Hill of Secrets: An Israeli Jewish mystery novel

by Michal Hartstein

  I recalled the bank manager who told me that cash deposits often occur when one parent isn't willing to finance the child and the other parent keeps supplying him with cash. "Did she transfer it through the bank or give him cash?"

  "Both, and sometimes checks too. When she really wanted to hide it from me she withdrew cash for him, but I always knew in the end."

  "So what caused you to completely cut them off?"

  "All these years, there was my wife's brother in the background. We're very wealthy people, but not so wealthy that our kids could live only off of the inheritance, and certainly not after dividing it between the three families. We worried what would happen after we die, how they'd manage. We weren't so worried about Meirav and Michal, mostly about Meir."

  "Why? He was working most of the time."

  "It's important to me to be as honest with you as possible so I'm not going to sound like a particularly encouraging father: my Meir was a lovely person, but I didn't expect him to be very successful, not as a businessman and not as a salaried employee. He got lucky with that start-up company who employed him in a position that was ten sizes too big for him, but I estimated that that sort of luck wouldn't hit him twice. He was a good, hardworking young man and I'm sure he would have worked to retirement, but not in very lucrative jobs."

  "What's wrong with that? Not everyone’s a manager."

  "Right, but Hanni thought that the fact that her neighbors and Meir's sisters, who are both married to men with very high managerial and earning potential, lead a certain lifestyle, meant that she should live like that, too. She ignored reality and lived a lifestyle that didn't match Meir's earning ability."

  "How did this manifest itself?"

  "Meir didn't share the little details with us, he just asked for money, but the girl was addicted to shopping. For herself, for the kids, and for Meir here and there. I never saw her wear the same dress on Shabbat, she had dozens, if not hundreds, of pairs of shoes. The kids were dressed in the nicest, newest clothes."

  "Was she a good mother?" I try to get a compliment out of him.

  "I don't know. I don't think the fact she showered the children with clothes and toys is proof of good parenting. I don't remember even one occasion when she played with the kids when they were here. She was always sitting and talking to Meirav or Michal, and Meir would watch the kids and play with them. I remember, I once dared to say something about it to her and she was so insulted that she threatened she'd never come visit us again.

  “After an hour of flattery from Meir and Sarah she agreed to come back in the house and didn't look at me the rest of the Shabbat. Meir told me that she watched the kids all week long so he enjoyed being the responsible parent on Saturdays. I personally didn't buy it. Meir would often come home early and put the kids to bed, so she wasn't really 'carrying the load' during the week like she tried to make out. Besides, Meir wasn't exactly resting during the week."

  "And she was?"

  "Yes, definitely yes. Although, the last few months, she was taking care of the baby, before that, for years, she sat at home all day for hours doing nothing until Ariel and Galit came home from school and kindergarten."

  "It sounds like you have a lot of resentment towards your late daughter-in-law."

  "Certainly, she made my son's life miserable."

  "So you think that's the reason that pushed him to kill her and their three children."

  "It sounds insane to me, but there's no way of knowing how far she pushed him."

  "I want to go back to the matter of the support that was cut off. You said that in light of Sarah's brother's story and Hanni's squandering, you decided to completely cut off your support."

  "Right. That was about a year-and-a-half ago… November 2007, as far as I recall."

  "Was there any trigger?"

  "Yes. For years, since Hanni and Meir got married, including when he was working in a senior position in a start-up company and making a very handsome, fat salary, we paid off Meir and Hanni's overdraft. The busiest time was after Meir was fired from the start-up company and was unemployed for about six months. Hanni didn't get a job and didn't even try to cut back on her spending. Six months later, Meir returned to the bank, but his salary was far from what he was paid at the start-up company. And again, instead of adjusting, Hanni went on spending disproportionally.

  “What caused things to reach a boiling point was a new car that she bought in October 2007. Meir had a car from work and Hanni had a private car on their name. I didn't understand from the beginning why a woman who doesn't work and has both her kids in education facilities near her home needs a car just for herself, but I suppose it's a minimal convenience. She had a 2001 Suzuki Euroswift, which, in my opinion, was enough for her needs. It was a great car, barely gave her any trouble, mainly because it was hardly used, but it was very important to Hanni to replace it with a big, fancy car."

  "What kind?"

  "I don't remember the exact model, but it was a Mitsubishi. She did buy one that was two years old rather than a new one, but that entire purchase was completely unnecessary."

  "Maybe the Suzuki was too small for three kids?"

  "First of all, a Suzuki Euroswift may not be a large car, but it's relatively spacious, and besides, don't forget that Noal'e was born four months ago. In October 2007 Hanni wasn't even pregnant yet. There was no reason to buy a bigger car other than the fact that others had one and she didn't."

  "So after they bought the new car you decided to cut them off?"

  "Yes. Sarah was finally convinced that only drastic action would change anything. We made the decision with a heavy heart. Any parent wants nothing but good for his children, but we thought Meir and Hanni would become independent only if they realized they have no one to rely on other than themselves."

  "So what did you do? Tell them that you weren't going to close their overdraft?"

