Travel Tales Excerpt – A Spy Waltz in Vienna
It took some time to get past the US guards and security staff. Evidently, a lost passport is a common nuisance that no one wants to address. It was only when George gave his cover name that the embassy staff took notice. Not that the staff’s attitude changed, but at least they were no longer waiting or being ignored. To the dismay and disgust of others in the waiting area, Randy and George were quickly ushered to an office that was out of view from passersby.
The room was nondescript and only had a table, some bare wooden chairs, a US flag in the corner, and a smiling picture of President Reagan on the wall. They waited there for a few minutes until a man and woman dressed in formal suits entered the room.
Uncertain how to proceed, George used the cover names to introduce himself and started with the explanation of the lost passport when he was interrupted by the man in the suit.
“No need, Messrs. Amenguale and Mak, we know why you are here. This is a secure room. I am Mr. Brown, and this is Ms. Grey.” Brown began. “They are not our real names, but let’s just go with the flow. We have a situation that needs your expertise. We have gotten word through the Spanish agents that someone is trying to sell the plans of the new Ticonderoga class ship, specifically the communications and electronic warfare systems. The seller claims to have spent time on the ship. We need you to check it out and validate or refute this claim.”
– End Excerpt
Vienna is elegance. Vienna is culture. Vienne is art. Vienna is food. Vienna is a city for everyone.
It was hard to decide what story to write, but I knew I had to write one set in Vienna. I visited Vienna in the 1970s, but in 2023, it changed dramatically. What had not changed was its reputation as a city for spies. A good spy story requires a whole book, which is incompatible with an anthology of short stories. Fortunately, I had been lucky in life when, several years ago, a former supervisor shared a spy story his buddy had experienced in the navy somewhere in Asia.
The setting for my story was different, and the nature of the incident was different, but it helped me find a way to make a short spy story. Vienna was the perfect place because of the city’s layout and density of shops, stores, cathedrals, museums, pubs, and restaurants, and all its narrow streets and alleys are perfect for a spy thriller. That is probably why so many movies refer to it and use it.
In intelligence and espionage, everything is researched, all possibilities considered, and all activities choreographed. Every action has layers of complexity. It is a ballroom dance of events. Surprises are not good. There is always a risk of failure, so it is not a career for amateurs.
I considered every place I saw and every spot I stopped for my short story. Next to the Krems story, Vienna was the most complex story to develop. I hope you enjoy the story as much as I did writing it.