Loki was busy fretting. ‘She’d better be OK,’ he snarled. ‘If anyone’s harmed her, they’ll have me to deal with. I’m telling you, Finn, I’ll tear their bloody limbs off one by one, and crush their skulls with my boots.’
I didn’t doubt him for a minute. I watched him climb to the top of a rocky outcrop and survey the scene. ‘Why? That’s what I’d like to know,’ he called out.
‘Why what?’ I shouted.
‘Why here? What are those bastards up to, Finn? Heimar said something about hiding boats and submarines, and Father spoke of a possible raid. You think that’s what all this is about?’
I climbed up and stood next to him. ‘Probably. We’ve all seen those prisoners arriving. Guess it means the German navy’s been busy. And our coast and fjords would be a perfect place for them to hide between missions.’
‘It’s not looking good, is it?’ said Loki, sighing.
‘No,’ I replied. ‘But I’ve been thinking, Loki. About SS Officer Anders Jacobsen. When he was questioning me, it was as if he knew far more than he was letting on. When I mentioned Heimar’s name, I’m sure he recognized it.’
Loki grimaced. ‘So do you think Mr Naerog betrayed him under torture?’
‘Possibly, but the question remains: who betrayed Mr Naerog?’
‘True.’ Loki stared at me. ‘What’s the matter, Finn?’
‘When I visited Father Amundsen, there were other people in the church. There was a family and someone else; someone I couldn’t see. And Anders Jacobsen knew I’d visited the church.’
‘So?’
‘Well, I mentioned Idur’s name. I didn’t know what Heimar’s code name was, so I used Idur’s name.’
‘So you think either that family or whoever else was there betrayed you?’
With my thoughts spinning, I raked the hair on the back of my head in frustration. ‘I don’t know, Loki. I spoke softly to Father Amundsen. In a whisper. No one could’ve overheard.’
‘Maybe he’s the one.’
‘Father Amundsen? Impossible.’
‘Well, whoever it was, now Idur’s bought it, and there’s no sign of Heimar and Freya. Let’s face it, Finn, every-thing’s gone wrong. God knows what’s happened to Bald Eagle. I think we have to assume Heimar and Freya have been betrayed. And that means we’re all in grave danger. For all we know the blasted Waffen SS and Gestapo might be on our doorsteps right at this very moment.’ He jumped down off the rock. ‘Come on, we’d better get a move on.’
As we walked on, we ran through all the possibilities.
‘What about Mrs Grimmo?’ Loki suggested. ‘When she came hammering on your front door, she was looking for my father. How did she know he was involved in the Resistance? What else does she know?’
‘Good point, but I don’t think she’d betray us because if she did, she’d think we’d land Ned in it. Anyway, they didn’t hold her for long after her arrest.’
Loki nodded in agreement. Then he stopped and grabbed my arm. ‘Maybe it’s Dieter, Finn. Maybe he’s extracting information from Anna.’
I shook myself free. ‘My sister would never betray anyone,’ I replied sharply.
‘Not intentionally,’ he said. ‘But, you know, after a few drinks, loose tongues and so on. It’s possible he’s toying with her rather than the other way round.’
‘No way!’
‘Just thinking aloud, Finn.’
‘What about your father?’ I asked.
Loki looked astonished.
‘I mean, does he really trust everyone he deals with?’ I asked.
‘I think so. I mean, he has to, doesn’t he?’ My friend’s brow furrowed. ‘Christ, Finn, it’s awful, isn’t it? Who the hell can we trust?’
I think we both expected Idur’s house to lie in ruins, but we were in for yet another surprise. His house sat about thirty feet up from the high watermark and appeared perfectly intact, if a little ramshackle. It was larger than Heimar’s house, and had a wide wooden veranda running the full length of the front. To the right of the door stood a rather rickety rocking chair and a small round pine table with an oil lamp sitting on top of it. I could just picture Idur swaying to and fro on a summer’s evening, pipe in hand, watching the sun go down over the fjord. I also noticed with a sinking feeling that his fishing boat remained moored to his jetty – his death was no accident then. And Heimar and Freya hadn’t used his boat as a means of escape either. We approached cautiously.
Loki stopped in his tracks. ‘Something’s not right, Finn. I think I saw someone moving around inside.’
