"What did Esther tell you that wasn't true?" I said.

"She told me her husband was a sailor who'd died at sea. My husband is a fisherman. As a fisherman's wife, I know quite a bit about sailing and seafaring, and it quickly became clear to me that Esther didn't, that the story she told me was false."

"Ever call her out on it?"

"Never. I assumed that Erich's—I mean Willie's—father was alive and well, and that he and Esther had never been married. I understood full well why she would lie. Society frowns on women who have children out of wedlock. I didn't want her to feel as if I were judging her, so I never raised the issue."

"You never suspected that she wasn't Willie's mother?"

Natalie inclined her head an inch to the right, considering. "Well, I remember remarking on the fact that she never breastfed him, but Esther said she had no milk. Some mothers are like that; it's actually quite common. With the way she cared for him, with such love and devotion, I never would have guessed she wasn't his mother."

"What did the two of you do together?"

"Just what young mothers do—spend time with the children or talk about them." She gave a faint smile. "You men don't realize how consuming caring for a baby is. It swallows up practically all your time and energy."

"I'm surprised you agreed to take care of Willie, it being so hard."

"Just because it's hard doesn't mean I don't enjoy it. I love children, especially babies. Besides, I was already at home with my own baby at the time, and the little money Esther paid me came in handy. I liked earning my own money. And Willie was a sweet child. Not fussy or noisy. Easy to care for."

"How often did you watch over him?"

"Every day when Esther was at work, and during some evenings when she went dancing. Esther loved to dance. Sometimes she would put on the radio in her or my apartment and we would dance together." A dreamy smile flickered across her mouth and some color seeped into her cheeks. "It was fun. How we would laugh."

"I understand Esther went dancing quite often."

Natalie nodded. "Twice a week. Sometimes three. At a club called The Sun, at the bottom of Hayarkon Street."

I nodded to myself. Rivlin had interviewed the manager of The Sun and some of the employees who'd worked there. They had all said Esther invariably arrived at the club alone, never left with anyone, and never danced with any particular man. I planned on paying the club a visit later that day.

"She ever leave the baby with you overnight?"

A resolute shake of the head. "Sometimes she would pick him up pretty late. Ten, or even eleven, but she never left him with me at night."

I killed what remained of my cigarette. "The night of the murders, you were alone in your apartment?"