They opened the door as quietly as they could and went inside. The vestibule was dark but there was a small light in the sanctuary and music played softly through the door. It was dance music, nineteen-­forties Glenn Miller swing. They went into the sanctuary and stood in the aisle made by folding chairs. It was early in the week, there were no women expected, and the curtain that separated them from the men was pulled back.

The eternal light hung above the closed arc, and the tensor light was on in the front. Mr. Walinsky sat on one of the chairs reading a magazine. Rachel walked down the aisle, but the others stopped at the entrance. He heard her and whirled around. The radio almost fell, but he grabbed it in time.

Then he saw Hawkins and Garfield. He didn’t recognize Hawkins in the dim light and he didn’t know Garfield. He looked back at Rachel. “What goes?” he asked. He didn’t sound frightened.

Very calmly, Rachel said, “We’re here to kill the golem, Mr. Walinsky.”

Without moving, Walinsky started yelling, “Help . . . help me . . . Jacob!” His voice wasn’t very strong, the walls of the old house were thick, and they all knew his voice wouldn’t carry outside. Garfield came up to him and touched his shoulder. He stopped yelling.

“Please, Mr. Walinsky. We don’t want to hurt you. We’re going to tie you up, just for a short time.”

He stared at Garfield. “You’re a Jew!” he said.

“A rabbi,” Garfield said. “Chaim Garfield from Riverdale.”

“There’s no golem. It’s a fairy story. You’re meshugah,” Walinsky said.

“Then it won’t matter anyway, will it, Mr. Walinsky? The important thing is that no one gets hurt,” Garfield said.

Hawkins came into the light and Walinsky saw him. “Roger?”

“Yes, Mr. Walinsky.” He took the circle of rope off his shoulder and Walinsky started yelling again. His face got red and in a minute he was out of breath and he stopped.

“Sit down, Mr. Walinsky,” Hawkins said.

Walinsky didn’t move and Hawkins put his hand on his shoulder and forced him into the chair. When he was sitting, Hawkins held him down while Rachel uncoiled the rope.

He looked into Hawkins’s face. “I always said you were the gilgul††††† of a hyena. Jacob wouldn’t listen. No one could talk to him about you. But he’ll see what you are now, won’t he?”