by CW Browning
She was halfway down the alley when she saw him. He was leaning against the adjoining building in the shadows, dressed in dark clothes with a long black coat to protect him from the cold. Evelyn felt a shudder go through her, though whether from the sight of the man or from the sudden gust of wind that whipped between the buildings she wasn’t sure. He hadn’t seen her yet. He was watching the cars on the road ahead. But he would see her any moment. There was no avoiding it.
Evelyn began to mutter angrily in Spanish as she walked. Perhaps he would think she was a crazy foreigner and leave her alone. But one swift look from under her eyelashes disabused her of that hopeful thought. He had straightened up and was staring at her, trying to see her clearly in the gloom. Increasing her pace, she also increased the volume of her muttering, her voice carrying through the alley. If he knew Spanish, he was listening to a diatribe on the curse of having incompetent employees who couldn’t even have the car brought round to the right entrance of a hotel. If he didn’t know Spanish, he heard only anger in her tone. Either way, the man was watching the same performance that had fooled his counterparts inside earlier.
Lifting her head, Evelyn looked at him and pretended to have spotted him for the first time. Her step checked in surprise, then her anger increased as if she was offended by him staring at her.
“¿Quién crees que eres?” she demanded, tossing her head.
The man didn’t answer. Instead, he continued to watch her with a heavy frown on his face. His lack of response made her nervous and she took a closer look at him as she strode down the alley. He had both his hands in his coat pockets and his hat was pulled low over his forehead, casting his face into shadow. As she drew closer, he moved suddenly away from the side of the building, partially blocking her path to the road.
“Why are you back here?” he demanded in German, his voice deep and gravelly. “You shouldn’t be back here. This is no place for a lady.”
By the time he’d finished speaking, he’d blocked her path completely, pulling his hands from his pockets. Evelyn’s eyes narrowed sharply. So much for slipping by without any unpleasantness. She waited until she was within reach of him before answering softly in his own language.
“Who says I’m a lady?”
His eyes widened in surprise, but it was too late. Evelyn moved swiftly, grabbing one of his wrists and twisting it sharply. He gasped in pain, but the sound quickly turned into a cry when she used the painful angle of his wrist as leverage to spin him around, twisting his arm up behind his back. Before the cry could escalate into a full roar, she used her other hand to smash his head into the side of the hotel. A sickening crunch sounded as his nose made contact with stone and he grunted in agony. He tried to push himself back, using the wall in an attempt to turn himself towards her, but Evelyn drove her fist into his kidney, robbing him of the ability to make any noise at all. As he fell forward against the building, she released his mangled arm and sliced the edge of her palm down into the side of his neck. She stepped back as his eyes closed and he slid down the building, unconscious.
By the time he came to, or someone found him, she would be long gone.
After shooting a swift glance down the alley towards the rear door, she turned to hurry away from the prone figure in the shadows. A moment later she reached the busy street and emerged from the alley. Shoving her hands deep in her pockets, Evelyn strode away from The Strand, blending into the throngs of other well-dressed pedestrians and disappearing into the growing shadows.
Chapter Twenty-Four
––––––––
As the lift attendant opened the latticed gate, Anna took a deep, silent breath before stepping out into the lobby. When she’d opened the door to the porter upstairs, she’d caught sight of a man hurriedly disappearing around the corner at the end of the corridor. Even though she knew the Germans were watching the room, she had still felt a surge of fear at the visual confirmation. When she left the room with the porter a few minutes later, there was no sign of him, but she knew he was still there.
Just as his companions were all over the lobby and outside.
Squaring her shoulders, she walked across the large, tiled lobby towards the desk. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Herr Renner step out from behind the very column she had stood behind this morning. Ignoring the sudden trembling in her legs, she went to the front desk, trying desperately to act as if everything was completely normal. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and by the time she reached the support of the smooth wood counter, she was convinced that her entire body was shaking. The concierge didn’t appear to notice anything the matter, however, as he came over with a ready smile.
“Ah, Miss Salvesen,” he greeted her. “I understand you’re leaving us.”
“Yes.” Anna set her purse down, relieved when her voice came out clear and steady. “Miss Richardson ran into an old friend this afternoon. She has a house in the city and invited us to stay with her. Miss Richardson felt it would be impolite to refuse.”
“I understand completely.” The concierge turned to retrieve the registration card from the drawer on the wall behind him. “Shall I forward the bill to her new address?”
“No. I’ll settle it now.”
“Very good.” He returned with the card and handed it to her. “If you could just sign under Miss Richardson’s signature there.”
Anna picked up the pen and signed her name, conscious of the pair of dark eyes watching her every move and listening to the conversation. Herr Renner had moved close by, apparently waiting patiently for the concierge to finish with her. When she finished, she opened her purse and extracted the money Maggie had given her earlier. She carefully counted out the correct amount, passing it to the man, then added a rather large addition for him.
“Miss Richardson extends her gratitude for a delightful stay,” she told him with a smile.
