by CW Browning
Evelyn nodded, smiling sadly. “I know.”
“When we reach Namsos, we can get a message to our battalion and find out where and how to rejoin them,” Philip told Erik.
“Yes. Anna, I’ll make arrangements for you to get back to Rindal and our parents,” Erik said with a nod.
“You don’t have to make arrangements for me,” Anna retorted, tossing her head. “I can make my own way.”
“How? You don’t drive and the trains are too dangerous. The Germans are bombing the tracks and the stations.”
“I’ll find a way.”
“You’re being stubborn.”
“I think I’m entitled to be stubborn after everything we’ve been through,” Anna shot back.
Evelyn watched the two siblings arguing and felt an acute stab of homesickness. They reminded her forcibly of herself and Robbie, and suddenly all she wanted was to get home and see his freckled, laughing face.
Philip made a face and got up from his seat, turning away from the table.
“While you two have your argument, I will tell Jørgen that we’ll be leaving shortly,” he said over his shoulder. “If we’re going to make it there today, we need to get started.”
“He’s right,” Erik said, rolling up the map. “Now that we have a plan, it’s time to leave. Marlene, you will stay with us through the mountains. Once we reach the road, I’ll give you this map and we will separate.”
She nodded, avoiding looking at Anna.
“Let’s get moving.”
14th April, 1940
My dear Evelyn,
How are you? I think of you often. Now that this war seems to be moving in the direction we both knew it would, I wonder if you’re as anxious for it to get going as I am. I feel as if we’ve been waiting indefinitely, and now we’re still waiting. I suppose this is the normal progression of things, but I really must admit I wish I could just jump into the fight. I’m sure you feel the same way, stuck in Wales as you are. You’re probably bored silly. Don’t worry, though. You’ll be back at Northolt any day now and I’m sure Durton will bring some kind of excitement to your daily grind. But not too much, I hope!
I survived my first recon flight. We took off at four-thirty in the morning and landed in France to refuel just in time for breakfast. We were supposed to continue immediately, but lo and behold, there was heavy cloud cover over our target. So instead we were told to stand down for a few hours to see if it cleared. Eventually it did, and we got underway again. It was an extremely nerve-wracking flight, I don’t mind saying. We flew over three different points in Germany, taking photographs from a special camera fitted onto the belly of our Spits. We really did expect to run into some enemy fire, but we didn’t see even one wingtip to shoot at. I honestly don’t think the Jerries even knew we were there! We did our sweep and flew back to base without any trouble whatsoever. In the end, it was all rather dull.
Rob was thoroughly disgusted with the whole thing, and so was the Yank. As much as I want the war to get underway at last, and for all this waiting to end, I was rather glad that we all got back without any incidents. Does that make me a coward? On the one hand, I’m more than ready to get to work and meet the enemy head-on, but on the other, I’m rather glad it didn’t happen the other day. I don’t know what that means, really. Everyone else was very upset not to have had a great scrap.
Did you see the news out of Norway? We sunk eight of Jerry’s destroyers and one of her U-boats at Narvik yesterday! It’s absolutely fantastic! The U-boat was actually bombed by a catapult plane off a battleship. The CO thinks it might be the first time that’s ever happened. We did have an aircraft carrier there, as well. All said, it was a much-needed victory, and one that will hopefully show Hitler that we mean business. I’ve heard that we’re also landing troops today or tomorrow. I just hope it’s not too little, too late. The Germans have control of all the airfields in Norway, and their paratroopers are the best in the world. I want to believe that we can take Norway back, but I know that it will be a very hard fight to do so. If we’d gone earlier...but I suppose there’s no point in looking back. At least Chamberlain is finally showing some teeth. Not many, mind, but some.
I do feel sorry for the Norwegians. I saw some photos in the newspaper of the bombings the Luftwaffe have been hitting them with. It must be like living in a nightmare to have enemy troops pouring into your towns and not being able to do anything about it. I can’t even begin to imagine how they’re coping with it all.
