Saving Sophie: A Novel (30 page)

“Why is that important? You told me they met here in the past but they don’t meet here anymore.”

“I have reason to believe they might meet here again. Now, let’s have a look at al-Zahani’s residence.”

“What about Fakhir, the baker? I want to talk to him, see if he’ll let on whether there’s a deal in place.”

“He’s not coming in today. His son told me he only comes in a couple times a week. He’ll be back on Thursday. We can come back then. Right now I’d like you to see al-Zahani’s layout from street level, and then we’ll head back to Jerusalem. Maybe it’s time for you to pay another visit to Abu Hammad.”

They exited the taxi three blocks from al-Zahani’s home and approached the walled residence from the west, walking slowly on the opposite side of the street.

“The compound is huge,” Liam said. “He must have three acres.”

“Four point two to be exact.” Kayla pointed. “The black iron gate in the front is controlled mechanically. On satellite we’ve seen what appear to be multiple security guards. Sometimes they patrol the perimeter.”

“Why the hell does a doctor need multiple security guards?”

“I doubt it has anything to do with Sophie. It’s all about what’s going on behind those walls. The devil’s workshop of the Sons of Canaan.”

Liam shaded his eyes and stared at the property. “What’s on the other side of those walls? How many structures?”

“Three. A large home, easily four thousand square feet. A small building, probably a utility garage. And a rectangular, one-story structure, maybe three thousand square feet. That’s where the mysteries lie, and we don’t have a clue what’s going on inside.”

Just then, a large man in a tan sport coat, holding the hand of a little girl, turned the corner and headed for the front gate. In his free hand, he carried a small, pink backpack. Sophie skipped along, trying to keep up with his stride. Their conversation was animated. Sophie laughed. Suddenly, three guards materialized in front of the gate.

“That’s Sophie.” Liam immediately grabbed Kayla by the shoulders, turned her to the side, and wrapped his arms around her. “I don’t want the guards to see our faces. Let them think we’re lovers standing on the corner.”

From the corner of his eye, appearing to be locked in a passionate embrace, Liam watched the guards take their stations and open the mechanized gate for Bashir and Sophie. When the two had entered, the guards closed the gate and resumed their patrol of the perimeter. One guard lit a cigarette, pointed at the kissing couple across the street, and chuckled and sniggered to his companions.

When they were out of sight, Liam released Kayla, who opened her eyes widely, took a deep breath, and smiled. Her face was flushed. She licked her lips. “That’s quite a move you’ve got there, Irish. You got my heart beating. I’m impressed.”

He took Kayla by the elbow and walked away from the property. “They must be coming home from school.” He checked his watch: 3:15. “We should find that school. It might be a good location if we want to grab her.”

Arm in arm, they walked a few blocks past al-Zahani’s walls, tracing Bashir’s route, and came upon a mosque with an extended school building. A fenced-in area held a little playground. Liam took a couple of pictures with his phone.

On the return to Kiryat Arba, they once again walked passed the Avraham Avinu Synagogue. Kayla pointed. “In August 1929, this was one of the locations of the Hebron Massacre.”

“You didn’t tell me about the Hebron Massacre.”

“I told you, when we were back in Chicago, that 1929 was a violent year. Mufti Amin al-Husseini and Ibrahim were waging a heated campaign against Jewish immigration and those who had already settled here. They called them ‘Zionist invaders.’ They demanded that they all leave Palestine. In the heat of the summer, tensions heightened. Jews were randomly attacked leaving their schools.

“Then, in August 1929, there was an incident—three Jewish children and three Arabs were killed in Jerusalem. That was a starter’s pistol shot for Amin and Ibrahim. They riled up their followers with wild street demonstrations. An Arab messenger raced to Hebron on his motorcycle and announced, ‘I bring news from the mufti. The blood of thousands of Muslims is being shed like water in Jerusalem.’ A crazed mob then took to the streets with knives, clubs, and axes. They stoned Jewish houses, ransacked the hospital, raped, murdered, mutilated, tortured.” Kayla shook her head.

“Where were the police?”

