Forced Silence

by Vered Cohen Wisotzki

  Galia walked over to the kitchen table, where her wine glass sat. She downed it in one gulp. “And since when do you have a twin sister? Okay, fine, I can imagine since when, but why did you hide her from me?!” Galia poured another glass of wine, but Doron, who was sick of her secrets, grabbed the wine glass from her hand and shattered it against the wall. Galia was taken aback.

  “Don’t drink wine so nonchalantly now… I want answers. Why didn’t you tell me about your sister? Why didn’t you tell me you were sending her money? How the hell are the two of you connected to this bullshit yeshiva where the cops are just itching to arrest every last person?!”

  Galia moved away from Doron. She had never seen him so angry. She knew he was about to lose it, and she trembled with the thought of how he might react if he knew about Shir. “I’ll tell you everything if you just calm down,” she offered quietly.

  He yelled back, “I don’t want to calm down. I don’t know how I’m even keeping it together with you. You’ve done so many stupid things, I can’t count them all.” His head threatened to explode from the pain. He ran a hand through his hair as his cell phone rang. He looked at it.

  “It’s Udi. Don’t move a muscle. I’m not done with you,” he ordered.

  Doron walked away into the living room and answered the call. “Udi, just the man I’m looking for. I have news for you.”

  “Me too. Even though you don’t work for me anymore, which I’m definitely gonna regret, since all you’re doing with this investigation is giving me headaches.”

  “Come on, I’m listening.” Doron surmised that Udi would tell him about the connection which had been discovered between Galia and the dangerous, extremist yeshiva. He was right.

  “We have units on the way to the yeshiva to make arrests, and one on its way to you too. I’m sure you’re in Haifa now. This is it, Doron. This is the end of the line. We have to arrest Galia. You already know that we found her accomplices. Those guys in the Ein Regev yeshiva really hate Minister Ettinger.”

  Doron bitterly snorted into the cell phone. “Udi, you have no idea what you’re talking about. I have news for you.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah, man. Everything you told me is God’s honest truth, and I discovered it before those detectives you sent to the bank. By the way, you should notify Camp Dotan that you’re on the way, they can help you. The regional commander will be happy to cooperate. It’s just that they’ll be expecting you at the yeshiva, and they’re not preparing a warm welcome.”

  “What are you talking about? You think they know we’re on their trail?”

  “What I’m talking about is the two young men who beat the shit out of me a few hours ago. I’m pretty sure they’re from the yeshiva. They followed me; and when I stopped by the side of the road for a moment, they took the opportunity to attack me.”

  “Are you all right?”

  “I’ll survive. I think they were also trying to terrorize the bank clerk we talked to — me and your detectives. Actually, that reminds me, sorry. I told her to contact you and to ask for protection in the meantime from the local stationhouse in Binyamina.”

  “Oh, yeah, I saw a message from the Binyamina station, but I haven’t gotten back to them yet. But hold on a sec, I don’t understand. What are you saying? They’re ready for our team?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m thinking, and if everything we’ve learned about them is correct, we’re in for a vicious fight. You have to be prepared for that.”

  “And how do you know all this?” Udi wondered.

  “Wait, that’s not all of it. You know, if you’d just listened to me from the beginning, you’d already know what I’m about to t tell you.”

  “So spill it… what do you know that I don’t?”

  “Galia, it turns out, has a twin sister.”

  “A what?” Udi was sure he had misheard.

  “A twin sister, Naama. That’s who’s on the tape.”

  “Doron, what the hell are you saying? Since when does Galia have a twin sister? You’re being set up, bro… Look, I know it’s hard to face the fact that—”

  “No, Udi, no. It’s the truth. I found it all out when I went to the nursing home, when I visited her grandfather. He told me about her.”

  “Doron, come on, cut the crap. My men told me about poor Mr. Hador, who’s barely clinging to life. He’s certainly not communicating with anyone around him or telling tales.”

  Doron glanced up and saw Galia standing next to him, looking at him.

  “You’re right that he’s very old and very sick, uncommunicative. But you just need to know how to do it. Believe me, I know how. Don’t underestimate my skills.”

  “God forbid! All I’m saying is that you’re trying to find any lead you can possibly follow…”

  Insulted, Doron asked, “You know me. Is that what you really think of me?”

  Udi hesitated, knowing his answer would displease Doron. “The truth is, I don’t feel like I know you anymore, not since this case came up. You’ve broken so many rules over the past few days, Doron. I can understand what you must be going through, but I still have to do my job the best I can. I cannot let personal involvement harm my professional standing.”

  “Udi, drop this bullshit already. You know me, you don’t know me, whatever. Really, I think it’s you who cannot get over your anger at me for quitting! But listen to what I’m saying: Galia has a twin sister, Naama. This is confirmed. This is in Yehuda Hador’s paperwork. The sister is the one who shot Ettinger. Now, if you’re asking me about Galia’s involvement…” He glanced at her. “I can’t say if she’s involved, not yet. Let me find out. Do me a favor, just put a hold on that arrest, at least for an hour. You have to listen to me—”

  “Doron, you know I can’t do that. There’s already a unit on its way—”

  “Bullshit, Udi! How many times have we cancelled an arrest warrant and ordered a car back to HQ? Trust me, it’s not like she’s going anywhere.”

