Night Falls on Norway

by CW Browning

  Peder held open the door at the back for the two women, motioning them to go through.

  “He’s still apprenticing,” he explained, following them through the door. “He’s good, but still has a lot to learn.”

  “Is everyone in your family good with radios?” Anna asked, looking around the small storeroom they were in.

  “Not everyone, no. Rolf and I are the radio experts.” Peder moved through the small storeroom to another door and opened it, motioning them forward. “Come. The office is back here.”

  Evelyn glanced at Anna and followed, her shoulders unconsciously stiffening as she went through the second door. No threat waited on the other side, however, and she relaxed as she stepped into a spacious office with two desks and a large window overlooking a tiny patch of grass.

  “Kristian said you’ve been doing this for a long time,” Anna said, looking around. “Did you start in school as well?”

  “Yes. We both became interested in radios around the same time.” Peder went over to a tall cabinet and opened it. “Your brother thought we were crazy.”

  “My brother thinks a lot of people are crazy,” she replied with a flash of teeth.

  He pulled out a large case and carried it over to the desk closest to the window, setting it down carefully.

  “In our case, he wasn’t too far off,” he said with a short laugh. “We were very silly in those days. I suppose we did seem rather insane.”

  “Is that it?” Evelyn asked, walking forward as he opened the case. “It’s not very big.”

  Peder glanced at her. “It doesn’t need to be. I’ve designed the transmitter to be more powerful while taking up less space.”

  “How heavy is it?”

  “About fifteen pounds.” He pulled an antenna from the back of the case and unwound the cord, carrying it over to attach it to the window. “I wanted to make something portable that I could transport easily to the conferences and meetings that I attend. I got tired of lugging thirty pounds of equipment with me.”

  “Thirty pounds!” Anna exclaimed. “I should think so! Is that how much your old one weighed?”

  “That’s how much most of them weigh,” Evelyn said, bending down to examine the radio on the desk. “At least, from what I’ve heard,” she added hastily.

  “The ones that are powerful enough to transmit over long distances, yes,” Peder agreed. “There are smaller ones that are short-range and they are much lighter. With this one I retained the range while lightening it up. I think it worked out very well.”

  He plugged the machine into an outlet and looked at Evelyn.

  “I can send a message for you, but I need to know what frequency and where to send it.”

  Evelyn nodded and opened her purse, pulling out a slip of paper and passing it to him. “This is where it needs to go.”

  He took the paper and read it, nodding. “Pull up a chair,” he said, seating himself before the radio. “Let me see if I can make contact. If I can, then you can tell me what you want to say.”

  Anna pulled a chair over and motioned Evelyn to sit.

  “What about you?”

  “There’s another one over there.”

  Evelyn nodded and sank onto the chair, watching as Peder put on a headset and began to fiddle with knobs on the machine. She had gone through basic training on a wireless radio in Scotland, with another crash course in December. She could operate a radio in a pinch, but she was very grateful to have someone who obviously knew what he was doing willing to help her.

  Silence fell over the office as he worked, and Evelyn glanced at Anna. She was watching Peder with avid curiosity. Catching Evelyn’s look, she grinned sheepishly.

  “I’ll admit I find it very interesting,” she whispered. “I wouldn’t mind learning myself.”

  “I’m happy to teach you,” Peder said over his shoulder, making her start. “If you really want to learn, that is.”

  “I do, actually,” Anna said. “I’m beginning to realize how handy it could be.”

  Peder shot her an unreadable look and Evelyn’s eyes narrowed. He wasn’t a stupid man. If he had built this machine from scratch, and it appeared that he had, he was far more brilliant than most. He had to know what Anna was referring to, and after that briefly searching look he’d given her in the shop, Evelyn was confident that he knew something was out of the ordinary with her as well. He would have to be an idiot to think that none of this had anything to do with the war.

  “I think I’ve got through,” he said after a few more moments, looking at Evelyn. “That was much faster than I was expecting. What do you want to say?”

