The Chinese man picked up the receiver and dialed.
“Now listen to me, and listen well,” he screeched. “I thought I made it perfectly clear — you are responsible for finalizing the TDO acquisition as quickly as possible. Now, I get an update that you’ve suddenly mustered some courage, God only knows from where, and asked for some time to consider whether or not you should accept our offer. I’ve already explained to you, you don’t have the luxury of being uncertain. Only I do. Last night, for example, I went into your bedroom and looked at your beautiful wife. I was uncertain whether I should get into bed and have a little fun with her, until I finally decided it was enough to give you a subtle message by placing your wristwatch on the bathroom sink. What did you think? That you left it there by mistake? Next time, I’ll drop it in the toilet bowl, with your hand still attached to it… I want to hear the deal is closed very soon,” he snarled furiously and slammed down the phone.
He picked up the receiver again and dialed. “I’m moving on to phase two. By the end of next weekend, the company will be ours.”
Ronnie Saar, he thought, I think it’s high time we meet.
Chapter 32
New York, October 25, 2013, 6:45 PM
“Can you send me a thousand dollars to Bedford, Massachusetts?” Ronnie heard Gadi’s voice on the other end of the line.
He hesitated for a moment, then decided not to ask too many questions. “I can use Western Union. I’ll get down to one of their branches right away and transfer you a thousand dollars in cash to—” the list of company branches in the Bedford area was already on his computer screen “—the Stop and Shop at 337 Great Road. I’ll text you with the tracking number. They close at eight PM. I suggest you get there right away.”
“Send it under the name of Ramon Garcia.”
Ronnie wasn’t able to contain himself this time. “Who’s Ramon Garcia?”
“I am. As soon as I have the money, I’ll be able to come back to New York, then I will update you. There’re a lot of things you need to know, as soon as possible. See you.”
Ronnie grabbed the folder Jones had given him and left the office running. Forty-five minutes later, he received confirmation that the money had been transferred. He texted Gadi the tracking number and decided to head home on foot.
The casual walk soothed him, and the chilly air helped him to organize his thoughts. The atmosphere of the coming weekend could already be felt in the crowded streets. The usual energetic march of suit-and-tie-wearing businessmen, so typical of Manhattan, gradually dwindled and was replaced by leisurely tourists walking with their heads turned toward the skyline and New Yorkers scouring the store windows to find the next sale or discount.
Ronnie’s thoughts wandered to Liah. He simply had to understand what’d been bothering her. Lately, her behavior had become strange, indecipherable. The outbreak of her disease, after years of a threatening silence, proved that his suspicions were justified. In his eyes, she was the one and only. If she wasn’t ready to get married yet, he simply needed to make it clear he was willing to wait for as long as it takes to make her feel confident enough in their relationship. He thought about the morning’s events and decided he’d never allow work-related grievances to hurt their relationship again.
Suddenly, he felt a hard blow to the shoulder that knocked him down to the sidewalk. A man wearing running clothes stood above him, as if he were deciding whether he should help Ronnie get up. Before Ronnie was able to support his body with his hand and rise, the man stepped on his knee, sent him a frigid smile and drew his hand across his throat in a threatening gesture. “You should have paid more attention to the warning we left on your refrigerator door,” he whispered. People began to gather around him. An intense pain overwhelmed him. That was intentional, he thought, before losing consciousness.
He woke to the sound of ambulance sirens. “Where are you taking me?” he asked the paramedic who was busy trying to insert an infusion needle into his vein.
“Presbyterian Hospital Emergency Medicine, Columbia University.”
Ronnie tried to take the phone out of his pocket, but the paramedic gave him a disapproving look. “Please let me do my work, sir. We need to inject you with morphine. Looks like you’ve suffered some severe damage to your knee.”
“Please help me get my phone. My wife is a doctor at Presbyterian and I’d like her to be there when we arrive.”
It seemed that the words “wife” and “doctor” had the desired effect, and the paramedic helped Ronnie take out his iPhone. Then he dialed the number Ronnie dictated to him and brought the phone next to his ear while getting back to handling the infusion.
