House of Augere

By Jonathan Guest

Richard Holland had grown up with a deep appreciation for oil paintings and antiques. Eventually that led him to being first hired as an intern, then after graduation, he secured a position with world famous London based auctioneer 'House of Augere'. Little did he know that as his career progressed, he would start to uncover that the House of Augere had more sinister intentions. Not least of which was organized crime, murder for hire, revenge, mis-direction, blackmail, drugs and sex. Eventually he present his findings to the 'Trust' which operated the House of Augere. How they would react, what would be the consequences?

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jun 26, 2024
• ISBN: 9798350965032

Book preview

Chapter 1 - Last Train

Another typical Autumn evening with the rain steadily coming down, tree branches swaying in the stiff breeze, and leaves swirling around the feet of the office workers as they made their way to the local railway station. There was always a sense of urgency in their walk, even though they were all used to the train being late, no one wanted to miss the last train back to London.

These office workers were well known to one another as most had traveled the same route for years. It was an eclectic group, comprising Engineers, Accountants, Architects, Administrators, Insurance Claim Adjusters, and a handful of research folk who kept to themselves.  They had all been attracted to working in a purpose-built commercial park, situated in the countryside, and only 40 minutes from London. The railway station is at the end of the line, but only 10 minutes walking distance from the entrance to the commercial park.

As they made their way toward the station clutching their umbrellas, bags, and hats, they could start to hear the public address system announcing that there was a slight delay on the last train. The rustling trees made the last part of the message unintelligible. The group moved on and reached the station just as the announcement was repeated. The 7 pm train to the London Kings Cross Station is delayed. A tree has fallen and is blocking the line, we apologize for the delay. 

By this point, the waiting room was filling up with the familiar crowd of people. Even though this is a small station, an enterprising individual had persuaded the railway management to allow them to create a small cafe in the corner of the waiting room. The waiting room was in fact the only room, apart from the bathrooms,  plus a small ticket sales office, and a janitor’s room. Naturally, the small cafe was doing well, with hot coffee and an assortment of snacks quickly exchanging hands.

Another announcement rang out saying that the 7 pm train to the City would not be arriving until 8 pm, an hour late. This announcement was met with typical negative responses, but mostly it was the sound of people reaching for their cell phones, presumably calling family and friends to say that they would be late home. The frustration was starting to set in, even though 10-minute delays were typical they all knew that 8 pm was likely an optimistic guess. 

Word of the delay had also reached some stragglers that had decided to work on at their respective offices, rather than endure the crowded waiting room. Of course, the term work was open to interpretation. A few were truly working, whereas others were playing games on their work computers, and one couple were pursuing what could only be described as an office romance in one of the small conference rooms. At the insurance adjuster’s office, a solitary individual had seized the opportunity to empty the contents of a large file into the shredder.

The shredder was old and far from quiet. If more than three sheets of paper were inserted into its gaping mouth, it would groan and stutter. This individual worked as quickly as she could so as not to draw attention to herself from security guards, and to miss the last train. This was not a spur-of-the-moment attempt at tidying or clearing out old documents. No, it was far more nefarious. For the last three months, she had been overseeing a $183 Million insurance claim and had ruled, much to the relief of her company, that the claim was invalid due to negligence. The claim was originally submitted to the company’s Chicago office for the loss of a warehouse that was used to store a significant number of exotic cars. Due to the size of the claim, it had to be referred to the London Head Office.

As a Vice President, she was assigned to review the case. Her CEO had repeatedly pressured her to find a way to ensure that there was no payout and that required some of the evidence to be altered. The claimant had been notified of the decision a week ago and within 12 hours had committed suicide rather than face his creditors. His family had filed a lawsuit against the insurance company and she knew that she would be called to testify. The altered documents needed to be destroyed but her attempts so far this week had been unsuccessful. Now with the delayed train she finally had the office to herself. With the last piece of paper shredded, it was done! 

She went back to her office and grabbed her computer and long coat. She was visibly shaken after doing this and repeatedly questioned herself as to why she had given in to her CEO. Yes, there had once been a brief affair, and perhaps deep down she still had feelings for him, but he had put her in a tenuous position. She didn’t agree with what she had just done and now worried about the potential legal mess that she could find herself in. Worst still, he now had leverage over her, so what would he want her to do in the future? She could feel her heart racing and just needed to get out of there.

She called for the elevator. As the door opened, she let out a loud gasp! One of the Security Guards was standing there!  Are you alright Miss Hayvers? he asked. She quickly gathered her composure and explained she thought she was the last person to leave the office and so seeing him in the elevator was a surprise. Just starting my rounds Miss. Hayvers, your floor is the last one to check on this round he explained as he stepped out of the elevator. They exchanged a friendly good night as she hit the button for the Lobby.  She passed the second security guard at the main reception desk. There was a witty comment about the trains never being on time, and then she was outside.

