The Lie: A Novel (7 page)

“Do I know him? Mohammed Al-Masri was a fellow student at Pardes Hanna Agricultural High School. We studied in the same classes.”

Zeltzer wipes his lips with the handkerchief. “What sort of Arab goes to school with Jews?”

“An ambitious one,” Dahlia says. “Why are we looking at these photos?”

Kobi turns up the lights. “Your friend was stopped at the airport with a suitcase containing the equivalent of one million dollars in euro notes. Give or take.”

For a long moment the silence in the room is palpable, a presence all its own. Though Dahlia’s face is blank, the face of a veteran defense attorney receiving unwelcome news, her lips become slightly pursed and her eyes narrow. As quickly, she recovers. “I never said he was my friend.”

“Certainly no friend of Israel,” Kobi says.

“If that were a crime we would have to jail half the world.”

“The crime here is currency smuggling,” Kobi says.

“Obviously.” She does not wish to fight with the only person in this room she likes.

“Less obvious is why,” Kobi says.

She turns to him as though they are alone in the room. “How does Al-Masri explain the money?”

“Mr. Al-Masri says it is to build a home for his mother in Baka al-Gharbiya.”

Zeltzer comes into it. “Per our chief of intelligence here, you know the mother as well, chief superintendent. She works with your own mother. A peacenik.”

“I know Zeinab Al-Masri and hold her in high regard.” Dahlia takes a breath. “As a girl, I have on numerous occasions been to her home. She is . . . above reproach.”

“Nevertheless,” Kobi says, “we do not buy Al-Masri’s story.”

“It is conceivable,” Dahlia hears herself saying. “Arabs do build houses.”

“Conceivable but hardly necessary,” Kobi says. “Nothing prevents the legal transfer of foreign currency. This was smuggled. Hidden.”

“Apparently not very well.”

“That is exactly the point, Dahlia. Why hide the money, and why so clumsily?”

She considers. “And why euros? Why not dollars?”

“Only a guess,” Kobi says. “The highest denomination American banknote is one hundred dollars. Euros are available in five-hundred-euro notes. To bring in the same value in dollars would require an entire suitcase.”

She nods. “Perhaps police and intelligence are no longer mutually exclusive categories.”

“Also,” Kobi says, “American hundred-dollar bills are widely counterfeited. Thus hard to move. Euros are more sophisticated, with some forty security measures within the surface. Laser printers can duplicate dollars, but not euros. Hence they are more trustworthy and thus universally transferable.” He
fingers the white ritual fringes that hang out of his trousers. “Many of these subtleties are not widely known.”

Dahlia finds herself nodding. “You are suggesting that a professor of political science is unlikely to be aware of them?”

Kobi looks her directly in the eye. “Not without the advice of, let us say, specialists.”

“Where is he now?”

Jumblatt leans forward. “He is my guest in this building.”

“Since?”

“Last night.”

“Forty-eight hours. Then he must go before a judge.”

Zeltzer slams his fist on the table. “To bring him before a judge we must admit we hold him. Once that occurs, we send a signal to his accomplices. And to the press. When that happens, he will doubtless get himself a lawyer. Someone like you, chief superintendent.”

Dahlia pauses to consider whether this personal attack is worth responding to. “Chief commissioner, the law on secret imprisonment is well established. It is known as habeas corpus. The man is a citizen of the State of Israel. As such he is protected by its laws, just as you are.”

Zeltzer’s face begins to grow red. “Chief superintendent, with all due respect, I am not a fucking traitor. We gave Al-Masri everything, a free university education even, demanding nothing but that he remain a loyal citizen. While Jewish boys died on the battlefield he was exempt from service. This is how he repays us? Scum!”

“Forty-eight hours.”

“I am in command here, chief superintendent. Not you, not Zalman Arad, not even the fucking prime minister.”

“The law is the law, chief commissioner.”

“In matters of national security the law is wrapping paper.
We will keep this piece of shit until he tells us where the money came from and where it was headed. If he refuses to speak, we
will
take measures. This meeting is terminated.”

