The Moses Legacy

Chapter 99

‘What do you mean “an emergency”? Daniel asked, although he already had some idea.

Sarit was looking at them intently, like she had a lot to say and very little time in which to say it. The sinking sun made her shadow look ridiculously long.

‘The man who locked you in the tomb – the man who forced you to go to the cave in Petra. He was working for an organization that hates Israel and the Jewish people.’

‘Look, there’s no point beating about the bush,’ said Daniel. ‘We know about the spores.’

‘Then you know what Goliath is planning to do.’

‘Goliath?’ Gabrielle echoed, unable to suppress the smile.

‘That was his code name. The people he’s working for wanted to use the spores for a terrorist attack on Israel. You may not know this, but they sent Goliath to get a sample of that boy, Joel’s clothes from the hospital. He failed. And he also wanted to get a sample of your clothes when he stole the jeep after locking you in the tomb. I put a stop to that, but I understand that he’s got the shroud now.’

‘How do you know?’ Gabrielle challenged.

‘Sheikh Ibrahim told me.’

‘He’s still alive?’

‘Not any more. But he told me that Goliath took the linen shroud that the tablets were wrapped in and that means he intends to use it. We need to warn the Israeli authorities. The battery on my mobile phone died. I found the one Goliath dropped in the cave, but the battery’s run out on that one too.’

Daniel took out his mobile and was frantically trying to get it to work.

‘Damn,’ he said. ‘Mine’s out of juice as well.’

They looked over at Gabrielle. She shook her head.

‘If we drive fast we might be able to make it to the King Hussein Bridge just after him,’ said Daniel. ‘Then we can warn the authorities.’

Sarit was shaking her head.

‘It’s Friday. The bridge closes at lunchtime.’

‘Then he must be stuck on this side too,’ Daniel replied with relief.

‘Not necessarily,’ Sarit contradicted. ‘There are two other crossings that are open until eight: the Yitzhak Rabin Crossing in the south and the Nahar Yarden Crossing in the north.’

‘He left us in Petra,’ said Gabrielle. ‘So he probably took the one in the south.’

‘Damn!’ shouted Sarit. ‘That means he’s probably in Israel already. We have to get to a phone! We have to warn them!’

Then Daniel remembered something.

‘I don’t know if this helps, but there was something he said when he took the shroud.’

‘What?’ asked Sarit.

‘He said: “I’m going to make the evil usurpers drink the water of death”.’

Sarit thought about this for about half a minute. Then it suddenly hit her.

‘Of course!’

‘What?’ asked Daniel and Gabrielle in unison.

‘You know what the main reservoir for the State of Israel is?’

‘No,’ said Daniel.

‘The Sea of Galilee.’