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

“No. I’ve not had the opportunity. I studied under a woman who lived in Moscow.”

“You must be a very good student. The owner is bringing lunch. Have you eaten?”

“Yes, but please don’t let that stop you.”

Niva studied her across the table, his lips pursed together thoughtfully.

“You’re not what I expected,” he finally said. “Vladimir said I would be surprised. He was right.”

“What were you expecting?”

“A man in a tweed coat with a pipe,” he answered promptly, drawing a laugh from her. “I’m very pleased that you’re not. I’d much rather have lunch with a beautiful young woman.”

Evelyn murmured thanks for the compliment as a bar maid came to the table and set down two glasses filled with a berry colored liquid and large plate of dark brown, crusty bread. He said something to her in Swedish and she nodded before turning away. Once she’d gone, Niva motioned to the glass.

“I ordered a local drink. It’s made from berries, I believe. I hope you like it. I find it refreshing.”

Evelyn lifted the glass and sniffed the liquid inside. It smelled sweet and something like flowers. Sipping it, she was pleasantly surprised at the mildly sweet berry taste.

“It’s good,” she said, setting the glass down. “What is it?”

He shrugged with a grin. “I have no idea. There is something similar in Finland, but it is much stronger. I think this is made with lingonberries, but I am not sure. I’m glad you like it.”

“I understand you live in Turku?” she asked after a moment. “That’s on the coast, isn’t it?”

“Yes. It sits on the Aura River. It’s an amazing city. It was once the capital of what is now Finland. The capital was moved to Helsinki in the 1800s. Now it is a major regional city in its own right.”

“How long have you been there?”

“About five years now.” Niva sipped his drink and shrugged. “It is nice there, but I fear that things are on the brink of changing.”

“Things are changing everywhere,” Evelyn said soberly. “The world is changing rapidly.”

The barmaid returned then and set a bowl of thick stew down before Niva. She placed a thick wooden cutting board with cheese on it in the center of the table, then nodded and disappeared again.

“That’s the truth,” he said as if they hadn’t been interrupted. “Did you see that someone tried to assassinate Hitler? We are living in unsettled times.”

“Is that why you agreed to meet with me?” she asked softly.

He glanced up from his stew. “Among other reasons.”

Evelyn considered him for a long moment. “Are you having second thoughts?”

“About meeting with you? No.” Niva shook his head and reached for the bread, cutting a thick piece off with his knife. “About my country and the path our leaders have chosen? Yes.”

Understanding dawned. “You’re looking for a way out.”

“You’re very quick.” He dipped his bread into his stew and took a bite. After a moment, he swallowed and met her gaze across the table. “I’ve become disillusioned with Stalin and his ministers. I don’t see anything good coming from their policies. I’m a realistic man. I have no family to speak of, and I see no reason to remain in the Soviet Union.”

He left the statement there and returned to his lunch, his meaning clear. Evelyn swallowed and reached for her drink.

“I have to contact my superiors,” she said after a moment. “I can’t promise anything. It would be better if I had something to give them in return.”

“Of course.” He picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth, reaching for his glass. After taking a long drink, he reached inside his coat to pull out what looked like several papers rolled into a tight tube. He set it on the table. “These are copies of orders that have come through over the past three weeks from Moscow,” he told her in a low voice. “They tell the story on their own. Take them and give them to your handler.”

Evelyn looked at the roll on the scarred table and shot a quick look around the tavern. All the other patrons were eating and drinking and no one was paying them the least amount of attention. After a moment’s hesitation, she reached out and picked up the roll, putting it in her large bag. Niva nodded in approval.

“Moscow is getting tired of Kallio and his refusal to agree to their terms,” he said, keeping his voice low. “They’re making plans to force Finland into giving up the land in the Karelian Isthmus. The general feeling is that they tried to make an agreement and, since Kallio won’t go along, they’ll take it by force.”

“How?”

“Do you know how the Germans justified their invasion of Poland?” Niva asked.

“They claimed the Polish attacked them first,” she said. “Hitler said regular Polish troops attacked a transmitter in Gleiwitz, a town bordering Poland.”

“That’s what he said, yes.” He reached for the bread again. “In actual fact, the attack was staged by the SS. They killed several prisoners and drove the bodies to Gleiwitz. SD men dressed in Polish uniforms then stormed the radio station there, supposedly killing the Germans in the attack.”

Evelyn stared at him. This was something she hadn’t been told when the frenzy of facts and misinformation flooded into England in those chaotic days immediately following Hitler’s invasion of Poland. Although everyone knew that the supposed attack was an excuse to invade Poland, she had assumed the attack had still occurred as stated.

“The SS staged it?” she asked, stunned.

“Yes. Not just there, but also in several other locations,” he said with a nod. “They were all staged by the SS and SD.”

Evelyn sat back in her chair, her mind spinning. Through her astonishment, one thought came to the surface. She raised her eyes to his.

“Stalin is going to use the same tactic to invade Finland, isn’t he?”

He met her gaze and said nothing. He didn’t need to. They both knew the truth.

“Do you know a location?”

“No. It will be somewhere near to Leningrad, but