Elul is the month before Rosh Hashanah. The thirty days served as a wake-up call for those in need to atone for the past year’s sins. In Jewish law, everyone fell into the repentant category. Elul usually came around the beginning of September in the secular calendar— around six months ago.

“And?” Decker prodded.

“And that’s it. We reconciled. Especially after September eleventh, our differences seemed absolutely silly. He had us over for dinner; we had them over for dinner. We took Shayndie for a couple of weekends. Everything seemed all right… until this exploded in our faces.”

“What did Chaim do to turn the business around?”

“I was under the impression that he didn’t do anything. That things simply improved.”

“So he didn’t give you any specifics?”

“No.”

“What about Ephraim? Did he give you any explanation for the turnaround?”

“No, he didn’t say anything to me. I always had the feeling that it took all of Ephraim’s energies just to be Ephraim. He was dealing with his own set of problems.”

“I’m going to think out loud,” Decker said. “Don’t take offense.”

“I understand.”

“Chaim borrows from the bank to expand the business, then falls into deep debt. Recession hits and business turns terrible. He borrows here, he borrows there—from relatives, maybe from friends, to scratch by, to put the bankers at bay. But it’s not enough. He gets panicky enough to ask you to do something illegal—”

“I don’t know if he viewed it as illegal.”

“It’s iffy at best, Jonathan. And even after you explained it to him, which I’m sure you did and in great detail, he balks. He stops speaking to you. Your words, right?”

Jonathan was silent, masking his apprehension by concentrating on his driving.

“Then all of a sudden, things turn around,” Decker said.

“I don’t know if it was all of a sudden,” Jonathan said.

“Business was slowly getting better, you said. Let me parse this out for a moment. Business slowly getting better doesn’t mean a sudden influx of money—enough so that you’re no longer worried about loan officers breathing down your neck. Business slowly getting better implies a stretched-out process.”

Jonathan said, “I’m not following you.”

“That’s because I’m working this through as I go along,” Decker told him. “Okay. We have this slow recovery. But then I’m told that Ephraim was upset about Chaim’s business practices. So you know what I’m thinking, Jon. I’m thinking that Chaim wasn’t relying on his slowly recovering business to pull him through. I’m thinking that maybe the guy suddenly came into quick cash—possibly by illegal means. More than likely by illegal means—unless you know of any fortuitous inheritances.”

“You’re making major leaps, Akiva.”

“Yeah, that’s the fun part of what I do. The messy part is getting evidence to back up my ideas. Now let me play this out for a moment. The easiest way for Chaim to get illegal cash is by insurance fraud. Trouble is, claims take time. The turnabout was rather on the sudden side, correct?”