Fire in a Haystack: A Thrilling Novel (Legal Mystery Book Book 1) by Erez Aharoni Read Free Book Online

Maybe she wasn’t here at all? Maybe your feverish mind simply invented her?” His voice rose an octave when he wanted to impress his listeners.
    “That’s impossible. You need to look harder for her. You’ll see that I’m not lying right away,” said Ofer, sensing his voice beginning to quaver.
    “Listen, I’m sorry, but I’ll need to detain you. You’ll need to come to the station with me to continue the investigation. We’ll need to verify your version of events and wait for results from forensics,” Alush announced without leaving any room for appeal.
    “What do you mean detain me? You need a tangible reason or an actual suspicion.”
    Alush didn’t even bother to answer.
    They took the elevator down to the hotel parking lot. Ofer wanted Alush to say something, but the police officer was silent.
    “Can I come to the police station with my motorcycle?” asked Ofer.
    “No,” answered Alush, “you’re coming with me in the patrol car.”
    Ofer reluctantly obeyed. He abruptly recalled that he hadn’t called the office to let them know what was going on. It was already getting late. Yitzhak Brick and Gideon Geller were waiting for him and Rodety in the office and they had no idea what just happened to Rodety. Perhaps it was selfish, but what bothered him most of all was the thought that his career at Geller, Schneider and Associates was possibly drifting away from him.
    “Where are we going to?” asked Ofer.
    Alush didn’t answer.
    “I need to call my office,” said Ofer.
    “You’ll have plenty of time to do that,” hissed Alush.
    At that stage, Ofer decided to maintain his cool and cooperate. Now was not the time to demonstrate his objections or to teach this police officer a thing or two about the law . I’ll keep my objections for the right moment , he thought. I’ll have my chance to show him no one messes with me.
    At the end of Allenby Street, Alush turned to him while driving. “Say, Angel, you and that Englishman, Rodety, or whatever his name was, did you have an… intimate relationship… let’s say… other than your business association?”
    “Are you crazy?” Ofer reacted with anger to the mean question and a slight blush snuck into his cheeks. The first chance I get , swore Ofer, I’ll show that nosy cop what tree the mandolin is made of.

 
     
    Chapter 4
    Officer Nir Alush parked the patrol car in the police headquarters parking lot on Salame Road then led Ofer Angel into the station. They passed through long, brightly lit corridors. Even though the building seemed new, the smell of mold filled Ofer’s nostrils. Alush ordered him to sit on a metal bench next to his office on the second floor.
    More than an hour and a half passed and no one came to talk to him. He cursed everyone involved one by one. First of all the deceased Rodety, then Natalia and finally Alush. He also cursed their ancestors’ ancestors and the mess he’d gotten himself into. Instead of sitting at home, studying court rulings for his bar exam, he was chilling his butt on the most uncomfortable bench the police station had to offer. Only because of a weird chambermaid, some bad luck and one stupid answer. “Not necessarily in that order,” he said aloud with a bitterness that intensified by the moment.  
    Behind the closed door, he heard Alush speaking on the phone. A gloomy female police officer appeared from beyond the end of the corridor and entered Alush’s office with a pile of documents.
    Ofer’s bladder was beginning to call for his urgent attention, but he was afraid to go anywhere without permission.
    After nine o’clock, Alush came out of his office and led Ofer to a small interrogation room down the hall. The room was dimly lit. It had three chairs and a greenish Formica table that looked as old as the British Mandate.
    Alush said, “Sit down, sit down,” whistling his S’s again.
    “Let me tell you something,” Ofer began, “I think you’ve made a mistake that you are going to