“So for me,” declared Sally, “being Jewish is being part of a big family, with all the responsibilities involved in that: Mutual assistance, love, and concern for each other despite the differences. That’s how we survived over three thousand years and that’s our uniqueness. Marin understands that, and therefore is so generous toward the needy. Doesn’t he deserve some generosity on my part?”
“Speak to your father,” suggested Jerry. “If he approves of this, I’ll help you.”
Sally phoned her parents’ home and put the call on loudspeaker. “Yes?” came her mother’s singsong voice answer on the other end of the line.
“Hello, Mom. I need Dad.”
“Has something happened?” Her mother’s voice sounded worried.
“No, not at all. It’s a principled disagreement between Jerry and me.”
“Okay. I’ll call him,” said her mother with relief.
Sally listened to the familiar sounds of her parents’ home, and the approaching steps of her father. His deep voice sounded from the speaker. “What happened, my girl?”
She told him the whole story, and her father answered without hesitation. “In tractate Baba Kamma of the Talmud it says that there are seven types of thieves. The primary thief is the one who tricks other people. This rabbi steals people’s trust and you must cause him to stop. If you don’t do so, you’d be taking part in his deceit. In addition, there could be danger to that man Marin’s life, or to the life of his wife or children. You must act as is written in the book of Leviticus: ‘You must not stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is at stake.’”
“But it’s dangerous.”
“’Agents of good deeds are never harmed,’” he quoted from the Talmud.
“And I’ll have expenses…”
“Heaven will repay you.”
“So you support me acting?”
“Of course,” said her father. “Ever since you were young, I taught you that man must mend the world and bring about redemption. Go, my girl. Right this wrong.”
Sally bid her father goodbye and hung up. She stared at Jerry, who sank into one of his protracted silences. “Okay,” he said suddenly. “I’ll connect you to someone.”
12.
Her name was Diana, and according to Jerry, she had served in a number of target states, gathering experience in surveillance and eavesdropping. They arranged a meeting at Café Brown in Tzameret Park. Diana identified Sally in the split second she stopped to survey her surroundings. They both arrived early. “Location security? That’s what exposed me?” Sally laughed. Mossad agents maintained a strict rule: They must arrive for every meeting fifteen minutes early and carefully examine the location and the people occupying it.
“Exactly, location security,” Diana confirmed with an expression of someone handing out a secret password. She had a long, thin body, large brown eyes that looked at the world with the amazement of a child, and black hair in a bob cut. “So, what’s going on? Jerry told me you have something interesting.”
“Where do we know each other from?” Sally asked, staring at Diana inquisitively.
Diana obviously expected the question. “I’ve worked in eavesdropping for a few years. When I married I switched to the research department and was an analyst with Jerry. Now please explain to me what’s going on and—”
“Wait. A few more details. When did you retire?”
“A year ago,” Diana said. “I came to the conclusion that this job is too draining, pulling me away from my husband and children, but—”
“—but now you miss it,” Sally said.
“Exactly. The children are grown, my husband is busy, and I feel empty and bored.” She lowered her voice. “I even considered spicing up our sex life. Swinging and the like, you know…”
“I don’t know,” Sally confessed, “but I do understand your need for excitement. For me, my motivation to act is different. I’m trying to prevent harm from someone who once helped me in the most crucial moment of my life, when I was young. Without his help, I wouldn’t be who I am today.”
Diana leaned forward. “Tell me what you mean exactly. Jerry sounded very mysterious on the phone.”
“OK,” said Sally. “But first I need you to promise me that even if you don’t join me, everything I say remains between us.”
“I promise,” Diana said, and Sally told her everything she knew about Ben David, Vivian Moyal, and Pierre Marin. She omitted the story of their mission in Pakistan, though at times she suspected Diana knew something about it. Finally she said, “So I need information that can only be obtained through eavesdropping, and Jerry said you’re the best. You don’t have to agree if it scares you, but remember you promised to say nothing about this.”
“Nothing scares me,” said Diana. “I only have a few questions. Firstly, who do you work for?”
“I work for no one. Just as I told you, this is a debt of honor.”
“And when you find out what this rabbi is up to, what will you do?”
“I’ll give the information to Marin.”
“You said he’s hard to reach.”
“I’ll find a way. Financially, you have nothing to worry about. I will pay you by the hour, or a lump sum, whatever you prefer.”
“As I told you, I need action. On the other hand, I hate to be a sucker. I’ll help you with the eavesdropping, but I want you to promise me that if and when you get money, you’ll think of me too.”
“I promise,” said Sally, “though I have to warn you that even if money is offered to me, I wouldn’t want it. This is a good deed.”
“So ask for expenses only—” laughed Diana “—and write me down as your first expense.”
13.
“There are several ways to eavesdrop,” Diana explained in the car en route to Beersheba. “You can listen in from a distance using a directional microphone, you can plant microphones in the home or the office, you can connect to their computer or mobile phone through the Internet, and you can tap into the home telephone line, which is the easiest thing to do. I suggest we start with that. First we need to get a motorcycle.”