“Because Hebron was such a peaceful town, there weren’t many British police stationed here. Basically, the Jews and Arabs in Hebron got along pretty well before the riot. Anyway, here in this synagogue, many came to hide from the marauders. But, eventually the doors were breached and the people were slaughtered.

“Hebron’s Chief Rabbi Slonim sheltered several of the Ashkenazi yeshiva students in his home, but they were soon surrounded. Many of the Arab rioters knew and respected Rabbi Slonim. They banged on his door and offered him a choice: hand over the Ashkenazi students and we’ll let you, your family, and the Sephardic Jews live. ‘I’m sorry,’ the rabbi said, ‘that, I cannot do.’ Thereupon, Rabbi Slonim, his entire family, and all the Jews he was sheltering were slaughtered.

“All in all, sixty-seven Jews were murdered. Finally, British reinforcements came to Hebron and took the four hundred eighty-four survivors north to Jerusalem.”

“Never quits in this region, does it?”

“It
will
quit, Liam. You have to believe it. When we rid this land of extremists like the al-Zahanis, it will quit. And the proof was here in Hebron. Before the Hebron Massacre, it was a peaceful town of Arabs and Jews living side by side. It can happen. The proof was here.”

“But not anymore.”

“Not yet.”

F
ORTY
-S
IX

M
ARCY WAS BOOKED FOR
a weekend photography show at the Sheraton, so she and Jack loaded up his car at her house and headed into Waikiki. Sommers’s mood was light. It had been that way since he received the e-mail four days earlier. Jack had downloaded the parental-authorization form, signed it, scanned it, and immediately returned it by e-mail. Soon Deb would pick up Sophie, and if he managed to stay under the radar, he’d figure out a way to get Sophie out to the islands. After she was healthy and stabilized, he would get her back to Deborah and turn himself in. He knew that sooner or later law enforcement would catch up to him. He couldn’t run forever. And he didn’t want to. Turning himself in and confessing was the right thing to do.

He dropped Marcy at the hotel and drove to the Coral Reef, parking his car on the street in front of the motel office. He was on the way up to his room when Glenn stopped him.

“Say, Mr. Wilson, you had some visitors a couple days ago.”

“Visitors?” Jack’s face immediately flushed.

“Yeah, man. One said he was a cousin of yours. They showed me your picture and asked if you was living here or if I seen you.”

“A cousin? I don’t have any cousins.” Jack’s adrenaline was pumping. “What did you tell them?”

Glenn put his hand on Jack’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, man. Ol’ Glenn’s got your back. Them fucking bill collectors’ll say anything. I know from experience. I told them I ain’t never seen anybody looked like that picture.”

“Thanks, Glenn, you did the right thing. Why do you suppose they came here, to the Coral Reef? Did they tell you?”

Glenn shook his head. “Nah. They just said they was your cousins and they were pretty sure you was living here. But I seen them go into the Breakers across the street. So maybe they don’t really know where you live.”

“What did they look like? Did they show you any ID?”

“Well, they weren’t cops. That I could tell you. They didn’t show me any badges or ID cards, and they talked with some funny foreigner accent, like they was from Europe. Maybe Russia. And Mr. Wilson, they called you Mr. Summerfield, or something like that. They didn’t even know your right name. But they did have your picture.”

“Thanks a lot, Glenn. I owe you. If they come by again, just tell them you never heard of me.”

“Don’t have to worry a bit. I ain’t helping out no bill collectors.”

Jack went into his room and packed his suitcase, removing every trace of his tenancy. He threw the bag into the car and went back into the office.

“Glenn, here’s the rent for the next two months.” Jack laid $1,600 on the counter. “And here’s an extra five hundred dollars for you. You never heard of me, right?”

Glenn smiled widely. “Heard of who?”

Sommers then drove back to the Sheraton, where he sat in the corner of the bar with a cocktail trying to settle his nerves. After Marcy’s show, while they were loading her photographs into his trunk, she said, “What’s wrong, Jack? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Some guys came snooping around the Coral Reef and showed the manager my picture.”

“I thought no one knows where you’re staying.”

“Don’t know how they did it. No one knew. Not even my sister. Damn. The last e-mail message said they were close to bringing Sophie home. They needed my authorization. I sent it to them.”

“Why do you think it’s them? Maybe it’s the police.”

