Bill set down his utensils again and reached for his own drink. “Do you think that’s a possibility?”
“I just don’t know. It sounds as if they don’t know how the extraction will take place. If that’s the case, then they still have no idea that ships are coming into the harbor.”
“What did the message say? Exactly?”
“That the information received was being acted upon. They have someone pursuing Jian and arrangements have been made to stop her before she reaches Namsos for the evacuation.”
Bill was silent for a long moment, his lip pressed together in a thin, unpleasant line.
“What makes you think they don’t know how the extraction will take place?”
“Because they’re trying to stop her before she reaches Namsos. If they knew ships were coming in, they would be planning an all-out attack, and they wouldn’t be worried about stopping her before she got there. They know the Luftwaffe can decimate the entire town, and they would also get her in the process.”
“I still don’t follow how that indicates they’re unsure of the method of extraction.”
“They know their Luftwaffe controls the airspace, so sending an airplane to fetch her is out. They know that. That only leaves something like a fishing boat to carry her out to a waiting ship, or a ship itself. But if the Germans thought for one second that ships were going to sail into Namsos, they would be planning an aerial bombardment. The message makes no mention of that.”
Bill thought for a moment, then shook his head.
“Would it, though?” he asked. “I agree that if they suspected what was really planned, they would be making defensive plans, but would they tell Henry? There’s no reason for him to know. As far as he’s concerned, the only thing that is relative is Jian.”
“Well, that’s why I’m concerned,” Jasper admitted. “It’s too late to call the operation off. Even if I thought the cabinet would listen to me, there isn’t enough evidence to warrant pulling the troops back or moving them to a different landing point. If they are planning to attack, there’s nothing we can do to protect the ships, the troops or your agent.”
Bill exhaled and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“They know we’ve been mining the waters,” he said after a long moment. “What would be the most logical way to get an agent out of Norway at the moment?”
Jasper raised an eyebrow. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking what I would be thinking if I were in their position. They know we had mining ships off the coast as recently as three days ago. They know we have destroyers in the area because we sunk three of their ships in the port at Narvik.”
“Yes. So?”
“So I would assume that a fishing boat or trawler was going to carry the agent out to a ship waiting offshore,” Bill said with a shrug. “It’s virtually impossible to locate a fishing boat in the dark without knowing where or when to look.”
“And if that’s what they believe the likely scenario will be, then they would try to prevent her from reaching Namsos and risk losing her before they can apprehend her,” Jasper said slowly, nodding. “So you agree with me, that they’re unaware of what’s coming.”
“I think so,” Bill said after a moment. “There’s no reason for them to believe we’re sending ships into Namsos. If anything, they will be looking for us to try to land at Trondheim. That’s the larger target.”
Jasper grunted. “Which is precisely why we’re landing at Namsos. The plan is to take Namsos, then move south and take Trondheim back.”
They fell silent as the waiter returned with Jasper’s lunch. As soon as he had withdrawn again, Jasper picked up his knife and fork, preparing to cut into his fish.
“Have you heard from Jian?”
“This morning.” Bill pushed his plate away, his appetite gone, and reached for his drink. “She expects to make Steinkjer by nightfall. But knowing that the Germans are aware of her presence, as well as where she is going, makes me very uneasy.”
Jasper glanced up. “Why is that? I mean, aside from the obvious?”
Bill sipped his drink and leaned forward.
“Steinkjer is the only real point to cross the water and move towards Namsos for miles. Every crossing before it is controlled by the Germans in Trondheim fjord,” he said in a low voice. “If they know she’s heading for Namsos, they know she’ll have to go through Steinkjer.”
“And they’ll be waiting.”
“Yes.”
“Can you warn her?”
“She will try to make contact tonight, but it may be too late.”
Jasper looked at him for a moment, then lowered his gaze back to this lunch.
“You said she’s with a Norwegian soldier, correct?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Then you must trust that he will be able to move them through the lines without detection. Regardless of what happens, there is nothing more that can be done. Warn her when she makes contact, but whatever happens after that is out of your hands.”
“It doesn’t make it any easier.”
Jasper smiled faintly. “I know. It would be better if she wasn’t Ainsworth’s girl, wouldn’t it? We all feel some kind of responsibility towards her. It’s complete rubbish, you know. She knew the risks when she agreed to come onboard.”
“As you say, though, she’s Robert’s daughter.”
Jasper nodded. “Yes.”
They were silent for a long time as Jasper ate his lunch and Bill nursed his drink. Finally, Jasper raised his head from his food.
“The pressing question, of course, is who is Henry?” he said. “And how the hell did he find out about Namsos?”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
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Toulouse, France
Miles climbed out of the cockpit and jumped down off the wing. He looked over to where Rob was shutting down his engine, then raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sun as he watched Mother and Slippy come in to land.
“Morning, sir,” a young sergeant saluted as he came over ahead of the refueling tank. “Good flight over?”
“Yes, thanks.” Miles nodded and turned to watch the
