Saving Sophie: A Novel (45 page)

Rami shook his head. “No, my friend. When so many die, the IDF will investigate. They’ll find out the poison came from the IV bags. I doubt we’ll ever be able to repeat. But we will have had a successful mission. I’m with Arif and Nizar. We go now.”

Fa’iz nodded. “I agree. They are preparing for the sixteenth. The doctor’s wisdom is hard to refute. Tell me, Arif, how are your plans coming along for the ransom? When is the forlorn father expected to bring his suitcase full of money?”

“In a couple of days.”

“Do you need our assistance? Do you need help in disposing of the body?”

“I have more than enough manpower to deal with this lawyer and his companions.”

“He has companions?”

“He hired a private investigator who negotiates for him. It is the private investigator who proposed the exchange and confirmed the details through Abu Hammad. He will accompany him, along with a nurse.”

“He needs a nurse?”

Al-Zahani shrugged. “He is in a wheelchair. He was in an accident and cannot walk.”

Fa’iz shook his head. “This is beset with too many coincidences, too much intrigue.”

“What intrigue? I will bring them into my house and secure the money. Then my men will take them out and get rid of them.”

“Why do you need to bring them into your house? Why don’t we just grab the suitcase and shoot them all as soon as we see them?” Nizar asked.

“He’s not that stupid. He says the briefcase is rigged to explode unless the correct combination is entered. Whether true or not, there is no harm in letting Sommers open the case. He will do it in my house because he has demanded to see the child.”

“This is an IDF plot,” Fakhir said nervously. “Another IDF plot.”

“To do what, you fool?” Nizar said.

“To get into Arif’s house and sniff out our plans. Maybe to get the child?”

“If they wanted the child, they’d take the child,” al-Zahani said. “She goes to school every day. They could take her on the sidewalk. If they wanted to get into my house, they’d force their way in. I can’t stop the IDF. But they won’t because the Israeli government is too concerned about overstepping its bounds and creating a crisis in Hebron. No, this is just a desperate father, working alone, trying to retrieve his daughter. And he’s willing to pay a small fortune. Nothing more.”

“What if the father shows up with soldiers to arrest you? What becomes of you then, Arif?”

“What becomes of me? I have done nothing illegal. The child was placed in my custody by the father’s agent and flown to Amman. He has not contacted me since. I will simply return the child to her father who has come to fetch her. And unfortunately, my laboratory will catch fire and burn to the ground. I have broken no laws. We will start again next year.”

“And the money? Is ransom not a crime?”

“What ransom? He’s making a donation to the schools of Hebron in appreciation for my caring for his daughter in his time of grief. If the IDF was interested in rescuing the child, they would have sent their soldiers long before this. No, Fakhir, this is Sommers alone, not the IDF.”

“I agree, and think of what wondrous things we can do with all that money,” Fa’iz said. “Arif, you will contact Sami and Aziz and tell them that the deliveries are to take place tomorrow. We are a go.”

*   *   *

D
MITRI PAUSED HIS VIDEO
when Evgeniy walked into the room.

“I drove by his house earlier this evening,” Evgeniy said. “I thought I might catch Kelsen at his home, but his stupid chauffeur saw me and waved at me.”

“Did you stop?”

Evgeniy shook his head. “No. I saw him rush into the house, so I have to figure he tells Kelsen that he saw me.”

Dmitri nodded and took a sip of vodka.

“I wait around the corner until I see the lights of a Lexus pull down the block. Sure enough, it’s Kelsen. Driving himself. I follow him into the Lincoln Park neighborhood. He parks behind a taxicab. There are people on the street, I can do nothing. When the cab leaves, Kelsen walks up to a door where a woman is standing. A couple of words and the two of them go inside.”

“Who was the woman?”

“No idea.”

“That old weasel. He’s getting action on the side.”

“That’s what I think too. So I figure, it better be good, because it’s the last action he’s ever gonna get. I turn off the lights and wait for him to come out.”

“Good work.”

“No, Dmitri. Not good. Half hour later a car pulls up, two men get out, knock on the door, and arrest Kelsen.”

Dmitri looked at his cocktail glass and flung it at the wall. “I told you to get him right away. Now the government has him.”

“We can get to him like we got to Sommers.”

“You’re a fool. No one will get near him. I’m sure he’s spilled his guts. It’s probably too late already. We need to get out of here. Call Ilya. Tell him to file his flight plan to Moscow immediately. He must be ready to leave first thing tomorrow morning.”

