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Chapter 5:
Really? What are the odds?
Auggie arrived at Annie's house at 12:30pm. A car accident on the freeway caused him to have to take back roads to get to her house, almost doubling the commute time. As he walked over to Annie's side of the property, he immediately became concerned when he saw an envelope sitting by the door of her house. Had Annie really been so pissed with me that she simply put the translation outside her door for me to pick up? Auggie thought to himself, concerned with how he could make it back into this stranger's good graces to pacify Joan. "What if someone else had picked it up?" he said aloud to no one.
He picked up the envelope once he reached the door and realized there were two envelopes, one slightly thicker than the other. He opened the first and after a quick glance saw that it was indeed the translation. Opening the second, he saw that it was an identical set to the first except behind this one there were several thick sheets of paper with lots of bumps on them. What the hell is this? Auggie thought to himself? Stuffing the papers all back in their respective envelopes, he decided that, despite already having what he came for, he still needed to speak with Annie, if only to satisfy his boss.
He knocked on her door and after several minutes of no response, he decided, since the keys were right there, he would just open the door to check on her. Maybe she couldn't hear him knock? He thought to himself then mentally kicked himself for thinking that. She's blind, not deaf Auggie. He told himself.
Entering Annie's home, he was immediately greeted by a very anxious golden retriever. Auggie took a second to pet her as he called out to Annie. "Annie, are you home? I'm sorry for my behavior earlier. Are you here?" Auggie looked around her home, going to each room.
Not receiving a response, nor seeing any sign of Annie, he left. Maybe she had gone somewhere. No matter, he had other things to do. He needed to get to work on discovering what Raphael and Amos were up to and how Warren Fisher fit into their equation. The CIA had been tracking their movements for several months. They suspected them of selling weapons to hostile countries, but they needed Annie's translation to know for sure what they were discussing.
Back in his car, he threw both envelopes into the passenger seat as he drove back to Langley. Surely Joan wouldn't be mad at him for not apologizing if Annie wasn't even home.
Walking back into Langley, he immediately went to Joan's office. After knocking on her door and being allowed entrance, he sat in one of the chairs in front of her desk and patiently waited for Joan to finish her phone call.
"Well, did you get it?" Joan asked impatiently when Auggie didn't speak first.
"Yes." Auggie said as he handed one of the envelopes to her.
Joan took the envelope and looked over the documents carefully. As she reached the end of the file she became concerned. "Auggie, did you read all of this?"
"No, I skimmed it. It seemed trustworthy."
"And did you apologize to Annie?"
"Well, no. She wasn't there when I arrived. These envelopes were outside the door."
"What do you mean she wasn't there? Auggie, tell me everything you saw. Was her cane there? How about her dog?"
Suddenly confused by Joan's desperation, Auggie answered. "Her keys were still in the door; I opened the door and called out a couple times. The dog was inside and was acting anxious, but I just assumed it was because I was a stranger to him. I didn't notice a cane, but I also didn't look for one. I'm sure she was just at her sister's or something."
"Auggie, did you read the last lines of this transcript?
"No, why."
"Auggie, is it possible that you could have been made out there? Their conversation ends with them each questioning whether they were each followed. Could they have discovered you were listening in?"
"No, Joan! You know me. I'm the best at my job. There is no way they could have known I was there." But just as Auggie said this doubt formed in his mind. There had been a time while he was listening when Raphael and Amos had paused, looked around them, and started speaking in a whisper.
"Auggie, I need to be sure. Go find Annie. You have to make sure she is okay. She would not just leave her keys in the door. And an anxious guide dog? They are trained to handle a lot. If Annie's dog was anxious, it could mean Annie is in trouble."
"Joan, can't someone else go. I mean, I have to get this translation to the team and see if we can figure out when and where these weapons are being exchanged. This is my case. I've been preparing it for weeks."
"No Auggie. You go, now. Raphael or Amos might just be in the US now. What if they did something to Annie? Were you followed this morning?"
"I had not thought of that Joan. I don't know. I wasn't really paying attention?" Auggie said sheepishly.
"Auggie, go. Find Annie." Joan said
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Annie sat in a secluded cabin miles away from her home. It is approximately three hours since she was taken. Annie was sitting alone in the middle of the living room tied to a chair. Two men, Amos and an associate, who had taken her, were now in another room planning what to do with her.