Hearing Liah’s voice on the answering machine calmed him a bit. “Liah, everything is fine,” he said in a steady voice, “but I’m on my way to your hospital. I think I broke my knee or severely sprained it. I’ll explain it when I see you. Thanks for the message you texted me. I love you.” The morphine shot began to cloud his thoughts and he sank into a dreamless sleep
When he woke up, he found Liah by his side wearing a white lab coat bearing a “Dr. Sheinbaum” name tag and holding a sheaf of X-rays. A doctor wearing a yarmulke on his head explained in a serious tone, “The knee wasn’t fractured, but the X-rays show tears in the meniscus and a severe sprain to the ligaments. We need to immobilize the leg for three weeks and then, based on the progress of recuperation, consider an operation. If there’s someone who can help you at home, you can get discharged right after we put your leg in a cast.”
“He’s got his own private doctor,” said Liah and sent Ronnie a reassuring smile. But when the doctor had left the room, she turned serious at once. “I’ve seen leg injuries before; this is not an accident or a case of bad luck. Tell me how it happened.”
“Funny, just a few days ago you were lying here in bed and I was the visitor. Looks like the tables have turned.”
“Don’t try to avoid my question,” she scolded him.
“I bumped into someone who was running up the street —” Ronnie began to explain.
“Stop treating me like I was a child. Tell me the truth or I’m leaving. I’m your wife, goddamn it!”
Ronnie was filled with joy. The word “wife” combined with the morphine still flowing in his veins made him feel he was floating on air. He looked at her lovingly, when suddenly, her expression changed.
“Tell me, the man who ran into you, was he a broad-shouldered Chinese guy?”
“Chinese?” Ronnie tried to buy himself some time.
“Everything’s clear now.” Liah sat on the edge of the bed.
“What is clear?”
“When I got your message, I ran out of the house and stopped a taxi. Before I got inside, a handsome Chinese man came over and said he’d flagged the taxi first. I explained to him I was hurrying to the hospital and asked him to let me take the taxi. He smiled politely, turned to the driver and asked him to take me as quickly as possible to Presbyterian Hospital. Until now, I hadn’t given any thought to the question of how he knew which hospital I was going to. Ronnie, what have we gotten ourselves involved in?”
Before he was able to reply, the phone on the nearby chest began to vibrate.
“Where are you?” Gadi’s voice rumbled. “We were supposed to meet at your place, weren’t we?”
“I’m in the hospital. Here, take Liah, she’ll explain everything to you.” He handed the phone to Liah and was surprised when she silently shook her head and refused to speak with Gadi. “The easiest thing to do,” he spoke with Gadi again, “would be for you to wait for us at home. Liah is checking with the doctor in charge to see how long I need to stay here. I’ll give you all the details when we meet.”
“Do I need to worry about you, Ronnie?” There was apprehension in Gadi’s voice.
“Yes, just a little. We’ll talk about it soon. I see Liah coming back. Bye.” Ronnie hung up and turned to Liah. “What was that all about?”
“I had a fight with Gadi, and I don’t
feel like talking to him. Tell me what happened and don’t try to change the subject.”
“When exactly did you manage to have a fight with Gadi?”
“Tell me what happened or I’m leaving. As far as I’m concerned, they can keep you here overnight. I’m not a baby, and I’m tired of you trying to protect me all the time. I’m listening.” She gave him a sharp look, while pinching her lower lip with two fingers.
“All right,” Ronnie conceded. “I’m pretty sure whoever hit me did it on purpose. And yes, he was Chinese. I don’t know why, but I suspect it has something to do with the attractive offer we received for TDO today.”
“I don’t understand how the two are related. And why do you believe it was intentional?” Her voice became harsh. “What are you hiding from me, Ronnie?”
“Nothing. I just can’t shake the feeling that this is all somehow related to the patient deaths, but I can’t see how. Furthermore, we got a pretty attractive acquisition offer today, perhaps too attractive. I asked for time to think about it. I’ve never liked deals that seem too good to be true. A few hours later, someone bumped into me on the street. I don’t think this is a coincidence.”
