Authors: Avi Domoshevizki
New York, October 29, 2013, 7:55 AM
An uncomfortable silence lay in the kitchen. Ronnie stole a
glance beyond the coffee mug he held in front of his mouth. Liah aimlessly dug
at the bottom of her fruit bowl, her eyes lowered, avoiding his gaze. He stretched
his hand toward her and shuddered when she recoiled from his touch. Her eyes
didn’t leave the bowl in front of her, and her movements became even more
nervous.
“If you’re angry about—” Ronnie tried to break the aching
silence.
“I’m not angry with you,” she cut him off in a hoarse voice.
“Then what is bothering you? Ever since we came back from
Sunnyvale, you’ve been avoiding me. I didn’t pressure you, because I hoped
you’d find the right moment to explain to me what you’re going through. I think
I have the right to know, Liah.” He reached out his hand again and placed it on
her arm. Liah tried to pull back but stopped herself and remained motionless.
“I love you, you’re my best friend,
I
trust you with my life. That’s the reason I’ve chosen to spend the rest of my
life with you. I’m asking you to please tell me what’s been bothering you.”
Liah slowly raised her head. Ronnie’s breath was stolen away
from him at the sight of the deep despair reflected in her eyes. She slowly
rose from the table, poured herself a glass of water and sipped from it with
her back turned. Suddenly, she seemed so small and vulnerable to him. He felt
all his strength draining away.
“There’s something I must tell you” — her back was still turned
to him, but her voice was surprisingly steady — “but I want you to promise not
to cut me off. I’ve been trying to have this conversation from the moment you
proposed to me, but I could never find the courage to do it.” She turned
around and sent him a pleading look. Her drooping shoulders projected defeat.
Ronnie yearned to go to her, take her in his arms and tell her
to never mind. No need for her to say whatever it was she found so difficult to
reveal. But he didn’t move and simply nodded. “I promise.”
“I wanted to reveal this secret to you long ago but was afraid
you’d leave me the moment the truth came out.” Liah took a deep breath, closed
her eyes and quickly uttered, “I’m married.”
Ronnie turned pale.
Liah continued, “When I was twenty, I fell in love with a
thirty-two-year-old lawyer. He charmed me with his wisdom and experience and
spoiled me in every possible way. It was love at first sight. My parents
strongly opposed our relationship, but the more they objected, the stronger my
love grew. After six exciting months, we got married in the rabbinate. We
didn’t invite anyone. It was just the two of us, the rabbi, and two incidental
witnesses. I thought if I forced my parents to face the fact we were married,
they’d learn to accept my husband and see what I’d seen in him when we fell in
love. At first, they did try to be nice to him, but it was clear they were
doing it only because they were afraid to lose me. Very quickly, family
gatherings became uncomfortable and I found myself drawing further and further
away from them. The idyllic relationship between me and my husband lasted a
little less than six months. The first crisis took place when I found out he
was up to his neck in debt. He’d gambled on failing real estate projects, lost
everything he had, and owed everything he didn’t. Apparently, he’d sold,
without my knowledge of course, the apartment my parents had bought for me
before I got married. But even that didn’t help him get back on his feet, and
pretty soon he went bankrupt. I tried to support him as much as I could. I gave
up studying medicine at Tel Aviv University and started working odd jobs. But
nothing helped. My husband began to suffer from melancholy and for a long time
refused to even leave the house.
All our conversations began
and ended with him pressuring me to take money from my parents to cover what he
referred to as ‘our debts.’
Our married life continued to deteriorate,
and my husband, in an attempt to find answers to his troubles, discovered God
and became very religious, a baal teshuva who turned to orthodoxy as a way to
repent.”
She rinsed her mug in the sink and sat down. “My life became
unbearable, but I kept on believing we got married for good or ill and that if
we only wanted to badly enough, we’d manage to survive this rough patch of our lives
together. The straw that broke the camel’s back was his religious fanaticism
and the violent tantrums he’d throw every time I would refuse to go bathe in
the mikveh or to study the sacred laws of halakha with the rabbi’s wife. I
finally gave up and asked him to let me go and give me a divorce. He agreed
right away, but conditioned it on my parents covering his debts.
