The Boudicca Parchments (29 page)

They ducked under the table just as the explosive belt detonated sending splinters of wooded furniture and shards of crockery flying across the room.

Chapter 66

Ben Gurion Airport seemed to have an even bigger police presence than usual. Baruch Tikva noticed this as he stood in line at passport control. He suspected that he might be the subject of this interest – the very thing he had tried to avoid, just as he had sought to avoid being identified when he left Britain.

He had shaved off his beard and was not wearing his religious garb, ensuring that he looked different to his Israeli passport picture. Also, he was not using his Israeli passport, even though he was supposed to under Israeli law. But there was no danger of Border Control catching that on their computers, because he was also using a false name. His late mother had been American and for that reason he had been entitled to an American passport. He had always had one and when he went to England, although he had left Israel on his Israeli passport – as required by Israel law – he had entered the UK on his American passport.

While in the UK he had made an “emergency” visit to the American embassy, applying for a new or at least temporary American passport. He had not claimed that his American passport was lost, for that would have delayed the process. Instead he pointed to the fact that he had shaved off his beard and that consequently he no longer looked like his passport photo.

To add a new layer of security to this, he applied for a change to his surname on the passport. If he had been submitting the application by post he would have had to send in some supporting documents, such as a court record of an official name change. A woman could submit a marriage certificate. But because he was making an in-person appearance at the embassy, he could simply make a declaration to the effect that he was now using his mother’s maiden name for all legal purposes and would be changing his name legally at the earliest opportunity thereafter. In order to avoid the wrath of God, he affirmed rather than swore an oath. But his mother’s maiden name would also appear on the records in Israel, so he simply invented a different name.

Thus armed with a new beardless image and a new name – Baruch Finkelstein – he was able to enter Israel with his America passport. There was a tense moment, when the woman in the immigration booth at passport control eyed him up suspiciously and asked if he had an Israeli passport. He said no, with an awkward smile and although she still showed signs of suspicion, she stamped his passport with a three month tourist visa and let him through with a polite “have a nice stay in Israel.”

Chapter 67

Leah Yakarin opened her eyes in the intensive care wing of the hospital.

“What happened?”

There were tubes sticking out of her and monitoring equipment keeping track of her vital signs. It was clear that she was still dazed and weak. But she was out of danger. Sarit spoke gently

“There was an explosion. A suicide bomber. You saw him… you warned us… If you hadn’t warned us… we’d all be dead.”

Leah Yakarin had ducked for cover too. But she had been the nearest to the bomber and she bore the brunt of the explosion. In fact, the last thing she remembered was the bomber looking over at their group just before he detonated the bomb.

“Were there many casualties?”

There was a hint of guilt in her voice, as if she would blame herself for any deaths – even though it was not her fault. Daniel and Ted – who themselves had been mildly injured – knew the answer to the question. But they exchanged a nervous look, as if wondering whether it would be appropriate to let her know about the deaths of others when she was so obviously fragile, emotionally as well as physically.

Finally it was Sarit who answered.

“Four. Four dead and about twenty injured. It could have been a lot worse if other people hadn’t heard your warning. Most of the people ducked for cover just in time… thanks to you.”

Daniel realized that Sarit had called it right. Leah needed the reassurance. For all Leah knew, the casualty toll might have been substantially higher. And she was eating herself up over this. Four deaths was four too many. But it was a lot less than it might have been. This way, Leah had the reassurance that the death toll was low and that she had been instrumental in saving lives.

“He was… looking… at us.”

She was still straining to speak, even though she was now wide awake.

Sarit’s phone buzzed. She took it out surreptitiously and looked. It was a message from Dovi:

Go outside and call me ASAP!

She slipped the phone back into her pocket and said “I’ll be back in a minute.”

Outside she lost no time in calling Dovi.

“What is it?”

“I just saw some intercepts from Urim. Shalom Tikva called a man known to SHaBaK – an Arab with Hamas contacts.”

“When?”

“While you were in transit from Italy.”

“You think there’s a connection?”

“Well before that, he received a call from the Vatican. He has a man on the inside there, believe it or not. The man told him that the three of you were on your way.”

“So it wasn’t random.”

“No. You were being targeted.”

Sarit got irritated at this.

“Why don’t you just arrest him? All of them. Shalom Tikva and that son of his… and anyone else in their organization who might know anything.”

“We’re going to.”

“You should have done it already.”

“The problem is that once we arrest him, he’ll clam up and we won’t get any more.”

“So instead you put us in danger – and damn nearly got us killed!”

“It was a tough call. Anyway SHaBaK are going to pull him in and grill him!”

“That may not stop other members of
Shomrei Ha’ir
.”

“I know. We’re sending some people over to guard Leah Yakarin and the others, if they’ll cooperate. In the meantime stay alert.”

Chapter 68

They had come in numbers – police and General Security Services – but still a mob was beginning to form. It wasn’t just
Shomrei Ha’ir
who were anti-Zionist. Many of the ultra-orthodox sects were. And whilst some of the people in
Mea She’arim
were from the pro-Zionist
Agudat Yisrael
faction, the overwhelming tendency of the residents of the area was towards opposition to the State of Israel and its institutions.

So the mob that gathered to “watch” as the police and SHaBaK came to arrest Shalom Tikva was to say the least somewhat hostile. But the police had been aware of this. That is why they turned out in force. Treading lightly in order not to alienate a large part of the community was all very well. But after the explosion at the café, it was gloves off. Singing the praises of terrorist organizations was bad enough, but doing business with them crossed the line. One can sup with the devil, but selling ones soul to him put one beyond the pale.

And Shalom Tikva wasn’t just wanted in connection with the suicide bombing by Hamas, he was also wanted in connection with the abduction of the Sasson twins. That meant that a cozy cell now awaited him.

