He was proud of the honor he was given to meet, with Benjamin himself, the man who held all this power. After all, Benjamin was a good friend of Gideon, from the army. He walked towards the counter. The secretary was busy in a conversation. When she finished, Alon explained with a confident tone that he was there to meet Benjamin, but the secretary was not impressed and asked him to wait.
Alon sat in the waiting room, feeling like a schoolboy waiting for the principal to hear his punishment. Fifteen minutes had passed when the secretary came to ask him if he wanted something to drink.
"Please," he said softly.
When the secretary came back with the coffee, he dared to ask whether Benjamin would be free any time soon.
"Honestly, Benjamin could not meet with you. You need to talk to Matthew, who will be here in fifteen minutes."
"But I am supposed to have a meeting with Benjamin," Alon insisted.
"Don’t worry, Matthew is one of our best employees. In any case, Benjamin is not doing the investigation himself, it might be better for you to talk directly to Matthew."
Alon felt resentment to discover he was waiting nearly half an hour for a junior employee of Benjamin’s, but he was happy when the secretary finally led him to Matthew’s office. He quickly finished his coffee and followed her, comforted by the fact he was referred to someone with a nice, big office, and not to one of the people seated inside the cubicles.
Matthew was kind. When Alon came in, he stood and shook his hand. "I'm Matthew. How can I help you?"
Alon felt much more relieved to find a guy of his own age. He gave Matthew the general background of the investigation and asked personal information about Naor, his family and his business. Matthew tried to obtain more details about the investigation in order to gain more useful material, but Alon did not elaborate more. The investigation was just getting started, so he really did not have much information.
Gideon had called him in the evening. "Well, did you get a report from Benjamin’s office?"
"No, it was just today I was in their office. It will take several days. Why? Do you have something?"
"It’s not something that helps our investigation; this is an ordinary story about an unusual father, you know. Naor served as a combat soldier in the army despite his father’s disapproval, and it turned out the boy was accustomed to a silver spoon in his mouth, so his act of rebellion did not help. He had a hard time going through basic training and exercises. He was crushed. The officers were tough, and the fact he was the son of Moshe Kowalski made his life even more difficult. The commanders would throw him words just like anyone else, but it affected him more than the others. How do I know? He tried to commit suicide. A friend found him lying in bed after taking pills. Do you understand? The boy preferred to die rather than admitting his father was right. In short, he told stories to his father, he blamed everything on the officers. After a month, he received a release from the army and he flew straight to the United States to manage his father's business.”
"Well, it may not say much about Naor, but it tells us a lot about his father. However, a child who prefers to commit suicide ..."
"Yes, that's right."
Three days later, Matthew called Alon and asked him to come to his office to get the papers. When Alon arrived at the office, Matthew said
"I don’t know what your client was looking for with Naor. It’s all about a stable man, who is loved by his employees, rewards them as needed, contributes a lot of money to the community, and most of all, who has a pretty reputable name in our region. If your client is looking for a president for Israel, then he is the right person. If you thought of finding a hornet’s nest, I didn’t find one." Matthew handed the envelope to Alon. "I hope I was able to help in some way."
His kindness was admirable, Alon thought, as he took the papers.
Later, as he sat in his room in the hotel, he read the report and hoped to find an interesting detail would reveal an important conclusion would lead to the development of the investigation. After all, he was an expert in examining small details, but there was no need for a sharp analysis to discover the line stood out to him. Julia Montaigne was a housekeeper for Naor in his early years in the United States. Alon quickly picked up the phone and called Gideon.
"The puzzle is connecting piece by piece," Alon said, "You won’t believe who was Naor’s housekeeper in his early years in the United States..."
"Don’t tell me it was Julia," Gideon completing Alon’s sentence.
"Exactly. Do you realize this leads to a strong possibility Daniel is in fact Kowalski’s grandson?" Alon asked.
"I don’t know," Gideon replied hesitantly, "The fact Julia was a housekeeper for Naor doesn’t mean he is Daniel’s father."
"But don’t forget it’s not just this. Deborah also said Julia told her Kowalski is his grandfather."
"Then why won’t Kowalski acknowledge the boy?"
"Drop it Gideon, we are not the moral police. You were asked to check if Daniel is Naor’s son, and we are almost sure he is. All that is left is to locate Julia and that will end our investigation. I thought we would have a hard time looking for clues Naor is the father, but luckily we have managed. Let's focus now on the search for Julia. We will update Karina about the findings and close the case."
Alon was satisfied with the results of the investigation and allowed himself to take the rest of his time in New York to lay by the pool. He looked at the phone, scouring his thoughts whether to call Natalie or rather not to do things would ruin his mood. Finally, he decided one phone call to Natalie wouldn’t hurt. He called her cell phone, hoping she would answer because she wouldn’t recognize a call from abroad.
