“I need help… I feel so sick,” said Ofer as his thoughts clouded. “Call Yoav,” he whispered.
“What Yoav?” asked Gali.
“Yoav Tzuri… his number is in my phone. It’s the number we tried to call earlier.”
Gali didn’t waste any time. She shoved her hand into Ofer’s pants pocket and took the cell phone out. She hurried to dial.
This time Yoav answered after two rings. “Where are you, Ofer? I’ve been going crazy looking for you.”
“Is this Yoav Tzuri?” asked Gali.
“Yes, and who are you?”
“Gali Shviro.”
“You don’t say? What a pleasant surprise. We haven’t seen each other for over ten years.”
“Forget about that now, Yoav. I’m with Ofer.”
“Where is he? I need to see him urgently.”
“Right here beside me. He’s feeling unwell. He asked me to call you. His condition is terrible.”
“Touch his forehead. Does he have a fever? Is he vomiting?”
“Yes, he’s burning up. What happened to him?”
“He’s full of a deadly virus. His life is in immediate danger.”
“What can we do?”
“That’s it, there’s no time. What a shame, just when we discovered that there might be a cure.”
“What is he saying?” Ofer whispered, feeling that he was about to lose consciousness any moment.
“He’s saying that there might be a cure.”
“Let me speak to him.” Ofer breathed heavily. “Yoav…”
“Listen. You’ve got to hang in there. I just talked to Professor Zissou. I’ve been looking for you like crazy. He received a call from a colleague of his, Dr. Ella Golan from the Virus Research Center. She received a substance she first assumed to be the deadly virus itself. It turns out it’s an anti-viral medication. The long and short of it is, somewhere in Israel, someone has managed to develop an antidote for this special virus. You’ve got to hang in there. I have a cure for you, man. UUVAR1, that’s what it’s called.”
“Say the name again.” Ofer spat the remains of the vomit from his mouth and breathed heavily.
Yoav repeated the name.
“We’re at the place where it’s being manufactured… the Viromedical factory. They have this substance… My father was the one who began to develop it.”
“Do you have access to it?”
“I think I do.”
“Really? Get a hold of it. Let me speak with Gali. If it’s possible, inject it in yourself. The sooner the better. Do you still have the syringe I gave you?”
“Inject… isn’t that dangerous?”
“Yes, inject. Don’t hesitate. Time is of the essence, you’ve got nothing to lose.”
“Where’s the test tube?” Ofer asked Gali. He threw up on himself once more.
Fliegelman and Alush stood by and watched. They had no idea how they could contribute to scene that unfolded in front of their eyes.
“I have a syringe in my pocket,” Ofer whispered, “Where’s the test tube?”
“Why? What do you want to do?”
“Yoav said… Dr. Golan… says that it has a cure for the virus that’s killing me.”
Gali didn’t wait even a single second. She moved away from everyone to the darkest corner, reached her hand deep inside the pocket of her pants and took out a small object. She came back holding what looked like lipstick. She twisted the base of the object and moved it closer to her mouth.
“What are you doing, Gali? This is no time to put on your makeup!” Ofer said, his face twisting with pain.
Gali didn’t answer, she just bit the stick of lip balm and said, “After being kidnapped, I hid the test tube in a place no one would think of. My lip balm… Where’s the syringe?”
“In my pocket.”
Gali hurried and took it out of Ofer’s pocket. She removed the plastic cover, pushed the needle into the cork of the test tube she had removed from her lip balm and drew the liquid into the syringe.
“Yoav, how much should I inject?” she cried out into Ofer’s cell phone.
“Start with one cc.”
“You know what to do?” asked Ofer with the last ounce of his strength. His body began to convulse. He was overcome with spasms.
“Yes. Relax, please. I was a medic in the army.” She took his arm, rested it on her knees and searched for the vein. When she found it, she skillfully pushed the needle in and emptied the syringe into his body.
Ofer’s head dropped to the side.
“Hang in there, Ofer.” Tears burst from her eyes. “I’m begging you, hang in there…”
Fliegelman came to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
An ambulance was approaching, sirens wailing.
Fliegelman said, “They’ll fix him up… don’t worry… he’ll be in the hoshpital in no time.”
