The Crystal Circle: A Paranormal Romance Novel (12 page)

So I disappeared from Tel Aviv without resigning. So what? So I left the apartment without notifying the owner? It’s not such a big deal – the rent was paid in advance. What’s so important in Tel Aviv that people would advertise on Facebook that they’re looking for me? What have we come to? I’m not really necessary to anyone, not to my former boss or the owner of the apartment. A woman can change her life and move on somewhere else. I don’t owe anything to anyone.

In the afternoon, Dave returned filled with stories he had heard from the merchants in Eilat.

“There’s a new underworld in town. I don’t understand why the police aren’t handling it. Beyond all the protection and extortion fees the stall-traders pay to all kinds of

shady characters, a black market bank has popped up - investments, crazy interest rates, gambling – I don’t know. Even traders I buy from in the industrial zone are afraid. Some of it’s just rumor, but their friends claim they’re visited by all sorts of people convincing them to deposit money, and there are those who are convinced and those who aren’t... now have a problem.”

“So how’s that related to us? We’re here in the trailer park in our own oasis, right?”

“Not exactly. That neighbor from the big gray trailer said someone out here was enticing people to make investments. I hope you’re not lured to these things.”

“I’m not easily tempted,” laughed Lynn and Dave sighed.

06/29/2013 - Fourteenth day of disappearance

In the morning there was loud, urgent knocking on the door and shouting. “Dave! Dave! Get out quickly!”

Dave came out quickly and neighbors gathered in front of him and looked at him for a moment, but continued to shout and point toward the outskirts of the camp. There, really close to the border with Jordan, two tents belonging to people who had recently arrived were burning. Dave grabbed the fire extinguisher outside the trailer, gave orders to some people, and they ran to bring more fire extinguishers and buckets of water. They approached the emergency quickly and began to extinguish the fires.

Dave suddenly yelled to everyone, “Stay back! Run away fast! There’s a generator -”

Behind the tents was a small generator in range of the flames. Within seconds, it was burning and suddenly exploded because of the oil in it. People flung themselves down on the ground. Dave shielded Lynn until the explosions stopped. Luckily, the trailers were a little distant from the burning tents and sustained no damage.

“Who owns these tents?” shouted Dave.

“We do,” said two young men, whom nobody knew. They’d been standing nearby, shivering, watching the drama unfold.

“What property did you have in there?”

“Just sleeping bags and toiletries...” They were shaking and their teeth were still chattering in shock.

“What happened? Did you light a cigarette, a lighter, a gas burner - what?”

“Nothing! We were sitting there drinking beer.” They pointed to a rock near the water’s edge.

“How long are you here for?”

“Just for today. We were paid and were given a tent, so, why not?” grinned the taller guy. His bloodshot eyes betrayed substances in his blood other than beer.

“What do you mean ‘paid’?” Dave approached, his brow furrowed.

“What do you care, gimp?” the shorter one sneered.

“Apologize and shut up!” Two neighbors, both about forty years old, approached him. “If it wasn’t for him, we’d all be dead from the explosion.”

Dave looked at the guy and he muttered back, his eyes on the ground, “Sorry, brother.”

“Let’s go back to my question.” Dave’s tone was cold and decisive. “Who paid you?”

“Two men, not from Eilat. Don’t know them. They gave us five hundred shekels each and these tents and the generator to keep us warm and happy for the night. We got settled down. They put us here and were supposed to come and pick up their stuff tonight. “

“Does it seem reasonable to you that they’d pay you for staying in their tents at night? Someone probably wanted to kill you or commit some other crime here, my friends,” Dave sighed and called loudly to the people who gathered around him. “All of you - go home and check out what’s missing or who was there. Let me know if there’s anything suspicious. “

“And us, what about us, brother?” asked the tall one.

Dave chuckled. “You’ll deal with the people who come to ask for their stuff back... if you’re still here by then...” He gave them a meaningful look and they turned, bottles of beer still in their hands, glanced at the burned remains, and headed for the hills.

When Lynn and Dave came back to their trailer, it was wide open and objects were strewn on the floor.

Dave checked calmly and announced, “They didn’t have time for a thorough search. I don’t think anything’s missing.”

“Yes, there is,” said Lynn.

“What?” Dave asked, raising his eyebrows.

“My purse.” Indeed, Lynn’s purse was gone.

“What was in it?” he asked.

She thought, still trembling, and replied, “Money, hairbrush, things like that.”

