After we had found Etan and I had told him to go sit all night in the pickup truck by Yolek’s apartment, Hava finally spoke up, meekly. “You’re angry with me, Srulik.”

“Not angry. Just concerned.”

“I’ll be all right.”

“I want you to go to my place now and have a rest. Later I’ll have the doctor give you a sedative.”

“You don’t have to do that. I’m all right, I told you.”

“Don’t argue with me.”

“Srulik, where is Yoni?”

“I don’t know. But he’s not with Trotsky. At any rate, not yet. The whole thing strikes me as rather fanciful.”

“But supposing he does end up there?”

“If he does, I’ll see to it that Trotsky realizes we must be informed at once. We won’t put up with any funny stuff. Leave that worry to me. And now goodbye, Hava. Go to my place. I’ll drop by as soon as I get the chance.”

“You haven’t eaten a thing all day. And you’re not well either.”

“I’m fine,” I said.

At the office, Udi Shneour was waiting with what seemed to be an important piece of information. Despite Azariah’s protests, he had gone to Rimona’s apartment as I had instructed, searched all the closets, and found Yoni’s set of maps, from which, it seemed, the whole triangle of the Negev from Sodom and Rafiah down to Eilat was missing. I told him to get hold of Chupka and let him know this, even if it took all night.

Meanwhile, I used our one other phone, in the infirmary, to call the Prime Minister’s personal secretary at home and give him the addresses and phone numbers on Seewald and Trotsky. I told him we had reason for suspicion and suggested that the right people keep an eye out. I also asked his secretary to follow up on the Prime Minister’s promise to release the Lifshitzes’ younger son Amos from the army for a few days.

Azariah was lying in wait for me in the office. He wished to ask me a question of principle. Did I or did I not approve of Udi Shneour’s breaking into his, Azariah’s, apartment, going through all the closets. Incidentally, he wanted to request—or rather, not request, but apply for—that is, fill out—the necessary forms for acceptance as a full member of the kibbutz. He would marry Rimona and devote himself to the common good. Both the worm and the man must do the very best they can. He was through with his wandering and intended to stay put for the rest of his life.

I told him to leave me alone.