Page 6 of Pervade London
“I don’t want to lie to you.”
“Then don’t.”
“You might not like the truth.”
“What does that mean?”
He looked toward the gate.
“Did you set me up?” I snapped. “Were you working with the guy who stole my violin?”
“No, I’ve never stolen anything in my life.”
“Then explain.”
His crystal blue eyes held mine for what seemed like an eternity. “I’m sorry I scared you.”
“I’m still calling the police.”
“You can’t.”
“And why is that?” My foot was poised to kick him in the balls if he made one wrong move.
He let out a deep sigh. “I didn’t get the man’s name. Your violin thief.”
I stepped back. “I need proof you’re not working with him. That you didn’t do all this so I would feel indebted to you, and the next thing I know you’re inside my home stealing my landlord’s shit.”
He chewed his bottom lip, looking thoughtful.
“I’ve never been scared of the truth, so spill.”
“Sure?”
“Don’t underestimate me.”
He arched a brow, and then gave a nod. “While you and I were outside the Tube station I used my phone to access the city’s surveillance system, training one of the cameras positioned on the corner of Piccadilly Avenue to scan your face. Your name came up in their recognition software.” Seeing my look of horror, he added, “At some point you decided to use face recognition to sign in to Facebook. The app recorded the results of your features into its database. All done legally because you clicked the terms of service without reading them. The government buys the data. I have access to it.”
The air crackled around us as I processed his admission.
“And that’s how you got my name?” I asked, stunned.
“Yes, and then I shifted the camera to train it in the direction I guessed the thief had run.”
“How did you know he went left?”
“Most people choose the invariant right. You know, when you walk through a store you usually head right. It’s mainly because you’re right-handed—”
“He went left.”
“His guilt contradicted his instincts.”
“How would you know this?”
He shrugged it off. “It’s my job to know.”
“You did all this in less than a minute?”
He looked surprised at the question.
