Short Story: The Prague Connection-part 3

Short Story: The Prague Connection-part 3

DAY ONE: The jet came to a stop at Gate #12. They were told by the pilot in English, as well as in Bohemian, to exit the plane now and follow the arrows to the baggage section. As they exited the main door of the jet, there were two Russian soldiers, with their weapon at parade rest, watching everyone exiting onto the ramp. There was no sign of welcome from them, no smiles, just suspicion. It made them realise that they were in a foreign country, and must follow the rules to stay safe. The attorney looked at his wife and said something to her in Bohemian, which made her smile. The Russians soldiers apparently couldn't translate what he said, since their facial expression did not change.

They followed the other travellers to the baggage area, where the passengers had to go from cart to cart until they found their suitcases. "Some system’', said one of the passengers. With that everyone laughed, and someone else yelled out, "Welcome to Russia!" The attorney and his wife finally found their suitcases and followed the signs to the Customs Booths. They had to wait for over an hour, because only two booths were manned , and the customs agents were in no hurry. They appeared to be Czechoslovakian state employees, with a few Russian interpreters standing by. Finally, it was their turn and they were handed the Customs Declaration Form to complete while the agents were going though their suitcases. There were two main questions on the form that had to be answered. One had to do with the amount of foreign currency in their possession and the other, the purpose of their visit to Prague.

The attorney knew how much money they were carrying, which included the travellers checks. It was a sizeable amount but enough to put a down payment on a villa. He completed the form and gave it to the customs agent. The agent spoke Bohemian and some English, enough to get by with the tourists who mostly spoke English. Of course there were other foreign -speaking tourists, who, somehow, with the use of their hands, they were able to get their point across to the agent.

The agent counted the attorney’s funds, cash and travellers checks, and exchanged only a small amount for Czech Crowns. This was to be used for their expenses for a few days. When the agent read the declaration form and their purpose for visiting Prague, the large amount of money and the intention of buying a villa seemed to be justified. So without any delays, the agent gave the attorney a receipt for the money, plus a bank book indicating the balance of funds, which was converted to Czech Crowns, in the Bank of Czechoslovakia for future withdrawals. Also the agent handed a business card to the attorney concerning a person he knew who could help him find a villa. It was a referral from the Customs agent, good or bad, but it still could be useful.They finally cleared Customs three hours later. They were now exhausted and found a cab to take them to the Palace Hotel near the square in the Old Town. The last several hours had been quite a nerve-racking experience, but now they were in Prague and it was time to work on the plan.

The attorney had not told the Customs agent his profession, only stated that he was a businessman from Cleveland, Ohio, who hoped to retire someday in the country where he was born. His wife was very glad when they arrived at their destination. They checked into the Palace Hotel and their reservation was waiting. A young man carried their luggage and they exchanged small talk concerning what sights to see in Prague. Once in the room, with the door locked, they both fell upon the bed for a short nap.

They were awakened by the ringing of the phone. The attorney grabbed the phone quickly and asked who was calling. It was the villa salesman, recommended by the customs agent. The attorney wasn't sure who or what this man was but he would go along with the plan. They made arrangements to meet in the lobby the following morning at 10 a.m. It was a matter- of- fact conversation and the attorney fell back onto the bed to think out their next move. They had previously agreed never to talk about their plan in the hotel room, in case it was bugged. They were wary of talking in public areas, not knowing who was watching or listening. They were strict about talking business in the bathroom with the lavatory flushing, but tried to act normally in public, while being aware of their surroundings. It was getting late, and their last meal had been in Paris over eight hours previously. There had been too much excitement to think about food. But now they were hungry and went down to the front desk and asked the clerk if he knew of a restaurant within walking distance of the hotel. The clerk suggested a small cafe that specialized in home cooking a few blocks east of the hotel. They found the cafe and had a great supper and two glasses of good Czech beer and acted like the tourists they were. Tomorrow they would begin the hunt for the heirs.

DAY TWO: The attorney and his wife rose early. They were excited about today since they hoped to find the first heir. They looked out the window, which gave them a nice view of Prague. They were in Room 403, located on the 4th floor. It was a nice room, clean but not too fancy compared to similar hotels in the U.S. Their appointment with the man who called the night before was for 10 a.m. and therefore they had to hurry down for some breakfast. While were waiting for the villa salesman, they thought about getting a map of Prague. The map they had was of the various tourist attractions but not a detailed city map of the streets in Prague. The hotel clerk had suggested that he go to a newspaper stand down the street two blocks away. After breakfast, they still had time before the meeting with the salesman so the attorney walked down to the newspaper stand and purchased a map of Prague and its outlying areas. He had a feeling someone was following him and he looked around but saw nothing unusual. He went back to the hotel, up to his room and didn't say anything to his wife. He laid out the map on the bed to acquaint himself with Prague. He had the address of one of the sisters of the five heirs who had apparently moved into town some years ago. The locations of the other heirs were somewhere outside of the city limits in farm country. He knew if he could locate the sister, then she would be able to tell him where the others lived. He looked up her address on the map and found she lived about two miles from their hotel.

