Rabbi Gabrielle's Defiance (41 page)

Chuck had heard her mutter, "yes… yes," but
waited to ask what she meant until in the car headed back to the
synagogue.

"Every Shabbat candlestick I've seen is
decorative as well as functional. My mother would never have
displayed one as deformed as the one we saw. My guess is that if it
had fallen
before
the fire, Laura
Morgenstern would have had a silversmith repair it. So that means
the bend occurred
during
the fire. Maybe
one of the children knocked it over in panic. And that opens the
possibility that damaged
Shabbat
candlestick started the fire,
not
the
menorah. Everybody knows that on
Shabbat
during Chanukah we kindle the
Shabbat
candles first, then the menorah."

"How can you tell it fell
during
the fire
,
not
before
?" he was always curious about her
sleuthing talents.

"There was no carbon in the damaged crease.
The fire deposited a veneer of carbon on all the exposed surfaces,
but not in the crack. It must have been partially sealed upon
collision with the floor."

"And that leads you exactly where?"

"If the fire was started by a
Shabbat
candle and not the menorah Asa couldn't be
responsible for an omission by not warning the Morgenstern girls.
If he didn't instruct them about lighting
Shabbat
candles, then he can't be expected to warn
them about the dangers of fire. If I'm right, this nullifies the
charge of professional negligence."

"Sounds hypothetical to me," Chuck sounded
his skepticism.

"Me, too. But so far I haven't seen the
Dominion Mutual lawyers come up with anything better. It might give
a jury pause for thought and that pause is just what I don't think
the prosecution will risk. After all, they've already got a pledge
of ten mill." She threw a wry glance his way, a look he associated
with the devilish part of her brain. "I need a favor, friend. Now
that I have a notion about the fire, I want you to make contact
with Marc Sutterfeld of Morrison and Grand. Talk with Sutterfeld
personally and not his secretary. Tell him you're
my
associate and that you have new and startling
information about the Morgenstern case that he will want to hear.
Don't tell him what we found. And don't ask for or accept any money
for this information. If the issue arises, say you seek absolutely
nothing for yourself – only fair compensation for the Morgenstern
girls. You knew them in the synagogue and feel horrible about the
tragedy. Nothing more. Then arrange to talk with him privately. Not
at his firm. Someplace where you are not likely to be recognized,
perhaps a park bench near the Capitol, you know, like you see in
the movies. Cloak and dagger stuff. Tell him, you'll wear a black
Orioles baseball cap with an orange oriole on the front. Make him
come in a T-shirt and short running pants so he can't hide a
bugging device. Schedule this as soon as possible, but be sure it
doesn't conflict with my appointments."

Nothing about Gabby shocked Chuck. This was
not the first time she had called upon him for
special
help. "You expect me to meet with him?"

"No. After you set up the meeting I expect
you to forget we had this conversation. It didn't happen. I'll
never talk to you about it again. And I don't want you asking me
what happened when I meet with Sutterfeld in your place. As far as
you know, no meeting ever occurred. Nor should it."
"Will we go to
Lorton Detention Center together?"

"God, I hope not. I don't think they put
women in Lorton, so I'll probably have to do time in a penitentiary
for women."

Asa's letter asking the Ohav Shalom Board of
Directors to release him from his employment contract was the first
topic for discussion at an emergency meeting of the synagogue Board
in the conference room. Max Helfin, legal counsel to the
congregation, opened with an overview of the congregation's
contractual obligations with Asa Folkman. The atmosphere was heavy
with recrimination. Rabbi Folkman's request to waive his final year
of service fell on unsympathetic ears.

"Have you encouraged him, Rabbi?" asked
Devorah Chattrel, without seeking permission from Stan Melkin.

Gabby recognized a loaded question and was
cautious. "You all know my feelings about Rabbi Folkman. He's a
wonderful rabbi, scholarly, devoted, perceptive, and cooperative to
a fault, and extremely gifted. Cantor Blass thinks he's a genius
and Reuben Blass is seldom wrong on matters of music. For me not to
encourage this talent would be as bad as maligning W.A. Mozart. Of
course, I encouraged him."

