As the secretary headed toward the door, Lev looked at Gabriel to see if he was watching her walk away. Then he handed the files wordlessly to Gabriel and turned his gaze once more toward the video wall. Gabriel lifted the cover and found several sheets of paper, each containing the thumbnail sketch of a team member: name, section, area of expertise. The sun had slipped below the horizon, and the office had grown very dark. Gabriel, in order to read the file, had to lean slightly to his left and hold the pages directly beneath the halogen ceiling lamp. After a few moments he looked up at Lev.

“You forgot to add representatives from Hadassah and the Maccabee Youth Sports League.”

Gabriel’s irony bounced off Lev like a stone thrown at a speeding freight train.

“Your point, Gabriel?”

“It’s too big. We’ll be tripping over each other.” It occurred to Gabriel that perhaps Lev wanted precisely that. “I can carry out the investigation with half these people.”

Lev, with a languid wave of his long hand, invited Gabriel to reduce the size of the team. Gabriel began removing pages and placing them on the coffee table. Lev frowned. Gabriel’s cuts, while random, had clearly dislodged Lev’s informant.

“This will do,” Gabriel said, handing the personnel files back to Lev. “We’ll need a place to meet. My office is too small.”

“Housekeeping has set aside Room 456C.”

Gabriel knew it well. Three levels belowground, 456C was nothing more than a dumping ground for old furniture and obsolete computer equipment, often used by members of the night staff as a spot for romantic trysts.

“Fine,” said Gabriel.

Lev crossed one long leg over the other and picked a piece of invisible lint from his trousers. “You’ve never worked at headquarters before, have you, Gabriel?”

“You know exactly where I’ve worked.”

“Which is why I feel I should give you a helpful reminder. The progress of your investigation, assuming you make any, is not to be shared with anyone outside this service. You will report to me and only me. Is that clear?”

“I take it you’re referring to the old man.”

“You know exactly who I’m referring to.”

“Shamron and I are personal friends. I won’t cut off my relationship with him just to put your mind at ease.”

“But you will refrain from discussing the case with him. Have I made myself clear?”

Lev had neither mud on his boots nor blood on his hands, but he was a master in the art of boardroom thrust and parry.

“Yes, Lev,” Gabriel said. “I know exactly where you stand.”

Lev got to his feet, signaling that the meeting had ended, but Gabriel remained seated.

“There’s something else I needed to discuss with you.”

“My time is limited,” said Lev, looking down.

“It won’t take but a minute. It’s about Chiara.”