“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.”
“Will the people follow him?” Bill asked, going back to his chair and resuming his seat. “I always got the impression he didn’t garner very many followers.”
“He doesn’t, and I know King Haakon can’t stand the man. The Norwegian military is loyal to the King. Quisling won’t be able to take control of them so easily, not while the King is still alive.”
Bill looked up sharply. “You think the Germans will try to assassinate him?”
“They’d be fools if they didn’t,” Jasper replied. “He commands the loyalty of the military and the people. He is a beloved leader. If Hitler wants to control Norway, he needs to remove the king.”
“Is King Haakon still in Oslo?”
“Yes.”
“Oslo will be one of the landing points if they do try to invade. If the king is still there...” Bill’s voice trailed off and he shook his head. “I wish I had known all of this yesterday.”
“Would you have pulled Jian out?” Jasper asked, watching his face.
Bill was silent for a long time, then he sighed heavily.
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “She’s clearly making progress, and in the absence of irrefutable proof of an invasion, it might be premature to pull her out. The ships could be going to Sweden for all we know.”
“And if they do go to Norway?”
“Then I’ll contact Carew and have him get a message to her,” Bill said after another long silence. “He’ll know how to find her; one of his translators is working with her.”
Jasper nodded slowly. “As long as you get her out in time,” he said. “I don’t want to lose her in Norway. We’re going to need her, and more like her. You know that.”
“Yes.”
“If she does manage to put some kind of network together, and the Germans do invade, we’ll already have something in place,” Jasper said thoughtfully. “Chamberlain will send troops to support the Norwegians. He won’t have a choice. When he does, we can send in equipment for the people she’s organized. That will go a long way to establishing our seeds.”
“As long as the Germans don’t get to them first,” Bill said. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet. I have every confidence that Evelyn can succeed, but I have less confidence that a sudden invasion won’t make her new recruits scatter. And who would blame them?”
“Even if they do, you and I both know that when the dust settles, they’ll emerge again. People like that always do. They wouldn’t agree to do it otherwise.”
Bill nodded slowly.
“And they would be fighting to get their country back. I can’t think of a better motivation than that,” he agreed. “I’ll keep Jian in place as long as I think it wise, but then I’m pulling her out, whether she’s finished or not. As you said, we’re going to need her. I don’t want to risk losing her in Norway.”
“Agreed.”
Moscow, USSR
Vladimir Lyakhov opened the door of the large, three-story building that occupied half of the section of Ulitsa Bol'shaya Lubyanka and stepped outside onto the pavement. A sharp wind howled down the city street and he fastened his coat before turning to walk towards the corner. It was April, but the wind still carried the bite of winter, and the heavy clouds in the sky threatened an onslaught of rain or snow. Even so, the fresh air was welcome to the NKVD agent, who had spent the last four hours in an interrogation room with a man who reeked of rotting onions.
Taking a deep breath, Vladimir reached the corner of the building and glanced down the intersecting street to his right. A short man in a dull brown overcoat and hat nodded to him, and Vladimir nodded once in acknowledgment before stepping off the curb and crossing the street. His departure had been noted.
Reaching the pavement on the other side, he strode along the busy street towards the square. It was nice to
