by Ty Patterson
‘I thought you were going to Palestine, ma’am.’
‘That won’t be needed. Not with what happened yesterday. Baruti has managed to bring them together. However, more work needs to be done on Cantor’s allies. Work on your plan. Tell me when to start going to the hotel.’ And with that, she left the room, leaving Zeb staring at the door in bemusement.
‘You haven’t worked with her before, have you?’ Levin chuckled at the expression on his and the sisters’ faces.
‘No. This is the first time.’ He scratched his cheek absentmindedly.
‘We know her well. She has a reputation for being a very hard negotiator and getting what she wants. You just saw why.’
Zeb stretched and tested his leg. It ached, but it wouldn’t hamper any swift movement. His temple had settled to a dull throb that the medics had promised would disappear in a few days.
‘When do you want me to release that hotel’s details?’
‘Today. I think any attack will come the day after tomorrow.’
‘Because?’ Beth tapped a pen to her lips.
‘Because Avichai will also let slip that on the fourth day the negotiators will be moved to an IDF base.’
‘You seem to be looking forward to this showdown,’ Levin said with a half-smile.
‘I am. Those killers, whoever they are, are good. Very good. They haven’t left any trail for us.’
‘If they are kidon,’ the ramsad replied, ‘they are the best.’
Chapter Fifty-One
Jerusalem
Six days after Assassinations
Five days to Announcement
* * *
‘I am Jarrett Epstein,’ Zeb announced to the kidon assembled in the room.
Riva and Adir had returned from Istanbul and were in the front row. They looked at each other but didn’t speak. They hadn’t known him as Epstein.
Carmel and Dalia were beside them. Nachman, Yakov, Danell, Osip, Uzziah, Navon, Abraham, Mattias, Cale and Yonah, they were all present, some lounging in chairs, some leaning against walls. Meir wasn’t there because Zeb hadn’t interviewed him formally.
I want to make eye contact with him before clearing him.
Fourteen kidon, Zeb and the sisters and Levin, in the same office that the ramsad had taken them to earlier in the day. It was evening. Levin had returned to his office after their meeting to make arrangements. He had secured the hotel. He had leaned on a junior minister, who had slipped up in a TV interview and revealed the new location for the negotiators. The ramsad had then requested the kidon to assemble for an urgent meeting.
The operatives didn’t react to Zeb’s announcement. They looked at him, considered the sisters, and then turned to their director, who remained blank-faced.
‘You have seen me differently. This,’ he gestured at himself, ‘is who I am.’
‘I don’t even know you as Epstein,’ Yakov glowered. He had reacted with a start when he had entered the room and seen Zeb but hadn’t said anything then. ‘Is that your real name?’
‘You’re going to be a problem?’ Zeb looked at him pointedly.
The kidon flushed and settled back in his seat.
I need to win their confidence.
‘Epstein is not my real name. I am Zeb Carter. I’ve known Avichai Levin for a long time, and when the first killings happened, he turned to me.’
Because he wasn’t sure which kidon he could trust. The words, unspoken, hung heavy in the air. Feet shifted on the floor; a few operatives darted glances at their neighbors.
‘Beth, Meghan,’ he looked in the direction of the sisters. ‘The three of us are a team. We have been investigating all of you the last few days. You are clear.’
‘We could have told you that,’ Yakov said sullenly.
‘Yes, and many of you did. Pointed out that you had passed the polygraphs. If you were in the ramsad’s position, would that be sufficient?’
The kidon remained silent.
‘I am sure we all accept you had to do what you did … even though we didn’t like some of the methods,’ Carmel said as she crossed her legs, her calm voice helping defuse the tense atmosphere.
‘I wouldn’t have liked it if I was investigated in that manner,’ Zeb admitted and saw a perceptible lowering of shoulders.
‘Let’s move on,’ he said crisply. ‘Any of you know where the negotiators are?’
‘The Jerusalem Galaxy,’ a voice shouted from the back. ‘It’s all over the news.’
