Next, I called David Stone in Washington from another pay phone using a prepaid phone card. “David, I hope that this side matter won't delay my real job.”
“It's a question of priorities,” said David. “What you are doing now seems more urgent than your original assignment. That can wait for a few days.”
“OK. I plan to go to Moscow immediately. I don't want to wait until we're done with the other business.”
“Why?” asked David.
“The young lady's tracks lead to the Soviet Union. I don't know if she actually made the trip or whether her visit is connected to my matter or something else. I don't even know for sure if it's who we think it is. Either way, I want to find her. She's the main lead now in my scavenger hunt. Her father trusted her and left her written instructions. I'm sure finding her is vital to my investigation and I want to reach her before she makes any other moves.” Without waiting for an answer I said, “I'll call you later.”
“Not so fast,” said David. “If you think it's a nuisance getting embassy and host-country clearance from Israel or Germany, try the Soviet Union! I could never get it this fast, especially not these days. So you'll have to wait or think of something else.”
Well, I would have to come up with another plan. I had to use this narrow window of opportunity; I couldn't wait for the bureaucrats to move their asses. Moscow! I hadn't been there for a while. The spillover from the former Eastern Bloc countries and the fall of the Berlin Wall was shaking up the Communists, and chaos was spreading through the whole country. Moscow would not be the ideal place to visit just now. But being in the information-gathering game and not the travel business, I went wherever the goods were sold, not just where the friendly sun was shining.
Jeff came driving by in his cab at 7:45 P.M. sharp. I hailed him and got in without a word. Twenty minutes later we arrived at an apartment building, large but undistinguished except for a circular driveway and four entrances. Just the place for a safe house.
Jeff let me off and directed me to the nearest entrance. “Apartment 7F. I'll park the cab and meet you there.”
I got in the elevator at the end of the lobby and went to the eighth floor, walked down one flight, and knocked. Eric opened the door.
The place had a big living room with a wide glass door leading to a balcony. There were three black leather sofas and a dining table with six chairs. Although the apartment was fully furnished, I could tell no one lived there. There were no flowers, photographs, books, souvenirs, or other personal items that would have transformed an apartment into a home. Benny, Shimon, and Tom were already present. Jeff arrived a few moments after me.
“OK, we're all here so let's begin,” said Eric. “We all had homework, so let's see some interim findings. Who wants to start?”
Benny turned to Shimon and nudged him. “Go on.”
Shimon grinned and went to the center of the room, where an easel was standing. He unfolded a roll of paper he was holding and put it on the easel. A large color photograph of the bank building displayed amazing clarity and detail.
Shimon stood next to the easel. “The building has three entrances.” He pointed to the main business entrance in front. “This is where the public enters during business hours. There is a side entrance for employees, which is mostly used when the main entrance is closed and at all times for the employees working on the second and third floors. I assume it's a shorter way out. It is also convenient to the elevator.”
Shimon removed the photograph and put up a second photograph taken from the rear of the building. He pointed to an entry shown at the bottom of the photograph. “The third entrance to the building is at the back and is mainly used by the superintendent of the building, by technical support staff, and for delivery of supplies and, very likely, cash and securities. A small truck can go up to the door.
“The bank building has three floors above ground. The main business floor is on the street level, the management uses the second floor, and the third floor is used for filing and storage. The building also has a small basement, mostly occupied by one big walk-in vault. There are no safe-deposit boxes for rent to customers. Metal bars protect the windows on the street level. These windows are also protected by an obsolete alarm system, the type that reacts to broken glass or vibration. I don't know yet whether that alarm system is connected to any central monitoring system in the building or elsewhere.
“The main entrance door is a heavy double door, probably made of metal sheets plated with a thin layer of copper. The lock is not a problem. However, use of the main entrance is ruled out because the bank is situated on a street that is active most hours of the day, and any forced entry from the front entrance is likely to be detected. The door used by the employees is also facing the street, though it doesn't look like a part of the bank building and may attract less attention.”
A true professional, I thought in appreciation.
“Look at the back door,” Shimon continued, pointing his finger at it. “I think it's the most suitable for a silent entry, if we opt to use a door. You'll soon see that there are other options. I did not detect any alarm systems in the hallway of either the side entry or the back entry; however, the doors themselves are protected with a rather primitive and outdated alarm system that should not cause us too much concern. I did not risk entering the second and third floors at this time.”
We listened attentively. Eric was taking notes. Benny, reading our collective thoughts asked, “So, how do we get in?”
“At this time, our best way in is through the roof,” said Shimon, pointing to the photograph. “See here, there is a tree in the backyard that extends all the way to the roof of the bank. I could climb that tree, pass onto the roof, and lower myself to a third-floor window, and from there go through the bank corridor and down the stairs to the second floor. But I'm not done with my end of the EEI, so let's not lock ourselves into that option. I'm still working on other possibilities.”
Shimon paused, as if he were waiting for approval. He then turned to me. “Dan, you were there so you'll have to draw me a floor chart showing me where Guttmacher's office is.”
“I shouldn't have a problem doing that. Besides, I think we are getting the floor plan from the city's building department. It's a public record available to anyone; you go and pull out in a central hall of archives the volume needed from a flat metal drawer, pay a small fee, and make a photocopy.”
Shimon paused, waiting for comments, and when none were made he added, “Then there's the final question: Where is the file?”
“I have the answer to that one. I went back to the bank and discovered a small vault hidden in Guttmacher's office. My guess is that's where we'll find the file.”
“And how did you arrive at that guess?” asked Benny.
“A case of a lost coat,” I said, and then gave them the details, including a description of the vault.
Shimon smiled, and Eric turned to him.
“Could you do the entry?”
“I think so, if I'm given the word. I'll need support staff, backup force, security arrangements, and some equipment.”
“If we are convinced that the file is in the vault, we still need to make a decision how to open that vault,” said Benny.
“What do you mean?” asked Eric.
“We'll have to decide whether to detonate the vault's lock and leave the scene with the door blown away or try to open it and take out the file without being noticed. Once we have the file do we remove it and leave or make copies then and there, returning the file to the vault? If the latter option is taken it increases the chances that the entire operation will remain unnoticed, but it also increases the level of danger because copying will take time. From Israel's perspective minimizing risks is very important. If something goes wrong, I don't think my government wants to be connected to a bank break-in in Europe, even if the goal is important.”
I knew what Benny was referring to. In fact, I'd wanted to say just that when Benny interrupted me. Covert operations, by definition, always had to have a built-in deniability factor. If the operation was exposed, the original operational plan must contain several levels of deniability to minimize the likelihood of positively linking the operation with the Mossad. Even when Israel releases the results of covert operations, the sources and methods