As they stand, Kobi signals to Dahlia, his right hand palm down at his waist, patting the air:
Be patient
. His left hand twists the white ritual fringes at his side as though praying she will be.

In southern Lebanon, over serpentine mountain roads half-hidden by arching cedars, a column of three white vehicles marked UN on all sides and on their roofs makes its way northward. The first two vehicles are closed trucks. Inside the third, an ambulance, a bouncing shaft of sunlight illuminates Ari and Salim hog-tied on the floor, black sacks over their heads. The tracker’s leg is bleeding through crude bandages. Two Hezbollah fighters guard them, weapons pointed. Salim moans. A Hezbollah fighter kicks him. It is not even personal.

In the basement pistol range at Police Headquarters targets fall as Dahlia, wearing ear protectors, empties a 9mm magazine, then expertly drops the empty and inserts a fresh clip to repeat the exercise.

Kobi stands behind her next to an instructor, who marks a form on a clipboard. Kobi applauds. “Impressive.”

Dahlia raises her earmuffs higher on her head. “I’m sorry?”

“Now I know why I want you on my side. Though I could have sworn you’re left-handed.”

“You notice such things?” She reloads both magazines.

“Part of my job.”

“I
am
left-handed.”

“You did that with your weak hand?”

“You came here to flatter me?”

“I came here to tell you not to confront Zeltzer. Don’t push him into a corner.”

“Extraordinary measures is my call.”

“Nobody challenges that. Even Zeltzer must come to terms with it. It’s not you—it’s having someone tell him how to run his organization. He’s not a bad man.”

“He’s fooled me, then.”

“Dahlia . . .”

“I’ve got to finish this. Can we talk later?”

“Love to, but I’ve been called elsewhere. Either way, there’s not a lot of time. Look, I want you to talk to Al-Masri.”

She nods as she pulls down her ear protectors, transfers the pistol to her left hand, and resumes shooting. The targets fall with implausible rapidity.

OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER

Security Cabinet

Memorandum of Record

Present

The PRIME MINISTER, presiding

BEN-DOV, Carmela, Foreign Minister

AL-SHEIKH, Yarden, Minister of Internal Security

BLUMENTHAL, Shai, Minister of Defense

ADMONI, David, Minister Without Portfolio

ARAD, Zalman, Security Adviser to the PM

ROSCH, Dror, Cabinet Secretary

Invitees

TOLEDANO, Aviv, IDF Chief of Staff

LEVAVI, Rafael, Director-General, Mossad

ZELTZER, Chaim, Chief Commissioner, Israel Police

SHEM-TOV, Kobi, Deputy Chief Commissioner, Israel Police

The Prime Minister

Thank you all for coming. A word to those present for the first time: Nothing of what is said here leaves this room. A transcript will be made public
thirty years from the last day of the current year, so that history—not our friends in tomorrow’s newspaper—may make its judgment. Before that time, nothing of what is said here will be publicized. Tell your wife—Carmela, in your case, husband—and your career will be terminated. If we must manufacture evidence against you, if it happens that an auto accident occurs, whatever must be done, it will be done. Zero tolerance. Dror?

Dror Rosch, Cabinet Secretary

Thank you, sir. Two subjects on today’s agenda: [1] This morning’s infiltration of the northern border; [2] The incident of Mohammed Al-Masri. Regarding [1], the PM calls for the report of the Chief of Staff
.

