Missing

by Adiva Geffen

  “Do me a favor, update me with any new information as quickly as you can. If you have a fax somewhere there, and if the old man has something interesting — fax it to me. I’ll be on the radio from nine to ten, so it would be a perfect opportunity to tell the nation about what’s going on there. If you don’t find anything, I’ll just put on Berlioz’s Requiem.”

  “You’re on the radio?”

  “I had that covered with the radio station manager, who just happens to be…”

  We promised him.

  ◊◊◊

  At 8:15 Bender’s motorcycle stopped next to us. His face was red and wind-burned, and he held a manila envelope in his hand.

  “How much time do we have?”

  “None,” said Cooper, checking out Bender and his fancy motorcycle.

  “Bender, Cooper. Cooper, Bender,” I introduced them, and my two guys shook hands. With dignity. Avoiding my eyes.

  We quickly got into the black Mercedes. Bender and Cooper started to go through the pile of documents, and I drove. Ehud was on the line with us, listening to our every word from one of the radio station’s studios.

  “What?” he shouted.

  “Hold on,” I told him, “they found a letter from Daria.”

  “Read it out loud,” he pleaded, and Bender started to read it — the last will and testament of my poor Daria. My brave girl who had been crushed by that accursed Heavenly Duchess.

  “‘If you found Jonah and got to the envelope I left him, I guess this means they were able to catch me, that I’ve succumbed to their forces. You must try and win this battle in my name and the name of my soul mate, Avital, who was captured and paid with her life. Avital prepared everything to strike back at those who abused her, but they were quicker. In the blue envelope you will find a letter addressed to my parents. Please give it to them and ask them to forgive me. In the envelope you will find everything that scares The Duchess and her partners…’”

  “God,” I heard Ehud mumbling from the cell phone. “Two months before she killed herself, Avital called me. That was our last conversation. Now I understand… she…” He went silent for a moment then continued. “She told me she had something important to say to me, that I had to forgive her.”

  “Forgive her for what?”

  “She sold my parents’ empty lot without our permission. Now it seems so stupid. But back then I was very angry.”

  I didn’t say anything. Everything was getting clearer.

  “I’m preparing a broadcast from hell for them,” Ehud promised. “I’m working like a maniac to make this happen.”

  We had a winning hand now. Documents, certificates, wire transfers, purchases in and out of the country, the list went on and on. That gang was sitting on a hoard that would make the Count of Monte Cristo’s cave pale in comparison.

  “Starting a cult,” said Cooper, quickly leafing through the documents, “is a great way to achieve financial security. Look at what these guys arranged for themselves from what they stole from the Shimron family, the funds Galia stole, and God knows how many more innocents who gave all their earthly possessions to The Duchess and her accomplices to wage their astral wars. What a bunch of crooks.

  “I hope the victims’ lawyers will be able to recover some of the property that was stolen. Her mansion in Belgium alone should be worth a few hundred thousand euros. Is that where she’s flying to be filled with heavenly powers? And that’s just the tip of the iceberg,” Cooper continued. “But I’m more bothered by their helicopter. Where there’s a helicopter, there’s a pilot. We need to speed things up before they realize what’s going on. Put the pedal to the metal, Dickie.”

  “Fax everything to me,” Ehud screamed. “I’m begging you.”

  “Where do I find a fax for him?”

  “What do we have a guy in a uniform for?” I smiled. “Bender, go to Baba Joe’s Cup of Joe. Who can say no to a cop?”

  I stopped the car next to the hall of rum babas. Bender and Cooper went inside. I saw them following Baba to the office at the back of the restaurant. Ehud, who was now receiving the documents, screamed excitedly with each new fax page.

  “A mansion in Belgium, good God, what else? A hotel in France? What else?”

  I saw Cooper coming out of the restaurant holding his cell phone.

  “What happened?” I went out to him, hearing Ehud screaming in the background, demanding explanations.

  “Ask him if he has a computer nearby.”