"And you support the termination of his
contract with us?" Devorah Chattrel pursued.

"I told him he had my blessing to request a
waiver from this board. I cannot answer for you."

"And you don't see the legal dilemma this
puts us in?" Stan Melkin continued the line of questioning.

"I do, Stan. But I hope you will appreciate
that this is an extraordinary young man. Can we deny this
opportunity to someone who has served us so well?"

"There are differences of opinion about that,
Rabbi." Helen Blutton-Fine interjected. "Particularly since the
Morgenstern tragedy. Things
should have
been handled differently."

"If there's a trial, Rabbi Folkman will
return to Washington. Most of you have heard his musical
compositions in the sanctuary. You have to admit he possesses
extraordinary talent. Should we not recognize this and allow him a
bit of slack? He will bring great honor to the Jewish
community."

Vice-President Nora DelGrotto spoke in a
voice elevated with rage, "So that leaves Ohav Shalom with a senior
rabbi on sabbatical running for Congress and her associate
composing music in California. Aren't we entitled to have our
spiritual leaders serving as rabbis and doing rabbinical things? Is
that asking too much? Why do they always want to do what we didn't
hire them to do?"

A few board members cringed at the insult.
This was not the respectful tone they were accustomed to. Gabby
stole a brief interlude to compose herself, knowing that her
response would likely reverse the direction of the meeting. "Nora,
you have brought to my attention what I consider a reasonable
expectation. I acknowledge the responsibility your rabbis have to
the congregation and wish to make the following offer." She paused
again to let the tone of her admission sink in, then resumed in a
carefully modulated voice, "If Rabbi Folkman is released from his
contract, I am prepared to postpone my request for an immediate
sabbatical. But only, and I repeat,
only
if Rabbi Folkman receives an unconditional waiver from his
contractual obligations. The congregation should not and cannot be
without a rabbi. I am prepared to begin an immediate search for a
new associate. A couple of excellent young people come to
mind."

Board members glanced around and stopped at
Stan Melkin. Had he withheld information from them?

Nora DelGrotto recovered first. "Rabbi, how
can you run for Congress while serving on the pulpit – especially
with Rabbi Folkman gone?"

Again, Gabby paused for dramatic effect and
let a phrase blow from her lips. "I can't."

"You can't what?"

"I can't run for Congress. This might be
surprising, but there are many reasons why I have decided to stand
down. The Democratic National Committee will be notified of my
decision tomorrow morning and it will soon be looking for my
replacement. Anybody present interested in having a go? Republicans
excluded, of course."

The question lightened the mood and several
members laughed.

Morris Stein, the heavyset, good-humored
restaurant owner, blurted, "Well, that's good news. I'm sure Toby
Ryles will also be relieved. She's been sweating. You're about the
only one in Maryland who could beat her."

"I think not," Gabby responded.

Stan Melkin grunted his approval. "Well, this
does change the landscape. It solves at least a few problems. But
we must still come to a decision about Rabbi Folkman.

Since Gabby promised to remain on the pulpit
at Ohav Shalom, legal arguments were no longer as compelling. Stan
pressed the board to make a decision and not let the matter slide
to a future meeting. Rabbi Lewyn needed to start the selection
process and Rabbi Folkman needed to make his plans.

However less acrimonious, the debate
continued until Gabby intervened, "With all respect, you may not
have heard my words. I said as clearly as I could that if Rabbi
Folkman is released from his obligation, then and only then I shall
postpone my sabbatical. My pledge is conditional. Then again, some
of you might want some relief from my sermons and would be
delighted to see me banished to the august halls of the U.S.
Congress."

That was enough to expedite a decision about
Asa Folkman's future. The last item of business was to issue a
letter of gratitude for Asa Folkman's service to Ohav Shalom,
wishing him success in his musical career. The matter of a
severance package for him was relegated to the Rabbinical Services
Committee.

