Chapter 7 – The Deal with Aboulafia
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Chapter Seven
The Deal with Aboulafia
Dan Porat clutched the phone, excited he had reached his contact Jacob Aboulafia in New York.
“Jacob, it’s Dan. I hope this isn’t a bad time.”
A low chuckle. “Dan, my favorite digger in the dirt. For you, there’s never a bad time—especially if you’ve got something worth your late hour. Talk.”
Porat hesitated, eyes on the rubbing. “A Second Temple ossuary, complete with a crucified heel bone. And an inscription that appears to be ‘Yeshua bar Yehosef, ha-Glili.'”
There was a slight gasp on the other end, followed by a heavy silence that stretched just long enough to make Porat’s pulse quicken. Then Aboulafia’s voice returned, sharper now, all business. “An inscription… you have a photograph of the inscription? And the heel bone? My dear Dan, you are either a genius or a fool. Tell me, what makes you so certain? The name is common, and the heel bone could be anyone. What is the evidence? The provenance?”
Chapter 6 – The Inscription
A midnight breeze stirred the curtains in Dan Porat’s study. He didn’t notice the chill. He was stooped over the photographs, still damp from the darkroom. He let out a sigh, pressing his nose and the magnifying glass closer to one of the pictures.
Chapter 5 – The Alibi
Pizza Uri on Malkei Israel Street was packed. American Yeshiva students in sleek Borsalino fedoras and dark suits sat at one table. A family of eight filled two others.
David and Stacey squeezed into a corner table with their mushroom and olive slices.
Chapter 4 – The Inspector Arrives
The police sirens wailed through the darkness, competing with the chanting protestors. A patrol car and a forensics van splashed through the mud near the cave entrance.
Chapter 3 – The Standoff
Veingarten pulled the minivan to the side of the road. Five men in black hats waited in the dark.
He approached them and shook hands. “Thank you for leaving your families tonight. Deutsch and I will inspect the cave. Watch the road.”
Chapter 2 – The Convergence
Rain hammered the green Land Rover’s roof.
Dan Porat killed the engine and sat in the dark. He’d been redialing for twenty-three minutes since he got the message early Friday evening. Nothing.
Chapter 1 – The Cave
Fifteen minutes before he died, Ahmed wiped rain from his eyes and jammed the bulldozer’s throttle forward. The site was deserted. The other workers had left hours ago for the weekend, but Ahmed needed the overtime.