Lily had been the popular girl at school, the one all the boys courted: the first one to show female curves, and the only one to have the audacity to smoke in public.
“That must be so hard for you.” Lily pouted her carefully painted lips. “Would you like to join me in going out to dinner this week?”
Sabine raised a brow. After knowing Lily for almost twenty years, this was the first time she’d ever invited her out. “Uhm, well…Werner’s schedule is all over the place and I have to work…”
“You said he’s working night shifts, so what would stop two lonely women from keeping each other company? How about tomorrow night?”
Sabine almost fell backwards. Lily had never been lonely in her life. Even in middle school Sabine had lost count of the many admirers in Lily’s life, and that number hadn’t changed since. Sabine didn’t want to assume anything improper, since Lily never invited any of the men inside, but she sure knew how to turn heads.
For lack of a valid reason to deny the request, Sabine said, “Thank you. I’d love to meet up and chat about old times.”
“Good, I’ll ring at seven p.m. My treat.” Lily said with a broad smile and waved a gloved hand, before she stepped back inside her house, and shut the door.
Sabine looked after her for a long moment, muttering beneath her breath, “Strange. That was just strange.”
Shaking off her concern, she walked to the bus stop and waited for the line taking her to work. In the evening, she arrived home just as Werner pulled on his uniform for the upcoming night shift.
Lily and her invitation had been uppermost in Sabine’s mind most of the day. Now that she thought about it, her neighbor seemed to be untouched by the hardships of war everyone else had to cope with. Today, she’d worn a flashy red woolen coat that must have cost a year’s supply of ration cards. And in contrast to Sabine’s own shabby coat, it didn’t hang loose on her curvy frame.
Sabine had lost at least ten pounds over the years and sometimes Werner joked that her protruding ribs would give him bruises. What wouldn’t she give for a dozen pounds more on her scrawny bones? But then, nobody in Berlin had fat on their hips anymore.
“Darling, I’m home.” She walked over to wrap her arms around Werner and stood on her tiptoes to receive his kiss.
“I wish I could stay,” he said. “But on the weekend, I’ll be off duty and I thought we could go to the Wannsee lake. See whether it’s still frozen? Take a walk across the ice?”
“That would be nice.” Sabine grabbed his neck to press another kiss on his lips. There were so few fun things to do these days, a trip to the lake – even in wintertime – seemed like paradise. Then she remembered the dinner invitation and said, “Lily invited me to join her for dinner tomorrow.”
Werner looked up, confusion on his face. “Lily Kerber? Our neighbor?”
“Yes, her. She asked me this morning and even offered to pay. I don’t quite know what to make of her invitation.”
“Maybe she’s just trying to be your friend?” he said, moving out of Sabine’s embrace to finish dressing.
“After ignoring me for twenty years? I don’t know.” Sabine paused, unsure whether she should voice her suspicions. She usually didn’t spread gossip, but if she were to have dinner with Lily, Werner needed to know. It wouldn’t be appropriate if the wife of a fireman were seen with a woman of dubious reputation. “Have you noticed that she doesn’t seem to be…hard-pressed… like everyone else?”
“In what way?” Werner put the cap on his short brown hair, and the breath caught in her breast at his dashing looks.
“Well, she’s always wearing new clothes. Things the rest of us stopped even dreaming about long ago. And eating out and offering to pay for me as well…that just seems odd.”
Werner gave a rueful laugh. “You worry too much, Schätzchen. Lily probably has fetched herself a lover high up. An influential Party member would be able to afford giving her all those clothes you seem to yearn for…although I do like you a lot without clothes.”
Sabine’s face heated up to the roots of her hair. “That’s not very moral…”
“I can’t find anything immoral about enjoying my wife,” Werner teased her, and she felt the heated blush intensifying. It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy her marital obligations, but why did he have to speak about it?
“I didn’t mean us…I meant Lily, if that’s even what she’s doing…” Sabine covered her mouth with her hand, averting her eyes from her husband.
