Night Falls on Norway

by CW Browning

  I hope you’re well. I had a dream last night that we were in London and the air raid sirens went off. When I turned to grab you, you were gone and I couldn’t find you to get you to the shelter. You’d simply disappeared. Strange things, dreams. I can never make head or tail of them. They’re supposed to mean something, but I’ve no idea what the meaning could possibly be behind that one.

  I’m off to sleep now. We’re back to the advance base in the morning. Take care of yourself.

  Yours,

  FO Miles Lacey

  RAF Duxford

  Hotel Bristol, Oslo

  The lobby of the hotel was nearly deserted in the early afternoon. Aside from the tall man checking in at the desk, the only other occupants were two porters and a couple crossing the tiled floor from the direction of the attached restaurant. It was unusually slow for a Saturday, but the lack of traffic suited the newcomer signing the registration card just fine. Less people meant less exposure, and that was something he preferred whenever possible. He finished filling in the card and handed it to the manager.

  “And how long will you be staying with us, Herr Gruber?” the manager asked.

  “I am not sure. Perhaps a week. Perhaps longer. It depends upon my business.” The man smiled apologetically and the concierge nodded.

  “Yes, of course.” He turned to get a key from a slot on the wall behind him. “I understand. Have you stayed with us before?”

  “Yes, indeed. I was here last summer.”

  “We thank you for returning.” He handed him the key to his room. “Shall I summon a porter for your bags?”

  “No, I’ll take them. Thank you.”

  “Very well. Enjoy your stay, Herr Gruber. If there’s anything you need, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

  “I won’t.”

  He inclined his head politely and turned from the desk to walk across the lobby to the lift. As he walked, his dark eyes scanned the faces of the few occupants in the lobby out of habit. He carried a suitcase in each hand and his brown overcoat was unremarkable. He looked like any other businessman checking into another hotel in a line of cities. And that was exactly how he wanted to appear. He had made a successful career out of disappearing into crowds. Despite his height, no one ever looked twice at the weary businessman. They never noticed his eyes with their exceptionally keen gaze, or the way he moved with purpose that bespoke a confidence rarely seen in mid-level sales and businessmen.

  And they certainly never realized that he heard and saw much more than most.

  The man going by the alias Herr Gruber stepped into the lift, nodding to the attendant.

  “The third floor,” he told him.

  The attendant nodded and closed the gate, pulling the handle. As the lift jerked into motion and moved upwards, Herr Gruber set down his suitcases and looked at his watch. The ride from the airport had taken less than half an hour and he was well ahead of schedule. He wasn’t due to check in with Hamburg for another hour. Perhaps he would have time to grab something to eat before his scheduled transmission.

  “Is the restaurant still open for lunch?” he asked the attendant.

  The man looked at his watch and nodded. “For another hour, sir.”

  Herr Gruber nodded and bent to pick up his suitcases again as the lift came to a stop and the attendant opened the gate.

  “Danke.”

  The attendant nodded and watched as he stepped out of the lift before closing the gate again. The motor whirred and the lift began its journey back down to the lobby. Herr Gruber turned and went down the wide hallway, looking for the room number on his key, finding it at the end of the hall.

  The room was small, but well-appointed and comfortable. After a cursory look around, he set his cases down and went over to the window. He glanced at the busy street below before pulling the heavy curtains closed, blocking out the mid-day sun, and turning to lift one of the cases up onto the small writing desk. He would set up the wireless radio and send a message with his arrival. Then, after lunch, he would return for his scheduled transmission.

  Gruber pulled a set of keys out of his pocket and unlocked the case, unsnapping the two clasps and lifting it open. Inside was a portable, wireless transmitter and receiver. He lifted out a long cable and unwound it, attaching an adapter to the end and then going over to plug it into the outlet on the wall behind the desk. After ensuring the power source was working, he pulled out an antenna and carried it over to the window, setting it on the sill behind the curtain. He crossed back over to the desk and sat down, lifting out the headset and putting it on. After adjusting the earpieces over his ears, Herr Gruber settled down to begin his transmission.

  He sent the message, alerting Hamburg of his arrival in Oslo and his intent to begin surveying the infrastructure. While he had arrived in the city ahead of schedule, there was still much to be done. The Abwehr had sent him to gather and relay very detailed information relating to the train routes and major arteries through southern Norway in advance of Operation Weserübung, the German invasion of Norway and Denmark. With the information that he would send, the Germans would be able to accurately sever all escape routes and communications throughout southern Norway, easing the way for their troops and containing any resistance from the Norwegian military. But before that could happen, he had to gather the intelligence, and he had to start tonight.

  Operation Weserübung would commence in two and a half days.

  Herr Gruber finished his transmission and was just removing his headset when the earpieces crackled and a signal began coming through. He frowned sharply and reached out to adjust the knobs on the machine, sharpening the receiver so that he could hear it clearly. There wasn’t supposed to be a transmission for another hour. That was the schedule. Why, then, was he receiving one now?

  He picked up a pencil and pulled the pad out of the case, quickly jotting down the code that was coming through the headset. It was definitely Hamburg, and they were definitely transmitting early.

