by CW Browning
He withdrew his hand and turned to Anna. “Come. I’ve got a table in the back corner where it is a little quieter and we can talk without shouting.”
She nodded and they followed him through the throng to the back of the restaurant. As they made their way through what turned out to be a very large establishment, the crowds thinned out and the volume lowered considerably as they drew further away from the front. Looking around, Evelyn realized that there were actually two restaurants. The one where they entered was closer to what she recognized as a pub setting, while the back restaurant where they were obviously sitting was less casual; and much quieter.
“I’m so glad you came down to visit,” Kristian said once they were seated. “I haven’t seen Erik in almost a year. How is he?”
“Same as ever,” Anna said with a smile. “He’s stationed up near Trondheim. I saw him over Christmas.”
“Is he worried about the war? If we get dragged into it, he’ll be in the thick of it. Still, I suppose that’s what he signed up for.”
“You know Erik. He’s very practical about the whole thing. If war comes, he’s ready. If it doesn’t, he’s ready for that as well.”
Kristian looked at Evelyn. “Anna tells me you’re visiting from Belgium,” he said with a smile. “How does it look there at the moment? As far as the war?”
“About the same as it always has,” she said with a shrug. “There are bomb shelters in the cities now, and the threat of a German invasion has some people nervous, but for the most part, life goes on.”
“That’s good. I hope you never have to make use of the bomb shelters.”
“So do I!”
A waiter approached their table to take their drink orders and Kristian glanced at her.
“Are you a beer drinker, Marlene?” he asked.
Evelyn swallowed. While she had had an odd pint or two in the past, it wasn’t something young women of her class drank when they were out and about. In fact, if her mother had ever caught her with a pint in the pub, she was fairly sure she would have a heart attack.
“Not particularly, but I’m not opposed to it,” she replied.
“You must try a glass of Aass while you’re here,” he said. “It’s a local beer. The brewery is right here in Drammen.”
“Oh?”
Anna grinned and added her voice to Kristian’s, a devilish twinkling in her eyes.
“You really should try it. It’s very good, and something you won’t find outside of Norway.”
“At least, not yet,” Kristian said, ordering three glasses of the beer.
Evelyn smiled graciously and accepted that she would be drinking beer with her meal. She supposed she would have to adjust to the company she found herself in as the war progressed, and now was as good a time as any to begin. After all, when in Rome, and all that.
“What brings you to Norway, Marlene?” Kristian asked once the waiter had left. “Your Norwegian is very good, by the way.”
“Thank you. I’m here to visit an old friend of mine from school. She’s married and lives in Oslo now.”
“How did you and Anna meet?”
“That’s a funny story, actually,” Anna said. “She was here last year to work on an article she was writing for a newspaper. She’s a journalist. Did I tell you that? Anyway, she was in Oslo last year and needed a translator because she didn’t speak a word of Norwegian. Not a word!”
Kristian raised his eyebrows and looked from one to the other. “Not a word?” he repeated. “But...you speak it very well now!”
“That’s what’s so funny!” Anna agreed with a laugh. “I acted as her translator last year and we became friends. When she came back, I met her for dinner, fully expecting to be translating the menu again. But there was no need!”
“That’s quite amazing.” Kristian grinned. “You must have a very good ear for languages.”
“I do.” Evelyn smiled. “But I must confess I still have some difficulties. I gave the landlord of the boarding house I’m staying in a good laugh this morning. I mixed up my words and told him the lice in the hallway was out.”
Both Anna and Kristian burst out laughing and Evelyn grinned and shrugged.
“There will always be mistakes,” Anna assured her, still chuckling. “I was in a jewelers once when an American came in. He was looking for a gold chain for his wife. He asked for a gold vagina! I didn’t think the salesman was ever going to stop laughing. I finally took pity on the American and went over to help.”
“Oh my goodness!” Evelyn gasped. “I hope I don’t ever say that!”
“As I said, mistakes will be made. It’s to be expected.”
Evelyn sobered, looking up as the waiter returned with their drinks. Mistakes were to be expected, but if she made them in front of the wrong person, it could be a deadly. She had to do better.
“Here’s to mistakes!” Kristian said, lifting his glass of beer. “May they always cause laughter and not offense!”
She smiled and sipped her beer, turning her attention to the menu. After studying it for a moment, she decided on salmon with roasted potatoes and set it down. While the other two were still deciding, she took the opportunity to look around the restaurant. The tables around them were filled now, but the closest ones were not within hearing distance. They might as well be all on their own, which suited her perfectly. If she was going to try to get Kristian to talk about what he was listening to on his radio, she didn’t want any curious ears listening.
“I think I’ll gain a ton with you visiting,” Anna announced after a few minutes, setting the menu aside. “I hardly ever go out to eat, and this is the second time this week!”
“Don’t you?” Kristian looked up. “That surprises me. Why not?”
“I’m a working girl now,” she said with a grin. “I don’t have the time or the funds for a wild life anymore.”
