Free Asylum City by Liad Shoham Page A

elbowed his way over to a group of policemen standing at the entrance to the building and demanded to speak with the officer in charge. He waited a long time until a tall bearded cop came over and introduced himself as Yaron. Itai told him everything he knew.
    IT all started with Hagos. Shortly before he was taken away, he let slip something about the “Banker.” It wasn’t unusual for asylum seekers to share their troubles, fears, and hardships with the aid workers. Some of those conversations touched on very intimate topics. Still, Itai had learned that certain subjects remained off-limits and it was best not to pry into them. To this day, for example, he had no idea if, where, and with whom the men who came to them for help slept at night. And while the money they didn’t have was a popular topic of conversation, they preferred not to talk about the money they did have.
    Michal had pressed Hagos for information about his life. He didn’t want to say too much, didn’t want to make waves, but she didn’t let up. She felt it was her duty to put up a fight against Israelis who took advantage of asylum seekers. Knowing she couldn’t get at the Bedouins, she declared war on the “Banker.” “It’s because of what they did to us in the Holocaust,” she once told Itai with characteristic ardor. “Every country closed its doors to the Jews. Israel was established by refugees. I’ll never get how people who grew up in this country can exploit other refugees. Is that so hard to understand?” When Hagos was picked up and subsequently deported, Michal convinced herself that it was because he knew too much and had told her too much about the “Banker.” Itai thought she was being paranoid.
    Michal wouldn’t let it go. She said OMA had to make the fight against the gangsters a priority. Naturally, he objected. He was as disgusted as she was by what they were doing, but he knew very well that a tiny organization like theirs couldn’t go up against the syndicate. Michal’s idea was absurd, and it would jeopardize everything they’d built. The battle they had over it was more acrimonious than any of their previous arguments. For the first time since she started working at OMA, he said if she didn’t like it, she could leave.
    Michal was taken aback by his belligerence. Atypically, she didn’t insist on having the last word, just said quietly, “At least think about it.” The next morning she walked into his office and told him she’d decided he was right. She’d report what she knew about the “Banker” to the police and let them handle it.
    ITAI threw off the blanket and got out of bed. He had a headache. Michal had lied to him. Just like she’d gone behind his back and filed the complaint against Yariv Ninio, she’d continued to poke her nose into the “Banker’s” affairs. Her message said they hadn’t succeeded in scaring her, that they didn’t know who they were dealing with. But in the end she was the one who didn’t know who she was dealing with. And now he’d never know, either.
    Why had he screened her calls? She needed his help and he ignored her. He was tormented by the thought of what might have been if he’d just answered his phone.
    He reached out for his cell phone and it made him even more depressed. Gabriel still hadn’t called. It was late, but he tried his number again. No answer this time, either. He wanted to be the one to tell him, to comfort him. He’d be there for him. Itai knew how close Gabriel and Michal were. It worried him that he couldn’t reach him. Where was he?

Chapter 14
    KOBI Etkin looked at Yariv with mixed emotions. His friend was weeping bitterly. In his six years as a lawyer, Kobi had sat opposite hundreds of tearful clients. He usually felt sorry for them. They came to him when they were weak, helpless, and frightened, and he was