‘Correct. Some bureaucrat wasn’t tightlipped enough. The Israeli and Palestinian teams will be there for three days, and on the fourth, they will be taken to an IDF camp.’
‘If the first killers were Mossad kidon,’ his eyes swept over the operatives, ‘we think they will strike on the third day. The day after tomorrow.’
Silence.
‘You said first killers. I thought they were EQB.’ Dalia leaned forward curiously. ‘That’s what the prime minister said yesterday.’
‘Guess why he said that?’
Carmel swore colorfully and loudly when the implications sank in. ‘We are still suspects,’ she said bitterly.
‘Some of you, yes. But the investigation is wide-ranging. I am the only one who is focused on the kidon. Other agencies are involved as well, looking into other aspects.’
‘That doesn’t make me feel better.’
‘I understand. But I think you can guess why you are here, now.’
‘You think we’ll recognize whoever comes,’ Riva’s fingers unconsciously drifted toward her shoulder holster.
‘Yes, if they are kidon. And your presence has an added benefit. Extra security. Any questions so far?’
Yonah raised his hand. ‘What if they are kidon? Someone we know?’
‘We want them alive if that’s possible.’
‘That may not be feasible.’
‘A dead traitor is no loss to me,’ Levin’s words said coldly. No further questions were asked on that matter.
They made plans until late in the night. The operatives organized themselves into khuliyot, each team taking on a security aspect. Carmel, Dalia, Riva and Adir teamed up. Their focus was the entrance to the hotel and the lobby. Yonah, Danell, Uzziah and Osip looked into the rear. Yakov and Nachman, the floor where the negotiators would be. The remaining kidon broke down the rest of the hotel and assigned themselves to various tasks.
Zeb watched silently, along with Levin and the sisters. He flashed a glance at the twins and sensed they were impressed. It was the first time they were witnessing kidon work in this manner.
After a hasty dinner break, takeaway from a nearby restaurant, the teams presented their plans to Zeb and Levin.
‘There will be other agencies involved,’ Levin said after hearing his kidon out. ‘IDF, police. We will need to coordinate with them.’
‘You have brought your go-bags?’ Zeb asked them.
‘Yes,’ all replied in unison.
‘You’ll move to the hotel right away. Occupy your positions. Security teams are fitting extra cameras on the various approaches and exits to the hotel. Those feeds will go through a facial recognition program. You will check out anyone who looks like a kidon.’ He broke off as a thought crossed his mind. ‘Drones.’
‘Drones?’ Levin frowned.
‘Yes, stealth drones. They need to go up from right now until the relocation to the IDF camp. They need to cover a wider area, surrounding the hotel. They should record vehicles, pedestrians, everything they can look at.’
‘Drones,’ the ramsad repeated. ‘What can I offer the three of you? To join Mossad?’
They broke up after a couple of hours, the kidon departing to the Galaxy. Zeb caught Navon’s sleeve. ‘Where’s Eliel?’
‘He had to go to Haifa. His foster mother is in critical condition. I thought he messaged you.’
‘He didn’t.’
‘He told me,’ Levin overheard and stepped in. ‘His mother has been suffering for a while. He said he will return tom
orrow.’
* * *
Moscow
* * *
Magal hailed a taxi when he landed at Domodedovo Airport. ‘Kuntsevo District,’ he told the driver and rattled off Raskov’s address.
He brought out his cell phone and saw that he had several missed calls. Shiri.
‘Yes?’ he asked when he returned the call and his partner picked up.
‘Zeb Carter?’ he lowered his voice and switched to Russian. He didn’t want the driver to remember a Hebrew-speaking passenger. ‘I haven’t heard of him. Describe him.’
‘No,’ Magal shook his head. ‘I am sure we haven’t come across him.’
He kept listening as Shiri broke down the night’s developments in Jerusalem.
‘You can check the hotel from inside. Make an escape route for us. See if you can assign yourself to that particular floor. This can work,’ he said excitedly.