  “Are you ready to start transmitting now?”

  He nodded. “I’m ready when you are.”

  Evelyn cleared her throat and glanced at Anna. She wished Anna wasn’t in the room, but there was no help for it.

  “Uncle George, I heard about Aunt Martha. I’m sorry I can’t be there. How sick is she? Do I need to come back?” Evelyn watched as Peder began transmitting the message, tapping it out in Morse code on a single metal paddle. “A storm is on the way and in three days, the good weather here will turn bad. I’m enjoying myself and meeting a lot of new people. If I must return, I’ll be sorry to leave, but happy to do so if it will help you.” Evelyn paused, watching, then, “Sign it as Jian.”

  “Jian?” Peder repeated, glancing at her. “How do you spell that?”

  “J-i-a-n.” She hesitated, then smiled. “It’s a nickname from when I was a girl.”

  He nodded and finished a minute later. “Am I waiting for a reply?”

  “If you don’t mind.”

  “How long does that usually take?” Anna asked.

  Evelyn shrugged. “It depends. Sometimes right away, and sometimes longer.”

  Peder removed his headset and turned to face Evelyn.

  “While we’re waiting, why don’t you tell me why you’re really here?” he asked pleasantly, crossing his arms over his chest and settling his dark gaze on her face.

  Evelyn raised her eyebrows. “Pardon?”

  “I just sent what I’m pretty sure was a coded message to London,” he said. “You could have done that from any other radio in the city, or from the embassy. Why me?”

  She swallowed and saw Anna look at her out of the corner of her eye.

  “Kristian said you were the best radio operator in Oslo,” she said slowly, keeping her eyes on his face. “I wanted to see for myself.”

  Peder raised his eyebrows. “And?”

  “And your machine is superior to anything I was expecting to find.”

  “Who are you? And don’t tell me you’re Anna’s friend. Who do you work for?”

  “I think you’ve already figured that out, haven’t you?” she asked softly.

  There was a long moment of charged silence and then a reluctant smile pulled at his lips.

  “I think so, yes,” he agreed, uncrossing his arms and reaching into his pocket for a packet of cigarettes. “Do you mind?” he asked, holding them up questioningly and she shook her head.

  “No.”

  “What are you doing in Norway?” he asked, offering them each a cigarette. Evelyn took one but Anna declined. “Are you here because you think the Germans will come? Or are you here because you think the British will come?”

  He leaned forward to light her cigarette and Evelyn couldn’t stop the faint smile that came to her lips. She’d known he wasn’t stupid. He was just the type of person they could use.

  “What do you think?” she asked.

  He lit his own cigarette before shaking out the match and sitting back.

  “I think Hitler will try anything. He’s arrogant, and his forces need the Swedish iron to keep going. Everyone knows Germany has none of their own. I don’t know if it will be Norway or Sweden, but I think he will try something.” He paused, then shrugged. “All the radio traffic o
ut of Germany says as much.”

  “You’ve been listening to them as well?” Anna asked. “Are all the amateur radio operators listening to the Germans?”

  Peder grinned. “Well, they make it so easy,” he said with a laugh. Then he sobered. “I don’t know that all of the others are listening, but a few of us are. And I don’t like the amount of traffic that’s been going between the Kriegsmarine and the Wehrmacht lately.”

  “What do you think it means?” Evelyn asked.

  “I think it means that Hitler is planning something big for Scandinavia, but I don’t know what.” Peder frowned. “He’s guaranteed that he will not breach Norway’s neutrality. Perhaps it is Sweden he is looking to.”

  Evelyn studied him for a minute. “What if it isn’t?”

  His lips tightened.

  “Then that’s a problem, and one that I think we’ll all have to face sooner rather than later.” He met her stare. “Is that why you’re here today? To know what I will do if the Germans try to invade Norway?”