The door opened and a German soldier stepped out.
‘Hit the ground!’ I whispered. We dropped like stones. The soldier paused on the veranda, then swung his rifle from his shoulder and leaned it up against the side of the house. Reaching into his tunic pocket, he took out a packet of cigarettes and shook one out. He sparked up and puffed vigorously while gazing out across the fjord. Thankfully he hadn’t seen us.
‘Don’t move a muscle, Finn,’ said Loki. He reached out and placed a hand on my shoulder. ‘Keep as low as you can. We’re pretty exposed here. Got any ideas?’
‘No.’
‘Blast,’ he said. ‘Shall I shoot him?’
‘Then what?’ I replied. ‘There’s probably a dozen of them inside. I don’t fancy the odds. Now, if we had a few machine guns …’
We watched the soldier smoke until he lazily threw down the butt and stubbed it out under his heavy boot. He seized his rifle and returned inside.
‘We’d better head for the cover of those trees,’ said Loki, gesturing towards a small copse of silver birch. I doubted the leafless trees would fully conceal us but they were the best on offer. ‘You go first, Finn,’ he said. ‘And stay low.’
I took a few sharp breaths, counted quickly to three, and then darted low and swiftly, like an arctic hare escaping an eagle’s eye. It was twenty yards to the trees, where I threw myself down into the snow at the base of the slender trunks. Loki arrived seconds later. With our hands, knees and feet, we dug and scraped ourselves in. All the while, we watched the house with trepidation, as if it were an unexploded bomb.
We lay quietly for what felt like a lifetime. Loki heard it first – a distant low-pitched gurgling rumble from the fjord. The noise grew louder. When the huge grey hull of the patrol boat surged past the rocky headland and into view, I swallowed hard. Now I was really, really scared. My guts felt like they were sinking into the ground. The boat slowed, turned, and then, amid plumes of acrid black diesel smoke and bubbling, churning water, reversed noisily into the inlet and moored opposite Idur’s fishing boat. The mayhem began. Men poured onto the deck, onto the jetty, then onto the shore. There was a lot of shouting and stomping and running. The door to Idur’s house flew open and soldiers emerged. I counted six. And between them, being roughly manhandled, staggered a figure with his hands bound in front of him.
Loki tensed up beside me. ‘My God,’ he whispered. ‘It’s Heimar.’
‘What?’ I blinked and looked again. The man being shoved down the path with encouraging prods and stabs of rifle barrels was indeed Heimar, though he was barely recognizable. His face was covered in blood. My heart pounded. I could feel it, hear it even. I wanted to call out, to shout to him, to let him know we were here. Of course, I held my tongue. My anger and horror jostled with a desperate urge to do something, but what? It felt like my hands were tied too. Loki slid his rifle in front of him and pressed the butt into his shoulder.
‘No,’ I said softly. ‘There are too many of them. We have to wait.’
He looked across at me.
‘Put your gun down,’ I urged. ‘Shoot and we’ll both be done for.’
Loki relaxed his finger on the trigger. ‘Where’s Freya?’ he whispered. ‘Can you see her?’
I shook my head.
‘Surely we’ve got to do something,’ he said.
‘Yes, but what? There’s only us,’ I reminded him.
‘Think, Finn, think
! You’re always good at thinking. There must be a way.’
The desperation in his voice only made my head spin and my thoughts swirl in a frustrating muddle. I had only useless thoughts, hopeless thoughts.
The soldiers had to drag Heimar down towards the jetty. As they jostled him mercilessly, he held his head defiantly high. I felt proud of him. He wasn’t going to cower before the enemy. He’d brave it out, I just knew it. Good old Heimar, scared of nothing, tough as a bear, hard as rock, a true Norwegian.
