Seeing Double: An Elisabeth Reinhardt Novel

by Nancy Alexander

  In the meantime, Ruiz examined the young man’s wallet carefully running his fingertips over the seams. He found several hundred dollars, American, and another 25 bills of various denominations that appeared to be Israeli shekels and Lebanese lira. He had an Israeli driver’s license that bore his picture, a Lebanese driver’s license that bore his picture, several foreign credit cards and a MasterCard issued by the Bank of America. There were no photographs, notes or any other personal items. Forth-five minutes later, they were driving down a two lane road, through a quiet residential area, having disposed of Ari's clothing. The area was thickly treed with large comfortable homes set back from the street. A 6 foot high brick wall surrounded the property located at the dead end of a sparsely populated street. The wrought iron gate slid open as they approached and closed as they passed through heading toward a large red brick home built in the late 1970’s. The surrounding lawn and garden was attractive, but not ostentatious and the curved driveway led to a two car garage with open doors that slid closed as the car pulled in.

  “We’re here,” Elisabeth said as Ari Ben Aviv rose to look at his rescuers.

  “I am most grateful to you both for getting me out of that trouble,” he said extending his hand to Elisabeth and Ruiz.

  “You know, Ari,” Elisabeth said in a business-like manner, “that is exactly the issue I want to explore with you. Come inside with me.”

  - 7 -

  MIDNIGHT MEETINGS

  The air was surprisingly cold and strong winds blew around them as Rafi and his escorts walked past closed tents of sleepers. The camels lay quietly together in small groupings, chewing their cuds, long eyelashes lowered against the swirling sand. Faint rustling could be heard around the campsite, vague and indistinct sounds of people and animals, of tents flaps twisting in the wind. The sounds of the desert, the scents in the air; specks of light broke through as moonlight peeked past scattered clouds. It felt otherworldly. Although he had lived in this world off and on throughout his life, it felt odd to be so far into this world, a world he knew, but didn’t belong to. As his escorts walked with him to his assigned tent, he tried to absorb every aspect of his surroundings. He needed to know as much as he could about this place, these people. He needed to incorporate them into his mind and his spirit. He needed to belong here, if only for a little while. Everything depended on it.

  His tent was small. There was a rug for sleeping at the far side of the tent. Next to it stood a small table on which a brass samovar, an empty cup and a copy of the Koran had been placed. Next to the table a carefully folded sajjada lay ready for morning’s prayers. A dim oil lamp sat on a basket near the entrance. The guards watched as he crossed to where the holy book sat, kissed his fingers then touched them to the book, murmuring prayers of devotion with a bowed head. The guards exchanged glances then backed out, taking up positions on either side of the tent flap.

  Breathing a sigh of relief, Rafi settled down on the carpet and closed his tired eyes. A tinny voice in his ear asked, “Down for the night?” Rafi grinned inwardly but said nothing. His communication system didn’t work both ways. If they could see him, then he could signal to them. If not, it was one-way or no way at all. Rafi was just drifting off to sleep when he felt something touch his back. A hand reached in from beneath the tent. Startled he jerked away until he felt a slip of paper touch his palm. The coded message read: Al Queda sending messenger to question you. Authorized to kill. Prepare for emergency evac. Watch for signal.

  Rafi signaled his understanding by scrunching up the note and replacing it firmly in Moshe’s hand. He would present himself as his father’s son, believer in the true way. He could do this. He had been doing it most of his life, one way or the other. He had always lived in two worlds. How he functioned like the Chameleon he was. He could do this. He would be fine. He would wake at first light and begin his prayers. That was the most important thing he needed to do. Begin his prayers. With that thought in mind, he fell asleep.

  Elsewhere, Hadara Eiliat paced on her balcony. As the clock struck midnight, she stared at the moonbeams poking through the clouds and thought about all the things that could go wrong. She was just about to go inside and try to sleep when she heard a sound. A soft whistling sound… It could have been a night bird, an insect or perhaps a signal. She held her breath and waited, listening with her whole body. Again she heard the sound; closer now, coming from somewhere near her balcony. Hand on the butt of her revolver, she waited. Slowly she extracted her gun and reached for the flashlight clipped to her belt. Backing up she crouched behind a chair and waited. The whistlers could be assassins whistling to one another, it could be someone calling to her, she was taking no chances. She heard it again, this time a few feet below her balcony. Slowly the faint sound changed. It became a snippet of a children’s tune. She recognized it as a song about a goat that had been bought for 2 zuzim. Smiling, Hadara holstered her weapon, re-clipped her flashlight and walked to the railing. “So Yosef, you forgot how to ring the bell, maybe? Come in the front,” she said hearing him chuckle. Unlocking the latch she walked into the kitchen to fill the kettle.

  Yosef came in smiling. “Gotcha rattled, yes? I still got it in me,” he said with a grin.

  “Sit,” she pointed at a chair, her eyes smiled at him, “you bring me word?”