"Hello, Princess," Alon said, taking the risk she would slam down the phone.
"Hello Alon, did you like the bouquet I sent you?" Natalie asked.
"What bouquet?" Alon pretended.
"The one I sent to your office."
"I'm glad to hear you sent me a bouquet. It’s too bad I am in the United States and was not in the office to get it."
"Don’t be too happy. It was not a happy bouquet," he heard laughter, and after a second she closed the phone.
Alon preferred to stay at the hotel rather than to walk around New York. It was an intensifying loneliness that made him miss Natalie, thus reducing the chance to get back to her with self-confidence.
When he returned to Israel he admitted to himself the vacation did him good. The last two months had been pretty confusing and busy, the break up with Natalie, the case of Daniel and Kowalski and his relationship with Deborah. His stay in New-York recharged his batteries and he was ready to prepare for the next step of the investigation; finding any trace of Julia. If he finds her, she can verify the family relation between Kowalski and Daniel. He thoroughly reviewed the documents at the police station, trying to find unidentified bodies twenty years ago or so; or maybe a missing persons report or perhaps some unusual events the police had ignored, like a woman who complained about something that would have been classified as lacking public interest. The paper work took long hours. Alon felt a weight in his head. He could hardly read the text. Everything was blurred. He knew he should stop analyzing the material now and review it again the next day, but if he started something he could hardly stop.
"Too bad you are searching for something that happened twenty-three years ago," the policewoman said when she saw the beads of sweat on his forehead.
"Why?"
"Because if it happened not long ago, you would be able to check it on the computer."
"Yes," he said, and continued to check the papers. Two and a half weeks had passed. He finished the research at the police headquarters without any hint or interesting discovery.
He went straight to a meeting with Gideon. That’s what they always did when they encountered a difficulty in breaking the wall; they would sit together and discuss the issue. It’s called brainstorming. They would always find a way out.
25
Alon
sat in front of Gideon. "She disappeared, swallowed by the land, even if we go so far, and I hate to say this, let’s say she was a prostitute, but for twenty-three years? Listen, she should be fifty years old by now, she should be retired, right?"
Gideon smiled. "If she is alive, I would tend to believe she is living under another name."
"Anything's possible, but right now everything is a speculation, and in speculation, there are always too many possibilities, but only one truth." Alon put his elbow on the table and leaned on his hand, covering his mouth with his fingers. "Gideon, the woman died, disappeared. Suppose she didn’t fly to America, why did she not look for her son all these years? I didn’t find anything, not even an unidentified body that was buried twenty three years ago." Alon saw Gideon’s face smiling and did not understand what was so funny. "Share it with me."
"Don’t you get it? This is exactly the answer. The dog is buried here."
"I do not understand what you’re thinking," Alon said.
"The body of the woman hasn’t been found for twenty three years because she was probably buried somewhere and has not been discovered."
"So, do I have to dig up the whole country?" Alon asked.
"No, but if there is a truth in all this, it’s possible a body was found recently. Until now we have been searching for a body that was buried twenty-three years ago. You know, with a little bit of a fortune, bodies that are hidden by someone will be discovered years after, when the whole story is forgotten and no one connects the body to the crime. In recent years, construction has developed in many places. It is quite possible if there is a body, it was actually exposed in recent years. First step, I suggest you check on the police computer. The data has already been updated for several years. If you don’t find anything, then go over the rest of the years that were not updated in the computer. You can send someone to check it for you, and if he doesn’t find any, go after him. But if by chance he finds something, it will save you from the dirty work."
Alon agreed Gideon was onto something, but to look for a body that was buried for over twenty years? Just the thought of it already exhausted him. Gideon noticed and quickly added, "I know, we need a lot of luck. Wait a minute, let's do things in parallel. You go and look with the police and I'll look for some information in the newspapers, courtesy of Amos." Gideon called Amos. Although he did not want to arouse his curiosity and suspicion, he admitted to himself he had no other choice. "Amos, I need you again. I'm looking for an article about a woman, maybe a body that was found, but was not identified by her family. Have you heard something lately, or do you remember anything?"
"Do you have a murder case?" Amos seemed shocked and curious.
Gideon was taken aback by Amos’ perception. "No, just a woman someone wanted to find. You know, from Eastern Europe. I'm sure if we don’t find her, she’s probably engaged in an ancient profession, but we must do our due diligence."
"Well done, you are investing in work despite of doubts you have."
"I get paid because they know I'll turn every stone to find out the truth."
"Just don’t forget to update me about the substantial details."
"I will not forget. If we are already dealing with reciprocity, can you reserve me an hour on your computer? Maybe I can find something about the matter."
"I'm here. Come anytime that suits you. Actually, why don’t you just come now? Just a five minute walk and you are here in the office."
At the end of the conversation, Gideon released a sigh. "It’s fixed, but I need to think of a way to work on his computer without him watching my back."
