4

Tiberias, Israel

Colin dropped his overstuffed, army-green backpack on his hostel bed. He fell down beside his backpack. This hostel would do fine, he thought. With his faded T-shirt and knock-off khaki Camel shorts from Bangkok, unshaven face, and oily, messy hair, he was the typical despised backpacker. From Japan, China, Thailand, India, Greece, and more, he had traveled the world on a shoestring, and in the same outfit. Khao San Road in Bangkok and Ko Samui in southern Thailand were two of his favorite spots, but Tiberias was a close third. With a seedy, tacky environment and a cheap hostel in the old city to smoke his dope, he was happy. After getting a high, he’d head for the rock beach. That was a holiday for this Aussie.

Colin checked his watch and realized he had an hour before his contact would meet him in the rooftop bar. He had information that would fetch a pretty penny with the Israeli intelligence. This would be a big payday. He wanted it over with soon, so he could truly be on his holiday and fulfill his hedonistic desires with some other lonely backpacker, armed with a fresh stack of crisp new bills courtesy of the Israeli government. Sighing with a big smile across his face, he turned and unzipped the ‘special’ compartment in his bag, pulling out a baggie full of Kullu hashish. The next hour was spent taking slow drags, staring out the opened window, smiling at the chaotic sounds of the outside world.

Ready for his meeting, he splashed water on his face. No point in changing his clothes. He was going to jump in the Galilee as he was. He wetted his red hair and slicked back the long curly bangs. He bent over the sink and blew snot from his left nostril, then his right, not bothering to turn on the faucet and wash it down. He stepped to the door and gripped the knob while slipping into his sandals. He opened the door, but, as he normally did, he kept his head down. He didn’t have time to notice or react to the three men that burst into his room. One man slammed his powerful fist into Colin’s chest cavity, knocking the wind out of him; a second man immediately covered Colin’s mouth and shoved him onto the bed. The third man’s job was to close the door soundlessly.

The first man drew his knife and gripped the Aussie’s thick, oily red hair and slit his throat from left to right, and then shoved the redhead into the pillow. They ransacked his room and went through his backpack. They found items of value, but they tossed them onto the bed, uninterested. A passport confirmed they had the right man, but the leader tossed the backpack to the floor in disappointment. They then left as quickly and quietly as they had come.

Next Chapter: Chapter 5