The Boudicca Parchments

Chapter 55

“Shamir,” said Dovi, answering the phone in his pithy style.

“It’s Uri at SHaBaK.”

“Yes.”

“We have a little problem with our friends in Shomrei Ha’ir.”

“Specifically?”

“Well we stepped up surveillance on Shalom Tikva after his son’s antics in London and now it seems that Daniel Klein’s sister Julia has brought her daughters here to get them out of harms way.”

“Out of the frying pan into the fire, as it were.”

“Yes well maybe some one should have warned them.”

There was a hint of criticism in the General Security Services man’s tone.

“My officer is babysitting for Klein. She didn’t have any direct contact with his sister.”

“Well anyway, the SHaBaK officer continued, the point is she’s here now.”

“And what’s the problem?”

“The problem is they know?”

“Who know?”

“Shomrei Ha’ir.”

“How?”

“We don’t know what happened in England — ‘cause that’s not our department — but it seems Julia, her mother and her daughters were followed from the airport by one of HaTzadik’s loyal men.”

“What he just saw her there and recognized her?”

Dovi was incredulous.

“No, not exactly. It seems that he was waiting for her… waiting and watching.”

“But that means they knew she was coming.”

“Exactly. But as I said, it’s not in our remit to keep tabs on them abroad.”

“All right, I get the message,” said Dovi irritably. “But how much do they know?”

“Ah yes, that’s what I’m coming to. You see we’ve set up nearby and we’re using a laser scan of the window.”

This was a technique in which a laser was aimed at a window and a camera monitored its micro-vibrations and converted it back into sound. Any sound generated in that room or even audible in that room could be detected by this method.

Even double-glazing wasn’t a problem as the laser could penetrate to the inner glass and the camera could be aimed at that same inner glass to pick up the vibrations. In some ways that was better because there would be less noise from the outside of the glass affecting the audio pick-up. However in practice most of the old buildings in Mea She’arim didn’t have double glazing and so there would be some external interference. But as there was no major stream of motorized traffic in the area, the audio pick-up would be of reasonably good quality.

“Okay cut to the chase Uri, what did you get?”

By now Dovi was growing tired and irritable with Uri’s game of one-upmanship.

“It seems that they know the exact address, they know the layout and they’re planning to kidnap one or more of the girls.”

“Well get onto to the police for God’s sake! Or get some of your men over there!”

“I’ve done that already. I just wanted to keep you in the loop. They should be there very shortly.