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Gulder straightened up, his face frozen in shock. “You sold heavy water to the Persians?”

“Yes, we did.”

“Are you insane?”

“We are angry, not mad. Nor crazy, you stupid bureaucrat. The quicker the Persians get the bomb, the sooner Israel will have to strike them first. A preemptive strike, it is called. We are more like the Kanna’im than you people ever imagined, Mr. Gulder. They were the ones who started the rebellion in A.D. 67, remember?”

“And brought the destruction of Israel down on their heads when they did,” Ellerstein pointed out.

“If that’s what it takes, that’s what it takes,” Skuratov said. “If you strike Iran, you will have to strike all the Arabs. Then and only then will we have a final solution.”

Ellerstein shook his head in wonder. “He is mad, Gulder. Stark, raving mad. No word of this calamity can leave this mountain.”

“Oh, yes, that is absolutely correct, Yossi,” Gulder said softly. He looked over at Judith Ressner and the American. Ellerstein suddenly knew what that look might mean. Then Judith stepped in and slapped Skuratov in the face.

“What about Dov?” she asked in a cold voice. In his excitement over discovering what had been going on here, Ellerstein had forgotten all about Dov Ressner. Judith had not.

“Your husband was a traitor,” Skuratov said, rubbing his face where she’d slapped him. “He found out about the plant. We don’t know how. We assumed he’d come here to expose the heavy water process. My people caught him in the big cistern. I gave the order to seal him in it, and I’m glad I did.”

“You absolute swine,” Judith said. “Then you came to my house, you, with your crocodile tears.”

“Swine, is it?” Skuratov growled, finally standing up. “These were vital secrets. Vital to the survival of all Israel. Your peacenik husband, madam, who promised to safeguard these vital secrets, was ready to sell it out for his precious ideals. Well, let me remind you of something, Dr. Yehudit Ressner. You are standing on the fortress of Metsadá. Those Jews, two thousand years ago? They also had ideals, but they chose death to protect their ideals, didn’t they? Your weakling husband ended up in good company here, yes?”

“You trapped him like an animal, and then you drowned him in your precious heavy water,” she said. Shapiro saw that her fingers were opening and closing and that she appeared to be ready to physically attack Skuratov. He moved even closer to her, ready to restrain her.

“Yes, I did those things,” Skuratov announced, pointing a finger at his own chest, “and I would do them again. Someone must, because there are very few patriots anymore in this country.” He shot a defiant look at Gulder, which was when Judith made her move. First she screamed, a long ear-piercing shriek that froze everyone. Colonel Shapiro moved to grab her, but she was way ahead of him. As he raised his arms, she snatched his pistol out of his hip holster and then pushed him away so suddenly that he tripped backward and sat down abruptly. Judith swept the gun in Gulder’s direction, then in Ellerstein’s, motioning them to get back.

“Jesus, Judith, what are you doing?” David asked, reaching out a hand.

“This bastard killed my husband,” she said in English. “He’s been making this heavy water business down here for a long time and now admits to selling some. To the goddamned Iranians.”

“What?”

“Don’t involve yourself in this, David,” Judith said. She turned to Skuratov and put the gun right in his face.

“All right, then, Zealot,” she said, mimicking Ellerstein. “You have committed at least one murder to protect your insane scheme, not including what you did to us. We were looking for the Zealots’ secret, the real Zealots’, not yours. Now I’ll give you a choice: You admire the Kanna’im? Here’s your chance. Do what they did, or I’ll do it for you.”

Skuratov just stared at her. David didn’t know what to do. He looked up to the terrace above them, but the men were not there. Shapiro, back on his feet, was also looking but remained in place. He’d told his troops to back out.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” Judith said, putting the gun barrel up to Skuratov’s right eye. He blinked and took an involuntary step backward.

“Yehudit,” Ellerstein began softly, but she waved him silent. Gulder just watched with his arms folded.

“No, Yossi. This is justice here. He drowned my husband like a rat, all for the sake of his heavy water. Well, here we are, Zealot. In Herod’s palace on the mountain of Metsadá. You wish to protect the secret of your own treason and murder? Do what the Kanna’im did, and your secret is safe.”

She jabbed Skuratov in the eye with the gun. He yelped and took another step backward, toward the wall. His right eye puffed close.

“Come on, Colonel Murderer. Whatever you were doing here, it is finished. You think Dov was in good company? Time to find out. Your life for Dov’s. Hammurabi rules now, yes? Eye for an eye?”

Skuratov, never taking his one good eye off hers, slowly raised his right hand. He pushed the gun barrel out of his face with the back of his hand. Then, without another word, he turned and stepped up onto the parapet. Ellerstein yelled something in Hebrew, but in the same instant, Skuratov was gone. Judith lowered the gun and then tossed it back to Colonel Shapiro, who fumbled it and then dropped it. He bent to retrieve it, got up, and went to look over the parapet as Judith turned away.

Judith did not see Israel Gulder boot the colonel over the parapet, but they all heard him scream.

* * *

David resisted an urge to go to the edge and look over. He went instead to Judith and put his hands on her shoulders. She was trembling, but her face was set in a rigid mask as she willed back tears. The sun burst over the Jordanian hills across the Dead Sea, projecting bands of bright yellow light onto the ancient stones of the fortress. Up above, on the top terrace, the sergeant and Gulder’s two bodyguards reappeared. Gulder noticed them and went up the steps. He said something to Ellerstein in Hebrew. They both looked at David. Ellerstein came over to him while Judith sat down with her arms wrapped around her chest.

“You have heard some sensitive things here this morning, Mr. Hall,” he said. “How good is your memory?”

“Not worth a damn, Professor,” David said, not missing a beat.

“Is that a promise, Mr. Hall?”

“Absolutely. My main concern is for what’s in that cave — and for her.”

Ellerstein glanced down at Judith. “Do you truly understand, Mr. Hall?” he asked. “Promises made in this place are binding, yes?”

“I understand,” David said.

Ellerstein nodded slowly. “I will try my best for you, then,” he said.

Gulder was coming back down the steps with his bodyguards. Ellerstein intercepted him, and they stepped aside to talk in Hebrew. David sat down beside Judith and put his arm around her shoulder. She sagged into him.

“What is it about this place?” he asked quietly. “Everything is about blood and dying.”

“Not the wine bowl,” she said.

Yes it was, David thought to himself, especially if it’s what I think it is. What had Ellerstein meant by trying his best?

Then there were soldiers standing around them. Israel Gulder came over, closely escorted by his bodyguards.

“Mr. Hall,” he said in English, “will you kindly go with these people?”

“Where?” David asked.

Gulder did not reply but only signaled with his chin that David should get up and go with them. Judith didn’t appear to understand what was happening.