by CW Browning
She pressed her lips together and cradled her cup in her hands, considering her options. If Anna agreed to accompany her, it would make things easier. Not only did she know the language, but she could help allay suspicion if anyone began to question an English journalist traveling through Scandinavia. If she declined, Evelyn would have to go alone. While that made her nervous in the same way she had been nervous when her ship departed Scotland for its journey across the North Sea a few days ago, she prosaically accepted that this was something that had to be done. The potential benefits of meeting Niva far outweighed any lingering discomfort she might feel at traveling to a country she’d never visited before in her life.
She finished her coffee and set the empty mug down. There was nothing for it. Whether she was ready for this or not, tonight she would board a train bound for Sweden and an unknown Soviet agent who might or might not be an ally. Evelyn stood up and gathered her purse and gloves. She couldn’t think of what could happen, but could only focus on what she had to do.
And right now, that was to make preparations for another journey.
Chapter Fourteen
“I hope you don’t mind having a window that faces the back. It overlooks the kitchen garden.” Else said over her shoulder, leading the way up the stairs to the second floor. “It’s the last available room at the moment. Now, I do have a room becoming available in two days if you’d like to switch then. We can certainly arrange it.”
“I’m sure this will be fine, Frau Kolstad,” the man behind her said pleasantly. “I prefer a quiet room.”
“That works out nicely, then.” She reached the top of the stairs and turned right. “There is very little noise from the road in the back of the house. You almost forget you’re in the middle of Oslo.”
She led him down the hallway to the last door on the left and opened it, standing aside so that he could enter.
“Now, I do provide toast and cheese for breakfast, along with coffee. If you prefer tea, let me know and I will provide that as well,” she said as he set his suitcase down on the floor next to the bed. “The front door is locked at ten, but you may take a key if you will be out late.”
“Thank you.” He went over to glance out the small window that overlooked the back. “This will do nicely. It’s a very nice room.”
Else smiled. “I’m glad you like it, Herr Renner. I’ll leave you now. If you need anything, we’re just downstairs.”
“Thank you again.”
She departed, closing the door quietly. The congenial smile left his face as soon as the door closed and he went back to the window, peering out. The kitchen garden was small, surrounded by a fence that could be easily circumvented. A shed at the bottom of the garden drew his attention and he considered it for a moment, noting the open door. As he watched, the landlord came out and closed the door, locking it behind him. Renner watched him pocket the key and turn towards the house.
He turned away from the window and went over to his suitcase, lifting it onto the bed and unlatching it. Tossing it open, he moved a stack of neatly folded shirts and trousers to reveal a false bottom, which he lifted out of the case. Underneath was a square, portable radio. He pulled it out of the case and carried it over to the small desk near the window. It was time to contact Berlin.
He was in position.
Evelyn stepped in the small restaurant and looked around. Towards the back, a lone woman sat a table, eating an open sandwich. When Evelyn approached, she looked up in surprise and a smile of welcome crossed her face.
“Maggie!” she exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”
“Looking for you,” Evelyn said with a smile, seating herself across from Anna. “I’m glad I caught you.”
“You’re lucky you did. I almost didn’t come out today. Have you eaten?”
“I had toast and cheese earlier.”
“If you’re hungry, I recommend the smoked salmon. It’s particularly good today.”
“I think I’ll pass. I’m not very hungry at the moment.” Evelyn removed her gloves and looked up as a waitress approached. “Perhaps some coffee, though.”
Anna nodded and ordered coffee, then looked across the table.
“What can I do for you? Do you need a translator?” she asked with a cheerful grin. “Or just another companion for dinner?”
“I need a translator,” Evelyn said slowly, “but it’s rather more involved than dinner.”
“Why does that not surprise me?” Anna asked with a short laugh. “What is it?”
“How’s your Swedish?”
Anna’s eyebrows flew into her forehead and she blinked. “My Swedish?” she repeated. “Sufficient, I’d say. Why?”
“I find myself heading to Stockholm,” Evelyn answered, smiling in thanks as a cup of coffee was set down before her. The waitress went away again and she turned her gaze to Anna’s face. “I was hoping you’d consider coming with me.”
“To Stockholm?” Anna stared at her. “When?”
“Tonight.”
The other woman sat back in her chair, a look of astonishment on her face.
“Tonight? What on earth for?”
“I completely understand if you’re unable to come,” Evelyn said, ignoring the question. “I know it’s very short notice. I don’t know any Swedish, but I’m sure I’ll be able to figure it out. There must be travel language books that will suffice.”
Anna frowned and leaned forward. “How long do you expect to be gone?”
“Only a few days.”
Anna was silent for a long time, finishing her lunch as Evelyn sipped her coffee.
“I need more information before I can consider this properly,” she finally said. “Why the sudden jaunt to Sweden?”
“There’s someone there I need to speak with,” Evelyn said, lowering her voice. “They’re only there for a few days, so timing is of the essence. I have tickets on a train leaving tonight.”
Anna studied her for a long moment. “Is Carew aware of this?”
“He’s the one who made the arrangements.”
She exhaled and nodded.
