by Uzi Eilam
“Ask him about the data he stole from the institute.” Gideon knew he was entering a minefield. “Who did he steal from and how much? Was anyone else involved?”
The senior interrogator listened to Gideon and frowned. After a short pause, he looked at Abrahams. “Tell me what data you stole from the institute—from which computers and who helped you?”
Abrahams wiped his glasses on the hem of his shirt.
“My client would like to repeat,” his lawyer intervened, “that the brain and engine behind all this was Ryan. My client was merely a small screw in the Iranian machine.”
The senior interrogator wasn’t prepared to ease off. “Please answer the question, Mr. Abrahams! What did you take, and who else was involved?”
“Ryan briefed me on extracting data from Dr. Ben-Ari’s and Dr. Deutsch’s computers. I also extracted data from Bob Johannsen’s computer.” Abrahams stopped and looked imploringly at his lawyer who glared at him, trying to remind him to be careful. “But it was Ryan who instructed me to do so,” he added, laying his head on the table and sobbing.
“If you continue to interrogate him now, I will complain that he was subjected to unreasonable psychological pressure,” the attorney blurted out.
“Let’s take a break,” the senior interrogator said. “We’ll continue later. In the meantime, get him something to eat and something to mop up his sweat with.”
Everyone in the room behind the window stood up and started to talk.
“Thanks for your help, Gideon, and you too, Yoni,” O’Connor said, shaking their hands. “We’ll continue the interrogation this afternoon. If something interesting comes up, we’ll let you know. Actually, we’re planning another operation in a day or two.” O’Connor looked from Yoni to Gideon. “I thought that it would be a great help if Gideon could join us.” He looked back at Yoni.
“You decide,” Yoni replied, a little surprised. “It’s fine by me.” He looked at Gideon as he nodded in agreement.
“Very well,” O’Connor said. “We’ll let you know when to come to my office.”
45.
As usual, Jade Café, the popular Chinese restaurant, was packed with people on their lunch break.
Two vans were parked on the corner of 16th Street and Bryant Street, opposite the restaurant entrance.
Gideon arrived at O’Connor’s office and was surprised to find Deutsch there.
“Hi, Gerald,” he cried out happily, and couldn’t resist adding, “It’s been a while.”
“Hi, Gideon.” Gerald had a hard time hiding his mood. “It has been. There’s been a lot to take care of,” he said and didn’t add another word.
“We’ve got reliable information about a meeting that the Revolutionary Guards are holding here at the restaurant,” O’Connor said to Gideon only after they pulled over and parked.
No one in the car spoke when four of O’Connor’s men in civilian attire stepped out of the second car and walked slowly to the restaurant’s entrance. Gideon looked at O’Connor. He was tense and alert, while Deutsch seemed calm. He held his breath and waited.
A couple of O’Connor’s men came out of the restaurant, leading a tall handsome man with thin hair and an elegantly trimmed beard. The man wore sunglasses that hid his face almost entirely. He didn’t resist when the police put him quickly into the car.
Gideon didn’t have time to wonder who the stranger was or what his part was in the network. The second pair of O’Connor’s men soon followed, holding an attractive woman in an elegant pantsuit by the elbows.
Nurit?
Gideon stopped himself from shouting out. What is she doing here? What do she and that man have to do with each other? Wearily, he watched the police put Nurit in the car, which immediately sped off.
The car with tinted windows led the group to the FBI’s secret Basement. Two plainclothes cops sat in the back with Nurit and Francois. They were already handcuffed. Nurit looked at the profile of the man in front and thought, Where do I know him from? After a few seconds, she remembered: he was the director of SRI, and they’d met at the campus orchestra’s annual concert. A cold wave froze her spine. This concerns Gideon’s research, she thought. They know everything.
When they arrived at the facility, O’Connor dived right in. “You are accused of espionage and working with the enemy. We know everything about you, every detail of how you helped the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.”
“We are foreign citizens,” Francois declared automatically in a trembling voice, adopting the line of defense that Nurit took in the restaurant. “You can’t simply arrest us. I demand to speak to the French consul in San Francisco.”