“Times have changed. Those things happen.” Werner laughed at her. “People don’t necessarily marry anymore to share a bed, you know?”
“I know that,” Sabine said, giving him another hug and lingering long enough to let herself be reminded how safe she always felt in his arms. He was her protector, the strong man who always looked out for her. And if they hadn’t been so unfortunate as to lose two babies, she’d be happily at home tending to her small family instead of having to work in that awful factory producing weapons.
“Well, then. Enjoy a lovely dinner with Lily and don’t worry so much. How the money came her way is none of your concern.” He pressed a kiss on her lips, before he walked out the door. “I’ll see you in the morning, Schätzchen.”
Sabine busied herself doing the chores around the house. Cleaning, dusting, washing. And preparing a meal for Werner when he came home in the morning after a long night shift.
Then she retreated to bed, trying not to worry about the unusual invitation her neighbor had extended. Probably Lily was simply as lonely as Sabine was and needed some company.
Chapter 4
The next day Lily knocked on the door as soon as Sabine returned from work.
“I just came home,” she said and invited her neighbor inside. As always Lily looked the part of a frivolous actress with her red coat and a fashionable hat in the same color, but it was when she took it off to hang it on the coat rack that Sabine’s breath hitched. Lily wore a shimmering silk dress in beige and copper tones that matched the copper color of her hair. The dress was molded to her body, exposing perfectly rounded breasts and hips – a luxury not many women possessed after years of rationing.
“You look beautiful,” Sabine complimented her neighbor and added, “Make yourself at home, while I get changed.”
“Take your time,” Lily said, inspecting Sabine’s home. All the houses on the street featured the same shape: a kitchen and a small sitting room on the ground floor and two tiny bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs. But the pride of the owners were the modern water toilets just beside the main entrance, which meant they didn’t have to trudge to the outhouse anymore or use a chamber pot at night.
Sabine disappeared upstairs and dressed in her nicest outfit, a dark blue two-piece suit with a material-saving pencil skirt, even knowing she could never compete with Lily. A silk dress!
When she returned downstairs, Lily was looking at the photographs from Werner and Sabine’s wedding and asked, “Werner is a very handsome man. How’s he doing?”
“He loves being a fireman, but…” Sabine caught herself just in time before she said anything compromising. It was no one’s business that Werner disliked the way the SS interfered with his work. “…the weeks with the night shifts are hard.”
“I can only imagine! Although I admire him for becoming a fireman. We need strong and dedicated men to protect us.” Lily put the framed photograph back on the chest of drawers.
Sabine looked at the picture of herself and Werner on their wedding day and as always, the butterflies started up in her stomach.
“You do love him, don’t you?” Lily asked with a soft voice.
Surprised at her neighbor’s sudden perception, Sabine said, “Yes. He’s the best thing that ever happened to me. I couldn’t imagine having to live without him.”
“The two of you are a great pair. Shall we go?”
“Sure.” Sabine followed Lily to the nearest bus stop. “Where are we going?”
“It’s a surp
rise, but I’m sure you’ll love it.” Lily giggled.
For lack of anything better to say, Sabine engaged Lily in the safest topic of them all: the weather. As a child it had always struck her as peculiar how adults could literally talk for half an hour about the current, future or past weather. And now she resorted to the same tactic when she didn’t know what else to say and couldn’t let the conversation descend into uncomfortable silence.
The bus arrived and, despite its being crowded with passengers, it took Lily only one of her dashing smiles to make an elderly man offer her his place. Sabine secretly rolled her eyes. Nobody ever did this for her. What was it about her neighbor that all the men seemed to dance to her tune?
“We have to get off at the next stop,” Lily said.
Once off the bus, Sabine looked around the affluent neighborhood. “Where are we?”
“Charlottenburg, home of one of the best restaurants in Berlin.” Lily tugged at her gloves and interlaced arms with Sabine.
