Turning back to the building, Eisenjager walked up to the door and went inside. He had gone to the boarding house where Jian was staying, only to discover that she had fled in the night ahead of the invasion. Hardly surprising when the guns at the battery on the fjord had begun firing at four in the morning. The advance warning had come earlier than any of them had expected, and as a result his pigeon had flown the coop. It couldn’t be helped, of course. All he could do now was try to determine in which direction she had gone, and then follow. And to do that, he had to begin with the woman she had been having dinner with last night at the Hotel Bistro.
Going over to the mailboxes on the lobby wall, he searched for the woman’s name. Salvesen. There it was. She was on the third floor. He turned and started towards the stairs. She worked at the British embassy, but he thought it very unlikely that she would have gone to work this morning. After all, the city was under siege, or very soon would be. Going to work would be the last thing on her mind.
He climbed the stairs, looking up as a couple came clamoring down from the second floor. They carried suitcases, and he moved to the side as they ran by. The man nodded to him, and Eisenjager nodded back pleasantly, turning to watch as they continued down the stairs to the ground floor. Another couple running from the advancing Germans. The streets were clogged with them, people trying to get out of the city and away from the invading troops they knew were coming. What they didn’t realize was that there was nowhere to go. Norway was being overrun and the borders secured. There was no way out.
Reaching the third floor, he turned and moved along the corridor until he reached the door with a little nameplate next to it that read Salvesen. Lifting his hand, he knocked loudly and waited, listening. There was no sound from the other side of the heavy wooden door and he frowned, lifting his hand to bang again.
“She’s not there.”
A voice spoke behind him and he turned to find an older woman standing in the doorway across the hall. He hesitated, then smiled.
“I’m sorry if I disturbed you,” he said in Norwegian. “Do you know Miss Salvesen?”
“Yes. She’s been my neighbor for over a year now.” The woman looked him up and down. “Are you from the embassy?”
“No. I’m a salesman. I had an appointment with her this morning.” He moved across the hall until he was standing before her and removed his hat politely. “Do you have any idea when she’ll return?”
“No. She had a visitor very late last night.” The woman frowned. “A young man. I don’t approve of men coming to visit single woman like that. It’s not decent. I’ve never known Anna to have one up that late before. She’s a nice, good girl. Of course, now I know he was probably coming to warn her.”
“Warn her?”
She looked surprised. “About the Germans, of course.”
“Oh yes, of course.” He smiled apologetically. “Did she leave with him?”
“Yes. I saw them get into his car in the street.” She tilted her head and looked up at him. “She had a case with her. I don’t think she’s coming back very soon. She locked everything up tight. I can’t say that I blame her. Most of the building has left already. Doors have been slamming and people running out of here for the past two hours or more.”
“You aren’t leaving?” he asked.
She shrugged. “Where am I going to go? This is my home. I’ve got nowhere else.”
He nodded and his face softened slightly. “You will be just fine. I’ve traveled extensively in Germany over the past year. They are a good people. They will not bother you.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I think you’ll find that I am,” he said with a smile, replacing his hat and bowing slightly. “Thank you.” He started to turn away, then paused and turned back. “You don’t happen to remember what kind of car they were in, do you?” he asked.
She thought for a moment. “Yes, as a matter of fact I do. It was a black Volvo. A ‘37 PV51, I think.”
He raised his eyebrows in surprised. “You know the make and model?”
“My son has one and I remember thinking to myself, oh that’s just like Stefan’s car. Of course, Stefan’s is much nicer. He runs a factory in Asker and can afford to maintain his automobile. The young man last night clearly could not. Or perhaps he purchased it from someone who didn’t take very good care of it.”
“It wasn’t in very good condition, then?”
“It’s not so much that it was in bad condition, but it looked...worn, if you know what I mean. Like it needed a good clean and a shine.” She shrugged. “I suppose they are expensive to take care of, though. Everything is these days.”
“One last thing, if I could,” Eisenjager said, smiling apologetically. “I don’t suppose you saw the plate number, did you? You see, I’m rather anxious to ensure that Miss Salvesen is all right.”
The woman frowned and
