Jakob followed Hana and Daud to a table for four in a back corner of the restaurant. They each selected a different lamb dish. There were only six other customers, tourists from a Western nation, in the restaurant. Jakob took a sip of mineral water.
“Is this private enough to talk?” Jakob asked.
“It depends on the language,” Daud replied. “That group was speaking Dutch when we passed by them. I think they are interested in their conversation, not ours.”
“Do you speak Dutch?” Hana asked as she opened her laptop.
“Only enough to recognize it.”
Jakob saw Hana scroll through her notes. “What’s the status of the man from Deir Dibwan who was willing to talk to you about the Zadan brothers?” she asked.
“You will meet him tomorrow morning in Ramallah, but it is not a good idea for Jakob to join us. Nabil will not open his mouth around an American Jew.”
Jakob didn’t protest.
“Ramallah?” Hana asked.
“I have documentation from a border patrol commander that grants me access to zone A,” Daud answered. “The permission is broad enough to include you.”
“What are you talking about?” Jakob asked.
“Because Daud and I are Israeli citizens, it’s illegal for us to go into areas of the West Bank primarily under the control of the Palestinian Authority,” Hana said. “Ramallah falls within that zone. If we went without permission, we might have to pay a fine when we returned to this side of the line.”
“And be interrogated,” Daud added.
“But I could go without a problem?” Jakob asked.
“Yes,” Daud answered. “But—”
“Being Jewish would be a problem once I got there,” Jakob said, finishing the thought.
“Correct,” Daud said.
“How long will it take you? I’d rather not stay at the hotel with nothing to do.”
“Most of the morning,” Daud answered. “We do not want to rush Nabil. He will want to extend hospitality before talking.”
“What’s his attitude toward women?” Hana asked.
“He will like you,” Daud said with a smile. “But do not worry. I will be there the whole time. You are my personal assistant. That will impress him. Do not say anything about living in America. He will know from your accent that you come from Nazareth.”
“Why is he willing to talk to either one of you?” Jakob asked.
“He has a claim against the Zadan family that has never been satisfied,” Daud replied.
“A feud?” Jakob asked.
Daud looked at Hana, who explained.
“Yes,” she said. “These disagreements can be very serious between families and go on for years.”
“Hatfields and McCoys in the Middle East,” Jakob said.
Daud and Hana both gave him a blank look. “Never mind,” Jakob added.
“And what about the Israeli authorities who investigated the attack?” Hana asked Daud. “Any progress there?”
“I am still working on that. There are many levels. I want to go deep.”
“What does ‘go deep’ mean?” Jakob asked.
“Deep or high is the same thing,” Hana answered. “As you know, we want to gain access to intelligence information that connects the Zadan brothers to other terrorist groups. The Israeli police and Shin Bet secret service have a large network of people feeding them information. All of it is cross-checked for links. Only the men and women in charge see everything.”
“And the security services do not want to tell us something that will put someone they work with in danger,” Daud added. “That can be life or death.”
“How will you go deep?” Jakob asked.
Daud shrugged. “Trade information for information with people who trust me. Maybe Nabil will talk about a lot of things, and I can separate the wheat from the, uh, chaff. Correct?”
“That’s right,” Hana said. “What about Aaron Levy, the man Sylvia Armstrong mentioned? Will we talk to him?”
“Yes,” Daud replied. “That is already scheduled.”
“With me present?” Jakob asked.
“Of course,” Daud replied as if it were an unnecessary question.
“What about the computers seized by the police at the Zadan residence?” Jakob asked. “When we killed Osama bin Laden, the CIA got a ton of stuff from the computers captured in Pakistan.”
“That is on my list,” Daud replied. “I know who has the equipment.”
“Where are they?” Jakob asked.
“The location is not important. I am working on getting the information downloaded onto a flash drive so we can review it,” he said.
Jakob turned to Hana. “Do you think the US Attorney’s Office has it?”
“No,” Daud answered.
“Why do you say that?” Hana asked.
“Because that is what I have been told.”
“That could be a bargaining chip for us with the US attorney,” Hana said to Jakob. “And enable us to coordinate an exchange of more information.”
“I like the sound of that,” Jakob said.
The waiter arrived with their food. Jakob had ordered a roasted lamb dish. It was slightly crispy on the outside and filled with seasoned flavor on the inside. He was about to swallow his first bite when he noticed Daud and Hana with their heads bowed. Jakob stopped chewing. Daud prayed.
“God, grant us great success and supernatural wisdom in what to do and who to talk to. Keep us safe and bless this food. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
“It sounds like you and Hana read the same prayer book,” Jakob said when everyone’s eyes were open.
“We do,” Hana replied, smiling. “It’s called the Bible. You should check it out for yourself. Jews wrote almost all of it.”
“There is more about God’s interaction with the Jews in the Bible than any other topic,” Daud added. “Some people argue that the Jews are no longer relevant. God disagrees. I agree with God.”
“Wouldn’t it be better for you if the Jews were irrelevant?” Jakob asked.
“No, because it would make me doubt that God’s promises for the rest of us are true,” Daud said.
“Do you believe this, too?” Jakob asked Hana.
“Yes, and a lot more.”
After the meal, Daud drove them back to their hotel. The three of them stood beside the Land Rover. The nearby courtyard was illuminated by small gas lamps on ornamental posts.
“I will pick you up at seven thirty in the morning,” Daud said to Hana. “Get a good night’s sleep.”