Oh! I almost forgot. While we were whiling away the time in France waiting for our flight over the Fatherland, Rob and I and some of the others went round to their local café for some coffee. While we were there, Rob fell to talking with one of the locals. They didn’t seem to very concerned at all about the possibility of an invasion. It seems that most of the French think that the Maginot will protect them. I was rather surprised that no one over there seems very worried. It made me think of the fun side of your family, in Paris. Are they of the same mind? Or will they leave France? Rob seems to think they’ll stay, even though your mother would be thrilled to have them come here. Do you think they will? I’d love to meet them.
I hope you return soon. I miss you. I’ll drive down to Northolt to see you. Just let me know when.
Always yours,
FO Miles Lacey
RAF Duxford
Outside Namsos
Evelyn looked through the binoculars at the wide river below separating her from the port town of Namsos. The bridge spanning it looked clear, and there was no sign of a German truck or soldier in sight. She breathed a silent sigh of relief. Turning her head slightly, she looked to the left where she could just make out large shapes in the distant harbors.
“They’re there,” she said, lowering the binoculars and passing them back to Erik. “I can just make them out in the harbor.”
“Yes.” He took them and passed her a folded road map. “Here. Take this in case you need it. This was from Peder’s car. It’s not as good as the one we’ve been using, but it will help you in a pinch.”
“I hardly think I’ll need it,” she said with a smile, taking it nonetheless. “It’s a straight shot across the bridge and through the town to the docks. I’ll be fine, but thank you.”
She began to remove the rifle slung across her body, but he laid a hand on her arm to stop her, shaking his head.
“No. You keep it. You may have need of it yet.”
“It does look odd, though,” Anna said with a grin. “A woman walking through town dressed in farming clothes, carrying a suitcase, and wearing a gun. I would look twice.”
Evelyn looked down at herself and, for first time since this five-day ordeal had begun, seemed to realize just how ridiculous she looked. She grimaced comically, wondering what on earth her London crowd would say if they saw her now. The grimace turned into a faint look of horror and she was suddenly very grateful that she was hundreds of miles away.
“I look a sight,” she agreed, shaking her head. “You don’t think I’ll be stopped, do you?”
“Not likely,” he assured her with a smile. “There are too many people fleeing the Germans with nothing but what was on their backs. You may look odd, but so do many others.”
Anna grinned. “We’re a long way from the Hotel Bistro, ja?”
Evelyn met her eyes and couldn’t stop the laugh that sprang to her lips. “A very long way,” she agreed. “Oh God, it’s probably filled with Germans troops now. What a ghastly thought!”
She handed Anna Peder’s radio, taking her suitcase in return. Smiling sadly, she glanced down at the radio case.
“Promise me you’ll get that to Kristian and get it fixed and working again,” she said. “It seems like the least we can do for him.”
Erik smiled faintly. “We will. It will honor his memory when we continue to use it,” he promised. “Don’t worry.”
“How will I contact
you once it’s working again?” Anna asked.
Evelyn swallowed the sudden lump that came to her throat. This was it. She was really saying goodbye to the companions that had been through so much with her in such a short amount of time. It was like saying goodbye to family, only worse because she knew she would never see them again.
“I could give you the frequency, but I have a feeling that will change when I get back,” she said. “But our people in London will know the call sign of this radio. We’ll reach out to you.”
Anna nodded then smiled, her eyes meeting hers. “Be sure that you do,” she said. “I fully intend on continuing what we started together.”
Evelyn nodded. “I know you will. Thank you.” She hesitated for a moment, then, “And thank you for everything you’ve done since I arrived. I’m so sorry it all turned out this way, and I’m so very sorry about Peder. I never meant for...”
Anna shushed her, shaking her head and putting a hand on her shoulder.