  The frown grew as the transmission continued. It was too long to be a simple acknowledgment of his arrival. When it finished, he waited a few moments to make sure nothing else was coming through, then removed his headset. He pulled out the codebook from the case and set about decoding the message. When he’d finished, he sat back, staring at the message in surprise.

  INFORMATION RECEIVED SINCE YOUR DEPARTURE. JIAN IN OSLO. PROCEED WITH MISSION. FOLLOW ENEMY AGENT PROTOCOL. JIAN IS PRIORITY. ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF INSTRUCTION.

  The English spy was in Oslo? Gruber’s brow furrowed and he lifted his eyes to stare across the room. Why would she be here? The last he knew she was in France, meeting with a member of the French Intelligence in Metz. Why come to Norway now?

  His lips tightened. The British must know about Operation Weserübung. That was the only explanation for Jian’s presence on the eve of the operation. How had they found out? It was impossible! Even the crews on the ships setting sail didn’t know where they were going yet. How had the English discovered it?

  His gaze shifted back to the message. Enemy agent protocol. They wanted him to watch and report on every contact the English spy known as Jian made. He wasn’t to apprehend unless absolutely necessary. They wanted to know who she was meeting, where, and when. Once they knew her network, they could roll it up and, eventually, take her down with it.

  Herr Gruber got up restlessly and took a turn around the small room. He had been given Jian’s case six months ago, and he had been looking for leads ever since. Aside from a few random references, all of which turned out to be false, it was as if the spy had disappeared. After slipping through the SD’s fingers in Stockholm in November, she had dropped out of action. Until last month. A radio transmission from Paris had alerted them to the possibility of her surfacing there, and upon further investigation, it had turned out to be the first genuine sighting in four months. Unfortunately, he had arrived in Metz a day too late. She had alr
eady disappeared again, along with the member of French Intelligence whom she had been meeting. He had returned to Germany under the impression that she was now working in France. It made perfect sense, of course. The French and British knew they would go after France. It was only a matter of time. And he and his controllers were perfectly content to wait until they were there to focus on Jian.

  But now here she was in Oslo, and that changed everything.

  Gruber went back to the radio and sat down, replacing the headset and beginning his acknowledgment transmission. A familiar rush of excitement went through him. Finally, he would be able to lay eyes on the spy that had the SD and Abwehr both chomping at the bit. At last, perhaps he would find out what was so important about this one spy.

  INSTRUCTION ACKNOWLEDGED. WILL COMMENCE SURVEILLANCE IMMEDIATELY. - EISENJAGER

  Chapter Thirteen

  ––––––––

  Anna stared at Evelyn in disbelief across the small table in the back corner of a café.

  “Are you serious?” she demanded, her steaming cup of coffee forgotten on the table before her. “You really think they’re coming?”

  “Why do you seem so surprised?” Evelyn asked, raising her eyebrows. “You heard what Kristian said last night.”

  “Yes, but it’s one thing to debate the possibility and quite another to have it confirmed by the embassy,” she replied, sitting back in her chair and exhaling heavily. “We’ve heard these reports before, but they were never accurate.”

  “I think this time they might be,” Evelyn said slowly. “There are too many of them now. There has to be some truth there.”

  Anna pressed her lips together.

  “If the Germans are coming, and I’m not saying I believe that they are, then we’re completely outnumbered,” she said slowly. “They’ll roll right in, and it will be a complete disaster. Our government hasn’t prepared for this, and our army is certainly not ready to take on the Wehrmacht.”

  Evelyn was silent. They both knew that if Germany invaded, Norway had no chance of surviving without the immediate aid of England and France. Evelyn knew that England already had ships on the way, and now it was simply a race to see who reached Norway first: England or Germany.

  “You can’t possibly consider continuing,” Anna continued after a moment, her dark eyes probing Evelyn’s. “If you really think there’s something to all these reports, you need to get out of Norway.”

  “I can’t, not until I’ve done what I came to do.”

  “Don’t be stupid, Marlene!” Anna exclaimed, lowering her voice hastily when it came out louder than she intended. “You can’t continue to try to recruit people for a network in the middle of an invasion. It’s suicide!”

  “I agree, but an invasion hasn’t begun yet, and it may not,” she pointed out. “Just because I think it’s likely doesn’t make it so. We need to prepare for it, but I also need to continue working until I can’t work anymore.”

  Anna shook her head and reached for her coffee.

  “You’re absolutely insane,” she muttered. “But if I can’t convince you, I’ll have to help you. What do you have in mind?”

  “I need to contact London,” Evelyn told her, leaning forward, her voice low. “I don’t want to go through the embassy. It’s too risky.”

  “Then how are you going to...” Anna’s voice trailed off as understanding lit her eyes and she smiled slowly. “Of course. Our new friend with the radio.”

  “Actually, I was thinking more of the one here in Oslo. I don’t have time to go back to Drammen, as much as I would prefer to use Kristian.”

  “What if he won’t do it? It’s entirely possible that he won’t want to have anything to do with any of this.”

  “Then I’ll have to go back to Drammen,” she said with a shrug.

