Fire in a Haystack: A Thrilling Novel

by Erez Aharoni

  Her entire body was aching. She could barely move. All her visible body parts were blue. She painfully moved her hands and passed them over her face. She felt as if her frozen nose was about to fall off.

  No time. Every second was critical. She had to get out of there. She leaned on the door and it yielded to her touch immediately. Then she peeked into the corridor. It was empty. She went to the elevator and pressed the ground floor button. She prayed with all her heart that it would work. The prayer was answered. Now it was obvious to her the lockdown mechanism of the doors and elevators was activated at the end of the workday. Once a new day begins, everything is released.

  The elevator door opened. Gali went inside, and it immediately sped upwards. Gali went out of the elevator and crossed the entrance hall. She slowed down on the final straightaway. Outside, she could see the guard drinking a steaming cup of coffee. Luckily for her, it wasn’t Yanai. She continued to march forward. Self-confidence, that’s what it’s all about, she reminded herself.

  The guard didn’t ask her anything. They were concerned about people getting in, not coming out.

  She passed through the glass door, reached the first gate and continued beyond it. Only now did she notice that tiny water drops had collected on her clothes, and the fabric of her skirt had lost its softness and became stiff from the cold.

  She accelerated and strode towards the exit. The parking lot was empty. The employees did not arrive at such an early hour. She noticed a covered parking space. A sign above it declared “CEO Parking.” It was the only spot with a vehicle in it.

  She peeked over her shoulder and saw the management building in the distance. It seemed to her that someone was standing at the manager’s office window. She turned her head and began to run.

  The guard at the main entrance didn’t ask any questions either.

  She escaped outside. A light-haired phone technician wearing blue coveralls and a visored cap was repairing the communication cabinet next to the factory fence. He turned his face from Gali and stuck his head inside the cabinet. Gali passed him by quickly, trying to avoid eye contact as well.

  Her small Mini Minor was patiently waiting in the exact spot she had parked it yesterday. Thankfully, she was warm, so warm that she wanted to take off her short skirt and her blouse as well.

  Chapter 23

  Vladimir, the large doorman of the Dizengoff Tower office building, gave Ofer a pleasant smile. The kind of smile only eternal optimists can give you.

  On an ordinary day, he would exchange a few words with Vladimir. But Ofer wasn’t in any mood for small talk. He evaded the doorman’s wide smile, rushed to the elevator and went up to the twelfth floor of the tower.

  The light in the law offices of Geller, Schneider and Associates was still on, even at this late hour. Ofer walked towards Geller’s office. The dark mahogany door was closed. The evening secretary said he had just finished a meeting with a client and was now available.

  Ofer knocked on the door and hurried to get inside as soon as he heard his boss’s voice inviting him in.

  Geller was relaxing on his English leather sofa in one corner of the spacious sitting area.

  Two large brandy glasses were side by side on the glass table, each containing a pleasant-looking yellow liquid.

  “Welcome. How are you, Ofer?” Geller seemed pleased to see him.

  “I’m all right.” Ofer’s pale face told an entirely different story. Geller crossed to the window and opened it. Ofer immediately understood what that was all about. “Are you afraid I’ll infect you?” he asked.

  “No, but one can never be too careful, right?” answered Geller immediately.

  “I’ll leave if you want me to…” said Ofer and turned on his heel.

  “Of course I don’t. Stay right here. The hospital already told us contagion is possible only through food or water. The virus is not transferred through the air.”

  “Yes, that’s what I was told as well. A small comfort.”

  “So let’s just keep a safe distance, that’s all.” Geller invited him with a motion of his hand to remain in the room. “You look upset,” he added.

  Ofer couldn’t help himself. Everything came out of his mouth uncontrollably, “I’m almost certain that Rodety was murdered. He didn’t simply die. They killed him… this is certain… and most importantly, I just now discovered, that he died just like my father.”

  Geller looked at him with wondering eyes. Ofer’s excitement, his pale and tortured face and the urgency of his speech startled him.

  “What are you talking about?” asked Geller. “Come sit down. Speak slowly please.”

  Ofer sat on another sofa at the other end of the room and found it difficult to organize his thoughts. He swallowed his words and spoke distractedly. “My father died in a hotel room. My father died ten years ago. Just like Rodety. Same thing. What does it mean? Can it be that my dad was murdered too?”

  “Calm down, Ofer, calm down. You’re in a difficult situation. We understand what you’re going through.”

  Ofer trembled.

  “Come, have a drink,” suggested Geller. “We’ve heard about what’s going on with you. We know you are under stress because there is no known vaccine and there is a chance you were infected with the deadly virus. Luckily enough, the experts say that it’s not contagious. I’m sitting with you here right now. You need to settle down, we are doing everything we can to help you. The responsibility is ours and we all hope for the best. There’s a chance your immune system will beat this thing. I’ve already spoken with Yitzhak Brick. He said we were the ones who sent to you hang out with Rodety, and we will do everything we can to make sure you’re all right.”

  Ofer was silent, and Geller continued, “You know how important you are to me. You know that you got accepted to the office because of your family, even though your skills are wonderful in themselves. Come, let me tell you something about your father. I knew him well.”