Lily’s bizarre behavior hit Sabine in the middle of her chest with a stab of discomfort. In twenty years of knowing each other, Lily had never graced Sabine with any kind of interest. She lifted her face up into the dark sky, trying to get past the queasy feeling in her stomach.
“You’re still working at the gun factory?” Lily asked as they turned around the corner.
“Yes. It’s been very busy recently.” Sabine sighed, not wishing to go into detail about her tedious work.
“It doesn’t sound like you enjoy the work,” Lily said.
“It’s important for the war effort, so I don’t complain, but I could think of more pleasant things to do with my time.”
Lily stopped in her tracks and stared at Sabine, breaking out into laughter. “Who wouldn’t? I couldn’t imagine slaving away day in day out in a factory like you do.”
Sabine’s eyes widened.
“There are definitely easier ways to help the war effort. I see we are on the same page,” Lily said, taking up her pace again. “We’re almost there.”
Several minutes later, they reached their destination. The liveried employee at the entrance greeted them, “Welcome, ladies, do you have a reservation?”
“A table for two. Kerber is the name,” Lily answered gracefully and cast a charming smile at the poor employee, who didn’t know what hit him. Blissfully ignoring Sabine, he almost fell over backwards to lead Lily inside and help her out of her fancy coat.
Sabine studied the menu in disbelief. Things she’d long forgotten that existed graced the menu. Lamb. Salmon. Oranges. Real coffee. Her mouth watered just looking at the words.
After they ordered their meals, Lily retrieved an elegant, black cigarette holder from her purse and moments later the waiter dashed to their table to light the cigarette for her. Inhaling deeply, she leaned back and then puffed out little smoke clouds with a satisfied smile.
“There’s nothing more relaxing than a good gasper,” Lily said, before she squinted her eyes for a moment in a pensive expression. “Would you like one?”
“No, thanks, I don’t smoke,” Sabine said. Besides the fact that cigarettes were expensive, and the rations could better be used for food, Sabine had never approved of women smoking. It was frivolous.
Lily nodded and then abruptly changed the topic. “I understand an older woman came to work at the munition factory a few weeks ago. A Frau Klausen?”
Sabine looked at her, confused at the direction the conversation had taken. “Yes. Do you know her?”
“She’s quite a bit older than the other workers. Does she appear to be getting along alright?” Lily asked, ignoring Sabine’s question.
“I guess so.” Sabine had come to like her new coworker, because she was quiet and never asked nosy questions or tried to pry private details from anyone. In fact, Frau Klausen never talked about any other topic than her children when they were still young – or the weather.
“But she works next to you, correct?” Lily asked, leaning back and taking another drag on her cigarette.
“Yes, she does.” Sabine paused, not sure what to make of this interrogation. She hated giving away personal details and tried to mind only her own business. “Why are you asking about her? Do you know her?”
“Not personally.” Lily looked around and then leaned forward, lowering her voice slightly. “I’m working for the government and Frau Klausen’s name appeared on a watch list as a potential enemy of the Reich.”
“What?” Sabine gasped, swiftly putting a hand in front of her mouth. That accusation was completely unbelievable. Or maybe it wasn’t. Even if it was, Sabine didn’t care either way. That was none of her business.
“I’m afraid so, yes.” Lily observed Sabine behind heavy eyelashes, painted in perfect black with mascara. “Would you be willing to relay information on Frau Klausen to me?”
“Me? Information about Frau Klausen? To you?” Sabine felt like a complete idiot repeating Lily’s request. “No. I’d rather mind my own business.”
Lily frowned at her, giving her a harsh look and an even sterner verbal warning. “That is no way to stay alive during these treacherous times. The only way to keep yourself safe is to join the winning party. That’s what I’ve done and it’s an opportunity I’m offering to you. Either you’re for the government or you’re against it. There is no middle ground.”
