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

by Charles Z David

  Segan said that he needed an advance payment of 10 million dollars in addition to the fees for the contract and when Ross agreed he gave him the number of one of his accounts in a Swiss bank.

  ***

  Segan checked that the money was transferred to his account and called on his two most trusted operatives – Ruby and Sam – and briefed them on the upcoming contract. Once again Sam was skeptical and Ruby cynically said that this operation should have been carried out a decade earlier as that would have stopped the Iranian nuclear weapons program in its infancy. Segan agreed with her on this point but said that in this case "better late than never" applied. He proudly said that this operation could possibly reinstate the three of them as true patriots and that their dishonorable discharge from Mossad would be forgotten. In his own mind he hoped that this spectacular operation and outcome would renew his chances of becoming Mossad head after Shimony. None of them stopped to reconsider the whole operation and the dangers involved.

  ***

  Six months later, after Segan and his people had almost forgotten about the affair, Alan Ross called Segan's office and set an appointment. The two men met again at the wine bar and this time Segan didn't even bring his bodyguards. Ross said that he had compiled a list of targets that comprised some key Iranian nuclear scientists and engineers as well as intelligence officers that played a role in the nuclear weapons program. The list included a dozen names and Ross promised a payment of three million dollars for each successful job (the words murder, targeted killing, elimination or even termination were never used in public by professionals just in case someone was recording them or lip-reading). He repeated his instructions that the jobs should be carried out within a short timeframe, forgetting that it was Seagn's suggestion. Segan proposed a different payment method – he said that the first job would be free, the second would cost one million Euros, the third two million and each consecutive job would cost one million Euros more than the previous one. Ross thought about it and agreed. Then Segan said that in cases like this collateral damage was inevitable and Ross just said that he understood that in some cases innocent bystanders may suffer and that didn't bother him as long as the objective received the proper treatment.

  The two men shook hands on the deal and Ross left a London telephone number that would accept messages 24/7. The messages should be very short and include two or three words that corresponded to the initials of the eliminated target. Segan thought that this was a stupid arrangement but agreed to comply with this childish code.

  One Year earlier, November

  Vienna was the site of the first job that Segan's people carried out. Segan called the telephone number he was given and said "Another apple appeared" and hung up, thinking that he must have had a mental blackout when he composed this triple A sentence. The meaning was that Dr. Ali Abdul Abadi had been eliminated in a quiet manner by Ruby who distracted the scientist and Sam who squirted the poison into Abadi's ear.

  A couple of days later Segan called again and left another short message "Another Romantic Knight" in reference to Professor Ahmad Riza Kadoura's early demise in a tragic train accident in Barcelona, implemented by Sam. Segan hoped that Ross would know the difference between Knight and Night and not bust his brains looking for an Iranian scientist with the initials ARN. He knew that the message was quite stupid, to say the least, but was glad to verify that one million Euros was received in his bank account.

  Three more days passed before Segan called the same number with the news about Dr. Mahmoud Al-Baida's unfortunate mishap when he and his wife fell to their death from a cliff in Taormina, Sicily, when Sam "accidentally" stumbled into them. Segan just said "Miniature boats" as he figured that the prefix Al was not really a part of the name. Once again he wasn't sure that the message would be correctly understood. So he was relieved when two million Euros appeared in the bank account the next day.

  The job in London was more complicated as it involved recruiting the Chinese masseur and his daughter, but the payment was also higher – three million Euros, so the elimination of Dr. Mustafa Fahami took place almost at the same time as the one in Sicily. Segan himself carried out the neck-wringing after he persuaded the Chinese father and daughter to collaborate with a "carrot and stick" tactic: he promised them a quarter million pounds if they successfully cooperated and allowed the fake "masseur" to take over during the massage and combined that with a threat that he would report their illegal status to authorities if they did not oblige. After Fahami's neck was broken he made a local call to the London number saying "Many foxes", which again he thought was a brainless way of passing the good news.

  A day later Segan made another call saying "Jolly toffee" after Dr. Jaafar Taghi consumed some bad oysters in Stockholm that were spiced by Ruby in her guise as a French scientist. The four million Euros arrived promptly in the Swiss account. These last three jobs were carried out more or less simultaneously by Sam in Sicily, Segan in London and Ruby in Stockholm.

  Four days later Hassan Sadeq suffered a bizarre ski accident in Chamonix as he was nudged down a precipice by Ruby and Sam who posed as a couple of skiers. This was the sixth job carried out by Segan's team and the five million Euros that were deposited in the account helped ease the conscience of the Israelis. After all, they were convinced that they were carrying out a patriotic mission.

  There were a few other names on the list that Ross handed over but the intended targets didn't leave Iran. No sane Iranian scientist, and they were all wise people, wanted to risk foreign travel as rumors spread that so many of their number had suffered mysterious accidents. When Segan calculated his revenues from the project he realized that he should have accepted Ross's original offer of three million dollars per capita. He laughed to himself as he reckoned that Iranians were reputably known for their business acumen and negotiation skills. When he heard about the bombing in Isfahan in which three more scientists were killed he figured out the Iranian opposition had gained confidence from his own work and carried out this job on their own, but he could not take credit for it.

