The Schliemann Legacy (6 page)

The killer used his elbows, shoulders, and several lethal blows to make his way to the edge of the crowd, then ran to Rue Renard and jumped into an out of service taxi. A substantial number of 100-Franc bills thrown into the front seat convinced the driver to ignore his lunch. Tossing a sandwich aside, the man guided the taxi across the Seine at Pont de Sully. The driver registered no surprise when his fare jumped out unannounced at Quai Saint Bernard. He pulled the taxi to the curb, counted the bills, and ate his sandwich.

Duman hurried along the street to the Gare d'Austerlitz. At the rail station, Duman used the washroom to clean up. His beard was miraculously still in place. He combed his hair and washed his hands. As he approached the ticket window, the terrorist resembled any one of the many businessmen in the station. He bought a ticket to Madrid. "You will have to hurry, Monsieur," the man behind the counter said. "The train leaves in ten minutes."

Duman hoped the ticket seller had a good memory. Once the agent's attention was elsewhere, Duman left the station. He took his time, walking with the lazy pace of the tourists. At the "Yawning Lion" gates, he turned into the Jardin des Plantes.

* * * * *

The uniformed policeman crossed the floor of the Gare d'Austerlitz and walked up to a tall man smoking a cigar. "The ticket agent says a man answering Duman's description bought a ticket to Madrid. The train left a half hour ago."

Claude Alain, director of the DST, considered the tip of his cigar for a moment. "Did the agent see Duman get on the train?"

"He said he was busy at the time and would not have noticed. Should I alert the Prefects along the line?"

Alain stared out the large windows and down the tracks that led to Madrid. "Yes. Have the train stopped and searched." He turned away in disgust. "Not that we will find him," he added.

Chapter 6 - DAVID

David Morritt watched the beautiful scenery pass below and wondered why Assi Levy had summoned him to Tel Aviv. Assi's order concerned him, but David forced himself to enjoy the flight. He loved flying over Israel, especially the desert. No matter how far he traveled, Israel would always be the most beautiful country in the world to him. It was home.

The flight path had taken the helicopter over the red desert surrounding Beersheba, an area that might appear desolate to the casual observer. But the sand and rock teemed with life. David knew his people would use their advanced agriculture to renew the desert wastes. The settlements would swell and the desert would support a more varied life than ever before in the history of man. Such was the drive and desire of the special breed of Israeli who followed Ben Gurion's wisdom.

At David's request, the pilot had reluctantly veered off course to fly over the Palmach Brigade Memorial, Dani Karavan's enormous sculpture. The huge dome, split and riddled with shell holes, reminded David of his life. As Dani himself had said, the creation evoked "the memory of the dead at the same time as the fight for life." David understood and appreciated the words. He had fought in the wars - though not behind a gun or mortar. David's battle was within the enemy's camp. He used cunning and craft rather than artillery and armor. The Israelis had never underestimated the value of intelligence although even they were using technology over human intelligence all too often.

David felt the helicopter tip as they began a gentle arc into Tel Aviv. Following flight regulations, the pilot approached from the Mediterranean Sea. David studied the rough surface below. Small swells dotted the waves with foamy caps and a near black patch of water marked a school of feeding fish. Commercial fishing vessels surrounded the area and prepared their nets. Over fifty small sailboats raced through the water near the shore, their colored sails swelled by the brisk wind. The tourists were taking full advantage of the early summer heat.

As always, David's first sight of the sprawling city both warmed and depressed him. The skyline stretched back for miles from the sandy coast and reminded him of a miniature Manhattan. Tel Aviv represented the development of Israeli commerce and the abandonment of the desert communities. As in so many countries, urbanization had consumed much of Israel's population.

Made up almost exclusively of white cement buildings, Tel Aviv might look sterile if not for the thick haze of pollution that hung over the hot metropolis. Tall, haphazardly placed complexes broke the monotony of the squat buildings. As they neared the rooftop heliport, David's eyes traced the narrow streets leading to the wider, modern avenues carefully planned by urban developers. This combination of roads illustrated the essence of the Israeli people; a lack of fear of the high technological present set beside a love and respect of the ancient past.