Two and a half million dollars.
When I told him my parents
didn’t have anywhere near that amount, he told me I’m their only daughter, and
he was convinced they’d agree to sell all their assets in order to offer me a
better life. I went to the rabbinate, but I didn’t stand a chance against the
rabbinical student who only sought reconciliation. Finally, as a desperate
measure, I applied for a scholarship in the United States and ran away to study
medicine in New York.”
“How…” Ronnie began, but went quiet when she raised her hand,
begging him to stop.
“I don’t know exactly how, but Gadi discovered this secret, and
a few days ago he confronted me and demanded that I tell you everything. I
swore to him I’d do that, and before he left he promised to help me solve the
problem. I was very scared. I know what Gadi is capable of doing to protect
your interests. I begged him to stay out of this. He wouldn’t agree to anything
and demanded over and over that I speak with you and that we try and solve this
problem together.”
Liah leaned her elbows on the table and rested her head in her
hands.
“When you read out loud a short news item about the death of a
Shlomo Klein who’d been murdered in Bnei Brak, probably at the hands of a
robber, I felt as though my world had just come to an end. Shlomo Klein was my
husband. The first thought that came to me was that Gadi was somehow behind it.
I tried to talk to him, but he wasn’t available for three days. I didn’t know
what to think. I still can’t shake the feeling Gadi decided to take the law
into his own hands and release us both from my recalcitrant husband.”
“How could you keep something like this from me for so long?”
Ronnie erupted. “What else are you hiding?” He got up and hurled his mug at the
kitchen wall, trailing coffee across the room and down the bright yellow paint.
“That’s the reason I didn’t tell you anything. When you told me
about your girlfriend, who cheated on you with her ex-boyfriend, I realized I
couldn’t possibly bring myself to hurt you with a similar admission.”
“So you decided to cheat on me in another way? By hiding your
marriage? You didn’t believe my love for you was strong enough to fight for it
with you? Only when Gadi discovered your secret did you realize you had no
choice but to share it with me? And when were you going to tell me? Right after
the bigamist wedding you planned for us?”
Liah bit her lower lip, trying hard not to burst into tears.
“Ronnie, enough, I love you, you’re my whole life.”
“I’m not sure that’s enough.” Ronnie got up and silently limped
to the bedroom, leaving Liah depressed and despondent. After what seemed to her
like an eternity, he came out, holding a crutch and a suitcase. “I’m moving to
a hotel. You can stay in the apartment for as long as you’d like.” He walked
past her and left.
“Ronnie!” Liah shouted and ran after him. “Come back, please. I
promise we’ll solve this. Please. Without you, I’ll go back to Israel.”
Ronnie turned around and gave her a hard look. “You do what you
want. But personally, I suggest you take your last exam before you go. You’ve
already ruined my life, no need to ruin yours as well.”
The elevator arrived and he hobbled inside. He kept his back
turned to her until he heard the doors sliding shut behind him.
New York, October 29, 2013, 10:02 AM
Ronnie lay in bed and stared at the ceiling of his room in the
Hyatt Times Square. Just fifteen days ago, he was on top of the world. He was
promoted to partner much sooner than he’d anticipated, was awarded chairmanship
of one of the most promising companies in the fund and, most importantly, Liah
said yes to his marriage proposal. Today, he was lying by himself in a lonely
hotel room after leaving Liah and the apartment he’d bought. His relationship
with the two managing partners in the fund had hit rock bottom, and the pain in
his leg reminded him just how deeply he’d complicated his life in his attempt
to rescue TDO.
On the pillow beside him lay a letter that had been pushed
beneath his hotel room door that morning. Although he knew it by heart he
picked it up and read again:
Ronnie my love,
Sadly, I’ve
realized it’s too late and the damage I’ve caused is irreversible.
