On the drive back home Blunt's mind ran over the questions he wanted to ask Lefkowitz. He also wondered how the Israeli would take the information that he had been given by the girl.
Once in the house he headed straight to the dresser in the dining room and chose a Woodforde Reserve from his selection of whiskies. He never ceased to take satisfaction from the gold colour and the aroma released when he splashed it into the glass.
He took a sip, swirled it around his mouth to savour the taste and then swallowed it. He opened the top right hand drawer of the dresser and took out a little black book and flicked through the pages. Having found the one he wanted he took the book and the whisky over to his favourite chair in the lounge-diner. He sat down and dialled the number. Nothing! The phone advised him that the other phone was switched off and maybe he should try later.
He sprang up from the chair and paced about the room. He tried to call Lefkowitz three more times before banging the phone down in frustration. He knew that he could not really move forward without the Israeli's input. Well, he could! But if he revealed the truth to Strumpshaw immediately then there was little chance that he could settle some old scores. And God did he want to settle some of those scores!
Two hours later Lefkowitz returned Blunt's calls.
They exchanged pleasantries. Lefkowitz said that he had heard that Blunt had had a few problems with respect to his turning a blind eye regarding the Schonmanns. Blunt said that it had resulted in an internal investigation. However, they had not been able to prove anything. If he had to do it again then he would.
Lefkovitz said he found it gratifying to hear that Blunt now had a new unit. Blunt did not need to ask how the other knew things. Mossad didn't have a fearsome reputation for nothing.
On enquiring about Lefkowitz's nephew and family he was told that the boy and the family were doing fine. They lived in Tel Aviv and the nephew did research work for Mossad.
Blunt raised the question of the problems facing Israel. If anything was guaranteed to get the other going then that topic was a surefire winner. The words tumbled out of his mouth.
The new Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, a great man, a great soldier, a great politician, had caused a furore with the Ultra-Orthodox. He had imposed an immediate ban on all settlements. Rabin understood that Israel had to come to terms with the fact that it was surrounded on three sides by Arab states. Its survival depended on coming to some accord with its neighbours. Again it also had to be mindful of American opinion. He enquired whether Blunt had seen the July 25th edition of the New York Times. On being informed 'no' he went on to elaborate some of the points contained in the article.
Secretary of State James A. Baker III had hailed Israel`s decision to freeze all new settlement building in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, but said more details would be required before the Bush administration decides whether this action meets its conditions for granting Israel loan guarantees. Israel needed the loan guarantees. However, Rabin's version of real-politic did not garner universal acceptance in Israel.
Then of course we have the Islamists spewing out their bile regarding Jews, Americans and any so-called non-believer.
Blunt asks whether he has come across the name Osama Bin Laden. That set Lefkowitz off again.
Osama Bin Laden is the creation of the Americans and all the other powers that supported The Afghan fight against the Russians. They supplied them with materiel and funds and taught them how to fight. Bin Laden volunteered to help the mujahedeen. He became a master organiser and because he also used some of his own wealth he gained a great deal of influence. He saw all the youngsters from the West and other countries volunteer for the fight. He managed to influence a great many of them towards Islamist extremism.
Mossad believed that he chose the best and the brightest to join his organisation called Al Quaeda. They were all inculcated and indoctrinated with the most virulent form of extremist Islam. One thing that many of them have in common is middle class backgrounds and university degrees. They are engineers, doctors, chemists, computer experts and other specialists. Bring all these people together, add money and an irrational hatred of Jews and Americans wrapped up in the most extreme Muslim dogma on earth and we have a recipe for murder and terror on an unimaginable scale. These are not poor Palestinians or Arabs out of the desert. They are managing to utilise the internet to send each other messages. Mossad believes that they are planning a whole host of activities. Indeed Mossad already knows about a number.
He asked Blunt whether he has seen any of their literature. The policeman answered in the affirmative.
'Then you will know the sort of hate that they are peddling! You will remember that when I got involved with my nephew and Aktion I was keeping an eye on the Islamist extremists, particularly those at the Finsbury Park mosque. We knew that something was going on. We are still keeping an eye on these people. We know that youngsters are being encouraged to go to Bin Laden's training camp' responded the Israeli.
'Notwithstanding that Avram I have got one of those type of people in one of my cells: a girl. She says that she knows an attack is being planned in the USA for when an Israeli big shot visits New York. She says that they have people who have been training in the USA for just such a marquee statement. They want to announce their presence with a bang. They want every western nation, and particularly America to know that none of them are safe. Not even in their home countries. What big shot is going to the USA in the near future?' from Blunt
'My friend they all say that. Only one in a hundred actually has something of import. However we take seriously all 100. That is why we have the best strike rate of all the intelligence services! I will look into this'
'Whilst you are about that I want some information on another name, if you have it''
'What name my friend?