Chapter 54
A flock of sparrows sang and leaped on the windowsill facing the Nahalat Binyamin pedestrian mall, as if the early morning hours would last forever and all cares would be chased away from the world.
Gali was sprawled on the spacious bed, the soles of her feet were sticking out of the blanket and gently caressing the flowered sheets. She emitted murmuring sounds of late morning awakening but refused to fully wake up. A woman’s touch could do wonders with this place, thought Ofer as he examined the disorganized organization of his apartment.
A few minutes later there was a knock on the door.
“Who is it?” asked Ofer.
“Mansherov.”
Ofer hastened to open the door.
Mr. Mansherov stood before him. Beneath his large skullcap was an even larger bandage, but it seemed as if the wound was not bothering him at all. His smile was so wide it could actually be tied behind his neck. He tried to get inside enthusiastically, but Ofer stopped him and whispered, “Sorry, but I’m not alone.”
“Got it…” Mansherov scratched his head and quickly retreated. “Anyway, I’ve brought you the newspaper. I’m sure you’ll find it interesting. And now,” he raised his voice, making sure his words were also heard inside the apartment, “let’s see if you can deny the existence of God, young man.”
“I’m not denying anything, and I thank both you and the Almighty.” Ofer hurried to close the door and opened the newspaper with excitement.
On the front page, there was a large, loud headline:
Ten Years After His Murder—Biological Institute Employee Is Cleared. Read the Full Story on page 6
Ofer feverishly turned the pages. The photo of his father standing in the shadow of a snowy mountain and staring at distant views was spread all over the length of page 6. The caption mentioned that attorney Gideon Geller, principal of Geller, Schneider and Associates, was arrested in connection with this affair. Additionally, it was written that several high ranking officials in the Ministries of Health and Defense and executives in several additional corporate and governmental bodies were being investigated to determine their part in the scandal.
The investigative journalist wrote that “The new and alarming discoveries were just the tip of the iceberg. These discoveries, which continue to accumulate, will cause a real earthquake regarding some very sensitive national security-related issues.”
“What’s it say?” asked Gali when she saw Ofer’s face stuck between the pages of the newspaper he was reading with fervor.
“Here, see for yourself,” he said and handed her the newspaper.
“Come to me,” she told him.
Ofer willingly obliged.
“How much time has passed? Can you believe that less than forty-eight hours ago you were almost a corpse?” asked Gali, her eyes scanning the headlines.
“Not really. It all seems like a distant illusion. I still don’t understand how we found ourselves in the middle of all this madness.”
“I need to ask you something,” said Gali.
“Go ahead, shoot.”
“I want to kno
w why the Georgian bear came to rescue me and you didn’t come yourself?”
“You think I could have broken the door and neutralized your kidnapper?”
“Probably not. I’m not sure you’re properly equipped for such a task,” said Gali and felt the muscles of his arm. Her eyes sparkled, as they did whenever she recalled something. Ofer thought he knew what she had just remembered, but she said, “Did you manage to understand why they wanted to win the tender so badly?”
“Of course. The factory would become a private company, which doesn’t belong to the state, and Brick and Friedman would become its only masters. They planned to continue to sell toxins and control the viruses; they didn’t intend to destroy them. When you are running the factory that contains the secret laboratory, you can do whatever you want with the knowledge and the inventory. They figured they’d make a fortune selling the viruses to the highest bidder.”
“Who would buy them?”
“Who wouldn’t?” Ofer chuckled. “The world is full of crazy people. South Korea, for instance. Third world countries, such as Somalia, and those are only examples. Each such country would do anything to get its hands on biological weapons. And when buying the virus, they would also spend a fortune on the antidote, the vaccine that would protect their own people in case they became infected.”
“How come they didn’t change the name of the vaccine? One would think they’d be a little bit more careful after stealing an invention from one of their employees.”
“I guess they assumed enough time had passed. That was our lucky break. My lucky break, actually. Without that medicine, my address today would have been plot seven, row B, second pathway, the Yarkon Cemetery. When my father was developing the vaccine, he still did not fully realize its vast potential. He thought about developing the viral mutation without understanding it could be the cure. That’s why he chose the initials UUVAR1—Upgraded, Updated Variola. He was ahead of his time… But I’m bothered by something else—I know that Rodety, Brick and Friedman killed my father with Geller’s help and backup. But why did Harsovsky murder Natalia?”
