The Iron Storm

by CW Browning

  “And you were left with all this information and no way to get it here,” Evelyn finished for him.

  He nodded. “Yes. I realized that I had to come to France myself. It was too dangerous to trust anyone else with it, and the courier fled in the early hours of the invasion. There was only one problem.”

  “You’ve never been to France.” Evelyn smiled, shaking her head. “So you thought of me.”

  “I thought it would be better to be with someone who knew their way around Paris,” he said ruefully. “And now here we are. I contacted the agent this morning and told him I was in France, on my way to Paris. He responded to say that he wasn’t in Paris, but in Marle.”

  “And you thought he was in Paris?” Josephine asked, her brows furrowed. “Why?”

  “Well, it was never mentioned where he was, so I just assumed he was in the capital.”

  “Not many of us are,” she said with a smile. “What’s his name? Perhaps I know him.”

  “I only know him as Asp.”

  Josephine straightened, the smile wiped from her face. “Asp?”

  Evelyn frowned at the look on her friend’s face. “What’s the matter?” she asked. “Do you know him?”

  “No, but I know of him. So does Marc. It’s believed that he’s been passing information about the networks here to the SS.”

  “The SS!” Evelyn gasped, her mouth dropping open.

  “What?” Jens exclaimed at the same time.

  Josephine nodded grimly. “Yes. Several agents are convinced of it, but no one has been able to catch him, or prove anything.”

  “But why would they think that?” Evelyn asked with a frown.

  “Agents have been going missing when they travel beyond the borders. Two went into Switzerland last month and never returned. One was found when his body washed up in Meillerie. The other is still missing.” Josephine shook her head. “The number of agents disappearing is increasing, and it can’t all be due to men and women getting cold feet in the face of war, which is what some people say is happening. And several of our associates across Holland and Belgian have also been compromised. Some people say that the only thing all these agents had in common was Asp. He was the contact for many of them.”

  Jens let out a low curse. “And this is the man I’ve been sending State secrets to,” he muttered.

  “You say that’s what many people think,” Evelyn said slowly, glancing at the horrified look on Jens’ face. “What do you think?”

  “I won’t rush to hang a man,” Josephine replied, “but I don’t think there can be that much smoke without a fire. I wouldn’t trust him, and I won’t have anything to do with him. If there’s even the slightest possibility that any of it is true...” She shrugged as her voice trailed off.

  “What does Marc think?”

  “For the love of God, don’t mention it to him,” she warned. “He believes all of it, and it’s only the war and the fact that we’ve been very busy that stops him from hunting the bastard down.”

  Evelyn looked at her, surprised. “Why would he do that?”

  “The agent that floated up in Meillerie was his brother.”

  Evelyn swallowed and nodded, looking at Jens. “No mention of Asp, then,” she agreed quickly. “Understood.”

  “His brother is dead and he’s still working?” Jens asked in a low voice.

  “He said that there was all the more reason to continue now. He doesn’t want his brother’s death to be in vain, so he continues.”

  They were all silent for a long moment, then Jens exhaled, blowing his cheeks out.

  “What do I do now? I won’t take this information to Asp, but I want to get it to someone who can do something with it,” he said. “I’ve come all this way and risked so much just to get the information in the first place, not to mention getting it out of the country.”

  “I can’t take it,” Josephine said. “I can’t leave Maubeuge until we’re forced to do so. We’ve been instructed to stay here until further notice, or until the Nazis come.”

  She fell silent again, her brow furrowed in thought. Evelyn wondered what, exactly, was in the information that Jens had taken from the State Security. If it was something the French could use, then it was something her own government could use. But Jens had no idea who or what she was, and so she remained silent. It wasn’t worth the risk to expose herself unless there was a very good reason to do so, especially with the Germans advancing as quickly as they were.

