“Well, she couldn’t ask the grandparents about the boys. That would be pretty obvious, right?”

“You’re thinking that Milligan’s trying to get to the boys via Gold.”

“Isn’t it a possibility, especially since Gold is looking for the boys?”

Decker paused. “You’re very bright. So now I don’t know who to be worried for first. The boys or a school bus.” He ran his hand over his face. “What I’d like to know is, who were these men Milligan was talking to?”

“If she’s out to get someone…the boys or Gold…maybe they were hired help, Peter.”

“These men were hit men?”

“Why not?” Rina asked.

“Because why would a woman of Milligan’s smarts and stature travel all the way to Israel-a land I’m sure she doesn’t know much about-to murder Gold or the boys. She’d hire out.”

“Maybe that’s what she was doing. Maybe she came here to hire some locals to kill them.”

“Unless these men were very good friends of hers, I think she’d be taking a very big chance.”

“Maybe they’re not good friends of hers. But maybe Donald is. Donald certainly isn’t an Arab name.”

“You’re right. Who is this Donald?”

The room fell quiet.

Rina laughed, “Well, we can go to the American Colonial Inn, pull Milligan out of the meeting, and ask her.”

“A fine idea in theory,” Decker said. “It’s the practical application. So much is going on…I’ve got to sort all this out. I don’t want to act rashly.”

“Peter, why are you here?”

A very good question. It put everything into perspective. “To find the Yalom boys before someone else does them harm.”

“I think it’s a very good idea to investigate Milligan. And we probably should call or go to the police and tell them what I overheard. But if you think the boys are in grave danger, they should be our top priority.”

“Right,” Decker said. “You’re right again. We can’t get sidetracked too much. Yes, we’ll report what you heard. But I’ve got to remember why I’m here. Gold is looking for the boys, Milligan’s looking for Gold. If I find the boys, I’m betting I’ll find Milligan and Gold as well.” He turned to Rina. “You know this country. Where do you think they’d be?”

“First thought?” She shrugged. “Well, you mentioned something about Dov wanting to be religious but his father wouldn’t let him. Maybe he’s hiding in a yeshiva. There are quite a few ba’alei tchuvah places in Jerusalem that take in American boys, no questions asked. And, let’s face it. All those boys in black coats and hats look alike, tough for a killer to spot him. Plus, it’s hard to get inside a yeshiva unless you know the ropes.”

“You think Gold would know the ropes?”

“Possibly,” Rina said. “But as an Israeli, he probably doesn’t know too much about ba’alei tchuvah yeshivas for Americans. By this time, the Yalom boys are more American than Israeli.”

Decker agreed. There was a knock at the door. Immediately, Decker’s heart started pumping hard. Maybe someone had followed Rina back to the hotel. He put his finger to his lips and quietly got off the bed.

“Peter,” Rina whispered. “It’s probably room service.”

He let out a big laugh. Mr. Paranoid! Still, he wasn’t taking any chances. He chained the door before he opened it and insisted that Rina duck out of sight. Better to feel silly than sorry.

It was room service-a waiter named Mohammed. Decker signed the bill but gave the young man a cash tip. Apparently, it was generous because Mohammed grinned, sporting a clear view of his gold front tooth.

Rina ritually washed her hands, then bit into her sandwich. She was ravenous and it was delicious. Decker sipped his Scotch, noticing that Rina was gulping her wine. She was more nervous than he had ever seen her. Didn’t stop her intellect. Matter of fact, it heightened it.

She said, “We really should go to Jerusalem. That’s where the two big ba’alei tshuvah yeshivas are. Milligan’s there. And so are the national police headquarters located at French Hill.”

Decker wiped his mouth. “Then let’s do it.”

Rina finished her sandwich. “Peter, you said that the boys fled shortly after they came home from school. What caused them to run away? The house hadn’t been trashed, had it?”

Decker shook his head no.

“So from the boys’ perspectives,” Rina went on, “they just walked in their front door and saw that their parents weren’t home. Why would the boys have taken off?”

Another very good question. If the boys weren’t involved, how did they know something was amiss. He said, “The only thing I can think of is that the parents left them a sign.”

“A sign?”

“A signal of some sort.” Decker thought out loud. “Arik knew that Milligan had a lot to gain if she could get hold of his stocks. Maybe he knew she was capable of doing some pretty ruthless things to further her ambition. So he was worried. He told his sons that if they ever came home and saw such-and-such picture was crooked, or if such-and-such lamp-”

Decker suddenly stopped talking.

“What?” Rina asked.

Decker’s eyes were on Rina, but his mind was elsewhere. “Or if a certain porcelain dog was turned around…” He wagged his finger in the air. “If you see that damn dog in the open shelf in the entry hall turned around, you go grab the money I left hidden for you in the inside mezuzah, you go grab your passports, and you get out of town immediately!”

His focus returned to Rina.

“There was a porcelain dog sitting in Yalom’s entry hall facing backward. It would have been a very easy thing for Arik Yalom to do. Just a simple flick of the wrist on his way out the front door. The boys saw it and fled.”

“They must be terrified.”

“I’m sure they are.” Suddenly, Decker pulled his wife into an embrace. “I love you so damn much!”

“I like it when you’re passionate.”

“That’s not passion, baby, that’s relief.” Decker blew out air. “Let’s go find the boys.”

Decker opened the door, then turned to his wife. “By the way. Did I mention that Honey Klein’s probably in Israel?”

Rina stopped in her tracks. “What? She’s here? You can’t just drop that on me, Peter!”

Decker slipped his arm around Rina’s shoulder and scooted her out the door. “Tell you all about it on the ride over to Jerusalem.”

31

Rina looked out to a grove of sunflowers, stalks bending under the weight of their fruit, black faces with golden manes craning their necks toward the sunlight. Her eyes stared out the window, but her mind was on other things. She couldn’t believe that Honey Klein had set out to murder her husband. The police and their conclusions just didn’t square with the girl Rina had known, the woman and mother who had visited their home.

She faced her husband. “I’m sorry. I just can’t believe it.”

Decker said, “Honey was trapped. As long as Gershon refused to give her a Jewish divorce-a get-she couldn’t go on with her life. She couldn’t see her way out of the relationship, so she took matters into her own hands.”

“Honey would not kill her husband.”

“And why not? Jews aren’t immune to abject despair that leads to immoral acts.”

“You think she could live with herself and with her children, knowing that she purposely murdered their father?”

“How about if the father was abusing the kids?”

A horn honked from behind, a flash of lights in the rearview mirror. Peter glanced over his shoulder, then looked at the speedometer. “I’m going over a hundred kilometers. What the hell does he want from me?”

“Just let him pass.”

“Jerk.” Decker pulled to the side and let a red Honda speed by. “I wish I had my unmarked…pull out the light and flash the mother. Man, I’d love to give him a ticket.”

“He wasn’t, you know.”

“Who wasn’t? What are you talking about?”

“Gershon Klein. He wasn’t physically abusing the children.”

Decker’s attention was still focused on the obnoxious driver. He turned to Rina. “How do you know?”