Into the light and back part 13
Auggie was excited and nervous. Natasha was on her way to the USA and the reason was a tricky mission they both had to accomplish. Auggie had gone through a lot in his life as a spy and every new mission was a new challenge. His loss of sight often made things more difficult for him and often he got frustrated when things took longer than they should because he could not see. Asking for help was not easy for him.
Auggie took his phone „call Taxi" he said and a second later the phone announced „dialling taxi".
Twenty minutes later Auggie was on his way to the airport. It had been a while, since he and Tash had met and he wished, the circumstances of their meeting were more pleasant. He was fully aware of the danger he and Natasha were in.
The taxi stopped in front of the airport entrance. Auggie paid the driver and asked him „Would you mind taking me to the flight terminal?"
„Of course not" The driver said and offered Auggie his arm. Auggie did not like to ask for assistance, but navigating at a crowded airport was a real challenge for a blind person and given the special circumstances he was even more nervous. Everything had to work out perfectly.
When Auggie and the taxi driver reached the flight terminal, Auggie said „Thank you, I guess I can handle it alone now" The taxi driver turned and walked to the exit of the building. Auggie opened the lid of this tactile watch. His sensitive fingertips read the time. Natasha should arrive any minute. Auggie was a bit lost in thought. The sounds around him were overwhelming. A wailing baby behind him, a Turkish traveller group talking loudly, the announcement of flights through the loudspeaker and the steps of people passing by, hurrying to get to their planes, all of that was a lot to take in for someone who could not see. Auggie had gotten used to it but from time to time he was still stressed by all the sensory input.
Then, he heard a familiar voice call him „Auugggiieee!" That was Natasha´s voice. She hurried towards him, trailing her suitcase in wheels behind. Now Auggie´s face lit up as well and a broad smile played around his lips.
„Hey Tash, good to see you. So to speak" And then he opened his arms and pulled Natasha into a hug.
„It is so good to see you" She said with her strong Russian accent and then she added „But I wished the circumstances were a bit more pleasant"
„Yes, I wish that, too" Auggie replied „Shall we go?" He asked, turning a bit towards Natasha.
„Yeah, let´s go" She said and started walking. Auggie cleared his throat and said
„I think I´d better take your arm. The crowds at an international airport are too much for a blind guy"
„Sorry Auggie, I sometimes still forget that you are blind now. In my mind you are still the man I met at the laundromat.
„This man does not exist anymore, but it is okay. We have not met very often since my accident so I get it that you still find it hard to get acquainted with „my new Me".
And then Natasha offered Auggie her elbow before they walked to the exit of the airport building.
A number of taxis were still waiting outside and Tash guided Auggie to the first car. She put his hand on the door handle and Auggie slid onto the back seat whilst the driver stowed Natasha´s suitcase in the trunk and Natasha walked around the car to the other door.
The taxi ride to Auggie´s took 20 minutes. Auggie and Tash could not talk a lot and the things they had to talk about, were not made for the ears of taxi drivers or other people. Being a spy was not always easy. You had to control your actions and the way you talked at any time.
Arriving at Auggie´s safehouse, the driver got the suitcase out of the trunk and Tash paid him. Auggie slowly got out of the car, unfolded his cane and waited for Natasha. She offered him her arm and both walked into the house.
"I did not know you have moved Auggie" Natasha said whilst looking around.
„Well I am not so fond of changes, makes life more difficult since..." Auggie said and waved his hand in front of his face and then he continued "This is my safe house. It is too dangerous to stay at home right now."
„I am glad you came" Auggie started the conversation „I don´t want to get into trouble. But tell me what could this lady probably be looking for?"
„Well...there is someone who could be after me. Her name is Maria Oliganova. She is the head of a Mafia group that is involved in money laundry. They hack other people´s accounts and use them for illegal money transfer. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. Maria Oliganova is not only the head of this group, she is also involved into kidnappings and other crimes, just in case her victims or her so called „employees" do not comply. The Russian police and the FBI have been after her for years but for lack of evidence their hands are tied so to speak."
„And how did you get in touch with them" Auggie asked
„Well, I had just lost my job and I was looking for something new. I came across an offer for a secretary job. I was prepared to take any job I could get, because I needed money I told them I was familiar with typing and with computers and that is all they wanted to know. Maria Oliganova did not even want to see any certificates or references.
That should have made me suspicious but id didn´t. After a few weeks, I discovered that something was off. I was looking for a file that I had saved and that I wanted to print out, but it was nowhere to be found. I started to search for the file and applied a number of my hacker tricks to get deeper into the system and then all of a sudden I found a list of names that made me suspicious. I dug deeper so to speak and I found more things that did not seem to match the picture of a tax consulting agency.
I inserted a flash drive and saved the lists on the drive. I was ready to report all of it to the police just in case the things I suspected were true. In the following days, it got harder for me to play the role of the naive and innocent secretary and I feared to be discovered. I kept eyes and ears open in order to be quickly aware of any changes.
One afternoon, I had just taken a couple of calls from customers, Maria Oliganova came to my desk. She asked me to make a few copies for her and I agreed. While I was making the copies, I could watch her through the glass door of her office. She was in an argument with a man. The guy was visibly mad and slammed the door when he left. He was one of the most important factory owners of the region and the next day, he was dead. I did not think it was a coincidence that he died so suddenly, so I tried to hack into the system and I discovered, that Maria had used his account for money laundry. Oleg Petrenko, that was the man´s name, had become suspicious and the next day he was reported dead. It was in all the newspapers and in every TV report. But officially he had had a heart attack.
Maria Oliganova had „friends" everywhere and that also included the Russian police. She used her money for her own purposes. Her business method is based on bribery and threat. Not even the police would refuse to cooperate, because she is one of the most powerful Mafia heads in Russia.
„Wow that is really a story" Auggie said „And how did she find out that you knew about her business?"
„That is a short story. One afternoon, I was in a hurry, because I had to go to the dentist for I had a terrible toothache. I forgot the flash drive with the evidence on my desk and I only remembered that I left it there, when I was already sitting in the examination room of my dentist. It was too late...
The next morning, the flash drive was gone. It was not on my desk anymore, so I suspected, that I had been discovered.
Maria Oliganova had found it and then she threatened me to put all the blame on me if I reported anything to the police or to other authorities. She also threatened me, by telling me she would go after my family and that they would end up just like Oleg Petrenko, with a bullet in their heads.
It goes without saying, that I did not return the following day. I disappeared, after I had created a false passport for myself with an Alias. I have never heard of her again and I have no idea, how she found out about the connection between you and me"
„Of course I have not seen the person, who demanded me to arrange for a meeting with you, but your description matches the impression that I had. I don´t know what she looked like, but the way she talked and behaved was rather tough and cold hearted. I am quite sure this is the person we are talking about" Auggie said.