“Passport? ID?”

“I don’t have them with me.”

“Jewelry?”

She looked at him and raised her eyebrows without saying.

People from the camp came to report to Dave that there had been no break-ins and no one was missing anything. The fire and the explosion were probably an accident.

“You’re probably right,” agreed Dave and hurried to close the door behind them. “I believe they did all this just to get your bag, Lynn. Even if they couldn’t find anything of value, they’re still looking in our place for something. Or maybe looking for you? Think carefully. What are they looking for? Who are they?”

“Dave,” Lynn suddenly lifted her head. “You’re kind of the security officer of this camp, right?”

“Yes, they call me with any trouble. Why?”

“The people who planned it probably knew you’d come running with the fire extinguisher and then they initiated the generator’s explosion… perhaps to hurt you.”

Dave looked at her in silence. He was staring at her lips and his brain tried to figure out what exactly was happening.

“Who are ‘they’ and why, dear God? Why?”

Lynn sat in the chair, bowed her head and hugged her arms. She was alone in the world, and yet someone was looking for her and not with good intentions. Had the little diner they’d opened caused some jealousy, or was there someone who wanted to destroy the fresh partnership between them? Someone had picked through her things… someone was looking for something important enough to risk the lives of so many people! She shuddered.

06/26/2013 - Eleventh day of disappearance

It was ten PM. Gidi assessed the pile of money that had accumulated on the small table in the living room of his apartment.

Saul slapped his shoulder and exclaimed, “Making progress, man! Making progress! Tonight we’re going looking for customers, collecting money, and giving out bonuses. Just like I taught you, remember?”

Gidi smiled and nodded. He was concentrating on the task, but couldn’t quite suppress his smile at the sight of the pile of money, even if, at the moment, most of it was the investors’ money.

“Did you get me what I wanted, Gidi?” Gidi went to the bedroom closet and, after a moment, sat back down beside Saul and gave him a tablet and a package wrapped in a T-shirt. Saul looked smugly at the tablet, opened it, and immediately erased all the data from its memory. Later, he planned to enter other data. He carefully opened the package and pulled out a small pistol, just a used Glock and a magazine, but suitable for his needs.

“I got it from a friend. It’s used. He let me rent it for a month. Said it shoots really straight. I also have two magazines.” Saul checked the gun, weighed the magazines, and nodded approvingly.

“You’re a good guy, Gidi. A partner to my liking.” Gidi took a deep breath, and his shoulders softened.

At eleven-thirty, Gidi and Saul came strolling toward a T-shirt stall on the boardwalk. “Rami, it’s been a week,” Saul said to him. “As promised: you invested 2000, so now you get 2200.” He handed him an envelope. “Count it.” Rami counted and looked at him. “I know how to invest, I told you. Why didn’t you invest 10,000? For ten thousand, you’d now get...” He pulled out a calculator and showed him the sum. “Eleven. Of course, if you invest for a month you get 25%. I’m just paying you 10% in the first week, to show you that we’re serious. And for two months’ investment you get over 50%, because there’s a bonus again...”

Rami looked at the money and counted twice. For the amount Saul mentioned, in one month he could earn 2500 shekels, which would cover his ‘taxes’ to the bully who ‘took care’ of the vendors, and still be left with a hefty profit. Rami pulled out his wallet, but Saul touched his hand and twitched his head. Behind them were people who didn’t look like innocent tourists.

He said, “No need for extra eyes here. Listen, at two in the morning, after you close, meet us behind the Solomon Hotel. I’ll wait for you there. Bring some of your friends over. Everyone will get what they deserve.”

Rami agreed, and Gidi nodded at him and smiled. Saul and Gidi walked among the stalls, delivering money and whispering. Occasionally, they’d buy a hat or a shirt to appease anyone watching.

At one o’clock, when they left the boardwalk area and were headed toward the hotel district, they heard someone calling them.

They turned to see a skinny guy who smiled at them, showing his rotten teeth. “Hey, I got business with you.”

Gidi took a step back and tried to run away, but Saul stopped him with an iron grip and faced the man. “Yes?” he asked politely. “How can I help you?”

“You better stop doing business with the traders. They’re mine. Is that clear?”

From the shadows stepped the muscleman Saul had seen on his first day on the promenade. He came closer to Saul with a menacing look. Saul looked at them both and quickly figured out what he should do.

