Green Kills (18 page)

New York, October 26, 2013, 10:18 AM

Ronnie woke up in front of his bedroom window overlooking the
sunlit Manhattan skyline. Liah sat next to him with her legs crossed, reading
from the binder he’d gotten from Smith — or was it Jones? She wore a pink
tracksuit that complemented her complexion and held a cup of coffee in her hand.
Ronnie tried to move, and the anguished groan he emitted caused her to set down
her cup and ask with concern, “Would you like another painkiller?”

“I want the medicine we developed at TDO — one that can make the
pain
go
away, but allow me to keep a clear head.”
Ronnie forced a smile. “And if that’s impossible, I guess a strong cup of
coffee will have to serve as a substitute. By the way, where’s Gadi? Did I even
talk to him last night?”

“The tranquilizers made you fall asleep. When we got here from the
hospital, Gadi helped me put you in bed and insisted he stay and sleep on the
couch. When I woke up this morning, he wasn’t here, but he’d left a note asking
us to wait for him for lunch.”

Liah headed to the kitchen. A few minutes later, Ronnie heard the
whistle of the kettle from afar. He stared at his plastered leg, and for the
first time since yesterday, actually felt fear in his heart. He recognized the
attacker as the same Chinese man they’d met in the Sunnyvale hotel elevator,
the one who wore a Phi Beta Kappa ring. Now he was convinced his presence was
proof Christian’s death was not a simple case of suicide.
Am I next?
he
wondered. The assault was still fresh in his mind. It was
executed by a professional who got the exact result he’d wanted, but based on
the smile that had washed across his face as he’d looked at Ronnie before
crushing his knee, he undoubtedly also took sadistic
pleasure
from his
deed. 

Ronnie recreated the event in his mind. The assailant pushed him
at the exact point that would make him lose his balance and fall onto his side,
while exposing the knee for the painful blow. Any bully would’ve taken
advantage of the situation to kick his head or his stomach in order to cause
pain. His assailant didn’t care about hurting him. All he wanted was to give
him a clear and intimidating message, and he did that with terrifying
cold-bloodedness.

“Come, I’ll help you to sit.” Liah interrupted his thoughts and
placed the coffee cup on the chest beside him.

“I’ll manage. I need to clean up.” Ronnie leaned on his hands
and shifted himself to a sitting position with the aid of his healthy leg. The
mission proved to be more difficult and more painful than he’d anticipated, but
he didn’t want to increase Liah’s concern and somehow managed not to wince.
When he was finally able to reach the bathroom, his phone rang. “Should I
answer?” Liah asked.

Ronnie nodded. Liah went to answer the call and immediately came
back and reported, “
It’s
Henry.”

“I’ll get back to him in twenty minutes. I want to enjoy my
morning coffee, before he ruins my day.”

“He’s waiting for a call back.
Says it’s
important.”

“With Henry and David, everything’s important.” Ronnie tottered
back from the bathroom and sat on his bed, taking the coffee cup in his hands.
“The last quiet moments of the day,” he said with a sigh.

“You want us to go jogging?” Liah retreated to her usual
sarcasm.

“Afraid I’ll grow a potbelly?” Ronnie teased her back and
immediately added, “Sweetheart, I promise I’ll take what happened very
seriously and won’t try to play the hero. If I could, I’d transfer all the
responsibility to David, but I think the message the attacker tried to relate
to me was ‘Close the deal, and be quick about it.’ And that’s what I’ll do.
You’re welcome to listen to my conversation with Henry and see for yourself how
serious my intentions are.”

On the other hand, the message could have been, “Don’t you
dare close a deal with those investment bankers.” Who knows…?
he
pondered in frustration, deciding not to share the eerie
thought with Liah.

He kissed her and immediately dialed. “Yes, Henry?”

“David and I would like to know: Have you reached any
conclusions regarding the acquisition?”

“Truth is, I haven’t had a chance to go over the material yet,”
Ronnie tried to sound matter-of-fact, “but assuming the Luxembourg entity is
legit, I recommend we go for it and close the deal.”