  "No, first we asked them to return the new car."

  "And did they agree?"

  "You think? Hanni went crazy! She couldn’t shut up about the new car we bought David, Michal's husband, who's the accountant of my company and has been working there for almost fifteen years. I didn't do anything I wouldn't have done for any other senior employee. David's car was becoming a wreck and I decided to treat him to a good, executive vehicle. All of our attempts to calm her down and explain to her that David got a car because of his position and not because we favored him in any way were in vain, so we explained to them that if they chose to keep the car they could pay for everything themselves."

  "And what was their reaction?"

  "There was no reaction. I think they didn't believe we were serious."

  "And once they realized you were serious?"

  "It happened pretty quickly. After about a month, Meir asked us to help them out because their Visa account was maxed out and they were into overdraft."

  "And you said no?"

  "Right."

  "And then what happened?"

  "I have no idea, I assume Meir closed it with a loan or something of the sort."

  "I mean what happened between you? I understand Hanni cut you both off."

  "Of course. That threat became a reality. Meir felt really bad for us, but we decided not to cause any more tension. After all, his life was with Hanni, not with us. He explained to us that Hanni thought grandparents not only rights, but also duties, and if we weren’t willing to help out, she saw no reason to allow us to see our grandchildren."

  "Didn't you try to coerce Meir?"

  "I told you, we didn't want to cause any tension."

  "You didn't even talk to Meir? You’ve no idea how he felt about it?"

  "My wife was very scared to talk to him about it. I was a little less timid."

  "Well…what did he say? How did he feel?"

  "Horrible. He was very uncomfortable. We're a very caring, tight knit family and this disengagement was hard for all of us. On more than one occasion, he tried to sneak the kids over to our house and
we stopped him. Children are too innocent, they would have told Hanni and all hell would have broken loose. He was pained for the children - they missed us and didn't understand why they didn't visit us anymore."

  "So, you hadn't aided Meir and Hanni financially for a year-and-a-half."

  "Right."

  "Are you one hundred percent sure that Sarah also stuck to this and didn't sneak them money?"

  "One hundred percent—we have joint bank accounts and I know about every shekel that is withdrawn."

  "So how did they manage in the last year and a half? Did they start being more calculated?"

  "I doubt it."

  "Why do you think so? You haven't been as close to them as you were."

  "We weren't completely disconnected. Although Hanni went on not working and Meir was still working at the bank, they didn't exactly live modestly. Last August for example, they flew to Holland with Ariel and Galit. When Noa was born they threw her a lavish brita [naming celebration]. Simply raising a baby entails a lot of expenses."

  "So maybe Hanni's parents helped them?"

  "I imagine they did, though Hanni's parents didn't have the same means as ours—they're both pensioners."

  "So do you believe their money worries could lead Meir to get up one morning, kill them all and commit suicide?"

  "I really have no idea. Maybe he really was badly in debt… that sounds like madness to me. I raised and educated that boy. I didn't educate him to be a murderer. I didn't educate him to any sort of violence. I understand all of the evidence is against my child, and I'm trying to cope with reality, but it's difficult for me. I'll admit, I can't stop thinking the killer could have been someone from outside the family. Maybe he got in trouble with the gray market and someone took his revenge?"

  Since we’d been through the financial information we had, we had no doubt that there was no criminal factor involved. I planned to recheck the financial details so I decided there was no harm in letting this miserable man go on dreaming.

  "If you’d known he was in such an extreme state, would you have given him money?"

  "Is there any doubt in your mind? I’d give everything in my possession for all of them to be back."

  "And do you think he knew that?"

  "I really don't know. I hope he knew that, after all, we’re his parents and if there were very serious problems—a matter of life and death—we were still here for him, despite all of the past problems."

  I wondered. Maybe this wasn't financial hardship. True, the parents cut off their support, but children of wealthy parents know that bottom line, when you reach the point of no return, mom and dad are there for them.

  "Are we done?"

  "One more question: did you know Meir had a postbox?"

  "The kind they have at the post office?"

  "Right."

  "No, I didn't know."

  "Can you think what would cause him to open one of those post boxes?"

  "Maybe he’d started working independently?"

  "You don't know if he became self-employed?"

  "As I told you, our contact wasn't very steady."

  "According to the information I have, he wasn't self-employed. Do you see any reason for him to open a post box?"

  Natan shook his head. “No, I really don't," he said.

  *

  When I got in the car I called Riki.

  "Riki?"

  "Hadas?" she asked in her friendly voice.

  "Yes, do me a favor; I don't have a phone number on me and I'm already on my way home."

  "What do you need?"

  "Can you call Mrs. Aviva Levin?"

  "Hanni Levin's mother?"

  "That's right - to schedule another interrogation with me at the station."

  "When?"

  "As soon as possible."

  It was time for Mrs. Levin to stop hiding things. It was so important to her to be interviewed a few days ago, yet she didn't say one word to me about the estrangement between her daughter and her in-laws.

  Chapter 16

  Tuesday, 5.26.2009

  "I'm really sorry, there's nothing here." Amos passed me the bag of evidence holding the three memory sticks and the cell phone that Shachar later found in Meir's desk.

