Emerald (26 page)

“I’m not sure, but I would think that Miriam has been in touch with him”

“Well I might have something important for both you and Levi. One of my contacts, a policeman, was assigned to that big auction at Christie’s a couple of days ago, and he thinks maybe our killer has something to do with a huge emerald that was part of the auction.”

“What made him think that, Max?”

“Because there were two final bidders for the emerald, an Asian man, named Mr. Tam, and a rather over-dressed and garishly made up female, whose name he didn’t get. The Asian man won the emerald and both parties left the auction house, but my informant said it was obvious the lady was not a happy camper. Some later that same informant was called to a serious accident, where the Asian man’s car seemed to have been forced off the Cliff Road and he was seriously injured. A witness to the accident identified the car that ran Mr. Tam off the road as the same one the overdressed woman was driving when she left the auction house. He thinks that woman may have been a man in disguise.”

“Interesting, very interesting. If that is true, and it was Hans in disguise, I wonder why Hans wants that emerald. Maybe that’s where all that robbery money was for - - - to bid on the emerald.”

“Thanks Max. Good work! Will you continue to follow up on this, and see if Josef can find out anything from the streets? Levi might know some more about that emerald, also. I’ll check with him.”

“We’re on it, Piet.”

Hans returned to the hospital on schedule. Kat Yun said she was still checking on things. She learned that groups of patients’ personal effects were accidentally left in the hospital accounting office on the night Tam entered the hospital. There were more questions to ask, but she could not come on too strong with her queries. He would just have to wait. Seething, Hans left, again walking past David’s room.

“Levi, its Piet Servette. How are you today? I have some bad news for you, but perhaps you have already heard. Some shot David, and it may have been Hans in disguise. David is in a hospital in Munich and, evidently, will recover, but it is pretty serious. Miriam is with him and I am sure she will contact you soon with all the details. Now, have you uncovered any information on a possible connection between our psychotic killer and this emerald?”

“Glad you called, Piet. Yes, I know about David. Miriam called me from the hospital. She was hysterical at first, but true to her nature calmed down and gave me all the details. I offered to send in a replacement for David, but she asked me to wait for a day or so, but I did so anyway. Now about an emerald, according to our sources in Interpol, it seems that Hans Huber’s grandfather, who lived in Munich, once owned a huge emerald that at one time belonged to Bavarian Government. No further information at this time, but one theory centers around the fact that it seems that his grandfather may have disinherited Hans’s father. It is just possible that Hans thinks that emerald should be his and all this mayhem is revenge for the Mossad agents killing his father in Argentina in 59 or 60. Still haven’t made the total connection, in fact no one seems to know where the emerald went after Hans grandfather died. That’s about all I have, so far, but it sounds interesting. Since that auction took place in your bailiwick, perhaps you could persuade the people at Christies to tell you where their emerald came from.”

“Well, this situation is getting more and more interesting. Now we seem to have several entities after our emerald. Christies is pretty tight-lipped about their clients, but I will see if I can bend an arm or two. Thanks for your help Levi, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I known anything new both about the emerald and about David. Let’s continue to keep in touch, perhaps with this new situation, and with Miriam. I’m not sure what she plans to do now that David is laid up.”

“Will do, Levi, and thanks for your information.

Miriam continued pleading with David to marry her and get out of Mossad so they could be safe. Using the same arguments about raising a family and staying away from danger she even begged him on her knees: quit Mossad and marry her.

“That bastard will try again to kill you as soon as you get out of the hospital. As soon as you are well enough we can sneak out of the hospital and go straight to my brother’s kibbutz, near Hebron, where you can continue your recovery and we will both be safe.”

“Miriam, will you quit it! We are not going to get married. And, I sure as hell am not going to resign from Mossad! You know me better than that. What is wrong with you?”

“David, I don’t want to lose you.”

“Well, you’re going to if you keep that up.”

“David, listen to me…”

“Miriam just leave! I’m not up to this today. And please don’t ask me again. The answer is no, and that’s final. No! Do you hear me?”

“David, you don’t mean that.”