  Doron didn’t like begging Udi, all the more so with Galia as a witness to it.

  “I’m the one who’ll have to pay for this, you know. The commissioner will never forget this. Doron, if you’re wrong about this, you know you’re going down with me!”

  “Thanks, Udi, I’ll keep you posted.” He hung up.

  Doron surveyed Galia, head to toe. She stood before him, shivering, worrying. He sensed her unease, but how could he ignore everything that had happened?

  “You owe me answers,” he declared and sat down, waiting for some reaction.

  She sat as well, feeling the anger so intense it radiated from him in waves; she appreciated that he was keeping it under control. She tried to find the right words.

  “Do you… do you remember when my mother died? It was just a few weeks before that when she told me about my sister and my father — who were still alive! Do you understand what that meant to me? I had lived my whole life thinking that my father was dead and I was an only child…”

  “So, her name is Naama?”

  “Yes. Did you really speak to Grandpa?”

  “A few words. He told me exactly what I needed to hear. But go on!” he ordered.

  “Okay. Naama wanted nothing to do with me, she had her own life to live. When she made contact, she told me that our father had passed away too, and she wanted me to sell Mom’s house and send her money. I didn’t know who I was sending it to.”

  “But then you stopped the payments. You see, I found that out at the bank too.”

  Galia hesitated. “At first, I didn’t know who was getting the money, but I got the IT guy at work to trace it, and he found the account holder. It wasn’t my sister, but some yeshiva. I didn’t care one way or another, though, not until the day you came home from work and told me about the weapons cache found at a yeshiva. That was the end of it. I didn’t want to be associated
with anything like that. I cancelled the payments the next day.”

  Doron got up and walked to the window, struggling to keep a sigh of relief from escaping. He now knew that Galia had no direct connection to the assassination attempt or to the yeshiva, but he was still angry about the secrets she had kept from him for so long.

  “But why? Why not tell me? We were together for almost five years, and you thought you could keep something so important from me all that time? It feels like I’m discovering that you’re a totally different person… a stranger, a foreigner.”

  She had anticipated such a reaction, but it still seared her heart. Everything she had dreaded was happening. “I didn’t tell you because I had nothing to tell. My sister—she doesn’t even think of me as her sister, so for years I tried to forget her.”

  “So you haven’t been in contact with her?”

  Galia had no problem admitting this part. “The truth is she did call sometimes, to ask for some money. I guessed she was in some financial trouble, so I’d send a check for whatever amount she asked for.”

  “That was a very dumb thing to do, I’d say. Why did you have to give her anything? Did you have an overactive conscience? And for the life of me, I still can’t understand why you would confess to her crime. You just said you’re barely in touch…” He fell silent, then thought of the detectives who were looking for more evidence to tie her to the assassination. “I hope you don’t end up paying for that…”

  The tension in the air had only dissipated a bit. Doron had the answers to at least some of his questions, but he still could not relax. Galia, on the other hand, felt that she was still in control; if everything went according to plan, and Doron could hold off his colleagues, she would be able to last another day or two—and surely Naama or one of her associates would call and make arrangements to return Shir. Then she could tell Doron everything — and que sera, sera. The important thing would be Shir’s safe return.

  It was almost eleven o’clock at night, and the two of them sat in the living room, exhausted, waiting for any new developments. Channel One’s expanded nightly news edition was still going, and its reporters were covering the attempted assassination of the minister, as were all other media. They didn’t have much to say, as a media blackout order had been imposed by the court. All the public was allowed to know was that the police were investigating some leads about people involved in the incident. This dearth of information didn’t sit well with the public, which in itself gave the news something to cover: gatherings of citizens demanding full transparency in the police and GSS investigation. Doron and Galia exchanged glances.

  Doron appeared restless. Despite his desire to remain with Galia until he knew what was happening with the law-enforcement team sent to the yeshiva, he couldn’t help but think that he ought to be there with the other police and security forces, so he could arrest any suspect in the assassination attempt — or the attempt to incriminate Galia.

  Galia could read Doron’s disposition. She sensed his eagerness to get out and go into the field; but she knew that if Doron were to participate in the investigation, the hunt for Naama would be accelerated, something which would definitely endanger Shir.

  The police cars on their way to Galia were ordered to turn around. The cops obeyed albeit unwillingly. They knew that the orders came from the head of the DII, and they hoped that Udi hadn’t changed his mind due to Mrs. Galia Yellin’s clear involvement in the affair. The units on their way to the yeshiva also got a new order: to wait for backup which would assist them in their mission. Even though it was hard to rein in their enthusiasm, the cops stopped at one of the gas stations on the way. They got coffee and waited for further orders.

