Jonathan nodded. “Of course.”

Decker ran his hand over his face. “I would have sworn it was the truth, Jonathan, because I saw her. We arranged a meeting place, and he brought her to me… to show me that she was okay. Terrified but unharmed.”

“I imagine she was terrified, being with him.”

“She wasn’t afraid of him, Jon; she was afraid of me! She was in dread that I was going to take her back with me—back to her parents. She was pleading with him not to send her back to her family, begged him to send me away. All she wanted to do was get back to where he had her stashed. She wouldn’t let go of him. She was clinging to him like ivy suckers on a brick wall. When he wanted to talk with me privately, he had to peel her off him so we could talk alone.”

“It could have been an act.”

“No, it wasn’t an act. When I asked her questions, she could barely answer me; she was shaking so hard with fright. She whispered her answers in his ear and he told me what she said.”

“What did you ask her about?”

“The murder, of course. What she saw.”

“And?”

“She said that Chasids took him—Ephraim.”

“Good God, what’s this world coming—”

“Or—” Decker broke in. “Or people dressed up as Chasids. Because they didn’t resemble any Chasidic sect that I’m aware of. They wore shtreimels. Would you know anything about that? A sect that wears shtreimels on weekdays?”

“No.” Jonathan shook his head. “But there may be one.”

“Or it could be that someone was playing masquerade but didn’t have it down perfectly. Like certain Israeli Mafia drug dealers who are wanted in Florida for ecstasy dealing, but rabbited before the Miami Police could make the arrests. Just maybe they’re hiding in Quinton.”

“What on earth would they want with Ephraim?”

“He might have known something, especially if Chaim was importing.”

“Akiva, Quinton knows every single member of its community. Fugitives couldn’t hide there, much less integrate.”

“Unless they have prior connections in the community,” Decker retorted. “Maybe someone is hiding them. Like I said before, if Chaim was involved in ecstasy importing—”

“Akiva, you have absolutely no reason to connect Chaim to such activities!” Jonathan was shouting. “Where is any evidence for such outlandish accusations?”

Decker buried his head in his hands. “No evidence.”

Jonathan covered his mouth, then dropped his voice to a whisper. “Even if Chaim was doing something illegal…I can’t believe he’d set up his own brother! I refuse to believe that!”

“Maybe it wasn’t meant to be murder, Jon. Maybe he was trying to scare Ephraim off. Maybe it just got away from him. Maybe I’m totally full of shit! I’m doing the best I can. Obviously, that’s not enough. Otherwise, Shayndie would have been alive today.”

Jonathan put his hand on Decker’s shoulder. “Are you certain that Donatti didn’t kill her?”

“No, I’m not certain of anything. But it doesn’t make sense for him to do it. He knew that if something were to happen to her, I’d be all over his ass. Which was exactly what happened. He seemed genuinely shocked when I told him about the murder.”