I don't own any of the characters, but I can dream, can't I? ;)
Auggie's POV
"Joan, this is ridiculous! Calder and his men have been in Malaysia a week now. I'm telling you, she's in Malé," Auggie argued as he walked with Joan.
"I understand that you're worried about her Auggie," Joan replied, "but we have no proof that's where she is."
"What do you mean no proof? Joan!"
"Auggie, a piece of paper doesn't mean anything. We all know she was planning to leave with Simon that night, that is all that this proves."
"The Maldive islands aren't that far from Malaysia-"
"And the only planes that have been down there in the last week are private owned," she cut him off. "Calder spoke the the pilots and passed Annie's picture around. No one has seen her, and none of the cameras picked her up." They were in Joan's office now.
"She could have taken a boat," he shot back. Auggie didn't need proof to know that Annie had gone to Malé.
"Yes, and Calder is at the docks now, I'm expecting his call any-" the phone rang, proving her point. "See," she said, picking up the phone.
"Joan!" His voice came through.
"Hang on Calder, I'm putting you on speaker," Joan replied, "speak."
"Let me start by saying Annie really isn't making this easy, you trained her well Joan," he paused for a response, but none came. "RIGHT! So, other than fishing boats, the only things to go in or out of this dock are freight ships. I checked the records, and none of them have gone anywhere near The Maldives in the past week, and none of the fishing boat captains claim to have seen her..."
"But?" Auggie asked, knowing it was coming.
"BUT, one of them seems to have gotten a shiny new toy."
"I don't understand," Joan says. "You need to be specific.
"One man just bought a new boat, less than a week old. I took a look at the boat, there is no way he could have been able to afford it, not on the money he makes alone."
"You think Annie might have paid him off?" Auggie was beginning to put the pieces together. Auggie though back to the day after Annie went dark. He and Calder provided her with more than enough money for something like this. They didn't know how long she would be "dead" and what she would need to do. They needed her to be prepared.
"It's possible, but again, he claims not to have seen her, or anyone matching her description."
"And you believe him," Joan questions him.
"I'm not sure. The guy claims he was left some money in a will, and there aren't and cameras around, so no way to place Annie here. It looks like we've hit a dead end."
"No, we haven't," Auggie argued, trying hard not to let his emotions boil up. "Joan, she's in Malé, I know it. Send me down there, you don't need send anyone with me. Let Calder stay in Malaysia and keep looking if you want."
"And if you're wrong," Joan questions.
"Then I come right back, no argument."
"And if you're RIGHT," she asks. A question Auggie doesn't understand.
"What do you mean?"
"Auggie, Annie has clearly put a LOT of effort into not being found. There's got to be a reason."
"She's been through a lot Joan, clearly that's what she THINKS she wants. But she needs us, now more than ever."
"She needs us, or she needs you,"
The question catches him off guard. " I don't understand."
"Then let me rephrase that. I am well aware of your feelings for her Auggie, we all are. But you can't let that get in the way of what's best for Annie."
"I KNOW WHAT'S BEST FOR ANNIE," he couldn't keep his emotions from boiling over. Maybe Joan was right and he was too attached, maybe not. "If you didn't want me going to get her, why send a team to look for her in the first place?"
"He's got a point Joan," comes Calder's voice the phone. Auggie was beginning to forget he was even there. They both were.
"I needed to make sure the reason for her disappearance wasn't that she was followed, and given the fact that WE aren't even certain where she is," Auggie rolled his eyes at this, "I highly doubt anyone else is."
"So you're saying I can't go down there Joan?"
"I'm saying we should give her time, let her cool off, and then MAYBE, try to make contact."
"I have to agree with Joan on this one, Auggie."
Auggie stood there in silence for a while, not knowing what to say. He thought about everything he and Annie had been through, all the lives she'd touched, not just his, but Jai's, Simon's, Eyal's. He paused at Eyal for a moment. He was one of the few who knew Annie went dark,and the news of Henry Wilcox's death will have made its way to Mossad by now.
Without a word, Auggie turned around and began to leave. "WHERE ARE YOU GOING," Joan called after him.
"HOME," he yelled back, without turning around.
Twenty minutes later, Auggie was fishing his keys out of his pocket and opening the door. Once inside he began to pull out his phone, but before he could do anything, the phone began to ring.
CALL FROM: EYAL LAVIN
Auggie couldn't help but smile. He double tapped the screen of his phone, answering the call, "Did you just read my mind?"