  Galia was also waiting. The next few minutes, she knew, would be fateful for her. If Doron set out for the yeshiva, that would constitute a real threat to Shir’s safety—assuming Naama learned about it. The tranquility of the living room was a mirage. She lit a cigarette and inhaled the smoke, trying to assess the situation. She fought her desire to reveal everything to Doron. They were approaching the endgame, she knew, and a doubt had begun to steal into her heart: perhaps she was being too optimistic waiting for a telephone call summoning her to a rendezvous point to pick up Shir. An inner voice told her: You’ve been watching too many thrillers with Hollywood endings; real life doesn’t have a director or anyone interested in satisfying the audience. She looked at Doron, who was on the computer in the corner of the living room. He appeared to be searching for something.

  “Doron?”

  “Wait a minute.” His voice was tense, and his gaze was focused on the monitor.

  She approached him, standing next to him and looking at the screen as well. The yeshiva’s name appeared, along with a roadmap. “Doron, what’s going on?”

  “I’m trying to remember the road leading there. I’m sure your sister lives in Ein Regev. That’s where the yeshiva is. I have to get there ASAP. I cannot wait and give her a chance to escape.”

  “Sweetie, let the police do their job. You spoke to Udi, there are police cars on the way. You need to rest a bit.”

  “Yes, but I cannot rely on anyone else. They’ll go straight to the yeshiva and start searching for suspects. I want to get there first to catch your sister.”

  He looked into her eyes. Could he see the panic in them or not? “Isn’t that what you want me to do? How can you still want to protect her after everything we’ve been through because of her?”

  “She’s my sister,” she responded curtly.

  The telephone in the living room rang. Galia moved to answer it; this might be the call she had been waiting for. This time as well, Doron beat her to the punch.

  “Yes, Yael. What? I’m listening. When’s it scheduled for? Tomorrow morning? Son of a bitch. Fine, I’ll tell her. Thank you.” Doron hung up and looked at her. “Your business partner isn’t wasting any time, it seems.”

  “Daniel? Why? What happened?” Galia had tried, up until this point, to avoid thinking about what had occurred with him earlier.

  “Yael just called to say that Daniel is assembling the editorial board and the shareholders, early tomorrow morning. He wants to get you fired, because he says you’re endangering the future of the newspaper.”

  “What?”

  “What I said. Daniel’s taking advantage of the situation to reassert his control of Our Haifa. At that meeting, he’ll try to convince the board to force you out.”

  “I can’t believe it! I can’t believe that he has the audacity after what happened here today…” She hadn’t intended to reveal this to Doron, but now she knew there was no escape from the truth.

  “What happened here today? He was here?”

  “Yes, Doron.” She approached him, putting a hand on his cheek.

  “And what did that asshole want?”

  “Can you promise me you’ll listen without getting angry and going berserk again?” Galia asked him. She knew with certainty how he’d respond.

  “No, I can’t make that promise. Just tell me what happened.” Doron’s face became serious, and his blue eyes darkened.

  Galia hesitated. “He… he came here, he told me that the newspaper was in trouble. But mainly he came to let me know that he knew about my twin sister, that he was sure she was the shooter. Then he admitted that for years he’s been investigating my past, snooping through my private papers at the office…” Her gaze was downcast, knowing that Doron would realize that Daniel had learned about Naama long before him.

  “He snooped in your papers? I guess that’s what I should have done.” Doron was not joking. His tone was suffused with cynicism.

  “I don’t know why he thought that would help me,” she mused out loud. “I don’t think he really wanted to help me, just to take advantage of knowing the secret I was keeping from everyone.”

  “Take advantage, Galia? How? What did he want?” Doron peered i
nto her very soul.

  “He… he…” Galia’s voice began to shake.

  “Gali, what did he want? What did he do? Did he do something to you? If he did, I’ll kill him.” Doron held her face with his hands, as tears began to well up in her eyes.

  “He… he tried, but he failed. I wouldn’t let him. I think he must have been drinking before he came here,” she tried to explain, attempting to defy the terror and trembling which had gripped her again.

  “Tried to what? Gali, just say the words. Did that bastard try to mess with you?” Doron felt himself losing his equanimity. The idea that Daniel had placed his hands on Galia, that Daniel had tried to take advantage of her situation, was driving Doron crazy.

  Galia nodded. She met his steely blue gaze. He was angry now: there was fury in his eyes, his jaw was set in outrage — but still his touch was comforting. He held her close and embraced her, stroking her long hair.

  Doron reassured her, “Don’t worry, I’ll settle the score with him as well. I promise you. He’s next in line.”

  Yes, she told herself, I’ll have my own reckoning with Daniel, when it’s all over.

  “But are you all right now? Are you sure? You don’t seem like it.” He held her beautiful face gently, looking into her worried eyes.

  “I’m okay, Doron. I will be okay,” she said, trying to convince herself.

  Doron caressed her cheek, then went back to the computer. He jotted down a number of words in his notebook, then printed out the map.

  “Gali, I’ve got to go. I have a really bad feeling about whatever’s going on with your sister. It’s a feeling I just can’t shake, for hours now. Finding her won’t be easy. I have to get to her before she can make her escape.”