“None of us did. This was never supposed to happen. But it did, and we must all do the best we can with what time we have now. Peder made his choice when he came to tell me about the ships outside Oslofjorden. He was not your responsibility. You must stop feeling that he was. The Germans would have come, whether you were here or not. I’m just happy I was in a position to be able to get you this far.”
She gave her a fierce hug then pulled away.
“You take care of yourself, Marlene, and I’ll see you the next time you come to visit.”
Evelyn nodded and smiled, not trusting herself to speak. Instead, she turned to Erik.
“I think I owe the most to you,” she said, holding out her hand. “Thank you.”
He gripped her hand and nodded brusquely.
“You’re welcome.” His fingers tightened on hers suddenly when she would have pulled her hand away. “It was an honor. You’re a very brave woman, and much stronger than some of the men I’ve known. Hold on to that strength. It will get you through this war. And you will get through it, of that I have no doubt. There are very few who can see what you’ve seen, and keep going. Never doubt yourself again.”
Evelyn swallowed again, pushing down the feeling of sorrow that threatened her composure and made her throat tight.
“Thank you. I won’t.” She smiled tremulously. “At least, not as badly as I did the other night.”
He nodded again and released her hand, one of his rare smiles crossing his lips as he did so.
She turned and held her hand out to Philip. “Take care of yourself, Philip.”
“And you as well,” he said with a smile. “It was a pleasure to fight by your side. You’re a remarkable woman. God speed you on your way.”
She nodded and released his hand, turning away to look back over the river below them.
“We’ll rest and give you a head start,” Erik said, turning to look out over the water with her. “Remember, if you see any Germans, don’t panic. They’ll think you are a Norwegian. Just continue as normal and don’t draw any attention to yourself.”
Evelyn took a deep breath and nodded. Then she glanced behind her, gave Anna one last smile, and started down the snowy hillside towards the road below. She reached the bottom a few minutes later and turned to look up. All three of her companions were still standing in the trees at the top, watching her. A stab of sorrow went through her and she wondered if they would survive the coming weeks. She knew now how quickly it could all end in a storm of bullets. And if the Germans ever discovered they had been the ones to help her...
She turned away resolutely, tucking her last sight of Anna and her brother away in her mind. There was no way she could ever repay Anna for everything she had done for her, and now she was just as much indebted to her extraordinary brother and his friend, both of whom who had risked the wrath of their battalion to help get her to Namsos safely. They had all risked so much when they didn’t have to. It seemed terrible and heartless to be leaving them to an uncertain future as she went towards safety and freedom. Yet she had no other choice, and she knew both Anna and Erik understood. It was why they had risked so much to get her this far.
Evelyn glanced back over her shoulder a few moments later to find the ridge empty, and a strange feeling of loneliness rolled over her. She was alone.
She shifted the rifle to hang at her side and tightened her grip on her suitcase and toiletries case. The bridge to Namsos was about a quarter mile up the road. She just had to get across and then she could make her way through the town to the docks. The bridge was the only place she would be exposed. There would be nowhere to hide if a truck of SS soldiers came rumbling towards her.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. Erik was right. Even if she did come across German soldiers, there was absolutely no reason for them to suspect who she was. She was dressed as a Norwegian, she spoke as a Norwegian, and she had Norwegian papers with a false name, courtesy of Olav Larsen, thank God. She would be fine.
She just had to make it across the bridge.
Chapter Thirty-Three
––––––––
Bialystok, Poland
Vladimir crossed the lobby of his hotel and nodded to the man behind the desk.
“Are there any messages for me?”
The man nodded and turned to pull a sealed telegram out of a cubby hole behind the desk.
“This telegram arrived for you this morning, shortly after you left, Comrade Lyakhov,” he said, handing it to him.
Vladimir nodded and turned to stride towards the stairs. The lift was broken and had been since he arrived, but he didn’t mind taking the stairs to his room on the fourth floor. He had always much preferred the stairs. He felt as if he was trapped in a box when he took the lift.
