WASHINGTON DC: The Sadir Affair (The Puppets of Washington Book 1) (25 page)

“And from your observation, you can’t see anyone befriending him in any way during the couple of days you were with him?”

“No, no one. He shied away from the neighbours, and he hadn’t been there long enough to make friends. We generally don’t as a rule, anyway.”

“And you never rode with him in his SUV?”

“No, I had no reason for doing so. I had my own vehicle and the purpose of my visit was to observe his movements, not to travel in his company.”

“I see...” Billycan was pensive for a couple of minutes before he said, “Let’s leave the subject of the incident in Flint for the moment. We have a more troublesome situation in our hands now. As we came out of the courthouse this afternoon, Mr. Fauchet and I were approached by a man who asked us if we had arrested Agent Lypsick yet.” Billycan paused. Darlene’s mouth fell open while Samuel’s eyes didn’t leave the US Attorney’s face. Billycan gave both of them a tentative smile. “Yes, Agent Meshullam, someone is playing games.” Samuel gave him a slight nod. “But that’s not all. The man further told us that warnings were important and to watch my back. What do you suppose he meant by that?”

Samuel folded his hands in front of him and then laid them flat on the table. “Mr. Billycan, I think it is time for you to realize what and who you are dealing with. You have put Sadir behind bars and for that—as temporarily as it may be—I am grateful. Yet, the agent who was my contact was not Mr. Sadir. He didn’t send me any messages himself, of that I am sure. The man who contacted me in the two instances—that of eliminating Mr. Assor and shooting Ms. Kartz—was Agent Lypsick.”

“How did you come to that conclusion?”

“I didn’t have to reach any conclusion, sir; Agent Lypsick was waiting for me in Sydney when I returned to Australia to wait to be called back to the States to attend this trial. Besides, I had an inkling that he was indeed a Mossad agent when he interviewed me in Vancouver.”

“I see, and what else should we know about Mossad or Agent Lypsick then?”

“Agent Lypsick has been what you call in English a ‘prime-mover’ in Mossad’s organization. He himself doesn’t make decisions but he executes the decisions emanating from the direction of the organization, as I understand it.”

“So, he’s the one who would have suggested Mr. Assor’s assassination, is that correct?”

“Yes, but he was not the one who decided that Mr. Assor should be eliminated. And he is not the one who ordered the shooting of Ms. Kartz either.”

“Do you know who made the decision?”

Samuel shook his head again and looked down at his hands. “It is not one person, Mr. Billycan; it is a group of men, which cannot be identified by anyone of us. And apart from the Director of Mossad who enacts the decisions, there is what you would call a board of directors who investigates the problems and then render a unanimous decision to the Director.”

“I see. But now to come back to our little warning…”

“I wouldn’t demean the warning, Mr. Billycan, this is very serious. You and Mr. Fauchet are facing repercussions if you were not to arrest Agent Lypsick, that’s what the warning meant.”

“But we can’t just go and knock on his door and arrest him on your say-so. We haven’t got any evidence to issue such a warrant.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Mr. Billycan.” Samuel smiled at seeing the US Attorney frown at him. “Yes, sir. You need to look at the conversations Mr. Sadir had with his co-workers, with Agent Lypsick himself when they were in Vancouver and those pieces of correspondences they exchanged. Mr. Sadir is not clever but Agent Lypsick is extremely astute.”

“How do you know this, since you have only discovered him being your contact when you were in Sydney last?”

“Because he explained what he did.”

“He did?”

Samuel nodded. “Yes, Mr. Fauchet; he told me what he did in order to have Sadir arrested and tried. You have probably gathered by now that Mr. Sadir was, or is, an Islamic terrorist, whose aim was to kill as many Jews as he could while being a CIA agent of some standing. However, the fact that you have discovered, or will soon do, that Agent Lypsick accepted to forward his recommendation to Mossad, has put him in a precarious position. Mossad probably wants him arrested for collusion with the enemy. Lypsick must be aware of the pending reprisals and he’s on the run. From what you described just now, Mr. Billycan, I would conclude that Mossad is protecting itself from appearing as a willing participant in the murder of Agent Assor and the assault on Ms Kartz. Until Lypsick clears his involvement from blame, he’s going to stay in hiding.”

