Читать книгу The Spy - Suzanne Kamata - Страница 5

Chapter Two

If anyone is going to bring classified information to General Patton, it should be me! Pearl thought.

“Please, Mr. Donovan,” she said. She stood up from behind her desk. “Let me handle this mission.”

Her boss glanced over at Molly, who was tall and sturdy. She looked like an athlete. She looked like someone who could dodge bullets or leap over a wall.

“I may look delicate,” Pearl said. She was suddenly conscious of her Southern accent. It made her sound like a belle. “But I assure you that I am as tough as nails. And I have many skills.”

“Yes, I know that you can speak French,” he said, “but if you got into trouble, there would be no one to help you. If the Germans knew you held this information, they would probably kill you.”

If something bad happened to her, Mr. Donovan would have to explain it to her rich and powerful father. He was probably worried more about that than the risk involved in the mission.

“Well, actually, I can do other things as well. I’m good at . . . hypnosis.”

Mr. Donovan perked up. “Could you show me?”

“Sure.” She reached into her desk. She took out a pocket watch on a chain. “Molly, would you come here for a moment?”

Molly looked up from the form she was filling out. She crossed the room and sat in a chair in front of Pearl.

“I want to show Mr. Donovan a little party trick.”

“OK.” Molly sat up straight. She smoothed her hair with one hand.

Pearl dangled the pocket watch in front of her. “Keep your eyes on this watch,” she said. “Listen to the sound of my voice.”

Pearl made the watch sway back and forth. “You are getting sleepier and sleepier.”

Mr. Donovan stood off to the side with his arms crossed.

Pearl planted a code word in Molly’s head. “When I say ‘rabbits,’ you will wake up. You won’t remember anything that happened while you were hypnotized.”

Molly’s eyes were now closed.

“Molly, on the count of three, I want you to get down on the floor.”

Molly nodded.

“One . . . two . . . three,” Pearl counted.

Molly got down on all fours.

“Now bark like a dog,” Pearl said.

“Woof, woof, woof!” Molly barked.

“Stop,” Pearl ordered. “Now, I want you to take these secret reports that are so important to the Allies and tear them to shreds.” She handed Molly some documents.

Molly stood up and began to rip the paper.

Mr. Donovan looked alarmed.

“Don’t worry,” Pearl whispered to him. “I didn’t give her anything important.”

“Now,” she said in steady voice, “tell me what you had for dinner on July fifteenth.”

Molly let the last shred of paper flutter to the floor. She folded her hands in front of her. She had a look of deep concentration on her face. “I had a pork chop and some potatoes.”

Pearl glanced at Mr. Donovan. He nodded slightly.

“OK, now you are going to wake up. You won’t remember anything that you have done since you left your desk. Rabbits!”

Molly began to blink rapidly. She looked at her hands. She looked at the ripped paper on the floor and at Pearl and Mr. Donovan. “Wh-what happened? What’s all this torn paper?”

“Go back to your desk, Molly,” Mr. Donovan said. Then he turned to Pearl. “You have a unique ability. I’m impressed. And I have decided to let you go on this mission. You will take the microfilm to General Patton. The rest is up to you.”