Aviv Toledano, IDF Chief of Staff

Sometime before dawn, the border northeast of Avivim was penetrated by a force of at least twenty-two fighters, presumably Hezbollah, utilizing flying devices known as hang gliders, a kind of large kite propelled by wind currents. The enemy force attacked a passing border-inspection patrol, killing seven and taking two prisoners. Within minutes they fled back into Lebanon after shorting the electrified fences and cutting through. The prisoners have been identified as a lieutenant of paratroops, son of a person known to this office, and a Bedouin tracker of the Abu-Aziz. One appears to have been seriously wounded, but which one is not known. Per standing policy, names will not be disclosed to the public until their families have been informed, and perhaps well after. Monitoring of Arab channels has not yielded useful information. To this point, no group has claimed credit for the attack. Finally, there is as yet no certainty that other infiltrators did not deploy south into Israel when the main force returned to
Lebanon. In order to prevent panic, no civilian officials other than those in settlements close to the border have been notified. No suspicious activity has been reported. IDF operations are ongoing
.

The Prime Minister

Thank you, Toli. Yarden?

Yarden Al-Sheikh, Minister of Internal Security

If we don’t have a follow-up incident tonight or by noon tomorrow, threat level is close to zero. There is simply no reason to infiltrate fighters in this manner unless to provoke havoc or, alternately, a distraction. Either way it is extraordinarily risky for the infiltrators; finding shelter with the civilian population even more so. The number of Arab informants in northern Israel is, in effect, the entire Arab population of northern Israel. Historically, these will rat out their brothers, if only not to have their own loyalty to the state called into question. As well, monetary rewards have proved to be not unhelpful
.

David Admoni, Minister Without Portfolio

We have recently had anti-government demonstrations, Alon, that would seem to call into question this loyalty
.

Yarden Al-Sheikh, Minister of Internal Security

Jews demonstrate against the government all the time. Should Arabs not? Sheltering an armed infiltrator is another matter. My personal opinion: There are no infiltrators. Not least because one man left behind, if captured, might compromise the cousins’ entire infrastructure
.

The Prime Minister

Which brings us to these damn kites. Can the border be sealed against them?

Shai Blumenthal, Minister of Defense

We are working on installation of low-altitude radar. Apparently, the Americans have found it successful on their border with Mexico
.

Zalman Arad, Security Adviser to the PM

Locking the barn door, are we?

Shai Blumenthal, Minister of Defense

Zalman, may I remind you seven soldiers have been killed and two taken hostage. If the security services envisioned such an operation, I don’t recall getting the memo
.

The Prime Minister

Gentlemen, please. Shaike, when exactly will defense against this be operational?

Shai Blumenthal, Minister of Defense

Toli?

Aviv Toledano, IDF Chief of Staff

One week. Until then the entire northern border will be manned continuously, one set of eyes every five hundred meters
.

Zalman Arad, Security Adviser to the PM

A week?

Aviv Toledano, IDF Chief of Staff

Mr. Adviser, this entails over two hundred sets of portable low-level radar devices, not something you pick up at the corner grocery. These devices are currently being sourced through Washington on an accelerated basis
.

David Admoni, Minister Without Portfolio

Do we even know if they work?

Yarden Al-Sheikh, Minister of Internal Security

Perhaps they’ll work too well. Couldn’t they pick up hawks, owls? Eagles for sure. Antelope. Antelope leap three meters high
.

David Admoni, Minister Without Portfolio

Yarden may be right. How much difference is there between the size of a hang glider and an eagle? Will these radars know one from the other?

The Prime Minister

Toli, your people are aware of such issues?

Aviv Toledano, IDF Chief of Staff

Absolutely, sir. Regarding size sensitivity, I am informed this is relatively simple to calibrate. Regarding the similarity in size of eagles vis-à-vis hang gliders, a secondary visual system will be in place utilizing drones. In cases of doubt, we will destroy both terrorists and eagles indiscriminately
.

[Laughter.]

The Prime Minister

We’ll have the Society for the Protection of Nature on our heads. Shai, you have something to add?

Shai Blumenthal, Minister of Defense

Mr. Prime Minister, as you can imagine, this will call for a significant cost in reservists—we estimate four thousand men per week—plus the unexpected acquisition cost of the radar devices. Our budget is already—

The Prime Minister

To be taken up in Thursday’s meeting of the finance committee. Prepare your numbers. Now, since we
are already talking about our friends in Washington . . 
.