Avraham Azrieli - The Jerusalem Assassin

“Comedy?”

“You could read his pontification as joking about how our scriptures-everyone’s scriptures, in fact-can be read to support contradictory agendas, how the righteous can find divine authority in the scriptures for anything one wants to preach-love and hate, forgiveness and revenge, peace and war. You can find words in the Torah or Talmud, in the Koran or the New Testament, to proclaim God’s divine support of your agenda, whatever it is-and I say this from experience.”

They reached the entrance to the apartment building where Benjamin lived. He leaned against the stone wall, as if feeling weak. “But Talmud is the absolute truth, right?”

“Absolute truth is in the eye of the beholder.” Rabbi Gerster pointed upstairs. “Itah Orr is helping me investigate the truth.”

“ Here?”

“ No. Outside of Neturay Karta. This community is now your responsibility. Should something happen-”

“To you?”

“To me. To others. Events might take unexpected turns. Our community includes some of the most feverish minds. In times of political upheaval, emotions tend to spike up. A few of our people might erroneously breach our tradition of insular Talmud studying and devout prayer. They might advocate political subversion and impious violence. As leader of Neturay Karta, you must face those hotheads decisively. You must smother each fire before it spreads.”

“ But you will help me, yes?”

“ I know your strengths.” He patted Benjamin’s bearded cheek. “And I know your weaknesses. But this is a time for strength only. God is testing our community, while the secular society around us tears itself apart over the Oslo Accords. Israel is in the midst of political crisis of the worst kind.”

“ That’s no surprise,” Benjamin said. “Zionism has always been a rebellion against God, so how could it succeed?”

“ There’s time for gleefulness, and there’s time for a clear mind. Do not heed your heart, even when it feels broken.”

“ By your absence?”

“ Or by what people might say about me.”

Benjamin’s face was white against the darkness. “I don’t understand!”

“ All I’m saying is that, as a leader, your duty is to keep our men’s noses in their books of Talmud and out of the news, no matter what happens to me.”

*

Down in the bowels of Zurich’s central railway station, they stood on the platform while the train to Amsterdam hissed with pressurized air. Tanya held on to him. “I don’t want to lose you again. What if they come after you?”

“ You’re the one being hunted.” Lemmy glanced at his watch. “There is a reason to this madness. Could it be the fortune hidden in my bank?”

“ But no one knows about it except Elie, Abraham, me, and you.”

“ Maybe the Shin Bet is running a high-stake operation in Israel, and Elie somehow figured out what they’re up to? Or the other way around-Shin Bet has stumbled on a rogue SOD operation?”

“ But Elie is locked up. Why would Shin Bet engage in something so outrageous as going after me?”

“ They probably suspect that, when you apprehended him in Paris, Elie told you what’s going on. And we must assume they’re not just speculating. Something triggered their extreme reaction. Try to remember. Did he say anything?”

“ Not a word. But even if that’s what they’re worried about, I mean, for the Shin Bet to break the law by going to Europe, putting a tail on me and disabling my team-”

“ To isolate you, they had to break your chain of command.”

“ They could go to jail for this!”

“ What if they already broke the law? What if it’s a big enough operation that, relatively speaking, this infraction is negligible, especially if they’re afraid you’ll expose their operation?”

“ Pure speculations.” Tanya gestured in dismissal. “For me to go to the media, it would have to be a revolution, a coup d’etat.”

The flow of passengers dwindled, and the conductors started slamming doors.

“This is wrong. I shouldn’t run away.” She straightened her coat. “I should call headquarters in Jerusalem, find out-”

“Didn’t you hear what Number One said? Use all means to extract what she knows. That’s not a vague aphorism.”

“ It’s crazy. I’m too senior to toy with like that.”

“ Don’t call anyone. We first have to find out why Shin Bet has thrown caution to the wind.”

“ I won’t hide from my own government.”

“ Please, do it for me. For old times’ sake.”

Tanya sighed.

“ When you reach Amsterdam, take a room at the American Hotel, near Leidseplein. I’ll arrive tomorrow, and we’ll plan our next move.”

“I could call Rabin directly. We go back a long way.”

“Don’t fool yourself. Nobody is safe. Not even the prime minister.”

She hugged him, and he put his arms around her narrow waist. He felt dizzy. Tanya! Almost unchanged but for a few wrinkles around the eyes and strands of silver in her hair. He had locked away the memory of her face a lifetime ago, banned it from his mind, yet here she was, green eyes glistening over high cheekbones, thinly drawn lips that curved into a worried smile.

A whistle blew.

He saw a man run through the doors leading to the platform. “Get on the train!”

A conductor reached to shut the last door, waiting as Tanya mounted the three steps.

“ Halt! ” The man ran along the train.

“ I’ll call you,” Lemmy said. “What name will you be using?”

“Frau Koenig,” she said.

The conductor noticed the advancing man and held the door while the train began to move.

“It’s her husband,” Lemmy said to the conductor. “He’s very angry! Go! Quick!”

The conductor grinned and slammed the door.

The man tried to open another door, jogging beside the moving train toward Lemmy, who extended his leg and tripped him.

“ Ah! ”

“ Oops!” Lemmy caught the falling man, and with a subtle, rapid jolt to the back of the head turned him unconscious. “So sorry.”

Laying him carefully on the concrete floor, Lemmy glanced up and down the tracks, now deserted. He pulled the man’s wallet and found a driver’s license with a Zurich address and a business card of an office supply firm. The soft hands, genuine Tissot gold watch, and extended belly made it unlikely he was an Israeli agent. Or was he? Lemmy could take no chances. Tanya’s life was on the line. Maybe even his own.

A moment later two railway employees showed up. He told them the man had tripped while chasing the departing train, and they called for help.

*

Christopher lived in a condo not far from the bank. Lemmy entered behind a cheerful group of young men and women on their way to a party. He carried a gift-wrapped box of Schmerling’s chocolate. On the fourth floor, he rang Christopher’s doorbell.

“Who is it?” His assistant’s voice was muffled.

“Your boss.”

“Herr Horch?” Three locks turned before Christopher opened the door. He was still in his work suit, but the tie was loose, the shoes unlaced, and the beer bottle half-empty.

“ That’s for you.” Lemmy gave him the box of chocolate, forcing him to balance it in his left hand. “I apologize for surprising you like this, but as we approach a change of guard at the bank, I wanted to show my appreciation for your efforts.”

“ Thank you.”

“ And I also wanted to see how you live.” Lemmy smiled. “After all, as my assistant on the top floor, you’ll have access to a great deal of wealth. We don’t want another strange Gunter, right?”

Christopher put down the box of chocolate on a small table by the door. “Yes, I understand.”

“ So? Are you going to invite me in?”