The Incidental Spy Read Online Free PDF Page A

the beach at 59th Street and spread a blanket over the sand. She and Max spent the afternoon building sand castles and dipping their toes in the frigid water.
    When it was time for Max’s nap, she put him down on the blanket and lay down beside him. She must have dozed off too, because the next thing Lena remembered, the sun was peeking through the trees from the west. She checked her watch; they had been asleep two hours.
    Hurriedly, she roused Max. He wanted to go back to the water. She clutched his hand and made one more trip to the edge of the lake, then settled him in the stroller for the journey back home.
    As she made her way from the beach back to 57th Street, Lena had the sense she was being followed. She whipped around but didn’t see anyone. She frowned. Max chattered away; she had to focus on him. She kept going. Once they’d crossed 57th Street to the sidewalk, the feeling intensified. She spun around again. This time she caught the shadow of a figure melting into the narrow space between two buildings. Someone
was
following them.
    But who? Hyde Park was one of the safest neighborhoods in Chicago. She began rolling Max’s stroller so quickly that Max started to fret. She tried to shush him, explaining they had slept so long they were late getting dinner. Max seemed to understand, because he stopped crying.
    The feeling faded as she passed the shops of Hyde Park, but she was still wary. She kept looking around; no one seemed interested in her. She forced herself to stop in at the butcher’s for a veal roast. Then she bought small potatoes and fresh green beans at the market two doors down. At the last moment, she added ripe tomatoes.
    Back home she locked the door, something she rarely did and turned on the radio. It was filled with war news, none of it good. She started preparing dinner, wondering who had been following her and why. She was certain it was a man; she’d seen a flash of dark pants and a striped shirt.
    When Karl got home, she told him.
    Karl frowned. “You have no idea who it was?”
    She shook her head.
    He looked like he was seriously thinking. Then he looked up. “Are you sure?”
    She shot him an irritated glance. “Of course. Do you think I would make this up?”
    “No. But I cannot believe it was intentional. Perhaps it was a hobo who wanted your money.”
    She shook her head. “He did not make a move toward my wallet.”
    “In that case, I have no idea,
liebchen
. Maybe forget it. It might have been…” Karl shrugged… “A prank? A mistake?”
    “And if it happens again?”
    “We will deal with it,” he said firmly.
    She kept her mouth shut.

Chapter 11

1941—Chicago
    D ecember 7th, a chilly Chicago Sunday, changed everything. Lena and Karl had put Max down for a nap. Lena decided to make a batch of latkes for Hanukkah, which would start in a week’s time. She was looking forward to the fact that Max might actually understand some of what the holiday was about this year.
    Karl was working from home. He was not supposed to bring home any materials from the office, but he never discussed them with Lena, and she didn’t ask. Otherwise, Lena and Max might never have seen him—he was so absorbed in his research. In July, a report from the British indicated that a nuclear weapon was a distinct possibility, and the Brits were going ahead with development.
    Their enthusiasm spurred the Americans to re-analyze their findings. In November, Compton’s committee concluded that a critical mass of between two and one hundred kilograms of uranium-235 would produce a powerful fission bomb, and that for fifty to one hundred million dollars it could be built.
    Lena, who was chopping onions and enjoying their aroma, turned on the radio. The Bears football game was on. The broadcast was interrupted around 1:30 PM with the news that the Japanese were bombing the Pacific fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Lena clapped a hand over her mouth. Karl stopped working and they remained glued to the