The Dreadful Patriot: A Thrilling Conspiracy Novel (Techno thriller, Mystery & Suspense Book 3)

by Charles Z David

  Shimony said that he was worried that the Iranians would believe that Mossad was behind these blatant murders and would retaliate against Israeli scientists and innocent citizens. He wondered who would be interested in making this look like Mossad's work and precipitate an all-out clandestine war between Iran and Israel. He said that the CIA had tried to instigate such wars by provocation but doubted whether the CIA would dare to try this with Israel, its staunchest ally. "The Fish" who represented the ISA at the meeting commented that it couldn't be the CIA because of the clean professional operation, unknowingly repeating what his opposite number in Tehran had said. The Russians were always held as suspects in such assassination cases but Shimony believed that they wouldn't bother to hide their involvement. He said that their approach to such accusations was the opposite. They were on record, tacitly if not publicly, when Litvinenko was poisoned in London by a lethal dose of polonium or when dissident journalists were found dead in Moscow. Shimony asked the participants if they had any ideas who could be responsible but nobody ventured an opinion. As the meeting was adjourned Shimony appointed David to be personally in charge of investigating the matter.

  Israeli nuclear scientists received a stern word of warning from the Prime Minister's office, supported by the Defense Ministry, that for their own security they should limit their participation in conferences in order to avoid being targeted by Iran. The Israeli scientists were still encouraged to actively attend conferences in the United States, China and Russia, but to avoid Europe. As most of them were aware of the risks they accepted the directive without questioning it. Israeli scientists who were already in Europe, on sabbatical or for other reasons were urged to return to Israel without delay, and many did so for fear of what could happen to them or their families.

  In a special press conference that was held at the Prime Minister's office, the PM and Mossad chief declared that Israel was not involved in the murder or disappearance of any Iranian nuclear scientist. This was in sharp contrast to the standard Israeli policy that had always refused to comment, deny or admit, on actions that were attributed to Mossad. The overall reaction to this statement in the world was skeptical despite Israel's divergence from its regular behavior.

  Ten months earlier, London, Washington and Moscow

  Meetings were held by national security advisers, intelligence officers and nuclear scientists in London, Paris, Berlin, Moscow and Washington to discuss the mysterious fate that befell the Iranian scientists. Mossad was the natural suspect and the culprit that first came to mind and the announcement of the Israeli PM was not considered credible. All the experts predicted that the Iranians would seek revenge and target Israelis so a warning was issued by the administrations of these countries to stay away from Israelis in general and nuclear scientists in particular, especially at conferences that were held in Europe.

  Eight months earlier, Tehran, Iran

  The agents of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in Europe were frustrated because after two months of intensive attempts to kidnap or assassinate Israeli scientists in Europe they had not managed to snare even a single one. Once again the Senior Assistant of the Supreme Leader, General Aslawi of the IRG and the head of the AEOI met to discuss the options for punishing Israel for its alleged actions against the Iranian scientists. Imam Mourtashef was not present this time because he was on a prescheduled visit to the laboratory in Basement S.

  The meeting was quite short and a consensus was reached within minutes: all Israelis were now fair game for kidnapping (they used the more politically correct term "taking hostages"). However, Iran must retain plausible deniability for these actions so there should be no evidence linking Iran directly to the kidnappings. After all, the Senior Assistant said, Iran had signed the nuclear deal and was now a respectable member of the international community, so the idea was that everybody would "know" that Iran was responsible but there would be no substantiation to any such accusations. The general said that he would use a worldwide network of Islamic supporters and sympathizers, but not official Iranian agents, to carry out these operations in places that were favored by Israeli tourists. Especially attractive were countries that were ruled by Muslims, even if they were not Shiites like Turkey or Azerbaijan, or countries that had a significant Muslim minority like India or Thailand, and even Cyprus that bordered on the Turkish controlled part of the island. Another area where Israeli vacationers were particularly vulnerable was the Egyptian Sinai peninsula with its sandy beaches, coral reefs and free-for-all atmosphere. The general promised to issue a directive to his collaborators in those countries and use the same method that worked for "bounty hunters" in the Wild West – prize money and rewards for whoever would deliver live Israelis to the hands of the IRG.

  Three months earlier, Tel-Aviv

  Captain Zohar Shemesh, addressed by everyone by his nickname Zorik, stepped into his Tel-Aviv apartment and shouted to his girlfriend "Honey, I am home. Come and see me" and walked to the bathroom. Inbal stuck her head through the bathroom door and watched him remove the flight suit overall from his sweaty body and unceremoniously toss it into the laundry basket. He announced "This is the end of my career as a fighter jet pilot, at least for now". Inbal smiled broadly and applauded. At the age of thirty he had completed a 12 year stretch that included a bachelor's degree in computer science from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and pilot certification from the Israeli Air Force Academy. He had logged thousands of hours in a variety of the most advanced jet fighter planes, starting with the aged F-4 Phantom that was removed from the Israeli Air Force in the early 2000s, through the latest models of the F-16 and F-15. He had been on dozens of missions against terrorist organizations ranging from Gaza that was just a few kilometers from his base to targets that were thousands of kilometers away. He was summoned to an interview by the Commander of the Air Force (CAF) and invited to stay in the service with very tempting offers. These included promotion to the rank of a major, position as an executive officer in an elite fighter squadron and a scholarship to advanced degree studies in science, engineering or business at a school of his choice. Zorik deliberated whether to accept the offer but told the CAF that he needed a time-out of six months to clear his mind and reach a decision. He explained that he would have to consult with his girlfriend, Inbal, as they had plans to get married and start a family. The Commander said that he fully understood and suggested that he take a paid leave for six-months. If he decided to leave the Air Force he would have to return the payment but if he rejoined it would a bonus for signing on.