Reaching into her pocket she stopped and pulled out a packet of cigarettes. Oh, how she had been desperately wanting one to calm her nerves. She cupped her hands together to not have the wind extinguish the flame as she brought the lighter close to the tip of the cigarette. After several attempts it  lit and she inhaled deeply. After several deep draws on the cigarette she started to feel calmer and continued her walk toward the railway station. She quickly consumed the first and then a second cigarette before she reached the noisy waiting room.

As the large station clock struck 7:30 pm all of the regulars were now either in the waiting room or braving the elements on the single platform as they tried to enjoy a smoke. The waiting room was certainly not intended to hold the amount of people that were now crammed into that space. Coffee cups were being knocked out of hands adding to the already wet floor. Several people had already slipped on the wet floor or outside on wet leaves that were now floating along the platform as the rain intensified and the wind picked up speed. Every time the waiting room door was opened, rain and leaves came in which was met with complaints. The public address system crackled into life and announced that the last train to London would now be delayed until 8:30 pm.

Having to wait another hour was just too much for some people. They were hungry, thirsty, or just had no faith in what they were being told. Enough! shouted one man. I have got to get home before 9 pm tonight!  Does anyone want to share a taxi back to London….perhaps a four-way split on the cab fare? he added with an air of desperation. Within five minutes three taxis had been arranged to transport eleven people back to London. The small cafe had already closed, out of necessity, as it was completely out of coffee and snacks - it had been a very profitable evening.  By 7:45 pm the number of people had reduced even further as the two office romantics had decided to make other arrangements. At least one other person decided to spend the night with relatives in a nearby village.

The smell of Pizza arrived before the door was even opened. Someone had found a local pizza place that would deliver, even though a delivery to a railway waiting room was a first. An order of 6 large pizzas was worth the trip and the large tip would more than cover the cost of fuel. Everyone stood up and moved to the four walls as the hot pizzas came through the door. Smiles all around as people grabbed a slice, a plate, and a napkin. No sooner had the pizzas been delivered, in walked three of the regular commuters with their arms laden with cans of beer, larger, and cider!  The mood in that waiting room was now electric with people fed and an alcoholic beverage in their hand. The noise had also dramatically increased as conversations and laughter became infectious and they hardly noticed that the clock read 8:27 pm. The train would get here at some point and besides, more booze had materialized.

It was pitch dark outside and the light from the dimly lit single platform was hardly penetrating the darkness. The rain was still relentless but the wind had calmed a little. The platform was strewn with leaves that were either stuck to the concrete walkways or were floating towards the nearest blocked drain, which was quickly becoming a small pond. Occasionally when the wind took a slight pause you could hear the noise coming from the waiting room.

The train was finally approaching the station and would be here by 8:30 pm as promised, but so readily dismissed by the jaded passengers. The line had been cleared and they would be back in London before 9:30 pm.  The public address system crackled once more into life to announce the arrival of the delayed 7 pm train to London. The waiting room irrupted with loud almost deafening, cheering. Some were in disbelief as they were expecting another delay, others were almost sad as they were enjoying the party atmosphere, not to mention the free booze! The train was two minutes out and a few people had their faces pressed against the window hoping to get the first glimpse of the elusive train. The darkness and the rain made it hard to see, but eventually one of them spotted the train lights as it snaked its way toward the station.

Not wishing to get unduly wet, most elected to stay put in the waiting room until the train had come to a complete stop. Only then would they make a mad dash to claim their seats on the train. The smokers bailed first, eager to get one more hit of nicotine before being locked in the train for the 50-minute ride back to London. The smokers tended to congregate in one area and they did so on this occasion all the while juggling hats, umbrellas, and cigarettes against the wind that wanted to toss them all into the air.

No one paid much attention as the train approached the start of the platform. It was a scene they had seen over and over again. So no one noticed that there was something on the tracks that didn’t belong there. Something that would cause the last train to be canceled. It was too late, in the darkness the driver had not seen it until the train was 20 feet away. He slammed on the brakes!  The wet rails did not help and even though he was starting to slow the train’s speed, he couldn’t stop in that short of a distance. The wheels slid and the brakes squealed for what seemed like an eternity. The the driver felt a double thud as the train hit the thing on the track. What he had hit, he had no idea, but he finally brought the train to a complete stop halfway along the platform.

