Fire in a Haystack: A Thrilling Novel

by Erez Aharoni

  Dr. Friedman was still standing motionless in the center of the room.

  “Who are all these people?” asked Brick.

  “That’s the nosy little lawyer and that’s her boyfriend,” Friedman hurried to answer. “These two criminals, the small and large ones, are somehow related to them. Tony,” he pointed at the curly-haired kidnapper lying on the other end of the cellar, “we don’t need any longer, and the guard who’s lying in the corner will wake up, if he comes back to life at all, a long time from now,” Friedman finished the inventory, and Brick asked, “What are we going to do with this gang?”

  “Leave them here,” Friedman ruled, “and change their state of matter. That’s what I suggest. I see no other choice.”

  Brick ignored him. He turned to Ofer. “No more games, where’s the test tube?”

  “What test tube?” Ofer tried to calculate how many times he had already repeated that question to different people, and at the same time he wondered: What does Brick have to do with the test tube? What’s in that test tube that makes everybody want it so bad?

  “The test tube attorney Gali Shviro, your girlfriend who’s sitting right here, stole from the factory laboratory and gave you at Natalia Schulvitz’s funeral.”

  Ofer’s mouth dropped open with surprise.

  Gali barged into the conversation. “I didn’t give him the test tube at the funeral. I know where the test tube is. Ofer doesn’t know what you’re talking about. It’s true, I took it from your laboratory, and I also know where it is hidden. That test tube, like many other things, proves what we are claiming about the factory is true.”

  “Lady, you talk too much,” said Brick.

  “I’m not talking too much. I’m telling the truth, and you don’t want to listen to it. Just so you know, I’ve got documents and expert opinions that prove the laboratory hidden in the Viromedical factory is storing the world’s deadliest viruses in violation of the international treaty Israel has signed. Neither you nor the doctor standing by your side will escape punishment, that much I can promise you.”

  “You’ve got nothing on me, loudmouth.” Brick chuckled and added, “I’ve been in charge of this issue for many years; all our activities are perfectly legal. You are gravely mistaken.”

  “So what’s so important about his test tube that you’re willing to kidnap and kill people for it?”

  “The test tube contains a deadly virus that can cause indescribable damage. There’s nowhere else in the world where you can get that. It cannot remain unguarded and outside the factory.”

  “That’s the UUVAR1?”

  “Yes,” Friedman answered instead of Brick.

  Ofer leapt into the conversation as well, “That doesn’t contain a deadly virus. It’s a substance my father was investigating.”

  Brick and Friedman exchanged quick glances.

  “Where did you come up with this?” Friedman wanted to know.

  “I can prove it. My father was working on the development of this UUVAR1. Someone must have stolen his discovery. And they killed him because he wanted to report the violations Gali just talked about to the authorities.”

  “Your father wasn’t murdered; he committed suicide,” said Brick.

  Ofer closed his eyes for a second. He saw all the pieces of the puzzle coming together to form a clear and accurate picture in his mind. “Who killed Rodety, Mr. Brick?” he asked. “Harsovsky?”

  “Igor Harsovsky passed away today at noontime,” said Brick with indifference.

  “How? What happened?” screamed Gali with shock.

  “A sudden deterioration in his condition. Must have been heart failure. They told me he died at the hospital.”

  A stifled whimper escaped Gali’s mouth. “How did it happen?” she mumbled, trying to prevent the tears from coming.

  “A bit strange, isn’t it? Just like Rodety? Like—” Ofer commented.

  “Harsovsky conducted a lot of shady business deals,” Brick interrupted. “You can’t know who and what caused his death. Not many people will feel sorry for—”

  “And not many of them will be sorry for Rodety’s death either?” Gali said sharply.

  “Open your eyes, kid. Life is not what you think it is. Rodety was a dirty traitor. He cheated me and made a deal with your sponsor… another lowlife… who was paid by—”

  The last sentence shocked Ofer. “Paid by whom?” Ofer demanded to know.

  Brick was quiet, his gaze toughened and stony.

  “My father died just like Rodety, and Rodety was killed by a virus that can be found only in the laboratory. Which means that whoever killed Rodety because Harsovsky had bought him had access to that virus.” He straightened his gaze at Brick “And he was the one who killed my father ten years ago.”

  “Your father, Mordechai Angel, was not murdered; he committed suicide,” said Brick. “Attorney Geller already told you he was the last person to see him.”

  “He didn’t kill himself,” Ofer screamed. “You’re a liar.” Ofer felt dizziness and nausea. He was about to throw up again. His face had turned pale and he breathed heavily. He shouted, “That’s an outright lie. I know exactly how my father died. Whoever killed Rodety killed him as well. Rodety was murdered. And my father was murdered. And both of them were murdered by the same people. In the same way. I’ve got all the proof. My father was murdered and was falsely accused. He never did any of the things he was framed with. He never received money that he did not deserve. He never sold any secrets. It was all forged, and whoever claims differently is just trying to hide the truth.”

  “Geller is also your lawyer,” Gali shouted at Brick, “and he took an active part in your attempt to buy this factory. He knows the factory is manufacturing toxins and then selling them all over the world. We have full details about all the substances you are selling, your clients and everyone that represents you. Attorney Geller is taking care of that, and it means that Geller knows the factory is causing illnesses in the area, and he doesn’t care what his customers are doing,” Gali spoke with growing urgency and her voice became hoarse.

  “You both should be committed,” said Brick.

  “They’ll never get the chance,” Friedman pointed out.

  Ofer shouted one more time the disturbing revelation he had just discovered: “You killed my father!” His voice cracked and tears were about to burst from his eyes. He looked at Yitzhak Brick. The honorable gentleman, the rich and successful businessman, the man who, along with his partners, was responsible for the death of his father. The discovery made him forget the fact that they had no way of getting out of that basement alive.

  Brick and Friedman remained quiet.

  “You’re partners, all of you. You and the doctor planned and executed this evil plan, then you killed Rodety because he wanted to join Harsovsky instead of joining you. He reported to him that ‘the fire is burning.’ He intended to say that the laboratory was still holding the deadly virus. He planned to take the merchandise you wanted to sell, the test tubes with the deadliest viruses in the world. Any terrorist organization would have been willing to pay a fortune for them, a thousand times more than this entire factory is worth.”

  Brick pointed the gun at him and said, “That’s exactly the reason why both of them were killed. There’s no place in this world for people who betray their partners. That’s always been my viewpoint. By the way, the next word you say will be your last,” he added.

  Ofer became silent.

  Brick went over to Dr. Friedman, and they began to conduct a long whispered conversation.

  Ofer looked at Morris and Ijou, wishing they would turn towards him so he could catch their attention. Then, perhaps all three of them could storm Brick and Friedman together. But they didn’t, and now everything seemed lost. Their chances of getting out of that place alive were shrinking by the second. A sense of grief washed over him and with it a bitter acceptance of his cruel destiny.

  “How could I have been such a fool?” whispered Ofer to Gali.


  “Because you didn’t listen to me,” she answered and bit her lower lip.

  Chapter 52

  Brick toyed with his gun, spinning it on his index finger. A tiny smile had snuck its way into the corner of his mouth. Dr. Friedman stood beside him and nervously moved his hands and feet.

  Minutes passed. In the complete silence, Ofer could hear his own heartbeats as well the ticking of his watch. The pulsating sounds pounded inside his head, and the knowledge they were a countdown to the moment of his death was unbearable.

  Life suddenly seemed so pointless. He felt Gali’s warmth when she touched his hand with hers.

  What is she thinking about? What might she say to me since we may have only a few minutes to live? The image of his parents rose to his mind. How he regretted not saying goodbye to his mother. The mother who had raised him with love and endless devotion was not even aware that her son had very little time left to live. He felt a deep yearning to see his father again, the father he hadn’t had for more than ten years but desperately needed.

  Ofer looked around him, taking in the last sights of his life. He thought he saw Fliegelman’s eyelids fluttering. His neck had also moved slightly.

  Suddenly he saw him. A small, suspicious movement had caught his eye. At the other end of the basement, in one of the corners. He noticed its small, dark head and took a glance at Gali’s face. Her eyes were closed. She was trying to ignore everything around her and calm herself down. He touched her gently, and she opened her eyes. He directed her with his own eyes and could tell when she spotted the small animal. Her face twisted with distaste.

  Morris and Ijou sat with their faces against the wall, unable to see it. Brick and Friedman continued to whisper with a cheerfulness that infuriated Ofer. Fliegelman still lay unconscious. The small mouse, encouraged by the silence, advanced towards the center of the basement, sniffing the air.

  Ofer shifted backwards. He lowered his tied hands and stretched his arms back until they were almost torn from his body. He extended his fingers as far as he could, trying to stretch without making a sound and without betraying the pain he felt in every joint and muscle of his body.

  “Just a little bit more,” he said under his breath.

  The mouse sniffed its surroundings. Its whiskers moved up and down.

  Ofer then managed to do what he had planned to. With his thumb and index finger, he firmly pinched Gali’s right ankle. She opened her eyes in terror, gazing at the mouse that was almost at the center of the basement. Nothing that had happened in the cellar and brought them closer to their mutual demise had caused her as much fear as that sudden and irritating pinch. Her face reflected a terrible feeling of disgust.

  She opened her mouth wide and a scream that could penetrate walls emerged from her throat:

  “Mmmm…mmmm…mouse! Mmmm…mmmm…mouse!”

  Yitzhak Brick’s entire body twitched at the sound of the echoing scream. It had surprised him, but he immediately regained his composure when he realized the reason for the scream.

  He steadied his feet on the ground until he stood firmly, bent a bit, pointed the gun at the mouse that was scampering away, and shattered its body with a single accurate shot.

  It all happened in the course of only a few seconds. The scream still echoed in the enclosed basement when the noise of the shot thundered against the walls.

  Ofer looked around. As if he had just emerged from a distant dream, Joshua Fliegelman woke from his unconscious state. He raised his head a bit and opened his eyes. The black baseball cap dropped from his head and revealed a scalp covered with thinning hair. His eyes examined his surroundings then focused on Brick and Friedman, who still stood at the center of the

  basement.

  The scream that was so familiar from his distant past, from his days as a physics teacher in a Tel Aviv high school, emerged from his memories and returned him to reality with a quick flash. It was that same terrible scream that had shaken his life more than ten years ago. As if in slow motion, he moved his hand to the butt of the gun in his belt. His hand moved patiently, his elbow straightened and his hand steadied. His white, once orangey beard did not move an inch.

  Brick and Friedman were still gazing, as though hypnotized, at the pulverized remains of the mouse. They looked at it with a kind of loathsome joy, turning their faces away from Fliegelman.

  The sound of the gun being cocked drew their attention, and they turned around towards the sudden snap, but it was too late. Fliegelman did not hesitate. His hand did not tremble. Two additional shots were heard, one after the other.

  The first burst through the chest of Aryeh Friedman. The second punctured Brick’s forehead right above his perfectly trimmed eyebrows.

  Morris and Ijou turned their heads back in panic, startled at the sound of the sudden gunshots and surprised that the shots had not harmed them.

  Dr. Friedman and Yitzhak Brick were lying on the floor, blood pooling around them.

  Ofer felt a huge sense of relief and wanted to scream. He looked at Gali and realized she was still horrified by the pinch on her ankle.

  “Fliegelman,” he screamed with all his might, “cut me loose!”

