Undercover informants live conspicuously sparse lives that friends rationalize away

Evidence

“I was very hurt,” he says. “Was it friendship, or was he doing his job?” He takes a puff from his water pipe. “I felt betrayed.” The smoke comes out thick and smells like apples. “How could I not have seen this? The guy had four bank accounts! He was always asking for a receipt wherever we went. He had an empty apartment: a treadmill, a TV, and a mattress. No food, no wardrobe.” He shakes his head. “We were stupid not to figure it out. — Moustafa Bayoumi, How Does It Feel to Be a Problem? Being…, 36

Categorization

• FICTION: The detail catalog of an undercover agent’s tells - four bank accounts, receipt-asking, empty apartment - is vivid material for a story about betrayal or unmasking.