Out of the Black - Lee Doty [26]
"Sure... multi-nighter." the kid said. "It's rare and special when I have policemen or firemen over... can I interest you in some coffee or cornflakes? Sorry, I'm out of donuts."
"Cornflakes please." Ping said, "cream, no sugar."
Smiling, the kid directed him toward the couch. "Make yourself at home, detective..."
"Bannon." Ping moved the coat and sat on the couch facing the door as Alexander headed for the kitchen.
"So detective Bannon, how can I help you?" he said amid the clink of bowls.
"Do you know a Peter Sieberg?"
"Nope. He's not one of my students, is he?"
"I'm not sure. You know Dr. Lutine I assume."
"Ivo? Yeah, he's my boss. Great guy." He was rounding the counter with two bowls. "Not the kind of guy who usually brings the police to m apartment at six in the morning though." He handed Ping a bowl and sat down on the chair across the coffee table.
"What's this about?" made it around his first bite.
"I think I'm here to help you." Ping said, picking up his spoon.
"Ivo sent you?"
"Not exactly. I think you're in trouble." Ahmed stopped chewing. Ping let that hang in the air as he took his first bite. After he swallowed, he said, "You make a mean bowl of cornflakes."
"Thanks," Ahmed said around the same half chewed bite. "Police trouble?"
"I think so, but I also think that might not be the worst of your troubles."
"Meaning...?"
Ping dropped his spoon into his bowl and fished in his jacket pocket. He brought out a chromed tablet and placed it next to the bowl of old metal keys on the coffee table.
"What's that?"
"You're the computer expert, you tell me." Ping took another bite. Then another as the silence lengthened. The kid's knuckles turned white around his bowl and fear seemed to be pulling at his eyes, Ping was pretty sure he was regretting opening the door. Ping was struck by the image of being in another doorway. Ahmed was on the other side and examining him through the peephole. He had his hand on the knob, but couldn't decide if he should let Ping in. Ping left him to decide as he continued to eat, his crunching filling the deepening silence.
Ahmed put down his bowl and picked up the chromed tablet. He extended it and turned it on. He made a few pokes with the stylus. "Locked."
"Really? Can you explain that for me?"
The kid looked confused, "It's not mine. Am I supposed to be able to decrypt it or something?"
"No," Ping set down his empty bowl, "I am."
He let that sink in as he paused. "It didn't yield to a warrant key, and I can't figure how that is. I mean, you'd have to be a Rumbaugh semaphore to figure how to do something like that eh?"
Ahmed looked relieved. "Wow, so now I'm a hacker... okay." He laughed, shaking his head. "So you read my record. I left computers behind man."
Ping's eyes went to the computer desk, then back to Ahmed.
"Touché. Mostly behind then."
"And why was that? Why give up so much money and prestige? You could have had it all."
"All of what? Money? Some kind of fourteen-hour-a-day grind? That's not what life's about. Didn't your mom ever tell you that?" He dropped the tablet on the table and sat back, crossing his arms.
"Actually she did. Though she could never explain why a prodigy would suddenly throw away his gift." Ping smiled at the irony. He actually could understand why a prodigy might not follow their gift as a profession. He realized he had paused for too long, so he concluded with "Mozart composed until the day he died."
"Yeah, now that was a happy ending. Maybe he should have written music for fun and spent more time with his kids."
"So now you only program for fun. Is encryption hacking fun? Are you one of those guys who get a rush from toying with prison time?"
"Believe me, I don't need any more rush in my life right now. Again, what's this got to do with me? This isn't my tablet and I didn't hack it for thrills or cash. Why are we talking?"
Ping steepled his fingers and thought about how to continue. "Where were you last night?"
"Right here. I s'pose the change logs for my files could verify that, but you'd prolly