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

getting tired of the Soviet regime,” she said slowly. “I think he’s looking for a way out. Perhaps Vladimir suggested to him that England could be a route out of the Soviet Union. I do think he has information he’s willing to give, but I’m not sure how useful or relevant that information may be.”

“Did he mention the possibility of being extracted?”

“Yes. He wants asylum in England.”

Bill nodded, seeming to be unsurprised. Obviously this wasn’t the first time he’d heard that particular request.

“He did say something that has me worried,” she said after a moment, looking down at her tea.

“Oh?”

“Yes. I’m telling you, but I’d rather not mention it tomorrow at the debriefing.” Evelyn looked up, her eyes meeting his. “He mentioned it in a personal conversation, and it wasn’t meant to be forwarded with the rest of the information.”

Bill frowned. “What did he say?”

“That we have a leak in our ship,” she said bluntly. “He said the Soviets have agents embedded in London, and that I was to trust no one here.”

Bill sat back and studied her face. “Do you believe him?”

“Someone knew I was in Oslo as soon as I landed, and it wasn’t because of something I did,” she said with a shrug. “Not only that, but the German SD knew I was there as well. Someone is talking, and that person could very well be here in London. Niva gave me the impression that he knows specifically of men who are well entrenched here, and possibly above suspicion.”

“And you don’t know who you can trust,” Bill finished.

She nodded.

“I’ve not been doing this long enough to know anyone or to have formed opinions, so it’s very difficult for me. As it stands right now, you’re the only one I can honestly say I trust without hesitation. That’s why I’m telling you. I don’t know what I should do with the information.”

“Don’t mention it to anyone else, for starters,” Bill said, leaning forward. “You’ve been frank with me, so I’ll return the favor. I’d already realized there’s a leak here somewhere. When you sent word that you were followed by a Soviet agent in Oslo, I took it to Montclair. He wasn’t entirely convinced. However, when the SD showed up, I think that clinched things. He and I are making inquiries, but it’s a very delicate business. It will take time. We can’t risk alerting the spy to our investigation and losing him altogether. We need to exercise utter discretion.”

“What do you need me to do?” she asked simply.

“Continue as you are. We’re moving you from Scotland to somewhere closer to London after Christmas. The alias of Maggie Richardson is, I think you’ll agree, completely blown. We’re working up a new one, but I am handling it myself. My assistant, whom I trust implicitly, is helping with the details. We’re not going through the usual channels, so when we’re finished, the only people who will have any knowledge of your new cover identity will be ourselves.”

“Not even Montclair?”

“Not even Montclair. That was his idea, by the way. We’ll have a specific code name for you and that is the only name that will be used within the section. He wants to ensure that no more damage is done.”

“What about the others?” Evelyn asked after a moment.

“Just worry about yourself,” Bill advised. “As this war goes on, and it will go on, that will be quite enough. It will be hard enough for you take care of yourself without worrying about other agents as well.”

She looked at him, tilting her head.

“Is there something wrong?” she asked. “Something I should know about?”

Bill hesitated, then sighed.

“I shouldn’t be telling you this, but I think it will only create a false sense of security for you by hiding it. We received news yesterday that two of our agents were captured in Holland and taken into Germany.”

“What?” Evelyn gasped, her eyes wide.

“It occurred weeks ago, on the 9th, but Himmler just released the information yesterday. They were taken at a small border town, Venlo, just five meters from the border with Germany. A Dutch intelligence officer with them was shot and killed.”

“But...how?”

“They had arranged a meeting with a supposed major in the Wehrmacht who was part of a group of conspirators against Hitler. Of course, now we know that he wasn’t, and that the whole thing was a ruse to lure two of our agents to the border. The German press are claiming they were behind the attempt on Hitler’s life earlier this month. Total bollocks, of course.” Bill made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. “Montclair believes the network in the Netherlands has been infiltrated, but Chamberlain is having none of it, even after this. There’s quite a bit of blame going round, but in the meantime, two of our agents have no doubt been being interrogated for the past few weeks. Lord only knows what they’ve revealed under torture. It’s a complete shambles.”

Evelyn sat back, stunned. “And no one knew? How is that possible?”

“The SD continued to send messages as the conspirators. The other members of the network didn’t communicate that the agents were even missing. It’s doubtful that they even knew. The entire meeting was so closely guarded that only a handful here in London knew about it, and the only ones in Holland who knew about it were the agents themselves.”

“And just like that, they’re in Nazi Germany.” She rubbed her forehead, her skin cold. “And that could have happened to me in Stockholm.”

He nodded soberly.

“And so, you see, you’ll need to be very focused. If anything feels off, go with your gut feelings. Himmler has his spies everywhere, and they are not playing by the rules. Neither should you.”

She nodded and sipped her tea. Reaching for the biscuits, she opened the package and offered him one. He took one with a nod of thanks and she selected one for herself with a hand that was only slightly trembling.

“Did Anna make it back to Oslo?” she