Fire in a Haystack: A Thrilling Novel (Legal Mystery Book Book 1) by Erez Aharoni Page B

paprika that filled Ijou’s eyes produced a wild scream from his throat. He continued to wave his fists as if they were the wings of a butterfly. His eyes were closed and tear filled, and he couldn’t see anything. Ofer tried to get away from the fists with measured movements, his hands raised to protect his face, but even so, he remained within their reach.
    All of a sudden, he felt something solid separating him and the wild orangutan. He lowered his hands from his face to see where his rescue came from.
    A dark-skinned, muscular guy stood between them. “Relax,” he told Ijou. “Take it easy right now, or I’ll slice you up and send your pieces to your family’s village in Georgia,” he continued and detailed to the large bear why he’d better calm down.
    Miraculously, the Georgian retreated. As if his electricity had been unplugged all at once. He sat on one of the vacant benches at the end of the room and wiped his face, which was distorted from pain, and his stinging eyes.
    “I’m Morris, Morris Dahan,” the muscular savior introduced himself and flashed a wide smile at Ofer. A tooth was missing on the upper right side of his mouth. He wore a tight black shirt that proudly emphasized the Star of David gold chain he wore on his chest. Judging by the pointy manicured fingernail on his pinky, one could deduce he wasn’t a laborer.
    “I’m Ofer. Ofer Angel. Pleased to meet you,” said Ofer and shook his hand. For the second time that day, he felt his fingers were about to snap.
    I wonder what he’ll want from me in return , he tried to guess. And at the same time, he attempted to calculate who was more dangerous—the brown bear or the savior with the missing tooth.
    “What happened to that Ijou?” asked Ofer and sat on one of the available beds with shivering knees.
    “You’ve insulted him. He wanted to treat you to some of his food. You should have tasted it. It’s not half bad. He’s got a heart of gold, but he can get a little crazy sometimes. When that happens, you just need to blow some cold air on him and then the wind puts out the fire. But you managed to surprise him with the paprika. Not too bad...”
    “How did you manage to calm him down so quickly?” asked Ofer. He wanted to both buy himself some time and show some appreciation.
    “Morris Dahan. Morris Dahan has lived a life of crime since he was nine years old,” he described himself in the third person, “and a criminal life can make you sharper than a knife.”
    For a moment, Ofer thought he should come up with a clever reply of his own, but he was afraid his rhyming capabilities weren’t up to Morris’ obviously high standards. He considered asking Morris if he was an animal trainer but thought that might be a vulgar and invasive question and therefore preferred to keep silent. 
    A few more seconds of tense silence passed before Morris turned to him again, “Tell me, genius, what are you doing here in the Abu Kabir hotel?”
    Something in Morris’ brown eyes and flattened nose made Ofer feel that he could trust the guy, and he answered without hesitation. He told him he was an intern at a law firm, how he found the body of the kangaroo from London who came at the invite of Yitzhak Brick. Morris knew who Yitzhak Brick was. How could he not? The man’s name appeared daily in all the headlines of the financial newspapers. He explained to Morris that the chambermaid implicated him and that he hid a little information about the strip club and that was why he was brought straight to Abu Kabir in Officer Alush’s patrol car.
    “Paradise, eh? Not a bad place, but there are better. I’ll give you some recommendations. So, you’re a murder suspect?” Morris chuckled. “Couldn’t tell by looking at you, a shark in sardine’s clothing, eh?”
    That was a question Ofer didn’t know how to address. “And you, why are you here?” Ofer tried his best to appear friendly.
    “Me? They’re trying to frame me with something. I sat