“Bumped into you? He ruined your knee! With a bit less luck, you would be limping for the rest of your life. How do you know he intentionally hit you?”
“He stopped, looked at me, and when I thought he wanted to help me get up — forcefully and cold-bloodedly stepped on my knee.” Ronnie chose to omit the part about the cutthroat gesture that’d accompanied the deed. And the note he’d found on the refrigerator door. Now, he realized, Liah wasn’t safe either, even in her own home.
Even the little he’d told her shocked Liah. “You need to tell the police.”
“And what will I tell them? Someone I may or may not be able to identify tried to hurt me? I prefer to have the hitter think I was intimidated and from now on intend to do whatever he wants me to. Perhaps that’s what I’ll actually do. After all, the offer’s good and all the investors want to sell. I’m just waiting for the lawyers’ opinion on a few legal points. If the buyer represents a legal organization and our attorneys can guarantee I’m not about to be involved in a possible future money laundering investigation, taking the current offer might just be the best way to get out of this nightmare.”
Pain returned to sting and burn in Ronnie’s knee. He caressed Liah’s hand, but she gave him a dispirited look and asked, “Why don’t I believe you?”
Chapter 33
New York, October 26, 2013, 10:18 AM
Ronnie woke up in front of his bedroom window overlooking the sunlit Manhattan skyline. Liah sat next to him with her legs crossed, reading from the binder he’d gotten from Smith — or was it Jones? She wore a pink tracksuit that complemented her complexion and held a cup of coffee in her hand. Ronnie tried to move, and the anguished groan he emitted caused her to set down her cup and ask with concern, “Would you like another painkiller?”
“I want the medicine we developed at TDO — one that can make the pain go away, but allow me to keep a clear head.” Ronnie forced a smile. “And if that’s impossible, I guess a strong cup of coffee will have to serve as a substitute. By the way, where’s Gadi? Did I even talk to him last night?”
“The tranquilizers made you fall asleep. When we got here from the hospital, Gadi helped me put you in bed and insisted he stay and sleep on the couch. When I woke up this morning, he wasn’t here, but he’d left a note asking us to wait for him for lunch.”
Liah headed to the kitchen. A few minutes later, Ronnie heard the whistle of the kettle from afar. He stared at his plastered leg, and for the first time since yesterday, actually felt fear in his heart. He recognized the attacker as the same Chinese man they’d met in the Sunnyvale hotel elevator, the one who wore a Phi Beta Kappa ring. Now he was convinced his presence was proof Christian’s death was not a simple case of suicide. Am I next? he wondered. The assault was still fresh in his mind. It was executed by a professional who got the exact result he’d wanted, but based on the smile that had washed across his face as he’d looked at Ronnie before crushing his knee, he undoubtedly also took sadistic pleasure from his deed.
Ronnie recreated the event in his mind. The assailant pushed him at the exact point that would make him lose his balance and fall onto his side, while exposing the knee for the painful blow. Any bully would’ve taken advantage of the situation to kick his head or his stomach in order to cause pain. His assailant didn’t care about hurting him. All he wanted was to give him a clear and intimidating message, and he did that with terrifying cold-bloodedness.
“Come, I’ll help you to sit.” Liah interrupted his thoughts and placed the coffee cup on the chest beside him.
“I’ll manage. I need to clean up.” Ronnie leaned on his hands and shifted himself to a sitting position with the aid of his healthy leg. The mission proved to be more difficult and more painful than he’d anticipated, but he didn’t want to increase Liah’s concern and somehow managed not to wince. When he was finally able to reach the bathroom, his phone rang. “Should I answer?” Liah asked.
Ronnie nodded. Liah went to answer the call and immediately came back and reported, “It’s Henry.”
“I’ll get back to him in twenty minutes. I want to enjoy my morning coffee, before he ruins my day.”
“He’s waiting for a call back. Says it’s important.”