The trouble was – as the police found when they battered down the door to his apartment – that the bird had flown. Whether he had been tipped off or merely read the writing on the wall, the result was still the same.

Gone!

Disappointed, the search teams went in and began bagging up and boxing up items to help with the investigation, carrying them out to waiting vans. As the crowds grew and became more volatile, the police called in reinforcements, including border guardsman, who didn’t hesitate to use their batons. And when even that didn’t suffice, tear gas was used.

And in the distance, watching all of the action and blending in with the crowd, was Shalom Tikva. When he grew bored, he turned and edged his way out of the crowd.

Chapter 69

“The scan is actually clearer than the original manuscript, because we can bring out the contrast more sharply.”

The woman who was addressing Daniel and Ted was Irene Peres. Initially, Daniel had used Leah Yakarin’s name as a contact to try and obtain a viewing of the undeciphered manuscript. But neither that nor the combined reputations of Daniel and Ted had been enough to persuade the man in charge of the antiquities to let them take a look at the manuscript.

“It’s just too delicate,” the professor had explained.

So Daniel had drawn on his network of support. His step-mother’s sister, Irene Peres, was a physical chemist who had worked for the Antiquities Authority until she fell out with them over their handling of the Dead Sea Scrolls. In the ensuing discussions, it emerged that Irene was now advising his team. As soon as that became apparent, Daniel put in a call to her and asked if she could use her good offices to smooth the way.

It turned out that Daniel had been right about the latest scientific methods. They could use X-rays generated by a synchrotron both to bring out layers of a palimpsest and to sharpen the top layer, making it fluoresce so that it could be scanned more clearly.

Irene had been first amazed, then sceptical and finally open-minded to Daniel’s thesis about the parchment containing proto-Brythonic text transcribed in the Hebrew alphabet. But none of the more conventional theories fit. So she had taken it upon herself personally to have the scan created and now Daniel and Ted were working from it, Daniel transliterating and Ted translating the fragments of manuscript that they had found

“I told them of my mother’s… victories or triumphs… against the Romans and they were… it could be encouraged or inspired or emboldened… anyway, it’s something positive.”

Nili, a young assistant, was writing it down as Ted spoke. Daniel transliterated the next sentence – or at least the next one that he could read clearly. Even with the enhanced scan, not every word or sentence was visible. Again Ted translated.

“So the people rebelled against the taxes and the false Gods and the… I suppose it could translated as oppression or persecution… and they killed the Romans and the traitors. And the Romans sent an army to weigh down upon them.”

Alex transliterated another few lines and Ted attacked them with gusto.

“Then Simon did wage battle with them. I advised him of things… or matters… I learned from my mother’s fight with the Romans… and… others… or perhaps that should be other
men
… told him not to… heed or obey… a woman. But he… received – or it could be translated as he
accepted
– my advice or counsel… and attacked them from behind… and killed many of them. But he did not stay to fight until they were all defeated… he killed the ones who were behind… and then retreated when the others turned on him.”

Ted and Daniel looked at each other.

“Guerrilla warfare,” said Daniel. Ted nodded.

“One of the golden rules in fighting against the well-disciplined army of Rome was never to engage them in a pitched battle. That’s where Caractacus came unstuck. That’s where Boudicca failed. And that seems to be the lesson that her daughter had finally learned.”

“Her daughter?” said Irene, in total surprise.

“If that
ketuba
I told you about is to be believed.”

“I’ll believe it when I see the original and can test it myself,” said Irene sceptically.

“Well whoever she is,” said Daniel, “she’s a feisty woman who thinks she’s competent to give military advice to a man. And that wasn’t exactly what you’d expect from a Judean woman in those days.”

“How does it go on?” asked Irene, her interest now piqued.

Daniel transliterated the next block of text – recognizing at least one of the names, or at least thinking he did – and then looked at Ted to give him his cue.

“The Romans sent… it could be read literally as ‘greater armies’ but I think the best word is reinforcements. And although Simon inflicted great losses upon them he and his… fellow commander Yochanan of Gush Halav came to Jerusalem.”

“That’s John of Giscala,” said Daniel.

“Oh is it?” asked Ted, surprised.

“Yes. Giscala was the Roman name for Gush Halav, a town in the Galilee.”

“Interesting,” said Ted. Okay, the next bit. But the most powerful of those who were against Rome did not want Simon for a leader, because he was the son of strangers and because he was married to me, also a stranger and because he… received or accepted… my advice on matters of war and they said he was a fool to… receive the counsel of a woman.”

Daniel looked at Irene smugly.

“What?” asked Irene.”

“A stranger… she says so herself.”

“Well given that it’s apparently in proto-Brythonic, I think we could have guessed that much already.”

“Okay but you’re not doubting the authenticity of
this
document are you?”

“Well obviously not! We’ve carbon dated it and run thermoluminescence on the urn it was found in. The urn dates to 74, plus or minus 25 and the parchment dates to 63, plus or minus fifteen.”

“Well in that case, it would be absurd to accept this parchment and then reject the
ketuba
from Arbury Banks.”

Irene thought for a moment.

“Maybe some one knew about this one and forged the Arbury Banks
ketuba
to skew the interpretation of this one.”

“Then they’d’ve had to know
exactly
what this one said. Do you know anyone who might have been able to do that? They would have had to
see
the content, read the Hebrew alphabet
and
be able to translate it from proto-Brythonic. Do you know anyone outside of us as a team who can cover
all
those bases?”

“No,” said Irene, shaking her head slowly.

“Then I think we should accept that this is the written word of Boudicca’s daughter after she married Simon Bar Giora.”