Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World’s Most Wanted Hacker

Okay
, I thought, 
calm down, there are
probably a lot of people in line at the registration desk, and he has to wait
his turn
.
More minutes ticked by. I was beginning to think I’d have to walk in
myself and see if there was a crowd of cops, or maybe ask a casino guest if
there had been some kind of police action a few minutes before.
But there he was, coming out the door, sauntering casually over to me
with a huge grin on his face.
Filled with anticipation, heart pumping, we stood right there on the
street and opened the package. Inside, a clear white case contained, as
promised, five cell phone 27C512 EPROMs. I had been social-engineering
for years, but this was probably my biggest prize ever up to that time. If,
that is, the chips really worked. We crossed Las Vegas Boulevard to the
Peppermill, avoiding the tourist-filled cocktail lounge with its sexy
waitresses in favor of a booth in the restaurant area, where we would be less
conspicuous.
Lewis De Payne joined us. Yes, the guy who was now my ex-wife’s
lover.
I’m not sure I can explain why I kept in contact with Lewis after he stole
my wife. Obviously I never trusted or respected him again. But frankly,
there were so few people I dared to stay in touch with at all that I needed
someone who understood my predicament. And who could understand it
better than Lewis? He had been my hacking buddy from the start. We’d
been through a lot together.
It would’ve been easy to think of him with bitterness, as my arch-enemy.
He certainly qualified. But at the same time, he was also genuinely one of
my best friends. And Bonnie was another. Eventually, I had moved past the
pain and begun seeing them again. We gradually became friends, like those
divorced couples with kids who end up having picnics together with their
new spouses on family holidays.
We’re often advised to “forgive and forget.” In this case, “forgiveness”
may be too strong a word. I had to let go of the resentment for my own
sake, but I couldn’t afford to forget. Although Lewis was a good hacking