He knew the next few days were critical. The contract would be signed this very week, then this entire TDO business would not involve him anymore. The big boss would never forgive him if the deal fell through for some reason. If he valued his life, he needed to go out to Philadelphia and eliminate the problem before it got out of hand. Roselyn’s elimination would simply need to be postponed. The assassin checked his suitcase and made sure that the gun with the silencer, the sniper rifle, the passports and the counterfeit driver’s licenses, as well as the twenty thousand dollars’ worth of used fifty-dollar bills, were all in place. He covered the suitcase’s contents with two ironed white shirts, closed the suitcase and headed out of his apartment toward the nearest subway station, while checking his smartphone for the next train leaving for Philadelphia.
Chapter 43
Las Vegas, October 29, 2013, 10:53 AM
Roselyn opened her eyes and sat down. She hadn’t showered for a day, and the wrinkled, unwashed clothes she was wearing emitted a sour smell. She couldn’t recall when during the night fatigue had finally beaten fear and pushed her over the edge into a dreamless sleep.
The message she’d received from Ronnie Saar had shaken her deeply. Why did he think her life was in danger? Suddenly, she realized chances were she would pay a high price for what she’d done. Ever since she had run away to Las Vegas, she had avoided reading the news. She wanted to maintain the illusion that her only crime had been rescheduling an operation for someone who really needed it. After all, the scary man had promised her that in a few months she would be able to return home and continue with her life. After she’d almost been run over, and especially after receiving that message from Ronnie Saar, she had realized she must be involved in a much bigger affair. She opened her laptop and Googled “Mount Sinai, Abraham Berkowitz.” The short item that appeared on her computer screen left her in a state of shock. “It is with great sorrow that we announce the untimely death of our dear husband, father and brother, Abraham. May his soul rest in peace. The Berkowitz family.” She stared at the obituary for a few long minutes then began to type on the keyboard furiously, praying she would find additional information proving the relationship between the two names was merely coincidental. “Our reporter learned that yesterday, at noontime, Mr. Abraham Berkowitz, a father of five from Brooklyn, died on the operating table at Mount Sinai Hospital. Mr. Berkowitz was undergoing a standard orthopedic operation, and there is suspicion that his death resulted from the use of a medicine that was still in the experimental stage. The hospital’s response to this death could not be obtained, and it is still unknown whether Mr. Berkowitz had been warned the experimental medicine would be used during the operation.”
A father of five!!! What have I done? She shuddered uncontrollably. She left the bed and began to pack her suitcase. Suddenly, she stopped and slowly slid down until she sat on the floor, knees bent, back against the wall. Who am I kidding? I can’t go back. I can’t even get out of the hotel with a suitcase. I’m being followed. He’ll kill my grandmother. Maybe he’ll kill me first. She sat in front of the computer. Ronnie’s Facebook page wasn’t very impressive. It included a little bit of background information, a few photos, in which the same gorgeous woman always appeared by his side, and many greetings for Jewish holidays and Israel’s Independence Day. He’s Israeli, then. What did he have to do with this entire business? She quickly typed his name in the search engine. The dozens of articles that filled the screen left her thrilled. She began to read with interest and when she was done she remained seated, allowing the new information to sink in.
It appeared she had no choice but to trust him. I don’t know anyone else who’d be willing to help me, and he’s also wealthy and connected enough to manage it. The big question is how can I get out of here without being caught? And what’s to guarantee I won’t get arrested the moment I show up in New York? And how will I make sure no harm will come to my grandmother? The questions kept running around in her head along with the realization she mustn’t act hastily. She took off her clothes, stood beneath the spray of hot water in the shower, and scrubbed off the malodorous scents of yesterday. When she was done, she dressed and went down to the fast-food place across the street. Perhaps because it was already late in the morning, or because of the overwhelming smell of grease, the place was completely empty. She sat in a corner booth, her back to the wall, her eyes returning to the entrance door with apprehension. Then she opened her laptop and, as usual, searched for new tourist information websites about Guatemala. She selected an article that appeared in the forty-fifth place of the search results, copied a selection and published it as a personal post on her Facebook page. I need to maintain my daily routine, just in case I am being followed, she thought, as a waitress with blond hair and dark roots placed a plate before her with a two-egg omelet and a pile of greasy potatoes. Roselyn attacked the food and five minutes later found herself hungrily examining an empty plate. She signaled the waitress she was interested in a cup of coffee and an additional bread basket. Meanwhile, she went to the Gmail website and opened a new account under the name [email protected] — the name she’d found to be most appropriate for the purpose for which she’d opened the account. The second cup of coffee was quickly drained, and the waitress slowly wandered over to pour her another one. Roselyn began to write the email to Ronnie. She deleted and revised the message again and again until she was pleased with the result. Finally, she read the email for the last time, closed her eyes as if waiting for a sign, and clicked the cursor that lay waiting on the oblong “send” button, hoping she wasn’t signing her own death warrant. When she received confirmation the message had been sent, she deleted all traces of the activities she’d performed in the past two hours and turned off the computer. She stood up, waited for a long minute, then walked on trembling legs toward the cash register and paid for the meal. On her way out she threw a weak smile toward the waitress and stuffed a fifty-dollar bill in her hand. As the door was closing behind her, she heard the surprised waitress shout, “Thanks, sweetheart!”
