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CHRIS ARAGON

Chris phoned Norminton's cash mule, already knowing what the score would be: Norminton's associate was in perfect health and had withdrawn the other $20,000 the day before, as planned. He'd given it to Norminton. Didn't Chris get it?

Chris tracked down Max through Charity and demanded answers: What did Max know about Norminton's whereabouts? Where was Chris's money? Max was as surprised as Chris at Norminton's disappearance, and eventually the two agreed to continue their partnership without Norminton.

Max and Chris fell into a routine. Once a month, Chris flew or drove north and met Max in downtown San Francisco, where they checked into a hotel. They'd carry Max's massive antenna up the fire stairs to their room and mount it on a tripod near the window. Then Max would putter for a while to locate a high-speed Wi-Fi with a strong signal.

They learned that altitude wasn't as important in Wi-Fi hacking as the sprawl of buildings visible out the window. If they came up dry, Chris would run down to the front desk to ask for a different room, explaining earnestly that he couldn't get a cell phone signal or was too afraid of heights to remain on the twentieth floor.

Max treated it like a job, saying good-bye to Charity and then vanishing for up to a week into one of the city's finest hotels, the Hilton, Westin, W, or Hyatt. While the clang of cable car bells rose from the streets below, Max cast his net over cyberspace, scooping up whatever data he could find—not really sure what he was looking for.

On a whim, he cracked Kimi's computer and that of her boyfriend, with whom she'd moved in. Max contemplated plundering her address book and sending out a mass e-mail in her name, detailing how she betrayed him. He thought everyone should know that Kimi's new life was built on a foundation of infidelity.

He didn't go through with it. He had Charity now. Kimi had moved