Jerusalem
Four days after Assassinations
Seven Days to Announcement
Zeb raced through the streets of Jerusalem, swerving around tourists, shoving away slower-moving pedestrians.
Someone else must have been in the apartment. Or arrived when the twins broke in.
Abraham had a start of just a few minutes. There! Zeb could see the kidon’s back. He was running swiftly, a hand cupped to his ear.
Calling whoever is in the apartment? Getting reinforcements?
Zeb leaped over a crouching mother, who was tending to her baby. Felt her startled glance. Called out a hasty sorry and powered forward. He had to reach the operative before he altered the equation in the apartment. That’s assuming the sisters haven’t been overpowered.
He checked his phone. The green dots were still moving rapidly, randomly. They’re fighting.
Abraham turned left. Zeb followed a minute later. A quieter street. Less obstruction. He could move faster. A right, and another right, and then the kidon disappeared into a building’s entrance. He was so focused on his task that he didn’t hear Zeb, nor did he sense his follower.
Zeb entered the building. Empty lobby. The elevator was rising. He took the stairs. Left hand on the balustrade to guide him initially, two steps at a time.
First-floor landing reached. Empty. He carried on, listening intently for shouts or gunshots. He heard none. He lost speed when he removed his backpack, unzipped his jacket and put it back on inside-out, so it was now a different color. He drew out a mask from his backpack and pulled it over his face. Hopefully that’ll be enough to fool Abraham that I am not Epstein.
He slowed further when he reached the third floor. Opened the landing door carefully. No one visible. Entered it and then burst into motion when he saw the kidon’s apartment was open.
He took everything in instantly.
Yells of rage from men. Meghan on the floor, Abraham and another man over her. Beth had her right hand around the neck of another man, who was raining blows on her with his free hands. Both women masked. Neither making any sound. Abraham moved. His hand drew back to punch Meghan’s face.
Zeb drew his Glock with blurring speed. He shot over Abraham’s head, the report echoing in the apartment. Everyone froze.
‘Move away,’ he ordered gutturally, deepening his voice deliberately.
The three kidon—he recognized the other two attackers—looked at him. They didn’t move.
He fired again, this time aiming just over Abraham’s shoulder. ‘MOVE!’
The operative got up and stood to one side. Mattias joined him. Beth released her attacker and pushed him away. The sisters kept clear of his firing line and came to his side.
‘Who are you?’ Abraham asked menacingly.
‘Go to the bedroom.’
None of the operatives moved.
‘You can’t outrun a bullet,’ Zeb grated.
The kidon remained where they were.
Zeb shot Abraham in his left thigh. The operative cried out in shock and anger, jerking from the impact. His friends grabbed him as he started falling and dragged him to the bedroom.
‘Shut the door.’
They radiated hostility as they obeyed him.
The next moment, Zeb and the sisters were out of the apartment, slamming the door behind them.
They took the stairs, leaping down swiftly, two at a time. None of them speaking as Zeb holstered his weapon. They reached street level, zigged and zagged through passages, people scattering out of their way, cries of alarm following them.
They reached a crowded market and slowed. Used the cover of a van to pull the masks off. Zeb nodded in the direction of a few restaurants. They went to separate establishments and into their restrooms.
They emerged ten minutes later wearing no disguise. The sisters had changed their jeans and tops; Zeb was wearing a different jacket.
They seated themselves in front of a restaurant, under an umbrella, and while Beth drew out a map of the city, Zeb placed their order.
Three tourists, taking a break for a drink while deciding which historical attraction to visit next.
‘What happened?’ Zeb asked, when the server placed their order and left.
Meghan’s lips quirked wryly, ‘Mattias and Cale happened. They had a key. They saw us and went on the attack.’
‘Abraham … you,’ Beth slid her shades down her nose, ‘how did that happen?’
‘He got something on his phone and took off suddenly. He didn’t say why.’
‘A call?’
‘No. Must have been some security alert. Something you didn’t spot.’
‘Nope,’ Meghan replied confidently. ‘We were careful. His apartment was unprotected. Which reminds me,’ she reached into her pocket and brought out her cell phone. Her eyes glinted in mischief as she brought up an app and put the device on speaker.
‘Who were they?’ a voice asked angrily.
Abraham! Zeb recognized his voice immediately. ‘You bugged him?’ he asked in surprise.