I hope the money will help you. Looks like pretty soon it won’t do me any good, she thought as she headed out to aimlessly wander in the clothing stores.
Chapter 44
Philadelphia, October 29, 2013, 12:43 PM
As soon as he neared the orthopedics department’s reception desk, Gadi recognized Moses from the photo Ronnie had sent him just a few hours ago. The man stood in the corridor speaking with one of the doctors. Brian was nowhere to be seen. Gadi decided to explore the rooms, when suddenly the door of the laundry storage room to his left opened and a nurse carrying a large pile of clean sheets emerged from it. He smiled and hurried to hold the door for her. She offered him an appreciative smile and briskly marched down the corridor. Gadi quickly slipped into the storage room. Among syringes, sheets and adult diapers lay a pile of folded orderly uniforms. He hurried to put a pale-blue uniform gown on over his clothes and slipped back out of the storage room. His new attire and Hispanic features had immediately made him invisible.
After despairing of finding Brian in the patient rooms, he took a chance and pushed his head through the open door of the doctors’ on-call room. Moses was sitting there, continuing his conversation with the same doctor, but there was still no trace of Brian. The hands of the giant wall clock in front of the nurses station showed the time to be one fifteen. He only had one last place to check: the cafeteria. He took the elevator down to the ground floor and followed his nose to the cafeteria. Bingo! Brian was sitting at the far end of the hall, speaking intimately with one of the female doctors. Gadi sat at a nearby table and followed their conversation, which was interrupted, from time to time, by her shy bursts of laughter. The phone buzzed in Gadi’s pocket. He pulled it out and read the message from his American partner: Brian Campbell is staying at the Independent Hotel room 205. 1234 Locust Street, about a quarter of a mile from the hospital. A short time later, Brian finished his date and accompanied the doctor on her way b
ack to the department. Gadi followed them into the elevator. To his surprise, they pushed the basement-level button. Gadi crossed his hands behind his back, as if he intended to go there as well. The two gave him a quick look and he lowered his eyes. The elevator reached the basement, and Gadi got out after them and turned in the opposite direction.
“Can I help you?” the doctor addressed him in an authoritative voice.
The doors closed and the elevator began its trip back up. Gadi looked at the doctor with a bewildered glance and quickly said, “I’m sorry, I guess I got confused. I didn’t see the elevator was going down,” and pressed the call button.
“I guess you couldn’t possibly have come to pick up any patients from here…” The doctor gave a critical look at Gadi’s orderly uniform. Then she turned around and marched on, holding Brian’s hand, toward metal doors on which the word “Morgue” was displayed.
Gadi remained standing in the elevator niche, following Brian and the doctor with his eyes. The doctor punched the entry code, but when the morgue doors opened, she stopped Brian with an open palm, preventing him from coming inside with her. It was apparent that Brian was disappointed. He tried to convince her to allow him to join her, but all his attempts were in vain and encountered a stubborn refusal.
The elevator arrived. Gadi gave the two another glance, and when he saw they were still busy arguing, he returned to the alcove, reached into the elevator, pressed the second floor button and went back out into the hall, sending the elevator up without him.
From his hiding place, he could see that the argument had settled down in the meantime. Brian had given up. He wrote something on a piece of paper as the doctor dictated then leaned toward her and kissed her briefly on her cheek. When the automatic doors of the morgue reopened, he patted her arm goodbye and turned toward the elevator.
“Still here?” he asked with wonder when he saw Gadi standing there, waiting. Gadi shrugged submissively and looked at the elevator door that had just opened. He moved aside a bit, clearing the way for Brian, then followed him inside. When they reached the lobby, they both stepped out of the elevator, and Brian turned toward the hospital exit. Gadi waited for a few people to walk between them before following him. Outside the hospital premises, he removed the orderly’s gown, folded it and slung it carelessly over his shoulder. It appeared that Brian was walking to the parking lot. Gadi crossed the street and went down the stairs toward his car. He paid the outrageous parking fee and hurried to drive toward the exit. A minute later, he saw Brian driving out of the parking lot as well. He let Brian pass then followed him. After less than a mile, Brian signaled and turned into a hotel parking lot. They were at the Independent, which Gadi had learned about in the text message. Gadi waited in his vehicle for a while then entered the hotel lobby. He managed to see Brian stepping into the elevator as he turned to the reception desk.
“A room for the night, second floor, please.”
“Room 203 is available. Enjoy your stay, Mr. Abutbul.” The efficient desk clerk swiped Gadi’s credit card and handed him a magnetic key-card.
“Thanks,” Gadi muttered when out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure hiding in the corner of the lobby.
The man with the oriental features was dressed in a long coat; a pair of jeans poked out from beneath. What had drawn Gadi’s eye was the slight sparkle that twinkled on the ring on his right hand. He ignored the man’s presence and walked slowly, looking at the phone in his hand. With relaxed movements, he sat on an available sofa in the lobby and sent Ronnie a message:
I found Brian. The Chinese dude is also here.