“There’s no reason why I shouldn’t take you in as investors in the King’s Bank. You could make a lot more money. Maybe even 25% by the end of the third week.” The thin man looked at him and grinned, then nodded to the muscleman. The muscleman suddenly grabbed Gidi and flattened him on the floor with a single punch.

Before anyone could react, Saul drew the pistol from his pocket and instructed, “Pick him up and apologize nicely. You really don’t know me. I’m not kidding. I shoot first and then ask who the hell you people are.”

The skinny guy with the bad teeth nodded and the thug picked Gidi up. Gidi staggered, dizzy from the blow.

“Then let’s get back to business,” said Saul in a pleasant and quiet tone, as if they had been mildly interrupted in the midst of a business meeting. All the while, his gun was drawn and directed at the two. “How much would you like to invest this evening?”

The boss was silent, but the muscleman said, “Leave it, boss. Let’s go. They stink, these whores.” Saul kicked his boot out hard, and the muscleman doubled over, nursing his crotch, wailing from pain and humiliation. “What’s your name, boy?” he asked the boss.

“To you, I’m Joe.”

“And him, the whiner. What’s his name?”

“David,” came the answer.

Saul felt like someone had plugged him to an enormous electrical current. “David!” he roared. He gave another powerful kick that hit the same place as before, making the giant collapse to his knees. He threw another kick at David’s nose, and it began to bleed. Saul’s eyes bulged and the veins on his forehead throbbed. Saul hissed in a hoarse voice that bordered on shouting, “I hate David… I hate him!”

Then he stepped back and changed back to the quiet and calculated tone of voice he’d used before. “You’re lucky you’re not the right David.” He walked away, still with his gun out and called over his shoulder, “Good evening, gentlemen.”

By the time he reached the Solomon Hotel, a group of about ten people was already standing there, led by Rami, the enthusiastic investor. Rami gave him 10,000 shekels and asked to have it returned within a month. Gidi wrote a note with the details and gave it to Rami, while Saul recorded the deposits in his little book under code names.

Rami was codenamed ‘Shark’ because of his small and pointy teeth. Ezra had won the dubious title ‘The Little Ethiopian’ because he was dark and short. There were also ‘The Fish,’ ‘The Warrior King’ and ‘The Gangster.’ People who invested with him for the first time only dared to invest small sums, and were always saddened when, a few days later, they received only a small profit, which could have grown much larger had they dared to invest more. To the interested investors, Saul showed more precise graphs and financial reports, tables of capital markets and explanations, all in black and white, on the small tablet he carried. Of course, none of them understood any of it, but the wealth of information and confidence, and in particular the amounts they earned each week, gradually formed a halo around him, and a name: The Wizard

When the service staff came to close the rear gate of the hotel, they stared in amazement at the group of people talking, but didn’t say a word. Gidi made the rounds and saw two men, but as soon as they caught his stare, they rushed away toward the beach.

Back home, Gidi suggested, “Listen, Saul, next time let’s set up the meetings in the industrial area. The hotel’s not good at all.” Gidi was impressed by the amounts of money and said, “Let’s run away now. Forget about it, let’s just go.”

Saul gave him a withering look and said, “Gidi, there’s a plan. Stick to the plan and you’ll see. Everything will be wonderful. First of all, I need a safer place to live.” He looked out of the window. The shadows of the trees at the entrance provided a wonderful hiding place for anyone on his trail. “So, Gidi, where would you suggest I move to?”

“There’s the Uprooted Camp, near the border.”

“Uprooted Camp?” Saul looked at him quizzically and then dropped back on the couch. “Speak, I’m listening.”

Gidi told him about the trailer park. Specifically, he spelled out that, between the police and the permanent tenants, there was an unspoken agreement: The police did not go in there. The residents agreed not to sell or use drugs or to organize parties, including trance parties, and they were responsible for eradicating crime if it ever popped up.

Saul stood up and leaned toward him with shining eyes. “Continue.”

“Families live there or people who want to be alone, and it’s convenient for them that way. That’s why the place is called the Uprooted Camp. If you want to go, the border’s only fifty meters away. You can go for a few days and then come back. There’s a hole in the fence... unofficially. Everyone in Eilat knows about this place. It’s a nice place. I once had a girlfriend from there... she’s gone now...” He drifted away, happy in his memories, until Saul shook his arm impatiently. “Don’t worry,” promised Gidi, “they won’t come looking for you there.”