  “He’s a reporter, what do you think?”

  “Ask him for his email address right now. Bender has already sent all the evidence to the police.”

  “Cooper, what happened?”

  “Dikla, ask him, quickly.”

  Ehud gave us his email address, and Cooper went back inside. When he came back out with Bender, they looked not only pleased, but incredibly friendly with each other. They were holding a laptop.

  “Courtesy of Baba Joe’s Cup of Joe,” Cooper smiled. “Baba says hi.”

  Then his cell phone rang. “Hezi?” I heard Cooper screaming. “Four cops, you say? Why? Four policemen came to the preschool because someone complained about the noise? Listen, it’s obviously a trick. Since when do they send four policemen to check a report about a preschool break-in?” He hesitated for a moment then said with the voice of a guerilla commander, “Get out of there quickly. Yes, right away. We’ve left the Ford at the rear end of the complex. Get out of there as quietly as possible and wait for me at the meeting place.”

  “I guess the bastards are onto us,” he told me, a faint smile on his lips.

  “We need to get Sammy and Galia out of there,” I said.

  “What time is their next gathering?” asked Cooper.

  “9:00.”

  “How would we get inside?” asked Bender. “I’m wearing my uniform, but what do we do with—”

  “This time they won’t be so nice to me,” Cooper added.

  I knew exactly how we should get in and rescue Sammy. “Very simple,” I said, “we’re going to walk in through the main door. You, my friends, are going to turn me in.”

  “You mean…?” Bender grabbed his head. “No, Dickie, that’s dangerous.”

  “It’s the only way. Here’s what we do. You’re a cop, and Cooper is dressed up as a preschool guard. If I understand correctly, they sent some of their people to the preschool the moment they figured it out. Since I haven’t lived up to my promise, and since I tried to escape, you guys are bringing me back there.”

  Despite their protests, I stopped the Mercedes by the side of the road and moved to the backseat.

  Cooper hesitated for a moment. “Are you sure?”

  “Of course I’m sure, come on.” I gave him my hands, and he took out a transparent plastic cable tie and cuffed me.

  Bender consulted with Nirit then called the valley precinct and urged them to send reinforcements quickly. “An officer in distress,” he called it. God bless him.

  We stopped the car up the street, in a place where we could safely watch the house. Only when we were standing there, and Ehud was no longer with us on the line, did Cooper tell me whose child it was.

  “I had a feeling,” I told him. “I didn’t think Daria would have left the complex and leave her baby there. Good thing we haven’t told Ehud. I don’t know if he’d be able to take it right now.”

  It was almost 9:00 pm. We knew the documents were already in the right hands. All we had left to do was confront The Duchess and her companions. I wouldn’t have missed that for the world.

  ◊◊◊

  The place looked dark and peaceful, as if there weren’t an earth-shattering drama unfolding within. As if it weren’t a house of evil, but a safe harbor.

  We knew we had to hurry. If the impostor cops had managed to find our prisoners, then Eve and her gang were already on th
eir way. How much time do we have before they get here and expose my lies?

  As we prepared, a great light lit up the main hall, and the blast of a shofar drifted outside. The gathering was about to begin.

  Cooper straightened his gray uniform and put on a matching cap. Bender moved to sit beside me and stroked my head fondly. A real Hollywood scene. If it weren’t for Sammy being locked up and Eve rushing to catch us, I’d have savored the moment.

  I lay on my stomach in the backseat, hands pulled back and head pressed against the cushion, properly bound for slaughter. Cooper drove toward the house.

  “I got her,” he shouted into the intercom. “Open up.”

  “Who are you?”

  “Eve is right behind me. Open up, The Duchess is waiting for us!”

  “Someone is coming out.”

  My nose was pressed into the seat, and I could only pray they wouldn’t send Deliveries, because he might recognize Cooper in spite of the cap and the uniform. The gate creaked open, and the car moved forward then stopped. A beam of light flickered on me, and Cooper said, “We got them! Don’t ask what went down there because of that bitch.” He pointed at me.