The telephone rang and the 10 o'clock appointment was waiting downstairs. They met the salesman, Jerry, and they talked about villas for the next couple of hours. Jerry knew all the villas that were for sale in the area. The Communist Socialist Government had apparently taken control of the sale of all these villas, since it was now a buyer’s market. Like everything else, they controlled the lifeline of the people. Jerry showed them some pictures of villas that were in their price range. The down payment would be approximately the amount of money deposited in the State Bank. It was Strange how Jerry knew the amount needed in that price range, but in this type of society, the powers in control know everything. The couple played their part as genuine buyers, asked the right questions and made an appointment to meet with Jerry two days later. They were sure Jerry would report back to his superiors that these folks from Cleveland, Ohio, were legitimate villa buyers.

The next step was to go sightseeing in this beautiful city and during their roaming try to locate the first heir, Mary. Taking the map with them they located the street Mary lived on. It required riding two streetcars and walking a few blocks, but for the next couple hours they wandered around and looked like very interested tourists. The attorney looked behind them several times to see if anyone was following them. It was difficult to spot anyone because of the many tourists that were in town. But even though he saw no one, he had this strange feeling of being watched. They stopped to get lunch at a quaint outdoor cafe, which were close to where they would catch the streetcar to Mary's place. After lunch, they boarded the streetcar with a group of English people on a tour. This certainly was a good cover. They rode the streetcar for over an hour and passed the stop for Mary's place. They decided to go to the next stop and walk around the block back to Mary's street. Several times the attorney would check to see if they were being followed. The sidewalk were empty and only one person on a bike passed them by. He decided it was safe.

Mary lived on the second floor of this very old building which was in poor condition. He looked around for the last time to be sure they weren't being followed and they entered the lobby.. They look for her name on the various old mailboxes hanging on a dirty wall. Mary's name was on one that indicated she lived on the second floor, apartment # 204. They found the steps leading up to the second floor and went to the apartment. The attorney knocked on the door and after a few seconds a fragile, elderly woman opened the door slightly. She asked the couple what they wanted. The attorney introduced himself and his wife to her. Mary seemed very confused and distrustful. They may have been KGB or some high-ranking government employees. The wife started to explain to Mary in Bohemian that they were there in her best interests and were not there to hurt her or put her in jail. The attorney asked again if they could come in as he didn't want to say anymore in the hallway So Mary unhooked the chain off the door and let them into her small but clean apartment. Mary knew it was not the custom of the KGB to ask, but to demand, so she felt a growing warmth towards the Americans, and invited them to sit down. It was a hot July day and she asked if they wanted something to drink. Actually all she had was water which was drawn from the faucet. It was cold, but welcome. The attorney started his story concerning why he and his wife were there in Prague. Mary just listened and did not say a word for over five minutes. She hardly remembered her brother as it had been such a long time since she had seen him. Years ago the family used to get together on various holidays and had a great time.

Mary couldn't believe what she just heard. She was to inherit money from her deceased brother in the United States. This could not be true and fear gripped her.. She felt she had to be very careful. Maybe these people really were Russians, since the man looked like some type of important person in his suit, tie and Homburg hat. The woman wore a quality dress which was very attractive. Only important people dress like that. She became bold and asked to see some type of court papers confirming everything that she had been told. The attorney explained to her that it was impossible to bring the file with him to Czechoslovakia. He had only a list of file names and their last know addresses. Each one is to receive an equal amount. Mary just listened and this time very slowly, Fred explained the details of the inheritance. He needed her help to find the other siblings. Finally Mary was convinced that this American couple were who they said they were and agreed to help. What did she have to lose? She was old and her health has been failing for years. At least with the money she could have some comfort before she died.

They had talked for over an hour when the front opened and in walked a young man dressed in a Russian uniform. The attorney and his wife were very startled and before anything was said, Mary introduced them to her son, Paul. He was a personal driver for a Russian officer but he's not a Russian. He had to wear the uniform for the job. He then asked, "What are these two Americans doing here?" The attorney told him the story about the inheritance and he was amazed and couldn't believe it. His mother was going to inherit some money. Paul then stated he might be able to help as his boss went back to Russia and would be gone for another week. He had the use of the sedan and he indicated he has a good idea where the other siblings lived. This was a break the attorney and his wife had not counted on- the use of a Russian sedan with a Czech driver who knows where the other heirs lived.

Paul offered to drive the Americans back to their hotel but the attorney thought it would be safer for everyone if they left the way they had come, by streetcar. They decided to meet the following day in front of the Old Town Hall building at noon.. This way they could do some more sightseeing and meet up with Paul, after they were sure they were not followed. Paul agreed but warned the Americans not to talk to any strangers, spies were everywhere-Russians and some turncoat Czechoslovakians.

The end of Part III