Green Kills (22 page)

New York, October 29, 2013, 10:12 AM

The Chinese man listened to the voice on the other end of the
line. When he hung up, he already knew precisely what he should do. Someone by
the name of Brian, apparently a TDO employee, had become a walking menace. If he
finds out the local medical examiner with the backing of the police objects to
the family’s wishes, and refuses to release the body for burial in the hope
they’d give in and agree to an autopsy, things might just get out of hand. He’d
never been involved in a job that kept on getting tangled up as much as this
one. What does this Brian have to look for in Philadelphia? Out of all the cops
in Philadelphia, why did the case have to fall into the hands of the only
detective who insists on getting to the bottom of things, and not one that
simply wants to close another case?

He knew the next few days were critical. The contract would be
signed this very week,
then
this entire TDO business
would not involve him anymore. The big boss would never forgive him if the deal
fell through for some reason. If he valued his life, he needed to go out to
Philadelphia and eliminate the problem before it got out of hand. Roselyn’s
elimination would simply need to be postponed. The assassin checked his
suitcase and made sure that the gun with the silencer, the sniper rifle, the
passports and the counterfeit driver’s licenses, as well as the twenty thousand
dollars’ worth of used fifty-dollar bills, were all in place. He covered the
suitcase’s contents with two ironed white shirts, closed the suitcase and
headed out of his apartment toward the nearest subway station, while checking
his smartphone for the next train leaving for Philadelphia.

Las Vegas, October 29, 2013, 10:53 AM

Roselyn opened her eyes and sat down. She hadn’t showered for a
day, and the wrinkled, unwashed clothes she was wearing emitted a sour smell.
She couldn’t recall when during the night fatigue had finally beaten fear and
pushed her over the edge into a dreamless sleep.

The message she’d received from Ronnie Saar had shaken her
deeply. Why did he think her life was in danger? Suddenly, she realized chances
were she would pay a high price for what she’d done. Ever since she had run
away to Las Vegas, she had avoided reading the news. She wanted to maintain the
illusion that her only crime had been rescheduling an operation for someone who
really needed it. After all, the
  scary
man had
promised her that in a few months she would be able to return home and continue
with her life. After she’d almost been run over, and especially after receiving
that message from Ronnie Saar, she had realized she must be involved in a much
bigger affair. She opened her laptop and Googled “Mount Sinai, Abraham
Berkowitz.” The short item that appeared on her computer screen left her in a
state of shock. “
It is with
great sorrow that we announce the untimely death of our dear husband, father
and brother, Abraham.
May his soul rest in peace.
The Berkowitz family
.”
She stared at the obituary for a few long minutes then began to type on the
keyboard furiously, praying she would find additional information proving the
relationship between the two names was merely coincidental. “
Our reporter learned that yesterday,
at noontime, Mr. Abraham Berkowitz, a father of five from Brooklyn, died on the
operating table at Mount Sinai Hospital. Mr. Berkowitz was undergoing a
standard orthopedic operation, and there is suspicion that his death resulted
from the use of a medicine that was still in the experimental stage. The
hospital’s response to this death could not be obtained, and it is still
unknown whether Mr. Berkowitz had been warned the experimental medicine would
be used during the operation.”
 

A father of five!!! What have I done?
She shuddered
uncontrollably. She left the bed and began to pack her suitcase. Suddenly, she
stopped and slowly slid down until she sat on the floor, knees bent, back
against the wall.
Who am I kidding? I can’t go back. I can’t even get out of
the hotel with a suitcase. I’m being followed. He’ll kill my grandmother. Maybe
he’ll kill me first.
She sat in front of the computer. Ronnie’s Facebook
page wasn’t very impressive. It included a little bit of background
information, a few photos, in which the same gorgeous woman always appeared by
his
side,
and many greetings for Jewish holidays and
Israel’s Independence Day.
He’s Israeli, then. What did he have to do with
this entire business?
She quickly typed his name in the search engine. The
dozens of articles that filled the screen left her thrilled. She began to read
with interest and when she was done she remained seated, allowing the new
information to sink in.

