Page 78 of Analysing Her Assets

“Sure.” Noga smiled helpfully.

“The brokerage project is supposed to be my winning card, right? But I’m afraid something isn’t right. I suspect Danny is fishy. It really bothers me, you know? That my project could help a criminal get ahead.”

Noga’s black eyes narrowed. She rolled a strand of raven locks in her fingers. Tamar had seen her do this when she was concentrated.

“Tell me,” she commanded.

Tamar told her what she thought Danny was up to: boosting share prices, for short periods of time, to help his clients.

“Hmmmm,” Noga said. “I can see it happening. Easily. Do you have proof?”

“No. Just excels that Yelena draws from the data. They show patterns, nothing more definite.”

“And it bothers you?”

“Yes. It’s not only the ethical aspect. If what Danny is doing got out, then my involvement, through the brokerage project, might implicate me.”

Noga nodded in agreement.

“Right now, I can’t live with it,” Tamar confessed, the relief of finally admitting her misgivings almost overwhelming her. “I feel awful, knowing what I know, suspecting what I suspect, and doing nothing about it.”

They were silent.

“Listen,” Noga broke the silence. “I have a friend, Kelly, who I mentored with. She was involved in something similar and she came out on top. She’s great. You’re going to love her.”

“Can you connect me to her?”

“Yes. I haven’t seen her in years, but she’ll help. But once we involve outsiders, this is out of our hands. It can escalate to investigations by Israel Securities Authority, it can become a real mess.”

“I understand.” Tamar wondered if she did.

“I hate the ISA,” Noga said.

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Noga’s friend, Kelly, said she would connect them to a discreet private investigator, by the name of Ilan Ohayon, but the meeting needed to happen tonight, since he was busy for the next couple of weeks. Well, she was free tonight. Gideon was at his shareholders' meeting.

Shit. Instead of focusing on winning her dream job, she was going to meet a private detective and possibly shoot her own leg. But she needed to get this out of her system. Danny was playing dirty. Or he wasn’t. Either way, she needed to know.

Noga and Marina would meet her at Ilan’s, but not Yelena, who said that she wanted to put the finishing touches on their brokerage project.

Ilan’s office was close to her apartment, in an area of mixed office buildings and old car shop garages. It poured. She had her laptop secured to her front, planning to play the short phone calls to the PI and his IT man. She shielded it with the umbrella, which meant she arrived with her back wet. Noga and Marina were already waiting for her under the small canopy at the front of the building. They all crowded into the elevator.

“This is exciting. Meeting a private investigator,” Noga said. “I heard from Kelly he has great connections in the ISA. He’s also ex special forces. Sayeret Matkal.” Noga named Israel’s elite infantry fighting unit.

“Urgh, Tamar, you’re wet,” Marina said. “It’s good Yelena isn’t here tonight, and I hope she doesn’t guess what this meeting is about. She started sleeping with Danny.”

“What? When?”

“I’m not sure when. It wasn’t her that told me. I heard gossip.”

“Well, I asked her to refresh the data before I sent it to the PI’s IT man.” Tamar worried her lip. “Do you think she said something to Danny?”

Marina shrugged. “I don’t think so. Why would she? She is busy with your project, and she probably doesn’t attach as much importance to this data as you do.” She sounded accusatory.

“Why are you here, Marina? You didn’t have to come.” She had plenty of her own doubts, she didn’t need Marina’s skepticism.

“Because I’m your friend,” Marina answered.

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