* * * * *

Still wondering if he was about to have his butt kicked, David knocked on the plain wooden door and heard a familiar voice tell him to enter.

Assi Levy sat behind his desk, a stack of papers in front of him. He ignored David while he finished reading a report from one of the Mossad stations. A quick glance told Morritt the report was from a base in Southeast Asia - a small grocer in Saigon, if his memory served. He avoided the secret documents and walked to the large picture window to gaze at the spectacular view of the Mediterranean. The bulletproof glass gave an added blue tinge to the glaring water. Leaning on the sill, David felt slight vibrations in his fingertips and glanced down. Since listening devices could translate the minute window vibrations into recognizable speech, this wall was equipped with speakers to vibrate the glass and distort the reception of any bugging equipment. A simple but effective precaution.

Floor to ceiling bookshelves lined the remaining three walls of the office. Assi was a voracious reader and an avid collector of both ancient and modern books. One entire row of the east shelf displayed religious texts of dozens of religions in various languages. The shelf below held books on major historical battles. An ancient copy of the Talmud occupied a position of honor on the north wall. Across the room was a collection of manuals on exotic poisons, weapons, and hand to hand combat techniques, many written by Levy. This was Assi Levy. He was devoted to both religion and to the defense of his country. To him, they were the same.

The sound of shuffling papers brought David around to face the desk. The Director had completed his reading and was carefully locking the files in his desk drawer. In the enclosed space, Morritt noticed the acrid smell of cordite, smoke, and sweat that permeated the material of his jumpsuit. Acutely aware of his filthy uniform, David stood straighter and formally addressed the older man. "
Hamefaked
."

Assi rose. He was short but powerfully built with broad shoulders. He limped around the desk and thrust out his thick arm to shake David's hand. "None of that nonsense," he said. "
Hamefaked
, my ass. I am only your Commander outside this office - and when you do stupid things. Like this practice raid."

David winced. Now he knew why Assi had forced him to return. The Director returned to his seat and David gently lowered himself into a chair. "Assi, I'm only trying to fight the boredom. I should be in the field, not stuck behind some desk. Retiring to a desk at my age is ridiculous."

"Relax, David. I didn't call you here to discuss this indiscretion of yours. Not that you don't deserve a reprimand. I was unhappy to hear you were in the desert again. I thought I scheduled you for the classroom." When David tried to reply, Assi interrupted him. "But this is not why you are here. I have important news which may solve several problems for both of us."

David leaned forward, recognizing the tone in his old friend's voice. "Go ahead, I'm listening."

Assi pulled a single sheet of paper from a drawer and placed it face down on his desk. "I wanted to see you at your home," he said. "This meeting should have been private, but time would not permit it. Instead, this conversation never took place."

David looked puzzled and pointed toward the roof. "But the flight? Not exactly a quiet way of getting me here."

"I've taken care of that. You will have an official reprimand on your record." Assi waved down David's protest. "You went on the exercise without my permission. You were away without leave. You are deep in it, old friend."

Then, the Director lightened his tone. "Naturally, we don't want to embarrass such a well respected man. We will ignore your childish behavior. However, I have granted your request for a vacation - so you can consider your tenuous position."

David slumped back in his chair at the mention of the unwanted holiday. "Thank you,
old friend
. I deeply appreciate your consideration. Now, what the hell does all this mean?"

"Early today, I received a message from Henri Mardinaud. He has come across some information he thought might interest me." Assi took a deep breath. "He has located Friedrich Heiden."

David flinched. A chill passed through his body. Vivid memories assaulted his senses. The stench of urine, blood, and sweat filled his nostrils. Bile rose in his throat. He fought to breathe. Noises battered him. The clang of the bell. The deep rumble of the locomotive. The moans of thousands, the scream of one.