“We need a motorcycle to eavesdrop on a phone line?”
“We do.” Diana laughed. “Can’t do without it.”
On the main street of Beersheba, a fabric sign hung between two dusty green tamarisk trees: “Sale! Motorcycle rentals for 40 shekels a day.” Diana stopped the car at a distance from the shop. “We’ll walk there by foot,” she said, “so that they don’t identify us by the car.” She was obviously enjoying every moment. “Do you have a license to drive these things?” she asked Sally as they stood in front of a row of motorcycles parked on the sidewalk.
“No.”
“Then I’ll drive,” Diana said.
“Do you have a license?”
“No, but I know how to work them.”
The word “to work” amused Sally. She drove her car to the rabbi’s house and Diana “worked” the motorcycle with skill probably acquired in some course. She drove slowly, used her hand to signal at every turn, and never overtook cars like other motorcycle riders who surrounded them like bees. Suddenly she drove onto a sidewalk next to a hardware shop. Sally pulled over and waited. A few minutes later, Diana emerged carrying a heavy chain, a padlock, and a plastic bag containing screwdrivers, pliers, and pincers. Diana threw everything into the car and returned to the motorcycle. Near the rabbi’s home, she stopped next to Sally and said, “Now we need to find a communications box.”
“We already have,” Sally said, pointing to the metal cabinet next to the tree she had spent hours on the previous Friday. Diana parked the motorcycle next to it, pulled two files out of her bag, and stuck them into the lock in a professional manner. She wriggled the files for a few seconds and the cabinet door opened effortlessly. “What is the rabbi’s phone number?”
Sally re
ad it off the note in her hand. Diana connected and disconnected wires for five minutes and then pulled a dark, square object out of her bag, connected it to something in the box, and slammed the door shut. She placed another device in the compartment under the motorcycle seat, and locked it too. Finally, she knelt next to the back wheel and put the chain through it. “Never the front wheel,” she said, huffing and puffing. “It’s easy to take it apart and put the motorcycle on a tow truck or even a van. To detach the back wheel, though, you need to take apart the entire motorcycle.”
She tied the chain around the tree trunk, fastened the padlock, and stood up. “That’s it. Let’s move,” she said, walking slowly toward the car. When they strolled through the Old City in search of a restaurant Diana remembered from her days in the army, she explained, “The device in the cabinet will broadcast to the receiver in the motorcycle, which will also record the conversations. The batteries in both devices should last for a week. In six days we’ll come back and replace them.”
Sally replied with a hesitant “Yes.” Another plan was already brewing in her mind.
14.
The fork stopped in midair, above Jerry’s plate. “You want to do what?” he asked with alarm.
“Call Marin.”
“You have no proof against Ben David,” Jerry said in a solemn tone. “Without proof, it’s libel.”
“I took a photo of him, and in a week there will be phone calls too. What more do I need?”
“You can’t ruin someone’s life and claim he’s a con just because he doesn’t observe the religious commandments, and once—when he worked at the garage—tricked your brother. I’m also not sure the telephone surveillance will produce anything. It’s possible that he’s careful, or doesn’t speak on the phone about things that can put him in danger. You need recordings of meetings, surveillance, photocopies of documents and letters, bank transactions—all the things a serious investigation firm can produce.”
“In that case we should find a serious investigation firm. Do you know of any?”
“I know a few. Many Mossad veterans started firms. But such an investigation would cost a fortune. Who will pay?”
“I don’t know yet. You heard Dad: I will be repaid by heaven. Let’s get the ball rolling and see what happens. I don’t need a long investigation; I need no more than a day or two.”
Jerry shrugged. “Well, there’s Jacob, our friend from London.”
“Jacob Lavie started an investigation firm?”
“The largest in the country.”
“Large isn’t good. He’ll give the job to someone junior, a beginner maybe, and then the secret will be shared by several people…”
“What secret, Mom?” asked Michael. “You said a family shouldn’t keep secrets.”
“It’s not in the family, honey.” She patted his head. “It’s a secret of friends.”
“That’s still a secret,” Roy chimed in. “And you should tell it to us.”
“All right, I promise to tell you later.” She waited for them to finish their dinner and then said the magic word, “Ice cream…”
“Yay!” Michael cried.
“…in your rooms.”
After dishing out large portions of frozen dessert and sending the children to their rooms, Sally sat down across from Jerry. “Shall you call him or will you give me the number and I will?”
“You call,” Jerry ruled. “He always liked you.” Jerry got up and walked to his study. When he returned, he was holding a note. “I still think you should let this go,” he said, handing her the note. “But you do what you want anyway.”
“That’s true,” she said, and saw a grim expression briefly cross his face.
15.
The call routing system of Thunder Investigations sounded almost human. “For management, press one,” the feminine voice suggested softly, and Sally did as she said. “For Jacob Lavie, press one.” That’s so like him—to be number one, Sally thought and pressed the button once again. However, it was not Jacob who answered her, but a human secretary, and when Sally asked to be transferred to Jacob, she was expectedly answered with a query. “On what matter?”
