Descending a flight of stairs, they walked into a patio restaurant, replete with white wicker tables and chairs shaded by a lattice roof of blooming vines. The sun was out, the air smelled freshly washed. Children and pool noises chirped in the background. They were seated in a cozy corner, the table dressed with white linen and scented roses. A busboy came over, filled their crystal water glasses, and presented them with a basket of crusty olive and onion bread. Decker took a slice and topped it with a generous amount of sweet butter.

“This is nice,” he said.

“Let’s pretend we’re on vacation.” Rina took some bread and picked at the onions. “How about a moratorium on work?”

“Great.” Decker polished off his bread and took another slice.

A raven-haired waitress presented them with menus which they studied for a few minutes. Decker put his down, then said, “How were the kids when you spoke to them?”

“Surprised that we were awake at three in the morning. The family was on its way out to dinner courtesy of my parents.”

“Where?”

“Kosher Kanton. The boys were in the mood for sweet and sour chicken.”

The waitress came, took their orders, and left. Decker said, “How’s the baby?”

“In a great mood. Although Nora told me that Hannah does say ‘Mama’ a lot.”

“Uh-oh.”

“No big deal.” Rina looked up. “We’ve only been away for two days. We should be home soon.”

“Rina, if you want to go back, I can manage on my own. Lord knows you eased my way. I can take it from here.”

Rina bit her lip. “I would except I can’t get Honey Klein and her kids off my mind.”

“We could look for Honey, too,” Decker said. “Depends how long you want to stay here.”

“I want to go home,” Rina admitted. “I’m exhausted and I miss the kids. But I also want resolution. I’m torn.”

“Well, right now we’re not going anywhere. We don’t have our passports.”

“When do you think we’ll get them back?”

“I’m sure you could get yours back anytime you wanted. As for me, they may take longer to check me out.”

“You’re going in for questioning this afternoon?” Rina asked.

“Looks that way. Kreisman isn’t done with me.”

“He doesn’t trust you.”

“I know. Frankly, I don’t blame him. I’m here for a couple of days and all sorts of bombs start exploding—”

“Peter, you saved the Bursa from blowing up. You’re a hero!”

“I’ll let you in on a clue, Rina. Police are suspicious of heroes.”

“What does he want with you?”

“To go over my case, bit by bit. Frankly, I welcome some fresh input. My main concern right now is finding Dov Yalom. But I sure wouldn’t mind finding Milligan as well.”

“What about Shaul Gold?”