  “Yes, things are alright for now,” he assured her and began to fill her in on the news. He had many sources throughout the Middle East. A face and attitude that could blend in anywhere, Yosef was a traveler. He looked ancient with long scraggly hair, a wrinkled face, a messy beard and a brown belted robe. With only slight changes in appearance and accent he could blend in with every group in the region. Yosef Yadin was Hadara’s oldest friend and confident. Having been born a few weeks apart, they were raised together on the kibbutz and had become inseparable.

  It was the philosophy of their community to instill a work ethic and the spirit of cooperation in their children at an early age. Thus Yosef and Hadara, along with several other children their age, worked in the fields picking fruit and vegetables starting at the age of 5. The children enjoyed their work, laughing and singing and making a game of their efforts. Over time, as Yosef and Hadara gathered crops, they encountered some children doing similar work on the Lebanese side of the border and as children do they formed friendships. Every day Yosef and Hadara would wander to their favorite spot bearing gifts of figs or oranges and visit with their friends Jamila, Hakim and Abdullah Faysal.

  In that part of the world, the name Faysal was synonymous with olives. For generations, the Faysal family labored in their olive groves, planting and harvesting olives and pressing olive oil. Caravans of camels laden with olives and olive oil carried their wares throughout the Middle East. As they grew older, the children shared more with each other about their way of life. They knew that their countries didn’t get along and that the outlook for peace was bleak. But as children, they didn’t understand such divisions, they were friends. Over time, the children learned many things about each other: language, customs and beliefs. After a few years, Hadara, Yosef, Jamila, Hakim and Abdullah formed a secret ‘pact.’ They called themselves The Olive Branch. They decided to devote their lives to creating peace between their countries. Injustices and cruelty surrounded them and they swore it was their mission to help change that for future generations.

  Knowing it would be met with disapproval, the children never spoke to anyone about their developing friendships. The five children spent every possible moment together and soon The Olive Branch became the most important part of their lives. They were the best of friends, sharing ideas and feelings and plans for the future. When during adolescence Hadara and Hakim realized they were attracted to one another, it seemed a natural part of their lives together; it became just another secret to be kept. Only Yosef, Jamila and Abdulla knew about the young lovers and their silence was guaranteed. The five teenagers became inseparable, talking endlessly about their countries, developing secret plans about who they w
ould become and how they would contribute to the peace process. They developed unique ways of communicating with each other. There were some made-up words with special meanings and assorted signals, marks on trees, olives in formation.

  When just before his 17th birthday Hakim announced his intention to marry Hadara it was no surprise to the others. The five children had known all along of the love Hadara and Hakim shared. There were, however, some major obstacles to their plan, namely that such a marriage would be forbidden by their families and there was no place where such a marriage could exist openly, not to mention they lacked the resources to arrange for such a marriage. Flooded with emotions of sadness and frustration, they vowed to continue their relationship in secret until they could live in the open. In the meantime, they would do the best they could until they could figure out how and where to marry.

  As members of The Olive Branch moved off to follow their individual plans some things changed. When each of them turned 18, they left home. Hadara and Yosef joined Mossad and Hakim and Abdulla joined the Lebanese Army. Jamila as per her parents’ wishes left to obtain a business degree in the United States, so she could take charge of the family business. Jamila became the group’s default post office. She was responsible for getting, holding and passing coded messages between the lovers and arranging for group meetings on the rare occasions when they could congregate.

  Hadara and Yosef excelled in Mossad. Because they were intelligent, talented young people, it was decided that they would attend university and study subjects that would be helpful in their future roles within the organization. Thus in their 19th year, Hadara and Yosef traveled to the United States where they attended college and graduate school specializing in world history, political science and computer technology. In addition, they learned a number of languages including Russian and French; they had already mastered English and several Arabic dialects. As a subscript, they were to learn the ways of the Western world so that they would understand the culture, its values and its psychology.

  Upon returning, they were offered different positions in Mossad. Yosef was to infiltrate as many groups, cultures and organizations as possible working as a covert operative. Fluent in all Middle Eastern languages and dialects, he was also exquisitely familiar with religious dogma, traditions and the political nuances that characterized their part of the world; Hadara was to remain on the kibbutz and work her way up the ranks assuming increasing responsibility for covert operations along the Lebanese border. This was a perfect solution for her as it met some of her more personal needs. Now, she smiled at her friend as she reached across her kitchen table, poured Yosef a cup of tea and settled down to hear what he had learned.

  A world away, Ari Ben Aviv and his sister Samira sat side by side on a blue contemporary sofa in a big brick house tucked away in a Chicago suburb. It was nearing midnight and the core group of Chevra Hatzollah was continuing to collect information about the situation. They had no formal relationship with Mossad, but had worked with some of their agents from time to time over the years. At this point, the issues were unclear, but what was clear was that members of a Middle Eastern rebel group were determined to kill Ari Ben Aviv. Manny’s searches on the ‘dark net’ uncovered rumors that Ari had some mysterious nickname and was important in the world of Middle East espionage. Samira said she was here as his handler. They were working to establish a back channel to an underground weapons network operating out of several US museums.