  I managed some muffled sobs to complete the act.

  “Hurry, man,” Cooper urged him.

  The car rolled inside.

  I heard the vehicle door open.

  Cooper pulled me out of the backseat roughly and shouted, “Let’s go. You thought you could be a big hero, didn’t you?”

  Bender was behind me. I sensed his tension.

  “Where to now?” he whispered, letting Cooper take the lead.

  “You and her…you and Dikla—” He stopped in embarrassment. Did I hear hesitation in his voice? “You find a place to hide. Wait for my signal. I’ll take care of the technology aspect. You still got the computer, right?”

  Bender gave him Baba Joe’s laptop.

  “I hear them singing in the great hall,” Cooper whispered. “The doomsday plan is underway. You know what to do?” They smiled at each other, and Cooper headed off. Was it the start of a great friendship?

  And so, we walked down the corridor toward the now-familiar hall in which the gathering was taking place.

  Two of the worker bees were standing at the hall entrance, wearing the usual light blue uniforms. Bender nodded at them, gave them a little salute, then continued to walk on, as if the place had been built by his father’s father. They handed him a pink booklet and smiled. We continued down the corridor and moved toward the stairs.

  “What do we do now, genius?” I whispered.

  “We wait. Just keep acting like the frightened prisoner.”

  “That won’t be too hard. Perhaps I haven’t told you, Bender, but I’m glad you’re on board.”

  “Me too. You didn’t think I’d miss out on the action, did you?”

  We started up the stairs. On the second floor, he knocked on the first door.

  “Open up, please,” he said.

  No one answered. He turned the handle and took me inside. The room was just like all the others I’d seen. A bed. A credenza. Deborah’s greatest hits posted on the walls. Heed my words, if you wish to be happy. Be yourselves, love yourselves, and the light shall touch you.

  I sat on the bed. He remained standing. Then he lit me a cigarette.

  “We need to be careful,” I said and put it out after taking a drag. “The smell will attract them.”

  We continued to wait.

  “How long, Bender? Maybe something has gone wrong. Maybe you’re needed outside.”

  “Patience, honey. I’m waiting for a sign from Ehud. He’s setting up the trap for them.”

  Ten minutes. Fifteen minutes. Then his cell phone rang. A trumpet ringtone.

  “That’s it,” said Cooper. “Ehud is on the air. Come — the show’s about to start.”

  We went back to playing the roles of captor and prisoner and headed down to the hall again. I went limp, and he dragged me forcefully. We stood at the end of the hall. Eve was nowhere to be seen. A good sign. A very good sign. Bender placed me behind one of the pillars and stood erect beside me.

  White-clad chorus girls stood on the stage, waiting for instructions. I saw Sammy standing in the crowd, first row, gripping her walker, her two chaperones beside her. Now and then, she stole a glance over her shoulder. My detective had a feeling something was about to happen…or at least she was hoping for something to happen.

  Another shofar blast sounded, and the people crowding on the chairs and in the aisles began to hum quietly. The worker bees were there, as well as the female soldiers, and numerous people in civilian clothes.

  Then Barak’s voice came from the speakers. “Friends, believers, people of the light. Remember that the process of uprooting the false and evil beliefs from your heart and soul takes time. Everything is in your hands — you can follow us, step-by-step, into absolute happiness, complete health, peace, and tranquility. Deborah was taken, for our sakes, to the split planet to fight the slime people, to remove the toxins from the world.”

  Sounds of crying rose in the hall. The crowd moved in waves from side to side. The girls on stage broke into song, eyes closed, swaying as if bewitched.

  A different kind of sound came through the speakers. A whisper, followed by a loud voice, Deborah’s voice. “Our consciousness needs to feel no fear or concern. It needs protection. So long as we safeguard it, it need not be disquieted. The subconscious does not keep anything that doesn’t serve it. The moment we allow it to receive protection, there is no longer any need to hold on to the inhibiting factor that…”

  Etc., etc. Endless twaddle echoed from numerous speakers around the hall. The crowd followed along with the inane lecture in their booklets.

