The Oslo Affair (Shadows of War, #2) by CW Browning (read after .txt) 📗

the temperature was surprisingly mild for November in Norway. He took a deep breath and felt his spirits lift somewhat. The message had been a welcome one. It looked as if his time here may be coming to an end, provided the Englishwoman was indeed who they believed. Soon, he would have all the proof he needed and could return home. And that lifted his spirits considerably.

His step slowed as he approached a large building set back from the road and surrounded by a black, wrought-iron fence. He reached into the inside pocket of his coat and pulled out a leather billfold. Approaching the gate, he opened the billfold, holding his identification up for inspection. The soldier snapped to attention as soon as he saw the name and raised his hand in a salute as the man passed through the gate and went up the walkway to the building. Behind him, the soldier closed the gate and returned to his post just inside the perimeter of the property, glancing after him with a look of fear mixed with awe.

Neither of them noticed the woman who walked past the fence, her stride long and steady. She glanced at the plaque fixed onto the gate as she passed, her lips tightening slightly. Turning her gaze forward again, she continued on her way, leaving the Russian Embassy behind her.

Chapter Eleven

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Evelyn stood up as the bus swayed to a stop at the side of the busy road. It was almost lunch time and, as she made her way down the aisle to the front of the bus, several people were getting on. She reached the front and pressed herself against the side of a seat as a woman carrying several packages tried to squeeze by her. Behind her, an older gentleman fumbled with a walking stick as he also navigated past Evelyn.

She waited until all the boarding passengers had passed her, then nodded cheerfully to the driver before disembarking quickly. Stepping onto the sidewalk, she turned and began to walk up the street, her heels clicking on the paving stones. All in all, it had been an extremely productive morning, and now she was decidedly hungry. Deciding to stop in a cafe for something, she turned down a side street and headed towards the only eatery that she knew of close by.

Ten minutes later, she was removing her coat and preparing to sit at a small table in the back of the restaurant. As she laid the coat over the back of one of the chairs, something crinkled in the pocket and a frown crossed her face. Reaching into the left pocket, her fingers touched something that hadn’t been there earlier. The frown intensified and she pulled out a folded piece of crumpled paper.

Before she could look at it, a waitress came over to greet her. Seating herself at the table, Evelyn attempted to make herself understood. After a few minutes of gesticulating with their hands, she successfully managed to order a cup of coffee and a sandwich.

As soon as she was alone again, she looked down at the paper in her hand and opened it. Her eyebrows snapped together at the sight of Russian script scrawled across the paper.

Market on Frognerveien. Three-thirty. Look for a blue scarf with white trim. If all is well, carry handbag on right arm. If followed, carry handbag on left.

Evelyn’s heart thumped and she caught her breath, staring at the words. It had to be Shustov. But when did he slip the note into her pocket? She must have passed him, but when? And how did he know where she would be?

She folded the note with shaking fingers and slid it into her purse. Somehow she hadn’t thought that he would actually make contact with her. It had all seemed so far-fetched when she came on this trip, but now she could see that it wasn’t at all. A Russian agent had slipped her a note without her knowledge and now it was up to her to meet with him. She was going to meet with Vladimir Lyakhov, the Soviet spy who had known her father so well.

Lifting her hands, she rubbed her temples for a moment. This was it. This was why she was here. This was what she had been training for in Scotland for months. But now that she was here and it was happening, Evelyn had the strangest feeling that she was living in some kind of dream.

“Hello!” A voice interrupted her thoughts cheerfully and she looked up with a start.

Anna stood before her, a wide grin on her face.

“Anna!” Evelyn exclaimed in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“I came for lunch!” The other woman dropped into a chair across from her with a laugh. “I didn’t expect to meet anyone. I always eat alone. Do you mind if I join you?”

“Please do!” Evelyn moved her purse off the table and set it on the chair with her coat. “I welcome the company.”

“Wonderful!” Anna shrugged out of her coat and motioned to the waitress. “I’m glad to see you, actually. I was a little worried when I left you last night.”

Evelyn felt her spine stiffen and she shot a look at the other woman under her eyelashes.

“Worried? What on earth for?”

“I didn’t think of it at the time, of course, but on my way home I realized that you’re not familiar with the city and it was late. By the time I reached home, I’d convinced myself that you had got hopelessly lost and were being accosted by strange men.”

Anna smiled at the waitress and ordered something quickly. Once the waitress had gone, she looked at Evelyn.

“You didn’t, did you?”

“Get lost? No. I made it home quite without incident,” Evelyn lied.

“That’s good to hear.” Anna tilted her head and studied her for a moment. “You don’t look like you slept well.”

“Well thank you very much!” she exclaimed and Anna laughed.

“That didn’t come out very well, did it?” she asked sheepishly. “I