'Have you or your people come across the name Rafique Khan?'
'Why do you want to know about that name, my friend?' enquired Lefkowitz cautiously
'That one has a personal element to it' came the answer.
The Israeli advised Blunt that he would try and get back to him before morning.
The policeman couldn't settle whilst waiting for his friend to ring back and he certainly couldn't sleep' Instead he put on one of his Leonard Bernstein Mahler CD's. Then went over to his bookcase and decided to reread Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita. He must have dozed off because he thought he could hear a telephone ringing. He had. He rushed to the phone and grabbed it just before Lefkowitz thought of ringing off. He looked at the clock... 4am!
'My friend I have an answer for you. Our Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin is going to give a talk to the UN in two days time. It is all very hush hush. I had to get clearance to tell you. He will visit various Jewish Community centres in Brooklyn and the Lower East Side. He will meet up with Dan Quayle the vice president and James Baker The secretary of State. They will hold a press conference on the roof of the World Trade Centre at which Baker will announce the extension of the Loan Guarantee. They chose the World Trade Centre because the Loan scheme is all about trade and Rabin has never been to the building. If the weather is inclement they will hold it in the restaurant at the top.
We realise that there are many opportunities for a terrorist attack on such a trip. Ourselves and our American colleagues have got everything covered. We have examined every street and every building where an assassin could try and take a shot at Rabin. It all costs a lot of money but everything is covered. We have looked at every street etc. where someone could attempt to leave an explosive device. Every single one has been covered. A ring of steel is being put around our Prime Minister and Baker and Quayle. Goddam it John the security operation is probably costing more than the Loan Guarantee!! '
'It all sounds very impressive and thorough Avram BUT could you have missed anything?' cautioned Blunt
'Everything is possible my friend. Neither we nor the Americans are infallible BUT are you sure she is not stringing you along. That is not impossible either. Get more information from her. Then we can look at everything again. They will do so now anyway just to make sure that they have not missed anything.' commented the Israeli.
'What about Khan?' remembered Blunt
'An interesting subject for a whole variety of reasons. He makes me think of a chameleon. He helped the west against the Russians in Afghanistan. He makes all the correct noises in the UK as a Muslim moderate. Yet he made friends with Osama Bin Laden during the Afghan business. Apparently he has seen him a few times since the conflict ended. We don't know which way he swings and your security services won't tell us; and I wouldn't expect them to. The situation is made difficult by him being a big time MP and a member of this new Security Committee thing? May I ask why you are so interested in him?
'Ok. If I had told my boss the truth about what she said then my fear was that it would have got to the Security Committee. If Khan has been compromised then the information may not have got to you. He may have managed to block it by all sorts of means. One of which would have been to question the source; namely me!' explained Blunt before continuing 'The girl has more, or so she tells me. If what she has is vital then my doing it this way will give you time to do something. If the terrorists were alerted, they may pull out before you have had chance to catch them. They will then be free to plan something else. Or you may never know for the reasons I have already said'
'You two have history I think!'
'I will get back to you later today. Oh by the way see if you can find anything out about a Bondarevski, from Petersburg I think. Regarding the other that is my business. Shalom' the policeman refused to be drawn.
'Shalom, my friend.' From the Israeli.
Blunt made himself a coffee, black and strong. He would need the caffeine, and lots more besides to get through the day. He wondered whether Flint was sleeping with Saeed. He would have to ask them. However for the moment he would let things lie. They both had important tasks regarding the two cases and the people trafficking aspects. He needed to be left alone with the girl again when he asked her about the rest of her information. He then had to stall giving his boss the information so that Lefkovitz had enough time to utilise what he had given him. Only when the Israeli told him that they had succeeded could he risk telling Strumpshaw. That way they could stop Khan from passing information on. That of course assumed that he wasn't kosher. And Blunt hoped to hell that he wasn't!
He looked at the clock, nearly 5.20am. The team had to be hitting the first properties in forty minutes or so. And of course he couldn't forget that they had to start interviewing Willoughby and his staff by mid-afternoon at the latest. He wondered whether the chosen solicitor would be the same as for Morski, Pidrik et al: Mr Hewitt whose hairstyle made Donald Trump's look almost normal.
He decided to get into the office early. He wanted to interview Saddiqe again before headquarters began to come to life.