It appeared she had no choice but to trust him.
I don’t know
anyone else who’d be willing to help me, and he’s also wealthy and connected
enough to manage it. The big question is how can I get out of here without
being caught? And what’s to guarantee I won’t get arrested the moment I show up
in New York? And how will I make sure no harm will come to my grandmother?
The questions kept running around in her head along with the realization she
mustn’t act hastily. She took off her clothes, stood beneath the spray of hot
water in the shower, and scrubbed off the malodorous scents of yesterday. When
she was done, she dressed and went down to the fast-food place across the
street. Perhaps because it was already late in the morning, or because of the
overwhelming smell of grease, the place was completely empty. She sat in a
corner booth, her back to the wall, her eyes returning to the entrance door
with apprehension. Then she opened her laptop and, as usual, searched for new
tourist information websites about Guatemala. She selected an article that
appeared in the forty-fifth place of the search results, copied a selection and
published it as a personal post on her Facebook page.
I need to maintain my
daily routine, just in case I am being followed
, she thought, as a waitress
with blond hair and dark roots placed a plate before her with a two-egg omelet
and a pile of greasy potatoes. Roselyn attacked the food and five minutes later
found
herself
hungrily examining an empty plate. She
signaled the waitress she was interested in a cup of coffee and an additional
bread basket. Meanwhile, she went to the Gmail website and opened a new account
under the name [email protected] — the name she’d found to be most appropriate for
the purpose for which she’d opened the account. The second cup of coffee was
quickly drained, and the waitress slowly wandered over to pour her another one.
Roselyn began to write the email to Ronnie. She deleted and revised the message
again and again until she was pleased with the result. Finally, she read the
email for the last time, closed her eyes as if waiting for a sign, and clicked
the cursor that lay waiting on the oblong “send” button, hoping she wasn’t
signing her own death warrant. When she received confirmation the message had
been sent, she deleted all traces of the activities she’d performed in the past
two hours and turned off the computer. She stood up, waited for a long minute,
then walked on trembling legs toward the cash register and paid for the meal.
On her way out she threw a weak smile toward the waitress and stuffed a
fifty-dollar bill in her hand. As the door was closing behind her, she heard
the surprised waitress shout, “Thanks, sweetheart!”

I hope the money will help you. Looks like pretty soon it
won’t do me any good
, she thought as she headed out to aimlessly wander in
the clothing stores.

Philadelphia, October 29, 2013, 12:43 PM

As soon as he neared the orthopedics department’s reception desk,
Gadi recognized Moses from the photo Ronnie had sent him just a few hours ago.
The man stood in the corridor speaking with one of the doctors. Brian was
nowhere to be seen. Gadi decided to explore the rooms, when suddenly the door
of the laundry storage room to his left opened and a nurse carrying a large
pile of clean sheets emerged from it. He smiled and hurried to hold the door
for her. She offered him an appreciative smile and briskly marched down the
corridor. Gadi quickly slipped into the storage room. Among syringes, sheets
and adult diapers lay a pile of folded orderly uniforms. He hurried to put a
pale-blue uniform gown on over his clothes and slipped back out of the storage
room. His new attire and Hispanic features had immediately made him invisible.

After despairing of finding Brian in the patient rooms, he took
a chance and pushed his head through the open door of the doctors’ on-call room.
Moses was sitting there, continuing his conversation with the same doctor, but
there was still no trace of Brian. The hands of the giant wall clock in front
of the
nurses
station showed the time to be one
fifteen. He only had one last place to check: the cafeteria. He took the
elevator down to the ground floor and followed his nose to the cafeteria.
Bingo!
Brian was sitting at the far end of the hall, speaking intimately with one of
the female doctors. Gadi sat at a nearby table and followed their conversation,
which was interrupted, from time to time, by her shy bursts of laughter. The
phone buzzed in Gadi’s pocket. He pulled it out and read the message from his
American partner
:
Brian
Campbell is staying at the Independent Hotel room 205.
1234
Locust Street, about a quarter of a mile from the hospital.
A
short time later, Brian finished his date and accompanied the doctor on her way
back to the department. Gadi followed them into the elevator. To his surprise,
they pushed the basement-level button. Gadi crossed his hands behind his back,
as if he intended to go there as well. The two gave him a quick look and he
lowered his eyes. The elevator reached the basement, and Gadi got out after
them and turned in the opposite direction.

“Can I help you?” the doctor addressed him in an authoritative
voice.

The doors closed and the elevator began its trip back up. Gadi
looked at the doctor with a bewildered glance and quickly said, “I’m sorry, I
guess I got confused. I didn’t see the elevator was going down,” and pressed
the call button.

“I guess you couldn’t possibly have come to pick up any patients
from here…” The doctor gave a critical look at Gadi’s orderly uniform. Then she
turned around and marched on, holding Brian’s hand, toward metal doors on which
the word “Morgue” was displayed.

Gadi remained standing in the elevator niche, following Brian
and the doctor with his eyes. The doctor punched the entry code, but when the
morgue doors opened, she stopped Brian with an open palm, preventing him from
coming inside with her. It was apparent that Brian was disappointed. He tried
to convince her to allow him to join her, but all his attempts were in vain and
encountered a stubborn refusal.