‘We need a distraction,’ his partner pointed out. ‘The two of us alone cannot deal with all the kidon inside. There will be police and IDF as well.’
‘I know. I will get the handler to arrange that.’
He hung up and called the handler.
‘Look into one Zeb Carter. He is Epstein. His is the photograph we sent to you. American operative.’
He repeated Shiri’s information, hearing a faint scratching from the handler’s end. He’s taking notes.
‘We’ll take the Palestinians out. We have this opportunity. However, we need something.’
‘What?’ the handler asked.
‘Killers. Expendable ones. As many as you can muster in Jerusalem.’
* * *
Magal stepped out of the cab ninety minutes later. He paid the driver and watched him leave. He destroyed the burner phone and dropped it in a sewer. He unwrapped a new one from his go-bag and powered it up.
Raskov lived in a multi-floor apartment building next to a park. It was dark, deep in the night, but there were a few strollers, one couple, a dog walker.
Magal nodded at them, pulled his collar tighter around his neck and went inside the building. Entry was buzzer-controlled. He pressed several buttons randomly until an irritated voice squawked and the door clicked open.
A small lobby. An elevator bank in a corner. Magal checked out a door that opened to the stairwell.
He started climbing.
* * *
Raskov was half asleep on his couch, the TV flickering silently, playing a soccer match. He was tired. He had returned from Amman, and since then he had been drowning in paperwork. He hadn’t reported the presence of the Israelis to his superior. There was no need to. The handler had acceded to his demands.
He heaved himself upright and staggered to the bathroom. He returned, wiping his hands on his jeans, and grabbed the half-empty beer bottle on the table.
He put it to his mouth and drank deeply, wondering if he could squeeze the handler for more money.
And then his front door opened.
His jaw dropped as the sliver of light at the entrance widened and a shadowy figure slipped inside.
He wasn’t an FSB agent for nothing, however. He reacted fast. He threw the bottle at the intruder. Didn’t wait to see it land. He rushed to his bedroom, where his revolver was.
Magal ducked the incoming missile easily. He’d had no time to plan a covert entry and had decided to come in through the front door. As luck would have it, Raskov was right there, in the living room.
He followed the Russian, saw an open door to his left. The kitchen. A few seconds was all it took to arm himself with a knife.
The blade felt good in his hand. It had a sharp edge, was well-balanced. It put him in the right frame of mind.
For killing.
Chapter Fifty-Two
Ein Kerem
Seven days after Assassinations
Four days to Announcement
* * *
Shiri hefted the snorkeling gear in his hand. It was heavy. He had an explanation if anyone asked him about it.
The hotel had a renowned swimming pool that was deeper than most in similar hotels. Shiri was learning snorkeling. He would practice during his downtime. He was confident his answer would be bought.
It is in the delivery. Confidence, eye contact, no muscle twitches. He and Magal were experienced liars. They needed to be, for the business they were in.
His partner had called him in the night, when he was en route from Moscow. ‘It’s done.’
‘Clean kill?’
‘Yes. No traces of me.’
Shiri had sighed. ‘You used a blade, didn’t you?’
‘Yes, so what?’
‘It’s like a signature, Eliel. We have discussed this several times.’
‘Yes, but no one is going to connect me to Raskov.’
Shiri had dropped the matter. He could sense his friend was high from the killing. He wouldn’t be open to reasoning.
‘The handler has arranged about a dozen shooters. In Jerusalem,’ Magal told him.
‘So quickly?’
‘Yes. Looks like he has such assassins in many countries. He has given me the contact of the team leader. Did you study the hotel’s plans?’
‘Yes.’
‘You saw the water tank on the roof?’ Magal interrupted him.
‘Yes.’
‘Great. That will be our escape. Get snorkeling gear. Get explosives. I will explain when I reach there.’
‘Don’t need them. The explosives. The IDF personnel have them. I know where they store them.’
