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…

the more frantic his confidence began to sound, like a salesman smiling while the floor gave way under him.

When he finally left, he paused again by the dining table.

“That your personal laptop?” he asked.

“It’s mine,” I said, which was true only in the narrowest sense.

He nodded too slowly. His eyes stayed on it as if he were already assigning it a price.continue reading …