Nevertheless, I feel the need to tell you that yesterday afternoon I received a
letter from the rabbinical court releasing me from my marriage after my
ex-husband received my compromise offer. The letter arrived by regular mail. It
had been sent on — believe it or not — October 13
th
, the day before
you proposed to me. I’ve been waiting for this letter for so long so I could
show it to you while telling you the truth, and now, it turns out my ex-husband
and his friends in the rabbinate managed to give me the final, and cruelest,
blow when they decided to save on the postal fees and send this crucially
important letter via regular mail.
I can’t stop
thinking about the danger you’re in because of your insistence on “rescuing”
TDO. The more I think about what happened in the operations, the more convinced
I am someone sabotaged the medicine before it was sent. There is no chemical
way to cause the same reactions with two different patients by using human
interference during the operation. Therefore, I suggest you check the
numerator. I think this is where you might find the answer.
Love you, but
also understand and ache over your disappointment in me.
You’ll always
be the man of my dreams,
Liah
He wanted to scream until his lungs were bereft of air but knew
by doing so all he’d achieve would be to bring the hotel’s security personnel
into the room, not Liah. He felt defeated.
Beaten.
His
phone vibrated for the tenth time. He gave it a quick glance.
Ronnie, answer me please
,
said the message that appeared on the screen. He shut his eyes tightly,
clenching his fists until he felt his nails puncturing the skin of his palms.
He opened his eyes, took a deep breath, picked up the phone and dialed.
“What are you doing at the Hyatt Hotel?” Gadi answered, as
usual, after the first ring.
Ronnie didn’t bother to ask how his friend knew where he was
staying. “It’s because of you,” he yelled angrily. “Tell me, did you murder
Liah’s husband?”
“Tell me you’re not asking this seriously,” Gadi’s voice turned
dark and solemn at once.
“I’m very serious. Where did you disappear to for three days?
Were you in Israel? You know, with my connections I can check it in less than a
minute.”
“So check, you idiot.”
“Where have you been?”
“That’s none of your fucking business.” Gadi hung up the call.
Ronnie remained seated, panting with frustration.
Now I’ve
accused my best friend of murder and ruined the last good thing I had in my
life.
He dialed Gadi again. The phone rang for a long time before Gadi
finally answered.
“I’m sorry,” Ronnie blurted in a weak voice. “Everything’s
falling apart around me, and I need you as the last anchor of sanity I have
left in the world. I never thought I’d say something like this, but I really
don’t know who to trust anymore. Hold on a moment, someone’s knocking on the
door.” Ronnie got up with great effort and walked clumsily to the door. Through
the peephole, Gadi’s face smiled back at him. Ronnie opened the door and
embraced him tightly.
“Would you like a kiss as well?” Gadi gently pushed Ronnie into
the room. Ronnie let go and measured him with a careful look. Finally, he
blurted, “I’m sorry.”
It was hard for Gadi to see Ronnie so broken up. “How can I help
you?” he asked, changing the topic of conversation.
Ronnie sighed and sat on the bed, trying to organize his
thoughts. “How did you know I was staying at the Hyatt?” he asked. “Are you
following me?”
“Yes. I don’t believe whoever attacked you will stop there. Only
this time, I plan to be ready for him.” Gadi pushed aside his coat and exposed
a gun that was shoved in his waistband. “Good thing they don’t check your bags
or have security checkpoints everywhere like they do in Israel,” he said,
chuckling.
“Where did you get the gun? What will you do if you get
arrested?”
“Why would the police arrest me?” Gadi chose to reply only to
the second question. “Now that Liah is out of the way, tell me all the little
details about the assault.”
In the following minutes, Ronnie described carefully everything
that’d happened from the moment he’d left the office on his way home. Gadi
listened to him attentively.
“The kick that the bastard sent to my knee was of surgical
precision. He’s a professional and undoubtedly a martial arts expert. His cold-bloodedness
was sadistic, and he ignored all the people around us on the street. I don’t
think he’s afraid of anything. The man is very dangerous.”
“Is there a way to recognize him?”
Ronnie described the honor society ring to Gadi and also showed
him a photo of one he’d found on the web. Once he was finished, he added, “In
spite of everything that happened, I don’t believe the guy will attack me
again. If he does, I’ll be ready. I think even on one foot I still have a trick
or two up my sleeve that might just surprise him. Otherwise, everything I
learned during all my military service was a big waste of time.”
