Vanished Without A Trace (26 page)

After half an hour, Karina tried to call again and got the Chief Executive Officer. "What can I help you with?" he asked.

"You're not helping me. I want to help Mr. Fisher. I have something that will interest him very much."

"You have to understand he doesn’t work in the company. You can tell me everything you want to say related to the company."

"It’s not related to the company, this has something to do with Mr. Fisher personally. I think he wouldn’t want you to know the things I want to tell him."

The Chief Executive Officer explained he was willing to meet and talk to her any time she wanted, but in terms of meeting with Fisher, he certainly couldn’t help her. "Mr. Fisher alone can decide who he wants to meet. He has heard about you, and I do not know what he intends to do."

Karina closed the phone, noticing the disappointment in the faces of Gideon and Alon. "Look, maybe after all it's not so bad. We will meet the Chief Executive Officer and tell him face to face we want to meet Fisher himself. If he sees we made the effort to get to him, he will be convinced."

"If there is no other choice, that may be a good idea," Gideon admitted. “Now I'd better go to sleep, if I can make it."

"Keep pressing them and update us in case Fisher calls you." Alon said. He was worried Mr. Fisher might call the moment he closed his eyes. "Just don’t forget to wake me up if he calls." After retreating, he turned to Gideon, "Did you notice he did not ask anything about Julia, his supposed mother? Something is weird with this guy. He is acting as if he has the whole world in his hands."

Two hours later, Karina went up to her room. While she opened the door, her cell phone rang. She was excited because she thought it was from Fisher and found herself dropping the keys of the door. Her bracelet was stuck on the buckle of her bag, and she took a while to look for her cell, eventually not being able to answer it. She cursed, causing Daniel, who was standing in the hallway, to smile. "Will you be okay?" He asked, and vanished into his room. She didn’t have any option to return the call because it was from a private number. She tried to check on the voice mail, but there was no message. She sat on the couch and put her legs on the armrest, while the phone was next to her. A second later Fisher’s secretary was on the line. Karina's heart pounded rapidly. "I'm connecting you to the personal secretary of Mr. Fisher."

Karina was really furious. "Listen to me and listen to me good, do not connect me to any director or secretary. I want to talk with that fucking Fisher, if he will not get back to me, he will never know what I wanted to tell him, and I promise you if he doesn’t call me back today, do you hear that? Today! I will never take his call anymore, just like he behaved." Karina slammed down the phone.

She apologized about her yelling to the worker who was doing slight repairs in the bathroom.

‘Not a bad job at all’, Matthew thought, after hearing the conversation in her room while installing the wiretap. Although he was not required to do so, it was always nice to chase a beautiful woman. He went out of Karina's room and called Benjamin. "There are many surprising things. Gideon, your friend, and his partner are not alone, they are here with a couple. Well, not a couple, because they stay in separate rooms. Five minutes ago the woman tried to get hold of Fisher and she was so angry they didn’t agree to connect her to him."

Benjamin was silent, trying to clear things up in his head. "The guy who is with her, who is he?"

"I have no idea," Matthew said, "They are in separate rooms."

Benjamin retrieved the thoughts in his head. ‘At first Alon wanted to know about Naor’s company. Then, he wanted information about the relationship between Naor and Fisher and then asked why Fisher gave up the bidding. Could it be possible the woman is threatening Fisher after twenty-five years? Does she know anything? Yes, it must be something she knows, probably corruption involving all parties.’ "Matthew, tell me exactly what she said on the phone?" Benjamin asked.

"She said if this fucking Fischer won’t get back to her today, he will never know what she wanted to tell him because she won’t answer his calls ."

"Strange," Benjamin said, "Continue to monitor and report back to me."

"But there is a problem. She is not on the floor where Gideon and Alon are staying. I think we should follow her and them."

"We will focus on the girl. We have taps in Gideon’s room."

"I also put some in her room, for insurance," Matthew said, pleased with himself.

"Good job, Matthew."

In the evening, when they all met in the hotel's pub, Karina saw the tension on Alon’s face. "We need to go to his office tomorrow." Alon said decisively.

