Summary

In Chapter 20, Landsman is off duty, but he meets with an old informant on the street. The informant says that the brother of the victim in an unsolved murder case has been sneaking around the neighborhood. In Chapter 21, Landsman goes to the place where the brother was last seen and when he crosses paths with the brother, the brother shoots at Landsman. Landsman takes out his own gun and kills the man in self-defense. In Chapter 22, Landsman is at the house of the Shemets family. He tells Berko that he has been suspended from the police department pending an investigation of his gunfight with the assailant. Landsman then sees a newspaper article about the deceased Mendel Shpilman. The newspaper article discusses the fact that Mendel was rumored to be the Jewish messiah.

In Chapter 23, Landsman goes back to Verbov Island to continue his...