The Tourist

The Man in the Black Suit

The Tourist

 

Never purchase food from your venue of lodging.  A rule of tradecraft.  Most motels – especially those that assist you in remaining under the radar – have laughably inefficient security systems.  If they have any at all.

The man named Jameson had returned Dr. Henning’s rented car, and now he was a tourist making use of the DVB: Dresden’s public transportation system.  The tourist had taken a tram to the commercial area by the river Elbe.  He’d purchased lunch at a sandwich shop, and was now sitting on a bench overlooking the gorgeous waterway, gawking at the sights and colors of the city.

            “Gawking” was how he came to affirm that two men were watching him intently.  The tourist’s eyes were sweeping his surroundings, taking in the shop fronts and the Baroque spires of the looming Cathedral Hofkirche, where the heart of King August the strong was kept.  Large portions of the Church’s masonry had been destroyed during Dresden’s firebombing, but the East German government had paid for extensive reconstruction in the eighties.  Now it was a massive tourist trap.  And some of those tourists drew followers of their own.

Even when the tourist’s eyes picked out the figures he was looking for, they didn’t cease sweeping the streets.  He gave no inclination that he’d noticed the watchers.  They weren’t going to try anything in a public place.  But the tourist needed them to try something.

            Tossing his sandwich bag in a trash bin, he wandered away from the river, browsing the window displays of nearby shops.  These men had somehow known where he was staying.  There’d only been one follower at first, and eventually he’d switched off with a second.  A classic, professional technique.  But their actions were too similar, their presence too persistent, and their acting too bad for the tourist to be fooled.  His gawking persona enabled him to throw broad glances at his surroundings, effectively keeping tabs on the followers.  They’d joined up, which likely meant they were waiting for their chance to make a move.  The tourist intended to give them one.  He needed information.

            Wandering into an alley between two shops, he created an opportunity so perfect that the thugs wouldn’t be able to resist.
 

            There was a simple problem, however.  They did resist.  They were no longer following.