She slowly found herself waking up. As consciousness came to her, she slowly remembered what happened. Really? What are the odds of a person being kidnapped twice in one lifetime? Annie thought to herself. Remaining unmoving, she accessed her surroundings the best she could.
Realizing that they have a blindfold over her eyes, Huh, I guess they don't know I'm blind. She thought to herself. This could be used to her advantage. She could not hear breathing or movement around her. She assumed she was alone. As she allowed herself to move a little, she concluded that she was sitting in a simple wooden chair with her hands handcuffed behind her and then the handcuffs were tied to the chair where she sat. She could tell by the warmth coming from a window somewhere to her right that it was still day time, but she couldn't reach her watch to seek the exact time.
Sometime later, Annie heard a conversation in a nearby room.
"Ist dies das Mädchen?" The man, whose voice Annie knew to be Amos, said in German meaning "Is this the girl?"
"Ja, der Mann der uns folgte, kam aus ihrem Haus. Wir haben ihn aus den Augen verloren aber er ist zu ihr zurück gegangen" Annie scoffed as she heard the man say: "Yes, the man following us came out of her house this morning." So August was the reason she was in her current situation she thought to herself.
"Lass uns sehen was sie weiß" Annie translated in her head to mean: "Let us see what she knows."
Annie tilted her head as she heard footsteps approaching in the same room she was in.
"What do you want from me?" Annie asked pretending to struggle in the chair when she thought the man was near her.
"Wir wollen wissen, was Ihre Regierung über uns weiß." Annie pretended not to understand him when he said: "We want to know what your government knows about us."
"I'm sorry, what did you say. I don't understand you. Please. I'm just a blind teacher." Annie knew she would learn more if she pretended she could not understand them. And by downplaying her job and up playing her disability, perhaps they would be careless and she could learn their plans.
"Blind? This means you cannot see?" Amos responded with a strong German accent.
"Yes. I cannot see. There is no need to blindfold me. Or handcuff me."
Curiosity over took Amos. He quickly and harshly removed the blindfold from around Annie's head, jerking her head a little as he did so.
Waving his hand in front of Annie's unfocused eyes he concluded that she was indeed telling the truth. "How I know you will not run away if I untie you?"
"Well, honestly, I cannot leave. I don't know where I am and cannot find my way without sight." Annie stated simply and truthfully. There really was no way for her to leave, especially without Silke or even a cane. She had no idea how she would get out of this mess.
"I untie you. You run away and you will not like the consequences."
Amos untied the rope that tied the cuffs to the chair Annie sat in, and then unlocked the handcuffs.
"Thank you." Annie said sweetly as she rubbed her wrists to get blood flowing back properly from the too-tight handcuffs that had been restraining her to the chair.
"What you know about us?" The man asked this time in English.
"What do you mean? I do not think I know you." Annie stated dumbly. She could not give any evidence of know who they were. She still sat in the chair with her feet planted firmly on the floor and her hands in her lap. She tried to listen to the noises outside, but right now there was nothing to go off. Checking her watch, it told her the time was almost 3pm.
"We saw him at your house this morning. He talked to you for at least twenty minutes."
"Oh, the salesman?" Annie said trying to be convincing.
At this, the man standing in front of her slapped her hard across the face almost making Annie lose her balance in the chair and fall out of it.
"Do not lie to me!" He said sternly.
Trembling, Annie brought her hand up to meet her face, and then felt a warm thick liquid coming from her lip. Great, there's certainly nothing better than a blind girl with a busted lip. Annie thought to herself.
"You don't have to hit me!" Annie said standing straight up from the chair to face the man that had just hit her, desperately hoping she was at least close to meeting eye contact. She could feel his warm breath on her face and knew he was a good bit taller than she was and standing much closer to her than she had anticipated he would be when she stood.
"Sit down or I will do it again! I will tie you back up if I need to." Amos said as Annie found the chair again and sat down. Moments later she heard another other man come into the room.
"Why is she not blindfolded and tied up? Is she telling you anything" the other man asked in German.
"She is blind. She cannot escape. I am still trying to get her to talk. Maybe she knows nothing. Have we heard from Warren yet?" Amos replied in German.
