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By Way of Deception

By Way of Deception

By Way of Deception

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BY WAY OF DECEPTION 43Tal Hotel, go to the public wall phone in the lobby, remove itsspeaker, install the one I'd just been given, and return with theone I had removed, leaving the phone in working order.There were people lined up at the phone, but I said to myself, I'vegot to do this thing. When my turn came, I put the token into theslot, dialed a random number, and held the receiver up by mycheek. My knees were starting to shake. People were lined upbehind me now, waiting to use the phone. I unscrewed the top <strong>of</strong>the mouthpiece, then took my notebook out <strong>of</strong> my pocket, makingdistracting gestures as if I was going to be taking notes. I cradledthe receiver between my chin and shoulder, speaking English intoit.<strong>By</strong> this time a guy behind me was standing really close, almostbreathing down my neck. So I put my notebook down, turned tohim, said, "Excuse me," and as he stepped back a bit, I attachedthe new part. Somebody had answered the random call now, andwas saying, "Who is this?" But once I'd screwed the plastic partback on the mouthpiece, I hung up.I was shaking when I put the speaker in my pocket. I had neverdone anything like this before — never stolen anything. I felt weakas I went over to the instructor and handed him the piece from thephone.Soon, all five trainees were on their way back to the Country Club,saying little. After dinner we were told to complete a detailed reportby the morning on every activity we had been involved in that day,omitting nothing — no matter how insignificant it might seem.Around midnight, my roommate and I were tired and were justwatching television when one <strong>of</strong> the instructors knocked on thedoor. He told me to get dressed in jeans and come with him. Hedrove me out near an orchard and told me some people wereprobably going to hold a meeting in this area. You could hearjackals howling in the distance, and crickets chirping constantly."I'll show you where," he told me. "What I want to know is howmany people are at the meeting and what they say. I'll pick you upin two or three hours.""Okay," I said.

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