Blood Moon Redemption

by Judy DuCharme

  Then the crack, the boom, the bomb, she didn’t know what it was. She brought her arm up and bent her head to wipe her eye.

  Everything hurt, but she was alive. The liquid she felt was sticky. She opened her eye and touched her forehead. A bloody gash. Searing pain rolled through her.

  She looked around. She had landed in a very prickly shrub, and stickers were stuck in every square inch of her. It would have been worse without the burka. She smiled as best she could. At least for once she was thankful for the burka.

  Then she glanced down. Tassie stared through a haze. It was the relic! The explosion must have occurred just as her hands closed on it.

  Tassie wanted to laugh but cried. The salty tears stung. She, like Lydia in a time of expulsion, had saved the tassel. Perhaps there would be a Columbus to rescue her as he rescued little Lydia.

  Tassie caressed the bottle and kissed it. Tears made it hard to see, but she studied it, counted the five knots and thought of her brother Rube. Did he see her that day in Israel?

  Get up, Tassie, you need to leave now.

  She obeyed. Gingerly she rolled over and out of the bush. Every part of her felt scratched, but she had the relic. She had it, and Omar was . . . well she didn’t know where he was. He could show up anytime, so it was time to move. She reached inside the burka to a pocket and placed the bottle in it.

  She stood straight and turned. Devastation was everywhere. Injuries and death met her eyes. She wanted to help, but the voice inside had said to leave, and she needed to obey. Which way?

  A little girl ran up to her. She pulled Tassie’s hand. Tassie let the child lead her.

  It seemed right. Tassie ran with the girl. People parted and let them go because of the child. People were crying out to anyone that was ambulatory, but no one requested help from Tassie and the child. In a matter of minutes, they were in a residential area and no one was around.

  The child ran Tassie right up to a house. The door opened quickly, and a woman conducted Tassie into the house. She looked familiar.

  “Quickly. Come with me. We need to clean you up and put ointment on your injuries. We have little time. You must get out of Syria.” She ushered Tassie into a back room and began washing her face.

  “But, you, who . . . ”

  “Remember the servants for Tugani’s big meeting, the shooting?”

  “You were there?”

  “Look at me.”

  “Yes, yes, you smiled. I didn’t understand.”

  “I am with Mossad. Undercover in the Muslim world for the glory of God.”

  “You have your daughter with you, under cover?” It didn’t seem quite right.

  “She is a neighbor. Her family does not serve Allah. We keep each other’s secret and watch each other’s back. She is able to go places where many cannot go. Her father works as a guard and brings me secrets. Her mother is a cook and got me the job with Tugani.”

  “How did the girl know it was me?”

  “She saw you cry and tuck the relic in your pocket. Had that not happened, I’m not sure we would have found you.”

  “I’m crying again. What should I do now?”

  “I have a clean burka that you can put on until you are safe. I have street clothes to put on under, and I have a safer pocket that you can wrap around yourself with the relic right next to you, so you don’t lose it.” She smiled. “I’ve heard that anyone that has it is kept safe.”

  Tassie took her hand. “I have no idea what to do, where to go, but thank you for taking care of me, helping me to escape.” Tassie began to cry as the anguish of the past days oozed out of her pores.

  The woman placed her arms around her and rocked her like a mother with her child. “There, there, we have a way for you.”

  “You do? I don’t even know your name.”

  “And we will keep it that way. I believe God will bring us together again someday. But my name you do not need. It is the umbrella of secrecy that protects us.” She brought out the clothes and a burka.

  “Please tell me, if you are Mossad, why we weren’t rescued, or Omar caught when we were at the meeting.”

  “I was undercover, as you know, and could not have technological communication. We were trying to get more information on the Russian connections and discover if Tugani was the informant or a decision-maker. I filed my report yesterday, which is when I was informed of your situation.”

  “I have learned a great deal of information about his plans.” Tassie removed the burka she had on and the woman helped her wash and apply ointment to the many scratches and the small gash on her forehead. Thankfully, most had not penetrated the skin deeply. They were simply scratches.

