

  “What’s her name?”

  “Attorney Gali Shviro. This will be a disaster. We’re talking about national security here. This is an issue that’s at the top of the national priorities. It’s a secret that can’t come out. You can only imagine how it would intensify the international pressure we are under.”

  “OK. If we stick to the plan, there won’t be any story anyway. In any event, we’ll check what this is all about immediately. We’ll keep you updated.”

  Dr. Friedman felt a little calmer. Once a senior General Security Service official such as Reuben Haruvi received the information about that attorney, Shviro, he’d be sure to have his men take care of the situation. Now the responsibility was passed from his hands to those of the good men of the General Security Service.

  Friedman called on the internal phone again, and this time his voice was cold and calculating, as if the storm had settled. Dr. Friedman knew how to regain his composure under pressure.

  “Ziva, get me the Ministry of Health’s General Manager on the line urgently. I need to report everything that’s going on to him. No excuses. Have them take him out of the bathroom, if they have to.”

  Chapter 21

  The pressure in Ofer’s chest grew when he realized the near miss that had just taken place was not an accident. Is there really someone who’s out to get me or am I simply panicking? he asked himself. And what are the chances that Alush sent the undercover police to get me? When and from what corner will he lunge at me and drop his whistling S on my shoulders?

  There was an easy way to shake the sensation he was being persecuted. Wetting his throat would do it. He decided to call Yoav.

  “Where have you been?” Yoav screamed in his ear. “I’ve been looking all over for you since yesterday.”

  “Doctor, I need to have a drink. I need to purify myself with some alcohol, from both within and without. Would you like us to take care of our livers tonight?” Ofer suggested.

  “I’m exhausted. I just came back from a thirty-six-hour shift at the hospital. But I won’t desert you in enemy territory. I also have a little update for you. I’ll see you at ten PM in the Abraxas North.”

  At ten PM Ofer arrived at the southern part of Lilienblum Street. Yoav was already sitting at the bar, caressing a tall female bartender with his eyes. She answered to the name of Thelet, had long, curly hair and did not seem especially bothered by Yoav’s wooing glances.

  Ofer looked at her as well. The dim light made it hard to see, but even so his heart began to beat faster and sent heat waves all
over his body. A sure sign that he was still healthy.

  Ofer sat next to Yoav, happy that he was there. Happy this was the friend by his side. Yoav Tzuri, medical student, a walking wonder. Not a man but a magnet. No trace remained of Ofer’s high school classmate, the nerd with the thick glasses who served as a punching bag for the athletes. Ten years had passed and he had become a graceful young man. The zits were gone and he was endowed with captivating charm, chestnut hair, eyes as green as the middle of the ocean and unerring self-confidence.

  During the past year, pretty girls were glued to Yoav in every bar they went to and Ofer stuck to him, starved for attention.

  But Yoav was also deeply disturbed. His hobby was, and remained, pathology. How can a guy deal with dead bodies routinely like an obsessive necrophile, while ordinary people went to their ordinary jobs? Ofer simply didn’t get it.

  In addition to that, Yoav possessed a memory with an unlimited number of gigabytes. Nothing went by him without being instantly memorized. A line from a poem, a newspaper headline, a quote or a phrase. Curses as well. No one could memorize dirty limericks like him. He invented many of them himself.

  “So what have you got to sell?” asked Ofer.

  “I’m not the bearer of good news, not for you and not for the people of Israel.”

  “Oh, come on, enough with the cleverness. Talk.”

  “We received final confirmation that the virus is transferred through food or drink, so I can sit beside you without any concerns. But there is still no vaccine. We checked all over the globe. There simply isn’t any. Luckily for you, the tests show that you are still as healthy as an ox, other than harboring the mutated virus. Rodety gave you, luckily for you, only a small portion of his reservoir.”

  “And this is verified and final?” asked Ofer, depressed.

  “Final. Final like the fact that you are considered to be a public menace even though you are not contagious, and everyone would prefer for you to be secluded in a hospital ward. Tell me, how come the police are not looking for you?”