It’ll let you see the history of the account, such as deposits, withdrawals, and balance.”
“ I’m clicking on View Only.”
The keys rattled again. Then there was silence.
“Christopher? Are you there?”
A long whistle came through. “Jesus Christ Almighty!”
Lemmy turned to the wall, the receiver pressed to his ear.
Christopher’s voice trembled as he read from the screen. “Client Name: Klaus von Koenig. Authorized Officers: Armande Hoffgeitz, Gunter Schnell.”
“Go on.”
“ List of deposits. The last one was received on January 1, 1945. That’s fifty years ago!”
“ The amounts?”
“ Deposits are in goods. Primarily diamonds, rubies, pearls, and other gems. And expensive wrist watches. The goods were sold over the first two decades. Now it’s all in financial assets, mainly stocks of large American corporations. There has never been a withdrawal.”
“ What’s the current balance?”
“ It’s in U.S. dollars.” Christopher cleared his throat. “Twenty-two billion, eight-hundred and forty-seven million dollars.”
*
Rabbi Gerster waited for Itah in his alcove off the synagogue foyer. She had slept in Benjamin’s apartment and arrived after morning prayers were over. She pointed at the narrow cot. “Did you have the best sleep in three decades?”
He laughed. “I couldn’t sleep at all. And you?”
“ Like a baby. And Sorkeh forced me to eat the biggest breakfast of my life.” Itah burped. “Excuse me!”
“ I wrote a letter to my son.”
“ Can I see it?”
“ I’ve already hidden it in a place that only he would think of.” Rabbi Gerster didn’t mention the risk, of which they were both aware, that Shin Bet agents would arrest and interrogate them. It was safer for her not to know. “Are you ready?”
“ Yes.” She raised the plastic shopping bag in her hand. “Sorkeh lent me shoes, a headscarf, and a dress.”
“ You told her we might not be able to bring it back?”
Itah nodded. “What about the butcher shop?”
“ They slaughtered a cow yesterday, so we got everything we need right here.” Rabbi Gerster pointed to the icebox by the door. “It’s a bit heavy.”
They picked it up by the handles, one on each side, and carried it together. On Shivtay Israel Street they flagged down a taxi.
A half-hour later, they arrived at Hadassah Hospital. Itah left him at the entrance. She returned a few minutes later, dressed in a white coat, her hands in latex gloves, pushing a wheeled gurney.
They loaded the icebox on top of the gurney and rolled it through the lobby to the elevator. Up on the fourth floor, Itah lingered in the elevator with the gurney while Rabbi Gerster walked down the hall, past the nurses’ station, the waiting area, and several ICU rooms. Next to the last door on the right, two young men in civilian clothes sat at a desk covered with books and papers, likely catching up on school work while making hourly wages. One of them glanced up, saw him, and nudged the other one, who whispered a comment that caused them both to snicker. Secular Israelis loved to poke fun at black hats for their odd garb and dangling side locks.
Rabbi Gerster didn’t mind, especially today, considering what these two guys were about to experience. “Is the patient back from the operation?” He pointed at the closed door.
One guard lounged back in his chair, ready for fun. “What’re you saying, Hassid? ”
Ignoring the mocking tone, the rabbi smiled. “I was coming to pray with him after the operation.”
“ What operation?” The guard smirked. “A nose job?”
“ Heaven, no!” Rabbi Gerster struggled not to laugh. “They had to remove most of his intestines-the AIDS is eating him up from within.”
The mention of that dreaded contagious disease drained the blood from the guard’s face. “Nobody told us he has that! ”
Rabbi Gerster glanced over his shoulder. Itah was halfway down the hallway, approaching fast. “The poor yid. And he’s not even forty.”
“ Oh!” The guard was relieved. “Our guy is an old fart.”
“ He sure is,” the other one said.
Itah’s gurney was rattling on the floor, closing in.
“ I’m sorry,” Rabbi Gerster said, pulling out a piece of paper. “Must be another room. You should have seen our patient. Not only his intestines. Also tumors from here.” He gestured at his neck. “Big chunks. And here too.” He tapped his buttocks. “His whole rectum had to be carved out. Riddled with AIDS. Practically rotting away.”
“ Yuk!” The two guards grimaced.
“ Ah! Here’s his nurse!” Rabbi Gerster half-turned toward Itah. “Where is he?”
“ What’s left of him,” Itah said, “is in recovery.” She patted the icebox. “And all this is going to the incinerator- lumps and lumps, chopped off, and all the blood he has lost, full of AIDS. Highly contagious!” She arrived fast, and at the last minute pretended to trip on something, yelped, and swiveled the gurney around, causing the icebox to tip over. Its contents emptied onto the guards’ desk in a torrent of red blood, cascading fleshy chunks, and slithering intestines. The momentum sent much of the gory mess across their desk, over their books and papers, and onto their chests and into their laps.
*
“ Almost twenty-three billion dollars.” Lemmy took a deep breath. “One big account, inactive for fifty years. That’s why Herr Hoffgeitz and Gunter have been so anxious.”
“ It’s incredible,” Christopher said. “What now?”
“ Sign out of the account and wait for further instructions from me. I’m going to Jerusalem to speak with E.W.” He hung up and turned to watch Tanya. She looked up and down the street, searching for him. Was it a coincidence that she reappeared in his life just as he was gaining access to the fortune left by her Nazi lover in a dormant account for five decades? The account was larger than the annual budget of some countries. Twenty-three billion dollars! Was this just a twist of fate or was she lying to him?
Tanya stood by the arched bridge, observing the traffic of pedestrians and cyclists. Her composure didn’t lend itself to coincidences. There was only one logical explanation for her sudden appearance in Zurich. She wanted Koenig’s blood money. She had admitted to a long feud with Elie, and this was the final round-she had locked Elie up in Jerusalem and headed to Zurich to grab hold of the Nazi fortune! And if she had lied to Lemmy about the reason for coming to Zurich, she must have lied about the rest. The man hiding behind the chess board and the whole story about Shin Bet had been a show, put up for Lemmy’s benefit, to confuse him, trick him into trusting her as they escaped together so that he would hand over Koenig’s account to her.
Lemmy picked up the receiver and dialed. A tram rattled by, its bell tolling to ward off cyclists and pedestrians, hiding her from him. When the tram cars reached the next street corner, he saw Tanya step into the green phone booth and pick up the receiver.
“It’s me,” Lemmy said.
“ You’re late.”
“ I was on the phone with my assistant in Zurich. We managed to penetrate the most secret account at the Hoffgeitz Bank.” Sweat dripped down his forehead, but he had to keep on his fedora, especially with the security camera so close. “It belonged to Klaus von Koenig.”
“After all these years. Klaus was very good at his job, but he was also a romantic.” Her tone was endearing, almost longing. “There must be an incredible amount of money in the account by now, after so many years of appreciation.”
“You’d think.” Lemmy stepped as close to the glass doors as the cord permitted and surveyed the street in both directions. If he was right about Tanya, there would be a whole Mossad team waiting to pounce on him.
“What do you mean?”
“ Life’s full of surprises.” Sure enough, at the top of the arched bridge, a young woman in a knitted cap leaned