‘Yeah,’ Meghan chuckled, and paused the recording. ‘There was one moment when my hand got caught in my jeans pocket. I used that opportunity to slip out the bug and insert it in his back pocket.’
‘And I have this,’ Beth said triumphantly, as she fished out a cell phone and placed it on the table. ‘Cale’s. It was on the floor. Must have fallen when we were fighting.’
These two are something. Zeb shook his head in amazement. ‘What can I say!’
‘A lot,’ Beth grinned. ‘That you need us. Without us you are helpless. Shall I keep going?’
He raised his hands in surrender and nodded at Meghan. She pressed play.
‘How do we know?’ a voice replied to Abraham, equally angry. ‘They were masked. We weren’t sitting around chatting.’
‘Did they say anything?’
‘No.’
‘Did Groshky make us? In America? Could he have sent people after us?’
‘It is possible. But we were careful and he would have to move very fast. No, this felt like a burglary,’ the same voice replied. ‘Let’s get you to a hospital.’
‘No need,’ the other kidon spoke. ‘The round grazed his thigh. It is a shallow wound. We go to the hospital, there will be unnecessary records. We can treat this at home.’
‘That okay with you, Abraham?’
‘Yes. It hurts, but not that much. I was angrier that he shot me. We need to find out who these three were. The ramsad needs to know as well. Where did that third person come from?’
‘They must have posted a lookout. He saw you coming and followed you.’
‘We should search the apartment. See what’s missing. They could have planted bugs.’
‘I don’t think they had time. From their reaction, we had caught them soon after their entry.’
‘I agree with Mattias. They didn’t have time. We’ll search in any case, but I am sure we will find nothing. He’s right about the burglary, too. That shooter, he could have killed us. He didn’t.’
Zeb looked up when he felt the sisters’ eyes on him. He nodded. The last speaker had been Cale. They could now put names to the voices.
There were sounds of movement. Metal clinked. Abraham groaned.
‘They’re cleaning his wound,’ Beth murmured.
‘How did your interview go? With Epstein?’ Mattias asked.
‘I don’t know why the ramsad wants this man to interview us,’ Abraham replied angrily. ‘Why would we kill those Palestinians? Besides, he polygraphed us. What more does he want?’
‘He is doing his job,’ Cale said sharply. ‘If I was in his position, I would do the same. If there’s a traitor in Mossad’s ranks, he needs to be found. By any and all means.’
‘I thought you didn’t like these negotiations,’ Abraham goaded.
‘Yes. Neither do you nor Mattias. I am sure the ramsad knows our views. Since Mossad does regular psych evals on us, we must be at the top of the possible suspects list.’
‘You seem to be okay with this Epstein’s interviews.’
‘I am. So should you be, and any other kidon. The sooner he finds the traitors or clears all of us, the better for all of us.’
‘What did Epstein ask you?’ Mattias broke in, playing peacemaker.
‘He said Tel Aviv was just twelve hours away from New York. I could have come the previous day, killed the Palestinians—’
‘The three of us were together the day of the killings.’
‘That’s what I am angry about,’ Abraham exploded. ‘It is in our report. Each one of us is the other’s witness. We aren’t the killers.’
‘What would you do in the ramsad or Epstein’s place?’ Cale asked. ‘Would you believe the report? Or carry out an independent investigation?’
A long silence fell, broken only by the sounds of breathing and movement.
‘What else did he ask?’ Mattias resumed.
‘I left.’ Abraham was clearly embarrassed. ‘I remembered you and Cale were coming over.’
‘You left Epstein just like that?’
‘Yes.’ An awkward silence fell.
‘What’s going on here?’ Cale asked, perplexed.
Mattias sighed, ‘You might as well know, now. Abraham and I were planning a surprise party for you. Happy birthday, buddy.’ There was the sound of palms smacking. ‘Abraham was to arrange a cake. Clearly, he forgot.’
‘I did,’ Abraham admitted.
Zeb reached out and hit pause.
‘That’s why he bolted from my interview.’
‘Yeah. That …’ Meghan pointed to her phone. ‘That recording clears them, right?’
‘It does. I’ll still go through the motions of the interview. It’ll be interesting to see what Abraham says when he meets me again.’
His phone buzzed. He checked the number and took the call.
‘Yes, ma’am?’
He listened for a moment and nodded. ‘I’ll be there.’
‘Alice Monash, the ambassador,’ he told the sisters, who were regarding him quizzically.
‘She wants to meet.’