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

eyes, he picked up the tube and looked at it consideringly. Could it be an electric fuse? Or was is part of something else? The report described several different technologies that were being tested in Germany for use in their weapons. This could be an example of a component of any of them.

Daniel set the tube down again and dropped the report on the desk next to it. What an amazing stroke of luck! He had no idea who the anonymous benefactor was, but it was clear that they were well-versed in science and technology. In fact, the understanding they revealed regarding the use of radar alone was outstanding. The author had included details in their report which would enable them to develop countermeasures, showing his knowledge of how such countermeasures could be developed. In addition, he included several locations which could, if targeted, deliver crippling blows to the military production of the Reich.

In all, the report was filled with information that Daniel felt was highly valuable. And it had been given to them freely.

He leaned forward and took a cigarette from the box on his desk, fishing in his pocket for a lighter. It didn’t escape his notice that this report had been delivered in the midst of a scientific convention in Oslo. Nor did he think that it was simply coincidence. Somewhere in the city was a German citizen who opposed the Nazis enough to risk what was probably a very good scientific career to pass information on to England. They had done so knowing that the consequences of being caught included death.

Lighting his cigarette, Daniel sat back and stared at the pile on his desk. Who would have thought that Oslo would have turned into such a hotbed of activity in a mere few days? Not only had this golden egg landed on his desk, but the agent from London was actively pursuing a viable Soviet lead which she gained right here in the city. In the past two months, none of the agents sent over from London had uncovered so much as a stray code. Now, in the course of a few days, they had gathered more intelligence than they had in months.

What a turn of events!

Chapter Twenty-One

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Evelyn walked along the street with her hands in the pockets of the short, shabby coat she had purchased from the damaged rack. What it lacked in style, it barely made up for in warmth. While blocking the worst of the gusts of icy wind, the fabric was thin and, after repeated onslaught, the cold seeped through until she was shivering. Missing her warm English wool coat with the soft warm lining, she reflected on how ridiculous it was that she was walking along freezing when the means to be comfortable was contained in the large bag over her arm. She briefly debated stopping and exchanging the cheap coat for her real thing, but another look at her surroundings convinced her not to. Once she was across the bridge and back in more gentile surroundings she could go somewhere and change back into her clothes. Until then, she would have to shiver.

All the chills coursing through her weren’t necessarily the result of the frigid temperatures.  Some of them were caused by Niva’s statement that the Soviets had a spy entrenched in London. He had told her almost as an after-thought, as if it was a well-known fact. Obviously for them it was, but for her it was not. And she was willing to wager that Jasper Montclair was unaware of any moles in the government.

The most natural thing for her to do would have been to dismiss the statement as untrue. Yet, it actually made sense. The Soviet agent in Oslo had known she was there almost immediately. How else could that be? She and Daniel had thought as much when he sent the first message to London, informing them that she was being followed. They assumed the fault was in Oslo, but what if it were in London?

Then there was the issue of Herr Renner. How had he known she was in Oslo? Evelyn frowned as she walked along the road that would bring her to the bridge and back to the hotel. If the spy Niva referred to was a Soviet agent, how did Renner know about her? Was there another one? A German? Or had he discovered her through chance once she was already in Norway?

So many questions without answers, and now there was the question of who could be trusted and who might be working for either the Soviets or the Germans. She shook her head and tried not to let a feeling of helplessness overwhelm her. She may not know who in London could be trusted, but she at least knew she could trust Bill. Of that she had no doubt. The rest? Well, that was a problem to be addressed when she arrived back in England. Right now, she had more pressing matters to be concerned with.

Like how her Soviet friend had followed her from Oslo, and why.

Evelyn exhaled and glanced up at the bridge ahead. Once she was across it, she would search out a cafe with a restroom where she could change back into her own clothes. While these had served their purpose beautifully, the coarse fabric was rubbing her skin, and she wanted to scratch the back of her neck where the rough label was cutting into her. With that in mind, she quickened her pace.

What about Anna? The thought popped into her head without warning and Evelyn pressed her lips together. Where did Anna fit into all this? Was she simply bored, just as she had said? Or was she the reason Renner knew she was in Norway? As much as she liked the woman, did she know that she could really trust her? Daniel Carew trusted her, but was that enough?

Evelyn looked up as she approached the bridge and her step checked as Anna herself