Hi-Tech Hijack (25 page)

Every morning Eddie and Reuben would be taken from their rooms to the lab hall. The guards made sure they didn’t travel through the corridor at the same time, that way neither of them could tell their rooms were exactly opposite one another. The same routine would repeat itself at the end of the work day, and they would have dinner in their rooms. Lunch was the only occasion they went to and from together, and they almost always ate with Isabella and Alfonso in their private dining room.

Eddie’s main concern during the day was to try and find an opportunity to enter Isabella’s room or that of the lab techs and use their computers or phones to make a connection with the outside world. In the lab itself, there was a phone for internal calls only. The lab techs hardly used their room during work hours and spent most of day in the lab hall. Isabella however would often come in and out of her room. Eddie managed to sneak a peek one time before she shut the door and saw that the computer was left on. That meant she probably didn’t bother locking it every time she left the room, and she apparently didn’t need to punch in a password before accessing it. With the fragile state between him and Reuben, Eddie made sure not to share his thoughts and escape plans with him. He didn’t feel he could trust Reuben’s judgment, which had been completely clouded by the illusion of three million dollars. He had become a willing cooperator with his kidnappers. In the rare opportunities they had to exchange a sentence or two in private, Reuben totally dismissed Eddie’s hypothesis that perhaps their kidnappers were not simply from a competitor company, but from an organization hostile to the state of Israel. Reuben also denied what Eddie had already guessed, that he had told Mickey about the usage of electromagnetic radiation thereby providing information that could be used by international terrorist groups. Even though Eddie still couldn’t prove that was the case, he also couldn’t accept that their kidnappers were simply a rival company whose sole interest in Ebocell-Tech was purely commercial.

The day after spotting Isabella’s open computer, Eddie took advantage of a situation where she and Reuben were busy with the PCR machine and had their backs turned to the center of the hall. The two lab techs were absent that morning. Eddie took a pair of small forceps and placed a disposable latex glove in his pocket, and waited for an opportune moment. It happened when the bored guard went into the techs’ room to see why the light was left on. Eddie swiftly stuck the forceps into an electrical socket in the wall opposite the one where Isabella and Reuben were working, and quickly released his hand before the latex glove melted from the heat. The shock he took was thankfully not strong enough to hurt or electrocute him. He used the darkness that fell over the lab and took two quick steps toward the center of the room. An alarm went off. The panicked guard rushed back into the lab hall, and Rueben and Isabella also turned to face the room. Eddie stood in his place.

“Don’t worry, this happens quite often. The generator should kick in in about thirty second,” said Isabella. She got up from her seat and said, “I’ll just go and see if this is a one-time thing, or if there are any electrical works we haven’t been told about that will cause more disturbances today.”

Eddie couldn’t have prayed for a better scenario. He was left in the room with Reuben and the guard. Had he been able to rely on Reuben’s cooperation, he might have chosen a more drastic course of action, but with the way things were, all he did was take a few paces and casually lean against the door to Isabella’s room. As he had hoped, the short cut had disabled the electric lock, and the door opened gently. The facility’s general security system apparently still hadn’t rebooted itself. Eddie kept pacing without drawing any attention to the matter and when the lights came back on walked over to Reuben and watched him try to reactivate the PCR machine.

A few minutes later Isabella returned to the lab and they resumed their work. When she went over to her room a little later she was surprised to find the door unlocked. She glanced at Eddie and Reuben, but Eddie kept his eyes on the papers in front of him. Isabella thought for a few seconds, then entered the room without a word. It seemed she thought it was her fault the door was left open. She stayed in her room longer than usual, and Eddie assumed she was probably making sure nothing in there had been tampered with. When she came out, she looked completely reassured.

Eddie was also reassured. He had figured out a way to get into Isabella’s room.

Not long before the end of the work day, the opportunity Eddie was waiting for presented itself. The two techs had already left the lab, and Isabella received a call and left the hall. Eddie caused another power outage and loudly said, “I’m going to the bathroom.”

He opened the bathroom door and shut it quite loudly, but stayed in the lab hall itself. With a quick step, he went over to Isabella’s door, lightly pressed and opened it, and went inside. Seconds after the lights were back on.

“Everything all right in there?” asked the guard from his seat by the door.

“Everything’s fine,” answered Eddie from Isabella’s room as he sat at her computer. Outlook Express was open.