“I do! How many times do I have to tell you? No, I will not marry you, and I will not leave Mossad! Now go, and if you ever think of bringing this subject up again, don’t come back. That’s it. Now leave, and let me get some rest.”

“David, you are not yourself right now. You’re weak and still dopey. When you feel better, you will change your mind.”

“That does it, Miriam! We’re through! Don’t come to see me again. I mean it. Never! Do you hear? No! No! No! Now get out! Goodbye!”

“David…”

“Leave!”

“David…”

David closed his eyes and refused to answer any further pleas. She sat without speaking for over an hour watching him, but when he opened his eyes, he was still angry.

“You have certainly killed what we had. Now get the hell out and stay out!”

He closed his eyes again. She continued sitting there crying quietly. Finally, she got up and left the hospital in despair. She walked like a zombie to their car, drove almost blinded by her tears to the safe house, ran in, flopped down on the bed and cried herself to sleep. The next day, when she went to see David, there was a guard at his door, and told her that David had asked him not allow her into David’s room. In a sobbing stupor, she returned home and did not get dressed for several days. She lay in the unmade bed, staring off into space, then, crying some more. She did not care anymore whether she lived or died - - - sometimes death even sounded preferable.

“I found out what happened to the silver box,” Kat announced when Hans walked into Tam’s room three days later. “It is in Geneva.”

“No way! Hans reached for his dagger and glared menacingly at her. What are you trying to pull, Kat?”

“I’m not joking,” she glared back, holding her ground. “As they were putting Tam’s personal effects into the safe with all the other patients of that day, that silver box evidently fell out, but nobody knew which person’s personal effects bag it fell out of. The hospital was terribly busy that night. One of the nurses looked on the bottom of the box and saw a label that said Christie’s Geneva written on it. I was told someone in the hospital administration packaged up the box and sent it back to Christie’s by currier. As Kat Yun spoke, she noticed the way Hans’ face fell, then the murderous look that began forming in his eyes. She began to tremble.

“You are absolutely positive this is what really happened?” asked Hans, the rage building.”

“I got it from three different people. I’m positive. What are you going to do now?”

“Never mind,” snapped Hans, “There went your reward!”

He turned and stalked out of the room down the hall to the elevators. As he waited at the elevator, Hans saw Kat leave Tam’s room and walk into the room across the hall. He rushed back to Tam’s room. He stood there looking at Tam alone in the room, then in great anger he suddenly drew his dagger, slashed Tam’s throat from ear to ear and carved a huge SS on his neck. Before Kat Yun returned, he wiped his knife on Tam’s bed sheets, replaced it in his neck sheath, and rushed down the hall, taking the stairs two at a time.

Darkness was just beginning to settle on the city as he entered the hospital garage and headed for his car. Just then, he saw two men come out of the hospital door and walk toward their car. Look like Jews to me. Screwing the silencer to his Glock, he walked up to them as they entered their car and asked for directions to the Cobra Club. Before they could respond he shot each of them twice. He still felt the rage and the frustration at again loosing contact with his emerald. That evening on the way to his car after an evening of drinking at the Cobra Club, he slashed the throat of another man on the side street where he had parked his car.
Well, he looks like a Jew
, he thought just before he carved the SS mark on him. Then he drove back to his hotel.

Miriam dragged herself out of bed. It was mid-afternoon of what day she didn’t know. She found a stale piece of bread in the cupboard, walked back into the living room, and slumped into the overstuffed chair. Absentmindedly she clicked on the television. The news came on. A patient at University hospital had been murdered in his bed. Identification would not be given out until next of kin were notified. Miriam jerked to attention and watched upset nurses say they hadn’t seen anyone enter or leave the room. She threw a coat on over her pajamas and rushed to the hospital.

Parking in a red zone close to the hospital entrance, she ran inside and up the stairs to the fourth floor. When she got to David’s room, she pushed past the guard and jammed open the door. David’s bed was empty and she fell on the floor into a sobbing heap. The guard and a nurse rushed in, helped her into a chair, and asked her what the problem was. Through her tears, Miriam sputtered: