Chapter 1
World War II Germany…
“Surrender now!” a German voice shouted. He was outside. His jeep’s engine was loud, but he was louder. “Come out or we will open fire!”
Lily did not look out of the broken window. She was inside an old building. It was surrounded by Nazi soldiers. If she did not surrender, they would shoot. They would keep shooting until the building fell down!
“Okay!” she yelled. She was hiding in the corner of a dark room. Her brown bag was next to her. Inside the bag was a secret, and her job was to keep it safe. “I am coming out! I will come out from the front door!”
She waited and listened.
“Put your hands up! Put them in the air or we will shoot you,” the soldier said. “If you are holding anything, we will shoot you!”
They really want to shoot me, Lily thought, checking her gun. I want to shoot a few of them too. They killed my partner…
There was no time to think about the past. Lily did not have time for emotions now.
She was a professional. She had a job to do.
Surrendering was not a part of her plan.
She tied her red hair in a ponytail. Crawling on her hands and knees, she moved across the room. She moved down the hallway. She went toward the back door.
“Come out! You have five seconds!”
If I come out, you will kill me, she thought. Suddenly, she turned left, away from the back door. There was a small wooden door in front of her. It went to a basement.
She opened it and ran down the stairs. They know about this basement, but they don’t know it goes to a tunnel!
Above her, she heard the sound of powerful gunfire…machine guns shooting the building. They would tear the building apart.
Lily knew the soldiers were told not to kill her, but they were trying to kill her. They knew she was dangerous.
Someone told them who I am. I had a secret identity, but that is gone now.
Now every Nazi in Germany wants me dead…except the ones in charge. The bosses want me alive. They want to ask me questions…
The basement smelled bad. It was not very bright; it only had one old light bulb. In front of her was an old carpet. The carpet hung from the ceiling. Lily pulled it down. Behind the carpet was a large hole.
The tunnel!
She was going to escape through the tunnel…but what was on the other side? She did not know. Perhaps someone was waiting for her?
The gunfire stopped. The sound of the jeep engine also stopped. The leader of the soldiers was shouting. He was speaking German. Lily knew German, and she understood what he was saying.
“Go inside! Don’t come out until you find her! Look in the basement too!”
I have to go, Lily decided. She took out the light bulb. The basement and the tunnel were completely black. She didn’t care. Lily Z. Bernhart was America’s greatest female spy. She had finished thirty-eight missions. She always succeeded in her missions.
And, she was not afraid of the dark.
*
Three hours later…
Lily sat in a cafe in Berlin. She was smoking a cigarette. She watched a thin waiter walk by her. He was ignoring her. Why was he ignoring her? She had red hair and her face looked like a foreigner’s face.
Maybe he did not like foreigners.
“Excuse me!” she said in German. “Do you see me?”
On most days, Lily did not bring attention to herself. She was a professional spy. Lily did not walk around in fancy clothes. She did not drive fast cars.
She was very healthy, but she did not look like a model.
Sometimes, people asked her name. She never said, “Bernhart. Lily Bernhart.”
The government had given her a dozen fake names. There was no reason to use her real name.
Normally, she acted shy. But, she wanted service. She was thirsty and needed a drink.
“Excuse me!” she repeated.
“Yes? Can I help you?” the waiter asked. There were not many customers. The café was not busy.
“Bring me a coffee and an apple pastry.”
He turned and went behind the counter. He poured the coffee. He put the pastry on a plate. Then, she watched him walk to the kitchen.
Why is he going to the kitchen? Everything I want is there, at the counter!
She knew why he had left. He went to use a telephone. He was going to call the soldiers. He was going to say--the lady with red hair is here!
Lily stopped her thoughts. I’m being silly, she said to herself.
Then, she saw him. He was looking at her from the kitchen window.
His nose looks broken, she thought.
The thin waiter brought her coffee and a pastry. He put them on the table.
She noticed he was sweating.
The weather was cold. Why was he sweating? Was he nervous? He wiped the sweat with his shirt sleeve.
“Anything else?”
“No,” she said, drinking her coffee. The coffee was cold.
“Are you a tourist? Your German is very good,” he said. He tried to smile, but his smile did not look real.
She shook her head and she looked at his broken nose.
“I live here. I’ve lived here many years.”
He was looking at her bag. Something is not right, she thought. First, he ignored me. Now, he is paying too much attention to me.
“Please let me know if you need anything else, Miss…?”
“Bolan. Nellie Bolan.”
The waiter left.
I am getting paranoid, she thought. She lit a cigarette.
Smoking was a bad habit, but her job was dangerous. There were many things to worry about. Smoking was bad, but some things were worse like other spies, and Nazi soldiers, and people who helped the Nazis...
Lily was almost done eating her pastry. She heard a familiar sound – the sound of a jeep engine.
The soldiers were here!
She stood up fast. The waiter was in front of the kitchen door. Lily took her brown bag and her fork. She pushed the table away. She ran toward the waiter. She was holding the fork in front of her.
The thin waiter jumped out of her way. Lily ran through the kitchen. She escaped from the back door of the café.
She ran into the night, but she knew the soldiers would follow her.
Summary
Lily is hiding in a house. She is hiding from German soldiers. The soldiers are Nazis. She escapes from the house by using a tunnel. Later, she goes to a café. The waiter ignores her, but then he gives her a lot of attention. Too much attention. Lily thinks he called the soldiers. She is right! The Nazis arrive and she escapes again.
Multiple-choice questions
Select one answer for each question
1. When Lily is hiding in the house, what does she have?
a. A bag and a phone
b. A coat and a gun
c. A bag and a gun
d. A pastry and a coffee
2. How does she escape the house?
a. She surrenders
b. She uses the back door
c. She uses a tunnel
d. A waiter helps her
3. Lily is a spy. She likes:
a. fast cars
b. fancy clothes
c. German music
d. smoking cigarettes
4. At the restaurant, the waiter goes to the kitchen to:
a. get the coffee
b. make a phone call
c. make the pastry
d. wash his hands
5. Lily hears something outside. It scares her. What does she hear?
a. A jeep engine
b. A soldier shouting
c. Guns shooting
d. Someone calling her name
1. c
2. c
3. d
4. b
5. a
“Why did you come here?” the small old man asked. He was not happy; he did not like late night visitors. And, he did not like Nazis. “Are you being followed?”
Lily held up her brown bag. “I need a place to hide.”
“Are the Nazis following you?” he asked again.
“No,” she lied.
He pointed to the bag. “What is in the bag?”
“Let me in and I will tell you.”
“No.” The small man closed the door. Lily knocked again, quietly. She did not want neighbours to hear.
“Go away!” the man said. He was behind the door. “Go! Take your secrets away!”
Lily looked behind her. The soldiers were out there. They were looking for her. She needed to hide--fast! She had to get off the street.
“David! David, if you do not let me in, they will catch me,” she said. She pushed her face against the door. “If they catch me, they will ask questions. They will ask who helped me.”
“I am not helping you!”
“But, I will tell them you did.”
She did not like to scare people, but her mission was important. She could not let the Nazis catch her. She could not let them get her bag…
The door opened. The small man was holding a gun. “I could kill you,” he said. “Get inside. Now!”
*
“I need to use your restroom,” she said.
“Too bad.” David pointed the gun at her head. “Give me the bag.”
“I came here to hide. I did not come here to give away my secrets.”
“If I shoot you, I will take the bag,” he said.
“You will not shoot. You will help me. I need to go to the American Embassy.”
“Sit down.”
Lily sat down at the small wood table. He sat by her. He smelled very bad. Perhaps he did not have water in his home.
He was still holding the gun. Outside, they heard a jeep. No, many jeeps!
“They are coming…” she said. “You have to trust me.”
“Why should I? You will tell them I helped you!”
She took out her cigarettes. She offered one to him. He reached for it.
Lily grabbed his gun. She was fast.
She grabbed his wrist with her other hand. He dropped the gun on the table.
“I’ll take this,” she said, picking up his gun. She looked at it. It was very old. “Does this gun work?”
“No,” he said.
She opened her bag and dropped his gun inside. David did not move. He sat and watched her. “I could run outside,” he said. “I could say you broke into my home.”
“You could try,” Lily said. She took out her gun. “But, you would fail. My gun works fine.”
“If you shoot, the soldiers would hear--”
“Enough!” she yelled. She hit the table with her hand. “You will help me. Now! Where is your telephone?”
“I do not have a phone.”
Lily stood up. She did not believe him. She looked around the small one-bedroom home. “You are lying.”
“Am I? Do you see a phone?”
She went into the bedroom. There was a phone by the bed. “Yes, I see one. Get up! I will tell you the number to call.”
*
A few minutes later, Lily hung up the phone.
“My friends are coming. Someone will be here soon. I will leave you alone.”
“Are you crazy?” David asked. His eyes were big. He was scared. “Why did you give them my address? The soldiers will see the foreigners coming to my house. You put my life in danger.”
“David, this is a war. We are all in danger.”
“But, I am not a fighter!” he said. “I am an old man!”
She brushed her red hair off her face. She was tired. “David, do you remember when we met?”
He nodded. “You helped my niece. A soldier was bothering her.”
“I was almost arrested, but I helped her,” Lily said. She put her gun away. “I brought her here. Remember? I brought her to your home. She was safe.”
“Yes. The police came here too. They followed you to my home.”
“What did they do?” She walked to the living room, and David followed her.
“They asked questions. They asked me about you.”
“What did you say?”
“I said I did not know you. That was the truth,” he said.
“And, what did they say?”
He paused. There were tears in his eyes. He was very scared and sad. “They said you are a spy. They wanted me to call them…if you returned.”
Lily looked at him closely. He saw she had beautiful green eyes.
“Will you call them?” she asked. She looked sad too.
“Help an American spy…or help the Nazis,” he said. “I don’t want to help any of you! Please leave me alone!”
Lily heard a motorcycle outside.
That must be my ride, she thought. Good. I am ready to leave.
She opened the door and looked out. The motorcycle driver waved to her.
“My ride is here,” she said. Lily put her gun inside the bag. She kept his broken gun too.
She took out some money and threw it on the floor. “I am like you, David. I do not want to live in a world of spies and Nazis. If we beat the Nazis, perhaps we will not need spies.”
Lily ran outside. She got on the motorcycle. They drove away quickly.
She looked over her shoulder. She knew she had not said the truth.
The world would always have spies…
Summary
Lily goes to an old man’s house. His name is David. She wants to hide, but he does not want to help her. He is afraid. He thinks the Nazis will see her. David points a gun at her, but she takes it away. Lily uses his telephone to call for help. She tells him to remember that she helped his niece once in the past. Her ride comes and she leaves.
Multiple-choice questions
Select one answer for each question
6. David is afraid to help Lily because:
a. the Nazis know she is there
b. the Nazis may have seen her go there
c. he thinks she is a Nazi
d. he is afraid she will rob him
7. Lily says she needs to use the restroom, and David:
a. does not let her
b. shows her where to go
c. says he does not have water in his home
d. asks her to wait
8. Lily offers David a cigarette because:
a. she wants to be friends
b. he does not have any money to buy cigarettes
c. she does not want to smoke by herself
d. none of the above
9. Lily and David know each other because:
a. they went to school together
b. Lily helped David’s niece
c. David helped Lily’s niece
d. David is helping the American government
10. After Lily makes her phone call, why is David mad?
a. Because the call was expensive
b. Because she gave his name and birthdate
c. Because she said he was helping her
d. Because she gave his address
6. b
7. a
8. d
9. b
10. d
“You failed your mission,” the agent said. He did not tell Lily his name.
They were sitting in a small office. The office was inside an empty warehouse.
The agent with no name was wearing a large blue coat and a white shirt. He fixed his red necktie. He was sick and he coughed a lot. “Perhaps we should give you to the Germans.”
“I did my job. I got what I was told to get,” Lily argued. “I got the folder.”
She pointed at the folder. The folder had been in her bag. Now it was on the desk in front of her. She was going to speak again, but the agent raised his hand. He stopped her from talking.
“Yes,” he said, frowning. “You got it. Good job.”
“So, why are you angry?”
“Because,” he said, "inside the folder was information. Very important information.”
“Was the information there?”
“Half of it was. Only half.”
Lily’s face turned pale. “What? You are saying half is missing?”
“That’s right. Where is the other half?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. I robbed the office you told me to. I took the folder...”
“Did you open this folder?”
“Of course not,” she said. “That is not my job.”
“But, you know what is inside of it?”
Lily shook off her shoes. They were uncomfortable and her feet hurt. She took out a cigarette.
The agent with no name took the cigarette away.
“I asked you a question, Miss Livesay--”
“Are you an idiot? Yes, I know what is inside the folder!” She took out another cigarette and lit it. “I was told to find that folder. There it is. And inside--”
“Inside is a list of names. Americans who are working for the Nazis.”
“Then my job is done,” Lily said.
“Our man told us the list was bigger. He said there were three hundred names.” The agent in the blue coat opened the folder. He took out some papers. “I counted. There are only one hundred and forty-nine names.”
He’s lying, she thought. There were one hundred and fifty names on the list.
“What do you want?” she asked. “I was chased by Nazis! I was almost shot for that list!”
The agent coughed. He walked backward. He did not like the smoke. “You have a dangerous job. You have been successful…in the past. But, I will report this failure. I must tell your boss. He can decide what to do.”
My boss is a woman, Lily thought. He’s lying again!
She looked around the office. “Where is my boss?”
“He will come here later. You must wait here.”
“You said my mission is not finished. Half of the list is missing,” she said. “I will go out again.”
“No. You cannot leave. They know who you are,” he said, opening a window. He put his head outside for a moment.
“Are you looking for something?” she asked.
He closed the window. “I wanted some fresh air.”
He waited for her to finish smoking. “They know who you are,” he repeated. “So you cannot go back out.”
“I have a question for you,” she said. “The list of names. Those are American government workers?”
The agent with no name sneezed. He took out a tissue. He wiped his nose. “Yes.”
“Those people are working for the Nazis?”
“Correct.” He put the papers back in the folder.
“We will find the people on the list.” She leaned forward on the desk. She touched the folder, but he took it away.
“Yes, we will find them all.”
“What will happen to them?”
“You know what will happen,” he said. “They will be investigated. If they are really spying for the Germans, we will learn. We know what to do with people who turn against America.”
“Kill them?” Lily asked. Slowly, she moved her bag. She moved it closer to her.
“Yes. If they are Americans working for the Nazis…they must die.”
I agree, she decided. Lily had not told the agent everything.
She had opened the folder.
She knew where the other information was…because she had it. She had the other half of the list.
But, Lily was always paranoid. She never trusted anyone. That is why she had not told him yet.
When the agent looked away, Lily took a gun out of her bag. He turned to her. She pointed the gun at his stomach.
“What do you think you are doing?” he asked.
“Do you know how to count?” she asked him. “Can you count to one hundred and fifty?”
He closed his eyes. “You are making a big mistake,” he said.
“You saw your own name on the list. Didn’t you?”
“Miss Livesay, put that gun down. I work for your boss.”
“What’s his name?” Lily asked.
“It does not matter,” he said. “You don’t know his real name anyway.”
“My boss is a woman,” she said, smiling. “And, you don’t know my real name either.”
The agent opened his eyes. Lily thought he looked afraid, but she was not sure…
“Here,” she said. She put the gun on the desk. “I trust you. You can have my gun.”
He looked at her face, then at the gun. Quickly, he reached out. He picked up the gun from the table. Outside, they could hear jeeps coming…
“Where did you get this old gun?” he asked, laughing. Then, he pointed it at her. “I thought you would use a better gun. Well, it does not matter. You were right. Yes, my name was on the list, but you will never tell anyone.”
He pulled the trigger, but the gun did not fire.
She took out her own gun. “You are right too,” she said. “I do use a better gun.”
Lily shot the agent three times. He fell down on the ground. She took the folder and put it back into her bag, then she ran outside. The motorcycle driver was there. He was watching the jeeps.
“Look, the Nazis are coming!” he yelled. “Did you finish your business?”
“Yes,” she said. “My mission is over. Let’s get out of here!”
Summary
Lily meets a government agent. She does not know his name. He is unhappy because she did not finish her mission. She found a folder with names in it, but he says half of the names are missing. The names are people who are spying for the Nazis. Lily learns that the agent is lying to her. He is also working for the Nazis. She shoots him and escapes…again!
Multiple-choice questions
Select one answer for each question
11. The agent with no name is angry because:
a. Lily did not bring all the names he wanted
b. Lily hid at David’s house
c. Lily did not like him
d. Lily took her shoes off
12. The agent with no name was coughing because:
a. the office was dirty
b. he was sick
c. he was allergic to smoke
d. none of the above
13. The folder had a list of names. The list was:
a. missing fifty names
b. missing half of the names
c. missing only one name
d. not missing anything
14. Lily put a gun on the table because:
a. she trusted the agent
b. she knew it was broken
c. she knew she would be faster to shot than the agent
d. she had taken the bullets out of it first
15. Why did Lily shoot the agent?
a. Because he was about to kill her
b. It was an accident
c. Because she was afraid of him
d. Because he was a spy for the Nazis
11. a
12. b
13. b
14. b
15. d