Krys had said he was staying in a flat above the café, I recalled. “Come with me.” We slipped from the cellar of the apartment building, through the charred rubble. As we made our way among the ruins that had once been the ghetto, I walked faster, wanting to get Sadie away from her painful memories of this place.

I led her along the riverbank away from Podgórze in the direction of Dębniki. Though I was unfamiliar with the neighborhoods that blended without a clear border, I knew that Dębniki was just a few kilometers to the west of Podgórze along the industrial southern banks of the Wisła. As we neared Dębniki, we turned away from the riverbank and climbed the road toward Barska Street and the café. I looked up at the apartments above the café, wondering how I could figure out which one was Krys’. It was after eleven and the café was supposed to be long since closed for the curfew. But behind the smudged glass window, I could see that a few patrons still lingered. I did not see Krys, but perhaps if I asked, someone might know where to find him.

I started for the door. Then, looking at Sadie, I stopped again. She could not go inside the café. Her soiled clothes and emaciated, ghost-pale appearance would surely attract attention. There was an arched passageway between the café and the adjacent building leading from the street to the alley behind. I led Sadie there and hid her behind some trash cans. “You need to wait here.”

“You’re leaving me?” She looked terrified.

I patted her hand. “I’ll be just a few minutes.” Before she could protest, I walked from the alleyway into the café, which was deserted except for a table of older men playing cards to the rear. As my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, I recognized a familiar figure behind the bar. I stopped short. It was the woman I’d seen Krys with the day I had found him here. My insides recoiled and I was seized with the urge to turn and leave. But I had to find Krys.

I walked toward her with determination. “Hello, I’m looking for Krys Lewakowski,” I said bluntly, waiting for a sign of recognition on her face. But her expression remained unchanged. “I saw you together,” I added. “I know you know him. He said he is staying here.”

“He isn’t here,” she replied coldly.

“I need to find him. It’s important.” She stared at me for a beat, then turned and disappeared into the back of the café. He wasn’t here, I realized with disappointment. I contemplated what to do next, whether to try his parents’ house at such a late hour.

“Ella?” Krys appeared suddenly through the door behind the bar. The woman had been lying; he was here. He hurried toward me. “What is it? Is everything all right?” I had worried that he might still be angry from our last meeting. But his expression was a mixture of surprise and concern.