They all climbed onto the tram, and Eisenjager moved to the back corner where he could observe her easily without being noticed. Once he saw where she was going and who she was meeting, he would report back to Hamburg with his findings on both Jian and the airports and train stations in and around Oslo. The information on the infrastructure would be forwarded to the SS and the invasion troops, enabling them to secure the capital quickly tomorrow, when Operation Weserübung commenced. By nightfall, Oslo would be in German hands. Then he could concentrate on Jian.
But first things first. He would see who she was meeting and where she was going today. That would give him a good idea of her purpose in Oslo, and of the network that she was in contact with here. Once the Gestapo had rolled up the network, they would know exactly what the agent’s plans were.
And then he would go to work.
––––––––
Evelyn lifted her hand to knock on the door. Olav’s building hadn’t improved with the knowledge of what to expect, and she was fairly certain that the strong smell of garlic in the hallway hadn’t been there yesterday. As her gloved knuckles fell on the wood, she resisted the urge to wrinkle her nose and instead glanced over her shoulder towards the stairwell. All of her instincts seemed to be in overdrive this morning. She had felt unusually on edge ever since leaving the boarding house, and yet there was no reason for her to feel so uneasy. Everything was going surprisingly well on this visit to Oslo, despite her initial reservations about attempting to build a network for MI6 on foreign soil. Perhaps Bill was right. Perhaps she was made for this.
Olav opened the door and nodded to her, standing aside so that she could enter the apartment. As he did so, he grimaced.
“I’m sorry for the smell,” he said, closing the door behind her. “Mr. Lotte at the end likes to cook and, as you can tell, gets carried away with the garlic at times. He spent a month in Sicily last year, and that was all it took.”
Evelyn laughed. “At least it confines itself to the hallway,” she said.
“That is true. Come. Everything is ready for you.”
He led the way through the living room to the small room on the other side and went in. Evelyn followed, blinking in the dim light. The curtains were pulled tight over the window and only a single lamp shone in the corner.
“Oh. Let me open the curtains,” he said. “I pull them closed when I’m working, but it makes it very dark in here.”
Olav crossed to the small window and threw open the curtains, letting in the murky daylight from the overcast sky. The room brightened considerably, and Evelyn looked at the long table along the wall. Most of the clutter had been pushed to the end, but in the center was a passport and two identification papers.
“May I?” she asked, motioning to the table.
Olav nodded. “Please.”
Evelyn walked over to the table and picked up the passport, examining it closely.
“Here.” He walked over to the bright lamp he’d used the day before when taking her photograph and switched it on. “Bring it over here and look under the light.”
Evelyn did so and stared at the passport in surprise. It was a perfect duplicate of a real passport.
“This is fantastic,” she murmured, turning it over. “It looks just like the real thing.”
Olav smiled faintly. “That’s what you’re paying me for.”
She glanced up and nodded, a smile coming to her lips. “So I am.”
She turned and went to pick up the identification papers, finding that they were of the same superior quality.
“You have quite a talent,” she said, turning to face him. “Really, it’s quite exceptional.”
He inclined his head. “Thank you.”
Evelyn set them down and opened her purse, pulling out a stack of bills. She held them out to him.
“I appreciate this,” she said, “and thank you for doing them so quickly.”
Olav took the money, counting it quickly.
“You’re welcome.” He lifted his eyes to hers. “But I have a strong feeling that you didn’t come only for identification papers.”
Evelyn smiled and shook her head.
“No, I didn’t. I would like to ask if Anna can use your services in the future,” she said. “You will, of course, charge your usual rates, and you would be paid extra for your discretion.”
He studied her thoughtfully for a long moment.
“How much extra?”
“Ten percent?”
He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Simply for my discretion?” he asked. “Discretion is already part of my business.”
“Consider it as added insurance against any...possible unpleasantness.”
To her surprise, he chuckled.
“That also is already part of my business,” he told her, tucking the money into his pocket. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall, his eyes on her face. “Let’s dispense with the games, shall we? Who do you work for and why are you really here? I know it wasn’t just to get a passport and papers. Tell me what you’re really asking me to do, and I can give you an honest answer.”
Evelyn nodded.
“Very well. I work with the British embassy, and I’ve been authorized to arrange for certain safeguards in the case of a German invasion of Norway.” She paused, then shrugged. “There are many who believe such an invasion is imminent. If it is, then Norway will need people who are willing to help others oppose the Nazis.”
His face was unreadable as he stared at her across the room.
“And those people will need identification
