I believed him. He clearly knew what he was doing. In fact, he was even a bit jaded.

“Which cinemas and hamam?” I asked, just to confirm.

He told me. He knew all the ones in Beyoğlu and Aksaray. Considering where he apparently spent much of his free time, it was no wonder he was still in high school.

He interpreted my silence as a refusal. He had no intention of letting me get away so easily.

“We could go to the hamam if you’re afraid to go to a strange flat…”

I wasn’t afraid of anything. At any sign of the slightest misbehavior, the theft of my wallet, request for money, or discourtesy… I’d beat them all up. I’d leave the five of them in a bruised heap and simply proceed with my business.

It was funny, but I couldn’t even remember the other boys; I suppose I’d been too busy looking at the dark one. As a public service, in the name of furthering the education of callow youth, helping them to gain experience and become better acquainted with their own bodies, I wasn’t particularly averse to “getting men off,” as the girls put it. And depending on the degree of pleasure this selfless service gave me, I would most likely invite the dark one to visit me one day.

“Go on, introduce us,” I said.

A warm glow induced by the pride of seeing a potentially tricky mission accomplished with flying colors spread across the boy’s face. The day was growing cooler, positively bracing. When the other boys saw us approaching they stopped talking and shifted positions in a valiant effort to appear taller. All eyes were on me. I took my time as I walked over to meet them, looking into their eyes, those eyes widening with desire, as I approached their table, savoring the attention and carrying myself as regally as Queen Elizabeth herself.

We were formally introduced.

I politely refused their offers of cola, tea, coffee, and toast.

The house was, in fact, nearby. And I ended up staying there far longer than I’d anticipated.

Unexpected developments were forever forcing me to alter my best-laid plans. By the time I got back to Ali, that is, to his office, it was getting dark. I felt completely smoothed out, from the tips of my toes to the roots of my hair. Yes, I was a bit spent, but that sensation of sweet limpness was just what I needed. Tension gone, I had a completely new take on myself, on life, and even on the dark night pressing in on the inhabitants of blessed Istanbul.

My mind was blissfully clear as I flew into the office on winged feet. Soulless Figen was getting ready to leave. Unused to seeing me at this hour, she didn’t know what to say. In any case, she was off to meet with her fiancé and in a big hurry. Her makeup had been freshened, with predictably dire results. It would be well worth my while to take the poor girl aside one day and give her some tips.

After requesting that, before she left for the day, Figen bring in some coffee for me and Ali, I burst into his office like a bat out of hell.

“Where on earth have you been? First you get me all wound up on the phone, then you disappear until evening!”

“Well, I’m here now,” I said. “I think we need to have a serious talk. Why not have a seat and wait for our coffee. Then we’ll get started.”

“You’re making me even more curious. I hope you’re not getting me worked up for nothing, abi…”

I was, of course, the “big brother” to whom he referred. And he was older than me. Deciding to take him to task later, I let it pass for the moment.

“Just wait till you hear.”

“Come on then!” he said. “Tell me!”

Eager to run off to lover boy, Figen was unusually swift in serving the coffee.

“I’ll be leaving now if there’s nothing else you need.”

“That’ll be all, dear,” I said, with meaningful emphasis on the word “dear.”

As Figen rushed out the door, Ali had already taken his first swallow of coffee.

“Oh, and I really have to tell you. I don’t know what it is, but whatever you’ve done, you look great. Just bursting with life. Ever since you walked through the door, I’ve been unable to keep my eyes off you.”

“That’s my little secret,” I purred. “A secret formula.”

“Well, whatever it is, abi, let me in on the secret. I’m green with envy.”

“You wouldn’t dare try it.” I smiled knowingly. And that was the truth. For as long as I’d known Ali, and we’d been working together for years, I hadn’t sensed, heard, or seen the faintest evidence of any interest in such things.

He knew me well enough to appreciate what my smile implied. And didn’t insist I divulge any details. Ali simply returned my knowing smile and the subject was closed.

“Well then, tell me what’s going on. What were you talking about on the phone?”

I gave him a quick rundown. Taking small sips from his mug, his eyes were serious and he didn’t interrupt even once.

“I know the job came from an intermediary, but we’ve got to find out who the real client was,” I concluded. “It’s critical. Considering that they’ve used not only us but also Cihad2000, they can’t be all that clean. And they seem to have taken every precaution.”

Now it was my turn to sip coffee.

“I did what you said and began investigating. Not wanting to raise any suspicions, I asked just a few casual questions. So much for extracting a name or two; I wasn’t able to get the smallest clue.”

“And who is this intermediary?”

“A lawyer,” he said. “The lawyer of a friend of mine.”

Haluk Pekerdem wasn’t necessarily the lawyer he was talking about, of course. And it certainly wasn’t normal for the mere mention of the word “lawyer” to make me think of him. Had I become the victim of a one-sided crush, turned into the type of person I mercilessly tease about their so-called platonic relationships?

“So you don’t really know him or her?”

“I do, actually. We have friends in common. That’s how we met.”

His halting speech patterns could only mean he was holding something back.

“And?”

“Unless you drop that significant stare, I’ve got nothing else to add,” he warned.

I’d be the first to admit that mockery could be read in my eyes. Tilting back my head as though to finish the last swallow of coffee, I hid my face behind my mug.

“We went out a few times, that’s all,” he said.

“So it’s a woman…”

“Uh-huh…”

“And when she has work for you, she still calls,” I continued. “How nice…”

“We’re still on social terms. We have friends in common. There just wasn’t any chemistry. Still, whenever we run into each other, and we do from time to time, we exchange greetings, chat.”

I’ve never understood that. It’s something I could never do. Particularly once we’ve been to bed. If my intention is friendship, there’s no sex; if what I’m after is sex, and it doesn’t work out, I make no effort to remain friends.

“You still haven’t told me who it is,” I prodded. “Is it top secret?”

“No, more like it’s private.”

“Look,” I said, “among the names we stumbled across is that of the shady loan shark Faruk Hanoğlu, who was accused of murder just two days ago. I don’t know where all of this is leading us. But no one, at least no one sensible, suddenly decides to have Telekom’s records scanned. And even if, for whatever reason, someone did, they wouldn’t cough up a small fortune to hire two hackers to do it. Start thinking clearly, send for your common sense, wherever it’s gone, and get over your misguided idea of what is and isn’t ‘private’!”

The look he gave me was thoughtful, or perhaps he was just focused on retrieving his common sense. And back it came, reclaiming its rightful place.

“Sibel Yıldırım,” he exhaled deeply. “She works for a large law firm. She’s a good girl. Not the sort to get mixed up in something like this.”