“Still, I prefer to stick around.”
“No. I need your help elsewhere.”
“OK, whatever you say.” Gadi realized no argument could make
Ronnie change his mind. Even so, he was glad to discover Ronnie had gradually
recovered during the conversation and returned to the self-possessed man he
remembered and admired.
“Brian, the man who represents TDO at Mount Sinai Hospital,
helped me above and beyond in trying to understand what went wrong with the
operation during which the Jewish man from Brooklyn died. For reasons not
entirely clear to me, Jim, the company’s new CEO, is convinced Brian is
unreliable and that it’d be a mistake to rely on him. Jim even hinted he
suspects Brian is involved in criminal activities. When I told him I find that
hard to believe, our conversation deteriorated into an uncomfortable
confrontation. According to Jim, Brian had access to the locked safe in the
company office. He claimed that Christian, who’d fallen under Brian’s charms,
used to give him the keys and allowed him to take out the medicine without any
supervision. According to him, Brian was responsible for keeping the medicine
safely locked up until the moment of the operation—”
“So you’re saying he switched the medicines before they were
sent?” Gadi thought out loud. “That would explain how the damaged medicine
reached Philadelphia as well.”
“Up till now, I also thought that was the only explanation, but
last night I found out Brian went to Jefferson University Hospital in
Philadelphia of his own accord. He refused to explain to me what he was looking
for down there. I need you to go to the hospital and try to find out what Brian
is up to. Wait a minute…” Ronnie went through his wallet until he found a note
with a long list of letters and numbers. He typed them on his computer and
accessed the TDO server. From there, he made his way quickly into the personnel
department’s records. Seconds later, Brian’s photo appeared on the screen.
“This is Brian. I’m sending you an email with his photo.” Ronnie
continued to work without waiting for an answer.
“A handsome devil,” Gadi muttered to himself.
“Yes. And he knows how to use it pretty well. All the female nurses
and doctors in the New York hospital were dazzled by him. That’s how you’ll
find him. I’m sure he’ll use the same tricks in Philadelphia. On second
thought, I’ll send you Moses’ photo as well; he’s the TDO representative in the
Philadelphia hospital.”
“What do you think Brian’s doing at Jefferson?”
“I have no idea, but if he’s really involved in the tragedies of
the final trials, as Jim believes him to be, I wouldn’t be surprised if he were
there to conceal evidence related to his criminal actions.”
“If he has bad intentions, why would he expose himself and tell
you he’s in Philadelphia?”
“I’ve been bothered by the same question. The only explanation
I’m able to come up with is that Moses accidentally crossed paths with him, and
the moment his hospital visit was revealed, Brian realized any attempt to hide
it would simply confirm the suspicions against him.”
“OK. I’ll be on the first train to Philadelphia. I’ll update you
the moment I have any relevant information. Keep yourself safe.” Gadi turned to
leave, but when he reached the
door,
he turned around
and said, “And answer Liah. You have to find a way to forgive her.”
“Before you leave, please take this thumb drive. It contains all
the material I’ve gathered about the company from the moment I was appointed as
chairman. Take a look at it with your detective’s eyes. Perhaps you’ll be able
to find something. I can’t shake the feeling I’m missing something here.”
Gadi took the drive and left the room without adding a word.
When he was by himself again, Ronnie looked at his cell phone
once more, then finally deleted all the messages from Liah. He returned to his
computer and checked the new Gmail account he’d created. Unfortunately, there
wasn’t any reply from Roselyn. He checked his regular mailbox and found an
email from the investment bankers:
“
We’ve accepted
all the changes your lawyers requested. Attached, please find a clean copy of
the contract, signed by us. We await a summary session, in which you will sign
the contract. Once that happens we will transfer the funds to your designated
bank account.
“Sincerely
yours,
“Jones.”
This is it. The sand in the hourglass has stopped trickling
and started to pour
, Ronnie thought.
Gadi’s the only one who may still
be able to stop it.