“You have betrayed the generous hospitality of the United States government,” O’Connor thundered. “First of all, we’ll ask the questions, and then we’ll decide what to do with you.”
***
Gideon sprawled in his chair in his office, unable to stop reliving the moment that he saw Nurit in handcuffs. A storm of emotions and thoughts had been flooding him since the day before. He was brought back to the present by a call from Yoni, asking if he could come by.
“I won’t take up much of your time,” Yoni promised when they sat down in Gideon’s office. “I wanted to fill you in on the interrogation of Francois Chaliand and Nurit Avni. I thought you should know as soon as possible,” Yoni said calmly and steadily.
“They were questioned at length yesterday afternoon and all through the night. O’Connor thought it best not to involve you in this part of the investigation. Chaliand is a French citizen and a research fellow at Berkeley. It turns out that he belongs to the Revolutionary Guards network here on the West Coast. We only found out recently.”
Gideon couldn’t help himself. “And Nurit? How is she involved in all this?”
“Chaliand managed to recruit her,” Yoni answered, trying to hide his feelings about the betrayal. “The initial investigation of the two and an examination of their laptops indicate that Nurit Avni has been very sophisticated in her actions.”
“What did she do?” Gideon said, openly concerned. “What did they find?”
“A folder on her laptop contained an advanced electronic communication device that Chaliand provided her with. This device enabled her to extract files from a nearby computer even when it was turned off.”
“And did she extract files?”
“We discovered files of part of the Callnet card and a few of your research files.”
“Really? I find that hard to believe. Nurit did all that?”
“Yes, Gideon. Nurit, it turns out, is no longer the young woman who grew up in a kibbutz. Our data also shows us that she had an affair with Chaliand.”
Gideon felt a sudden stab in his heart again. “Nurit? She was at the heart of their activity?”
“Yes,” Yoni said, noticing Gideon’s agitation, “and it wasn’t in the name of love, Gideon. The Iranian network transferred four hundred thousand dollars to her account. She was compensated generously every week, each time she and Chaliand left the data at their hideout.” Yoni continued, ignoring Gideon’s distress, adding sarcastically, “Mrs. Avni received other benefits from Chaliand, in the same hideout that serves as their love nest.”
“And Yudke?” Gideon forced himself to ask.
“The security officer from New Horizons has filled him in. He was unaware of his wife’s activities, since she spent most of her time in Berkeley.”
“What’ll happen to her? And to Chaliand?”
“The Americans will decide. I’m sure they won’t do anything rash. We need to remember that the network still hasn’t been entirely exposed and that there’s still a lot of work to do,” Yoni responded. “In the meantime, stay in close contact with Deutsch and keep your eyes open.”
Yoni stood up to go. Gideon shook his hand firmly and set out to continue his life, one that would never be th
e same.
***
Yudke got up after tossing and turning all night. He felt that he couldn’t go to work. How will I show my face? Lyall said that only he and I know, but everything gets out in the end.
Yesterday’s events flashed before his eyes like a nightmare. Lyall asked him to come in at the end of the day, and when he did, he told him almost without preamble about Nurit’s arrest. He didn’t try to paint a pretty picture. In his somewhat stiff way, he gave him a brief, condensed description of the arrest. And still, Yudke thought painfully, I know almost nothing.
He went downstairs and got into the car. He didn’t drive directly to work. Instead, he took the highway to San Francisco. He hoped the road that wound west along the hills and lakes of Crystal Springs would calm him. There weren’t many cars on the four-lane highway. The quiet green hills were just what he needed, but the silence was broken by his car phone ringing.
“Where are you?” Yoni said in a demanding tone.
“I’m on Interstate 280,” Yudke stammered.
“What are you doing there? Actually, forget it. Come here. I have more details for you.”
Half an hour later, Yudke was sitting in the secure room at the consulate.
“I understand that your security officer filled you in on Nurit’s arrest,” Yoni began cautiously.
“All he told me was that she was arrested during an FBI operation.”