“And how is he going to do that?” Darlene asked. “Mossad must know that Sadir was the driving force…”

“Yes, Ms Stovall, they do. Yet, I think there is someone else who’s behind this whole affair. Lypsick needs to find out who he is.”

“You mean who’s the ‘Puppeteer’?” Marcel put in. Everyone looked at him enquiringly. “Lypsick himself used the name when he questioned Sadir in Vancouver…”

“Yes, that’s right,” Billycan agreed.

Samuel nodded again. “In the meantime, let me assure you, Mr. Billycan, that if you consider me dangerous, you have a lot more to fear from Agent Lypsick than you do from me.”

Billycan reached the kitchen counter to find his cup and coffeepot set beside the morning paper—as usual. He stared at the front page.

OUR US ATTORNEY WARNED!

He sat down and grumbled a “good morning” to Melinda, his housekeeper. She was busy preparing some poached eggs, ham and toasts behind him.

“Good morning, Mr. Lucien,” she replied distractedly. “Your picture look good.” She took the eggs out of the poacher, placed them over the ham and turned around, taking the plate from beside the stove to set it in front of the man for whom she had worked for nearly twenty years—since his wife died. “What they warning you about?”

Billycan was already reading the article on page two. “Nothing much. Thanks.” he said when Melinda deposited the plate beside the cup.

She swivelled on her heels, shrugging her shoulders. Melinda knew not to question the man any further when he was in a “groaning” mood. She would have a chance to get her own paper anyway, later on when she went to get the groceries.

“It just says that a man told me to “watch my back” yesterday when we came out of court. That’s about it.” Billycan started eating and kept on reading. Yet, that wasn’t all of it. The article went on to describe the man who accosted the US Attorney and they even had a photo of the guy beside it. A piece of toast in hand, Billycan got up and went to the phone, which he brought back to the counter and punched the number.

“Van Dams here,” he heard the Deputy Director say when he picked up the phone.

“Top of the morning to you, Mr. Van Dams. Billycan here.”

“I’m on it, Billycan,” Van Dams answered gruffly.

“On what?”

“I gathered you’ve seen this morning’s paper and the photo of your alarmist—and that’s what you’re calling about. Right?”

“Right. When will you get an answer for me?”

“In a couple of hours—if he’s still in town.”

“Not good enough, Van Dams. Make that 9:00AM, before I get into court. And I’m not interested in who he is as much as I want to know where he comes from—what’s his relationship with Mossad, if he’s got any. You understand what I’m saying?”

“How do you know he’s Mossad?”

“Long story, Van Dams. I just do, and that’s all you need to know.”

“Okay, I’ll call you back before 9:00—if I’ve got your answer. If not I’ll leave a message.”

“Good enough. Oh, and before I forget; you should send me those communication records you’ve got between Lypsick and Sadir, which you seemed to have omitted to transfer to my office before the trial started.”

Not waiting for an answer, Billycan hung up and went back to eating his breakfast.

The first thing Billycan noticed when he entered the Judge’s chamber that morning was the paper lying on top of the desk. Silverman pointed at the headline. “Could you tell me what this is all about, Mr. Billycan?” He had dispensed with the usual greetings. “But more importantly, what is the jury to understand by this warning? It says the man told you to watch your back. Sit down!” he ordered. Billycan did. “Who’s this Agent Lypsick they mention in the article? Has he got much to do with this case? I thought I read something about him in the briefs you’ve submitted, so please, give me a quick rundown before Mr. Simmons gets here, will you?”

Billycan nodded and crossed his legs. “All I can tell you is that Agent Lypsick is a CIA agent, but I’ve discovered last night when I interviewed Agent Meshullam that he’s pulling strings for Mossad as well.”