Sabine’s head spun as Lily stopped speaking long enough for the waiter to serve their food. Lily graced him with a measured smile and he wandered off again, grinning like a schoolboy. Lily had always had the ability to make men melt into puddles at her feet.
For many years Sabine had been jealous, until she fell in love with Werner, two years senior, attending the same school. The one man – boy back then – who’d never succumbed to Lily’s charms. Not that she hadn’t tried.
Lily cleared her throat and Sabine stopped her musings. “My sponsors aren’t stingy. They reward those who work for them generously. All this,” she pointed at the table with its exquisite-smelling meals, “wouldn’t be possible without their generosity.” Then Lily cut her salmon and pierced a small piece with her fork, before she dipped it into honey mustard sauce.
Sabine followed suit, her mouth watering even before she put a piece of duck with orange-chestnut filling into it. The sweet-sour taste slid across her tongue, as she carefully chewed the fatty meat.
For a while Lily seemed content to talk about food in all forms, shapes and tastes. As they finished their meal, the waiter brought real coffee and even a dark chocolate praline.
“So, have you thought about my offer? It’s not hard work and the Führer will reward you for it,” Lily said, sipping at her coffee while holding the cigarette holder in her other hand. She could have stepped right out of a motion picture.
“What exactly do you do?” Sabine couldn’t help but ask.
Lily leaned forward and whispered, “Well, I gather delicate information. My sponsors see that I am invited to the right kind of parties and events, where I meet the suspect, usually a rich and powerful man, to find out where his allegiance lies.”
“And they tell you just like that?”
“Of course not, silly,” Lily broke out into sparkling laughter, drawing all eyes to them. She lowered her voice to a whisper again. “A bit more effort is needed to make the target open up. You wouldn’t believe the amount of information a man gives you, when he finds you willing.”
Sabine felt herself blush all the way down to her toes. She must have misunderstood. But the way Lily pursed her lips, to give an air-kiss, didn’t leave much room for misinterpretation.
“I’m a married woman! I couldn’t do that,” Sabine protested in shock.
Lily only grinned at her. “You’d be surprised what you could do given the proper motivation. Besides, there are other ways to get information.”
“What exactly would I have to do?” Sabine asked, dreading the answer.
“Not much. Just telling me what Frau Klausen says and does. Whom she’s f
riendly with, what she does in her leisure time.”
“I’m not really talking to her except about the weather and her children,” Sabine twisted her hands fretfully in her lap, while she stared at the far wall, wishing to return home and lock herself into her bedroom until Werner came home in the morning.
Lily cocked her head to the side and suggested, “Why don’t you sleep on my offer and then get back to me with your answer? The government is very generous to those who help them.”
Sabine nodded, not knowing what else to do. If the offer was so generous, then why did she feel like a mouse caught in a trap?
Chapter 5
Sabine slept fitfully all night, plagued with nightmares about dark-clothed men coming after her and asking for Frau Klausen. In the morning she woke with a shock to find a big man standing in front of her bed on this sunny Sunday morning.
Her heart racing, it took her almost a minute until she shook off the remains of her dream and recognized Werner, who’d just returned from his night shift.
“Sabine? What’s wrong? Are you ill?” He sat down beside her, frowning when he clasped her cold hands. He pulled them between his own and started rubbing them. “Sabine. Talk to me, please! You were screaming in your sleep.”
She shook her head and gave the shadow of a smile. “It’s nothing; I just had a bad dream.”
“A bad dream? That’s all it was?” He slipped beneath the covers at her side and wrapped his arms around her. “You’re still shivering.”
She couldn’t deny the truth of his words as she struggled to draw breath. Too strong were the images of the dark-clad men…Since Werner wouldn’t give up until he’d coaxed the truth out of her, she decided to let the cat out of the bag. “Lily asked me to spy on a coworker who supposedly is an enemy of the Reich.”
Werner drew in a breath and she felt his heartbeat speeding up. “She wants you to spy for the Gestapo?”
Reluctant Informer Page 2