“With Henry and David, everything’s important.” Ronnie tottered back from the bathroom and sat on his bed, taking the coffee cup in his hands. “The last quiet moments of the day,” he said with a sigh.
“You want us to go jogging?” Liah retreated to her usual sarcasm.
“Afraid I’ll grow a potbelly?” Ronnie teased her back and immediately added, “Sweetheart, I promise I’ll take what happened very seriously and won’t try to play the hero. If I could, I’d transfer all the responsibility to David, but I think the message the attacker tried to relate to me was ‘Close the deal, and be quick about it.’ And that’s what I’ll do. You’re welcome to listen to my conversation with Henry and see for yourself how serious my intentions are.”
On the other hand, the message could have been, “Don’t you dare close a deal with those investment bankers.” Who knows…? he pondered in frustration, deciding not to share the eerie thought with Liah.
He kissed her and immediately dialed. “Yes, Henry?”
“David and I would like to know: Have you reached any conclusions regarding the acquisition?”
“Truth is, I haven’t had a chance to go over the material yet,” Ronnie tried to sound matter-of-fact, “but assuming the Luxembourg entity is legit, I recommend we go for it and close the deal.”
“I’m happy to hear that’s what you think. I’m also happy that you’ve taken a little time off this weekend and managed to restrain yourself from diving into the paperwork the two lawyers left us. I don’t possess your kind of wisdom and patience, so I’ve read it all. I also sent a copy to the fund’s attorneys. I assume you’ve transmitted a copy to TDO’s lawyers. This morning, I received an email from our attorneys saying that the contract, other than some minor points, seems to be completely fair. ‘Too good to be true’ was the actual expression they used.”
“Excellent. I’m happy to hear that, Henry. Thanks for your help. I’ll see you on Monday.” Ronnie hung up and looked at Liah with his hands spread, awaiting applause.
“I hope Henry bought your answer. I didn’t. I know you too well to believe you’re going to give up just because someone has physically hurt you.” She drew nearer and rested her head on his chest. “Just promise me you’ll be more careful now. It would be pathetic if after all the covert operations you did for the army, you get killed by some local bully only because you wouldn’t sell some company…”
“I promise,” he whispered in her ear.
“Ronnie, get dressed! Liah, feel free to take your time.” They were startled to hear Gadi’s voice coming from the hall.
“I didn’t know he had a key to our apartment.” Liah was clearly annoyed.
“I allowed myself to take Ronnie’s key this morning,” Gadi answered from the threshold of their bedroom. “I didn’t think he’d need it today. Anyway, it seemed like a good idea to make a copy for myself. I promise to knock before I let myself in.”
Gadi returned the key to Liah, and Ronnie tiredly leaned back. “Tell us what you were able to find out,” he demanded.
Gadi looked at Liah, and when he realized she wasn’t about to leave the room, began, “Allow me to start with everything that has happened in the last two days…” He took off his shoes and propped his feet on their bed, ignoring Liah’s disapproving glance. “This whole story about the late night telephone call between Lumner and his wife didn’t smell right to me from the moment I heard it. I decided to fly to Boston and from there to drive to Bedford, where the Lumner family lives, to check out this whole power outage story Christian’s wife had described. When I reached the Direct Energy local office, I was welcomed by one Sarah Goldenberg, apparently Jewish, cute as a button, well, at least that’s what I first thought, who offered her help. I explained to her that I work for a consulting firm that checks customer satisfaction with various electricity providers and I needed to know what time Mrs. Lumner’s complaint was received and how long it took to send her a repair crew. She insisted that she couldn’t provide me with information that was not about my account. I used all my charming tricks” — Gadi winked at Liah, who kept giving him angry looks — “but to no avail. The girl was immune. She just wouldn’t give me the information. I asked her to just tell me what time the call had been received, but that Goldenberg wouldn’t budge. She said she didn’t believe me and that I should leave. When I asked her why she didn’t believe me, she hurled at me, ‘Because we don’t send people to make repairs in the middle of the night, unless it’s a matter of life and death.’ Gadi turned silent, allowing his words to sink in.
Green Kills Page 17