“She simply knew too much,” ruled Gali. “And why were they after you?”
“I think they suspected I stole the money Harsovsky had given Rodety because I was the last one in his hotel room. That was why the messenger I hung in the restroom stall broke into my apartment. He couldn’t find the money and stole the carpet to make it appear like a regular break-in. From there, he continued to Natalia’s apartment, took care of her and rolled her in the carpet. He never imagined the two events would be connected. But why did he think I might have the test tube?”
“I gave that a lot of thought. Harsovsky must have tapped Friedman’s or Brick’s phones, maybe even both. They even imply that in the newspapers. That’s how the report reached Harsovsky, and he gave instructions to follow you. Here, look… they say Harsovsky’s death is also being investigated, and the police found documents and recordings that tie him to this entire affair.”
“That Harsovsky was a real piece of shit,” Ofer couldn’t contain himself any longer.
“I agree. He certainly fooled me. He competed with Brick and Friedman over Viromedical. He pretended he cared about environmental issues to improve his chances.”
“That’s why they sent someone to kill him at the association assembly.”
“Miraculously enough, this incident ended up without many casualties. I still don’t understand how I was able to escape this one.”
“But apparently Harsovsky didn’t stay down for long. That’s why he demonstrated his power and attacked Brick’s yacht as a warning. He hoped that Brick would get the message and withdraw from his efforts to win the factory.”
“They didn’t exactly invent kindheartedness and mercy either. They ended up sending him to heaven.”
“Then the mighty Fliegelman ‘shent’ them to the same exact place.”
“Fliegelman is an angel. Who would’ve believed it? He saved us both with his own hands…”
They grew silent and thoughtful.
“It’s a shame, really. Harsovsky had promised to continue to donate hefty amounts to the association… by the way, where did the money he gave to Rodety end up?” asked Gali.
“It’s here. With me in a suitcase. It’s always with me and I’m always with it. Now we can start planning how to spend it.” Ofer cuddled in Gali’s thin, warm hands and imagined a thousand bills fluttering like greenish butterflies all over the room.
“Are you kidding me? Come Monday, we start working on the Israeli Military Industries site in Ramat Hasharon.”
“Who’s we?”
“You and me… and the Mordechai Angel Association, formerly known as ‘The Environmental Action Association’ that has just now changed its name.”
Ofer looked at her burning brown eyes as tears welled in the corners of his own, but he reminded himself of his promise—he would never cry again.
“We can give this money to the association, right?” asked Gali.
“Of course. You yourself said that’s what Harsovsky would have done, make another generous donation. Why shouldn’t we fulfill his last wish?”
He kissed her on the mouth, not allowing her to answer. She clung to him. Ofer ran his hand over her smooth tanned leg, from the thigh all the way down to the sole of her foot.
“Don’t you dare… to even think about… pinching my ankle,” Gali whispered.
Acknowledgements
In order to envision the difficulties that writing a thriller entails, imagine yourselves facing the task of solving a sixty five thousand word crossword puzzle. That’s the easy task. The difficult one is causing the reader to be unable to put down the book. From my experience, one can’t successfully undertake such a task without the support and aid of others. Therefore, I would like to thank the following people, who offered their time and effort to help me in the process of publishing this book:
To Julie MacKenzie for her wonderful and smart English editing and proofreading. To Amnon Jackont for the thorough and learned editing, to Tamar Bialik and the rest of the publishing house’s employees for their dedication and professionalism, to Amira Nevo for the meticulous linguistic editing, to all my friends who read the manuscript and didn’t spare me their creative criticism: to Attorney Shmulik Zysman for his encouragement and wise suggestions for corrections, to Professor Lior Shapira for his explanations and updates regarding the field of medicine, to Shlomi Reizman for his practical remarks, which improved the book to no end, and last, but not least: to my dear wife Iris Aharoni for her ongoing support and willingness to accept my strange desire to write books.
Comments can be sent to:
[email protected] Table of Contemts
Prologue
Chapter1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Cha
pter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Acknowledgements
Erez Aharoni, Fire in a Haystack: A Thrilling Novel
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