Dmitri walked upstairs and into the bedroom, where his wife was reading a magazine. “Inessa, we need to leave. Tell Davit to pack his things, we are going to Moscow for a while.”

“He has school. He can’t just leave, he’ll fail his classes. Besides, I have Pilates class tomorrow. I don’t want to go. This is too sudden.”

Dmitri clasped his hands around her face. “I am not making suggestions. I am telling you to pack. We leave tomorrow morning.”

“You do what you want. I am staying here.”

Dmitri leaned over until his lips were inches from her face. “Stay if you wish. I can find tits anywhere on earth. But I am taking my son. If you interfere in any way, I will slice you like a potato.” He let her go and left the room.

S
EVENTY
-T
HREE

A
BLUE TRUCK, ITS
sides emblazoned with
MEDITERRANEAN MEDICAL SUPPLY
in English and Hebrew letters in bright yellow, pulled out of the company’s distribution center. Instead of taking the direct route to the hospitals, Sami drove across town to a cold-storage facility in west Jerusalem. The weather was clear and traffic was light. He pulled his truck into Global Fisheries and the overhead door was closed.

Inside, Aziz and his men quickly switched the boxes of Sexton IV sets with al-Zahani’s poisonous substitutes stored in the cold-storage room. The job completed, the blue delivery truck was once again on its way. Three hospitals and two clinics were scheduled to receive their deliveries, a total of twenty-six hundred IV sets, two thousand of which were secretly manufactured in the laboratories of Dr. Arif al-Zahani.

Sami was dressed in his standard uniform: a dark blue jumpsuit with a yellow canvas belt. The oval symbol of Mediterranean Medical Supply, grape leaves around the Rod of Asclepius, was sewn onto the left shirt pocket. As with all MMS uniforms, the employee’s name was neatly embroidered in Hebrew script above the pocket. A plastic identification card hung on a cord around his neck.

Sami backed his delivery truck into the loading dock of Jerusalem Memorial Hospital and hopped out of the driver’s seat with his clipboard. A handful of papers were bound to the board by a rubber band. He knocked on the reception door.

“Delivery, Jake,” Sami said to the guard at the door. “Twenty-two boxes of IV sets.”

The security guard looked at his daily manifest. “Right in here, Shmuel.” He opened the delivery door and Sami wheeled the hand truck into the hospital’s pharmacy department. The pharmacy staff greeted the familiar deliveryman and promptly unloaded the shipment.

“ER needs three hundred sets immediately,” said one hospital worker.

“I’ll take them right upstairs,” an orderly replied.

Sami tipped his hat and was on his way. At the next stop, Sami handed the clipboard to the guard at the loading dock, who carefully studied the bill of lading. He shook his head. “The IV sets are correct, Sammy, but your order is short. We’re also expecting PICC lines and infusion pumps.”

“Two of our trucks are down today. We concentrated on filling the orders for IV sets. The rest of the order will come later today or tomorrow.”

“No matter. Just bring the boxes in.”

Sami nodded and wheeled the boxes into the hospital. The hospital staff placed al-Zahani’s IV sets in the central pharmaceutical department, available for immediate use. Sami nodded to the staff and drove to the next hospital on his route.

The routine was repeated at each stop without incident. Every hospital accepted and placed the deliveries into current inventory. His mission completed, Sami returned the truck to Mediterranean, retrieved his car, and drove to his home.

Al-Zahani’s cell phone buzzed. He read the text and smiled. Immediately he called Fa’iz. “The resting places have been achieved,” he said, and hung up.

*   *   *

E
VGENIY CARRIED THE LUGGAGE
from Dmitri’s front hall to the limo in the driveway. Dmitri and Davit hurried out the door and slid into the backseat. The sun had yet to rise, and the April morning had laid a covering of frost on the lawn. Evgeniy was about to shut the door when Inessa came running out of the house, her robe barely tied around her nightgown. She climbed into the back, fastened her seat belt, and said in an animated tone, “So, we’re off to the mother country?”

The car quickly left the quiet suburb and headed south along I-294. There was little traffic in the predawn hours and nothing was said on the way. Davit fell asleep and leaned his head against his mother. Seventy minutes later, they pulled into Independence Executive Airport and into a private hangar. The motors of the Gulfstream were whining when they arrived. They quickly climbed the metal stairs and took their seats in the plane.

