Jerusalem
Five days after Assassinations
Six days to Announcement
Zeb’s interviews with Cale and Mattias the previous evening had been straightforward, and he didn’t spend much time with them. They had cleared themselves inadvertently, courtesy of Meghan’s bug.
He had also had the chance to interview three more kidon: Iram, Gabe and Sinon, all three members of the second khuliyot that had been in the U.S.
He met them together, spent an hour with them, throwing questions at them, and then spent an hour each with them separately. Four hours of interrogation, out of which he got vehement denials that they were the killers.
He also got copies of their laptop hard drives. He didn’t get their cell phone data. Gabe and Sinon told him they didn’t have personal devices. That they used the Mossad phones for their private use, too. They readily handed over those devices.
Iram said his was back at his apartment. He would make a copy of its data and send it to Epstein. He smiled as he spoke, knowing why his interrogator wanted the copy.
Beth and Meghan checked out the apartments of all three while Zeb was questioning them. Gabe’s was in Talpiyot, Iram’s was in Tel Arza, and Sinon’s was in Nayot.
The sisters had to crisscross the city to investigate the residences and as a result didn’t have time to break into them. They did plant surveillance cameras outside, however.
The day had ended with question marks remaining over the three men and Meir. Meghan hadn’t been able to crack open all his files.
‘Why not ask them directly?’ Meghan regarded Zeb over her glass of juice. ‘Ask all the remaining operatives to submit their personal cell phones.’
They were gathered in Zeb’s room again. Breakfast, which was sparse. A few slices of bread, bacon, juice. They had a busy day ahead and none of them wanted to indulge in a full spread.
‘We can.’ Zeb buttered a slice. ‘The problem is, if any of them are the killers, they would have anticipated such a move. They’ll provide a fake phone and we’ll have no way of knowing. Which is why I was breaking into apartments.’
‘Now,’ he shrugged, ‘we are running out of time. Let’s do it. Ask them to send their cell phone data. And break into their apartments as well. I have asked Meir to meet me today. We can start with him.’
‘Werner’s found nothing on any of them. Nothing incriminating.’ Beth swallowed quickly and went into a coughing fit. ‘Which proves nothing, I know,’ she continued when she had recovered. ‘However, our best case might be to go back to Levin with a probability, based on what Werner’s found, what’s in their laptop files …’
‘Yeah, that’s what I was planning to do—’
His phone rang. Alice Monash.
‘Yes, ma’am?’
‘I need some dirt on Jaedon Haber. And I want you at the Knesset.’
Knesset
Zeb took fifteen minutes to reach Givat Ram, the neighborhood where the Israeli legislature was based. He had left as soon as he got the ambassador’s call.
‘There go our plans,’ he had told the sisters with a wry smile. They were already busy, heads down, looking into Jaedon Haber once he had relayed the ambassador’s instructions.
‘You know why she wants this? And why she wants you? She didn’t mention any politician yesterday,’ Beth enquired.
‘No. She doesn’t speak much on the phone.’
Zeb knew Haber was the leader of One Israel, a political party that was in the coalition with Prime Minister Yago Cantor. He didn’t know anything else. No doubt Beth or Meghan will enlighten me.
Operatives had to adapt to changed circumstances. That’s what Zeb and the sisters did on receiving the ambassador’s call. The twins would look up Haber and get back to Zeb. If time permitted, they would check out the apartments of all the remaining kidon while Zeb met with Alice Monash. As for Meir, he would have to be rescheduled.
Zeb paid off the cab and looked up when a whistle caught his attention. Bob, from the ambassador’s security detail.
Zeb spared a moment to admire the imposing rectangular building of the Knesset and then hurried over to join the American.
‘She’s waiting inside,’ Bob said, jerking a shoulder at the legislature. ‘Here,’ he handed Zeb a card dangling off a lanyard. ‘You’re good to go. Security cleared. Don’t ask me how she managed that.’
‘Do you know—’
‘Nope,’ Bob replied and gestured at Zeb to proceed toward the security hut.
The ambassador was waiting for him in a small room in the interior of the building. She looked at him expectantly when he entered, as Bob stationed himself outside.
‘You’ve got—’
‘Zeb?’ Meghan, over his earpiece, her excitement apparent. He held a finger up to excuse himself.
‘Yeah, go on,’ he answered in a low voice.
‘Haber’s uncle, his father’s brother, has a real estate business in New York. He was accused by his competitors of illegal business practices. Money laundering as well. The FBI looked into it but nothing came to light. Those same competitors said Haber, the uncle, had bought off the investigators.’
‘Keep looking.’
‘Gotcha.’
The ambassador smiled grimly when Zeb conveyed the information. She caught his arm and led him out of the room.
‘What’s this about, ma’am?’ Zeb slowed so she could keep pace.
‘You have heard of Haber?’
‘Just that he’s the prime minister’s ally.’
‘He is that. He’s also bitterly opposed to any negotiations with Palestinians. He regards them as the enemy and says, as long as Palestine is around, Israel will be at war.’
‘He’s a hard-liner?’
‘Very. Unfortunately, he also wields substantial power. His party has eleven MKs, Members of Knesset. He has threatened to withdraw support to Cantor if the prime minister doesn’t stop these negotiations.’
‘What’s all that got to do with me?’
‘’I am meeting him right now. To show him the power of the United States. I had a call with the prime minister in the morning. He said mere threats, which is what I was thinking of, wouldn’t work. That’s why I called you.’
‘I got that, ma’am. I get why you need dirt on him, but why me?’
The ambassador laughed. ‘You, Zeb Carter, are the FBI’s Special Investigator, looking into the Haber family’s suspected money laundering.’