Wiretap

A day later, after giving the RC time to process the change request, The Don dialed 324799, the formerly unassigned number. He heard the familiar ta-tic as the No Test Trunk seized the target line.

Two voices, obviously entranced in a conversation, fell silent.

Kif tesma thalik? a voice asked, obviously startled by the clicking of the wiretap.

Na am, someone replied, Tafahdel.

Tarid sa id Knuth al-filus elan.

The Don didn t understand any of the conversation, but he caught Knuth s name mentioned clearly in one of the sentences. If only he spoke Arabic.

Over the next few weeks, The Don periodically checked in on his wiretap. Not surprisingly, the conversations were usually in Arabic. Occasionally, though, he caught on to some bits of English, which only served to increase his curiosity . Then, one day, he heard a familiar voice.

Yes, I d like to close all of the accounts.

Right away, Mr. Knuth. May we ask what your reason is for leaving our bank? asked a voice, speaking a perfect English dialect .

I just don t feel that my money is safe here anymore.

The Don disconnected. He was definitely on to something big.