Steel Notes Magazine
January 2017
He ’ d come alone , but he felt safe . Nobody else knew about this . Who would suspect an Israeli of delivering a nuclear bomb to Muslim extremists ?
Gupta started to speak , but Nikki interrupted him , “ Why don ’ t you ask Anatol these questions ? He would help you if he could . I know he would .” She tried to hold the black thoughts at bay . It was probably one of Gupta ’ s ploys to keep her guessing . He thinks Anatol might be the enemy . That she might be the enemy .
The inspector looked at the gauze curtains floating softly on the breeze . “ Preliminary investigation of the explosive device used on the houseboat you were occupying showed that it bore the signature of Hizbul Mujahideen ,” said Gupta . “ You must have been targeted for a reason .” His face grew intense , “ Anatol is involved in espionage . You must tell me what you know .”
Feydor had had a scare when he discovered that Anatol may have been suspicious . Feydor knew Anatol was an idealist . Even the money wouldn ’ t have interested him . Anatol would be willing to suffer to stop suffering in the world . Feydor was more realistic than that . The world he lived in had taught him that goodness was often rewarded with death . Anatol was good , and Anatol was dead .
Nobody would figure that one Israeli agent would kill another ; besides , he ’ d covered his tracks . The situation was too sensitive for Mossad to do anything overt , and Feydor had been pulling the wool over their eyes for more than a year . It was too bad about the girl , though . Feydor had really wanted to fuck her . But $ 10 million would buy a lot of women , and anything else he might desire .
Feydor saw his contacts coming in the distance . Everything seemed to be in order . He reached into the Land Cruiser and grabbed the suitcase bomb by the handle , lifting it out through the door .
Nikki stared at Gupta . His eyes were moving around the room , unwilling to meet hers , and a horrible feeling was beginning to strangle her heart . Blackness spread through her mind like ink squirting from a squid .
Gupta ’ s voice was softer , sympathetic . “ We need your help to catch his killers ,” he said . “ To bring them to justice .” The inspector had arranged for a hotel room for Nikki . She had a ticket for New York .
Buttoning her blouse in front of the mirror , she turned , gazing through the window . A group of Tibetan refugees huddled on the corner below , hand-woven blankets wrapped around their shoulders , turquoise stones adorning their earlobes , a thousand years of struggle and faith finding balance in their faces .
Nikki reached into her pocket and withdrew the six-pointed star . It felt both foreign and familiar in her hand .
The world is too big , thought Nikki . Forces set in motion can , like pristine drops of melting snow high in the Himalayas , become raging torrents miles below , inundating villages and annihilating lives .
The world is too small . It fits in one man ’ s smile and can be destroyed in one woman ’ s heart .
Nikki held the star in her hand , rubbing it gently as she stared into the mirror . She saw King David ’ s eyes . They were looking for justice . They were looking at tears .
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