Decker's answer was implied, "Can't do it next week. I'm going to Israel, remember?" Then a thought hit him. It was a long shot but Decker's career had been built on long shots and being at the right place at the right time. "How about if I take Christopher with me to Israel? Who knows? Maybe it will jog his memory a little."
Anger swept over Goodman's face. "Are you crazy! Absolutely not! How would I explain that to Martha?!"
"Okay! Okay! I just thought it would be a neat idea."
"Well it's not!" Goodman shot back.
"Look," Decker said, preparing to strike a bargain, "I'll keep my mouth shut for the time being. I'll be back from Israel in January, so plan on having me around for at least a week or so."
Goodman swallowed hard. He was thinking more along the lines of a few hours, a day at most. He agreed anyway in hopes of arguing later for a compromise.
Decker and Hope were soon on their way again, nearly six hours later than they had planned. Decker wondered how he was going to explain to Elizabeth why he was so late.
Chapter 6
Secrets of the Lost Ark
Nablus, Israel
"Tom, how do you take yours?" Joshua Rosen asked as he poured coffee for himself, his wife, and his two American guests. Tom Donafin wanted his black. Decker started to respond but Joshua interrupted. "I don't need to ask you. I remember. You like yours with too much cream and too much sugar, just like you'd serve it to a baby." In preparation for their assignment to cover the recent disturbances in Israel, Decker and Tom had attempted to adjust to Israeli time but the coffee provided welcome assistance.
"So, Tom, tell us about yourself," Liana Rosen asked. "How do you know our Decker?"
"Oh, we've been friends for a long time. I guess we met in… " Tom scratched his chin beneath his thick brown beard, "it must have been 1968. It was at a coffee house in Tullahoma, Tennessee, We were both interested in writing so we hit it off right away." Tom looked off, as if through time, and added, "We were pretty weird looking back then… you know, long hair, love beads, the whole schtick."
Liana Rosen looked across the table at Decker, now age 47, trying to picture him as a hippie, and laughed. "Anyway," Tom continued, "We lost track of each other for a few years: Decker went into the army and I went to work on a construction crew. Then in 1973 I decided I was tired of sweating for a living, and decided to go to college. Well, one day I was sitting in a microbiology class that the school computer had mistakenly assigned me to, and I looked up and in walks Decker, as droopy-eyed as you see him today."
Decker had taken advantage of Tom's story to 'rest his eyes,' but now gave his head a shake and forced down some coffee to try to restore consciousness. "I guess I really should try to stay more alert during Tom's stories," Decker said. "There's no telling what he'll make up about me while I'm asleep."
Satisfied that his friend was listening, Tom continued his story. "For the next few years we stayed in pretty close contact at school. After college, I got a job with a newspaper in Massachusetts and I thought Decker was planning to go to grad school. But the next thing I knew he was publishing a weekly newspaper in Knoxville. After a few years I left Massachusetts and went to work for UPI in Chicago. Then about two and a half months ago Decker got me an interview with NewsWorld Magazine."
Despite his best efforts Decker was again drifting off to sleep, but as Tom finished speaking he felt three pairs of eyes staring at him. Giving his head another quick shake and a roll, he tried to act as though he had been listening intently. Tom ignored Decker's latest infraction of good manners and asked the Rosens about themselves. "Decker told me a little about you during the trip over, but there's still a lot I don't know."
"Well, in a nutshell," Joshua Rosen began, "Liana and I were both born in Austria a few years before World War II. When I was six years old my family left Austria when it became clear that there would be no place for Jews in Hitler's world. Fortunately my whole family was allowed to leave. Liana's family tried to leave just two weeks later and were refused passports. They were smuggled out later by Lutheran missionaries.
"In America, my father was one of more than thirty Jewish scientists who worked in atomic research for the Manhattan Project. At home, he was a very strict taskmaster and insisted that my two sisters and I excel in our school work. I went on to study nuclear physics and then became involved in laser and particle beam research." Rosen paused to sip some coffee.
"That's how you got involved in strategic defense," Tom said, filling the brief silence.
"Right," Rosen responded. "Then a few years ago the President decided to cut back on nearly all directed energy research."
"And that's when you decided to come to Israel."
"Well, not right away, but soon after. My father helped build the first atomic bomb to try to end World War II; I wanted to help build a defense against missiles carrying atomic bombs to prevent World War III. When it seemed clear that the United States no longer had the resolve to build such a defense, I decided to come to Israel to continue my work here."
"Decker said something about your son turning you in to Israeli immigration authorities so that you couldn't become citizens," Tom probed.
At this Mrs. Rosen responded in defense of her son. "Scott is a good boy. He was just a little confused."
"Yes," Joshua said. "You see, Scott and I have not seen eye-to-eye on most things for quite some time. Our family was never Orthodox in our practice of Judaism: we kept the feast days, but only out of tradition. They didn't really carry much meaning. Then in 1976, after a period of about a year and a half of study of the scriptures and talking with some Messianic friends, Liana and I accepted Yeshua as the Jewish Messiah. Three months after that my father died. Scott took his grandfather's death very badly." Liana patted Joshua's hand and gave a supportive look. "At one time, Scott actually blamed us for his grandfather's death. He believed that my father died as punishment from God for Liana and I accepting Yeshua and 'abandoning' our religion."
Tom nodded sympathetically, though he didn't entirely follow what Joshua was saying.
"As a result – perhaps he felt that he was punishing us – Scott left the United States and came to Israel where he became involved with some of the most Orthodox and militant groups. He was only 18 at the time.
"When we came to Israel three years ago we had not heard from Scott in over fifteen years. But when we went to complete the paperwork for our Israeli citizenship – which is granted to most Jews almost automatically by right ofaliyah – it was denied. Later we learned that Scott had told the authorities that we had renounced our faith, and he insisted that we be denied citizenship.
"After discussing it for a few days, Liana and I decided to fight the charge. We have never renounced our faith!" Rosen's voice grew both defensive and dogmatic. "Many Jews are agnostics or atheists; and Israel grants them citizenship. But because we believe the prophecies about the promised Jewish Messiah, they say we're the ones who have denied our faith! Accepting Yeshua is not a matter of denying our faith but rather of completing it! Do you know that over the centuries there have been more than forty different men who have claimed to be the messiah, and no one ever accused the followers of those men of denying their faith!" It was obvious that Rosen had delivered this defense on numerous occasions, each time becoming firmer in his convictions. Liana placed her hand on his as if to reassure him that he was among friends. Joshua paused and smiled to lighten the mood and to offer silent apology for any hint of virulence.
"I had already talked with a number of officials in the Israeli Defense Ministry," Rosen began again, getting back to his story. "They were very interested in putting me to work on the Israeli strategic defense program. That's when Decker called me from America." They looked across the table at Decker, who was now sound asleep. Liana softly brushed her fingers through his hair. Joshua continued, speaking more quietly to keep from disturbing their guest. "He was doing a story about the decline of American strategic defense research, and had heard about my decision to move to Israel. He called me and I agreed to talk to him about it and suggested that he compare the strategic defense capabilities and goals of the U.S. to those of Israel."