  Washing and applying cream was heaven to Tassie. She dressed and admired the street clothes briefly in the mirror. Next, she wrapped a scarf around her waist made of a sturdy material. It held two pockets. The bottle was placed in one and false identification was placed in the other in case she needed it. The burka was placed over all.

  While Tassie dressed, the woman wrapped cheese and bread in a small bag that Tassie could put over her shoulder and tuck under the folds of the burka. Tassie took a long drink of water before she said, “I’m ready.”

  “I have been contacted by another Mossad operative who is here looking for you. He and another man of the CIA will intercept you and hopefully get you back to Israel.”

  Tassie felt her pulse quicken. Might her brother or Jethro be along? CIA? Did they come to help? Had the CIA been onto Omar all along? She couldn’t quite put the pieces together.

  I simply want to go home. If this woman is caught, she could be shot or hung. Oh God, keep us safe. Keep her safe for helping me.

  “We will leave now.”

  Tassie nodded and followed.

  Rube sat with his head in his hands. Jonas was immersed in technology. His screen had Hebrew sentences running across the top. He was typing, texting, and speaking Hebrew into his mouthpiece which was connected to several inputs.

  They had been chatting and watching Esras and Jethro moving toward Omar and Tassie. They had a visual and were on the move. And then, the explosion. The drone was visible on the screen. Rube couldn’t breathe. His sister. Possibly blown up by a terrorist. How would he tell his mother? How would he live? Why hadn’t he gone? He couldn’t have protected her, could he? He groaned.

  Jonas glanced over at him, and then went back to his communications. After several minutes he turned to Rube.

  “She’s okay, Rube.”

  Rube’s head popped up. “Tassie?”

  “We have contact with a female undercover Mossad who was able to recover her after the explosion.”

  Rube closed his eyes. “Recover?”

  “Alive, Rube, she’s alive with minimal injuries. Just scratches. Amazing, yes. And she has the bottle. Most importantly, she has a lot of information on Omar Tugani. We are sending a Mossad agent to intercept and debrief her.”

  “I need . . . can I . . . ” Rube’s hands were sweaty.

  “You’re going along, Rube.”

  Rube just stared.

  “Rube, did you hear me. You are going along, not just because we like you and you’re her brother, but she may well be severely traumatized and not know who to trust. We need you to give her the level of safety she needs to tell us everything. Jethro will also be there. Is that clear, Rube? Are you hearing me?”

  Rube nodded. “Yes, I’m good. I hear you. When do we leave?”

  “Now. We have a cargo plane flying into Damascus. You will dress as a businessman, while our Mossad agent will be in traditional Arab dress. They will lay the ground rules on the flight, but just so you know, Rube . . . ” Jonas grinned. “He will do the talking. And you need to pull yourself together.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Can you tell me where we are going?” Tassie and her handler walked briskly along the road that traveled toward the river.

  The handler took Tassie’s arm. Her face showed concern, but Tassie could no
t detect fear. “Church of Ananias. Are you familiar with it?”

  “No, I know of synagogues, but no churches. Why there?”

  “No more questions. It is better you do not know.”

  Tassie hurried through the streets beside the woman. Whenever possible, they went in the same direction as other people in the streets. People were running toward the explosion, either to protest and demonstrate, or to assist the wounded.

  After several blocks they ducked into an alleyway and stepped through an open door in a stone wall. Tassie thought it seemed more like a low window. She thought she would find herself in a courtyard or another alley, but they went down a set of stone stairs just out of sight of the wall opening. At the foot of the stairs were three tunnels spanning out from a tiny room. The woman led Tassie into the left tunnel. It was dark, but there were small lights tucked into the wall that provided enough light to allow them to find their way. The coolness wafted around Tassie. She gingerly touched the wall. The bricks were slightly bumpy but worn almost smooth. Despite the cooler air, the bricks had a slight warmth to them.

  The tunnel ended at another set of stairs. Tassie was about to go up the steps, but the woman tugged her arm. She crossed to the other side of a small room and pulled out two different bricks in the wall. It seemed surreal, as if she was in a movie hunting for archaeological treasure.