  “I have an idea,” Josephine announced suddenly. “I didn’t know Asp was in Marle. I’m positive Marc doesn’t know either, or he would never have suggested his uncle’s property there. But I do know someone in Marle who you can trust. I can’t believe I didn’t think of him sooner! He’s an old friend of Luc’s, and he works in Paris most of the year. Right now he’s in Marle. Luc spoke to him on the telephone just the other day to arrange for supplies.”

  “Who is he?” Jens asked.

  “He goes by the name Marcel, and he’s quite high up in the organization. That’s probably why I didn’t think of him right away. I tend not to give very much thought to those above me,” she added with a quick grin. “However, he’s different from the others. Luc says he’s one of the few men he trusts, so that’s saying something.”

  “And he’s in Marle as well?” Evelyn asked.

  “Yes. At least, he was the other day. I’ll check with Luc when we go in. He’ll know more.” Josephine looked at Jens. “He’ll be able to get your packet to Paris and into the hands of the people who will know what to do with it,” she assured him. “If you get it to Marcel, your duty will be done. Then you can continue on to Paris with Marie. Marle is on the way.”

  Jens looked at Evelyn. “You don’t mind stopping once more on the way home?” he asked.

  Evelyn smiled and shook her head. “Of course not. You’re trying to help my country. Why would I mind?”

  “And you don’t mind that I lied to you?”

  “You never lied to me. You simply failed to tell me the whole truth,” she replied with a shrug. “I wasn’t hurt, and I certainly wasn’t deceived for long. I hadn’t been with you two hours before I realized there was something else afoot. I understand why you didn’t tell me now, and there was no harm done.”

  “Good. That’s settled then. You’ll leave for Marle in the morning,” Josephine said cheerfully. “Now we can go inside and get warm again!”

  Jens jumped off his perch on the fence while Josephine ducked between the two wooden railings of the fence, joining them inside the garden.

  “I’ll write an introductory letter tonight,” she told them as they started across the garden towards the house. “You can take it to Marcel and it will explain who you are and why I sent you. Luc and I will both sign it. I’m not sure if he’ll remember me, but he knows Luc well.”

  “I never thought of an introduction,” Jens said. “That makes perfect sense. Why didn’t Asp ever...”

  His voice trailed off and Evelyn tucked her arm through his, squeezing it supportively.

  “You weren’t to know,” she said. “Don’t feel badly about it.”

  “Lord no,” Josephine agreed. “I’m sure this sort of thing will happen a lot, unfortunately, as the war goes on. And as for the introduction, it’s standard practice for us. It helps, when you have people you’ve never met or heard of all gathering information across the country, to be sure that everyone is who they say they are.”

  “I appreciate your help with this,” Jens said earnestly. “I don’t know what I would do if we hadn’t run into you.”

  “Don’t thank me yet,” she retorted gaily, opening the kitchen door. “Let’s make sure he’s still in Marle, and then we’ll go from there.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  London, England

  May 12

  Bill finished tying his shoe and glanced at the large, four-poster bed where Marguerite still slept. His wife was getting used to him leaving before the sun was up, unfortunately
. She really was a patient woman. For all the hours he was gone, you’d think he’d gone into politics. Yet she hadn’t said a word for weeks. He would try to make it up to her once this latest flap had passed. Maybe take her into the country for a few days.

  He got up and picked up his jacket from the back of the chair. Going over to the bed, he leaned down to drop a kiss on her forehead. She stirred, then settled back into sleep and he turned away from the bed to move noiselessly across the room to the door. It was already almost five, and he wanted to be at the office in time for the first transmissions of the day from France. He had to leave.

  He was just reaching the foot of the stairs when the telephone in the hallway rang shrilly. He scowled, glancing upwards and hoping the extension in the bedroom didn’t wake Marguerite. Moving swiftly to the hall stand, he picked up the receiver before it had a chance to ring again.

  “Yes? Hello?”

  “Mr. Buckley? This is Rex calling, from Ainsworth Manor,” a deep voice spoke. “I’m sorry to disturb you this early.”

