Onderwêreld deur Fanie Viljoen | Squeal | English Summary | Onderwereld

 

Onderwêreld deur Fanie Viljoen

Squeal

It is Wednesday and Greg is called into yet another meeting with Inspector Cele and Sergeant Botha, this time, in Doc Pienaar’s office. Greg cannot help but think about the Doc’s shadiness, imagining him in a typical Hollywood-style interrogation situation. When he arrives, Doc Pienaar’s secretary, Joan Gibbs, asks him to sit and wait for the Doc to see through his current meeting. When it ends, Greg is shocked to see TJ emerge from Doc Pienaar’s office. Looking at TJ’s facial expression, Greg immediately realises that Greg snitched about what Greg shared with him on the previous night. TJ greets him with a feeble, “Sorry, Greg”. Greg quickly realises that it was stupid to share with TJ because of his relation to Lawson College’s founder. Greg is invited into the office by Mr. Andersen, who is accompanied by the two police officers, but there is no sign of Doc Pienaar.

Soon the onslaught of questions regarding Eckhardt’s hacking begins and Greg can feel his throat tightening. He considers telling them about his hacking, but something tells him to hold off on the information. He lies about his interest in computers, using his father’s expectations of excellent academic performance as an alibi against his alleged hacking; however, his blood runs cold when Inspector Cele compares his grade 11 results to his current performance. They ask Greg what kinds of entities Eckhardt has hacked and he mentions cell phone companies and a travel agency, further explaining Eckhardt’s status as a White Hat. They ask again if he is a hacker and Greg vehemently denies any involvement in hacking; however, the horror is plastered all over his face when Inspector Cele reveals that they had found something else on Eckhardt’s cell phone: an MMS of a white hat sent to Greg’s phone number.

Inspector Cele pieces together various elements: Greg’s befriending of an outcast, followed by changes in his activity at school, accompanied by worsening academics and his recently missed rugby practices; all of which create the image of someone who was somehow actively involved in Eckhardt’s hacking. Greg admits that Eckhardt taught him how to hack, prompting the police to contact the police’s Technical Support Unit based in Pretoria.

SummariesKeroshan PillayComment