‘Shit, shit … shit!’ In frustration, Loki buried his face in the snow and covered the back of his head with his hands. He let out a muffled, anguished cry. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Heimar make his move. He swung first left then right, using his bound hands like a hefty club. The two soldiers on either side of him crumpled to their knees. He made a dash for the trees on the far side of Idur’s house. He ran fast through the snow and didn’t look back. Soldiers bellowed after him to stop. I willed him on. Go on, Heimar. Run! Don’t stop. My heart was in my mouth, and something else big and lumpy was stuck in my throat. I couldn’t breathe. He kept on running and, as he reached the tree line, the first shots rang out, the blasts echoing. I saw wood splinters fly, branches snap, puffs of snow rise up. Still he ran, bent low, darting left then right to dodge the zipping, pinging lumps of lead. For a second I actually thought he was going to make it. It was a second of elation, a second of such pure joy I wanted to rise up and punch the air. But it didn’t last. He suddenly spun violently, arched backwards and fell, letting out a bear-like howl. The shooting ceased. He lay face down in the snow.
Soldiers ran into the trees and gathered about him. ‘Is he dead?’ Loki whispered. I thought he probably was but couldn’t bring myself to say so.
Loki’s face paled. ‘Jesus, Finn,’ he said quietly.
The yelling began. A German officer appeared, furious at his men. He strode back and forth waving his arms. The men surrounding Heimar retreated from the woods, dragging him between them. I saw movement. Heimar was still alive! I think he’d just taken a bullet in the shoulder. They dragged him onto the jetty, and then the patrol boat.
The officer bellowed the order to burn the house. Men lugging jerry cans hurried, slipping and sliding in the snow, and set about dousing the walls and inside of Idur’s house with fuel. The officer looked on impatiently, and then lit up a cigarette. He took just two puffs before throwing it into the doorway. A carpet of fire ignited, spreading across the floor and then climbing and licking the walls. Quickly, the soldiers were beaten back by the ferocious heat. The air filled with loud cracks and popping spits and, in the flickering glow, everything turned orange. Dense plumes of smoke rose high into the sky. The soldiers returned to their boat. In seconds they’d gone.
‘What now?’ said Loki, rising gingerly to his feet. He sounded choked. He brushed snow from his trousers and jacket and blew warm, steamy air through clasped hands. He looked frozen and not just on the outside. ‘Christ, Finn,’ he said, ‘today’s turning into a nightmare. First Idur, and now Heimar.’ He looked at me glumly. ‘What about Freya?’
I think we both feared the worst, but neither of us said anything. ‘I’ve seen enough,’ I said despondently. ‘We’d better get back.’
Retracing our steps in the failing light proved treacherous. We slipped and stumbled like blind men, feeling our way with outstretched arms. All I kept thinking was that I wished we’d stayed at home.
‘Are they going to burn our houses too, Finn? Are they going to shoot us?’
I glanced at Loki. His expression said it all. Of course, not wanting to tempt fate, I couldn’t reply, Yeah, probably, so I lied. ‘Of course not. Did you see that look on Heimar’s face? It was the look of a man who’d braved it out. He’s told them nothing. I’m certain of it. And that’s why he made a run for it. I reckon he thought that if they took him back to Trondheim, he might not withstand questioning by the Gestapo. He probably figured trying to escape was his best chance. But knowing Heimar, I don’t reckon they’ll break him.’
My words did little to cheer Loki. In truth, I didn’t believe me either. I put on a brave face and, as we trudged on, my thoughts turned to the long row back to our village.
Reaching the inlet where our boat was moored, we hurried to the jetty. The smell of wood smoke still hung in the air. I thought of Heimar’s wonderful dogs and then of the man himself, and shuddered at both images. I wondered again what had happened to Freya. They would all be sorely missed. It was turning out to be an awful day. Even so, I had a curious sense that it wasn’t over yet.
‘I’ll row first,’ said Loki. ‘The tide will be with us, Finn. We’ll be home in no time.’
I waited for him to settle and then began untying the boat. Without warning, from behind me came a swishing sound. I looked up. A skier had appeared from nowhere and stopped at the end of the walkway. I simply froze and gawped at the ghost-like apparition before me, dressed from head to toe in white, with goggles and scarf hiding the face.
‘Hurry up, Finn!’ shouted Loki from below the jetty. The skier lifted her goggles and pulled the scarf down from over her nose.
‘Freya!’ I shouted.
Chapter Fourteen
The Cave
LOKI’S SQUARE-JAWED FACE popped up from beneath the jetty, a face exploding with delight. ‘Thank God!’ he yelled, scrambling back up onto the wooden slats. ‘We’ve been so worried about you, Freya.’