  Chapter 9

  Present time, October 2nd, Tel-Aviv, Israel

  By the time Shimony and David had finished the bottle of Ouzo that David had brought from Cyprus both lowered their guard and relaxed in each other's company, as good friends who trust each other do. David felt free to bring forth a wild idea that had been on the back of his mind for some time "I am sure that the Iranians are holding our people as hostages for some reason. There must be an element of revenge for the series of mishaps that their nuclear scientists suffered but I feel that there is something else involved here. After the nuclear deal and removal of the international sanctions against Iran in return for curtailing their attempts to obtain fissile materials and cessation of their military nuclear program the stranglehold of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and the Mullahs on the Iranian people has weakened. This has encouraged the opposition groups and secular population to raise their heads and increase their instigation against the religious leadership. What if the elimination of the scientists was orchestrated by the opposition and the regime is now retaliating against Israel because they think that we worked in cohorts with the opposition? You and I know that Mossad had nothing to do with the Iranian scientists but what if some wise guy in the PM's office launched an independent project without our knowledge but with the PM's tacit approval or even without it? After all, such things had happened in the past." He was referring to an operation that was carried out by amateurs that were recruited by the IDF military intelligence in Egypt in 1956. This operation literally blew up in the face of one of the perpetrators and resulted in a scandal that almost toppled the government of Israel a few years later when details of the affair were revealed.

  Shimony was momentarily at a loss for words and pondered the idea for a long time before saying "David, are you implying that there is a renegade within Mossad. Someone who has interpreted suggestions that came up in our meetings and took a personal initiative
right here under our nose."

  David immediately rejected this idea "Haim, there is no way that this could happen here without your knowledge. But what if former Mossad agents were behind this? What if your ex-deputy, Segan, who was driven away with disgrace, decided to do something like this? He could be doing this to redeem his reputation, to undermine the interests of Israel as a means of seeking revenge for his dishonorable discharge or even because he is just out of his mind."

  Shimony countered "There is no way that Segan is a traitor but he could well be a misguided person who thinks that he is doing a patriotic thing. He was always a good tactician and operations officer but never really understood anything about strategy. Yes, David, he could be involved in this. What's more, when he was kicked out of Mossad for his private enterprise in America we had to expel two of our best operatives who were sent there by him. Indeed, Ruby and Sam are certainly capable of carrying out the operations against the Iranian scientists without leaving a trace or a shred of evidence".

  David took some minutes before replying "So I think that I should find Segan and ask him about the operation".

  Shimony warned him that Segan and his people were extremely dangerous, especially if they felt cornered, but endorsed David's suggestion.

  October 3rd, Berlin

  David arrived at Berlin's international airport in the afternoon. His plan was to meet Ruby and confront her with his suspicions. He knew that if he called in advance she would avoid him and disappear so he intended to "accidently" bump into her. He hoped that as an old colleague, or rather ex-colleague, who showed sympathy for her plight she would accept his invitation for a cup of coffee. He knew she was perceptive and sharp and that he would have a hard time convincing her that their meeting was not premeditated but as one of Mossad's best operatives he hoped she wouldn't reject him outright. He really worried that she would alert Segan and that would complicate things considerably.

  Berlin was one of the main hubs for intelligence gathering and mutual spying. The Cold War was almost forgotten by the younger population of Berlin but old habits die hard and intelligence agents still favored the vibrant city. It was said that you could buy anything and everything in Berlin if you have enough money and the right contacts. In Berlin money could buy you love, drugs, weapons and contracts to dispose of your enemies. The local Mossad station head, Julia Carmon, was one of the rising stars with high hopes of being promoted to a Section Head soon. Provided, of course, that she did a good job quietly without attracting any media coverage, and more importantly, managed to avoid scandals.

  Julia was a vivacious woman in her late thirties who looked a decade younger. She had recently divorced her husband who was so busy making money and running one of the largest law firms in Tel-Aviv that he refused to join her in Berlin. According to him, her career was anecdotal and important only because of the connections and the clients she brought to his law firm, while she regarded it as a service to her country. In her younger days, before they were married she was a field agent and had participated in several clean clandestine operations that were attributed to Mossad although there was never any hard evidence. After her posting to Germany, Julia and her husband used to get together every week-end either in Tel-Aviv or Berlin. However, as happens in many arrangements of this type, the frequency of their meetings slowly dwindled and eventually they decided that they would be better off separated and finally got divorced. Now each of them was free to pursue their happiness, whatever that meant. In Julia's case happiness was to immerse herself in her work and forego personal life. Sex to her was like exercise – something you did to feel better with your body and soul without any emotional involvement.