Yoni filled him in.
“How could she do such things?” Yudke could barely respond. He bowed his head, feeling as though he’d been smacked in the face.
“I know it must be very hard for you, Yudke,” Yoni said softly. “If there’s anything we can do to help, just ask.”
“Can I see her? Talk to her? Can I visit her? Where is she?” Yudke tried to organize his emotions. “I owe it to myself and the kids,” he explained.
“I’ll try to arrange it. I hope it’ll be possible once they finish the investigation. I’ll let you know as soon as we get permission,” he said and got up to walk Yudke to the exit. By the door, he added, “You’ll be okay,” and threw his arm around Yudke’s shoulder.
When Yoni returned to his office, he took an envelope out of his desk drawer. It contained photographs of a naked man and woman. He looked at them with a mixture of compassion and disgust and then shoved them in the shredder. Enough people have been hurt, he thought. There’s no reason to destroy Gideon too.
46.
Yudke and Gideon had grown closer since Nurit’s arrest just a few weeks earlier, and they met at least once a week to combine their two projects and integrate it into the missile defense system that would serve both the United States and Israel. They shared a professional interest, but not only. They also needed each other for support.
They sat together in Gideon’s office. “I heard that your contract’s been renewed,” Yudke said. “Well done.”
“Thanks to Dr. Deutsch… What about you? Are you staying on?”
“No. I’m tying up the ends of the project, and then I’m returning to Israel. The kids deserve to have me with them at this time.” Yudke’s eyes filled with tears.
“And Nurit?” Gideon dared to ask.
“Well, you know we’ve separated,” Yudke said. “All that’s left is the official procedure at the rabbinate in San Francisco.”
“Yes, I see. I’m sorry for what you’ve been through. What’s going to happen to her?” Gideon asked, trying to keep his voice steady and hide his feelings.
“Yoni told me that the investigation isn’t over yet. He hinted that both countries are trying to keep the whole thing quiet…” Yudke tried to remain businesslike. “The prosecution will demand a four-year sentence, and a lot will depend on the talents of her lawyer, who’s one of the best in San Francisco. Nurit’s paying him from the funds she received from the Iranians,” Yudke added bitterly. “The best option for her, after serving time, will be to stay in Berkeley after she finishes her doctorate. She’ll be happy if the faculty heads offer her a post-doctorate study. There’s nothing for her in Israel…”
Gideon didn’t respond. All he could think was how fortunate he was to have a wife like quiet, faithful Suzy. He tried not to think about Nurit.
Just then, the phone rang and interrupted them. It was Yoni. “Great news,” he said after Gideon put him on speakerphone. “The FBI and the Pentagon have decided to celebrate the end of the investigation. We’re having a get-together at O’Connor’s office in San Francisco. The three of us are invited, and they promised to have surprises for us. Good surprises for a change, they said. I promised to make sure you’re both there. Don’t disappoint me.”
***
Yoni led Gideon and Yudke to John O’Connor’s office. He obviously felt at home.
“Welcome!” O’Connor greeted them. “I’m so glad you’re here.” He introduced them to two of the three men sitting around the table: General Malcom Milson, the deputy director of MDA, and Aldo Pearce, the deputy director of the FBI’s National Security Branch. Dr. Deutsch was there too.
“Great to see you again, Gideon. And, Dr. Avni, how wonderful to put a face to the name,” General Milson said with a smile.
“Please, everyone, allow me to open this important meeting with a few words,” O’Connor said. “We are here to mark the successful conclusion of the operation to eliminate the espionage and intelligence network established by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards here in the United States.” He stopped for a moment and looked around, focusing on Gideon and Yudke. “We succeeded in locating the Iranian agents who Ryan Davis’s—or should I say, Rustam Davidian’s—operators. We captured Dr. Chaliand from France and Nurit Avni from Israel.” O’Connor glanced at Yudke. “We arrested the managers of the investment company in New York, which is owned by the Revolutionary Guards, and finally—with the help of Dr. Ben-Ari’s sharp wits—we found the mole at SRI. Today, we know just how central Ryan Davis was to the Iranian network. It was he who uncovered the Abrahams family’s Achilles’ heel. The young scientist from a Jewish family was below suspicion, and no one would have suspected him.” O’Connor stopped and looked at Deutsch. “None of us have any complaints against SRI for not discovering the mole sooner, and it was only thanks to Dr. Ben-Ari’s alertness that Abrahams was exposed.”