  Ofer stopped shivering. The brandy warmed his body and soothed him a bit.

  “I was the last person to see your father, may he rest in peace,” said Geller. “I went to see him in the hotel, after he got in trouble and decided to leave home. He got caught selling his employer’s commercial secrets. Large amounts of money were transferred to his account and he refused to explain their origin. An indictment was prepared and the police were on their way to arrest him. I went to debrief him before the arrest. To explain to him about the legal counseling he could receive. I tried to calm him down. We drank brandy together. Just like we do now.” Geller pointed at the glasses on the table. “He continued to drink. And he took medicine. Apparently, this deadly cocktail he had taken by choice killed him. Or perhaps his body betrayed him.”

  He paused briefly then continued, “He was determined to do it. He was remorseful and ashamed. I know it’s hard for you to hear. I know it’s painful and unexpected and was hidden from you all these years. But there are moments in life when the truth surfaces and can’t be avoided. And at your age, and as you are about to become an attorney, you need to face the truth instead of trying to avoid it.”

  Ofer clung to his silence and lowered his eyes.

  “Your father killed himself because he couldn’t face the shame to the family when the police came to arrest him. Do you understand?”

  Ofer wanted to say something, but the words refused to leave his mouth. He nodded to indicate he understood. I won’t cry, he reminded himself. I have to face the truth and finally listen to it. Otherwise, I’ll never get this burden off my chest.

  “I sat with him in the hotel room and counseled him on how to handle the interrogation,” continued Geller. “I explained his legal rights to him, and he seemed strong and determined to fight for his good name when I left him.”

  “So why did he commit suicide? From what you are saying, it sounds as if the thought had not even crossed his mind.”

  “He was depressed before that. When I sat with him I thought he had managed to sn
ap out of it… that he had gotten over the difficult emotions and was filled with optimism. I thought perhaps what I had to tell him cheered him up.”

  “All right. Let’s drop the subject. I’m sorry I got carried away by my emotions.” Ofer was ashamed that his boss had seen him losing his composure and guessed it wouldn’t do him any good.

  “I just finished a conversation with Brick. We spoke about the Viromedical factory— the place your father used to work. They are committed to the family. They are doing everything they can to find a vaccine. At our request, they are making calls worldwide. Let’s be optimistic,” Geller summarized.

  “I have something else to tell you,” said Ofer.

  “Talk. I’m listening,” said Geller.

  “Jacob Rodety was associated with Igor Harsovsky. Maybe Harsovsky is the one who killed him. I think he may have killed the chambermaid who got me in trouble, and I sat in jail because of her. Her name is… more accurately was…Natalia Schulvitz. I was in her apartment and found her body.”

  “What are you talking about? Are you delirious? Have you reported this to the police?” wondered Geller.

  “No, no. Listen to me. Please, I’m begging you. Natalia Schulvitz was the chambermaid who opened Rodety’s room for me in the hotel. I reported to the police about her death, of course. But that’s not the main thing. Rodety exchanged text messages with Harsovsky. I saw a draft of such a text message on his cell phone. In Natalia’s apartment, I found Harsovsky’s business card. Igor Harsovsky, the one who supports the Environmental Action Association. Obviously, they were in contact.”

  “What did the text message say?”

  “The fire is burning.’”

  “What does it mean?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “This is incredible news. We knew that there was a problem with this man. On the one hand, he supports an organization that supposedly advocates for the environment and is actually only trying to stop the factory and its privatization, and on the other hand he has his own malicious plans and intentions. We had a feeling things were headed that way.”

  Geller rose from the couch and began to walk about the room, his forehead wrinkled with dismay. In his distraction, he reached out to Ofer and touched his shoulder. Ofer felt relieved that Geller was not afraid of infection and allowed himself such physical proximity.

  “Brick discovered Harsovsky was already working with Viromedical ten years ago. Even while he was in Russia. This is unbelievable. The new facts you’ve brought me explain everything,” said Geller.

  “But wasn’t Rodety on our side? Didn’t he come as an expert to support our tender offer?” asked Ofer.

  “Yes, that’s what we thought as well. Apparently, life is full of surprises. I remember Rodety from when he was a new manager in the factory. We had a very good relationship. But sometimes, the one you believe in the most, the one you trust with your eyes closed, turns out to be a different person than the one you thought him to be.” Geller bit his lower lip and sank in thought.

  “All right, I’ll be going now, I don’t want to disturb you,” said Ofer.

  “Write my number down, just in case,” said Geller. “If you need anything, you can call me anytime.” Geller gave him his number and Ofer typed it in his cell phone.

  He thanked his boss, got out of the room, went to his cubicle in the intern room and logged in to the computer. Geller’s warm words and caring conduct calmed him down a bit.