“Did you live a wild life before?” Evelyn asked in amusement. “Do tell!”
Anna laughed. “Hardly. But I did used to go out quite a bit.”
Kristian set the menu down. “I think we all did,” he agreed. “This is a rarity for me as well. When you’re on a fishing boat at four in the morning, you don’t want to stay out late the night before.”
“You both make me feel very decadent and irresponsible,” Evelyn said decidedly.
“Why? You’re on holiday. You’re allowed to be decadent and irresponsible,” Anna retorted. “Besides, I’m not complaining! I’m enjoying it.”
“Do you have to be out early tomorrow?” Evelyn asked Kristian.
He shook his head. “No. My brother is taking the boat out for me. We rotate weekends so that we can have some kind of a social life.”
“It’s a family business,” Anna explained to Evelyn. “Kristian is partners with his two brothers. His father used to work as well, but he’s getting on in years now.”
“He keeps the nets repaired and helps with the boat maintenance, but he doesn’t go out anymore.” Kristian reached for his beer. “He keeps his hand in, but we’re all glad he’s finally agreed to stay ashore. After his heart trouble last year, it’s best.”
“How is business?” Anna asked, and he shrugged.
“It’s the same as its always been, which is a good thing. We make it work.”
“Do you still live in the village?”
“No. I moved into a small house just outside. I have a wonderful view of the river and the village is below me.” Kristian nodded. “The height is perfect for my radio, and I enjoy the quiet. My brothers are still in the village with my parents.”
“Anna said you’re a wireless radio enthusiast,” Evelyn said with a smile. “I’ve played with one myself, but I don’t know that I would consider myself a student just yet.”
“Have you?” Kristian leaned forward, his eyes widening in interest. “Anna didn’t tell me.”
“Anna didn’t know,”
that lady said dryly. “I did tell you she was interested in talking about it, though. I remember distinctly!”
“Yes, of course.”
“Did you build your radio?” Evelyn asked.
“Yes. I’ve always been good at things like that. It’s much more practical to build it yourself.”
“The one that I played with belonged to my friend. He built his as well. He did a tremendous job. He could listen to broadcasts all the way from America!”
“Oh yes. I listen to the German broadcasts, as well as the Danes and the French. I’ve even managed to pick up some of the Soviet ones, but of course I have no idea what they’re saying. I don’t speak Russian.” He sipped his beer. “The signals are fantastic now. I haven’t managed to get a BBC one yet, but I think that’s more due to my set than anything else. I want to make some adjustments, and once I have, I hope to tap into those as well.”
“I’ve always found it amazing that we can listen to broadcasts from across countries,” Anna said. “It seems rather fantastic, somehow.”
“It’s quite simple, actually,” he told her. “The signals travel from the towers, you see. As long as there is a tower within a certain distance, you can pick up the frequency and listen in.”
“Your radio is just a receiver, then?” Evelyn asked, reaching for her beer. “You can only listen?”
His blue eyes sharpened and something like a grin pulled at his lips.
“Oh no. I can send as well.”
Evelyn felt her pulse leap and she forced her hand to remain steady as she sipped her drink. He had a wireless set that could send messages as well as listen to broadcasts. That was precisely what she had been hoping for.
“Can you?” Anna sounded suitably impressed. “And you made it? Who can you send messages to?”
“Anyone I want to. I have a friend in Sweden and we exchange messages several times a week. I can send a message to anyone if I know what frequency they’re on.”
Evelyn set her glass down. “And can you also intercept messages sent by others?”
Kristian nodded. “Yes.”
“Well no wonder you’re so fascinated with it!” Anna exclaimed. “It’s like having your own private way of communicating, isn’t it?”
“Not so private, but yes.” He looked from one woman to the other. “You’re both very interested in all this, but I don’t think it’s because of the technology, is it?”
Evelyn met his gaze and swallowed, then slowly shook her head.
“No.”
He nodded, unsurprised. “I didn’t think so.”
“I’m very interested to know what you’ve been listening to,” she said slowly.
“You want to know what I’ve been listening to?” he repeated, his brow furrowed. “Why?”
She took a deep breath.
“Because I think you’re probably hearing a lot more than you realize,” she said, “especially what’s coming out of Germany.”
“You want to know what I’ve been hearing from Germany?” When she nodded, he looked at her sharply. “Do you work for the Germans?”
“No.”
“The Russians?”
“No.”
“Then who?”
“England.” Evelyn raised her eyes to his and took another deep breath, plunging in. “And we’re very interested in what you might be able to pass on to us.”
Chapter Eleven
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Kristian stared at Evelyn, his face a comedy of disbelief mixed with astonishment.
“You can’t be serious?”
“Yes.” She smiled faintly and reached for her beer again. “I’m very serious.”
“You work for the British government?” he asked skeptically.
“Yes.”
He blinked at her bluntness and reached for his beer. “This is unbelievable.”
“Not really,” Anna said. “Of course the Brits are going to have an interest in what’s happening. They’re at war, after all.”
