shirt that resembled a uniform. Her hair was collected in a bun, and large sunglasses covered most of her face. He turned on the engine and proceeded slowly. A gap in traffic allowed him to jump the curb and come abreast with her, moving at the same pace.
“Hi there,” he called through the open window. “Need a lift?”
Tanya glanced at him, not slowing down.
“That’s no way to treat your commanding officer.”
She stopped walking.
Elie hit the brakes, and the little car rocked back and forth on its soft springs. A bus screeched to a halt behind the Citroën and honked repeatedly. A few pedestrians stopped to look.
Tanya got into the car and slammed the door.
He started driving, keeping pace with traffic. “I like Tel Aviv. Not as cold as Jerusalem.”
“I won’t work for you.”
Making a right-hand turn, Elie accelerated. The tiny boxer engine rattled like a lawnmower. “You’re a soldier, an expert in gathering information about Israel’s enemies. What’s the difference between spying on Arabs or on nutty Jews who threaten Israel from within?”
“It’s the difference between a soldier, which I’m proud to be, and a snitch, which I won’t become. And anyway, I don’t buy your theory. Religious Jews will never turn violent.”
“It’s not a theory. Last time we had an independent Jewish state, the zealots killed the high priest and butchered all fellow Jews who opposed them, which allowed the Romans to burn down Jerusalem. It can happen again. Don’t you want to save Jerusalem?”
She pointed. “There, drop me off at the bus station.”
“How close are you getting with Abraham’s son? Is he in love with you yet?”
Tanya removed her sunglasses and looked at him.
“Be reasonable.” Elie stopped at the curb. “Mossad agreed to share your services with my department. Work with me.”
“You don’t need my work. I know what you really want.”
“Whatever it is, you have no choice.”
“But I do.” Tanya opened the door. “I have records of interesting conversations between the UN observers on a certain Friday afternoon. There was a shooting. The bullets barely missed Abraham.”
“It happens. The Jordanian soldiers get bored.”
“According to the UN observers, the shooter was sitting on a roof on the Israeli side of the border. They got a pretty good description of him. A smallish guy in a beggar’s cloak. They didn’t miss the prominent nose.”
He chuckled, touching his nose.
“Keep yours out of my business, and I’ll keep mine out of yours. If you try to force me to work for you, I’ll share the information with my colleagues. They would like nothing better than to investigate you. Verstehen Sie mich? ”
“I understand.” Elie knew there was no point in lying to her. Perhaps a dose of openness would work better. “It’s all part of the plan. Religious fanatics love miracles. These Neturay Karta men saw God interfere to save their rabbi from the sniper. They revere Abraham even more now, which helps him do his job, control them, prevent a repeat of our sad history.”
“History doesn’t repeat itself.”
“But Ecclesiastes said: What happened then shall happen again, and what was done then shall be done again, for there’s nothing new under the sun. And as you have correctly guessed, what I wanted back then, I still want.”
“Elie Weiss speaks honestly?” Tanya closed the door. “I’m shocked.”
“Do you still have the ledger?”
“Let’s drive. I hate to travel by bus.”
Leaving Tel Aviv behind, they crossed open fields and passed by the airport. The road dropped into a wide valley, approaching the Judean Mountains and a thick layer of clouds. He took his time gathering enough resolve to speak openly to her.
“The wealth,” he said, “which General Klaus von Koenig deposited in Switzerland, was Jewish property. You spent four years with him, so you know how he collected all those precious stones and jewelry.”
She nodded.
“The
“Hi there,” he called through the open window. “Need a lift?”
Tanya glanced at him, not slowing down.
“That’s no way to treat your commanding officer.”
She stopped walking.
Elie hit the brakes, and the little car rocked back and forth on its soft springs. A bus screeched to a halt behind the Citroën and honked repeatedly. A few pedestrians stopped to look.
Tanya got into the car and slammed the door.
He started driving, keeping pace with traffic. “I like Tel Aviv. Not as cold as Jerusalem.”
“I won’t work for you.”
Making a right-hand turn, Elie accelerated. The tiny boxer engine rattled like a lawnmower. “You’re a soldier, an expert in gathering information about Israel’s enemies. What’s the difference between spying on Arabs or on nutty Jews who threaten Israel from within?”
“It’s the difference between a soldier, which I’m proud to be, and a snitch, which I won’t become. And anyway, I don’t buy your theory. Religious Jews will never turn violent.”
“It’s not a theory. Last time we had an independent Jewish state, the zealots killed the high priest and butchered all fellow Jews who opposed them, which allowed the Romans to burn down Jerusalem. It can happen again. Don’t you want to save Jerusalem?”
She pointed. “There, drop me off at the bus station.”
“How close are you getting with Abraham’s son? Is he in love with you yet?”
Tanya removed her sunglasses and looked at him.
“Be reasonable.” Elie stopped at the curb. “Mossad agreed to share your services with my department. Work with me.”
“You don’t need my work. I know what you really want.”
“Whatever it is, you have no choice.”
“But I do.” Tanya opened the door. “I have records of interesting conversations between the UN observers on a certain Friday afternoon. There was a shooting. The bullets barely missed Abraham.”
“It happens. The Jordanian soldiers get bored.”
“According to the UN observers, the shooter was sitting on a roof on the Israeli side of the border. They got a pretty good description of him. A smallish guy in a beggar’s cloak. They didn’t miss the prominent nose.”
He chuckled, touching his nose.
“Keep yours out of my business, and I’ll keep mine out of yours. If you try to force me to work for you, I’ll share the information with my colleagues. They would like nothing better than to investigate you. Verstehen Sie mich? ”
“I understand.” Elie knew there was no point in lying to her. Perhaps a dose of openness would work better. “It’s all part of the plan. Religious fanatics love miracles. These Neturay Karta men saw God interfere to save their rabbi from the sniper. They revere Abraham even more now, which helps him do his job, control them, prevent a repeat of our sad history.”
“History doesn’t repeat itself.”
“But Ecclesiastes said: What happened then shall happen again, and what was done then shall be done again, for there’s nothing new under the sun. And as you have correctly guessed, what I wanted back then, I still want.”
“Elie Weiss speaks honestly?” Tanya closed the door. “I’m shocked.”
“Do you still have the ledger?”
“Let’s drive. I hate to travel by bus.”
Leaving Tel Aviv behind, they crossed open fields and passed by the airport. The road dropped into a wide valley, approaching the Judean Mountains and a thick layer of clouds. He took his time gathering enough resolve to speak openly to her.
“The wealth,” he said, “which General Klaus von Koenig deposited in Switzerland, was Jewish property. You spent four years with him, so you know how he collected all those precious stones and jewelry.”
She nodded.
“The
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