“I’m happy to hear that’s what you think. I’m also happy that
you’ve taken a little time off this weekend and managed to restrain yourself
from diving into the paperwork the two lawyers left us. I don’t possess your
kind of wisdom and patience, so I’ve read it all. I also sent a copy to the
fund’s attorneys. I assume you’ve transmitted a copy to TDO’s lawyers. This
morning, I received an email from our attorneys saying that the contract, other
than some minor points, seems to be completely fair. ‘Too good to be true’ was
the actual expression they used.”

“Excellent. I’m happy to hear that, Henry. Thanks for your help.
I’ll see you on Monday.” Ronnie hung up and looked at Liah with his hands
spread, awaiting applause.

“I hope Henry bought your answer. I didn’t. I know you too well
to believe you’re going to give up just because someone has physically hurt
you.” She drew nearer and rested her head on his chest. “Just promise me you’ll
be more careful now. It would be pathetic if after all the covert operations
you did for the
army,
you get killed by some local
bully only because you wouldn’t sell some company…”  

“I promise,” he whispered in her ear.

“Ronnie, get dressed!
Liah, feel free to take
your time.”
They were startled to hear Gadi’s voice coming from the
hall.

“I didn’t know he had a key to our apartment.” Liah was clearly
annoyed.

“I allowed myself to take Ronnie’s key this morning,” Gadi
answered from the threshold of their bedroom. “I didn’t think he’d need it
today. Anyway, it seemed like a good idea to make a copy for myself. I promise
to knock before I let myself in.”

Gadi returned the key to Liah, and Ronnie tiredly leaned back.
“Tell us what you were able to find out,” he demanded.

Gadi looked at Liah, and when he realized she wasn’t about to
leave the room, began, “Allow me to start with everything that has happened in
the last two days…” He took off his shoes and propped his feet on their bed,
ignoring Liah’s disapproving glance. “This whole story about the late night
telephone call between Lumner and his wife didn’t smell right to me from the
moment I heard it. I decided to fly to Boston and from there to drive to
Bedford, where the Lumner family lives, to check out this whole power outage
story Christian’s wife had described. When I reached the Direct Energy local
office, I was welcomed by one Sarah Goldenberg, apparently Jewish, cute as a
button,
well,
at least that’s what I first thought,
who offered her help. I explained to her that I work for a consulting firm that
checks customer satisfaction with various electricity providers and I needed to
know what time Mrs. Lumner’s complaint was received and how long it took to
send her a repair crew. She insisted that she couldn’t provide me with
information that was not about my account. I used all my charming tricks” —
Gadi winked at Liah, who kept giving him angry looks — “but to no avail. The
girl was immune. She just wouldn’t give me the information. I asked her to just
tell me what time the call had been received, but that Goldenberg wouldn’t
budge. She said she didn’t believe me and that I should leave. When I asked her
why she didn’t believe me, she hurled at me, ‘Because we don’t send people to
make repairs in the middle of the night, unless it’s a matter of life and
death.’ Gadi turned silent, allowing his words to sink in.

“So who was at Mrs. Lumner’s?” Ronnie looked at him with
confusion.

“That’s exactly what I’ve been asking myself.” Gadi smiled
mysteriously. “I asked her again to only check when the call had been received,
but she refused again. I noticed that both times I asked her for information,
her eyes rested for a moment on a ledger in front of her. I snatched it, and
while she was screaming, went over all the calls that’d been received between
the night of October 16th and the morning of the 17th. I couldn’t find any
reference to a call received from the Lumner family. A minute later, two
security men came in with a police officer and arrested me. They took me to the
local police station, where they held me in custody without allowing me any
contact with the outside world. Not everything you see in the movies works in
real life. I screamed, ‘I have my rights, you know!’ until my throat got sore,
but it seemed they weren’t familiar with the concept.”

“So what’s the story with Garcia?” Ronnie asked.

