"That's a nice sentiment, but the likelihood of my succeeding is about the same as that of snow falling tomorrow on Allenby Street."

"But you're going to try."

"Yes. But even if by some miracle I manage to discover who killed them, getting proof that will stand up in court is a whole different matter."

"Don't worry about a trial. Just find out who did it and give me his name. I'll take care of the rest."

I stared at her in blank astonishment, trying to see if she really meant what I thought she did. Her tone had been flat, emotionless, and cold. Her face wore an unwavering expression of calm resolve. Her back was as straight and rigid as a sheet of steel. Only her eyes betrayed what she was feeling. A fire raged within them. All doubt was erased. She was deadly serious. I recalled my earlier impression that she was a woman familiar with death. I just hadn't realized she was comfortable with it as well.

"Is that a problem?" she asked.

It took me a second to find my voice, for in that moment she appeared not merely striking but also beautiful. Like a savage warrior woman of some ancient, extinct culture. "No," I said. "It's not a problem."

And it wasn't. For hadn't I taken it upon myself to serve as judge, jury, and executioner during my time in Germany? Was what Mira suggesting so different? If the only way to bring a murderer to justice was to do it yourself, then I was all for it. I just hadn't expected Mira to feel the same way and to express it openly and without reservation.

"I'll need your help," I said.

"How?"

"To catch a killer, you often need to know the victim. In this case, there were two victims, but one of them was a baby and unlikely to be the main target. Esther is a different story. Someone might have targeted her. To have an idea of who that might be, I need to know more about her, who she was, what her life was like, and so on. I need to talk to people who knew her, people from the Irgun."

Mira nodded thoughtfully. "There weren't many. I can connect you to them. But I doubt they would be able to tell you much."

"We'll see. What're their names?"

"There was the couple with whom Esther and Willie stayed for a few weeks until we arranged papers and an apartment for them. Their name is Klinger. Moshe and Yael. They had a baby of about the same age as Willie, so we figured they'd have clothes and diapers for him. The other person you can talk to is Michael Shamir. After the raid, he and I drove Esther and Willie to the Klingers, and he brought them their false papers when they were ready."

"Will they talk to me?"

"I'll write you notes of introduction."