Ronit, do not respond to this e-mail address for our safety. We’ve been kidnapped. They are trying to extort us for information. Don’t know where we are. Possibly Spain. We are both ok. Our lab equipment was stolen and brought here. Go to police or Nir. Try to find out where I’m writing from. I’ll find a way to make contact in a day or two. Do not speak to anyone else, especially not to Mickey. He is involved in the kidnapping. Keep your cell on day and night. Eddie.

Eddie hit Send and prayed the system wasn’t blocked and that the e-mail was sent right away. He went to the Sent items and deleted his message, then did the same in the Recycle Bin.

Eddie decided not to take any more chances. He had to get back quickly so he didn’t check Isabella’s files and e-mails that may have provided answers to some of his questions. He had to see if he could get an outside line on the phone. He picked up the receiver and pressed 8, and when that didn’t work, he pressed 9 and heard the signal sound. He quickly put the receiver back in its place, went from Isabella’s room directly to the bathroom, flushed the toilet, and came back out into the lab hall, fussing with his belt, his heart beating wildly in his chest. Reuben was busy with the PCR machine, and the guard was sitting by the door, looking bored as ever.

Eddie sat down and started flipping through an Ebocell-Tech procedures booklet, trying to put his thoughts in order. He summed up some conclusions from the exploration of Isabella’s room.

The computer was available.

An outside line was available on the phone by pressing 9.

He didn’t know what country they were in and so couldn’t know what number he would have to dial to place an international call, but hoped it would be 00, like in most parts of the world.

He had no way of knowing if the outgoing calls were being recorded or monitored.

He could only hope Ronit would see his message and act as soon as possible. He would have to wait two more days before trying to make contact again.

Doing his short-circuit bathroom move again might draw suspicion. He had to find another way of getting into Isabella’s room.

Ronit had an arduous night of work at the hospital on Saturday. A week had passed and still there was no news of Eddie and Reuben. On Sunday morning when her shift was over, she called Nir.

“No news, Ronit. Hopefully we’ll hear something today. How was work?”

“Busy, which was good. It helped get my mind of things for a bit.”

“Are you going home?”

“Not sure yet. I might just walk around for a while. Maybe I’ll muster up the courage and go see Eddie’s parents.”

“You’ve worked all night. You should try and get some sleep.”

Ronit took a deep breath of fresh morning air, a spring morning in early May. The sun was shining bright, and Ronit turned to it and relished in its warmth after a long night under the cold neon lights. It had rained through most of the night, the last of that year’s rains, and the air was clean. Ronit breathed in the soothing smell of moist soil from nearby orange orchards.

She stepped into her little Citroën Saxo, intending to drive home. Then she wondered whether she would be able to sleep, but knew she was too stressed for that to happen. She felt weighed down by the obligation to keep Eddie’s parents updated. There was no one waiting for her at home anyway, and Shooli, her green-eyed Angora cat, was fine being left on its own as long as there was food in its bowl.

She called Michal, a childhood friend who had moved to Hofit near the beach just outside Hefer Valley after getting married and had asked her to meet at a coffee house on the beach for a late breakfast. She decided she wasn’t going to tell her about Reuben’s disappearance. She knew she wasn’t going to have to speak that much anyway. Michal would do the talking for the both of them. She had a baby a few months before and hadn’t returned to work yet, so she was thrilled at the opportunity to leave the house for a while.

“Sounds great,” Michal said. “My Itzik is also abroad and other than on the phone, I haven’t spoken to anyone in days.”

Half an hour later, the three of them met at the coffee house on the beach—Ronit, Michal, and her baby all wrapped up from head to toe. Ronit had an Israeli breakfast—an omelet, fresh chopped salad, and a glass of grapefruit juice. Michal, who was still working on losing the excess baby weight, just had a large cappuccino with cocoa powder and a few drops of vanilla syrup.

The conversation went on with Michal doing most of the talking while Ronit tried to clear her mind of her worries and focus on her hearty breakfast. Michal went on and on about the baby, the difficulties of breastfeeding, or some gossip about some friends they both knew. Ronit listened half-heartedly, happy to hear how well marriage and motherhood were serving her friend. She couldn’t shake off the frightening thoughts of Eddie and Reuben’s disappearance, and the troubles of her own marriage that had gone so terribly wrong the past year. Only at the end of the meal, when Ronit ordered a double espresso, did Michal finally ask, “And what’s up with you?”

“Nothing worth mentioning.”

“I understand you’re doing extremely well at work.”

“I am, but that doesn’t feel like much when you have nothing to return to at the end of the day.”