He ran and tried to smother her in an embrace but she pushed him away. ‘You’re late. What took you so long?’ she snapped. Before he could speak, she added, ‘And where’s that blasted S-phone?’
‘We hid it over there.’ He pointed towards the woods.
She looked and then frowned as if mightily confused.
‘I thought I’d never see you again. When we saw what had happened, we feared the worst.’
She stared at him for a moment. ‘Well, as you can see, here I am, all in one piece, so go get me that radio. I want to talk to Finn.’ She slid past him towards me. Then, in a raised voice, she barked, ‘Don’t just stand there like a confused rabbit, Loki, hop it.’
He headed off into the trees.
‘Finn, we’ve got a problem,’ she said quickly. ‘When the Germans came in the night, Heimar and I had to split up. I have no idea where he is. And a pick-up is arranged for midnight. Do you know how to work the S-phone? You’re good with that kind of stuff.’
Even in the moonlight, her eyes glistened brightly. ‘Oh, Freya,’ I said, ‘the most terrible thing has happened.’ I explained that we’d bumped into Idur’s body, and recounted what we’d witnessed at Idur’s house, my voice trembling with each earth-shattering word. I suppose I expected her to wilt to the ground sobbing or, at the very least, to sway like she was about to faint. Not Freya. When I delivered the knockout blow – that Heimar had been shot and captured – she just swallowed hard, narrowed her eyes and squinted at me.
‘Can you operate the S-phone?’ she repeated loudly and bluntly.
‘Y-y-yes,’ I replied.
‘Good, then we’d better find you a set of skis. There’s an old pair of mine in the shed among the fishing gear. They’re not great, but they’ll have to do.’
I felt stunned. I’d just told her that Heimar had been shot and carted off and she’d not batted an eyelid. ‘Did you hear what I just said?’
She hesitated and looked down at the ground. ‘Yes, Finn,’ she replied softly. ‘And I’ll pray for him later, once I’ve finished the job we set out to do together. If I stop to think now, I might not be able to go on. And if I can’t go on, it won’t just be Heimar’s life that’s in jeopardy.’
I think I must have looked a bit shell-shocked, because she reached out, grasped my shoulder firmly and said, ‘Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing, and believe me, it’s of the greatest importance. Heimar would want me to remain strong.’
Loki reappeared clutching the S-phone and swinging the belt wildly. ‘Got it, Freya!’
he shouted. ‘Where do you want me to put it? And I’ve got this bag of medicines we brought across. Do you want that too?’
‘Here, let me take a closer look.’ She inspected both the radio and the smaller bag containing the bottles of pills. ‘The radio’s larger than I anticipated. Heavy too. You’re going to have to carry it for us, Loki. And these medicines may prove very useful.’
He raised his eyebrows. ‘Carry it where?’
‘The rendezvous,’ I said. ‘It’s going ahead. Tonight! We’ve got to help Bald Eagle get home.’
Loki put down the belt. ‘I’m sorry about Heimar, Freya,’ he said, ‘and about your dogs. Why would they do such a thing?’
‘I don’t know, Loki,’ she replied. ‘Everything’s disintegrating. It’s as if the end of the world has come. Either the Germans have struck lucky, or someone’s been talking.’ She took a deep breath. ‘And loose tongues will be the death of us all.’
She yanked back her hood and gazed to the heavens in exasperation.
We found enough old, battered skis and poles to make do, and began adjusting the worn leather bindings to fit our boots. ‘Where exactly is Bald Eagle?’ I asked.
‘North of here,’ Freya replied. ‘In that old cave. You know, the one we camped in a few summers ago. He’s been there a few days already.’
‘And the plan?’ asked Loki.
‘The pick-up’s at midnight. That’s if the pilot can find the right valley. I checked the thickness of the ice on the lake and it’s more than enough to take the plane’s weight. I just hope the latest snowfall doesn’t cause a problem.’
‘Why won’t they send in a seaplane?’ I asked, fumbling awkwardly with the leather straps on my ski poles. I wasn’t the world’s best skier. But my question was a good one. We had so many fjords, so many hidden stretches of water, and often seaplanes proved the easiest and safest way in and out.
Dogfight Page 16
