In his cheeriest voice, Otto greeted, “Bruno! How are you, friend? It’s been ages since we’ve spoken! I was beginning to think that our last round of business was the end of our interactions, but I am delighted to see I was mistaken. How can I help you and your associate? It is not often that I am approached by one of Interpol’s finest cyber detectives and one of the governors of the International Monetary Fund, commonly referred to as the IMF. May I assume that this has something to do with the latest developments in the crypto-currency markets and the ensuing theft that occurred?”
Bruno sat dumbfounded for a moment, unable to respond. In his Instant Message window on his PC, he was alerted to a new message.
How does this man know that I’m on the call?
Bruno, somewhat dazed, responded:
You said you wanted the best…no one sneaks up on these people…
Otto puzzled a moment then asked, “Bruno, are you still there? Are you okay? Is there a sound problem on your end?”
Finally Bruno cleared his throat and responded, “Otto, this is my anonymous calling line that goes through a bank of anonymizing servers just so I can have a completely cloaked conversation with people demanding extreme security. How did you know it was me? And, furthermore, how could you possibly have guessed who was on the call with me? Finally, why do you suspect we are calling about crypto-currency matters?”
Otto suppressed a smile and innocently replied, “Oh, pardon me, Bruno. Have I made some misstatements to your distinguished guest?”
Bruno clucked his tongue in annoyance and then continued, “On second thought, I don’t really want to know all the tricks of the magician. Allow me to introduce Tonya Van Den Berghe from the International Monetary Fund.
“Otto, I was asked to make introductions, but as you can see, Tonya, these are the people we call on when we need that which cannot be done. I’ll leave you two to talk in private. I assume that the voice tunnel is encrypted, Otto, after my initial but naïve outreach to you. Good day to you both.”
Otto didn’t have time to reply to Bruno’s hasty departure, so he offered, “Tonya, apologies if your call didn’t catch me unawares. We work very hard at being informed.
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