The Girl in Black

Chapter 4

"Really? If so, what would you do with yourself?" Encouraged by Gabriel"s silence, Shamron pressed further. “Allow me to draw a picture for you, Gabriel. I will do the best I can. I"m not as talented as you. I was not born into an intellectual German-Jewish family. I"m just a poor Polish Jew whose father pulls a cart to sell pots and jars."

Shamron"s murderous Polish accent grew heavier. Gabriel couldn"t help but smile. He knew that whenever Shamron raised the voice of a trampled Jew from Lvov, there was bound to be a great play about to take place.

“You have nowhere to go, Gabriel. You said that to yourself the first time we offered you the job. What will you do when you"ve finished this Rubens painting? Do you have any other works waiting in line?". Shamron"s pause is dramatic because he knows the answer is no. “You cannot return to Europe unless you are officially declared not involved in the Lyon station bombing. Jullian could have sent him another picture, but that ended in the end because the cost of packing and shipping would add up to his already meager account. Are you clear on my point, Gabriel?"

“I understand very well what you mean. You"re trying to use my predicament as a means to intimidate me into joining the Force."

“Intimidation? No, Gabriel. I know the meaning of the word intimidation, and God knows I am famous for using this to serve my needs. But this is not intimidation. I"m trying to help you."

"Help?"

“Tell me one thing, Gabriel. What do you plan to do for the money?”

"I have money".

“Enough to live as a hermit, but not enough to live.” Shamron fell into temporary silence to listen to the wind. “It"s quiet now, isn"t it? Almost quiet. It"s tempting to think things could stay like this forever. But this is not possible. We gave them the Gaza Strip without asking for anything, and they returned our favor by electing Hamas as their leader. Next they will demand the West Bank, if we do not give it to them in a short time, blood will fall again, more terrible than the second uprising. Trust me, Gabriel, one day soon it will all start again. Not just here. Everywhere. You think they"re sitting on your arms and doing nothing? Of course not. They are planning the next campaign. They are also talking to Osama and his clique. We now know for a fact that the Palestinian government has been completely infiltrated by al-Qaeda and related organizations. We also know they plan major attacks on Israel and Israeli targets abroad in the near future. The office also believes that the Prime Minister is being targeted, including senior advisers.

"You too?"

“Of course,” said Shamron. “In any case, I am the Prime Minister"s special adviser on matters related to security and terrorism. My death will be a glorious victory for them.”

He looked out again at the trees swaying in the wind. “It"s ironic, isn"t it? This place is supposed to be our shelter. Now it"s strange that it leaves us more vulnerable than ever. Nearly half of the world"s Jews live in this narrow strip of land. Just a small nuclear device, that"s all that is needed. Americans can survive a bomb blast. The Russians didn"t even pay attention. But what about us? A single bombardment in Tel Aviv could kill a quarter of the country"s population - possibly more."

“You need me to prevent this disaster? I think now the office is being managed by really talented people.”

“Things obviously got better after Lev was forced out. Amos is an outstanding leader and executive, but sometimes I think he has too much of a soldier"s quality."

“He is the leader of both the Sayeret Matkal and Aman Task Force. What do you expect?”

“We knew what we would get with Amos, but now the Prime Minister and I worry that he is trying to turn King Saul Avenue into an IDF 1 outpost. We want the Office to return to its original character. it".

"Crazy huh?"

"Bold," Shamron countered. "Reckless. I just wish Amos thought a little less like an army commander and more like a…” His voice softened as he tried to find the right words. When he found it, he rubbed two fingers against his thumb and spoke. “More like a painter. I need someone by his side who thinks like Caravaggio.”

“Caravaggio is a madman.”

"Exactly".

Shamron began to light another cigarette, but this time Gabriel succeeded in holding his hand before he could reach the lighter. Shamron looked at him, his eyes suddenly serious.

“We need you now, Gabriel. Two hours ago, the leader of the Task Force submitted his resignation to Amos.”

"Why?"

"London". Shamron looked down at the hand that was being held. “May I withdraw my hand?”

Gabriel released Shamron"s fleshy wrist. Shamron rolled the unlit cigarette between his thumb and index finger.

"What happened in London?" Gabriel asked.

"I"m afraid we had an accident there last night."

“An accident? When the Office has an accident, there"s usually someone with a bad outcome."

Shamron nodded in confirmation.

“Does the name Ali Massoudi mean anything to you?”

"He"s a famous professor at a university in Germany," replied Gabriel. “Likes to play the role of breaking old beliefs and playing the role of reformer. I met him once."

Shamron"s eyebrows rose in surprise. "Really? Where?"

“A few years ago he went to Italy to attend a great conference on the Middle East. In the money provided when attending the conference, there is a tour of the city. One of the stops was the church of Saint Zaccaria, where I was restoring Bellini"s back altar decoration."