Silverman didn’t move an inch. His eyes were fixed on the US Attorney. “Are you telling me we’re looking at a threat from Mossad?”

Billycan shook his head and uncrossed his legs nervously. “No, Your Honour, I don’t believe that’s what the message meant. Agent Meshullam, who’s been with the agency for many years as you know, contends that Mossad is actually trying to protect my office from making a mistake and that we should set our sights on Agent Lypsick to avoid a disaster.”

“And what does that mean for this trial? That’s what concerns me.”

“It means nothing at this point, Your Honour. The jury will simply read that someone is warning me against a man named Lypsick. And since the name has not been brought to their attention yet, they shouldn’t be able to connect this incident with the trial.”

“I hope for your sake they don’t, Counsel, otherwise, we’ll be looking at a motion for a mistrial from Mr. Simmons. We can’t have another suspect running around while we’re trying Mr. Sadir. I urge you to think of the possibility…”

At these words, the two men heard a knock at the door. “Come in,” Silverman said, putting the paper face down.

“Good morning, Your Honour. Mr. Billycan,” Simmons said, entering the judge’s chamber hesitantly, the paper folded under his arm.

“The reason I called you both in chamber this morning, gentlemen, is simple.” Silverman got up, took his robe from the hook behind the door, and put it on, leaving no time for Simmons to open a discussion on the subject of the newspaper article. “I have reviewed the evidence you presented yesterday, Mr. Billycan, and there seems to be a question as to where Agent Meshullam was located at the time of the accident.” He sat down at his desk again. “We have a set of conflicting evidence and we need to clarify for the jury whether Agent Meshullam was in Mr. Assor’s SUV at the time of the accident or if he was in the house across the street.” He rested his eyes on the US Attorney. “Have you been able to make some headway in elucidating this mystery, Mr. Billycan? Sit down, Mr. Simmons.”

The defence attorney did and put the paper in his lap.

“Yes, I have, Your Honour,” Billycan replied. “I have interviewed Agent Meshullam last night and he assured me that he was in the house across the street taking aim at the time of the accident.”

“No, Your Honour, he wasn’t,” Simmons burst out to the judge’s utmost surprise. “I have a witness that saw Agent Meshullam exit the car just after it rammed into the tree.”

“It can’t be…”

The judge raised a hand to stop Billycan. “And who might that be, Mr. Simmons? Will you produce this witness during your defence?”

“Yes, Your Honour.”

“Then I repeat, who is this witness?”

“He is a neighbour who witnessed the accident.”

“And did he recognize Agent Meshullam?”

“Yes, he did, Your Honour.”

“Did the investigative officers have an opportunity to put Agent Meshullam in a line-up for the witness to make an admissible identification?”

Billycan smiled inwardly. Samuel never travelled to Flint to be interrogated. He was never in a line-up.

“No, Your Honour, Agent Meshullam was not available at the time of the investigation.”

“Then how can you be sure this witness is reliable, Mr. Simmons?”

“Because he saw Agent Meshullam and Mr. Assor together the day before.”

“I see.” Silverman rose from the chair and so did the lawyers. “I’m not going to tell you how to do your job, Mr. Billycan, but if I were you, I would want the rifle identified along with any prints left on it as soon as possible.” He took a few steps toward the door. “And, I want the handprints evidence clarified. We can’t have unfinished business, if you get my meaning.” The attorneys nodded and walked out with the judge.

Simmons rushed down the corridor and into the courtroom. He needed to talk to his second-chair before this morning’s proceedings started. “Gill, get on the line with the District Attorney in Flint,” he said, panting and sitting down. He leafed through his witnesses’ list and pointed at a name on it. “And tell him to bring this guy in.” Gill was already on his feet when the judge entered the courtroom. Simmons grabbed Gill by the sleeve. “And when they locate him, fly him down here today.”

The lawyer exited the courtroom as the bailiff declared the court in session.

“Your next witness, Mr. Billycan,” Silverman said amiably.

“I’d like to recall Mr. Lieberman to the stand, Your Honour.”