“Is there something going on between you and Reuben?”

“That’s just it, there’s nothing going on between us.”

“You mean in the bedroom?”

“That’s just one part of it. The problem is that we’ve lost all connection. It’s like we don’t have anything in common anymore. He’s so greedy, and it’s driving me crazy. Money is all he can think about. He’s become totally obsessed with one of his investors, spends evening after evening on his yacht with him, and comes back all euphoric, which turns into depression the next morning. He stopped showing any interest in bed, and frankly I’m not attracted to him either anymore.”

“Is he seeing anyone?”

“I don’t think so. I’m not even sure he can be intimate. I suspect he’s started using marijuana or something and likes the thrill in that more than conventional sex with a square doctor like me.”

“I actually heard the combination of drugs and sex can do wonders to a relationship.” Michal smiled knowingly.

“That’s when both parties are using. Even then they think they’re doing more than they actually are. Anyway, I’m not going to go along with him on that.”

“Have you talked to him about it?”

“I have, and he denied being on anything.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. There’s someone who wants me, and I like him, too, and I might go for it,” she said, immediately wishing she could take it back. Michal was her good friend, but she knew how indiscreet she could be.

“Aren’t you going to tell me anything about him?”

“I’ve said too much as it is. Promise me this stays between us.”

“Ronit, I’m hurt. I know I tell you a bit of gossip about mutual friends, but that’s nothing like our relationship. You’re my best friend, and I wouldn’t dream of passing on any of the things we talk about.”

“Ok, Michal. I’m sorry. I’m just stressed and tired. I trust you, and it’s good to know I have you to talk to freely.”

“Relatively freely,” said Michal, smiling.

“Yes, well, relative to me.” Ronit smiled back and stroked the cheek of her good friend.

They said good-bye, and Ronit headed to Kefar Heffer to the home of Rachel and Arye Bartal, Eddie’s parents. She decided to drop by unannounced because she knew if she called ahead it would only cause them more concern. However tired she was, she still felt a bit better after her talk with Michal. On the road she called Nir again, and again he had to say there was still no news.

“Nir, what’s going to happen? Maybe we shouldn’t keep the whole thing quiet? Maybe we should contact the media? Someone must have seen them somewhere in Switzerland. They couldn’t have just disappeared off the face of the earth”

“We’ll do that if no new leads turn up by tomorrow, but let’s just hold on for a little bit longer.”

“I’m going to see Eddie’s parents.”

“Yes, you should do that.”

Ronit spent a long while with Eddie’s parents, telling them everything she knew so far. “It’s crucial that you keep this quiet at this point. It’s important that even Eddie’s sisters overseas don’t hear about this just yet.”

The two tough farmers could not conceal their emotions and said good-bye to Ronit.

“Keep us posted, Ronit,” Rachel said and kissed Ronit on the cheek.

“We trust you both. You got him out of the disease safely, and now it’s your brother’s turn to find him.” Arye smiled, putting on a brave face, and hugged Ronit.

If only it were that simple
, thought Ronit as she made her way back home.

When she got home, Shooli the cat happily ran to her, rubbing against her legs. Ronit picked him and held him, and he purred at her lovingly. With Shooli still in her arms, she walked to the bedroom, but as she passed by the study, she noticed she had left the computer on. The fish and butterflies screen saver was flickering. She pressed the space bar, and her mail inbox full of new e-mails filled the screen.

She wasn’t in the mood to go over them all and just browsed the sender names. She knew everyone there—it was mostly all work related. But one sender was unfamiliar, and she was intrigued by the message. It came from [email protected].

Ronit opened the message and was amazed to find it was from Eddie. It had been sent an hour before. With Shooli on her lap, Ronit sat down and tried to check the Tools and Message menus to see who the sender was, but no other information was available.

The adrenaline made her heart beat crazy fast. At once she was no longer tired and sat in front of the computer, her heart pounding, trying to figure out what to do. She picked up the phone and called Nir’s cell phone. There was no answer, and the call went to voicemail. Ronit left a message asking Nir to call her back as soon as possible, and within less than five minutes, she got a call back.

“What did you answer him?” Nir asked immediately after she read him the message.

“I didn’t. He warned me not to write back so that he wouldn’t get caught sending it.”

“Forward it to me, and I’ll have someone try and trace it. There’s something here I have to wrap up, and I’ll come straight over.”