  A section of the wall opened just enough for them to slip through. Before entering, the woman carefully returned the two bricks and then quickly followed Tassie to the other side. The door closed. The quietness of it surprised Tassie.

  The woman smiled. “We are safe now. We are under the river and near the church. Centuries of building and rebuilding has caused there to be layers of rooms underground. Tunnels allow us to traverse safely when the weather is unkind or there is danger in the streets. Very few know this place that we are in now, but it is connected to the church. Someone there will help you return to Israel. Miss Stevens, it is a pleasure to serve you, the lady of the bottle. You are helping to keep evil from taking over the world.”

  Tassie stopped. “I don’t know what to say. I thank you and I thank God for keeping me alive, so I can return to my family.”

  “Not just to your family, but the family of God. You let the God of Israel and His Son speak to you and guide you. We are honored to be a part of that plan.”

  Tassie began to shake all over. The other woman hugged her, took her hand, and led her down another tunnel.

  At the end, she tapped on one brick. A small window opened, and two eyes beheld the two of them. “Who are you?”

  Tassie’s guide smiled. “The genie is here.”

  The door swung opened and they stepped in. Immediately they were whisked up a set of stairs and around a corner. Ushered into a small room, Tassie was met by the heavenly smell of a sweet soup and fresh bread. Seated at an ornate wooden table on one side of the stone room were four people. The two with their backs to Tassie swiveled around upon hearing the door.

  Tassie squealed and fell into her brother’s arms.

  Rube squeezed her long and hard. Tears coursed down his cheeks. He finally loosened his grip and stood back with his hands on her shoulders. “Tassie, I thought I might never see you again.”

  Tassie buried her face in his shoulder and mumbled, “Me, too.”

  Jethro placed a hand on her back. “Tassie, I am so sorry we weren’t able to get you before the explosion. We were over on the veranda, watching and waiting for the right moment.” He looked down and shook his head. “We obviously waited too long. I’m so sorry.”

  Tassie looked at Jethro and saw the man, whereas at his grandfather’s funeral she saw a boy. “It’s okay, Jethro. You were there. Seeing you yesterday gave me hope. Thank you.” She put her arms around him and hugged him and cried. Pulling back, she wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “Did Omar get away?”

  Jethro looked over at Rube and then back at Tassie. “We think he’s dead, but not quite sure. He was lying limp on the side of the road and you were our priority. The body was gone when we checked back with our surveillance eyes at IDF. And we didn’t find the relic bottle either. We’re so sorry.”

  Tassie stood still. She brought her hands up to her mouth and ran them across her face. “Omar’s dead? I should be glad, I guess. He was awful, and he was planning terrible things. Oh, I have a whole list of plans that ISIS and Lemkrof and Omar are plotting. He thought I was sleeping on the plane and I heard it all. But, he’s dead?” She bit her lip. “Wait, I have the bottle. The relic, my tassel. He was taunting me with it and made me reach for it right before the explosion. Somehow it ended up in my hands.” She reached inside her burka and pulled it out and placed it in Jethro’s hands.

  “You know, my grandfather held this bottle in his hands in Israel not long before it was stolen. The history of God’s purposes and blessings so amaze me.” Jethro passed the bottle to Rube, who just held it and turned it.

  Rube glanced at Tassie. “Five knots.”

  “Rube.”

  “Tassie, not dead, not missing, not afraid, not injured, and . . . not pretty in a burka.” He grinned at her.

  Tassie laughed. “Rube, that is so true. Someone help me get this thing off.” Tassie looked around again. “And, was I called a genie?”

  Jethro answered. “Think about it. Genie in a bottle.”

  Tassie shook her head. “Am I supposed to give you three wishes? I would love to. Wait. Where is the woman who brought me here?”

  Rube stood up to help his sister. “She’s gone, Tassie. Her mission was to deliver you to us safely and that she did.”

  “Oh, I wanted to thank her again, Rube.”

  “She saw you and your brother hugging. That was thanks enough.” Jethro smiled. “A lot of people have been trying to rescue you, including these new friends, here. This is Rabbi Joshua and Pastor David.”

