"If Clint saw my programs running, he would think he had been transported to another galaxy."
"And what would you think, Mr. Nerdy, if you saw him disassemble a top-of-the-line computer down to its smallest electronic components and then reassemble that computer so that it worked better than ever?"
"Could he?"
"If you ever have trouble with one of your machines, ask him," Mick suggested subtly before adding, "You might find yourself transported right here in your own galaxy."
"How could that old-school man possibly have the skills to rebuild a modern computer?"
"I'm sure he learned those skills from a book."
They soon arrived and entered Geek's house. Mr. Nerdy took a moment to thank Mick again for helping to make his home more habitable. "I could make some coffee."
"I never turn down fresh coffee."
Geek grinned. "I'm sorry, Detective, but I don't have any doughnuts." Loneshark reciprocated the grin. After the coffee was brewed, they each poured a cup and took them to the Nerdy's dining table. Geek sat across from Mick and stared at his cup, marshaling his thoughts. Mr. Nerdy began by reiterating the events in the control room when Dr. Barker's performance made him and Dweeb look foolish. Geek told Mick about Piercely's subsequent revelation that Brad had previously heard his, Dweeb's, and Bufford's conversation on Lester's planted cell phone. Geek further explained how Dorky angrily refused to participate in any further investigation of the incident.
"But you continued," the detective inferred.
"I did, secretly, but without much hope. In fact, I was about to give up, thinking I had been foolishly chasing ghosts in the machine. When you pointed out that Brad couldn't have used the bank's computer when he claimed because of the time zones, I knew I was right. Dr. Barker had someone doing his programming for him while he took all the credit."
"That wasn't a crime."
"To other programmers it is!" Geek stated angrily. "And that programmer had to hack into the bank's super secure, computer system to insert his command codes, which actually was a crime. That guy penetrated our state-of-the-art firewalls without leaving a trace. To call him a minor hacker would be a major insult to his talents. His skills are on a uniquely higher level."
"Why are you telling me this?"
Geek knitted his brows before embarking on an awkward answer. "I need . . . I mean . . . I love Piercely . . . but she is barely computer literate. My wife is the only one I have been able to talk to about this. Piercely patiently listens and struggles to comprehend. I can tell it's a strain for her. I am beginning to realize that complex, computer programming is not a very, um,