Gadi lowered his eyes, just like he had all those years ago, when
they’d first met in Lod. “When we met more than a week ago in Sunnyvale, I
searched the staff locker room and found the driver’s license of a certain
Ramon Garcia. Looking at the license photo, you’d think he’s my long lost twin
brother. Well, actually he’s not as handsome as I am, but pretty close. I had a
feeling his identity might come in handy in the future.”

Liah shook her head in disbelief.

Gadi offered her a devilish smile in return. “When I’d reached
Bedford, I rented a car under that name and that’s how I identified myself at
the electric company and the police station. My real ID was carefully hidden
beneath the seat upholstery of the rented car. A day later, they let me know I
could be released for a bail of five thousand dollars. I only had five hundred.
I sat in the cell and thought, ‘Who’s going to give a miserable Latino such as
myself another forty-five hundred dollars?’ But then one of the cops, who,
lucky for me, was also
Hispanic,
a real one for a
change, told me there was actually someone who might. He was a tough bail-bond
agent that could serve as my guarantor. He said he expected me to pay him seven
hundred dollars and took care to warn me if I tried to run he’d find me and
break every bone in my body. I guess he’ll be looking for Ramon Garcia for many
years to come. I destroyed all the paperwork and shaved the beard I’d grown
during my time in jail. I think I should be pretty safe for the next hundred
years or so.”

“Did they take your fingerprints?” Ronnie asked.

“Yes, but who’ll compare the fingerprints taken in a small town
in—”

“There’s a federal FBI database,” Ronnie insisted.

Gadi simply shrugged.

“You’re nuts,” Liah whispered.

“Nuts about you and Ronnie.” Gadi flashed two rows of brilliant
white teeth.

“Cut it out, you two.” Ronnie stopped the budding argument.
“About Christian Lumner, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Yes,” answered Gadi gravely, “and I really don’t like it.”

Las Vegas, October 26, 2013, 6:28 PM

Roselyn D’Angelo sat curled up on the floor in a small hotel room
off the Las Vegas strip, her entire body shivering. She knew the car that’d
almost hit her just an hour ago had intentionally attempted to harm her.
Did
they somehow find out I’d called my grandmother?
She tried to rise, but her
feet betrayed her and her body collapsed back to the floor.
He was so polite
at first
, she remembered,
how could I’ve known a monster was hidden
behind that pleasant appearance?

He’d made their meeting appear like a coincidence. She was late
leaving her station behind the orthopedics department desk, on her way home and
running through the hallway toward the elevator. He held the door for her and
gave her a warm smile that gave her shivers. They began to talk, and he told
her about a hospitalized relative and how pleased he was with the excellent
treatment he and his family members had been receiving from the staff. When he
asked her what her job was in the hospital, she exaggerated and told him she
was in charge of scheduling operations for the orthopedics department. He
laughed at her heartily, gently held her arm and told her, “Thank you.”

“What are you thanking me for?” She was surprised.

The man smiled again and said, “For giving me a chance to make
the acquaintance of another wonderful staff member.” This time, they both
laughed. When they went out of the elevator, he invited her for coffee and said
he’d like to get to know her better. When she answered that she needed to get
back home urgently, without mentioning the embarrassing fact she didn’t really
have a home to go back to, just a small bedroom in a small apartment where her
disabled grandmother lived, he promised he was asking for just a few short
minutes of her time.

“I’ve had a terrible day,” he said pleadingly. “I’d be so happy
if you could spread some light on it.”

What a fool I’ve been. What was I thinking? I couldn’t even
get a date for the high school prom and had to go by myself. I’m the only one
in the orthopedics department who never got any dirty offers. Why would such a
handsome man hit on me?

He wasn’t only handsome, but also had a tongue as smooth as
silk. His oriental features were soft and caring when he listened to her, and
pretty soon, he’d invited her to spend the evening together. Her heart was
fluttering with excitement as she accepted and said she’d love to go out with
him.