  “Not at all,” Bill said, rubbing his forehead. “Is everything all right?”

  “Yes, everything’s fine now. But I thought you should know that we had a visitor last night.”

  Bill stilled, his hand falling from his head. “Tell me.”

  “There isn’t much to tell. I was making my rounds shortly before midnight when I saw the door off the back terrace was open. Now it wasn’t like that when I went by earlier, so I went to investigate.”

  “And?”

  “The door was forced, all right. The lock came right away from the door jam, and took a chunk of wood with it. I went through to the house and began to do a thorough search.”

  “Began?”

  “Well, I didn’t need to finish. The dogs started barking out by the terrace, so I ran back to the drawing room and got there just in time to see the intruder disappearing into the trees.”

  “The dogs were loose? How on earth did he get to the house without them giving the alarm?” Bill demanded.

  “Oh, they weren’t loose to begin with, but they got out after I left the gamekeeper's cottage. I must have left the door off the latch. I checked them before I made my rounds, you see.” Rex cleared his throat. “After I saw the man going into the trees, I went back and did a thorough search of the ground floor. Nothing was touched or missing, sir. I don’t think he’d gotten very far when I happened on him.”

  “Why did he go in through the drawing room?” Bill wondered. “There’s nothing in there, surely, where Robert would have hidden anything.”

  “Perhaps he was coming back to search everywhere else,” Rex suggested. “You did say that Thomas thought only the Study and Library were disturbed the last time, didn’t you?”

  “Yes, that’s right.” Bill shook his head and sighed. “They didn’t find it then, so perhaps they’re searching again, and trying to be more thorough about it this time.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Did you get any kind of look at him? Anything that will help track him down?”

  “No, unfortunately not, sir. He’s a fairly tall man, and he was wearing a dark colored overcoat. Not much help, I’m afraid.”

  “No.”

  “There might be one thing, though,” he said after a second. “It’s still dark, so I can’t see properly, but when the sun rises, I’ll look around the terrace and the lawn to the trees. Perhaps he dropped something, or left a track or footprint of some sort.”

  “Well, it’s a long shot, but let me know what you find,” Bill said, glancing at his watch. “Have you mentioned any of this to Mrs. Ainsworth?”

  “Not yet, sir. I’ve only told Thomas.”

  “Let’s keep it that way for the moment. No need to alarm Madeleine needlessly.”

  “Yes, sir. Shall I come down to London to make my report?”

  “No. You stay there, and I’ll send another man down to help you. If our intruder comes back, he’ll be more careful. Two of you can share the load and take shifts.”

  “What will you tell Mrs. Ainsworth? She needed a gardener, but I don’t see that she needs anyone else at present.”

  “I’ll take care of that. You just continue to keep an eye on everything. Is there anyone in particular you’d like to have with you there indefinitely?” he added humorously.

  “Oh I don’t mind, sir,” Rex replied with a short laugh. “As long as they don’t mind dogs and crotchety old Aunties, I think anyone will do. Perhaps Walters would be a good fit. He’s good with horses, isn’t he?”

  “That’s a splendid suggestion. I’ll get on the phone to him as soon as I get to Broadway. Thank you for calling.”

  “I thought you’d want to know without delay, sir.”

  “And you were right. I’ll send Walters down in the next few days. Hang on until then, will you?”

  “Of course, sir.”

  Bill hung up the receiver and stared blindly at his reflection in the mirror above the little table. So Henry was still looking for the treasure Robert had hidden before his fateful trip to Poland. For him to risk another trip out to Ainsworth, it must be getting dire that he locate it...whatever it was. It had been risky enough going out there once, but now he’d tried again.

  What on earth had Robert found in those weeks before his death?

  It was a question he’d asked himself countless times over the past six months, and he was no closer to an answer now than he had been at the start of this. Evelyn had solved the puzzle box, but it hadn’t got them any closer to finding what Robert had hidden. A clue, she’d said. That was what had been in the box. A clue. An address.