Late that night, while Gidi exhaled his sweet purple smoke and went for a trip in the provinces of his imagination, Saul walked down toward the lagoon. He looked at it, saw a reflection of himself dressed in his odd attire, and a chill grabbed him from head to toe.

The Crystal Circle Meeting

He
walked hesitantly down the white hall to the familiar shrine. He was wearing a dark purple velvet cloak and went to the center of the Circle. The group had been waiting for him, sitting in the circle. Everyone smiled and got up to hug him. They were surrounded by music and dimmed light to soften the warm atmosphere. Raz’el sat waiting calmly, smiling. He was dressed in his blue robe and asked everyone to sit down. They sat on the white sofas and held hands
.

“
Welcome to the Crystal Circle. Raul, you look upset. What’s going on?”

Raul fired off without further ado, “Raz’el, why have I lost my memory? I lost my memory, turned into Saul, and Michal became Lynn that night. Why is that?”

Raz’el stood up and walked amongst them, speaking in a low tone directly into the eyes of everyone present
.

“Michal has
v
iolated the Rule of the Crystal Circle. She tried to pass on information. I had to act. It was forbidden for you to remember what she said.” All eyes were fixed on Michal, and she blushed. Raz’el continued. “On the bus. When you went to the ten- year celebrations of the bank in Tel Aviv. She had a daydream, and she realized what was going to happen. She tried to warn Raul, meaning Saul, that he might kill David. I had to stop it. The rules of the game say you have to cope alone with the challenges that arise, without the information processed here reaching your conscious reality. I have no idea how Michal does it, but she often remembers things that have been discussed here. It was a memory that belonged to past lives of Saul and David. It impairs your development, Michal, as well as the development of the entire group...

“Right now, the situation is that Lynn does not remember that she is Michal, and Saul does not remember that he is Raul. You have to handle it
.
Michal is facing the danger of incestuous love and intimacy with her brother, and Saul is faced with the threat of murder. You should keep from murdering or being murdered. After all, this is truly an innate urge within you as far as David is concerned. You’ll have to activate that which is special in you and the others. Anyway... it’s just a game, you know.” He smiled. “I don’t know what the outcome of this game will be. Although I could guess... And I’m here to welcome you with open arms each time you return. “

“So when do I get my memory back?” Raul hardened. “It really doesn’t suit me one bit to be a menacing mobster and a financial trickster.”

“First, you need to deal with the urge to murder; attempt to deepen yourself. There are still parts of yourself that you like, aren’t there?”

“Yes,” Raul said hesitantly. “Guiding people. Being a leader. Grouping. Finance.” “So try to connect to it. You’ll get there sooner or later.”

06/28/2013 – Thirteenth day of disappearance

In the morning, a little after he returned to the sunglasses stall to open up shop with his father, Gidi left for the Uprooted Camp and began to prepare a patch of land for a trailer. To this end, he moved some rocks and slightly flattened the ground with a rake. Two days earlier, he’d found an ad in the local paper for an old trailer for rent, some sort of a painted shack on wheels. Transport was at the expense of the tenant. He explained to his father that he had an opportunity to get into a more serious and respectable business. His father was very happy and encouraged him to invest more time in it.

“Don’t worry, Gidi,” he said. “I’ll manage the stall as long as you need. Just bring the merchandise and collect the money. Come for two hours a day, and I’ll be fine. Congratulations!”

Gidi closed the deal on the trailer rental, paid for the first month, and booked movers to move the trailer the next day at eight in the morning. He helped Saul move his few belongings into a tent they set up in the designated field. At noon, they sat in Gidi’s apartment again and checked the accounts, and Saul gave Gidi his share of the partnership’s profits. Gidi was satisfied and tucked the bills under the mattress in his bedroom. That evening, they went looking for more customers to expand their group of clients. Frequent, prompt payouts reassured the customers of the ‘bank,’ encouraging even more investments.

Skinny Joe and David the Muscleman gritted their teeth over the new takeover, but as long as they received their ‘taxes’ on time and without interruption, they didn’t dare to intervene further in the affairs of Saul and Gidi. They were accustomed to receiving payments, charging murderous interest rates to those who fell into debts, and making terrible threats. They didn’t dare extort money from respectable traders, only from small-time law offenders. They’d never come across a situation in which their traders were receiving a lot of money instead of paying it out. They had a sense that, somehow, they reinforced each other - the ‘tax’ collectors and the King’s Bank.