Her grandmother was delighted to hear her beloved granddaughter
was finally going out instead of spending another evening with her on the sofa
watching reruns. He arrived at exactly eight o’clock, dressed in a yellow
jacket and a blue t-shirt that complemented his muscular body. His green eyes,
which she would later discover were the product of colored contact lenses,
hypnotized her. They never made it to the restaurant. The sex, even though it
took place in a run-down motel room, was amazing. The best she’d ever
experienced in her almost nonexistent sex life. He told her how beautiful she
was and insisted on taking pictures of her. She felt lucky, perhaps even in
love.

The night flew by quickly, and they arranged to meet again the
next evening at the same place. She couldn’t pay attention to her work the
entire day and needed to use all her self-control not to get to the motel room
too early. The sex was just as amazing as it’d been on the previous night, but
as soon as they were done something in his mood changed. “I need to ask you for
a favor,” he said,
then
pleasantly added, “and I’m
willing to generously reward you for it.” For the first time, she felt
something rough and unpleasant in him, but it quickly disappeared again behind
the mask of pleasantries.

She said that, of course, she’d love to help him and tried to
get back into his arms, but he moved away from her and with an icy voice
instructed her to get dressed. She gathered her clothes from the floor and
could hardly believe the man sitting on the bed now, following her every
movement, was the same pleasant and soft-spoken man she’d just finished making
love to. When she turned to leave, barely able to contain her tears, he grabbed
her hand with an iron grip and demanded that she copy for him the list of all
scheduled operations for the next two months. In return, he would be willing to
pay her a handsome amount. When she refused and explained such an act could
make her lose her job, he just tightened his grip and smiled.

When she’d returned home, she was happy to discover her
grandmother already sleeping. She couldn’t fall asleep all night. The insult
stung her even more than the fear, as she realized she’d gotten herself in trouble.

To her surprise, the following day passed by uneventfully. She
was hoping the man had just given up and even started to think perhaps she’d
imagined the entire affair. On her way back home, she’d already suppressed the
events of the previous two days and was completely at ease when she entered the
little apartment she and her grandmother shared. They ate dinner together,
chatting about this and that, then they sat together to watch their favorite
shows.

The telephone call startled her. She rose from the sofa and
hesitantly went to answer. When she picked up the receiver, she heard his cold
voice asking, “Did you have time to think about my request?”

All the tension that had accumulated within her throughout the
day burst out as she yelled at him to leave her alone and slammed down the
phone. A few seconds later, the telephone rang again. She decided not to pick
up. The phone rang for a long time, until her grandmother moved to answer it.
Roselyn, who was afraid of what that terrible man might say to her grandmother,
sat her back down gently and asked her to ignore the phone. That was also the
moment the blood froze in her veins. A red laser sniper dot darted on her
grandmother’s chest. The phone stopped ringing and she jumped up. The laser dot
didn’t budge. She tried to help her grandmother to her feet, and the dot
travelled to her forehead. She felt she was about to faint and crawled back,
falling on the nearby sofa. The phone rang for the third time. With a hesitant
step she went to answer. “Let me explain to you again. You’re going to do what
I’ve asked you to, because you’re afraid, and you should be, that I’ll kill
your grandmother, or because seventy thousand dollars might just buy you the
life you’ve always dreamed about. Tomorrow morning, at exactly ten o’clock,
you’ll come with the orthopedics department’s surgery schedule to the coffee
shop where we first met. Don’t say anything to anyone, especially not to the
police. We’re following your every move.”

She remained standing, staring at the silent receiver. Her
grandmother gave her a questioning look, and she hurried to apologize for
having to go back into her room to work. Deep down, she’d already accepted the
fact she had no choice but to agree to the man’s demands and hope he’d then
leave her alone.

The following morning, she arrived at the office very early and
managed to print the schedule and place the copy into her bag before any of her
coworkers arrived. The next few hours passed by in a haze. Twenty minutes
before the designated time, she approached her manager and told her she wasn’t
feeling well and needed to go back home and rest. She politely rejected the
offer to be examined by a doctor and left the place on trembling feet.

“You’re two minutes late,” the man welcomed her with an emotionless
expression.