  Fliegelman didn’t need to hear any more to spur him into action. He hurried to untie the ropes that bound Ofer’s hands.

  “What do we do?” asked Fliegelman.

  “We run away,” answered Ofer.

  “And what do we do with them?” asked Fliegelman, processing the fact that all three bodies lying in the basement had been killed by his gun.

  “We leave them all here,” said Ofer.

  Fliegelman didn’t argue and completed the untying of Ofer’s hands. Morris and Ijou rose to their feet. Ofer helped Gali get up. They headed up the stairs as fast as they could, running for their lives. Fliegelman was first, Morris and Ijou followed him and Gali and Ofer were last. Ofer held her hand and did not let go throughout their maddened dash up the stairs and out of the building.

  It was dark, but at least three of them recognized the unmarked car with the flickering blue light on its roof and the person who got out of it.

  Chapter 53

  “Surprise, surprise, surprise.” The three whistling S’s emerged from the mouth of police officer Nir Alush and welcomed them as they exited the building.

  Morris and Ijou’s faces turned pale; Ofer’s face had turned sour as well.

  Fliegelman, who recognized the police vehicle by the flashing blue light, was the only one who was happy to see Officer Alush and said, “Fantashtic! Thank you for coming sho quickly.”

  “How did you find us?” asked Ofer with amazement.

  “First time you heard about finding someone from the location of his cell phone? These days we can find anyone, anytime and in no time. What did you think, that you’d manage to escape?”

  Ofer, Gali and Morris exchanged quick glances.

  “I came to pick you up again,” Alush said to Ofer, “and to my surprise, I see that I’ve just caught two other birds.”

  “What have I done now?” asked Ofer.

  “That’s exactly what I wanted to ask you. What were you doing in a public restroom in central Tel Aviv? Or perhaps your two friends will speak for you?” He pointed at Morris and Ijou, who lowered their eyes and tried to minimize the dimensions of their bodies. “We found fingerprints and your DNA in a restroom stall at the Carmel Market. I assume you weren’t there doing grocery shopping. We also found a package left there to hang on a hook. Did you happen to forget it?”

  “Alush, it’s a good thing you came. That’s the least interesting part of everything that’s happened. Down in the basement you’ll find three more bodies,” Ofer said.

  “You’re in trouble again? And again dead bodies?” Alush asked with disbelief.

  “I’m not in any trouble. But yes, more dead bodies. It’s a long story… this time I’ll be more than happy to tell you everything without skipping even a single detail.”

  Alush’s pupils widened to scary
proportions. “You’re not just being a smart-ass, are you? What bodies are you talking about, Angel?”

  “I’m attorney Gali Shviro,” Gali hurried to intervene. “And as of this moment I’m his lawyer. Everything he says is true and we mustn’t waste any more time. We would like to explain everything to you, but what’s more important is that someone else needs to be arrested.”

  “And just who is he, and why should he be arrested?”

  “He’s a lawyer. Attorney Gideon Geller. His office is in the Dizengoff Tower. You need to arrest him for murder—”

  “Well, we need to get going,” Morris cut her off. “I’m sorry, your honor, but we’ve got places to be.” He and Ijou turned and were about to go on their way.

  That was beyond Alush’s ability to demonstrate patience. “You’re not going anywhere. You’re all detained for interrogation. After that, we’ll hear all your explanations,” he said. “So, tell me. Who’s dead and where are the bodies?”

  Ofer didn’t answer. His face turned pale. Cold sweat covered his forehead. He leaned forward when the nausea struck at his stomach with all its might. He tried to turn his face but didn’t quite manage it and was forced to stop the flow of vomit with the palm of his hand so as not to stain Alush’s shirt.

  “What’s wrong, Ofer?” asked Gali with dread.

  “I… I’m not feeling well… I have to lie down…” His head was spinning. Ofer lay down with his limbs askew on the pavement.

  “Call an ambulance!” Gali screamed.