Fire in a Haystack: A Thrilling Novel (Legal Mystery Book Book 1) (26 page)

Chapter 44

“So you guys are from the General Security Service?” asked Ofer.

The talker turned to him and burst out laughing. His laughter sounded like the bellow of a bull in heat. “You like puzzles, huh? Yeah. Sure. We’re from the General Security Service.”

“You see?” Gali whispered in his ear before they were separated and seated on the floor facing each other and with their backs against the wall.

“Show us your IDs,” said Ofer out loud, trying to make eye contact with the silent one as well.

“IDs, huh? We didn’t have a chance to pass through the office today. We came straight from home to pick you and your cute girlfriend up. We didn’t even have a chance to punch the time clock yet.”

“So why are your faces covered?” Ofer continued. He noticed that Gali grimaced when she heard his questions.

“So that an oversized ass such as you will have something to ask,” said the talker then raised his leg and kicked Ofer right in the chin.

Ofer’s lips began to bleed and one of his teeth was loosened.

“The show’s over,” the kidnapper continued.

To make sure Ofer understood, he bent and, while leaning slightly forward, slapped Ofer’s face as hard as he could. The loose tooth was now hanging by a thread. Ofer didn’t have a chance to recover before the kidnapper kicked his face again. Now the tooth separated for good from his gums. Ofer spat it out, dripping and covered with blood. 

“What do you want from me?” asked Ofer, trying to remain lucid despite the pain.

“You know what we want. You’ve already been asked, but you enjoy being a wise guy. We asked your girlfriend, but apparently she’s made of the same material. We want to know where the test tube is.”

“What test tube?” asked Ofer.

The talker came to Ofer, raised him to his feet and pushed him against the wall. The quiet one hurried after him and began to punch Ofer’s entire body. He treated him like a punching bag, hitting him with both hands, left right, right left, with growing speed. Only his eyes could be seen through the holes in the ski mask. Ofer recognized madness in those eyes. Within seconds, he was lying on the floor again, twitching and groaning from pain.

“If you’re not going to talk, then maybe your girlfriend will,” said the talker. He went over to Gali and pulled her roughly from the floor. He leaned her against the bare wall and tore her shirt off.

Ofer could see, through the veil of tears that covered his eyes, how her chest was rising and falling.

“So what do you say, sweetheart? Do you have something to tell us or maybe you prefer to get the same treatment your boyfriend just received? Perhaps you enjoy making out with your hands tied?” He caressed her chest and tore her bra roughly, exposing her breasts.  “This is just the beginning, the tease, as they say on television,” said the talker.

The quiet one now approached Gali as well.

Ofer felt rage welling in him. “Cut it out, you sons of bitches,” he screamed as loud as he could. “Cut it out… you’ll pay for this.” His screams echoed from the walls and reverberated in the sealed space.

“You’re threatening us, eh?” the talker said, chuckling.

He cupped Gali’s breasts with his hands and began to massage them. She bit her lips and closed her eyes. He left her breasts and tried to take off her pants. The close-fitting jeans were too tight, and her bound feet prevented him from continuing with his plan. He scratched his covered head.

The next thing they knew, the talker was opening the zipper of his pants. The silent one stepped aside, as if waiting for his turn. The first man drew closer to Gali, lifted his ski mask a bit, exposed his mouth and attached his lips to her neck. He passed his tongue across her neck. Gali shivered and tried in vain to move away.

He straightened up and said, “I’ll make you feel real good, lollipop. Until you or your friend remembers. You hear me? And if he doesn’t, my friend here will join the party. When was the last time two men spoiled you rotten at the same time?”

Gali didn’t answer, just tried to move her neck away from his threatening lips.

“And if you still don’t remember, we’ll fuck both him and his mother as well,” he detailed his plan aloud, making sure Ofer was getting all the details.

He took off his pants and let them drop to the floor. His underwear bulged in front of their eyes. Apparently, he found the situation to be highly arousing.  

Ofer realized what was about to take place. He had no doubt. Some things, a man just doesn’t take out unless he intends to use them.

The kidnapper grabbed Gali’s hair with a sudden movement and pulled her down. Ofer couldn’t take it any longer.

“I’ll tell you… I’ll tell you where the test tube is,” he screamed.

The kidnapper let go of Gali’s hair, and she straightened up again. Her face was wet with tears.

“Don’t tell him,” said Gali. “Don’t tell the bastard anything.”

Ofer didn’t listen to her. “I’ll tell you,” he said once more.

“Well, talk already.”

“Let us go and I’ll talk.”

“Only God can let you go now. Do you want us to continue? You’re playing games with us?”

“No, no games. I know where the test tube is, but you need to take us there.”

“Where is ‘there’?” the kidnapper asked.

“In Yavne. At the industrial area. In a place called Viromedical. That’s where we took it from. We hid it next to the factory. You’ll never find it by yourselves. If you take us there, I’ll give you what you want.”

The talker thought for a moment. He liked the idea. He put on his pants and closed the zipper. The immediate danger was over. Ofer emitted a sigh of relief.

