The Bar Mitzvah Murder by Lee Harris Page B

away.”
    I shook my head. “This was so carefully planned. They had to know in advance where they’d dump him. I bet they watched the place day and night to make sure it was safe.”
    â€œI agree with everything you’ve said. We have a certain mind-set; the Israeli police have another. Eventually we’ll find out who’s right.”
    I saw a sign at the side of the road and looked down at the map. “I think we’re getting close. Let’s leave the murder for later. We should be coming to a turn. Tiberias should be off to the left.”
    â€œWe won’t miss the turn. If we do, I think we’ll find ourselves in the Sea of Galilee.”
    â€œI wonder what kind of mud they have at the bottom.”
    Jack laughed. “That mud must have been some experience. No salt here, I don’t think. You’re right. Here’s where we go west.”
    We reached our hotel a little while later and carried in our suitcase. This was a great way to travel, I thought, a single suitcase and a small car. I pulled the confirmation number out of my purse and put it on the registration counter.
    As Jack was signing us in, the man behind the counter said, “You are Lieutenant Brooks?”
    â€œYes. Who wants to know?”
    â€œYou received a phone call about an hour ago, sir. One moment.”
    Jack turned to me. “You didn’t give my name with ‘Lieutenant’ in front of it, did you?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œIt must be Joshua. They’d better not want me back tonight.”
    â€œHere you are, sir.” The man was very deferential, as though the title had made a difference.
    Jack opened the envelope and looked in. “Let’s go to our room first,” he said. “Whatever it is, it can wait.”
    We went upstairs and found our room, a small, neat place with two beds. I opened the suitcase and took out the change of clothes. There weren’t many hangers, but there were enough. I put Jack’s shaving kit on the bathroom sink and went back into the bedroom. He was sitting on his bed. “It’s from Joshua. He wants me to call him.”
    â€œYou think there’s a problem?”
    â€œI hope not.” He called the operator and had the call put through.
    Joshua must have answered immediately, because the conversation got started right away. I didn’t really follow it, although I was pretty sure it had nothing to do with Jack’s project. I walked over to the door and looked at the notices posted on it. There was the usual map of the floor with fire exits noted. What amazed me was the number of languages represented. After Hebrew and English, there were German, French, and what looked to me like Japanese. What a variety of tourists must come to this place, I thought.
    â€œOK, got a little something for you,” Jack said.
    â€œThey find the killer?”
    â€œNah. They just located your prime suspect.”
    I thought for a moment. “Judy Silverman?”
    â€œThe one and only.”
    â€œWhere is she?”
    â€œIn London with her husband.”
    â€œI don’t understand.”
    â€œApparently, she stayed in Germany overnight the day she left Israel, then flew or drove to London a day or so later.”
    â€œI saw her on Tuesday, the day she left. Today’s Friday. She told me she was meeting her husband in London ‘in a few days.’ Sounds like she was right on schedule. Did Joshua talk to her?”
    â€œApparently. She wasn’t very forthcoming about where she was in Germany. She didn’t fly out of Frankfurt, which is where she landed.”
    â€œWhat did she say?”
    â€œThat she had planned to meet her husband, that they were spending a few days in London, and that they would fly back to the States when they were ready. He said she sounded annoyed and probably was intentionally vague to be annoying.”
    â€œI can’t blame her, Jack. She had the right to leave