My brother actually laughed at dinner and said, ‘I sold that useless laptop of yours for five hundred bucks. Finally got rid of your junk.’ My cousins cheered him on. Then he added, almost proudly, ‘Already handed it off to the buyer.’ I got up, stepped outside, and called my supervisor. By the time I made the report, the FBI cyber team was already tracking the device…
I had given it to him the year before when a pipe burst and I needed someone to let maintenance in while I was stuck at work. I had meant to collect it back. He had meant not to return it. That was always the pattern with Derek. My things became his things if he wanted them badly enough.
