They decided that the Leopolds would sleep on the third floor at night but keep their meager belongings in the attic, stowed in an old dresser and in a decrepit trunk that was falling apart. It was much too hot in the attic to stay up there for any length of time. The baby’s diapers were the hardest things to hide. Several of them always needed to be hung on a rope in the attic to dry. Miriam and Avi kept their bedroom neat, sitting on the floor and keeping the bed made so it appeared unused. The curtains on all three floors remained closed so no one could see inside from the street, making the house as dark and gloomy as they all felt.

Ans held drills so they could practice hiding in the attic quickly, without making noise. She timed how long it took them, practicing until they could do it in under two minutes. They also practiced climbing through the dormer window and crouching on the flat, narrow ledge beneath it, where Eloise and Ans had stood watching the bombs fall during the Nazi invasion. The baby didn’t like the drills and would cry as if sensing everyone’s anxiety. The Huizengas shared a wall with neighbors on both sides, and everyone worried that they would report the baby crying. The cook and housekeeper had been dismissed.

A week after the Leopolds arrived, Ans was sitting in the parlor one evening with the cat curled on her lap, listening to the radio with the Huizengas, when someone pounded furiously on the front door as if intending to break it down. They pressed the doorbell relentlessly. The cat bolted when Ans sprang to her feet. The color drained from Eloise’s face.

“Go warn them,” Professor Huizenga whispered. “Quickly!”

Ans sprinted up the stairs, two at a time. By the time she reached the third floor, the Leopolds were already crawling through the little door to the attic. “Is it the Nazis?” Avi asked.

“I didn’t wait to see. Hurry!”

They crossed the attic, balancing on the joists as they had practiced, yanking the diapers off the clothesline as they went. Avi climbed onto the crate and opened the window, letting Miriam climb out onto the ledge first. He handed her the baby, then climbed out behind her. Ans closed the window again, praying that Elisheva would be accustomed to the drills by now and wouldn’t cry. Ans moved the crate away from the window without making any noise, then hurried back to the attic door. With every careful, hurried step, her fear and anger mounted. Had Erik sent the Nazis here? Had he betrayed her? Her anger and suspicion soared by the minute. What part had he played?