Shiri caught a cab to the Jerusalem Galaxy with his extra gear.
* * *
Jerusalem Galaxy
* * *
By seven am, all the kidon were up, dressed in casual clothing, earbuds in place, weapons discreetly holstered, roaming in their locations. A few had gone back to their apartments early in the morning to bring extra gear they would need.
The previous night, Zeb had assigned Carmel to be the overall team lead for the Mossad operatives. He and the sisters watched as she had briefed every operative and assigned sectors to each one of them. These were different from what each one had in the planning.
The Galaxy had twenty floors, each with a balcony that overlooked the lobby. The guest rooms started from the third floor, which was where Zeb was.
He watched from his vantage position as Carmel moved across the floor and talked briefly with Navon, Riva and Adir. The three of them, along with Eliel when he returned from Haifa, would be responsible for eyeing every visitor to the hotel.
The female operative moved on and met with her counterparts from other agencies. She spent a few minutes with a tall man with bristling grey hair: Moshe Abhyan, the IDF colonel who was the overall commander for the security operation.
Zeb had introduced himself and the twins and had come away impressed. The man knew his job. Equally important, he wouldn’t interfere in Zeb’s setup. All was good so long as there was coordination between the various cogs in the security machine.
The Galaxy continued to function as normal. Or as normally as feasible. It received guests, checked them out, hosted various events in its conference rooms. The only changes were the highly visible presence of armed guards and the lockdown of two floors.
What only Zeb, the sisters, Levin and a few others knew was that the guests were all IDF personnel. All of them had been stationed abroad and had been recalled for just this mission. They were aware of the risks and had volunteered.
The fifth floor was where the twelve negotiators met and conducted their day-long discussions. That floor was guarded by an elite unit composed of police and IDF personnel. No kidon was allowed to go deep on that floor. Food and drinks were served by guards from that unit.
The twelfth was where the negotiators had their rooms. The Galaxy had cleared the floor of all other guests, and this, too, was similarly guarded.
Zeb felt a presence beside him: Beth, and behind her, Meghan. ‘All set?’
They both nodded. They were
in the hotel’s basement, where the hotel’s offices were. The sisters had set up shop adjacent to Abhyan’s command room. It had secure lines, racks of servers, monitors that viewed every floor of the hotel, and personnel eyeing every feed.
Werner didn’t require a giant server. It was present in the various devices the twins had and sent alerts if it flagged any anomaly.
So far, Werner had remained silent.
‘I am not happy.’ Meghan gripped the polished brass rail and leaned forward to get a better view of the lobby.
‘She’s been griping about this all day,’ Beth smirked.
‘All day? It’s not even eight am.’
‘Griping about what?’ Zeb interrupted before the argument escalated.
‘She thinks we should take Carmel into our confidence.’
‘It’s not fair, Zeb,’ Meghan’s eyes flashed. ‘We should tell all of them. If you didn’t trust them, you shouldn’t have involved these fifteen kidon.’
‘I agree.’
Her jaw dropped. Beth looked at him, openmouthed. Neither sister had expected him to cave in so easily.
‘We’ll tell Carmel. But no other kidon. She will understand. I think they will, too. Need to know. The fewer people who know, the more chances our trap will succeed. If they don’t,’ he shrugged, ‘it’s Levin’s problem.’
‘She might tell Dalia,’ Meghan said after a pause, as she worked out his reasoning.
‘Her privilege. I trust the two of them without reservation.’
‘We do, too,’ Beth proclaimed. ‘We like them, in fact. Riva, too.’
‘When will you tell them?’
‘Now,’ Zeb pointed to an armored vehicle that had driven up to the hotel.
* * *
Alice Monash stepped out of the vehicle and was immediately surrounded by Bob and his team.
‘We’ll take it from here,’ Zeb told the protection leader. He shook hands with the ambassador and introduced Carmel, who had followed him, to her. The diplomat smiled at the sisters and walked inside the hotel.