“A double homicide,” she answered. “And it’s urgent.”
“A double homicide,” the secretary repeated with alarm, but when Jacob picked up the phone he was choking with laughter. “Sally! You haven’t changed. A double homicide, huh? That joke was already old back in London.”
“And it still works on your secretaries. I need to speak to you. When can I come over?”
“Right now. A double homicide requires swift action, doesn’t it?”
“You have no idea how right you are.”
Half an hour later, she was sitting across from him in an office overlooking downtown from the top floor of a high-rise. He was almost unchanged since the last time they met. Jacob was a short and stout man, his eyes masked behind thick glasses. She retold the story of Ben David from the start as he glanced over to the computer screen on the desk. “What I can’t understand,” he said without looking at her, “is why you’re involved.”
“Do me a favor…” Sally pleaded.
For the first time, he looked up at her.
“Leave the computer. The things I’m telling you are now the essence of my life. If you have no interest, I can go.”
“Excuse me,” he said, walking over to turn off the screen. He sat on the edge of the desk. “I simply can’t detach myself. Everything changes so quickly: Another terror attack and another statement by a politician, and on the sidebar I have data streaming in from the stock market. I’m addicted to this.”
“That also answers your question.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just as you’re addicted to the computer, I’m addicted to fulfilling my obligations. I’ve explained to you how much I owe Marin, and now I have the opportunity to repay him. The only question that remains is whether you will be a good friend and help me.”
“What do you need?”
“Bank accounts, names of other people Ben David is defrauding, partners, businesses he invests in. Everything but his landline.”
He raised his eyebrows. “How come?”
“I’ve installed an eavesdropping device there,” Sally said proudly.
“You’re mad. That’s a matter for professionals.”
“I have a professional friend.”
Now he was completely focused on her, even tense. “I won’t help you unless you remove those devices. You’ll be sending people to jail.”
“You have nothing to worry about. The device is in a telephone communications box, transmitting to a motorcycle parked nearby.”
“Who’s your pro? People haven’t been eavesdropping like that for ten years. Today there are machines that intercept phone conversations with no risk. Get it out of there immediately. Then we’ll see if we can help.”
“We? I was hoping you’d handle this yourself.”
“I haven’t left this desk in years. I have employees and they’re the best in the field.”
“I don’t want anything leaking out.”
He stood up, circled the table, and sat on the chair next to her. “Sally,” he said, taking her hand. “We’ve known each other for many years. I am prepared to do anything you ask, but you’ll need to trust me. Let me work on this my way.”
“OK.” Sally sighed. “Can I at least work with you?”
“Possibly.” Jacob let her hand go. “Meanwhile, your mission is to remove that thingamajig you’ve installed, you and your friend. As soon as you tell me it’s gone—we’ll enter the frame.”
“You can start today. Tomorrow the box will be empty.”
“We’ll begin,” he said, “and I want you to realize what this entails: It’s not only tapping into all of his devices, searching through his rubbish, and following him
, like you said. As far as I can tell, this is a probably a pretty big financial case. We will need to bribe people here and there to obtain information. We’ll also need to install hidden cameras and bugs not only at Ben David’s but elsewhere. We may need to go investigating abroad. I think it’s a pretty risky matter, all in all.”
“The rabbi doesn’t seem particularly dangerous,” Sally said.
“The law is dangerous for us, but my people—all veteran officers in special Israel Defence Force units and police investigators—are prepared to take risks and walk the thin line between legal and illegal. Do you realize you are also taking a chance, as someone who ordered the investigation and authorized the steps we will take?”
Sally was momentarily terrified.
“Now let’s talk about money,” said Jacob. “I don’t want to make a profit on you, but there are expenses: Travel, maybe flights, hours of surveillance. Who will cover all of this? I get what motivates you, but I don’t believe it’s a disaster for a Jew to cheat a Jew, and I owe nothing to Marin.”
Sally hesitated for a moment. “I can’t pay you, but…” For the first time, it occurred to her that the information she was collecting would be worth money to Marin—lots of money. She remained adamant not to pocket any of it, but it was only fair to reimburse Jacob and Diana for their work. “I believe that when I give Marin all the information that saves him, he’ll cover the costs.”
“And what if he doesn’t?”
“That’s not possible. I intuitively know he will.”
“What does Jerry say?”
“He’s always supported me, and continues to support me now.”
Jacob sighed. “All right, I don’t usually trust people that much. But since it’s you… Just get that motorcycle away from there, send me what you’ve already recorded, and from then on, let us do our work.”
16.
The streets of Beersheba were already familiar to Sally. She drove slowly, maneuvering between double-parked cars and smoke-emitting buses. Diana, sitting next to her, handed her tangerine wedges as she peeled the fruit. “Did you take the day off?” she asked.
Married to the Mossad Page 5