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Bear Any Burden - Chapter 12
Excerpt
They entered a sparsely-furnished office with a window
overlooking the border crossing plaza, two wooden benches along
one wall, an iron heating stove in one corner and a Polish flag
on a stand in the other corner. An official in a Border
Security Officer's uniform was seated behind the desk at right
angles to the window. A long bench seat faced the desk. He had
their three passports open in front of them. The officer was a
large man with crew-cut gray hair, piercing gray eyes and a
seamed and rugged face. The collar of his uniform was undone
and he peered at them through wire-rimmed glasses.
Hmm, he said to himself. Definitely "Fish," but are they
"Little Fish" or "Big Fish?"
He looked at the passports again. Professor Gustav Bauer from
Vienna. A dog-eared passport with lots of entries, including a
stamp three days ago crossing this very border. He didn't
remember seeing them, but maybe he was off duty at that time.
Mrs. Vera Bauer. Hmm, she's a good-looking lady He admiringly
looked at Anna's face and blue eyes peering out from under the
scarf swathed around her head and over her shoulders. Doesn't
look much like her passport photo, he said to himself. The
woman in the photo looks older. Although I suppose it could be
her at a pinch. Passport photos are renowned for not making
people look their best. How about this one? Sir Alex Campbell -
British. Came in through Warsaw International Airport two days
ago.
Okay, let's see if they are "Big Fish" or "Little Fish." He
looked up and said in German to no one in particular. "Well,
what is your destination?" Anna couldn't speak German and was
shocked that they were not being addressed in Polish. Keller
was about to answer, but Alex jumped in first.
"We are going to Vienna," he said, his throat dry and stomach
knotted. "We've just come from Krakow, the Polish Academy of
Sciences Meeting," he went on quickly
"Really?" said the official. "I see. And why sir, are you going
to Vienna?" he asked Alex politely.
"Professor Bauer has invited me to be his guest for a few days
before I return to England."
"Ah," said the official. He looked at Bauer and his wife. They
don't look Austrian. Their clothes aren't Austrian. Their
manner is not Austrian. They're not confident like the
Westerners always are. These two look like Poles through and
through. Well if they're not Austrian but they're Polish, then
why are they here?, he thought to himself. And why is this
Britisher with them?
Viktor Taussig had seen many "Fish" pass through his hands over
the past 30 years. He was nearing retirement - only 16 months
to go now, and he had built up quite a nice nest egg of bribe
money. He knew the cigarette smugglers who regularly passed his
way. And for a couple of thousand Szlotys, they were allowed to
take their Marlboros and their Camels with them. He also knew
the smugglers of Levis, Scotch Whisky and Cognac, western books
and magazines, and long-playing records. He'd taken bribes from
all of them. They weren't doing any harm, and there was a ready
market in Poland for all of those products. But he wouldn't
take bribes from the drug smugglers, and whenever they were
found, he always handed them over to the police. He also
wouldn't deal with those pimps, who handled human traffic -
those lowlifes who wanted to smuggle young Polish women across
the border. He took great pleasure in arresting those flesh
merchants.
But with these "Fish," the question was, were they important?
He seemed to recognize Bauer's face from somewhere, but
couldn't put a name to it. He was intrigued to know why the
three of them were traveling together, and if "Bauer" and the
woman were Polish.
Alex, Keller, and Anna were standing nervously in front of him.
"Please sit down," he said in German. They sat down on the
bench seat. He carefully looked through the three passports
lying in front of him on the desk. He was deciding whether to
take the matter further or not; after all the passports were in
order. He had reason to doubt that these were not the people
that they said they were. But who the hell cared!
At that moment, the telephone rang. He picked it up. "Taussig,"
he said over the phone.
"Ah Yes, Colonel," he said into the mouthpiece. That prick,
Wojek, the Regional Commander of the Southern Border area,
Taussig thought to himself. What the hell does he want? Even
from where Alex was sitting, he could hear an excited, loud
voice shouting through the phone. Taussig was listening
intently. Wojek was in a panic and sounded like he was about to
have his balls cut off, from above. Serves him right, thought
Tassig.
"I see," said Taussig, looking intently at Keller, Anna, and
Alex. "Yes, Colonel, I did. Yes," he continued. "Let me see."
He took a moment and then looked at the passports again.
"Gustav Bauer and Vera Bauer," he said into the phone. Another
moment passed. "Vienna," he continued.
Alex's heart sank. My God they're on to us. How the hell did
they do that so quickly?
"ORBIS" Taussig said. "No, Colonel." Another long silence and
then, "Yes, Sir," Taussig continued. "A Zil Sedan, I think.
About 30 minutes. O.K., Yes Sir," were the final words he said
to his superior. He put the phone down, looked at the three of
them, and then focused on Keller. With a slight knowing smile
he said slowly in Polish, "So, you're Professor
Keller."
by Ellis M. Goodman - 20th October 2008
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Ellis M. Goodman is a Chicago based businessman who came to the
U.S. in 1982 from London England. He is the author of CORONA:
THE INSIDE STORY OF AMERICA'S #1 IMPORTED BEER, and has
recently completed his Cold War Espionage Thriller Novel - BEAR
ANY BURDEN. To learn more about Ellis M. Goodman and BEAR ANY
BURDEN, visit http://www.bearanyburden.com
Article Source:
http://www.creativewriter.me.uk
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