Ellie moved her computer from her lap to the floor and picked up a file folder. "Before I tell you, keep in mind, I know I don't know Ziva nearly as well as you guys do–"
"–And that may be the reason you'll be able to find her when we haven't," Tim interrupted. "So tell me."
She took a deep breath. "Okay. Ziva was – is – incredibly secretive. The fact that Tony was able to find her two years ago means that she wanted him to find her, because otherwise, she would have gone to ground and never been seen again."
"I'm following you so far."
"As far as we know, until three days ago, Ziva didn't want to be found. Tony hadn't heard from her since he left Israel, and if there was anyone she'd want to talk to, it would be him, right?" She didn't wait for confirmation from Tim, instead continuing at her usual rapid rate. "She obviously wanted Tali to be found. She let Orli find Tali. But she didn't let Orli find her. Ziva thinks she's still in danger, and she wants Tali to be safe while she either..." Now she hesitated.
"While she either eliminates the threat or goes to ground," Tim supplied.
"Yes. Those are the only two options I see."
"Which do you think she's doing?" he asked.
"What do you think? You know her better."
"I have an idea," he admitted. "But I want to hear your thoughts first."
"I think she's eliminating the threat," Ellie said. She opened the file folder and held out a single sheet of paper. Tim took it, skimming it quickly before raising wide eyes to meet Ellie's.
"You think she's eliminating this threat? But Kort–"
"She was insanely secretive, yet Kort was able to order an attack on her home. How did he know where her home was? The only people who knew were Tony, her friend Schmeil, and Orli. She trusted Tony and she trusted Schmeil. She didn't trust Orli. So why did she tell Orli?"
"To draw out the threat," Tim breathed. "She knew an attack would come eventually if she told Orli about the farmhouse. But the attack didn't come from Orli. It came from one of the people in Orli's office. She knew there was a leak at Mossad, and she intentionally endangered herself to reveal it."
"The question is, how did she know when the attack would come?" Ellie picked up a sheaf of papers and rifled through them without looking down. "How did she know that she would be able to get Tali to safety? That's the part that doesn't make sense to me."
"Back up for a minute," Tim said, putting the paper down. "How do you know that Liat is the mole?"
"It makes sense." Ellie got to her feet and started to pace. "She's risen in the ranks recently. She's Orli's right-hand person, and from the reports I've found, Orli treats her like a daughter. Who else would Orli tell about the farmhouse? She's not married, she doesn't have any kids, she doesn't even appear to have any close friends or relatives to tell. Liat's the only person who makes sense."
"But why would Liat betray her country? Loyalty's a big deal in Israel, and particularly in Mossad."
"Money," Ellie said simply. She hopped over a couple of bags of chips and produced yet another folder from her desk, tossing it to Tim. "Check out her financials. I'm not quite as talented as you, but I did managed to find an account she holds in Switzerland, and another in the Cayman Islands. She's rich. Like, beyond rich. She doesn't get that from Mossad."
Tim nodded as he looked over the files. "Geez, you're right. Okay, so we've figured out how the information got to Kort. But that doesn't tell us–"
"Where Ziva is now," Ellie finished, leaning against her desk. "Exactly."
Here's chapter 2! In case you're confused, we met Liat in "Enemies Foreign/Enemies Domestic" in season 8. Thanks to everyone for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing! I'm glad you like that I'm involving Ellie. Contrary to what seems to be popular opinion, I actually like Ellie's character. She's not Kate or Ziva and that's okay with me. She's unique, just like they were, and I hope I portray her accurately in this story.