The sound of the impact and the weird dragging noise caught the attention of the smokers. The immediate comments were that perhaps a dog had been hit by the train. They slowly moved toward the front of the train and immediately noticed the amount of blood that was on both sides and the first set of wheels. The driver stepped out of his cab looking confused What the hell did I hit? he muttered over and over. He reached back into the cab and retrieved a large flash light. Carefully he made his way off the platform and onto the gravel, between the rails. He shone his flash light under the front of the train, yes, there was blood….a lot of blood! On the platform side of the train, there wasn’t much clearance and he could not see anything. He stepped over the rails and proceeded to walk along the train on the other side. He swept his flash light between each set of wheels as he made his way along. After about 40 feet his worst nightmare came true…..there was at least one badly mangled and partially dismembered body. Call the Police, there’s been a terrible accident! he shouted.

By this time all of the passengers had ventured out to see what was going on. They were met with hysterical screams and people fainting as the full horror of the scene became a reality.` A few brave, or foolish, people had followed the driver down onto the track. Having now seen the carnage first hand they were now either in a state of shock or were vomiting. The driver wasn’t doing much better.

Within 15 minutes, railway personnel and police were on site. The driver and the passengers were escorted back to the waiting room where they would be questioned about the events of the evening, what they saw, and what they heard. As more railway and Police forensic teams arrived on site, the scene was heavily photographed before the train was slowly and carefully moved back out of the station. Only then did they discover that there were two fatalities. The site of the impact and the remains were covered with tents in an attempt to preserve as much evidence as possible given the heavy rain that was still falling.  There would be no last train to London tonight.

Five days later the local paper reported that the two had worked together at the Industrial Park, and had committed suicide by laying on the tracks at the end of the railway platform. Both were married but had been having an affair for several years. The affair had been a closely guarded secret and their spouses were completely unaware and shocked by the infidelity. The husband of the woman who died was some sort of high flyer in the City of London financial district and had sought an injunction to stop the papers from publishing the scandal, he failed. Some of their co-workers had suspicions but the affair had been discrete. Most of the passengers didn’t even notice when the pair had left the waiting room that night.

The Police said that this was a tragic suicide pact and that they were satisfied with their inquiries. A post-mortem had also revealed nothing suspicious other than alcohol and high levels of ecstasy in both of their stomachs and blood.  The train driver would not be charged and is currently on medical leave.

Despite all of the evidence to the contrary, someones crypto currency account received a payment equivalent to $60,000 USD!

Chapter 2 - Long Haul

Standing in the oh-so-familiar Hong Kong International Airport, brought a brief smile to David’s face. It had been a longer than usual trip, almost three weeks instead of one. He found himself with mixed emotions. Yes, he was glad to be heading home but the events of this trip had been exhausting, disturbing, and completely unexpected.

His supplier had consistently reported that the project was on track and sent reports and videos that seemed to support the progress. However, David’s gut told him that this seemed almost too good to be true and so his trip was quietly arranged. Turning up at the suppliers manufacturing facility unannounced immediately revealed significant issues. 

The preparation to launch the new robotic prosthesis was significantly behind schedule. The working models that David had seen in videos were in fact computer generated and the real prototypes were lying in pieces in the production area because of technical and manufacturing issues. This was a highly sensitive project with significant commercial value. It would be the first of its kind in the market, yet proprietary blueprints and specifications were lying out in the open in the production area for anyone to see. This was a disaster!

Having pulled the supplier’s top management together, David painstakingly went through every milestone, deliverable and risk in order to assess the real status. The news was indeed ugly. David estimated that the launch was at least 8 months behind schedule. Given that the launch had been announced 6 months earlier, David knew that competitors were hot on his heels and might beat him to market. This concern was now amplified in his mind as the specifications had been visible to anyone interested. Even though photography was strictly prohibited in the factory, nearly everyone in that factory had a phone with a camera, and workers knew people in other companies who were always interested in what was going on.

Why had this supplier not been honest with the progress?  What were they hiding? After a week of intense all-day meetings, the reason became crystal clear. It was the contract between David’s company and the supplier which has strict penalty clauses. David was no lawyer, he was a Vice President of Engineering who had significant sway with his CEO, but he did understand the severity of the situation. The supplier had already determined that they would not meet the launch date and therefore knew that the contractual penalties would be high. Therefore, they had effectively stopped work so as not to incur any additional costs.  David was stunned by this revelation, and the realization that it was too late, the damage had been done!

Having apprised his CEO of the situation, David was joined by two Lawyers from Hong Kong who spoke fluent English and Mandarin. This was important as even though the meetings would be in English, primarily for David’s benefit, there would be many opportunities for side-bar conversations which would undoubtedly be in whispered Mandarin.

The next week was brutal as Lawyers from both sides fought over the terminology in the signed contract. It was clear that the supplier had willingly defaulted on the terms and was therefore in breach. However, they now claimed that they had invested a considerable amount of time and effort into developing certain Intellectual Property (IP) to facilitate the manufacturing processes, and as such they were entitled to compensation. This was a twist as David’s company had assumed that the manufacturing processes to be used were standard practice within the robotics industry. Now they were learning that the application of the synthetic skin