He inclined his head and pocketed the extra smoothly. “It was our pleasure. Shall I call a car for you?”
“That’s not necessary. Her friend is having one sent round.” Anna picked up her purse and glanced towards the entrance. “It should be here now. Thank you very much for everything.”
“Our pleasure. I sincerely hope you’ll visit The Strand again.”
Anna smiled and turned away from the desk, motioning for the porter to follow. As she turned, her eyes met Herr Renner’s and a shock went through her. There was nothing but polite disinterest in his face, however, and she turned to walk towards the entrance, exhaling silently. His eyes had been cold and impersonal, but there was no doubt that he had been watching her very closely.
Resisting the urge to look back over her shoulder, she continued across the lobby, forcing her stride to remain unhurried. She mustn’t appear to be rushing. Maggie had been very clear about that.
Maggie had been very clear about a lot of things in the few hours they had spent rushing around the city, preparing for their elaborate charade. While they hurriedly gathered appropriate clothing and accessories to aid in their performance, Maggie had gone over her plan in detail, stressing the importance of both timing and calm. She should never appear hesitant or unsure. The best disguise was confidence. Anna’s lips twitched at the corners as she remembered that particular instruction. She had laughed, but Maggie had been deadly serious. It was human nature, she explained. Present a confident appearance and very few will challenge that image. And she had been right. Herr Renner was watching, but he was making no move to stop her. He couldn’t afford to. She was a respected guest until she walked out that door.
She just had to make it past the short man whom she’d seen earlier and who was standing just inside the entrance, talking to another gentleman.
Maggie had been right about it all. The man in the hallway, the men in the lobby, and even Herr Renner. As soon as she stepped out of the hotel room, all eyes were on her. They wanted to know where she was going. In the absence of their true target, she
was the next best thing. Maggie had assured her they would swarm to her like bees, and that was just what they were doing.
“Excuse me, Miss!”
A deep voice called suddenly behind her. He spoke in Norwegian and Anna knew without turning that it was Renner. Her breath caught in her throat and her stomach clenched as she turned, pausing a few feet from the door. Renner was striding towards her quickly, something in his hand.
“I believe you dropped this,” he said, holding out his hand.
Anna stopped just short of letting out a gasp. He held a handkerchief that was most definitely hers. She had left it on the table in the sitting room earlier this morning. She’d completely forgotten about it, but now she stared at it in bemusement. It hadn’t been there when she was hastily gathering everything a few moments before.
“Oh!” she said, realizing that he was waiting for an answer. “Thank you!”
She reached out to take it but as her fingers touched it, it drifted to the floor.
“I’m so sorry,” he apologized, bending at the same time as her to retrieve it. As he did so, she felt her purse begin to slip. Moving her arm quickly, she turned sideways as she reached for the slip of fabric on the floor. The swift movement prevented the bag from falling and spilling out all over the floor and she felt a measure of satisfaction at the very brief tightening of his lips. Of all the nerve! He was trying to get something from her purse!
Anna plucked the handkerchief off the floor and straightened up, a smile plastered across her face.
“It’s quite all right,” she told him, tucking it into her purse and snapping the bag closed with a firm click. “Thank you for returning it.”
She turned on her heel and continued to the door, leaving Renner standing in the middle of lobby watching her go. The two men inside the door looked at him for a moment, then resumed their conversation as she passed. She breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped outside into the gathering dusk a moment later.
A black sedan sat the curb, and as she exited the hotel, the driver got out and went to the back to open the trunk. He nodded to her politely as the porter went around her to load the bags into the car. Anna watched and smiled as the porter turned to return to the hotel.
“Tak,” she murmured.
He touched his cap in acknowledgment and Anna waited for the driver to open the door for her.
“The train station, please,” she told him as she got in, making sure her voice carried to the man lurking in the shadows a few feet away. “Quickly.”
“Yes miss.”
The driver closed the door and Anna glanced out the window as he got behind the wheel again. As they pulled away from the hotel, she saw the man rush from the shadows into the hotel and she sat back in the seat. A smile curved her lips. They would take the bait. They had no choice. She was their only link to Maggie. They would have to follow her.
Anna looked at her watch in the fading light. Timing. It was everything. She waited a few blocks then, when the hand on her watch ticked to the quarter hour, she looked up.
“Could you stop just up here for a moment?” she asked cheerfully. “I need to drop something off. I won’t be a minute.”
“Of course.”
The driver turned the corner where she indicated, pulling up behind a gray sedan already parked by the side of the road. As he eased to a stop, the back door of the other car opened and tall, young man emerged. Anna opened her door and got out, walking forward to meet him while her driver climbed out from behind the steering wheel again.
“Mr. Manchester?” she asked in surprise.
He shook his head. “No. I’m Collins, his assistant. He sent me to collect the baggage.”
She nodded and turned to the driver who was standing discreetly at slight distance.