  A short, stout man extended his hand to Tassie. His deep brown eyes held kindness. His clothing was rumpled. Tassie wondered if he too had just arrived or if perhaps he had to sleep in them.

  “Tassie we want to welcome you. We are here undercover as you might presume. I am actually a part of Aman, Israeli Military Intelligence, as well as a Rabbi. I am here to find out what you have learned from Omar Tugani, a man whose family has great influence in many anti-Israeli events as well as strong leadership with ISIS. We have been trying to find the layers of networks that he is in charge of and getting a take on his phone was key. Your personal information will fill that in.”

  The other gentleman stepped forward and took both her hands in his. “Tassie, I too am pleased to meet you. I know you have been through an ordeal the last few days. I am a pastor stationed here in Damascus providing information as I can to both Aman and the Mossad. Where we sit is one floor lower than the famed Church of Ananias. Ananias was the man God sent to Saul to restore his vision and tell him of what great things God would do through him. Saul, later known as Paul . . . who wrote the majority of the New Testament in the Bible . . . was on the road to Damascus to arrest the Christians. God did not like that idea and knocked Saul off his horse, spoke to him, and struck him blind. He sent him to this place to receive his healing and find out God’s plans for him.” Pastor David pulled a chair out from the table. “Please sit down. You must be worn out. We have food and drink for you.”

  Tassie sat down and sighed. She looked from one gentleman to the other, then back to her brother. “I didn’t pay much attention to the Jewish stories, and I don’t think I heard too many Christian ones. I’m glad you’re here, though. Are you in danger, now? Have I put you in a more dangerous position than you were?”

  The rabbi smiled. “We are always in danger. David and I rather thrive on it. We believe God, blessed be He, has called us to these places. We are continually watched, a bit like the cat and mouse game, but to make the metaphor a little more modernistic, the mouse is what is connected to the computer, the technology. Israel is the leader in technological innovation, so we
have many methods to avoid the cat that would rip us to shreds.”

  The Pastor poured and handed a cup of tea to Tassie. “We also have a lot of people praying for us and we spend a good deal of time in prayer. We believe God knows the way we take and the way we need to take, so we pray and then trust the instincts, the leading, that we sense that He gives us.”

  The rabbi set soup and bread in front of Tassie. She picked up a spoon and a shudder of relief coursed through her. She practically inhaled the food.

  As soon as she finished, the rabbi gestured to Rube, Tassie, and Jethro to follow the pastor through a door they had not even seen before. A winding stairway led downward to a large cavern lit only by LED lights and computer screens filled with streaming videos of scenes from Iraq, Israel, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Gaza, and Iran. One large screen was divided into sections showing border crossing points. Three men and two women kept their eyes riveted to the screens. Every few seconds they typed information into laptops on tables before them. Each one briefly acknowledged the visitors but kept their eyes on the screens.

  Tassie was invited to sit at one of the kiosks of computer keyboards. The rabbi punched a few buttons and before Tassie on the screens were three men in uniform. Rabbi Joshua informed Tassie that the three represented the Shin Bet, the Aman, and the Mossad, similar to the U.S. FBI, Military Intelligence, and CIA.

  “Tassie Stevens, you were on the airplane with Omar Tugani and with him at other times. Will you now reveal what you have learned to these men?”

  CHAPTER 21

  PRESENT DAY, CHICAGO

  Rube sat on one of the couches across from his mother. She sat with her hand over her mouth. Her eyes were directed at Rube, but he sensed she did not see him but instead saw fears, saw terror, and Rube wished he could spare her. His dad walked over and sat down. He placed his arm around her and she buried her face in his shoulder. She began to shake, and the sobs convulsed out of her.

  Her sobs lessened, and she looked at Rube. “I know Tassie’s strong. But she’s my daughter, my little girl. Oh, I know she’s okay, but what awfulness she’s endured. Will she be able to recover, Rube? Oh, we tried to warn her.” She looked up. “Is that man in jail? He truly belongs there.” She looked up into her husband’s eyes. “Don’t you agree, Jack.”