The secretary interrupted the conversation when she asked if they wanted something to drink.
"You close the phones and ask her not to connect calls, and she will still interrupt you with something."
Alon smiled in response.
Gideon continued, "In connection with our case, I admit I was skeptical at first, but every time we disclose information, I feel this is not anymore about a weird guy. I will not be surprised if there's even a murder case here."
"Don’t tell me the body you are looking for is a murder case," they heard Amos at the entrance and they couldn’t understand how the secretary allowed him to disturb them. Gideon's face became pale. It was barely a ten minute phone call and Amos was already stalking. "I smell a stormy episode in the upper echelons of the business. At first, you asked me to write a story about Kowalski, and today you are looking for a body. Is there any connection?"
"No, there is no connection," Gideon responded quickly. It hadn’t crossed Gideon’s mind that Kowalski killed Julia. And Amos, without knowing anything, connected the two events. In any case, he must not start sniffing around. He will distort things like every journalist does.
"Amos, do not start to draw conclusions from things you have not heard from me specifically. Did I ever disappoint you, or did I not tell you about important things?"
"No. But the name Kowalski shakes every part of my body. I believe with this name I may even become an editor. Think Gideon, does it suit me?" He wrote in the air with his finger to illustrate his words: "Amos Shenhave– editor, "Oh, in my wildest dreams I never thought I would be able to get into this."
"Really a wild dream," Gideon said. "Do you want to have dinner with us on Friday?" Gideon tried to change the subject.
"Honestly, my grandchildren are supposed to come. Maybe some other time."
Gideon was glad Amos could not come. They were good friends, but now he preferred to keep a little distance from him.
"Bye, Sherlock Holmes," Amos left with a clever smile, "If you find out Kowalski murdered someone then ..." Amos signaled for a phone call, "give your brother a phone call. You are my way to the top."
26
Alon entered the police station to do further research, and received assistance from a female officer to look for information in the computer. His meticulousness hampered her, and at the end of the day she was exhausted. Those were her three difficult days, but it was more difficult for Alon. He did not find anything. He stared at the officer who helped him. She was gentle and smiling, and Alon thought if the courtship with Natalie didn’t bear fruit, he would try his luck with the officer, who never got mad in the last three busy days. After all, only an indifferent girl with thick skin can deal with him because sometimes he never understands anyone except himself. "Did you find something? I didn’t find anything," he informed Gideon on the phone.
"I'm still running ads," Gideon said with a sigh of weariness, "It’s been three days and still nothing."
Gideon suddenly noticed an interesting article, the same moment Amos was in the office. He quickly turned the page so his friend wouldn’t notice it. In the article, it was written in a place close to a scud explosion during the gulf war, a woman's skeleton was discovered in an open field. The investigators speculated she was buried there a few years earlier.
Gideon noticed Amos left the office and at the same moment he sent the file to print. He hoped it was the body they were looking for. He already felt the blood flowing and boiling in his veins. Someone had bothered to bury the body. It was a sign she was murdered. After all, the body did not bury itself. He knew he relied on his intuition, and it was so strong, especially since Alon did not find any trace of the body. He put the article inside his coat pocket before Amos came back to the room.
"Did you find anything?" Amos asked.
"A body." Gideon did not find a more appropriate response to remove the suspicions of Amos.
"Very funny," Amos said while looking at the screen. It was a vague story. He looked at Gideon while going down the three steps at the exit of the office, and went across the street. Then, he sat in front of the computer. He went over the last pages Gideon had checked out and found the article which Gideon printed. 'What was he hiding there?' Amos wondered. First he asked me to write an article about Kowalski, then there was a body, and he kept all these in confidentiality. Is there any connection between Kowalski and the body?
Amos understood he had to check it out and not let the opportunity slip away. He couldn’t just depend on the kindness of his friend.
On his way back to the office, Gideon called Alon. "I found an unidentified body. It was found in the center of the country. A scud landed there and exposed the skeleton. The body was buried. Someone bothered to hide it, and the fact you have not found any details about the case confirms someone tried not only to hide the body but also the information. According to the story, it was a woman from Eastern Europe, supposedly of the same age as Julia, and based on the tests, it was even buried at the time of Julia’s disappearance."
"If we could only find the file about her disappearance, if we only knew where she was buried we could do DNA tests to confirm the findings." Alon said.
“But we have something anyway." Gideon said. "There was a ring on her right toe. I'll ask Karina to check with Daniel, maybe he remembers if his mother used to wear rings on her feet. If so, we've cracked the case. Daniel's mother died, murdered, she is not alive. And regarding to Kowalski, the fact that Julia managed Naor's household, increases the likelihood that Naor is Daniel's father and Kowalski is his grandfather. So far, we have answered Karina’s queries. This is beyond the investigation she asked from us. Of course, we don’t have a hundred percent here, but we won’t be able to go further."
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