utilized remain classified to protect sensitive assets.
All the Mossad's operations outside Israel are secretive and denied by the Israeli government. But there are denials and there are denials. When the Mossad kills a terrorist in his bedroom somewhere in Europe or North Africa, although Israel denies any connection Israeli officials leak the story to a foreign newspaper. This is how Israel kills two birds with one stone. The government denies any involvement so that there will be no protests by the foreign country whose sovereignty was violated by Israel. But the message is clear that Israel will pursue terrorists anywhere and under any circumstances. Then there are denials that are meant to distance Israel from any covert missions outside its borders. There are no leaks of operational details and in fact Israeli agents outside Israel spread “distracters” or “blowbacks,” false information aimed at sending investigators on a wild-goose chase. That happens in “black operations,” when Israel will stand to lose if it is connected to the operation. In the cost- benefit equation, the damage outweighs the projected gain from the exposure.
Benny continued as if he'd heard my silent explanation. “I believe that, although stealing the Iranian's nuclear materials purchasing list is important, Israel would not like to be implicated. So,” concluded Benny, “if you want my recommendation for an Israeli participation in the operation, I'd suggest that the break-in be silent, the vault secretly opened, and the file copied and returned.”
Eric sounded disturbed. “Opening a vault without explosives needs special equipment and additional professionals. It could take me up to two weeks to bring them over and orient them, and we may not have that time. Time could be of the essence; the file may be removed if we sit on our asses and wait for others to do our job.”
You could cut the tension with a knife. It was clear that Benny was controlling the meeting. He was far more senior in the Mossad than Eric was in the CIA; he was also older and more experienced. I sensed that Eric was torn by his urge to tell Benny to play second fiddle or get lost and his knowledge that he couldn't do it without Benny, at least not as fast. I also suspected that Eric had a contingency plan if the operation was exposed and people were caught. He could always spin the media to put the blame on the Mossad.
“I need to add something,” I said. “There could be a solution to the problem, but I'll wait for my turn.” I looked at Eric.
“There's no need to wait. Go ahead and give us what you've got.”
I poured myself a beer and began. “Earlier, I told you that I located a vault hidden in Guttmacher's office. I'm pretty confident that the Iranian-DeLouise transaction file is kept there, because I vividly remember hearing metal clicking when Guttmacher went from the conference room into his adjoining office to bring the file. It definitely sounded like a vault being opened. I suggest you check the audio; it must have picked that up. Now, here is the part that you still don't know: I have a snapshot of a woman who touched the lock of the vault today. I don't know anything else about her, but I think she could easily be traced.”
“How did you get that?” asked Eric with surprise.
I told them about the UV powder and the UV lightbulb.
“You son of a gun,” said Benny, “you remembered that trick? I think you and I were on the same team that rehearsed it ages ago.”
“You're right,” I said, “I remembered. I also used the powder to dust my hotel room. I had visitors today while I was away.”
“The Iranians?” asked Tom.
“Possibly. They told me in the meeting with Guttmacher that they'd be watching me.”
“Is your room clean?” asked Lovejoy.
“Yes, I sanitized everything. There's nothing in my luggage other than clothing. Everything else is in the hotel's central vault or at the consulate. They didn't remove anything, and all my stuff checked benign. But they may have planted some devices in my room or my luggage: audio, video, the works. I also noticed someone scrutinizing my car outside my hotel.”
“OK,” said Eric, “we all stay away from Dan. He's contaminated. He cannot be seen with any of us until further notice. Dan will continue living in the hotel, but communication with him is limited to calls from pay phones to our special secured line.”
“I'm excluded from the quarantine,” said Benny. “I'm a foreigner, nothing links me to Israel or to our meeting today, and I'm leaving tomorrow through another European country.”
“Avoiding me may not be necessary,” I said. “I have other plans. I traced Ariel's footprints and they lead to Moscow. I'm going there.”
“What do you mean?” asked Eric. “She got away?”
“I don't know yet,” I added, and told them about the airline reservations under Ariel's name.
“So you don't know if she actually made the flight?” asked Jeff, opening his mouth for the first time.
“No, I don't,” I conceded. “And furthermore, I don't even know if the person traveling is in fact Ariel Peled. I simply haven't had the opportunity to work on it; I've only just learned this information. I was planning to call the Cosmos Hotel in Moscow to see if she checked in.”
Eric went to the telephone, dialed a number, exchanged a few terse sentences, and hung up. “The office will do it for us.”
“Since I have become a security burden, you won't mind my Moscow plans. I think you'll survive without me for two or three days.”
“We'll talk about it later,” said Eric, reassuming his control over the meeting.
“So what are your conclusions? Is the bank job doable?” asked Benny.
Eric thought for a minute. “We transcribed the recording transmitted from the pen Dan left on Guttmacher's desk. The metal clicking suggests a vault. I'm fairly convinced that Dan is right. The file could be in the vault. I also suspect that Guttmacher may have plans that he has neglected to reveal to his Iranian clients.”
We waited for Eric to continue. Only Tom and Jeff sat back. It seemed as if they already knew what Eric was about to say.
“Guttmacher is somehow connected to the Latinos. We don't know how. We don't know if he's in bed with them or in competition with them. There were some angry exchanges on the phone between Guttmacher and someone. They spoke English, but Guttmacher paused twice to shout at his secretary to look up a word in the dictionary. In both instances it was a Spanish word. We know that as late as yesterday the file was in his vault because we heard him order a woman named Gertrude to bring the file out and we heard the vault click from a close distance.”
“So then,” I interrupted, “the woman in the photograph is likely the very same Gertrude.”
Eric gave me the look reserved for teachers showing displeasure toward a failing student. “We know that. There are several other pieces of information we obtained from the transcription. One is that Guttmacher planned to go to Moscow soon. The second is that he's probably blackmailing DiMarco to split some of the commissions the Iranians are paying. Guttmacher threatened DiMarco that unless he agreed, he'd simply be bypassed.”
“Is that all?” I was hoping my contribution to the operation would bring me closer to my original objective. While it was very exciting to participate in planning the operation against the Iranians, my main assignment was to locate and retrieve the missing ninety million dollars. The spy stuff was nice, but it was no longer my game.
“No,” said Eric, “we have plenty more, but it's being transcribed now. However, Guttmacher doesn't spend much time in his office. There is no question that he's a serious money launderer. I wouldn't be surprised if most of his business is built on dirty money.”
“OK,” said Benny, “I need Avi, my logistics guy, to confer with yours. I'll attach his findings to my EEI report.”
“Did you get the building plans?”
“Yes, I did,” said Jeff from his corner seat. “It was built in 1936 and no modifications have been made since. We are preparing the floor charts on three different small plastic sheets that glow in the dark. So Shimon, or anyone else, could read them. But I need Dan to go over the plan of Guttmacher's floor, in case they made changes that do not need a building permit.”
“No problem,” I said.
“Good,” said Shimon, smiling and exposing his perfect white teeth. “The plastic map is a good idea. But just in case, I use a night-vision scope that lets me see in the dark like a wildcat. Avi, show them our toy.” He looked at the Mossad's logistics man, a tall slim guy with a military crew cut. He opened his attache case, pulled out a scope with a strap, and handed it over to Jeff.