Hana yawned. “I will until my body thinks I’ve overslept. Jakob slept almost the entire flight.”
“And I’ll read for a while before going to bed,” Jakob said. “Text me when you’re on your way back from Ramallah.”
Jakob turned and climbed the stairs to his room. Hana lingered.
“What do you think of him?” she asked in Arabic.
“He is a secular American Jew,” Daud said with a shrug. “Is he a good lawyer?”
Hana gave a quick summary of what she’d read in the dossier prepared by Mr. Lowenstein.
“Maybe his name should be David,” Daud replied. “It sounds like he wants to fight Goliath.”
“Like you?”
“Maybe.”
Daud motioned to a wooden bench in the courtyard. “I know you’re tired, but can we sit for a minute?”
Hana joined him. One of the gas lamps caused the shadows to dance. It was her first time being alone with him since she’d arrived. She told him about her encounter with the Lord earlier in the evening in the courtyard.
“Nothing like that has ever happened to me,” Daud said when she finished. “I guess I’m too pragmatic and analytical.”
“Do you think I’m any different? I’m a lawyer. You can’t get more pragmatic and analytical than that.”
“No, you’re very different from me,” Daud answered. “And I’m very glad about it.”
Hana smiled. “Thanks. A glory encounter isn’t based on personality or temperament, though, but rather God’s desire and our receptivity. Anyway, I took it as a kiss from the Lord upon my return home. Jakob showed up and broke in at the end, but that was okay because it gave me a chance to encourage him to experience God’s presence while he’s here. We should be praying for him.”
Daud eyed Hana for a moment. “Every time we talk I learn something new and wonderful about you. I’ve changed my mind about something important.”
“What is it?” Hana asked as curiosity rose up within her.
“Could we make a quick trip to Reineh? I want to meet your family.”
Hana hadn’t brought a man home since the breakup with Ibrahim. She wanted to say yes but also felt guarded.
“They’ll investigate you more closely than you do the people in your cases,” she said.
“I’m ready.”
“And persistent.”
“There are things I must say or I’ll explode,” Daud said, speaking more rapidly. “I didn’t want to do it while you were in America, but now that you’re here, I have to. Tell me how you feel about me, and I’ll be quiet.”
Hana paused for a moment before answering. She wanted to choose her words carefully. Her attempt at caution vanished as she replied, “I’d rather be sitting on this bench with you than anyplace else in the world.”
Hana closed the door to her hotel room, leaned against it, and kicked off her shoes. She wasn’t totally surprised by Daud’s intensity, but it was still a shock when he switched off whatever normally kept his conversations under tight control. At least he was open and honest, Hana decided as she prepared for bed.
She woke up in the middle of the night not because of her biological time clock or a call to prayer; rather, she was gripped by fear and gasping for breath. Her heart pounding, she sat upright and quickly scanned the room. A sliver of light shone through a crack in the curtain over the window, and with her eyes used to the dark she could clearly see the whole space. Nothing was out of the ordinary. Slipping out of bed, Hana made sure she’d locked and bolted the door. Going to the sink, she drank a few sips of water and tried to remember what she’d been dreaming. All she could recall was the sensation of drowning without the presence of water, and the ensuing panic caused by the inability to breathe.
Hana returned to the bed and turned on a light for her night watch. Five minutes later, she felt herself nodding off to sleep. Getting out of bed, she paced back and forth while she prayed. Fatigue soon overwhelmed her, and she lay down and fell asleep.
Jakob sat at a table in the courtyard eating a breakfast of fruit, yogurt, cheese, and samples of herring and pickled sardines from a large buffet table set up in one corner of the open area. He’d been awake since three and had logged in to his office computer to answer and send emails. The option of fish for breakfast was new, but he liked it. So far, everything about Israel was good.
He was eating a sardine when Hana came outside. The Israeli lawyer was wearing a long dark skirt whose hem fell to the top of her sandals and a modest dark blue top. He waved, and she came over to him.
“This breakfast is awesome,” Jakob said.
“I’m going to start with caffeine,” Hana replied. “I didn’t sleep well.”
She returned with a large cup of black coffee.
“Why couldn’t you sleep?” Jakob asked.
“It was one of those nights when I’m exhausted but sleep doesn’t seem to be the answer. Also, I had a bad dream.”
Jakob waited. Hana took a sip of coffee and changed the subject. “Have you decided what you’re going to do this morning?” she asked.
“Go to Hurva Square.”
“That makes sense,” Hana said. “I did that when I was here to interview Daud. I’ve been there many times, but it was different seeing it through the eyes of the Neumann case.”
“That’s what I’m thinking. What are you expecting from the meeting with this Nabil guy?”
“It’s hard to know, but Daud wouldn’t have set it up if he didn’t believe it would be worth our time.”
“Will you ask questions, too?”
Hana shook her head. “Not directly. It wouldn’t fit with my role as an administrative assistant. If I think of something, I’ll ask to take a break as a signal for Daud to meet me in another part of the house or business for a quick conversation.”
“I believe our investigator is using you as an attractive distraction.”
“Maybe, but Daud will look out for me.”
Jakob ate a piece of tangy sharp cheese. “Any other suggestions for me?” he asked.
“Don’t wander down any dark alleys.”
A horn honked. They could see Daud’s vehicle through the opening in the courtyard to the hotel entrance.
“I know we’re here because of a tragedy,” Hana said, “but Jerusalem is also full of good surprises.”