  Bill turned away and went over to the closet to get his overcoat and hat. She hadn’t told him anything other than that the address was in Switzerland, and she wanted to go alone. He’d agreed, but he admitted now that it hadn’t been such a priority for him to arrange the trip. And then Hitler went and invaded Belgium while she was still there, and he completely forgot all about it.

  He pulled on his coat and took his hat from the shelf above the row of outerwear. It had to be a priority now. She would have to go as soon as she returned from France. There could be no doubt that the spy in London was anxious to find the missing information, and they had to find it first.

  Bill opened the front door and stepped out onto the top step of his London home, setting his hat on his head in the gray, predawn light. Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out his gloves and began pulling them on, watching the milkman’s truck turn into the top of the street. Getting Evelyn into Switzerland would be tricky. The Germans were advancing rapidly, and the Luftwaffe was gaining control of the skies over Belgium. Soon they would also be over France. If Evelyn was going to fly into Switzerland safely, she would have to do it as soon as possible. He didn’t know how much longer the skies over France would be safe. And, once she was there, she would have to get back again.

  He finished pulling on his gloves and started down the shallow steps. As he reached the pavement, a shiny black Vauxhall pulled up to the curb. The driver jumped out and ran around to open the back door for him, nodding with a small smile.

  “Good morning, sir,” he said cheerfully.

  “Good morning, Jones,” Bill replied, nodding in greeting. “Right on time. Thank you very much.”

  “Of course, sir.”

  Bill settled into the back of the car and the driver closed the door, moving back around to get behind the wheel. Directing his attention out the window, Bill sat back against the leather seat and exhaled silently. Yes. He would have to get Evelyn in and out of Switzerland without delay. Thankfully she was on her way to Paris now. Once she reached the city and contacted him, he’d arrange for a flight from Paris to London. They didn’t have time for her to mess around with a water crossing from Calais.

  If the Germans continued at the pace they were going, they didn’t have time for much of anything at all.

  Evelyn finished securing the straps on her suitcase and looked around
the small attic room. Her purse lay on the bed next to the case, and there was nothing left to do but carry her suitcase downstairs and leave.

  She would miss Josephine, she realized with a shock. She didn’t know the woman well, but somehow they had become like sisters in the short time they’d spent together. They had always got along well, but now Evelyn felt as if there was an invisible bond between them. They were on a par with each other now, fighting the same fight, and somehow that made Josephine like the sister that she’d never had.

  Evelyn smiled at her sentimentality and picked up the suitcase, pulling it off the bed. She grabbed her purse with her other hand and turned to leave the room. It had been sheer luck that they’d parked on the field adjoining the farmhouse, but she was glad they had. She was glad to have spent this short time with Josephine, Marc and Luc. If nothing else, the three of them had shown her clearly that dedication and loyalty crossed the line of family and status. They had become family out of necessity, but their loyalty to each other was unquestionable. It showed Evelyn what would be needed in the long months ahead. There was no way to fight this war alone, and she was no exception.

  As she went down the stairs to the ground floor, Evelyn felt a pang of envy. Josephine was settled in once place, working with the same people, building a network based on trust and loyalty. She, on the other hand, had been to three different countries in two months, not including England, and had met and worked with different people each time. Somehow she thought she’d rather have Josephine’s arrangement. Almost as soon as she thought it, though, Evelyn found herself shaking her head. No. She wouldn’t trade traveling for all the farmhouses in France. She loved it, and loved meeting different people in different cultures and societies. And she was good at it, she was discovering. She seemed to be able to make contacts and gain trust fairly easily, and none of them had any inkling that she wasn’t exactly who or what she pretended to be. That was why Bill had recruited her, for her ability to travel within Europe, speaking the languages and blending with the populace until no one would ever dream that she was, in fact, an English spy.