“Of course he was,” she muttered. “I must say, you’re turning out to be a very interesting and extraordinary woman, Maggie Richardson.”
Evelyn grinned. “Why is that?”
“I can’t think of a single other woman of my acquaintance who would be quite this sanguine about going to a country where she doesn’t speak the language, only to find that she now has to go another country where she also doesn’t speak the language.” Anna tilted her head and considered her. “Aren’t you the least bit intimidated?”
“Would it do any good to be?” Evelyn countered. “I am here, and this must be done. So I must do it.”
Anna pursed her lips thoughtfully and was silent for a long time.
“You’ll go whether I accompany you or not, won’t you?”
“Yes.”
The other woman shook her head. “As I said, you’re turning out to be an extraordinary woman.”
“If you’re not comfortable with coming...” Evelyn’s voice trailed off when Anna waved a hand impatiently.
“It’s not that I’m uncomfortable,” she said, “far from it. I think it’s all rather exciting, and I’d rather enjoy a little holiday into Sweden. That’s not what’s causing my hesitation. I don’t know that I can take the time from work.”
“Daniel thought of that,” Evelyn told her. “He said he can arrange it if you decide to come with me. Just let him know and he’ll take care of it.”
Anna raised her eyebrows, clearly surprised. “He said that? How on earth will he manage it, I wonder?”
“I have no idea.”
“Well, I suppose I’m out of objections, then,” she said after another moment of consideration. “If he will arrange my time from work, it must be fairly important, this trip of yours.”
Evelyn was silent for a moment, then she raised her eyes to Anna’s.
“I think it is,” she said slowly,
“but it’s not without risk. I don’t know how much risk, but I feel it only fair to warn you.”
Anna smiled slowly, a glint coming into her eyes.
“When do we leave?”
Evelyn finished folding the last blouse and laid it in the suitcase before looking around the room to see if there was anything she’d missed. She had never fully unpacked, not knowing how quickly Vladimir would contact her, so there wasn’t much to re-pack. Not seeing any forgotten objects lurking in the corners, she closed the case, doing up the leather straps.
The sun had set outside and a fire blazed cheerfully in the hearth, throwing warmth out into the room. Turning, she went to stand before it, staring down into the flames thoughtfully. She had no idea how long she would be gone. It all depended upon how quickly this Risto Niva would meet with her, or even if he would meet with her.
Bill had anticipated that she would only be away from Scotland for a week or two, but it could very well be longer now. Evelyn frowned as a thought came into her head. She had only written enough letters to cover an absence of three weeks at most. Anything longer than that and her mother would start to wonder why she wasn’t hearing from her.
And Miles would think she wasn’t writing after all.
Her lips twisted and she sighed, staring into the fire. And why did that bother her so much? He was just a pilot who flew with her brother, after all. A very handsome pilot, it was true, and one whom she found interesting and fun to talk to, but an acquaintance just the same. If he thought she wasn’t returning his letters, it really shouldn’t matter to her.
And yet it did. For some reason that she couldn’t understand, Evelyn desperately wanted to extend their acquaintance and get to know him better. It didn’t matter that they were a country at war, or that his job ensured that he was in the first line of defense should Hitler attempt to invade England. It didn’t matter that he thought she was a WAAF in Scotland training other WAAFs to work in the plotting stations, which was perfect really. She hadn’t had to say very much at all regarding what she supposedly did in Scotland. He had made an assumption and run with it, leaving any further prevarication on her part unnecessary.
If she had an ounce of sense, she would stop writing to him and make it clear that she wasn’t interested. This was a doomed friendship, all things considered. She lived a life he could never know about, and he went up in a Spitfire everyday with no guarantee that he would return.
Evelyn pressed her lips together. Of course, there was no guarantee that she would return either. There were no guarantees for anyone anymore, except that they all would have to do things they never dreamt of in order to get through each day and, with a bit of luck, the war. That was becoming increasingly obvious.
Sighing, she turned away from the fire and went over to the desk near the window where her toiletries case sat. Opening it, she removed the insert and ran her fingers along the inside lining until she came to the small tab concealed in the folds. The inside of the case lifted out to reveal a compartment in the bottom where the microfilm Vladimir had passed her was concealed.
Evelyn stared at it thoughtfully for a long moment. She could leave it there and it would be perfectly safe, or she could remove it and leave it here, ready to be collected when she returned. If she left it here, there would be no risk of anyone discovering it with her while she traveled to Sweden. While there was no reason any border agent would search her belongings so thoroughly, there was also no reason to take the added risk of carrying the microfilm to Stockholm with her.
Especially if she was to be meeting another Soviet agent. For all she knew, Risto could be a trap for the Soviets to ensnare her. Did she really want to be carrying stolen secrets from Moscow with her if that was the case?
Turning, she slowly looked around the room. She could probably conceal the microfilm easily enough in this room, ensuring its safety. Daniel had warned against it, but if she hid it well where could be the harm? She was sure she could convince Else and Josef to reserve the room for her and not allow another guest to stay there. Perhaps that would be the wiser course of action.