  Some senior Israeli politicians who visited Berlin regularly expected the Mossad station head to respond to their beck and call and satisfy their every whim, including things they wouldn't dare do in Israel. Julia did her best to comply but had her own red lines that she refused to cross. When the demands of those VIPs bordered on illegal fantasies she referred them to the embassy. The "cultural attaché" at the embassy was an administrative worker in the Israeli Foreign Office who received the posting in Berlin from the new general manager in order to remove him away from the headquarters where he caused more trouble than he was worth. He was not a career diplomat and quickly became more familiar with the Berlin "sub-culture" that consisted of a rich mixture of sex, drugs and the pursuit of fulfilling the most eccentric desires and perversions.

  ***

  Julia knew that Segan had set up his own security firm and that its main office was in Berlin. Like all senior Mossad employees she was aware of the fact that he was disowned by Haim Shimony and left Mossad under a cloud of disgrace, but the details were vague and known only to a select few. The official version was that he sought new challenges in the private sector – a common euphemism for someone whose Mossad career was over and now wanted to make money by marketing the skills he acquired in government service to the highest bidder. As long as Segan's operations did not collide with her own work, Julia couldn't care less about his firm. She had received information that he had no scruples taking on jobs that were not perfectly within the law and that some of his employees were of disreputable character not to say fugitives from the law in their own countries.

  Julia and David had worked together before so she was pleased when David called her and said that he was in Berlin and immediately invited him for dinner. However, he said that needed to meet with her on urgent official business and had time only for a quick cup of coffee, but that perhaps they would be able to get together later that night. He said that he preferred to meet at a café near the embassy rather than in the building that was probably under surveillance by all kinds of organizations from the local polizei to various terrorist groups. Julia gave him the name of a quiet little place not far from the embassy that was located on Augustae Victoria Strasse. David took a taxi from the airport directly to the café and when he arrived there Julia was already nursing her second cup of coffee and a large slice of chocolate cake stood waiting on a plate in front of her.

  Julia stood up and gave David a hug and pecked both his cheeks. David responded in kind and smiled warmly at her. He gave her a brief explanation of the reason for his sudden visit, without going into detail about the suspicions that Segan's outfit was involved in the mysterious deaths of the Iranian nuclear scientists. He just said that Shimony asked him to make sure that Segan was not acting against the interests of Israel. Julia replied that she had not been instructed to keep an eye on Segan, and on the contrary was discouraged to have any official contacts with him. She added that he, and all his Israeli employees, were considered as persona non grata at the embassy and therefore kept pretty much to themselves. David asked her if she had come across Ruby and Julia said that she had heard that Ruby and Sam were now a real couple, not just colleagues, but other than that she knew little about their private lives and even less about their professional activities. However, she said that they now lived in an apartment building on Gruntaler Strasse near the corner of Badstrasse. David took out his cell phone and checked the address on Google Maps. Julia said that like many German young couples they probably shop for fresh food products at a nearby supermarket or mini-market and pointed to a Lidl supermarket near the corner but added that there were two other similar stores, Kaiser's and Euro Gida on Badstrasse, also within a short distance from the apartment building.

  They drank the excellent coffee and enjoyed sharing the deliciously rich chocolate cake. David said that he had to leave now because he had to engineer a meeting with Ruby without Sam's presence. Julia said that she believed that there was a good chance that Ruby would be at the Lidl supermarket as it was the closest and had good products at reasonable prices. David then decided that he could use Julia's help and asked her if she would join him in staking the three stores. Julia gladly agreed to go back to the field and relive her days as a young field operative.

  ***

  David positioned hi
mself on the sidewalk of Badstrasse between Lidl and Kaiser's supermarkets while Julia waited on the other side of the broad street near the other mini-market. They were only about 100 meters apart but could not maintain eye-contact because of the traffic on Badstrasse that was heavy at this time of the evening. They agreed that there was no point in hanging there after 8 pm, so they had a window of opportunity of about one hour in which they hoped that Ruby would appear, or else they would have to devise a different approach for the planned "accidental" encounter.

  Minutes before 8 pm Julia saw a familiar female figure approaching the Euro Gida supermarket and as the woman got closer she recognized Ruby. She turned away and started walking south on Badstrasse to avoid getting too close to Ruby. She texted David that she saw Ruby entering the supermarket and picking up a shopping cart so assumed that Ruby intended to take her time shopping. David immediately hurried from his post between the two other stores and crossed the road toward the supermarket. He picked up a small shopping basket at the entrance and looked around until he saw Ruby carefully viewing the tomatoes and trying to select those that looked fresh and juicy. David approached the stall on which the tomatoes were displayed and selected one of the finest he could see and then quietly spoke to Ruby saying "This would really taste good in your salad tomorrow morning" knowing that Israelis liked a fresh vegetable salad for breakfast.

  Ruby was startled to hear someone speaking to her in Hebrew and looked up with a confused expression. Then she recognized David who was something of a legend in Mossad and smiled innocently "Wow, imagine running across you by accident here". She was too experienced to believe that the meeting was really a coincidence, but she knew that creating a scene would draw unwanted attention and not serve her well.