The elevator arrived. Gadi gave the two another glance, and when
he saw they were still busy arguing, he returned to the alcove, reached into
the elevator, pressed the second floor button and went back out into the hall,
sending the elevator up without him.

From his hiding place, he could see that the argument had
settled down in the meantime. Brian had given up. He wrote something on a piece
of paper as the doctor dictated then leaned toward her and kissed her briefly
on her cheek. When the automatic doors of the morgue reopened, he patted her
arm goodbye and turned toward the elevator.

“Still here?” he asked with wonder when he saw Gadi standing
there, waiting. Gadi shrugged submissively and looked at the elevator door that
had just opened. He moved aside a bit, clearing the way for Brian, then
followed him inside. When they reached the lobby, they both stepped out of the
elevator, and Brian turned toward the hospital exit. Gadi waited for a few
people to walk between them before following him. Outside the hospital
premises, he removed the orderly’s gown, folded it and slung it carelessly over
his shoulder. It appeared that Brian was walking to the parking lot. Gadi
crossed the street and went down the stairs toward his car. He paid the
outrageous parking fee and hurried to drive toward the exit. A minute later, he
saw Brian driving out of the parking lot as well. He let Brian pass then
followed him. After less than a mile, Brian signaled and turned into a hotel
parking lot. They were at the Independent, which Gadi had learned about in the
text message. Gadi waited in his vehicle for a while then entered the hotel
lobby. He managed to see Brian stepping into the elevator as he turned to the
reception desk.

“A room for the night, second floor, please.”

“Room 203 is available. Enjoy your stay, Mr. Abutbul.” The
efficient desk clerk swiped Gadi’s credit card and handed him a magnetic
key-card.

“Thanks,” Gadi muttered when out of the corner of his eye, he
saw a figure hiding in the corner of the lobby.

The man with the oriental features was dressed in a long coat; a
pair of jeans poked out from beneath. What had drawn Gadi’s eye was the slight
sparkle that twinkled on the ring on his right hand. He ignored the man’s
presence and walked slowly, looking at the phone in his hand. With relaxed
movements, he sat on an available sofa in the lobby and sent Ronnie a message:

I found
Brian. The Chinese dude is also here.

Where
are you? Are they together?

At
the hotel where Brian is staying.
I don’t think they’re together. The
scumbag is stalking him in the lobby.

What
do you intend to do?

I want
you to call Brian. I’m sending you the hotel telephone number. He’s in room
207. Don’t tell him what this is about but convince him to open the door for
me.

Done.

Gadi pretended to still be exchanging text messages, writing and
deleting imaginary messages, until a real one from Ronnie came in:

He doesn’t understand what’s going on. I
think he suspects me of something. Be gentle with him.

 “Gentleness is my middle name…” Gadi muttered to himself,
rose, took out the key-card to his room and walked toward the elevators. The
Chinese man didn’t move.

He gently knocked on Brian’s door. The security chain rattled,
the door opened a tiny crack and Brian’s head peeked out.

“Are you
?…
the orderly?” Brian gave him
a confused look.

“I’m not an orderly. I’m a friend of Ronnie’s. Please open the
door, before someone sees us together.”

The confusion on Brian’s face transformed into fear. He
continued to stare at Gadi, until finally he closed the door, released the
chain and opened it with renewed apprehension. He stepped aside for Gadi, who
walked toward the large bed that filled almost the entire room and sat on it.

“I don’t know if I speak the Boston dialect, so I’ll try to
explain myself as quickly and clearly as possible. I assume you’re confused and
don’t know who you can really trust. The good news
is,
that if I were one of the bad guys, you’d probably be dead by now.” Brian’s
face went pale. “But I’m one of the good guys. Ronnie thinks you’re one of us
too. But he’s basically the only one. Other people believe you’ve done some
horrible things…Now tell me, what are you doing here, and why did you try to
get into the morgue?”

“Who are you?”

An impatient look flashed across Gadi’s face. “My name’s Gadi.
Ronnie sent me to help you. I don’t intend to say it again. Now tell me what
you’re looking for.”