Gideon glanced at Deutsch’s face, which had turned gray.
“Another of Ryan Davis’s achievements was recruiting Dr. Francois Chaliand from Berkeley, and Nurit Avni later on. They were both able to obtain important and vital information for the Iranians…” O’Connor shook his head. “But that’s all in the past. The Iranian network operating on the West Coast no longer exists,” he said proudly, “and this impressive accomplishment could not have been achieved without a few exceptional and determined people who are devoted to the defense of their country. In honor of these individuals, Israelis and Americans, I propose a toast.”
O’Connor’s secretary, who’d been sitting to his left taking notes, stood up and poured chilled champagne into tall glasses. “Three people here,” O’Connor continued as she handed each of them a glass, “contributed beyond the call of duty, and for that, we would like to pay them tribute: Dr. Gerald Deutsch, Dr. Gideon Ben-Ari, and Dr. Yehuda Avni. General Milson, would you like to say a few words?”
“Yes, John, thank you,” the general replied. “The secretary of defense asked me to convey our thanks first and foremost to Dr. Ben-Ari, for his personal involvement in identifying the Iranian network and for his extraordinary efforts in uncovering the members of the cell, which led to their arrest. The secretary of defense also asked me to thank Dr. Deutsch and Dr. Avni for their help in capturing the network members. Other than all that, the secretary would like to stress the importance of the advanced technology being developed at SRI and New Horizons for our new missile defense system. I’d like to make another toast to the impressive achievement of improving this system and
to the success of the project. Everyone!”
The second glass of champagne completed the general’s speech, and they smiled as they looked at the three scientists. “Mr. Pearce, sir.” O’Connor turned Aldo Pearce. “The stage is yours.”
On the table, in front of Pearce, there were three large brown envelopes. From one, Pearce pulled out an official brown card with the FBI’s logo on it.
“Dr. Ben-Ari,” he began. “I would like to grant you this medal from the Department of Defense and from the FBI.” He stood up and shook Gideon’s hand, which was trembling with excitement.
“Dr. Deutsch,” General Milson said after being handed the other two envelopes. “You are awarded this medal jointly, from the Department of Defense and the FBI.”
Gerald Deutsch jumped up in excitement to shake Milson’s hand.
“Dr. Avni, the FBI and Department of Defense would like to award you this medal.” Yudke stood up, smiling in embarrassment, and received a firm handshake from General Milson.
“With your permission,” John O’Connor said, “I’d like to add a few words of my own, about the end of the operation. It won’t take up too much of your time.” He waited for silence, clearing his throat before beginning to speak.
“Ryan Davis, as you all know, died of heart failure in his car near his home. He will no longer be a part of any of our enemies’ future networks. The Iranian contacts, Farid Madhani and Arash Jafari, the cell operators, were detained and investigated at length by us. We learned a great deal about how they entered the United States illegally and how their espionage network was built. After they spend many years in jail, they will be deported to Iran.”
O’Connor looked around. “Dr. Frank Miles and Mr. Edward Richman, senior executives of the Iranian investment company, were arrested not only for espionage but for currency offenses too. We expect them, too, to be deported to Iran after serving time. Nurit Avni was also arrested, and the doctoral student William Abrahams, who Dr. Ben-Ari identified as an agent for the Revolutionary Guards, is being detained and will stand trial. Abrahams was a mole for several years before he began working for SRI under the direction of Ryan Davis. We salute you, Dr. Ben-Ari. The Abrahams interrogation has yielded invaluable intelligence on the methods the Revolutionary Guards use to recruit agents, and we are already using this information to deal with other projects.”
