No Ordinary Spy
by
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No Ordinary Spy
There was little activity at the traffic circle just a half-mile east the Arc de Triomphe. It was early Saturday morning and Paris was slow in awakening from the hangover wrought by the excesses of a spring Friday night. Antoine stood at a newsstand where he paid for a newspaper while keeping an eye on a well-dressed man with a small brown briefcase approaching the pisswaire some 100 yards away. . He turned so he faced the public rest stop and leaned against a light pole as he feigned interest in an article.
Another figure entered his view from the south. Henry Winston had been dropped off by a car less than a half mile away. He was casually dressed and also had a small brown briefcase. Antoine was expecting him. Winston strolled to the outdoor rest room where Antoine watched the feet of the two men. They stopped at a distance from each other with their toes pointing outward. Then the first man moved briskly past the other pair of feet, exited the stall, and resumed walking in his initial direction. After a measured pause, Winston emerged making his way to return south where his car would pick him up.
Antoine was already in position. When Winston exited, he was just a few feet behind.
He drew his automatic pistol placing the newspaper over it as he jammed it into Winston’s back.
"Keep walking, Monsieur Winston. Do not think of being a hero. I know you have a gun so keep your hands where I can see them. Go right at the first street. We are going for a walk in the park this morning."
Antoine knew more about Winston than just his name. He had been given a complete dossier through a leak at the American Embassy in London. Winston was Ivy League, majoring in Romance Languages. The CIA recruited him over a year ago. After a course in covert operations, he assumed courier duties at the American Embassy as his initial assignment. He was particularly useful in France, Spain, and Italy where he spoke the languages fluently. He was single, dated occasionally, was very precise in his assignments, and did not drink excessively. Paris was a frequent stop for couriers and Antoine had shadowed him several times.
At first Winston was totally surprised but remained calm. He then realized that the choice of the pisswaire for the drop was a huge mistake. It had given cover to the approach of his assailant. The car was nowhere in sight, but he had a strategy. This was not a simple robbery. His adversary knew his name, so he must an agent probably working for the USSR. No special instructions been given on the importance of the pickup briefcase, so there was no need to risk his life to protect its contents. He would remain calm, stall for time, and hope that his companions in the car would spot him. Even if he did surrender the briefcase, there was a good chance the three of them could stop the agent before he got very far.
Antoine had his own plan. He prodded Winston to quicken his step as the Bois de Boulogne loomed in front of them. The park quickly engulfed them. The spring growth of trees and shrubs had not yet been trimmed and the rays of the morning sun were muted. The path they took ended in a small lake that where rowboats were rented. It was much too early for the boat stall to be open. The area was deserted. Without a word, the force of the pistol pushed Winston onto the boat pier until he was within three yards of the end.
"Stop, Monsieur Wilson. Slowly drop the briefcase."
Wilson became uneasy. The man could have taken the briefcase from him at any time, taken his gun, then walked away. The package was the important thing, not the courier. Something was wrong. He decided it was time to turn.
Antoine was prepared. He already had his foot raised and smashing it into Wilson’s midsection driving him off the pier and into the water. The feeding waterfowl raised a ruckus. The briefcase skidded along the pier and he stopped it with his foot. He was in no hurry to get to the end of the pier. Winston’s dossier noted that he was a poor swimmer. The well-planned kick to the solar plexus expelled the air from his lungs, forcing him to inhale water as he plunged in.
Shear instinct brought Winston frantically thrashing to the surface. Gasping for breath, he started to move toward the dock. Antoine quickly grabbed an oar from one of the boats and swung it squarely into Winston's head. The swimmer quietly sank as blood tinted the water
Antoine looked around. The ducks were settling down. No sign of anything else.
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About the Book
No Ordinary Spy
It is 1953. The war in Korea is at a stalemate. The Chinese have dug in close to the 38th parallel. Truce talks are going on, but the U.S. is wary that another series of human wave attacks could prove demoralizing.
In Europe, the Russians sense the preoccupation of NATO’s leader. It is their opportunity to add temperature to the cold war. An invasion of West Germany using the armed East German Police Force is being considered, but an outright assault of Western Europe by Russian troops is not out of the question.
The main communications link from Washington to its NATO partners is through the Embassy at London. When two couriers based there are suddenly "lost" and no trained replacements are available, orders go out to the Naval attaché responsible for security at the Embassy: "...get another courier, NOW".
Plucked from a prosaic assignment as Top Secret Communications Officer on a Destroyer with the Mediterranean Fleet, Lt. James Parker unwittingly becomes a player in the Cold War. When the desperate Embassy expands his courier assignments to include espionage, they find out that their man, Parker, is No Ordinary Spy.
About the Author
Author Jack Petro saw Navy duty both as an enlisted man during World War II and as an officer during the Korean War.
Much like his hero, James Parker, Petro was tapped for Naval Classified Material Courier duty. "No Ordinary Spy" is based on his own experiences and of others during this assignment.
Petro worked at General Electric where he managed several manufacturing facilities. In post retirement, he taught at a Junior College where he honed his writing skills.
Currently Petro is an award winning Theater Critic covering live performances throughout North Central Florida. His column appears weekly in the Villages Daily Sun.