“Yes, but they don’t normally send young women to fishing villages in Norway to recruit amateur radio specialists, do they?” he retorted. Then he paused comically and looked at Evelyn. “Do they?”
She couldn’t stop the chuckle that bubbled out. “Not usually, no.”
“There. You see?” He looked at Anna. “As I said. Unbelievable. Did you know about this?”
“It may have been mentioned,” she murmured.
“And you naturally thought of me.”
“Well, you are a wizard when it comes to wireless communication.” Anna grinned. “Besides, who else would I suggest? I know you’re a good man. I’m hardly going to offer up someone I don’t know, am I?”
Kristian ran a hand through his hair and finished his beer, signaling the waiter for another round.
“If that’s supposed to make me feel better, Anna, it doesn’t.” He sighed and looked at Evelyn. “You are serious? This isn’t some kind of joke?”
“No, it isn’t a joke.” She leaned forward. “We know that Hitler is planning something, and we believe that he will move against either Norway or Sweden, or both. If he does, the only chance we’ll have at gaining information is through people like you. People who are already in place and who have the skills and ability to get the information out.”
“You’re talking about more than one,” he said, lowering his voice. “You want to recruit multiple people in Norway?”
“I’m looking for a small number of key people who can be counted on to resist if, God-forbid, the Germans invade Norway and cut it off from the Allies.”
He studied her thoughtfully for a long while, then sat back as the waiter approached. He ordered a fresh round of drinks for all of them and watched as the man retreated again. Once he was out of earshot, Kristian returned his eyes to Evelyn’s.
“You’re going to have one hell of a time convincing people to help,” he told her. “Your government isn’t making life easy for us. They’re not honoring our neutrality, and now there’s talk of mines in the waters. If they do that, they’ll force Hitler to move whether he intends to or not.”
“Let me ask you this,” Evelyn said. “If Britain didn’t show an interest in Norway, but instead honored your neutrality, do you believe that Hitler will really continue to do the same?”
His eyes wavered and he shook his head. “Probably not,” he admitted.
“Then which is the lesser of the evils, us or the Germans? Because I can assure you that if the Germans come, the SS will not offer you a chance to keep your freedom and your radio. They will take your radio and shoot you for being a spy, even if you’re not.”
“And if I help you, and I pass on information that I gather, I will be shot anyway for being a spy.” Kristian sighed. “I suppose if I’m going to be shot, it might as well be for something I’m guilty of.”
Anna met Evelyn’s gaze across the table and a very faint smile curved her lips. They had him.
“This is all assuming that Hitler invades Norway,” Evelyn said. “He may not, in which case there is very little risk to yourself.”
“You don’t believe that or you wouldn’t be here having this conversation with me.”
“It really doesn’t matter what I believe,” she said with a shrug. “The only one who knows the Führer’s intentions are the German High Command, and I’ve heard that sometimes even they aren’t told what he has planned until the last possible moment.”
The waiter returned then with their fresh round of drinks, setting them down and asking if they were ready to order. After they placed their orders, he smiled and departed again.
“Do you ever wonder if waiters listen to the conversations at the tables they serve?” Anna asked suddenly. “I mean, no one ever pays them any attention.”
“I’m sure they do,” Evelyn said. “That’s why you should always be mindful of where they are.�
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“I’ve been watching for him ever since we began this conversation,” Kristian assured her. “He hasn’t heard anything.”
“I know.” She smiled. “I’ve been watching as well.”
“If I agree to this,” he said after a moment, “where would I send the information?”
“Because you come equipped with your own radio, you would send it directly to London,” Evelyn said. “You’ll be provided with codes and a schedule, and you would transmit anything to us directly.”
“No middle man?”
“Not unless you want one.”
He shook his head. “No. I’d rather it was just me. In fact, I’d rather no one in Norway outside of this table know anything about my involvement.”
“I’m sure that can be arranged.”
He sighed heavily.
“You’re right about the Germans. They’re planning something,” he said in a low voice. “I’ve been listening to their traffic out of Poland and Germany now for over a month. I was listening before that, but it took some time to figure out their code.”
Evelyn raised her eyebrows in surprise. “You deciphered the German codes?”
He hastily shook his head. “No, no. Well, not in the sense that you think. I figured out the rudimentary code that they use for unclassified messages.”
“That’s still impressive,” she murmured.
“Perhaps, but not very useful in the end. They were mostly sending messages about the weather and updates regarding the amount of foodstuffs they were maintaining. For instance, they were running out of coffee a few months ago. So, as you see, nothing very exciting. But then, a few days ago, the code changed. Everything changed. The number of messages more than tripled, and now they’re all heavily encrypted. I can’t make head or tail out of them.”
“These are the ones coming out of Germany?” she asked sharply.
“Not just Germany, but also Poland. It’s like they’ve suddenly locked everything down.”
Evelyn’s lips tightened. “That’s not good.”
“No.”
“Have you told anyone about this?” she asked, shooting him a sharp glance under her lashes.