He went up the steps quickly, one gloved hand on the railing, the clip of his boots echoing off the aging tiled walls. At one time, the hotel had been a respectably furnished, up and coming establishment that catered to those who could afford a little more than the ordinary lodgings. But time, and the coming of another war, had dampened any such aspirations. In another year, the tiled walls would begin to show the wear of neglect, necessitated by the stringent economic policies of the Soviet Union. It was inevitable, and was already beginning if the broken lift was any indication.
Vladimir reached the fourth floor and turned to stride down the long corridor to the last door on the left. A moment later, he was closing the door and tossing his hat onto a chair. He unwound the scarf from his neck and began to pull off his leather gloves.
He’d spent a long morning combing one of the southern neighborhoods of the city, looking for the sailor who had been working with the German SD. Once he found him, he could interrogate him, eliminate him, and then get back to Moscow. And that would be another case closed.
Throwing his gloves onto the chair with his hat, he unbuttoned his coat and shrugged out of it before carrying the telegram over to the small desk in the corner. He sat down and tore it open, scanning it quickly.
AGENT STILL IN COUNTRY. SS CORNERED HER IN STEINKJER BUT FAILED TO DETAIN. WHEREABOUTS UNKNOWN. SHE MAY BE HEADING TO NAMSOS. WILL CONTINUE TO PURSUE LEADS. CONTACT AGAIN SHORTLY.
Vladimir set the telegram down on the desk and tapped it thoughtfully, his lips pressed together in a frown. Mikhail had been looking for Evelyn for two and a half days now. The man was one of the NKVD’s best agents, and he had no doubt at all that Mikhail was using Eisenjager himself to track down the British agent. The very fact that he still had no idea of her location was both a blessing and a curse. If Eisenjager didn’t know where she was then she was relatively safe for now. However, if Mikhail didn’t find her soon, her luck wouldn’t continue to hold out.
He got up and went over to the bed, reaching down to pull out a square case from underneath. He had been hoping to hear that she was safely away from Norway, but that didn’t appear to be so. Vladimir unsnapped the case a
nd flipped it open, removing the folded shirts and setting them on the bed. He lifted out the false bottom to reveal a variety of papers and codebooks. After quickly sorting through them, he extracted a codebook and replaced the false bottom, closing the case.
If she was heading for Namsos, it could be that she was on her way to an extraction point. He sincerely hoped that was the case, but if it wasn’t, all was not lost. Mikhail had his orders. If he found her before Eisenjager, he would get her across the border into Sweden, where Vladimir would meet them himself. It wasn’t ideal by any means, but it was far better than the alternative if Evelyn was trapped in Norway with Eisenjager.
Crossing back to the small desk, Vladimir set down the codebook and opened the drawer to pull out a telegram pad. It was time to send a message to the imbeciles in London. They were very close to losing an extremely promising young agent through their utterly careless stupidity. They had been given numerous warnings that Hitler was about to invade Norway, and yet they had disregarded all of them. Worse, they had sent a green agent, with no field experience in enemy territory, into Oslo. Vladimir was well aware of the so-called training MI6 provided its agents. It was deplorable, not to mention dangerous. She would have absolutely no idea how to navigate through German occupied territory and not be seen. It would be a complete waste. If Evelyn could only be properly trained, then she would be a force to be reckoned with, and one that would be unstoppable.
But first, she had to get out of Norway, and out of Eisenjager’s path.
Namsos, Norway
The man known as Mikhail leaned against a lamp post and bit into a sandwich, seemingly taking a break. His eyes, however, darted from one street corner to the other, memorizing every face that moved along the main street just blocks from the water. British troops had been marching through the small town for the past few hours, unloading from the cruisers and destroyers that had sailed into the fjord. The town was bustling, and an unsuppressed excitement buzzed through the streets. The British had come to help fend off the Nazis.