Dmitri nervously looked out the window. The airport was quiet. No other planes were on the runways. The cabin door closed and the plane moved slowly forward from the hangar and made its way to the apron, where it stopped. After it remained stationary for a few minutes, Dmitri took off his belt and hurried to the cockpit. “Why aren’t we taking off? Why did you stop?”

“Sorry, sir, but we have not received clearance to take off,” the pilot said.

“Call the tower. Find out what’s holding us up.”

“I have done that, sir. They’ve asked us to wait. Perhaps there is an incoming flight, or an emergency.”

The plane sat for another ten minutes. Dmitri squirmed in his seat. Finally, he once again unbuckled his belt and scampered to the cockpit. “We need to go. Call them again,” he ordered.

“Independence ground, Gulfstream November Romeo Five Four Echo on west apron, request clearance for departure, direction east.”

“Negative, Gulfstream. Request is denied. Please hold your position at this time. There’s a total ground stop.”

The pilot looked at Dmitri and shrugged.

“Go anyway. Just go.”

“I can’t. I’ll lose my license.”

Dmitri pulled a gun from his pocket. “Go!”

“Independence ground, Gulfstream November Romeo Five Four Echo proceeding runway three right, departing east.”

“Do not take off. Repeat. Do not proceed. You are to stay at the apron, Gulfstream. There is a ground stop.”

Dmitri sat in the jump seat, his gun pointed at the pilot. “Go!”

The plane started moving forward, but stopped abruptly.

“What are you doing?” shouted Dmitri. “I said to go.”

The pilot pointed out the window. Four police cars were directly in the plane’s path and headed toward them, their lights flashing.

“Shit,” said Dmitri.

S
EVENTY
-F
OUR

K
AYLA AND LIAM HELD
the conference room doors open as Marcy guided Jack’s wheelchair to the table. Finding it difficult to sit erect, he leaned to the side, wincing in obvious discomfort. His complexion was pasty and beads of sweat had formed on his forehead. The strain of the journey had taken its toll. The group joined Harry and the others, who rose to greet them.

An aerial photo of al-Zahani’s compound was projected on a retractable screen. The photo clearly depicted the property surrounded by the perimeter wall. His outbuilding, his home, a garage, and three individuals walking through the yard were identifiable. Four guards were pictured standing outside the perimeter walls. A parking area with six old cars was located to the rear of the outbuilding.

“Welcome to Tel Aviv,” Eliezer said. “Make yourselves comfortable. I hope your flight was not too strenuous.”

“It’s good to be back, sir, thank you,” Kayla said as she took her seat.

“I thank you, as well,” Jack said. “I’m looking forward to seeing my daughter and taking her home.” His voice was shaky and his bearing unsteady.

Eliezer gestured to the table and introduced the notables in attendance: the Israeli defense minister, the public security minister, the Shin Bet chief, and the IDF chief of staff. When all were settled, he said, “We have less than three days to learn the details of the terrorist plot and stop the operation. As we understand it, the proposed exchange is set for noon tomorrow in the al-Zahani compound. Am I right, Kayla?”

“Yes, sir, that’s correct.”

“It’s only fair to tell you, we’ve been discussing the urgency of the situation all morning. There is considerable support for a preemptive raid as early as tonight.”

“You can’t do that!” Jack said. “Sophie’d get caught in the crossfire.”

“Indeed,” Eliezer answered calmly. “I’m afraid that’s an unfortunate possibility. Our young soldiers may also get caught in a crossfire and it’s not something we take lightly, but we are carrying a heavy responsibility here. We must protect our citizens from terrorism.”

“But a preemptive raid is only under discussion, right?” Kayla said. “You haven’t made up your mind?”

“Out of deference to you,” Eliezer said. “Harry tells us that you fear the group will destroy the building and the evidence of the plot?”

“They’ve said so. It’s on the recording. They’re prepared to firebomb the building.”

“What is the current situation at the property?”

“The entire compound is full of security guards,” Yonit said. “We’ve watched it day and night. There are always guards outside the walls, never fewer than three, sometimes as many as five. We believe we’ve spotted armed guards within the compound, some near the doors of the outbuilding where the devices are being assembled. That factory—or laboratory, whatever it is—is working twenty-four/seven. Three shifts of workers leave and enter the property at specified times of day. The front gate opens at seven
A.M.
, three
P.M
., and eleven
P.M.
punctually. Workers come and go. Other than at shift change, the gate is locked and, we presume, fortified.”