“Is Mr. Lieberman available to take the stand this morning?”

“Yes, Your Honour, he is. He’s in the hallway.”

“Very well then... Bailiff, would you bring Mr. Lieberman in, please.” Silverman shot a thin smile in Billycan’s direction. The US Attorney returned the smile with a nod while the witness made his way to the witness stand.

“Thank you for coming back, Mr. Lieberman.”

“You’re welcome, Judge,” the forensic expert said as he took a seat.

“You’ve been sworn in already, so we’ll proceed directly... Mr. Billycan, please.”

Billycan got up and went to the evidence table. He picked up the handprints plastic pocket and took a few steps toward Lieberman. “I am showing you Exhibit 3, which you identified yesterday as the handprints of Agent Meshullam, is that correct?”

“Yes, those were made by Agent Meshullam, yes.”

“I think we all agreed that these handprints were made by Agent Meshullam at some point in time...” Billycan paused meaningfully. “But what you could not determine for us was when the prints were made, isn’t that right, sir?”

“Yes, that’s right.” Lieberman looked up at the judge. “May I make a comment here, Your Honour?”

“Is the comment relevant and will it clarify the matter to which you are testifying, Mr. Lieberman?”

“Yes, Your Honour, it is.”

“Any objection, Mr. Billycan?”

“No, Your Honour, none at this time.”

“Very well then. Go ahead, sir.”

“Thank you, Judge.” Lieberman turned to the jury. “The handprints that we lifted from the SUV
were made
by Agent Meshullam—they matched this person’s prints on file—but they may have been made elsewhere and transferred to the dashboard. However, to transfer prints of any sort requires great care. If we were talking about a finger print or a thumb print that would be an easy task, but two whole handprints would be very difficult and practically impossible to transfer.”

“Thank you, Mr. Lieberman. Mr. Billycan?”

“Thank you, Your Honour. Okay…, Mr. Lieberman, let me ask you this then; could you tell when prints are actually made by someone or simply transferred onto a surface?”

“Yes. There is often missing ridges or particles that are absent from any print that has been transferred from one surface to another.”

“Have you performed any test to determine whether these prints were transferred onto the dashboard of the vehicle?”

“No. We didn’t see the need to do so.”

“Oh, I see.” Billycan appeared disappointed. “And who determines whether a test is needed or not?”

“The investigating officer does in most cases.”

“And in this instance, no one asked you to carry out any further test on this evidence, is that correct?”

“That’s right. Once we identified the handprints to belong to Agent Meshullam, we didn’t go any further.”

“Then would you say these prints could have been transferred onto the dashboard—is that possible?”

“Yes, that’s a possibility.”

“Okay. Now, I’d like you to turn your attention to the open car door of Mr. Assor’s vehicle, which you determined to have been opened after the accident occurred. Could you tell this court how you arrived at this conclusion?”

“Yes…, well…, we introduce the speed of the vehicle on impact and the metal stress into several formulas and we then determine whether the door hinges have been affected or distorted during the accident. If, as in this case, the force of the vehicle ramming into the tree did not affect the hinges, then we concluded the door could have been opened after the accident occurred.”

“Let’s see if I understand this correctly; you’re saying that according to your calculations and given that the door hinges were not affected by the accident, someone could have open the car door after the accident occurred—is that your testimony?”

“Yes, sir, that’s what it amounts to, yes.”

“Very good. Let me ask you this then; did you find any prints on the door itself that would indicate that someone opened the door after the accident?”

“Well, again, sir, that’s difficult to say. We’ve found a few prints on the door, yes, but we cannot determine when these prints were made.”

“I see, but did you determine who these prints belong to?”

“No, sir. None of the prints belonged to anyone on file, no.”

“Thank you, Mr. Lieberman. I have no further question for this witness at this time, Your Honour.”

The judge nodded and looked down at Simmons. “Mr. Simmons?”

“No question, Your Honour, thank you.”

“Very well then... Mr. Lieberman, you may step down.”