“All right, come on,” Mihai said, leading him toward the bridge. “What’s the occasion? What happened at the consulate? You didn’t shoot him, I hope.” Airy, but looking at Leon from the side.
“You heard?”
“Everybody’s heard. It’s Istanbul. Anything to do with your Romanian friend?”
“In a way.”
“What way?”
“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later. I see the quarantine signs are still up.”
“Bastards. A few more days we really will have typhus. Living like this-” He peered at him. “I thought you were making a trip. A little drive to the country.”
“I changed my mind.”
“Just like that?”
“I’ll tell you that later too.”
“Everything later. And the boat in Antalya?”
“Who is he?” one of the passengers asked Mihai in Romanian. “A British? He wants to stop us here?”
“American. A friend.”
The man snorted. “Whose? Ours? So when do we leave?”
“Soon.”
The man waved his hand down in disgust.
“They’re all afraid of being sent back,” Mihai said as they walked away. “We should have been there by now.”
Leon looked again across the Horn, the pincushion of minarets. “What do they think it’s going to be like? Like Poland?”
“That one lost his whole family. The pogrom in Jassy. Big open grave. He thinks it’s going to be better than that, that’s all.”
In the bridge cabin, a man was leaning over a chart spread across the table, the Sea of Marmara, the thin bottleneck of the Dardanelles, then the open water, filled here with numbers and channel markers, the orange trees somewhere in the imaginary distance.
“Ah,” he said, looking up, “the new rations. Finally. Did you have any trouble with the harbor police? Unloading? We had to pay extra for the water.”
“No,” Mihai said, shaking his head, “not the rations yet. A friend. David, our captain.”
“Oh,” David said, ignoring Leon, disappointed. “When? Mihai-”
“I know. The truck will be here. Aciman promised.” He nodded to Leon. “A social visit. We can have a few minutes?”
David hesitated, then realized he was being asked to leave, and nodded awkwardly. He moved away from the map. “You heard there was more trouble with Pilcer, the rabbi? The one suitcase allowance. He wants an exception, for the synagogue. How can he leave the menorah? You know. Like before.”
“Tell him to throw his clothes over then. One suitcase. The extra fits another child. He can get new once we get there.”
“He says it’s special to them.”
“One suitcase.”
The captain shrugged, leaving. “He says that’s what the Nazis said, for the train.”
“And he’s the one who survives. Tell him he calls me a Nazi again, I’ll personally throw him over. And the menorah.” He flicked his hand, a gesture of contempt. “The Orthodox.” He turned to Leon as the captain left. “Just what Palestine needs. More Torah scrolls. Haganah asks for young people and who do they send? Make a soldier out of that. They want to bring Europe with them. What Europe? The ovens? A bullet in the head? My father was the same. And my uncle. Every day, in shul, hours, and outside you could see what was happening. Come with me, I said, get out now. No. We’re too old to make a new life.” He paused. “So they lost the old one. My sister at least listened. Now, Haifa. She helps meet the boats. Pull people out of the water before the patrols get them. And he wants to bring menorahs.” He looked up, aware that he had been rambling. “So what’s so important? What do you want?”
“To help get you out of here.”
“Oh, Moses. You want to part Galata Bridge?”
“No,” Leon said, opening the briefcase. “Go out when they raise it this morning. Now that everyone’s feeling better.” He handed over two stacks. “Ten thousand dollars. That’s what you said, wasn’t it?”
Mihai lifted the money, as if he were weighing it, then looked at Leon. “Where did you get it?”
“Who’s going to ask? The harbormaster? The health officials? You can go tonight.”
“I’m asking.”
“Don’t.”
“Another long story?”
“It was money to help Jews. Now it will.”
“But not the same ones.”
“Use it,” Leon said, looking directly at him. “No one knows. Leave tonight. Before they ask for more.”
“An overnight recovery. From typhus.”
“Insist. You can’t stay here much longer. How long would it take? To pay them off.”
“Not long.”
“When do they raise the bridge?”
“Three thirty, something like that.”
“Not sooner?” Leon said, thinking.
Mihai peered at him. “What do you want?”
“Nothing,” Leon said.
“Ten thousand dollars for nothing.”
“They were going to buy Jews out with it,” Leon said. “So buy them out now. No strings.” He reached for another stack.
“And that?”
“Two places. On the boat. Five thousand dollars. However you want to use it.”
“There are no places on the boat.”
“Standing room.”
“So,” Mihai said. “Money to help the Jews.” He lifted a stack. “And money to help a killer of Jews?” Raising his eyebrow toward the other stack. “That’s who it is? Two places? Who’s the other one?”
“Me.”
“You,” Mihai said slowly. “You want to take the butcher to Palestine. On this boat.”
“Just hitch a ride. For part of the way.”
“And you think I would do this?” He held out the money. “There are no places.”
Leon shook his head. “The money’s yours. It’s not a condition.”
“No, an obligation. What made you think I would take this?”
“I thought you’d want to get them out of here.”
“Not for this price.”
“Hear me out. One minute. You leave tonight. There might be an inspection, so we won’t leave with you. He’s traveling as a Turk. All the boats come out of the Horn at once, it’s busy. When you’re out of the city, past the Princes’ Islands, you pick us up. I have a boat arranged. The other passengers don’t have to know who. Two more. We’ll stand if we have to. Near Cyprus, the boat from Antalya picks us up. We’re gone. As far as you’re concerned we were never here.” He stopped. “It’s the last place they would ever look.”
“For him? Yes,” Mihai said. “And you were never here. Is that how you arrange things for your conscience these days? Pretend they never happen?” He put the money on the table, then looked up at Leon. “Why are you doing this?” he said, his voice softer. “Do you know anymore? For your country? The one you don’t live in?”
“Why do you?” Leon said, nodding to the boat.
“A house is burning, someone jumps out. What do you do? Keep walking? Not try to help?”
“Then help them.”
Mihai looked down at the money. “The devil bargains this way.”