"What are you talking about?" Gideon said, "Security will throw you out of there in a second. Do you know how many crazy people are roaming in this world? Why would he meet a group who wants to talk to him about something secret? What could be so secret that only Fisher must know?"

"His son," Alon said.

"Yes, but he doesn’t know that. Honestly, we are not a hundred percent sure as well. If we are sure, I will be more decisive in demanding a meeting with Fisher." Gideon said.

"I would not be surprised if, just in case Daniel was not the son, and the kidnapper called somehow, and Mr. Fisher did not answer the call. Mr. Fisher does not answer everyone, especially to an anonymous pedophile."

Daniel did not feel comfortable seeing Gideon and Alon directing an erroneous movie featuring him extensively. It was too much for him. He apologized and left them.

"Tell me, what’s happening to this guy? He never tried to be nice." Alon told Karina. "Is he hurt when I talk about Mr. Fisher like that? Does he even believe he has a connection with him?"

"I don’t think it’s anything like that. I guess this whole thing isn't comfortable for him."

"What’s uncomfortable here? Is it uncomfortable to find out you are the son of the phenomenal Mr. Fisher?" Alon asked with sarcasm.

"You know, for us, it’s a discovery and for him, it’s his life. He preferred to be detached from the situation at the moment, at least until things become clearer." Karina said and Gideon nodded. 

Karina separated from them five minutes after Daniel went to his room, leaving them smiling suspiciously. She stood several minutes at Daniel's door and pondered whether to enter or go to her room. She heard the television on. He isn’t asleep yet, she thought, maybe he's waiting for me, she tried to convince herself, but eventually she let go of her thoughts and went to her room. She saw Daniel through the balcony standing and talking with someone quietly. She didn’t have any idea with whom. She concluded he had someone waiting for him in Romania.

46

After five days of failed attempts to get hold of Fisher, Karina woke up to the sound of the phone ringing. It was a private number. She assumed it was another phone call from Fisher's office, but she was surprised to hear a deep and impressive voice on the line. "David Fisher speaking."

There was silence. Karina thought that’s how Daniel exactly acts, he says something and waits for the other party to open up.

"I'm Karina, nice to hear from you, I think I have something that will really interest you."

"Yes?" Mr. Fisher responded briefly.

"It's not through the phone. Believe me, if you hear what I have to tell you, you will agree with my decision." Karina was very excited. There was silence and she assumed he was looking at the calendar checking for availability. "Next week, on Monday, is it okay for you?" He asked.

"No. I'm very sorry, but I’m flying from here in two days. I don’t live in the United States. Is it possible to advance the meeting?"

After a short pause she heard Fisher again, "Okay, come to my office at one."

"I hate to be rude, but I'd rather meet somewhere else, your home is more suitable."

"In the office please," he said firmly.

"Look, Mr. Fisher, I came from Israel exclusively for this purpose, please spare the minimum for me and let me talk to you about the subject I came here for, in a relaxed atmosphere, and only with you."

Fisher was convinced and they agreed to meet at his home at one after his driver picked them up from the entrance of the hotel.

At twelve thirty, the driver arrived. They drove off a certain distance and entered Long Island. While entering the Hamptons, Gideon, Alon and Karina were looking at the large, beautiful mansions along the way. The driver turned and entered into one of the mansions. The gate opened and they drove onto a gravel road. On both sides there was a large forest, apparently to hide the house from passers-by. As they approached the house, there was a colorful, low garden and the yard was green grass and long winding fish ponds. They crossed fountains and bridges and finally parked in a small, beautiful wooden structure at the back of the mansion. The servant led them to Fisher’s office, which was at the back of the eastern part of the house. After a while, he entered and served them a drink. They waited in a gloomy room. On the wall behind Fisher’s big chair was a giant portrait of a beautiful little boy of about two and a half years old. Karina presumed he was the abducted son and she was happy to see the basic resemblance of Daniel’s characteristics – his long eyelashes, gray eyes and his light-brown hair. In the room were lots of pictures were painted on wood, dating back probably to the seventeenth or eighteenth century. On the ceiling was a large, ancient chandelier, remarkably impressive, from the period before the invention of electric light bulbs, and someone had bothered to modify it to be usable with bulbs. Large wall clocks were almost everywhere. One was particularly impressive, displayed in the corner of the wall. At the edge of the office, were two brown leather sofas with a gigantic table, carved with fire breathing snakes.