  Inbal watched him toss the flight suit and before he could step into the shower hugged him and said that for the next six months she didn't want to see him in anything except jeans and a tee-shirt, or a bathing suit. Zorik smiled and invited her to join him in the shower but she stepped back quickly and said that they would have enough time for that later and she had to start packing for their trip to the beaches of Thailand and the mountains of India and Nepal.

  The young couple went on a short round of farewell dinners with Zorik's parents and older brother and with Inbal's parents and younger sister. Zorik's father was a professor of physics at Tel-Aviv University and his mother was a research bio-chemist employed by a leading manufacturer of generic pharmaceuticals. His brother, Erez was the founder of a high-tech company that had developed a cell phone application that was bought out by one of the major companies for an undisclosed sum that was estimated in the high 8-figures range. Inbal was a talented mechanical engineer by training with the soul of an innovator and at the tender age of 27 was already the co-owner of four registered patents and had declined several offers to sell them to large commercial bodies. Both her parents were senior partners in one of the largest law firms in Tel-Aviv that specialized mainly in trading of commodity futures and in real-estate deals. Her mother, Anna, was in her late forties and was the only daughter of the Israeli Prime Minister from his first marriage. She tried to keep in touch with her father, the PM, but at the insistence of hi
s third wife was never invited to the official residence in Jerusalem. Despite the sour face his current wife made whenever he mentioned Anna, the PM met his eldest daughter about twice a year, always in unofficial settings, and closely followed the career of his two talented granddaughters. He always attributed Inbal's successful career to his genetic heritage but never boasted in public about that. In fact, there was no public record that Inbal Sabatani was the PM's granddaughter although the security authorities were aware of it. Inbal's younger sister, Daphne was 24 years old, and was an officer in Mossad but no one in the family knew what she actually did there, except that she spent a lot of her time outside Israel.

  The farewell was very civilized and restrained as all involved refrained from public display of emotions but the young couple had to promise to remain in touch by telephone, e-mail or Skype. Inbal and Zorik said they would announce their intention to get officially married after their long vacation, much to the delight of their families.

  ***

  The next day Inbal and Zorik boarded a flight to Bangkok, spent a night in the bustling city trying to ignore the noise, humidity, heat and congestion. After a sleepless night they continued to the resort of Phuket on one of the seven daily flights with Bangkok Air. They had decided beforehand that it would be their premarital honeymoon and they would spend one week in a luxurious hotel without caring about expenses – they called this the big splurge. The hotel on the Shore of Katathani was very highly rated by the Tripadvisor website so they chose it for the first part of the vacation. They were favorably surprised by the cost that was much lower than they had estimated and by the facilities that exceeded their wildest dreams. For a few moments they considered extending their honeymoon but then the reality set in that their money wouldn't last anything near six months at that rate. So after that week they joined the crowds of young people from all over the world that tried to make their dollars or Euros go a long way and look for the cheap places as they had planned on taking the full six months of vacation.

  They moved to a beach resort that was a haven for youngsters who were looking for cheap alcohol, plentiful drugs and a ridiculously low cost of living. Most of the people on that beach were in their late teens or early twenties and Zorik and Inbal felt they were of an older generation. They were upset by the behavior of some of the young men, mostly their own compatriots who were willing to bargain with the local shop owners for an hour in order to save a couple of dollars. They quickly realized that for the local merchant these two dollars meant like twenty or even two hundred dollars for the tourists. Zorik felt he could put up with this behavior because bargaining was common in the Middle East but he detested the manner in which these youngsters conducted themselves when they were drunk. They became abusive, aggressive and violent under the influence of alcohol and reports of rape and vandalism were common occurrences. When those youngsters were on a "chemical trip" some became zombies and didn't respond to any outside stimulation while others behaved as if they had been transformed from humans to animals. Zorik could ignore the zombies and tranquil animals but couldn't stand the young men who thought they were voracious felines and physically attacked anyone close to them. The young girls were no better – some behaved like nymphomaniacs and tried to have sex with everything that breathed and even with inanimate objects, others just folded themselves into a fetal position, hugged themselves tightly and cried quietly.

