Fire in a Haystack: A Thrilling Novel (Legal Mystery Book Book 1) Read Free Page A

Only when Rodety’s face changed and became serious, his mind was invaded with the powerful realization of where he remembered that fattish, drunk kangaroo from. The dim memory transformed into reality and a scream almost escaped his lips.
    Rodety was the mustached man from his father’s funeral. The man whose whiskers Ofer swore he’d one day pluck off his face. Only, since he took that oath, about ten years were added to his age and to the age of the man in front of him.
    “I remember him well. He was a real tough guy, your father. Stubborn. The word ‘compromise’ did not exist in his vocabulary…but, how life goes round and round…who can understand God’s sense of humor? His jokes are certainly not funny…” Rodety said.
    “What…why do you say that?” asked Ofer, openmouthed. Everything he had seen thus far contradicted the possibility the Rodety was a God-fearing man. So much time had passed that he had nearly forgotten his father.  And now the thought that he was about to hear, for the first time, what had really happened to his father pounded at him wildly.
    “He overstepped his boundaries. You understand? He was a talented and hardworking man who allowed himself to do things he shouldn’t have done. You understand? You can’t illegally break the rules of the place which feeds you and provides for you. You work in a law firm, right? So you must realize what the consequences of such actions are. Especially in a factory that has to do with national security.” And again he asked, “You understand?”
    “What exactly did he do?” asked Ofer, avoiding a positive or negative answer, feeling he had an opportunity that would not repeat itself.
    “He took some things without permission and passed them on without permission. Simply put, he stole information from the company he worked for and sold it for a lot of money. And when they caught him…the shame of it killed him.”
    Rodety grew silent and sucked his flask until there was nothing left in it to drink. They sat utterly still for a few more minutes. Rodety withdrew completely into himself and said no more. 
    Ofer began to shift in his seat with unease. Out of the blue, Rodety said, “Now, I need to stay here by myself…”
    A thousand different questions arose inside Ofer, but he knew this wasn’t the appropriate time to ask them. There’ll be other opportunities , he comforted himself. He had said goodnight to Rodety, leaving him alone with his fine leather bag and his empty flask, bid him good night and hurried to get out of that smoky heaven with its clouds of cheap perfume.
    But now it was already a quarter past six in the evening. And Rodety’s tardiness was simply too much. Ofer ceased dwelling on last night’s activities and walked to the hotel’s front desk impatiently.
    “Excuse me, could you please give me Jacob Rodety’s room number?” he asked.
    The receptionist, a short-haired blonde wearing a crimson uniform, lifted a pair of eyes reddened by sleeplessness. Then she returned her gaze to the computer screen in front of her and squeaked with her plum-like mouth, “I’m sorry, we’re not allowed to provide our guests’ room numbers.”
    “Oh, wait, he’s in room 613,” Ofer suddenly recalled, hoping his memory did not deceive him.
    “In that case, you can simply call from over there.” She pointed with an elongated fingernail towards a shiny telephone on the corner of the desk.
    Ofer obediently crossed to the telephone and dialed the room number. Long and orphaned sounds echoed in his ears. For lack of any other option, he crossed the lobby, went inside the elevator and pressed the button for floor number six.
    The elevator door opened. In the corner of the corridor stood Chinese ceramic vases. On the walls were hung paintings depicting children loading haystacks onto a wagon. “Where will you find children riding a haystack wagon nowadays?” Ofer chuckled as the dark-blue carpet silenced the sound of his