Читать книгу Sqerm - James A. Moore - Страница 18

Chapter 14

Parker rarely thought about the past. There were not many good memories for him in the past. Today, he sat in his home office that he often referred to as a lab. Shelves filled with texts, some new and some obscure, surrounded Parker. In his lab were several computers, racks with components for a multitude of devices and gadgets, and the floor had several parcels received from and addressed to various places around the globe.

He sat at a desk next to a workbench, clicking on his computer and making notes in a small notebook. He was reconciling banking information on the screen to the information in the journal. Parker had a skill set that allowed him to acquire the odd text here and there, and he utilized his skills to supplement his income. Sage had often teased him about his meager living style compared to the amount of income that he knew Parker earned.

Parker made a few more marks in his notebook, flipped it closed, and inserted the pen into the springs at the top of the journal. He turned and picked up a few of the smaller parcels and sifted through them. He focused on a medium-sized cardboard envelope and opened it. It contained the flash drive that Sage had promised.

Parker inserted it into one of his computers and began to click and hammer on the keyboard. The phone rang, and he answered.

“Got it. You’ll get it as soon as the funds transfer,” said Parker while tapping on his notebook. “I’m pretty sure you’re not trying to bargain with me, are you?” snapped Parker. “Transfer the funds and you’ll get your merchandise,” Parker said coldly. He quickly ended the call and returned his focus to the flash drive. The next step was to run encryption and various algorithms on the flash drive. After he had done so, a plethora of files popped up on Parker’s screen. There were some unusual file formats; there were a few folders and several videos. Parker clicked on one, and his eyes grew large. Parker picked up his phone and called Sage. Sage answered.

“Sage, my man, how’s it going?”

“Not too bad. How about you?” asked Sage.

“Hey, I think I’m making progress. You still got that piece of leather?”

“Yep,” replied Sage.

“Okay, I need you to do something.”

“What’s up?” asked Sage.

“Get a small bowl of warm water…about ninety-eight point six degrees.”

“Really? Dude, you could have just said body temp.”

“Yup,” said Parker nonchalantly.

Parker listened as Sage rummaged through items and began to run water in the sink.

“Got it. What next?”

“Got any baby oil?” asked Parker.

“No,” replied Sage.

“A single guy like you, no baby oil?” Parker teased.

“Parker!” said Sage through clenched teeth.

“All right, all right. Mineral oil or cooking oil?”

“Yeah, cooking…”

“Cool, put about a half teaspoon of that in the water, stir it up, and drop in the leather, facedown,” directed Parker.

Sage opened the cooking oil and dribbled a bit into the water. He grabbed a spoon from his silverware drawer and stirred. He watched the water and oil jockey for position in the bowl as they did battle to avoid emulsification.

“Done,” said Sage.