The talker whispered with his friend and said, “All right, but if you’re lying, you’ll end up inside a shredder. Got it?”

“Of course I get it,” said Ofer. “I have another condition. You don’t touch the girl anymore and you take us out from this filthy room and put us someplace where we can actually breathe.”

“You have conditions, eh?” The kidnapper considered this for a moment. A few seconds later, he said, “All right, let’s get a move on.”

He gave some instructions to the quiet one and opened the door.

From the corner of his eye, Ofer saw a window and outside of it the evening skies that had darkened.

“Only you are coming with me. My friend will stay here to watch over your girlfriend. He’ll wait for my message. If you’re cheating us—he’ll know exactly what to do, is that clear?”

“Clear,” said Ofer. He glanced at Gali. She kept calm and didn’t even blink. “Give her a shirt,” he ordered the quiet one.

“Where will I bring her a shirt from?” Apparently he could speak after all.

“Take yours off.”

The quiet one was hesitating.

“Give her your shirt or I’m not going anywhere,” Ofer persisted.

“You’re not in a position to order us around,” said the quiet one but took off his shirt anyway and covered Gali’s shoulders with it. She grimaced when he buttoned it up and left her hands tied underneath the shirt. He wrapped duct tape around her head to cover her mouth again.

Meanwhile, the talker dragged Ofer to the elevator then from the elevator across the garage, where he pushed him inside the back of a commercial vehicle.

Ofer lay his head on the bench by his side. A small protrusion from the lower part of the seat pressed against his head and caused him pain. He got his face closer to it and tried to use it to take off the blindfold. The sharpened metal scratched his temple deeply.

The rag shifted a bit, and he was able to see a margosa tree and a fragment of a street sign, an image from a billboard and a small portion of an old building’s porch.

He recognized the area. He knew that street corner like the back of his hand. That’s where he regularly ate the best falafel in town. Homemade pita bread and mouthwatering delicious sauces. He realized he was very hungry.

He decided not to continue to try and remove the blindfold so as not to injure himself. He rested his head on the vehicle’s floor and waited.  

Chapter 45

“We’ve reached the place,” Ofer heard the talker saying in a sharp voice. “What now?”

Throughout the drive his mind was feverish with thought. What would he do once they got there? How would he escape from his kidnapper? And what would become of Gali, who had remained behind with the sadistic kidnapper?

The kidnapper dragged him roughly out of the car. The skies were dark; streetlights cast a pale light over the barren industrial area.

“Talk, where is it?”

A large gray structure could be seen a little ways off behind a high concrete wall. It had a strange-looking roof. Large and threatening graffiti was painted on its walls.
What kind of twisted mind would come up with such monsters?
Ofer asked himself.

He recognized the Viromedical signs in the distance. “We need to get inside. I know where I left the test tube. See that building over there?” He pointed at the large lump that protruded in the darkness. “It’s in the cellar there.” He had no other choice but to try and gain some time.

“OK. Come on. I’m releasing your feet. The hands remain tied. How do we get inside?”

The kidnapper released his lower limbs and Ofer began to walk, leading him to the building’s entrance. As they got closer, the painted monsters on the walls appeared even more terrifying, almost alive.
I sure hope there’s a cellar there
, Ofer prayed.

Not too far off, the flickering blue lights of a passing patrol car could be seen. The knowledge that the police were in the area comforted him a bit. Perhaps there was a real chance someone would actually rescue him.

Ofer noticed that the man had removed the ski mask from his head. He was careful to continue and stand behind him at all times so that Ofer would not see his face. It was clear to the kidnapper that this was not a place to be seen wearing a ski mask, in spite of the fact evening had already fallen and there wasn’t much traffic in the area.

He showed Ofer a glimpse of the gun that was concealed in his large hand. “One small mistake and this time I’ll use it,” he said.

“All right, all right,” Ofer attempted to settle him down. He was still hoping a miracle would happen and he could escape. But how the hell was he supposed to do that with his hands tied and a gun, clutched in the nervous hand of a test tube-obsessed maniac, against his temple?

The kidnapper took out his cell phone, dialed and reported, “We’ve reached the Viromedical factory in the Yavne industrial area. He claims it’s here.”  He listened briefly and then replied, “All right, I’m not moving an inch from him. I’ll wait for your phone call.”

They walked single file. The place was completely deserted. The patrol car was gone. No people or vehicles could be seen. They entered the building lobby. The place was filthy and looked abandoned.

Ofer felt a wave of nausea overcome him. “I’m about to throw up…” he tried to say, but before he could actually speak, murky liquids spewed from his mouth.

The kidnapper turned on a flashlight. Ofer should have guessed he would be equipped with one. His original plan to escape under the cover of darkness was now off the table.

The kidnapper did not relent. “You’ll have plenty more opportunities to throw up. The truth is, you’re making me feel sick as well. Come on,” he said and forced him to go down the stairs towards the cellar.