Brian shrunk a bit and sank into the only armchair in the room.
After some hesitation, he leaned forward and began to speak. “I believe both
deaths were murder. I don’t have any other way to explain what happened.” He
looked at Gadi, who gazed at him indifferently. “I happened to learn from Moses
that contrary to what we’d thought until today, a persistent coroner
  is
still trying to convince the family of the
deceased to allow an autopsy and, therefore, refuses to release the body for
burial. I decided this is my chance to prove all my claims. I intend to try and
draw some fluids from the body and prove the presence of toxins in the tissue.
I contacted a pathologist and hoped she’d allow me to go into the morgue with
her…” Brian took out a large syringe from his pocket and waved it around, as if
to prove he’d spoken the truth.

“That’s your brilliant plan? And what would you do with those
fluids?” Gadi scorched him with his look.

Brian ignored his skeptical tone. It seemed that speaking about
his plan had infused him with strength. The color returned to his face and his
voice became more assured. “I found a private laboratory that agreed to provide
initial test results within twenty-four hours. They promised to maintain
complete secrecy, no matter what the results were. I intend to try and get in
the morgue overnight. I memorized the access code the pathologist punched in.
She also gave me her telephone number, so if I fail tonight, I could still try
something out with her tomorrow.”

Gadi sent him an appreciative smile.
Not only is he a
handsome devil, he’s pretty brave and smart to boot. Should I tell him about
the killer lurking for him outside, or will he be paralyzed by the revelation?

“OK. This sounds like a solid foundation for a plan. But God is
in the details. So is the devil, by the way. Assuming you’re right, and we’re
dealing with murder here, we need to assume other people are involved, and we
have no idea who they are or whether they’ve already found out what you’re up
to. I’m here to guarantee your safety. In my day-to-day life, I manage a VIP
security company; I’m considered one of the best in the world,” lied Gadi,
sending Brian a reassuring look. “In order for me to ensure no harm comes to
you, you need to do exactly what I tell you to. And when I say exactly, I mean
exactly. Not almost or approximately. If you stick to what I tell you to do,
you’ll be safer than the president of your country. Agreed?”

Brian nodded in agreement, and it appeared to Gadi he was
beginning to trust him.

“Now let’s move to my room — they won’t be able to find you
there — before we head out this evening to perform your ‘vampire mission.’”
Gadi opened the door carefully and peeked outside. “Come on,” he said and
pulled Brian after him. They crossed the corridor quickly and less than a
minute later were in Gadi’s room.

When the door closed behind them, Gadi sat Brian down and began
to describe the plan that’d begun to form in his mind. When he finished, he forced
Brian to repeat and memorize all the little details, and once he was satisfied
with the results, he lay back on the sofa and said, “I haven’t slept for two
days. Wake me up at eight. Till then, don’t leave the room. You can turn up the
television as loud as you like; nothing disturbs my sleep.” Then he closed his
eyes and fell asleep immediately.

It was seven fifty when Gadi opened his eyes. He went into the
bathroom, took a quick shower, put on dark clothes and came out. “Are you
ready?” he asked Brian.

Brian nodded, finding it difficult to conceal the doubts that
had trickled into his mind with every hour that’d passed.

“Wonderful!” Gadi clapped him on the back with exaggerated
force, startling him into action. “I’m going downstairs. As soon as I make sure
everything is all right, I’ll text you a message, and from there you know
exactly what to do. Ready?”

Brian gave him a forced smile. “Ready.”

Gadi headed down to the hotel lobby and stood in front of the
reception desk to return his key-card, while his eyes quickly scanned the area.
The thug was standing close to the place he’d seen him last time.
A real
professional with endless patience
, thought Gadi,
our plan had better be
successful, otherwise…
While walking toward the parking lot, he sent Brian
a message to come out of the room. He started his car and left the door open
with his left foot dangling out. Brian was on his way to his own car when the
Chinese man emerged from the hotel entrance, threw a quick look at Brian and
hurried to get into a gray Ford Focus. Out on the road, Gadi’s car passed
Brian, who was purposely driving slowly. The next stage was the most dangerous,
the only moment in which Brian would be alone and unprotected. It was a gamble,
but a calculated one. Gadi stopped at the hospital entrance and ran inside
wearing the pale-blue orderly’s uniform. Over his shoulder, he was pleased to
see Brian parking his vehicle in front of a fire hydrant and hurrying into the
building as well. The Focus driver, who arrived just a few seconds after him,
deliberated for a moment before leaving his vehicle in a no-parking zone and
hastening toward the entrance Gadi had gone in.

By the time Brian’s tail entered the hospital, Gadi and Brian
were already on their way to the elevator. Gadi stood in the open elevator door
keeping the door open, delaying Brian’s entry. When he was certain the pursuer
had noticed Brian, they both stepped into the elevator, which began to descend.
He knew as soon as it stopped, the Chinese man would read the floor number
Brian had headed to and would rush after him.