  "Are you certain?"

  Amos seemed a bit insulted by my question. "There’s no such thing as certain. If you format a digital appliance there's always a chance that we'll never manage to restore the data that was erased, but with a pretty high level of certainty I can tell you that there was nothing here but family pictures and work data."

  "And what about the cell phone?"

  "There was almost nothing there, but bear in mind it's a new phone."

  "You mean it's very advanced?"

  Amos laughed. "I mean, it was taken out of the box about three months ago. Meir's old phone was lost. There’s almost nothing on the new one."

  I smiled awkwardly and returned to my office. A short conversation with Shachar revealed his investigation failed to reveal anything new. Meir was a devoted worker and a pretty discreet guy. His co-workers hardly knew anything about his private life, as he didn't talk a lot about personal matters. All the accounts Meir was involved with were completely Kosher, without any financial problems or suspicion of criminal activity. He hadn't finished interviewing everyone he wanted to and looking through all of the necessary material, but he estimated that his investigation wouldn't reap many rewards.

  The conversation with Meir's parents still echoed in my mind. There was a deep and serious rift in the family. Meir and Hanni were used to enjoying the support of Meir's parents and when it stopped, it lit the fuse of the bomb that exploded last week.

  Meir and Hanni fanatically guarded their private life. No one knew that their financial situation was so bad, including Hanni's parents; no one knew their son needed therapy. There was something very rotten in Meir and Hanni's home, but instead of dealing with the problem, they kept sweeping everything under the rug. The most important thing was that no one should know.

  The radio in my room was on. The sequence of songs was replaced by a short commercial break. A credit card company was offering a loan to anyone who wanted it, with no security, for any purpose. Practically America. How easily the banks gave credit… no wonder so many households were in debt. If someone was giving it away, we'd take it. An overdraft had become a status symbol. No one wanted to be left behind.

  We all treated our financial issues as if they were the country's nuclear secrets. On one hand, everybody was curious to know how much money their friends were making and on the other hand, they fanatically safeguarded the secrecy of their own private financial information. People could tell their friends their deepest secrets, but not reveal their salary.

  It reminded me of Tali, the wife of Yinon's friend. She was an accountant in a medium sized high-tech company. She enjoyed a right that few get to enjoy. She knew how much other people were paid because she took care of the payroll. She claimed she'd rather not know. Everybody was dying to know how much their friends were making, but really there was no joy in such knowledge, which can only cause bitterness.

  She claimed it took years for those preparing the paychecks, especially if they were also doing their own, to stop comparing themselves to others. A salary is a very, very simplistic but efficient tool with which to rate people. If you're in demand you'll get x and if you're less in demand you'll get less than x. The problem is that, in reality, it often occurs that quality people get paid less than those who are less qualified. She claims that, just as everyone thinks, those who know to demand more also get more, and sometimes there's no relation between how high the salary is and how efficient the worker is.

  I knew that for the Danilowitz family it was a very sensitive issue. I decided to thoroughly check Hanni and Meir's bank accounts. The bank manager and Meir's parents told me that in the past there’d been constant support coming from Natan and Sarah, but the bank manager said round sums were still being deposited in the a
ccount. It was clear to me that Meir was blackmailing someone. But who? Over what? And, no less importantly, for how much?

  I spread out the bank statements and started rummaging through the numbers.

  Throughout the entire period I checked, the Danilowitz family lived on their overdraft and a cycle of loans. In October 2007 there was the loan taken out to pay for Hanni's car, the loan that put an end to the support from Meir's parents and began Hanni's lock out. Up to that month there were quite a few cash deposits from Meir's parents' account.

  From the month the car was purchased, the cash deposits from Natan and Sarah's account stopped. On August 12th 2008, a deposit was made of 15,000 shekels in cash to the account. It was the first deposit of a round sum since September 2007. Meir received this sum from someone other than his parents.

  Who?

  The cash deposits continued and apart from the first deposit, a few more deposits were made to the account with an overall sum of 145,000 thousand shekels, all of them deposited in round sums.

  These were clearly not gray market amounts. From the gray market you take one big sum, not numerous, relatively small ones. Despite its stigma, money from the gray market isn't exchanged in cash envelopes, but in a regular bank transfer.

  I stared at the negative balance of the account which almost never reached zero. How does a bank allow people to live like this? I think every adult person, of sound mind and body is responsible for his own actions, but still, it's hard to ignore the fact that the bank enabled Meir and Hanni to get credit which they couldn't pay back. A bank is a store for money. Just like I couldn't walk into a supermarket, load a cart full of goods and leave, so a bank could not allow people to take credit if there's no way of paying it back.

  On the day of their death, Meir and Hanni had loans and overdrafts totaling almost 2,150,000 shekels.

  How could a family of five get into this kind of debt? The bank sheets showed me general earning and spending. I knew a great deal of the spending was actually paying off loans, but the family's monthly consumption was very high, disproportionate to the couple's earning ability. The credit card company prepared a report for me dividing the expenses by category of business.