Ofer knew he wouldn’t get another chance. Ignoring the severe weakness that had struck him, after going down three steps he leaned his body forward as if he were about to fall. Then, swiftly, he moved back and, with his elbow, hit the flashlight with all the strength he could muster. The flashlight fell and rolled down the stairs. Ofer leaped after it and crushed it with his foot. It was easier than he thought it would be; cheap plastic, probably made in China. He escaped downstairs. The remains of spit and vomit dripped down his lips. He couldn’t wipe it off now, so he had no choice but to swallow it.

Suddenly, he stumbled and fell on his face.

He knew the kidnapper would run after him. He was not the sort of guy who gave up easily. Ofer barely managed to rise to his feet and continued to race away in the near absolute blackness, ignoring the pain in his back, the wounds on his shoulder and his battered ankle. He ran with his lips clenched and in the darkness felt along the wall with his hands. He advanced down a corridor and turned left at the first intersection he reached. He continued to move quickly down the wall. Then the wall ended and he felt he was touching a door. He opened it with a kick and went inside. Once inside, he went down on his knees and crawled across the floor.

A moment later, a sense of dread washed over him. He wasn’t alone.

The light of a flashlight flooded his eyes.
How was he able to restore the smashed flashlight to life?
The desperate thought ran through his head.
That’s it
, another thought came to him.
This is what the end looks like. You’ve been caught, and this time he won’t show you even a shred of mercy, he had specifically promised that
.   

“What are you doing here, Mr. Lawyer?”

There was no mistaking that voice. It was Morris Dahan.

“Be quiet. Turn off the flashlight immediately,” said Ofer.

“What’s wrong with you? No one can see the light outside,” said Morris.

“Morris, turn off the flashlight. They’re trying to kill me,” Ofer begged him. 

Morris acknowledged his request, the flashlight was turned off and Ofer rose up and stood next to him.

“Morris, they’re trying to take me out,” Ofer whispered in his ear. “I’m not here by myself. I’ve been kidnapped and they’re trying to kill me and my girlfriend.”

“I know, I got that, that’s why I’m here,” said Morris.

“How do you know?”

“Why do you think I’m here? You called me some time ago, didn’t you? You didn’t answer, but the line remained open, I heard your conversation with the bastards.”

“My phone is still on?”

“Yes. Where is it?”

“In my pocket.”

“So why don’t you turn it off?”

“My hands are tied.”

“So I’ll turn it off.” Morris reached his hand into Ofer’s pants pocket, took out the cell phone and closed it.

“Why are you wet?” asked Morris.

“I wet my pants,” said Ofer. “So how did you find me?”

“Ha…wet your pants… I just told you. The cell phone was open. I heard you and the girl were being interrogated and beaten up. It’s very easy to locate someone by tracking the location of his cell phone. I found out where you were being kept, and I immediately went there. Then I followed you here.”

“How did you manage to get the cell phone’s location?”

“Friends, your honor, friends. When your sister works for the cell phone company, you don’t need any other connections.”

“So why didn’t you call anyone?” Ofer continued to whisper.

“Who would I call, cutie? Who? The police? Don’t make me laugh, your honor. Besides, you told your interrogators they were from the General Security Service, so I didn’t know whether or not this was all a prank.”

“So how did you get here?”

“I followed you from the building you were interrogated in. They took you out of the elevator and tossed you in the back of a white SUV. I quickly found a cab and followed you. I saw the car arriving here. I saw him taking you out and both of you going to this building. I guessed that what you were looking for was in the cellar. You always hide the important stuff in the cellar. I ran to the second entrance, came down here and waited for you.”

“So what will we do about my girlfriend?”

“Where is she?” whispered Morris, adopting Ofer’s manner of speech.

“She’s tied up in the same place I just left.”

“Why did you tie her up?”

“It wasn’t me who tied her up, you idiot, it was the kidnappers.” 

“Got it. You didn’t explain it properly. Don’t be angry.”

“Now try to at least untie me.”

Morris tried to open the cable ties without any success.

“Forget about it, we’ll get them off later. I’ll hide here in the dark. We have to rescue Gali, my girlfriend. One kidnapper brought me here, and the other one is watching her in the shelter where I was. You go over there. Saving her is more important.”

“Don’t worry, Ofer, Ijou will be right there to rescue your girlfriend.” Judging by the tone of Morris’ voice, Ofer assumed he appreciated this new task.

“Where is Ijou?” he asked.

“Outside the building, where the shelter is. We went there together. I caught a cab and headed out to follow whoever was taking you. He stayed there in my car, waiting for my instructions.” It was difficult to convince Morris to lower his bass voice.

Ofer felt a sudden urge to hug the large grizzly bear as soon as he saw him again and put all the mutual suffering of their shared past behind them on the first opportunity.

“I’ll go up to call him and be right back. Don’t move from here.”

“Tell him to be careful, the kidnapper has a gun,” said Ofer.

“Ijou loves weapons. No gun, no fun,” said Morris and evaporated into the darkness.