“Did you— did you tell her what you told us? About the boys going to the police station?” Rabbi Stark asked, his voice shaking

Mr. Shine and Rabbi Stark drove up and down the village streets, looking for any signs of their missing sons.

“Excuse me, ma’am,” Rabbi Stark called from the window. A small woman walking a dog hurried over. “Have you by any chance seen two boys, one with—”

“Oh, yes, I have!” the woman said excitedly, nodding her head very fast. “I know exactly who you’re talking about. Lovely young lads they are, too. They asked me the way to the police station, not very long ago, and I showed them the shortcut. You’ll have to take the road though.”

“Thank you very much,” Rabbi Stark said, relief in his voice. “That’s very helpful, Mrs.—”

“Just call me Bess,” the woman said, beaming widely. “I’m glad to help, I am. And would you believe it, you’re not even the first ones to ask me about the boys! Another car drove by not five minutes ago, a fancy red car, and the driver asked me the same thing! Scary-looking fellow he was, I don’t mind telling you that,” she chattered on.

Rabbi Stark and Mr. Shine looked at each other in horror.

“Did you— did you tell her what you told us? About the boys going to the police station?” Rabbi Stark asked, his voice shaking a little.

“Oh, yes, just like I told you, I’m always pleased to help a visitor, and goodness knows we don’t get many visitors to our little village…”

Mr. Shine didn’t wait to hear more. He simply pressed down on the gas pedal and sped away to the police station. Behind them, the little old woman called Bess shook her head and muttered something about rude city strangers.

“That man — I’ll bet he’s the one we met, the angry, dangerous-looking fellow coming out of the police station, remember?” Mr. Shine said, speaking as fast as he was driving. He swerved round a corner, blasted his horn at the one other car dawdling at an intersection, and sped toward Officer Brown’s home again. “If he’s after the boys…”

Rabbi Stark held onto the edge of his seat, whispering Tehillim.