Faye Kellerman - Sanctuary

An opportunity not to be lost! Rina took a deep breath and walked briskly over to the elevators. She was fast, but not fast enough.

Orly shouted at her to come over.

Rina turned around and lowered her shades slightly. She spoke in rapid English. “Areyoutalkin’tome?”

Orly seemed perplexed. She attempted to speak English. “You get badge first.”

“I’ve already got my badge,” Rina fired out in a high voice. “I was here yesterday and I still have it in my purse.” She pulled out a piece of paper, held it up for a split second, and pushed the elevator button. “I didn’t want to wear it ’cause it punches holes in the clothes, you know. I hate that. But if you really want me to wear it, I can do it. Like if it’s really important to you.”

The young man tapped his foot impatiently. Orly asked him if he understood her. The young man shook his head. The elevator dinged. Rina held the door and stepped in. “See ya.”

The doors closed and that was that. Once inside, Rina lowered her skirt, folded her hair into a bun. She tucked in her blouse and got out on the third floor. Immediately, she saw the guard down the hallway, posted in front of a room.

With feigned confidence, she went up to him, opting to keep the shades because it made her look official.

“Police,” Rina said, in Hebrew. “I need to speak to the boy-Gil Yalom.”

“ID.”

Now what? Rina fished through her purse. Hoping the guard couldn’t read English, she brought out her rental-car contract. “My official papers to interview him.”

The guard said, “This is in English.”

Rina appeared exasperated. “Of course they’re in English. I’m the liaison between the American and Israeli police departments. Bomb division. Northwest-Tel Aviv. Sgan Nitzav Kreisman’s office. You heard what happened this morning at the Bursa, didn’t you?”

The guard’s cheeks took a blush.

“Ach!” Rina said. “You haven’t heard. No wonder you don’t know what’s going on.” She snatched the rental-car contract out of his hands. “These papers allow me to interview Gil Yalom and search his car. He has a Subaru. See here?” Rina showed him the contract. “Subaru. This is the model number and the license plates. Can’t go around searching cars without knowing which cars to search.”

She shoved the contract back in her purse and snapped it shut. “I’m pressed for time. Shalom.”

The guard let her pass.

She stepped inside the room. Her heart sank. Another guard posted on the inside. He sat up when he saw Rina, started coming toward her, blocking her view of Gil Yalom as well as Moshe and Tziril Yalom, who were keeping vigil by their grandson’s bedside.

“I have papers.” Once again, Rina took out the contract. The guard grabbed them and read.

“Nice,” the guard said in accented English. “You rent a Subaru.” He grabbed her arm. “You’re under arrest.”

Tziril Yalom stood and came to her defense. “Are you crazy? Let her go. I know her. She is a very nice young lady.”

The guard continued to hold Rina. “My strict orders were not to let anyone in here other than relatives. Orders are orders-”

“Orders are orders? So this is the Third Reich?” Tziril came up to him and whacked him on the shoulder. “I tell you I know this young woman. She came here to help. Let her go!”

“Only relatives, g’veret. Sorry, but-”

“She is my illegitimate daughter,” Moshe Yalom announced.

All eyes fell upon him.

“It happens to the best of us.” Yalom shrugged. “Just ask anyone at the Bursa. I took her there yesterday and introduced everyone to her as my daughter.”

The guard laughed. “You expect me to believe that?”

“Yes, I do,” Yalom said gravely.

The guard continued to hold Rina, but looked at Moshe. “Then why didn’t you say that in the first place?”

“I should embarrass my wife by making such an announcement out loud?” Yalom retorted. “Let her go. She is a relative.”

Reluctantly, the guard released Rina’s arm.

Rina shook off her indignity. “Thank you.” She took off her glasses, went over to Gil Yalom’s bedside and hugged Tziril. “Thank you.”

“I should thank you,” the woman said. “Moti Bernstein told us what your husband did yesterday at the yeshiva.” Tziril hugged her again. “You married a very brave man.”

Rina swallowed dryly. “Mrs. Yalom, he sent me here because he was concerned about Gil.”

“You need to talk to him, don’t you?” Tziril said.

Rina nodded.

Grandmother looked at grandson. Rina studied Gil. Peter had told her that Gil had been in a state of shock. But the teenager Rina saw was alert. He stared at her for a long time, intense eyes sizing up her worth. Rina smiled at him, but it failed to elicit a response.

Finally, Tziril spoke, “Gil, this woman is here to help. You need to tell her what you know.”

Gil didn’t answer.

“Gil-”

“I heard, Savta,” Gil whispered.

Rina sat by his bedside. Gil was more young man than boy. His full beard had yet to come in completely, but patches of stubble shadowed his lip and cheeks. His cheeks were gaunt, his eyes tired. Rina waited a moment, then tried another smile. He still didn’t smile back, but this time it got a response.

Gil looked at his grandparents and spoke Hebrew. “I need to be alone with her.”

Moshe Yalom stood and said, “I can use a cup of coffee.” He took his wife’s hand and they walked out the door. Gil watched them leave, then turned his eyes to Rina. In English, he said, “My savta tells me you’re the cop’s wife? The one who saved the yeshiva.”

Rina nodded. The boy’s voice was low and soft. Rina could tell the guard was straining to hear.

“How’d he know I was there?”

“Luck. We were searching all the ba’alei tchuvah yeshivas. Actually, we were looking to find Dov. We were told he’d been frum a while back.”

“Yeah, my dad took care of that one real quick.”

The sarcasm was dripping. Rina kept her voice soft. “Is that why you sent your grandparents out? You didn’t want them to hear negative things about your father?”

Gil didn’t respond, just peered at her. Then he said, “Am I going to be extradited to LA?”

“I don’t know if extradited is the right word. Sergeant Decker was sent here to take you and your brother back to Los Angeles.”

Gil looked at the ceiling. “In a way, it’s a relief. I shouldn’t have left in the first place. But in a panic you make bad decisions.”

“Why didn’t you go to the police?”

“I had reasons.”

Rina moved closer and spoke softly. “Your dad warned you off with the porcelain dogs.”

“Not my dad, my mom-” Gil stopped talking. His eyes widened. “Shit, you know everything, don’t you?” He waited a beat. “You know, your husband almost had me killed by finding me. They were following him to get to me.”

“By they, do you mean Milligan’s men?”

Gil whitened at the mention of her name. “They were using your husband to find me. He played perfectly into their plans. Is he stupid or what?”

Rina knew it had been the reverse. Milligan had located Gil before they had. She had planted the bomb in the yeshiva in order to draw Decker there and away from her intended target-the Bursa. But she played along. “Milligan was out for you because you knew too much.”

Gil nodded.

“We know a lot, too, Gil,” Rina told him. “We know about the stocks and land deeds in Angola that your father owned. We know Milligan wanted those assets and your father wouldn’t sell them to her at the price she wanted. So she had your parents killed, figuring you two boys might be easier to deal with. But you two escaped before she had her chance. She came here looking to find you.”