"Are you sure she is blind? Yes, he expects the weapons from Raphael to be sent this weekend. The plan will go down the next Saturday, the 6th of March in Georgia." The new voice told Amos in perfect German. Annie sat and pressed the sleeve of her shirt on her lip and touched the side of her face pretending not to pay attention to the men.
"Yes, check for yourself if you don't believe me. She doesn't know German either." Amos said annoyed at his friend for not believing him.
"I think I will." The man whose name Annie did not know said.
Annie heard the man walk further into the room. "Stand up girl." He said with a thick Mediterranean accent.
Annie lifted herself off the chair and looked into the direction she thought the man was standing.
"How are you looking at me if you cannot see?" The man stood in Annie's directly line of sight.
"I know where you are based on where I hear your voice coming from. I am only guessing where you actually are. And now, I can tell by the fact you questioned my accuracy that I was in fact at least close." Annie stated confidently.
Annie could tell by the man's footsteps that he was moving around the room slowly to see if she would follow with her eyes. She remained still.
"How did you go blind?" The man asked curiously.
"Car accident in Africa almost a year ago." She said simply. "One minute I'm driving supplies to a school we were building, the next I wake up in a hospital and its two weeks later with a complete dark void around me."
"What do you know about the man who came to see you this morning?" He asked from behind Annie.
Annie turned to face the man, a habit that she could not break even though she couldn't see the man. "He is a student. He needed my advice on a paper he is writing for my class. I am a university professor. I teach Russian literature." At least part of that answer was the truth. Again, Annie heard the man moving. This time he moved closer to her.
"I don't believe you." Annie sensed that she might be hit again and mentally braced herself, but nothing came.
"Call Georgetown University if you don't believe me."
"Believe me, we will." The man said. Annie was suddenly grateful that everyone at the University did not know just how many languages she knew and that this semester she was only teaching Russian and French classes.
"Could I get some water please? I am very thirsty. Also, could you please show me back to a seat?"
One of the men grabbed her arm and began pushing her forward causing her to trip.
"Can I just hold your arm as you guide me to a chair? It's much easier than you pushing me around in a room I am not familiar with. Unless you will permit me to walk around this room to learn it, I have to trust you." Annie stated as she found her balance again.
"No, you stay where we put you." He man said as Annie found his arm and he awkwardly walked forward until Annie's knee hit the chair she had previously sat in.
"Thank you." Annie said as she sat down again.
"We will leave you now. Do not try to leave."
Annie smirked. "Where would I go if I did leave? I have no way to know where I am in the world." Annie sat quietly thinking about how she would get out of this predicament.
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In the meantime, Auggie was at Danielle's house about to knock on her door.
He had already been to Annie's to check that she was not there and that her cane was still there. He also checked around her place for clues of intruders. There was evidence of multiple men's footprints in the snow around her house.
Danielle answered the door immediately
"Anne—YOU! Where is Annie?" She shouted at Auggie.
"I was coming to ask you the same thing. I was hoping she was with you."
"No, she left here with the documents you wanted translated two hours ago. Then when I called her to see if she had lunch shortly after 12:30, she didn't answer. When I walked over there, she was gone, without Silke or her cane. I assumed she went with you since she was supposed to meet you at noon." Danielle said in almost a panic. Not a moment had passed since Annie came back from Africa that Danielle did not know where she was. The fact that Annie did not have her phone, cane, or guide dog with her right now made Danielle think that the absolute worst must have happened to Annie. What Danielle did not know was that Annie had already been through the worst thing she could imagine and survived.
"No, I came around 12:30 to find the documents I needed outside her door. I will find out what happened to her. I can promise you that."
"Oh my God. You mean she could have been kidnapped?"
"I do not know. When I know more, I will contact you."
Leaving Annie's house, Auggie called Eric Barber in the tech ops division to survey all of the cameras within a five mile radius around Annie's house. He instructed him to look for any suspicious vehicles and to look for Annie, Amos, or Raphael. Auggie went straight to Langley. He had an idea about what had happened to Annie, but he hoped he was wrong. If he was correct in his instructs, then it was completely his fault Annie was now in the hands of arms dealers.
Author's Note: Pretty please review if you are enjoying this story. I need to know thoughts on how to proceed for future chapters. Or else the next chapter might be the last.