  Anna sighed and drummed her fingers on the table thoughtfully.

  “I’ll go round to their shop on Uranienborgveien when we leave and speak to Peder,” she finally said. “He’ll remember me, and with Kristian’s recommendation I may be able to work something out. I’ll tell him I have a friend who needs to send an urgent message to England and see if he can help.”

  “I’ll come with you.”

  Anna shook her head.

  “No. It’s best if I go alone,” she said, holding up her hand when Evelyn looked as if she would protest. “Be sensible. If the Germans are indeed on their way here, the last thing we need is you making yourself known all over Oslo. If Peder is willing to help and seems predisposed to be sympathetic to the idea of using his radio in defense of France and England, then I’ll bring you to him. But if he isn’t, then the only one compromised here is me.”

  Evelyn frowned in displeasure but didn’t argue. She couldn’t. Anna was right. If an invasion was imminent, the less people who had actually seen her and could identify her, the better.

  “Very well,” she agreed.

  “Good,” Anna said with a nod. “If he’s willing, then I’ll come get you and we’ll go together. If he’s not, I’ll contact Kristian and arrange for you to meet with him. Perhaps he can meet you halfway.”

  Evelyn looked across the table at her friend. After a moment, she set her cup down.

  “Anna, we need to discuss what you will do if there is an invasion,” she said slowly. “You can’t stay in the city. If the Germans come, so will the SS, and they already have you on their radar.”

  “I know.” Anna met her look and smiled faintly. “If that happens, I will leave Oslo.”

  “Where will you go?”

  “North. If we’re invaded, there’s no way we can hold out for long. Norway will fall. If I go North, there are places I can hide until I can change my appearance. I’ll change my name and continue on.”

  “Continue on doing what?” Evelyn pressed. “The embassy will close and Carew will leave Norway. You’ll be out of a job.”

  “I’ll be out of that job, yes,” Anna agreed. “But if we are invaded, believe me when I say there will be other opportunities. You’re not the only one willing to fight for your country.”

  “You’re talking about a resistance.”

  “Yes.”

  Evelyn was silent, studying the other woman. If the worst happened, and Norway was occupied, having Anna in a resistance movement would be something that MI6 could make good use of. With her skills in translation, she would be a huge asset to have already in place.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “I was just thinking that any resistance movement would be very lucky to have you,” Evelyn said with a quick smile, finishing her coffee. She wasn’t about to tell her what she was really thinking. There would be time enough for that if an invasion really did occur. “While you talk with Peder, I’ll send a message to the embassy and tell Carew that I’m staying in Oslo for the time being.”

  “Are you sure I can’t talk you out of it?”

  “Yes. I’ll worry about leaving when it becomes apparent that there is no other choice.”

  Anna frowned and shook her head as the two women stood.

  “I just hope that won’t be too late.”

  ––––––––

  Evelyn followed Anna into the shop on Uranienborgveien and looked around, the bell over the door jingling as it swung shut. The small store seemed to both sell and repair everything from radios to bicycles. As she came in, a man about Kristian’s age looked up from where he was bent over a household radio behind the counter, a screwdriver in his hand. He nodded to Anna and his eyes went to Evelyn.

  “Is this the one?” he asked, straightening up. “She’s not what I was expecting.”

  “And what were you expecting?” Evelyn asked in Norwegian, raising an eyebrow.

  The man looked startled, then grinned.

  “She said you were English,” he said, setting down the screwdriver and wiping his hands on a clean rag. “My ap
ologies. I didn’t know you spoke our language.”

  Evelyn nodded, a reluctant smile coming to her lips. “Apology accepted. But what were you expecting?”

  “I’m not sure,” he admitted. “Someone older, I think, and much uglier.”

  Anna laughed. “Now I know I never said anything that would give you that impression,” she said. “Don’t listen to him, Marlene. He’s just trying to stir up trouble.”

  “I never stir up trouble,” Peder retorted, coming out from behind the counter and moving forward with his hand outstretched. “A pleasure to meet you, Miss Elfman. I’m Peder Strand.”

  Evelyn took his offered hand. “Please call me Marlene.”

  “I understand you’re trying to get a message to your uncle in London. Why not send a telegram?”

  “It’s rather complicated,” she said with a smile. “I’d rather send it directly to his office.”

  His brown eyes met hers and he considered her thoughtfully for a long minute before releasing her hand. Turning his head, he looked towards the back of the shop.

  “Rolf!” he bellowed.

  Evelyn started and he turned back to her.

  “I’ll have my brother mind the store while we go to the back,” he told her. “I can’t promise anything, but I’ll try.”

  She nodded and looked to the back of the store as a young man with dark hair emerged from an open door.

  “Rolf, watch the store for a few minutes,” Peder said, leading them towards the back. “I won’t be very long.”

  His brother nodded, glancing at Anna and Evelyn curiously as he went behind the counter.

  “What’s the story with this radio?” he asked over his shoulder.

  “Mr. Brevig said that it’s not receiving,” Peder said. “I was going to open it and take a look. You can do it, if you like. See if you can discover what’s wrong with it. Just don’t change anything until I return. I’ll check to see how you did.”