  Inbal was totally disgusted by what she saw on the beach and they decided to move on to a small village further up on the coast. There, people their age and older, sought to enjoy the beautiful beaches, the peace and quiet afforded by the serene surroundings and the plentiful tropical fruit juices and simple, yet delicious, cuisine. They stayed there for a couple of weeks soaking the sun, surfing the waves and talking about their future. They knew this wasn't real Thailand – the guests were mainly European with a handful of Americans, Canadians and many Australians, while the work force consisted of Thais. There was no opportunity for interaction with Thai people who were professionals like themselves. They became restless and wanted to get a taste of real Asia, especially India, so decided to move on. It was getting hot in the south of India and they wanted a change of scenery from the beautiful beaches of Phuket so they decided to go to directly Nepal and then to the north of India and the mountains and lakes of Kashmir.

  Two months earlier, Nepal

  The flight up north from Phuket back to Bangkok was a bit scary because the small plane was buffeted by strong winds just after take-off. Inbal clung to her seat with one hand and to Zorik with the other and he tried to calm her by saying that accidents rarely happened nowadays under these conditions. Zorik was impressed by the cool attitude and professionalism of the Thai pilot. He told Inbal that he was able to pass judgment of the pilot's performance because he had been in a similar situation a few times during his career. When the plane approached the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK for short) it was diverted to a small regional airport and the pilot announced that it was due to some emergency at the main airport but there was nothing to worry about as they would be transferred to Bangkok center. Some of the passengers protested loudly saying that they had to catch connecting flights from BKK. The pilot announced that all flights to BKK were delayed as well as the flights from the airport so they would not miss their connections. In any case rapid transportation to BKK had been arranged and would get them to their flights in time.

  Inbal and Zorik collected their luggage and took the airline bus to the center of Bangkok where they found a hotel. After their experience on their way to Phuket they asked for a quiet room and the smiling girl at the front desk assured them that all the rooms were soundproof and quiet and gave them a room on the 13th floor. They slept soundly and the next morning, after having a lavish breakfast with fresh pineapple and papaya, they ventured into the main street to find a cheap flight to Kathmandu Tribhuvan (KTM) airport, Nepal. To their pleasant surprise there were many airlines that flew from BKK to KTM and they had no trouble booking a flight for the next day. The 3.5 hours non-stop flights were expensive so they selected a cheap flight that first travelled south to Koala Lumpur before heading north to Kathmandu. The travel time was nine and half hours but the cost was much lower than the direct flight and the young couple had more time than money…

  After landing in Kathmandu they took a rickety bus into town and looked for the hostels that were frequented by young travelers. The selection and variety were amazing with prices that ranged from a few dollars per person per night to a few dozen dollars. They selected one midrange place and when they got there were happy to see that its residents were a far cry from those youths on the beach in Phuket. There were many young people who were planning to take trails in the Himalaya mountain range. The most popular track for was a circular route around Annapurna. When Zorik looked at the description of the mountain in Wikipedia he realized that there were many different tracks in the Annapurna Massif, some of which were accessible only to highly skilled mountain climbers. For example, Annapurna I main peak, soared to a height of 8091 meters, and was infamous for its death toll that statistically claimed the life of one climber for every three that managed to reach the summit and return safely to the base camp. The Annapurna Circuit, which circles the Annapurna Himal was the most popular track and was much less demanding. The starting point for this trek, and also several shorter treks was the town of Pokhara. So after talking to some young people that had returned from that track Zorik and Inbal made their way to Pokhara on the western region of Nepal. The track was challenging but they were in good physical shape, and although they lost some weight, they didn't encounter any insurmountable difficulties.

  A couple of weeks later they returned to Kathmandu and started looking for a flight to Srinagar in India. They saw that there was a large selection of indirect flights but were a bit surprised to discover that for some reason the airfare on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays were lower than on other days. The distance betwe
en Kathmandu and Srinagar was slightly less than 1300 kilometers and the flight time just under two hours for the direct flight. However, much cheaper flights were available with a stopover in New Delhi and selected this route.

  They did not wish to spend time in Delhi and didn't bother to leave the airport. After landing in Srinagar they went to a small booth at the airport that advertised itself as a travel agency and were put in touch with the owner of a houseboat who was more than willing to accommodate them for a reasonable fee. They felt that they had earned a peaceful vacation on the beautiful lake after the two weeks of hiking around Annapurna.

  Chapter 3

  September 11, Dal Lake, Srinagar, India

  After dark, the two gunmen led Inbal and Zorik out to the deck of the houseboat. The hands of both young Israelis were cuffed with nylon cable ties behind their backs and stinking black sacks covered their heads. One of the gunmen held a flashlight with a red lens and repeated a series of three long flashes pointing it away from the shore, towards the lake. Within minutes they all heard the stuttering sound of a small outboard motor. Zorik felt a slight bump when the small boat contacted the deck of the houseboat. He heard a short exchange in a language he recognized as Urdu but didn't understand between the gunmen and a person on the boat. A moment later he was none too gently guided down the stairs and onto the boat. He heard Inbal protest as she too was led to the small boat. They were ordered to lie down on the bottom of the boat and a smelly blanket was thrown over their prone bodies. Zorik managed to find Inbal's hand and squeeze it saying softly that everything would be fine. The gunman told him to shut up and bashed his shoulder with the butt of his gun to emphasize the point.