  The blunt question took Anna aback and she let out a soft, involuntary gasp, but Evelyn smiled slowly, unsurprised.

  “I think I know what you will do,” she said. “Am I wrong?”

  There was a long, heavy silence, then he grinned. “Somehow I don’t think you’re wrong very often.”

  Evelyn let out a short laugh. “Oh, I’m wrong more often than I like to admit,” she told him. “But I don’t think this is one of those times.”

  Anna looked from one to the other, a frown on her face.

  “Will you stop speaking in riddles, please?” she asked. “What will he do?”

  “It’s more a matter of what he won’t do,” Evelyn said. “He won’t accept a German government, and he certainly won’t allow them to take away his radio.”

  “Ah yes. The radio. It all comes down to that, doesn’t it?” he asked. “That’s why you’re here, after all. Tell me if I’ve worked it out correctly. You want me to transmit information to the British that will help them in their war. And, if the Germans invade Norway, you want me to continue to supply your government with information on German movements and installations. Am I correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “And why does your government suddenly care so much for Norway?” he asked. “They violate our neutral waters regularly, and they’ve made no secret of the fact that they’re not opposed to preventing ships from bringing supplies into our harbors. Why would they suddenly care about what happens to Norway?”

  “Because if Norway falls to the Germans, the Kriegsmarine will have unlimited access to the Atlantic Ocean, and Hitler will have complete control over the North and Baltic Seas.”

  “And if we fall to the British?”

  Evelyn swallowed. “There is no talk of England invading Norway.”

  He gave her a skeptical look. “There was no talk of Hitler invading Poland either, until he did it,” he pointed out. Then he sighed. “I’m well aware of the danger of the war coming to our shores and, if it does, rest assured that I will do everything I can to help you and your country. If that means transmitting information, then I will do so happily.”

  He held up a finger when she opened her mouth to speak.

  “But I will not do so until that war comes to our shores,” he continued. “I will not break my government’s neutrality and risk my countrymen for the sake of playing secret agent for Britain.”

  Evelyn stared at him and slowly nodded. “I can understand that.”

  Before he could say anything, a sound came from the headset and he grabbed it, putting it on as he swung around to the radio. The room fell silent as he listened intently and began writing down the signals coming through. Evelyn watched him, her heart pounding. The answer had come quickly, which told her that they were already aware of the situation and had been waiting for a message from her. Would she be ordered back to England?

  After what seemed like forever, but was in reality only about three minutes, Peder removed the headset and turned to hand her the piece of paper.

  JIAN: AUNT MARTHA’S CONDITION HAS BEEN EXAGGERATED. YOUR RETURN NEXT WEEK AS PLANNED IS FINE. ENJOY YOURSELF AND BRING BACK A SOUVENIR. - UNCLE GEORGE

  Evelyn exhaled and stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray on the desk.

  “Well?” Anna asked.

  “Everything is fine,” she said, smiling at her. “Nothing to worry about.”

  “Well that’s a relief!”

  Evelyn turned her eyes to Peder.

  “I appreciate your candor,” she said. “I’m sorry that I won’t be seeing you again, but I really do understand your position.”

  He nodded. “Should anything change, so will my answer,” he said, standing. “However, until then, I will remain a passive observer.”

  Evelyn nodded and turned towards the door, tucking the paper he’d handed her into her purse.

  “God willing, nothing will change,” she said, “but if it does, Anna will know how to reach me.”

  Peder hesitated and Anna looked at him questioningly.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  Evelyn turned to look, raising an eyebrow.

  “Before you go,” he said slowly, his forehead creased in a thoughtful frown, “there’s someone you might want to talk to.”

  “Oh?”

  “He’s right here in Oslo.” He hesitated again, then sighed. “He’s an artist. He’s very...outspoken politically. I think he would be someone you would find useful. His name is Olav Larsen and he lives in Kampen.”

  Peder turned and went back to the desk, bending to scrawl something on a piece of paper. Returning, he held it out to Evelyn.