Where are you? Are they together?
At the hotel where Brian is staying. I don’t think they’re together. The scumbag is stalking him in the lobby.
What do you intend to do?
I want you to call Brian. I’m sending you the hotel telephone number. He’s in room 207. Don’t tell him what this is about but convince him to open the door for me.
Done.
Gadi pretended to still be exchanging text messages, writing and deleting imaginary messages, until a real one from Ronnie came in:
He doesn’t understand what’s going on. I think he suspects me of something. Be gentle with him.
“Gentleness is my middle name…” Gadi muttered to himself, rose, took out the key-card to his room and walked toward the elevators. The Chinese man didn’t move.
He gently knocked on Brian’s door. The security chain rattled, the door opened a tiny crack and Brian’s head peeked out.
“Are you?…the orderly?” Brian gave him a confused look.
“I’m not an orderly. I’m a friend of Ronnie’s. Please open the door, before someone sees us together.”
The confusion on Brian’s face transformed into fear. He continued to stare at Gadi, until finally he closed the door, released the chain and opened it with renewed apprehension. He stepped aside for Gadi, who walked toward the large bed that filled almost the entire room and sat on it.
“I don’t know if I speak the Boston dialect, so I’ll try to explain myself as quickly and clearly as possible. I assume you’re confused and don’t know who you can really trust. The good news is, that if I were one of the bad guys, you’d probably be dead by now.” Brian’s face went pale. “But I’m one of the good guys. Ronnie thinks you’re one of us too. But he’s basically the only one. Other people believe you’ve done some horrible things…Now tell me, what are you doing here, and why did you try to get into the morgue?”
“Who are you?”
An impatient look flashed across Gadi’s face. “My name’s Gadi. Ronnie sent me to help you. I don’t intend to say it again. Now tell me what you’re looking for.”
Brian shrunk a bit and sank into the only armchair in the room. After some hesitation, he leaned forward and began to speak. “I believe both deaths were murder. I don’t have any other way to explain what happened.” He looked at Gadi, who gazed at him indifferently. “I happened to learn from Moses that contrary to what we’d thought until today, a persistent coroner is still trying to convince the family of the deceased to allow an autopsy and, therefore, refuses to release the body for burial. I decided this is my chance to prove all my claims. I intend to try and draw some fluids from the body and prove the presence of toxins in the tissue. I contacted a pathologist and hoped she’d allow me to go into the morgue with her…” Brian took out a large syringe from his pocket and waved it around, as if to prove he’d spoken the truth.
“That’s your brilliant plan? And what would you do with those fluids?” Gadi scorched him with his look.
Brian ignored his skeptical tone. It seemed that speaking about his plan had infused him with strength. The color returned to his face and his voice became more assured. “I found a private laboratory that agreed to provide initial test results within twenty-four hours. They promised to maintain complete secrecy, no matter what the results were. I intend to try and get in the morgue overnight. I memorized the access code the pathologist punched in. She also gave me her telephone number, so if I fail tonight, I could still try something out with her tomorrow.”
Gadi sent him an appreciative smile. Not only is he a handsome devil, he’s pretty brave and smart to boot. Should I tell him about the killer lurking for him outside, or will he be paralyzed by the revelation?
“OK. This sounds like a solid foundation for a plan. But God is in the details. So is the devil, by the way. Assuming you’re right, and we’re dealing with murder here, we need to assume other people are involved, and we have no idea who they are or whether they’ve already found out what you’re up to. I’m here to guarantee your safety. In my day-to-day life, I manage a VIP security company; I’m considered one of the best in the world,” lied Gadi, sending Brian a reassuring look. “In order for me to ensure no harm comes to you, you need to do exactly what I tell you to. And when I say exactly, I mean exactly. Not almost or approximately. If you stick to what I tell you to do, you’ll be safer than the p
resident of your country. Agreed?”
Brian nodded in agreement, and it appeared to Gadi he was beginning to trust him.
“Now let’s move to my room — they won’t be able to find you there — before we head out this evening to perform your ‘vampire mission.’” Gadi opened the door carefully and peeked outside. “Come on,” he said and pulled Brian after him. They crossed the corridor quickly and less than a minute later were in Gadi’s room.
When the door closed behind them, Gadi sat Brian down and began to describe the plan that’d begun to form in his mind. When he finished, he forced Brian to repeat and memorize all the little details, and once he was satisfied with the results, he lay back on the sofa and said, “I haven’t slept for two days. Wake me up at eight. Till then, don’t leave the room. You can turn up the television as loud as you like; nothing disturbs my sleep.” Then he closed his eyes and fell asleep immediately.
It was seven fifty when Gadi opened his eyes. He went into the bathroom, took a quick shower, put on dark clothes and came out. “Are you ready?” he asked Brian.
Brian nodded, finding it difficult to conceal the doubts that had trickled into his mind with every hour that’d passed.
“Wonderful!” Gadi clapped him on the back with exaggerated force, startling him into action. “I’m going downstairs. As soon as I make sure everything is all right, I’ll text you a message, and from there you know exactly what to do. Ready?”
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