CHAPTER TWELVE

YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW

A call from Reverend Woo of the First Baptist
Church in Bethesda took Gabby by surprise. She immediately recalled
his offer to help locate Kye, but at the time was not optimistic.
Why would a pastor spend time on someone who had left his flock
when there was so much to do for those who had not? Opening
conversation with Reverent Woo was cordial, almost collegial,
suggesting to Gabby that he genuinely respected her as a clerical
colleague. Of course, there were significant differences between
Protestant ministers and rabbis, both in training and function, but
there were also significant similarities.

"Some of my elders had already started to
make inquiries about Kye," he moved quickly to the purpose of his
phone call. "But, to tell the truth, they hadn't learned anything.
Kye just seemed to vanish. Even his close friends didn't know
where. Then out of the blue, in today's mid-day mail delivery, we
received a postcard from him."

"From where?" she was impatient.

"From Israel?" he stated, concealing any
indication of surprise. "With a picture of the Dome of the Rock in
Jerusalem. You've probably seen the same scene reproduced dozens of
times. He wrote in Korean."

"Can I ask what he said?" she pursued,
feeling a flush of excitement.

"It's addressed to the church membership. I
guess I won't violate any confidences if I translated for you."

As Gabby grappled with her puzzlement over Kye's
travels, the pastor stumbled over a translation:

Dear Friends,

Studying the origin of
Christianity in the Holy Land. Vibrations of history are in this
soil. I am learning at the feet of masters in a Jewish yeshiva.
Best wishes to all.

Kye Naah

"Reverend, Kye never mentioned to me an interest in
the Holy Land. Or in the history of Christianity. I can't
understand why he didn't share this with me."

"I assume you kindled his curiosity," Woo
said. "For my part, I don't recall him showing interest in much but
his technology. In the past months, we noticed a softening. Women
here say that could only be explained by a feminine influence."

"Anybody at the church know how I might
contact him in Israel?"

"There's no return address. Others might have
received something from him in Israel. Maybe he left a return
address. I'll keep asking anybody who makes sense."

"If I'm not mistaken, there are about a
hundred and fifty yeshivas in Jerusalem. I doubt I could track him
down that way."

"But how many Koreans are enrolled? Maybe
there's an association of yeshivas on the Internet. Somebody in
Israel might respond to an appeal."

"Now that's an idea."

"Please, Rabbi, don't be a stranger here. I
intend to invite you to talk to our members about Josephus Flavius,
if you wish. We have much to learn from you. And if you discover
Kye's whereabouts, please send regards from all of us. We miss
him."

Gabby called for Chuck to come into her study to
share with him the news. A second later, he appeared in the doorway
where she explained, "Reverend Woo just called to say they learned
where Kye's been hiding."

He made an unnatural grimace as if pained by
an overload of ideas flushing through his computerized brain.

"Want to take a guess where?"

He ducked his chin down and mopped it in a
dramatic gesture to indicate prodigious mental effort. "Yes. How
about Israel?"

She was flabbergasted. "How did you know? Who
told you?"

"He did. Before he left, he called me once to
give him the names of yeshivas in Jerusalem. I put him in touch
with the cultural ambassador at the Israeli embassy. He made me
promise on a stack of Bibles that I wouldn't tell anybody,
including you. I didn't want to pledge that because I don't like
having secrets from you. But he told me it was very, very important
to him and ultimately to you, too. I didn't think it mattered in
the long run, so I relented."

"Why didn't you break your pledge and tell
me?"

"Because I figured out what you haven't."

"What's that, Doctor?"

Chuck thought whether this was the right time
to reveal an idea that had been rumbling around in his brain for
over a month.

"Well?" she pursued.

He abandoned the protective caution that a
kept him silent and stated matter-of-factly, "Kye didn't go to
Israel because he's a Zionist."

She didn't respond, looking a bit
disappointed, then appearing old into her own thoughts. Her brain
was in breakdown mode – ideas colliding like drunken mosquitoes
around a camp lantern. Why, of all places, did Kye go to Jerusalem?
And why, without first telling her? A yeshiva in Jerusalem?