The coffee and cake she’d ordered on their previous meeting were
already waiting on the table. She sat in front of them and silently handed him
the papers. He copied a few names to his phone and texted them to an unknown
recipient. “I’m happy you’ve decided to help me. I wouldn’t want to hurt you or
your family. If you do exactly as I ask, I promise to disappear from your life
for good.” The same warm smile that had conquered her heart the day they’d met
appeared on his face, but his eyes were hidden behind a pair of fashionable
sunglasses. 

An incoming message vibrated his phone. He carefully read it,
then
returned to examine the list in front of him. When he
was finished, he raised his face to hers and pleasantly explained she should
reschedule an operation for one Abraham Berkowitz to an earlier date. He
continued to give her precise details specially emphasizing the date and exact
time of the operation.

She couldn’t understand the relationship between the Chinese man
sitting in front of her and the Jewish person he wanted to help so much, but
she was afraid to ask. The man took out a thick envelope from his pocket and
said, “There’s seventy thousand dollars here, a little gift for your help. Take
it. I trust you to do what I’ve asked. And I have another little request. Quit
your job and go on a long trip.
South or Central America, Las
Vegas, Europe, wherever you want.
You can’t be in New York on the day of
the operation. You’ve got enough money in the envelope to help your grandmother
as well as to travel without worrying about any financial difficulties. You’ll
also find a passport and a driver’s license there, both under a different name.
Use only them. Don’t worry, they’re very high quality and you look very happy
in the photos. If you decide not to go because of your grandmother, I’ll see to
it that the reason for your refusal to leave will be eliminated.” He removed
his sunglasses and looked at her. This time, his eyes, no longer green,
appeared completely dead to her, and an uncontrollable shiver run down her
spine. He dictated an email address to her, asked her to send a confirmation to
it that the dates and exact time had been changed, and added that from the
moment she left New York, she mustn’t tell anyone about what’d happened and
under no circumstances was she allowed to contact anyone. Without adding a
word, he left the table, leaving her by herself with the thick envelope.

The following two days were the most difficult of her life. She
changed the operation dates and bought an airline ticket to Las Vegas under her
new name. The city had always fired up her imagination. The thought of the warm
weather and the distance from New York appealed to her. She explained to her
grandmother she was going with her new sweetheart to Central America. The happy
news caused her grandmother great joy, which helped balance her discomfort with
the nursing student who’d rented Roselyn’s room in return for taking care of
her.

Her resignation had left her coworkers shocked. “I owe myself a
trip like this. I’ve spent my entire life doing what other people expect me to.
Now, I’ve decided that’s it, I deserve to add some spice to my boring life.”
She’d practiced this little speech dozens of times, until she felt she’d be
able to say it to her coworkers without bursting into tears. A bitter sadness
overwhelmed her when she saw the envy in their eyes. She promised to post
photos on Facebook, so they would be able to share all the wonderful travelling
experiences with her.

In Las Vegas, she rented a room in a small, clean hotel that
cost thirty-eight dollars and ninety-nine cents per night, including breakfast.
It was located away from the hustle and bustle of the casinos and everything
that went with them, and pretty soon she realized, that with proper planning,
she’d be able to live off the money she had for a long time. In the first few
days, she explored the city and was surprised to discover the casino
restaurants were fairly inexpensive and that one could even watch free shows
there, all in order to lure stray tourists into the gambling halls.

She decided to try and forget the circumstances that had brought
her there and enjoy her new life. Yet, the growing concern for the only person
on earth she cared for refused to leave her. The call from the hotel lobby pay
phone was brief. She was happy to hear her grandmother was feeling well, and
that the student who’d rented the room was taking good care of her. When she’d
finished, she decided to walk to the nearest casino for an early dinner. A few
minutes later, a black SUV with dark windows appeared suddenly and drove up on
the sidewalk in front of her. She froze. The driver had turned the wheel at the
last moment, got off the sidewalk and disappeared.

The message was clear, just like the realization she was the
only witness to whatever it was they’d done, and even if she keep quiet, sooner
or later, there was a good chance they’d decide to get rid of her.