  Since arriving at the safe house Elisabeth had been able to learn little about Ari’s request for an appointment, his knowledge about the tracking devices in his shoes, and his general skill as a covert operative. His answers seemed vague and oddly circular. It seemed he was waiting for something before he could answer her.

  Elisabeth had been able to confirm that Ari had known the three men in the street were following him, but did not think they would break into a public building. In the event that they did, he believed his hand to hand combat skills would enable him to protect himself. He claimed not to know about her hidden exit but he did know about her connection with Chevra Hatzollah secret organization and was hoping that she would lead him to it.

  They confirmed that the men she saw on the street had not only broken into her office, destroying her doors and terrorizing other building occupants but the police declared the building a crime scene and closed it to the public pending a police investigation. She had been told the police had an APB on her as ‘a person of interest’ in their investigation. The men reportedly fled the scene and were last seen turning onto a street where several Arab Consulates were located. Manny and Gil were monitoring that situation and informed the police that Dr. Elisabeth Reinhardt would make a full statement to the police as soon as her safety was assured.

  Elisabeth however, was focused on Ari and had yet to determine why he had contacted her in the first place. Ari said he had been referred by a friend, but she had no idea who that friend might be. She needed to discuss this with him because nothing was making sense. As for Samira, her work was unclear as well. What she was doing with a bag from a museum gift shop filled with bomb making materials remained unclear. Once everyone arrived, Elisabeth made the introductions: her siblings, Reina, Stella, Emanuel, Samuel and Simon and the members of Protect and Serve: Gil McCray, Pablo Ruiz, and Thomas Minister (aka T-Max).

  Stella and Reina were both lawyers. Stella Reinhardt Krieger established a small firm specializing in criminal defense cases and Reina Reinhardt Alpert was a Judge on the US District Court, for Northern Illinois. Her brothers, Simon and Samuel, identical twins, co-owned S & S Shoes operating under the tagline ‘Special Shoes for Special Feet.’ They specialized in orthopedic shoes, which were distributed internationally. Emanuel (Manny) owned and operated a computer business called ‘BE WISE Data Storage’, which specialized in internet security. Elisabeth had married a man named Martin Schreiber when she was 23, but he contracted leukemia and died when their daughter was five. She never remarried and resumed use of her maiden name by which she was known professionally.

  The Reinhardt children lived productive lives. All were devoted to humanitarian pursuits either in their professional or volunteer lives. They were charitable and generous with their time. They served the community in many different ways. They knew they were the lucky ones, they all agreed on that. They would never forget those who were less fortunate. They would never forget those lost in the concentration camps or those who had been so damaged, that their experiences at the hands of the Nazi’s would live forever in their tormented minds. Not one day passed when the Reinhardt children did not give their thanks to G-d for their good fortune and pray for the health and well-being of their people. If they knew one thing for certain, it was that they would fight injustice and abuse of power, of any type, every chance they could, to do otherwise would be a betrayal of their people, their religion, and their belief system. They knew that injustice and abuse of power took many forms and felt that it was their personal and collective responsibility to stand up and fight for what was right. If their fight meant personal risk or jeopardy, well they would just have to take that risk. The Reinhardts fully embraced the Jewish concept of Tikkun olam which means "repairing the world" (or "healing the world"). This suggests it is humanity's shared responsibility to heal, repair and transform the world. The Reinhardts’ commitment to Tikkun olam led them into worlds far beyond the norm.

  Ari and his sister greeted each member of the Reinhardt family with warmth and familiarity. They said it was as if they had always known each other. There was something entirely different about this meeting; all the members of Chevra Hatzollah felt it. It was like a reunion. Elisabeth then introduced ‘Protect and Serve’ led by Gil McCray, whom Samira had met earlier over pasta. The one-time Chicago detective introduced his two associates. Pablo Ruiz, (large and Hispanic, a former DEA agent) Pablo worked for years patrolling the Texas-Mexican border until his wife and daughter had been inadvertent victims in a shootout with the Los Primo Cart
el. He was a heartbroken drunk until he ran into Gil. His work here with these people had given him a new lease on life, a purpose he had all but lost. Pablo was a ‘people person’ his magnetic personality ensured loyal connections from every social strata.

  The third group member was a man they called ‘T-Max.’ Bald, black and tattooed, he was an intimidating presence. Standing 6’3’ and weighing 280 he could scare a person to death just by glaring at them. ‘T-Max’ was an enigma, a perfect example of ‘looks being deceiving.’ Although he looked like a brainless thug, he had a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from MIT, was a gourmet cook and loved classical music. ‘T-Max’ worked with the NYPD’s Gang Unit for 8 years, that’s where Thomas Minister, acquired the moniker ‘T-Max’. Along with Manny and Sammy he helped construct Chevra Hatzollah’s complex computer network.

  They decided to interview the siblings individually. Elisabeth and her brother Sammy started the interview with Samira while Gil and Stella motioned Ari into another room. As coffee cups were filled and refilled, the meetings dragged on till the early morning hours when the Chicago suburbs slowly sprang to action and the interviews gradually wound down.