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Should she tell them that her last conscious act had been to reach for her suicide pill? Would that help or hurt? Would she seem mad? Unstable? Unreliable?

Was that what she wanted?

Home to New York Home to my father and mother Home to see Aryeh and Jane’s baby, my niece Home to Halev Food Warmth Safety

“What happened next?”

“Well, sir, I wasn’t raped at least, but they beat me Fists and rifle butts that first tiry” She shook her head, trying to refocus “I woke up in the cell where the soldiers found me”

“You eeks in Gestapo headquarters,” Herkemeier says softly

It’s his kindness that sets Rainy’s chin to quivering Tears flood her eyes and spill down her cheeks At the sarind together and her breathing becoe to sob openly

“Yes, sir,” she es to say

“They questioned you—”

“I gave thee, e Fraser jumps in his chair, but Herkemeier never takes his soft, concerned eyes from her

“Naests

“No” Rainy stretches the word into an anirowl “They’d have known Schulters would be even worse then, but also they didn’t expect it See, they thought I told them the truth, and I didn’t, you see, I held it back, and I held it all back, I lied and lied, and it is so hard to keep the lies straight, see, Colonel, keep the fugging lies straight—that was the hard part, because you can’t sleep and you just hear the screa, and” She brings herself up short, painfully aware that she sounds crazy, that she soundsemotional

With great effort Rainy finds a version of herself, an earlier copy of Rainy Schulterman, a calmer, dispassionate, self-controlled version As if she is an actress playing a role, she steadies herself and says, “I had no useful infors to let the somewhere”

“I believe that’s enough for now, Sergeant,” Herkeently

Rainy shoots to her feet, wincing at the innumerable bruises that stiffen her body She salutes and prepares to about-face, but Herkeeant Schulterman” He stands “I will tell you that I have had and still haveyou into this But by God, Rainy, I have no such doubts about you Well done Damned well done” He returns her salute sharply, and she flees the room as sobs take hold