“Thanks. Come quickly.” She put down the phone and slumped in exhaustion into the TV lounger in the living room. Shooli jumped into her lap and she stroked him absent-mindedly. Then she got up, put out some cat food in Shooli’s bowl, and ran a hot bath for herself. The soothing touch of the soapy water after more than thirty hours of activity calmed her aching body a bit, but she couldn’t give in to the pleasure. She stepped out of the tub a few minutes later, her mind buzzing with concern over Eddie and Reuben.

Two hours after they spoke on the phone, Nir arrived at her house. He gave Ronit a hug, and she leaned her head on his shoulder.

“I’m so happy you came; I’ve been going crazy in here.”

“Make me a cup of coffee, and I’ll tell what I have so far.”

“Black, one Sweet’N Low as usual, right? But you have to try this cake. I’ve been so nervous, I had to keep myself busy with something,” she said and handed him a piece of warm apple pie.

“Thanks, smells great. You know stuff that goes on abroad is usually handled by Mossad, and I’ve already contacted some friends there; but I also found some significant information we have.” Nir took a small sip of coffee and went on. “We’ve traced the source of the e-mail. It really is from PSSIC, which stands for Palestinian-Saudi Scientific Incubators.”

“What’s that?” she asked, fearful but hopeful at the same time.

“It’s a public institution that was built in Saudi Arabia with the king’s blessing. It provides a home and budget for Palestinian scientists wanting to develop hi-tech industries. The technological incubator model was actually copied from us in Israel, and the Saudis were happy to sponsor the idea when it came up. That way they get credit for aiding the Palestinians in projects of progress and peace. And it allows them to neutralize anger and pressures from the large Palestinian minority they have that is mostly employed doing the kingdom’s menial jobs no one else wants to do.

“The UN, or more precisely UNESCO, supports this institution and provides funds and guidance, and other countries have also been called upon and agreed to make donations and to give engineering assistance to construct it. Professors from the donor countries have been sent by their governments for a so-called service year in the academic campus. Among the donors are Iran, Venezuela, Argentina, South Africa, and some Scandinavian countries.

“They set up a veritable scientific town, which we can clearly see in satellite footage. It’s situated in the desert city of Al-Yamamah, about sixty miles south of Riyadh on the road leading east toward the Persian Gulf, and it looks like an ordinary university campus. What makes us and Mossad so interested in this project is one of its biggest sponsors, who is responsible for a hefty chunk of the hundreds of millions of dollars the construction is estimated to cost: the largest family-owned construction company in Saudi Arabia and the entire Middle East, the Bin Laden family. As an experienced construction company, they also volunteered to manage and oversee the campus construction.”

“Oh my god! Are they the brothers of that infamous, insane terrorist?”

“Terrorist, yes. Insane, maybe. But certainly no fool.”

Ronit grabbed her head with both hands and bowed it down. “That’s the last thing we needed,” she whispered.

“The Bin Ladens are one of the wealthiest families in Saudi Arabia. Their primary business, at least what is common knowledge, is in real estate. They are very big contractors and have investments all over the world. They even have properties in the United States. In the last decade or so, with the growth of the hi-tech bubble, they went into investments in that area, too. We even know of Israeli companies that have sold some parts to factories the Bin Ladens own. All in good faith, obviously. Since their terrorist brother became infamous, known worldwide, his family has used every opportunity they had to announce they have broken all contact with him; but we suspect they are secretly keeping in touch and that the Saudi government knows, but is turning a blind eye. The Bin Ladens have a huge amount of influence on the Saudi economy, and the government has no interest in making them take their businesses elsewhere. Also, the Saudis have no desire to politically oppose such a powerful, influential family, not as long as the terrorists make sure not to perform any actions in their homeland. We looked into the attacks against American targets in Saudi Arabia in the last year and found no connection to Bin Laden.”

“So this campus is an innocent center for grooming Palestinian scientists?”

“That’s how it’s defined. But since the Bin Ladens are involved, as well as so many countries that are hostile to Israel, the Mossad is keeping a close eye. The e-mail from Eddie shines a new light on the whole thing. I’m expecting a call from a friend at Mossad. I asked him to go over everything they have on PSSIC. It’s very likely that information that seemed harmless until now will be given a new interpretation in light of the kidnapping. After all, we know what Reuben’s company does. I’m sure you know there have been rumors that the Soviets tried to use the Ebola virus as a kind of biological weapon. Even in the intertribal wars in Africa, there have been some primitive attempts to infect enemies with the virus. Ebocell-Tech’s development can certainly be of interest to terrorist factors.”