“Could you open the back, please?”
He nodded and went to the back of the car, opening the truck. Collins joined him and motioned to Anna.
“Which ones?” he asked.
“The two on the right, and the small toiletries case.”
He collected the bags and transferred them to the gray sedan, then walked back to hold out his hand.
“Mr. Manchester extends his deepest gratitude,” he told her quietly. “He hopes you didn’t find it all too unpleasant.”
Anna laughed and took his hand. “On the contrary! I’m enjoying myself immensely!”
He looked startled at that, then a slow smile crossed his face.
“Have a safe trip home, Miss Salvesen,” he said, dropping his hand and touching his hat. “Please take all care. Daniel Carew will have all of us on a rack if anything happens to you. He’s threatening all sorts of reprisals if you don’t return safely.”
“I’ll be careful,” she assured him, turning to get back into her car. “Send him a message and tell him I said to stop being an old woman. I’ll be just fine.”
Comrade Grigori looked up when the lift opened and a tall, dark-haired woman walked out. A porter followed, carrying multiple bags, and Grigori was just lowering his eyes back to his newspaper when something made him look again. He frowned, watching the woman thoughtfully. She looked familiar, but he really couldn’t place why. Had he seen her earlier? In the restaurant perhaps? Whoever she was, she was obviously checking out of the hotel.
The woman was halfway across the lobby now and, as she walked, she tossed her head in a peculiar sideways motion. Grigori inhaled sharply. He’d seen her in another hotel, in Oslo! It was that strange toss of the head that brought the memory back. She had been with the Englishwoman that night in the restaurant!
Folding the paper, he got up and started to cross the lobby towards her just as another tall man moved out from behind one of the columns. Grigori’s step checked and he raised an eyebrow as the man followed the woman to the desk, stopping a few feet away. At first glance, he appeared to be just another guest awaiting service at the busy concierge desk, but Comrade Grigori knew a German SD agent when he saw one. This was no ordinary guest.
He turned his eyes back to the woman, his frown deepening. If the SD were watching her, there could only be one explanation: they were watching the Englishwoman as well.
Moving closer, he listened as the woman spoke to the concierge in clear, carrying tones. She was speaking in Swedish, which wasn’t one of Grigori’s stronger languages. Yet he was able to make out enough to realize that the Englishwoman wouldn’t be returning to the hotel.
Irritation rolled through him and he glanced at the German listening a few feet away. He supposed he had the SD to thank for this. As usual, they had blundered into something they knew nothing about and, in the process, alerted the English spy to the danger of returning to the hotel. She’d already been on her guard because he himself was staying there. The SD would have clinched the matter. Only a fool would return to their room under these circumstances.
Grigori changed direction and moved towards the entrance of the hotel, his lips pressed together in displeasure. The question was, where had she gone, and the only one who knew the answer to that was the woman currently standing at the desk. He looked up and saw two men standing inside the front entrance talking. His eyes narrowed and he pulled on his gloves, pausing to do up the buttons on his coat. The men paid him no attention, focused instead on the woman at the desk. Once his coat was buttoned, Grigori continued to the door, passing outside without drawing any attention.
How many of them were there? The irritation had now turned into full-fledged anger. What did they think were doing? They couldn’t take a British subject in the middle of a neutral city! If it were possible, Grigori would have detained her long before now. Yet if there were three of them in the lobby, that meant there were even more outside. They probably had all the exits covered, and someone watching her room. That all pointed to an attempt to kidnap her right from the hotel.
Pulling the collar of his coat up against the chill, Grigori turned and walke
d a few feet to his right. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it, raising his eyes as he did so to study the man lounging on the opposite side of the entrance in the shadows. There was another one. The Germans were definitely up to no good.
And because of it, he’d lost his chance to question the spy himself.
He flicked his lighter closed and lifted his head, nodding pleasantly to the doorman. The doorman nodded back and he moved closer to the hotel, just another guest stepping outside for a smoke and some fresh air. A few moments later, a black sedan rolled up to the curb in front of the door and stopped, idling in the growing dusk.
The woman strode out with the porter following and, as she did, the driver of the black sedan got out and went to the back of the car to open the trunk. Grigori watched as the bags were loaded in and the porter departed.
“The train station, please. Quickly!”
The driver nodded and the woman got into the car. Grigori waited until the driver got behind the wheel before dropping his cigarette onto the pavement and putting it out with his shoe. By the time the black sedan was pulling away from the curb, he was already moving towards the corner to hail a taxi.
Renner watched through the doors as the car pulled away from the curb and Otto rushed in from the street. He skidded to a stop and looked disconcerted at finding Renner standing so close to the entrance. As he opened his mouth to speak, Renner made an impatient sound and motioned for him to follow him. Swallowing, Otto glanced at the two men inside the door, who shrugged and followed with him as Renner led them across the lobby to a quiet section on the other side where they wouldn’t be overheard.
“Well?” he asked, his voice short and clipped.