Jack shook his head. “Glenn said they didn’t have any IDs and they spoke with a European accent. It’s them all right.”

“Glenn would know that? A European accent?”

“He said they sounded Russian. He said they were asking about me, even knew my name, except in Glenn’s mind they said Summerfield.”

“You sure you haven’t told anybody where you are?”

“Nobody.” Jack shook his head. “If they were truly speaking with a Russian accent, I got a pretty good idea who they are. But it doesn’t make any sense. I just got an e-mail saying they were bringing Sophie home. Why would they be out looking for me?”

“Jack, you’re scaring me. You’re the third person, the only one left who knows about the theft. The only one who can tie them to the murders.”

Sommers slipped into the driver’s seat and started driving in the direction of the North Shore. “Do you think they could have traced my cell phone or my computer? What if that’s how they caught up to me?” Sommers pulled off the highway.

“What are you doing?”

“If they can find the Coral Reef, why can’t they find your house? What if they traced me through phone records? I used my cell phone at your house. There are phone calls between you and me. We have to think this through.”

“Jack, you told me that you and your sister have safe cell phones. They were purchased by other people and no one knows the numbers.”

“That’s true. Maybe they found me through the Internet. They could have traced me when I went online to check for e-mail.”

“That’s paranoid. How would these guys have that kind of equipment? If that stuff even exists. I mean, maybe if you were in an Internet café and they could trace the connection…”

“That’s it. I always went online from the coffee shop around the corner. That must be why they were searching through the neighborhood.”

“Did you ever go online from my house? From my Internet connection?”

Sommers thought for a minute and shook his head. “No. Never. Not even on my phone.”

“Then how would they know about me? We’ll be safe at my house. I’ll lock my doors.”

“Lock your doors? Seriously? Whoever these people are, they’re killers, not burglars. They killed two people and now they know where I am.”

“I don’t think they do. They were canvassing the neighborhood. They don’t know anything about Eugene Wilson. They were asking about a guy named Summerfield. They don’t know about me, or where I live. You didn’t make contact from my house. You’re a needle in a haystack. There’s a million people out here.”

“Maybe. But I sure can’t go back to the Coral Reef. I’ll have to stay somewhere else.”

“You can stay at my house. Lay low for a while until they leave the island.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I’m going to find another place to stay for a while. It might be best if we didn’t see each other.”

“I’m not afraid. They have no idea who I am.”

He started the car. “We need to think this through.”

F
ORTY
-S
EVEN

L
IAM ENTERED ABU HAMMAD’S
antiquities store before noon. As before, there were no customers. “Jamal?” he called.

The old man shuffled out from the back room.
“As-salaam alaikum.”

“And peace be upon you.”

Abu Hammad smiled, nodded, turned, and retreated to his back room without an additional word. Liam followed and stood patiently by the wooden chair while Abu Hammad brewed his tea. When both were seated, Abu Hammad spoke. “Of course, I do not know everyone in Hebron, but I believe if an arrangement for a ransom or a payoff was in place, certain people would know. Even so, in discussing this matter, one must be cautious. One may only broach the topic from a distance, like jackals circle their prey.” He shook his head. “But, so far I have learned nothing. People speak of the doctor’s love for the little child, not of an arrangement to pay money. They dismiss the notion that he would agree to sell her, even back to her father.”

“Thank you, Jamal. I am grateful for your efforts. I suppose the next question is, would he consider return of the child if he were offered a great deal of money? Perhaps many millions? I could arrange it.”

Abu Hammad leaned back and with his weathered fingers stroked the whiskers in his goatee. He took a long, wheezy breath through his nose and wagged his index finger up and down. “You know, Liam, for many, many years, Hebron was just a simple town, a market place for bedouins. There they could come and buy water bags, wine, cloth, shoes—provisions they would need. There they could sell their sheep and goats, or the milk and cheese they made. In many ways, Hebron is still a simple town. But Arif, he is different. He stands in his walled palace and looks down upon the peasants in the town. He is wealthy beyond the imagination of most Hebronites. Many millions would make a difference to almost everyone in this poor town. And surely in other towns as well.” He shrugged his shoulders. “But maybe not to Arif.”