I started walking toward my car. Then I returned to the pension and walked around the block, approaching my car from the other direction. Just a little precaution. The street was empty. I drove back to my hotel. There were no messages and only second-rate movies on TV. I laid down to think about the amazing labyrinth I had wandered into. Only two weeks had passed since David assigned this case to me, but it felt like eternity. I was completely focused on DeLouise, putting aside almost everything else. It was time to call my children in New York.
“Tommy is with some friends playing video games,” said Karen, when she answered my call. “Dad, when are you coming back?” There was a ring of concern in her voice.
“Soon, honey, I hope soon,” I said, not knowing whether I was telling the truth or speculating. “Is there a problem?”
She paused, “Not exactly, but you've never left us for such a long period. We miss you.”
A mixture of guilt and pride flooded me. “I miss you too, sweetheart. It won't be long, I promise.”
I was angry at myself for being so preoccupied with DeLouise. I fell asleep vowing to wrap things up as soon as I could.
The following morning I called Mina and picked her up at the pension. “Where are we going?” she asked, as I navigated through the narrow streets.
“To a bank,” I said. “Ariel rented a safe-deposit box.”
Mina's pleasant demeanor turned to suspicion. “How did you find out?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.
“A combination of legwork and good luck, I guess,” I said briefly. “Trust me,” I added, attempting a bit of comfort. I couldn't tell her more, certainly not until I found an explanation for her unexpected reaction last night. I looked in my mirror to see if we were being followed. Nothing unusual, though there are several ways to set up a tail without detection. Certainly, if the same person follows you then you can eventually recognize him or her. However, you can be tailed in a relay; each follower tracks you for just a short stretch, then you're “picked up” by the next.
Then there's the ultimate trick: each follower stays where he is but keeps an eye on you as you pass. When you've gone a certain distance, he radios ahead that you're approaching. The next guy watches you pass, radios ahead, and so on. It takes a lot of people to pull off this leapfrogging act, but since no one actually follows, except by eye, it's highly unlikely that the subject will notice he's being watched.
During my Mossad training we spent two weeks learning how to shake off, or “dry clean,” followers, but I'd never had the opportunity to practice it in real life. I had always been the pursuer, not the target. Was I becoming one now?
As we entered the bank I gave Mina her instructions: She should ask to be added as a co-owner of the safe-deposit box and then appoint me as her attorney-in-fact to allow me access as well.
“Why would they listen to me?”
“Because Ariel left instructions concerning you.”
“So why do you need to have signature rights as well?” she asked.
“Ariel is still away, and her safe return may be dependent on these documents. If only one other person, namely you, has access, it could be complicated.” I didn't want to say dangerous. My earlier statement to Mina that she and Ariel could be in danger wasn't exaggerated. If Ariel's captors had also killed DeLouise, they would not hesitate to harm Mina, if that's what it took to get what they wanted.
She looked at me carefully, then reached her decision. “All right, I trust you.” She touched my arm again. The drill-sergeant assistant manager who saw me a day earlier wasn't there. Good, that would save me a lot of squabbling. In her stead we saw another woman who looked a bit more kindly. She checked Mina's passport, went to her office, and returned with Ariel's original signature card.
“Yes, I see here. Miss Peled informed us that you'd be coming to cosign.” She handed Mina a pen and she signed the card.
“Is that all?” she asked, looking around at us.
“No,” I said, “I'm here to be appointed as an attorney-in-fact for that box. Can you please prepare the paperwork?”
She looked at Mina as if to obtain her approving look.
“Yes, of course, Mr. Gordon is helping us,” said Mina.
There were forms to be filled out. I showed my Israeli passport, then I asked her for a key.
“That takes a few hours to process.” She went back to her office and returned with a grim face.
“I'm sorry but there is another problem. My manager tells me that joint permission of all owners of the box is required to give a power of attorney to another person. Therefore, you'll have to bring Miss Peled to sign her consent to let you have access to the box.”
“This presents a problem,” I said. “Miss Peled is not available at the moment.”
Of course, I could give up and let Mina open the safe, remove its contents, and give it to me. But I didn't want her to see what was in the box or to take it. It could be what the kidnappers wanted, but it could also be what I wanted – DeLouise's banking information. Clearly, I had to be the first person to see what was in the box. And then again, I don't give up that easily. I had to do something before Mina made her logical move.
“May I speak to the manager?” I said in an annoyed voice.
“I'll ask,” she said, and went to an office in the back.
When she came back she told me that the manager was busy, but they would process the paperwork and have the key for Mina later that day. Meanwhile, they would check with their legal counsel on my appointment.
“Fine,” I said. As I guided Mina outside, I said, “I still think you should contact the local police.”
“Please, not yet. I don't want my daughter harmed in any way. Let's wait at least until we make the first telephone contact with them.” She sounded determined. Reluctantly, I agreed to wait.
“If that's the way you want it,” I told her. “Why don't you go back to the pension and wait for my call. I'll pick you up later and we'll go back to the bank together.” I hailed her a cab and sent that tough little lady on her way.
It was time for a small audio-video surveillance operation. I was far from an electronics expert, but I'd had enough training in the old days to bug your everyday phone booth. I found an electronic gadget shop not far off, bought what I needed, and headed back to the street corner. I managed to set things up without observation – not too easy in Munich, but I was lucky once again. I then crossed the street to an apartment building opposite the phone with my just-bought camcorder in my briefcase. The second and third floors looked most suitable for my plan. I went to the second floor and knocked on the door of the apartment I guessed would overlook the street. The name on the door read “Landau.”
An elderly woman opened the door. “Excuse me,” I said in my most polite voice, “do you happen to speak English?”
“Yes,” she said, looking at me curiously. “What do you want?”
“I'm working for an American consulting engineering company. We are looking for a homeowner who would agree to rent a balcony for five hundred dollars a day for a few days.”
“Rent my balcony?” she asked in disbelief. “For what?”
“Well, ma'am, we are hired to conduct traffic congestion surveys throughout Europe and we need to measure the flow of traffic in certain areas to help plan for the coming traffic growth. Of course, we are surveying many other junctions as well. We need your permission to put a camcorder on your balcony to take continuous video shots of the intersection. We must know how much traffic passes through here and when it peaks. I can pay you five hundred dollars now, if you agree, and set up immediately. I have my equipment with me.”
“All you want is to view the street? But you won't actually be here; it'll be automatic, right?”
I nodded. “Just let me see your balcony.”
She walked me to her balcony, which had a direct view of the street and the pay phone. It was a perfect location.
“Excellent. The location suits our needs perfectly. May I set up the machinery?”
“Yes,” she said. “Why not?”
I attached the camcorder to the tripod, hooked the power cable to the wall outlet, set the speed to slow, and set the timer to 5: 30 P.M., to run two hours.
“It's all set.” I gave her five hundred dollars in cash. “I'll prepare a receipt later and will ask you to sign.”