  The screech of tires from the yard was unmistakable. Moments later, I saw Deliveries enter the hall. His eyes roamed quickly over the crowd, then he began to make his way toward the stage.

  “Look over there,” I whispered to Bender. “We’re finished. I think he’s seen something.”

  Yossi Deliveries stood at the side of the stage. He appeared to be looking for someone.

  The crowd murmured with anticipation as Deborah, wrapped in a light blue cloth this time, went up on stage. She stopped next to the microphone, shut her eyes, and stood still.

  “This is the part where she explains to the innocents how she draws her strength from the heavens,” I explained to Bender.

  Barak went up on the stage and stood next to her.

  A scream came from outside, followed by another one. Deliveries turned to the stage, then to the door, considering what he should do next. Then his eyes, like everyone else’s, settled on the entrance.

  Eve.

  She slammed into the hall and with surprising nimbleness, while screaming insanely at Deborah, mounted the stage and rushed over to her. Deborah opened her eyes but continued to stand still, arms outstretched, ignoring the commotion around her.

  Barak jumped onto the stage and began to shake The Duchess, talking to her quickly, trying to stir her from her state of heavenly tranquility. Some of the girls jumped to their feet and started screaming. The hall was about to erupt into chaos.

  Then Deborah raised her arms, and everyone went quiet. “The children of darkness are approaching us,” she shouted. “A solar eclipse is coming…”

  Her lips continued to move, but her voice could no longer be heard. Another voice came from the speakers, loud and clear.

  “This is Ehud Gal, the brother of Avital, whom many of you know as Avia.”

  Barak froze. His eyes sought Ehud. Then he regained his composure and began to retreat, dragging Deborah behind him. Eve remained on the stage for another moment then ran after them, her gargantuan buttocks bouncing.

  “They’re getting away, Bender, the captains of this ship of fools are getting away.”


  “They won’t get far. My cops are already at the exit to Yokneam.”

  Ehud’s voice continued to resound in the hall. “I accuse Deborah, Barak, and Eve Magidal of fraud, deception, exploitation, abuse, and murder.”

  The crowd rose to its feet, murmuring anxiously.

  “I am in possession of documents that my poor sister managed to get from their offices, documents containing absolute proof.”

  A stunned silence settled on the audience.

  I saw Deliveries, along with a few other guys, hurrying to the back to the hall, perhaps trying to find out where Ehud’s voice was coming from. The chorus finally stopped chanting, but the girls remained standing on the stage, not sure what to do next.

  “Shut him down,” Deliveries screamed and started to climb to the stage, but Cooper was quicker and caught him.

  “Cut off the microphone,” someone shouted. The doors opened and two guards stepped inside, wondering where they should go.

  “Let him talk.” The voice was Sammy’s. “Listen!”

  “I want to give you a few facts no one has ever told you about The Duchess and her accomplices. She is a criminal. A swindler…”

  “Lies! She’s a saint!” someone yelled. The voices in the audience grew louder, some demanding the right to listen, others insisting Ehud be silenced. “Cut off the microphone,” someone screamed again.

  “Let him talk,” shouted Cooper, who was still holding Deliveries.

  “And who are your three saints?” Ehud continued with his broadcast. “Deborah’s real name is Hanna Crogen, or Judith, or Helen. She’s had a lot of names over the years, as well as indictments in countries around the world. Your Duchess is nothing but a crook, accused of fraud, including stealing money from the elderly, forgery, and blackmail. She escaped from Israel to America and changed her name to Judith Morbed. But she got in trouble with the law again and was sentenced to five years in prison…”

  One of the guards began to yank at the speaker cables, trying to disconnect them.

  I heard shouting from outside. Bender winked at me — the police.

  Pounding footsteps announced their entry into the hall. Five officers surrounded the crowd and waited for a sign from Bender.