Biting her bottom lip, Evelyn hesitated. Regardless of the dangers of being caught by a Soviet NKVD agent with stolen Soviet documents, the thought of leaving that information behind made her uncomfortable. No one knew what happened when her father had the same information. Had he done this very thing? Left it somewhere? Was that how it had been lost? Or had he kept it with him and it was stolen after he died?
At the thought of her father, Evelyn felt her chest grow tight and she blinked back sudden tears. The wave of sorrow took her by surprise and she sank into the chair next to the desk, taking a deep breath. What if he hadn’t died in Switzerland? She wouldn’t be here, worrying over the best course of action to take with secret Soviet documents.
After taking a few deep breaths, forcing the grief aside, Evelyn glanced into the case on the desk. After another long moment of indecision, she stood up and replaced the insert, concealing the compartment with the microfilm once again. She would carry them with her. They had been lost once, as Vladimir had so coldly pointed out. They wouldn’t be lost again.
Evelyn watched as Josef picked up her suitcase and turned to carry it out of her room. He had offered in halting English to take the toiletries case as well, but she refused. She would carry it with her. As soon as he left the room, she turned to make one last check, ensuring that she had gathered everything. It was done more out of nervousness than anything else, for she knew she hadn’t left anything behind. She was far too thorough for that.
The car would be arriving any minute to take her to the station, where Anna would meet her. There was really no reason to tarry, but Evelyn couldn’t seem to make her legs move to carry her downstairs. She was comfortable here, in this room and under this roof with Else and Josef keeping an eye out for her. She had no idea what awaited her in Stockholm, and therein lay the nerves.
After taking a moment to compose herself, she pulled her coat on and picked up her shoulder bag from the desk. As her fingers closed around the handle of the toiletry case, she felt herself calm down and she turned towards the door.
In the case lay the reason she was here. No matter what Sweden held in store for her, at least she knew she had succeeded in her primary mission.
A moment later, she was striding down the hallway towards the stairs. When she was almost there, a tall figure emerged from the flight of steps, almost running into her. She let out a soft gasp and stopped mid-stride, narrowly avoiding a collision.
“Oh!”
Looking up, Evelyn felt her heart thud and her breath stopped for a moment as she stared into a face she remembered clearly.
“Fraulein!” A wide smile broke over the angular face. “Are you all right? We seem to keep running into each other.”
Herr Renner stood before her, a long black coat covering his dark suit. He had obviously just returned to the house and, as he spoke, he began pulling off his black leather gloves.
“Oh hallo!” Evelyn forced a light cheerfulness into her voice as her heart pounded against her chest. “Yes, we do, don’t we?”
“Now don’t tell me that you’re not staying here either, because I won’t believe it!” he said with a laugh, dropping his gloves into his hat and tucking it under his arm.
“No. I’m staying here,” she said with a perfunctory laugh.
“How wonderful. I’m glad there is a fellow German in the house. The landlord speaks a passable German, but it’s nice to hear a familiar Berlin accent.” Herr Renner smiled down at her. “Say you’ll have a drink with me.”
Evelyn swallowed. “I’d love to, Herr Renner, but I’m late for an appointment at the moment. Perhaps another time?”
“Alas, another appointment,” he mourned. “I suppose it can’t be helped. Perhaps tomorrow.”
He bowed slightly and stepped back to allow her to pass.
“I’ll look forward to it,” Evelyn assured him with another forced smile. “Goodby
e!”
She went past him and started down the stairs, her mind clamoring to find a reason why he would be staying in the same nondescript lodging house as herself. When she’d run into him the night before at the Hotel Bristol, she had received the distinct impression that he was staying there. Yet, here he was.
She forced herself to maintain a steady pace down the stairs even as her breath was coming fast. She didn’t know who he was or what he was doing here, but she knew one thing for certain.
This was not a coincidence.
Chapter Fifteen
Hearing a soft click, Herr Renner tucked the metal tools into his pocket and eased open the door, slipping inside. He closed it softly behind him and looked around the empty room. A fire still burned in the hearth, casting a soft glow through the darkness. Moving forward, he went to the desk before the window and switched on the lamp. Immediately, the shadows in the room dispersed and he turned to survey the space thoughtfully.
The bed was made neatly, the pillows placed perfectly, while the chair before the desk was pushed in. The Englishwoman had a penchant for precise neatness which he could appreciate. Everything had a place, and it was placed accordingly. He bent down to open the drawer of the desk. It was empty save the notepad and pencil provided by the landlord. He had the same notepad and pencil in his room.
Renner pulled out the pad and held it under the lamp, looking for signs of it having been used recently. After examining it carefully, he replaced it in the drawer. There were no indentations on the top sheet. The woman hadn’t jotted down any notes, at least not on that pad. Closing the drawer, he turned to look around for a moment, then went to work.
Moving methodically around the room, he began with the bed. Bending down, he lifted the bed skirt and peered underneath. The wooden floor was bare and nothing appeared to be tucked between the wooden slats holding the mattress. Straightening, he flipped the covers away from the side of the mattress and lifted it, scanning underneath. After checking one side thoroughly, he went to the other side and did the same thing. Satisfied that nothing had been slipped under the mattress or behind the pillows, he replaced everything and smoothed the cover back. When he was finished, it looked as if the bed hadn’t been touched.