A call from the FBI

My law firm presented me with a very cumbersome old style BlackBerry last week, complete with local phone number and unlimited calling in the U.S. (although no text messages). I wish they had been willing to hook up my BlackBerry Curve instead; not only because I don't want to give up the cell phone number I've had for ten years but also it is lighter and more attractive!

I've been working so hard on a project the last week or so that I hadn't had time to focus on the weird wrong numbers I've been getting on this new phone. Today, however, I had to retrieve my first voicemail (which took a few minutes, since I had not had time to set up a mailbox) and got a message from an FBI agent asking me to call him! I assumed it was a prank but then I hesitated, and finally I pressed redial. When a man answered, simply saying, "Hello?" I was even more convinced it was a prank. He sounded very sincere, however, swore he really worked for the FBI and said he was trying to reach a woman named (I think) Jenkins. I explained that he had the wrong number but then he read back my phone number (I had to check it - I haven't even memorized my work phone let alone this new cell number) and it was the same. We both hesitated, wondering, but then I told him that I was a lawyer and had just got this phone a week or so ago, along with its phone number." "So the number was probably available and just assigned to you randomly," he commented. He sounded so disbelieving that I said sarcastically, "Maybe she knew you were after her, disconnected her phone and left town." I laughed but he didn't.

I couldn't help thinking that it would make a great first page or chapter of a book!