Fisher entered the room. He had an impressive and charismatic appearance, but sadness in his face. Karina thought it was possible the reason for her visit would sweep away her thoughts. Maybe after twenty years there were no more external signs of pain. Anyway, there was something in him that reminded her of Daniel.

Gideon managed to whisper in her ear that Fisherdid not look like Daniel. Karina smiled to herself that both were looking at the same person, but thinking the opposite of each other. She presumed Gideon got cold feet. The appearance of a powerful man like Mr. Fisher was definitely intimidating.

Fisher sat in his chair, leaning comfortably on the armrest without even shaking their hands. He waited for them to present the issue. Karina thought Daniel also acted this way. He always kept a long silence, waiting for the other people to talk. Gideon, Alon and Karina looked at each other, begging one another to take on the task of explanations. Karina opened up, "Hello Mr. Fisher. I'm Karina, and this is Gideon and this is Alon," she presented her friends.

"We can’t explain the reason for our arrival, without providing first the information regarding all the events preceding our visit. After telling you the story, you can decide whether you want to take a step forward or back. No one can force you to believe the facts we will present to you. After you hear what we have to say, you decide for yourself. We will respect your decision and if you want, we will get out of here as if we had never met."

Alon began to describe the chain of events, step by step, to get Fisher ready for the conclusion they had reached and understand why they thought Daniel was his son. He began the story of Julia's visit to Kowalski's office, along with his grandson, Kowalski's denial of his grandson and the story went on and on. This lead Fisher to think by mistake they came to him so he would bridge between Kowalski and his grandson. He and Kowalski were good friends. In fact, he was the one who introduced Naor to his wife. They met alone, however, for the first time, but he was the one who made them meet again. Although she was the daughter of his rival, there was an income for everyone and Fisher had no reason to be afraid of anyone. He was the greatest. 

But while Alon went on explaining, Fisher was not sure by then if that was what they wanted from him. "The boy was left alone... Julia's body was found buried, but we couldn’t understand why she was murdered. We are not here to investigate you for the murder, but Karina asked us to investigate the death of Julia and because of this, we needed to investigate Kowalski’s business…"

Fisher stopped them. He was a good friend of Kowalski and he was not interested in talking about the suspicions and investigations of his friend behind his back. "If you are investigators or journalists who are trying to draw information from me about Kowalski, forget it. I'm not ready to talk about him and I’m asking you to leave my office."

Karina looked at him. "You should listen until the end of the story."

Fisher continued to listen impatiently to Alon’s words, while he often looked at the table with boredom. "We learned there was this bidding that you let go of and Kowalski won the bid. It was during a difficult period of your life." Fisher lost control of his patience. His face turned red. He got up and asked them to leave, but Alon continued. Based on the tensions in Fisher's face he knew he needed to drop the bomb, otherwise they would never get the chance to see him again. "We think Kowalski kidnapped your son so you would quit the bidding." Fisher's eyes were streamed with tears. He couldn’t stop. He sat back in his chair and said, "How dare you... How dare you do this to me? How dare you to come up with a distorted story like this and destroy my life? I am asking you to leave." He said in a broken and soft voice, But Alon continued, "We think we found your son, he’s with us at the Warwick hotel."

Fisher raised his eyes full of tears and looked at them, tongue-tied.

Karina signaled Gideon and Alon to get up. They left the office and headed to the driver who was waiting outside. "Why did we leave?" Alon was angry.

"Let him digest the story. Do you think you can just drop a bomb like this on someone and expect him to be happy? Maybe that’s how it is in the movies, but in reality, he responded as I thought he would. Why were you in a hurry to tell him that Kowalski kidnapped his son? How cold-blooded it is to just throw him the fact that we think we found his abducted son. You are really not nice."