His chest constricted and he felt the cold glass of a window pressed against his face. Inside, he could see Heiden, the Nazi's pants down around his ankles and an ugly gash dripping blood from below his left eye. David watched Heiden's club, rise and fall, spraying blood across the wall and window. A woman lay across the table. She had stopped screaming, stopped moving. Still, he bludgeoned her with the stick. He beat her until his arm fell limp and her face was an unrecognizable mass of torn flesh and broken bone.

David opened his eyes, fighting to escape the memories. He shook uncontrollably as he fought the hands pinning his arms. Then his vision focused and David realized Assi held him. His heartbeat slowed and returned to normal as Assi gently lowered him back into the chair.

"I'm sorry, Assi," he said in a weak voice. He coughed and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "It's been a long time since I remembered that day in so much...detail."

Assi gave David a glass of water. "I'm the one who should apologize," Assi said. "I could've broken it to you better. Forgive me. God knows, when I read Mardinaud's message, I thought I'd have a stroke. Heiden's name has always caused grief, pain, and revulsion. We have dreamed of vengeance for many years, my friend."

Assi made his way back around the desk, his limp accenting his personal reason for revenge. The
Memuneh
also had frightening memories of Heiden. Heiden and Majdanek.

"Where is Heiden?" David's voice cracked as he spoke the name.

"Mardinaud doesn't say. He wants a meeting in Munich."

"When do I leave?"

"Wait, David. We have to get things straight before you go." Assi was self consciously playing with the pen on his desk. "I can't sanction this mission. I am sending you alone."

"Alone?" David asked. He had worked alone in the past, gathering intelligence while on a deep cover operation. But no Mossad agent worked alone while after a Nazi. The targets were too important to risk to one operative. They always used a team of at least five men, often more. David could not understand a one-man operation.

"I have used all my
protektsia
to get you on this mission," Assi confessed. "It was not an easy task. Your name brought strong resistance. Even my most loyal supporters are hesitant. Your personal involvement disqualified you in many eyes, but not mine. I trust you more than any of our agents. I trust you to deliver justice. In the end, the arguments against you turned into the logical justification for your assignment."

David did not understand the comment, but he could imagine the pull it would take to put him in the field again. "I still don't understand. Why alone? Why not send a team?"

"Publicity, mainly," Assi said. "In recent years, a negative bias against Israel has been building in the press. The botched missions. Innocent people dying. Many view us as heavy handed."

"But we have justification."

"In our eyes, but not in other's. The war was long ago for most. A concerted effort by the Arabs has turned world opinion against us. To many, we have become as bad as those we hunt. And we have harmed ourselves. That book and movie about Avner. The continuing problems on the West Bank. The military film leaked to the press. The Iran arms deal. Izat Napsu here and Pollard in America. There's been too much. We can't afford another mistake. You know what we have faced. Too many scandals."

David grimaced at the thought of each scandal. Though he could justify in his own mind the methods of the Mossad, he knew the rest of the world often could not. Even in Israel, support for the military and the Mossad was declining. And, David knew, in the end they were still just a bunch of
Jews
.

"But this is Friedrich Heiden," he protested. "He's on the list."

"Exactly," Assi said. "I put him on that list. I can order the mission. I can have him brought to Israel. I can testify against Heiden. I can get the death penalty. What would it get us? Too many forget the camps, David. They only see pitiful old men. They don't see the monsters beneath. The action would become
Levy and his personal crusade
."

David nodded, avoiding the Director's eyes. He knew Assi was under pressure, even from within Israel. Those who sought control of the Mossad saw Assi Levy as a major hurdle. They thought he had been in office too long. Without Assi, they could shape the Mossad to their vision.

As David began to understand his mission, he agreed with the strategy. Any exposure would give Assi's enemies the ammunition they needed to force the
Memuneh's
resignation. That would be disastrous for Israel. "So, I go in alone," he said. "If it folds, I'm still on my own. No official backing - I'll be a rogue. A man out for revenge."

Assi didn't answer immediately. Finally, he looked up from his pen. "I can't offer you much support, but funding won't be a problem. Most of our accounts are still active."