  “This is his address. You’ll find him there during the day. At night, he works. When you go, tell him I sent you about his artwork.”

  Evelyn took the address and smiled, her eyes meeting his warmly. “Thank you.”

  He nodded.

  “I wish you luck, Marlene, and God speed.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  ––––––––

  London, England

  April 7

  Bill nodded to the guard at the top of the stairs and held up his identification. The man looked at it and nodded, stepping aside to allow him through.

  “Good afternoon, sir,” he said. “Enjoying your Sunday?”

  Bill snorted as he tucked his wallet back into his coat pocket. “I’d be enjoying it a lot more if I wasn’t here,” he replied. “Is Montclair in his office?”

  “I believe so, sir. I haven’t seen him leave.”

  Bill nodded and strode down the corridor towards the office at the end. The last place he wanted to spend his Sunday afternoon was in Broadway. When the message calling him to Jasper’s office was delivered shortly after they returned from church, Marguerite hadn’t said a word, but her silence didn’t fool her husband. She was annoyed, and he couldn’t blame her. They were supposed to be on their way into the country for a few hours away from London and the war. Instead, he was here. Again.

  He reached the door and knocked once. Jasper called for him to enter and he went in, stripping off his gloves as he went.

  “Hallo, Buckley. Thanks for coming in.” He looked up from his desk. “I know it’s a nuisance on a Sunday.”

  “It’s not convenient, no, but it’s to be expected,” Bill replied, walking forward. “What’s going on?”

  “A reconnaissance flight spotted a large formation of German ships moving north,” Jasper said, sitting back in his chair and waving Bill into a seat. “They were in the North Sea.”

  Bill scowled. “When was this?”

  “Earlier today. The RAF scrambled some bombers, but between the two of us, I will be very surprised if they succeed. Have you heard from your agent in Oslo?”

  “Yes. She made contact yesterday from an unknown source.” Bill ran a hand over his face. “She said Germ
an forces were moving towards Norway, but I disregarded it.”

  “What?”

  He dropped his hand and shook his head. “We’ve been seeing these reports for weeks. You know that. They’re never accurate. I thought it was just another unsubstantiated report. The consulates have been flooded with them lately.”

  Jasper frowned, then sighed. “I don’t suppose I blame you,” he admitted. “What did you tell her?”

  “To stay put and finish her mission.” Bill got up restlessly. “Are we sure they were moving north?”

  Jasper nodded, watching him pace. “Yes. And the amount of ships is significant. Hitler’s got an invasion force on the move. The only question is whether it’s going to Norway or Sweden.”

  “If they’re in the North Sea, I think it’s safe to wager it’s Norway,” Bill muttered. “Damn! What about our own fleet?”

  “On their way to lay mines.” Jasper hesitated, then sighed. “They went in two groups, one for the northern waters and one for the southern. The first group is already in range of where they’re dropping the mines, but the southern group was recalled when we got news of the German convoy. The Prime Minister doesn’t want to risk an open sea battle.”

  Bill stared at him. “And the others?”

  “Too far north to run into them. They’re laying their mines, then they’ll head back.”

  Bill was silent, pacing. Jasper watched him for a moment, then cleared his throat.

  “Any word on how Jian is doing with the locals?”

  “She said she’s making progress, but no details on how much.” He stopped and glanced at Jasper. “Even if she does manage to put together a few people, it won’t be enough if the Germans invade Norway altogether.”

  Jasper nodded. “I know. But it will be a seed, Bill. And seeds grow.”

  “Only if they’re in the ground long enough to root,” he retorted. “The Germans will dig them out before they can set.”

  “Perhaps. Perhaps not.” Jasper pursed his lips thoughtfully. “Carew sent a message this morning. He said Vidkun Quisling has been making noises again. He was in Germany last month. If Hitler does invade, I won’t be surprised if he sets him up as the head of a puppet government.”