David showed up promptly at eight o’clock and joined Ari in the living room, sitting next to him in front of the picture window. He wasted no time getting down to business. “There are some bizarre aspects to what I’m going to tell you,” he began, leaning forward and punctuating the tension in his voice by stroking the knuckles of his strong, restless fingers. The lights had just gone on, illuminating the Dome of the Rock and the Western Wall, but the magnificent view was lost on these two.

Yakov could be heard rinsing dishes at the sink in the kitchen. “Come on in here!” yelled David, a slight edge of irritation in his voice. “Stop pretending you’re so busy. You’ll be giving advice soon enough—so you might as well get in on the beginning.”