  He didn’t know what exactly he was looking for on the computer. He didn’t really expect to find a cure on the internet for the virus that was lurking in his body. He googled “Smallpox,” clicked the first result that came up and read:

  “The story of the disease is unique and is very different from that of all other historically documented diseases. The illness has caused the death of hundreds of millions of people throughout history (about five hundred million people in the twentieth century alone) and has left survivors crippled, scarred and deformed. This illness definitely earned its nickname: the great fire. Nevertheless, smallpox is the only disease that has been eradicated from the face of the earth, mainly because of an international cooperative effort that allowed a worldwide vaccination program. It is to combat this disease that the idea of vaccination was effectively demonstrated for the first time, an idea that completely changed attitudes towards infectious diseases. The World Health Organization (Who) announced in 1979 that the disease has been eradicated.

  “Today, the virus is officially held only in two secured government laboratories, in the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, and in Koltsovo, Siberia. There are some concerns that this terrible disease will return—due to biological warfare or other reasons.”

  Koltsovo, isn’t that the city Natalia was born in? Strange thoughts ran through Ofer’s mind. He remembered the documents he had taken from his mother. He opened the ancient cardboard folder and began to read. There were handwritten comments on the printed sheets. He recognized the handwriting immediately. His father’s handwriting awoke distant memories in him. The papers contained a scientific description of the development of a new material, discussion of suggested processes for clinical experiments and many chemical equations.

  The name of the material was UUVAR1.

  The explanation was long and detailed. He didn't have the necessary energy to delve into it right then. Ofer tucked the paper under his arm and headed home.

  On the way out of the building, his phone vibrated. Yoav was on the line. He wanted to check how Ofer was feeling. "If you're up to it, we'll stick to the plan. The professor said we can bring your dad as early as tonight. I'm coming to pick you up," said Yoav and hung up. Perhaps he didn't want to give Ofer an opportunity to change his mind.

  Ofer had no chance to argue and wouldn't have anyway. He felt nauseous. He wasn't feeling well at all. Perhaps he was just stressed by their upcoming visit to the cemetery. He was glad someone was at least helping him to find the way and was holding the reins in his hands.

  Chapter 24

  The sign announcing the Yarkon Cemetery was hidden by bougainvillea bushes that had grown wild. The road was unilluminated and the parking lot was completely dark. Ofer could understand why. What sane person would think of coming to the cemetery so late at night?

  Ofer and Yoav crossed a few traffic circles and then parked in the empty Geula Gate parking lot. Yoav took out a large shovel from the trunk.

  “Why did you bring a shovel?” asked Ofer.

  “What will we dig with? Your pretty nails? Aren’t you afraid it will ruin your manicure?” said Yoav.

  Ofer preferred not to answer. A full moon lit the skies and the large forest of tombs. A simple barrier arm was the only thing that blocked the entrance. Not very surprising that cemeteries are not well guarded, who’s going to escape?

  They entered the inner yard, crossed a small square with wooden benches and faced the straight pathways between the gravestones. The hoot of an owl broke the silence and a shiver passed through their backs.

  Ofer couldn’t recall the details of his father’s grave.

  It had been more than ten years since he had last visited the cemetery. He had not gone to any of his father’s annual memorial services, a fact that did not please his mother.

  He had built a stone wall around all the emotions he had once felt for his father, which in time dissipated into intentional forgetfulness. Each year, on the day of the memorial service, he would defiantly go to the beach with his friends to have a wild time, as if it were just an ordinary day that had no influence on his life.

  Yoav stamped his feet. “Come on, man. Use your memory or instincts or luck. We can’t stay here until dawn.”

  Ofer began to walk down the dirt road to the left of the square. He was certain the grave was in that direction. He did not remember the plot and line numbers. He only remembered that there was a large black gravestone next to his father’s grave. Someone had bothered to brin
g a huge basalt stone that pointed towards the heavens and cried out the pain of the family over its son, killed in an accident at a tender age. Ofer tried to think of data that would help him find the location. At the time of his father’s funeral, the cemetery was still comparatively new, but since then it had grown and considerably expanded, it had become a virtual city.

  He decided to follow his instincts. That was the only reasonable strategy.

  It worked. Ofer saw the large memorial, clearly visible, towering above the markers that surrounded it. The goddess of fortune has brought us to the right place, he thanked her in his heart.

  After more than ten years, he was standing in front of his father’s grave again.

  “Mordechai Angel R.I.P.” was the simple writing etched on the sturdy Jerusalem stone. The dates of birth and death were mentioned as well. At the bottom was written, “May his soul be bound in the bundle of life.” There was no other writing.

  So was his father’s soul really bundled? Who had taken it to such a remote place? He himself? With his own hands? Or did someone merciless make it happen? I’m here to get some answers to these questions, said Ofer to himself.

  Yoav noticed that Ofer was deep in thought and considering difficult questions. He realized that if Ofer was going to dictate their schedule, they would remain in that dark and scary place till sunrise. He tried to lift the stone with his shovel. It wouldn’t move. A joint effort did not change the outcome. They sat on the grave, sweating and disappointed.

  “I know who will be able to help us,” Ofer piped up.

  “Who? The burial society?”

  Ofer ignored his sarcasm. He dialed a number on his cell phone. Morris answered right away.

  “I need you,” said Ofer, “I’m at the Yarkon Cemetery.”

  “Dead bodies again?” Morris sounded surprised. “What are you, a pedophile?”

  “You mean necrophile.”