Caught

An innocent invention gone right, or a step toward a one-world currency? That's the question many ask as bitcoin floods every country's market, enticing people to invest in digital currency. Who created bitcoin? What was their intention, and why did they suddenly disappear? I asked those questions as I opened the investigation into bitcoin and Satoshi Nakamoto. No one knew who this person was, but I was sure I would find out. And I did.

It was February 1, 2021, when I was sitting at a small cafe called Two Chicks in New Orleans, Louisiana. My eyes peeked over the top of the newspaper, watching. Observing. Waiting for her to make a move. Any move would be nice, really. It was exactly one year to the date, and it'd been a long and frustrating. I laid the paper down. Even though I'd been sitting for hours, I hadn't read a single word. No story in the papers would entertain me more than exposing Nakamoto. I stood; the chair made a slight noise as it slid across the hard floor. No one seemed to notice, including her.

Slowly, I made my way over to the small, two-seater table where she sat. Long dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail others only ever dreamed of creating on their own heads. Round dark glasses sat on her nose, and a frilly pink dress hugged her thin body. Long smooth legs were crossed below, and heels that matched her ensemble rested on the floor. Her attention was glued to her laptop, and she didn't notice me until I sat down.

Her eyes flicked up toward me, confused. She didn't know who I was, but I knew her. "Can I help you?" She said cautiously. My small hand crept toward a piece of fruit on her plate. It was a strawberry, perfectly ripened and red. I knew it would be sweet as soon as it hit my mouth, just like the words that came out of it next.

"I know who you are," I said before putting the strawberry in my mouth. The look on her face didn't waver as she stared blankly at me. However, there was something below the surface that glazed over her expression. Was it fear, or could it have been playfulness? Whatever it was faded almost as instantly as it had appeared.

"You heard what I said," I said. Then, I leaned closer to conceal the next word to come out of my mouth. The one word that would change the conversation and both of our lives. Forever. I opened my mouth and said, "Nakamoto." Her eyes widened, and she looked back at her computer before closing it and standing.

"I don't know what gave you that idea, but whatever it is, I want you to forget that that name ever existed." She stated before adding, "And my face." I stood and caught her pale arm in my hand.

"You aren't going to leave." Her gaze turned to meet mine. It was definitely fear that I saw. "I've been looking for you for a year." Nakamoto relaxed in my grip slightly, but I could tell she was still on edge. I knew she wanted to ensure she was ready to run if she had to.

"Sit back down," I said, letting go of her arm. I didn't want to lose my only connection to keeping her here, but I also wanted to be the first to show trust. Maybe then, she'd relax and trust me a little. Nakamoto slowly sat back down on the chair, probably a little cold now that she hadn't been sitting in it anymore. She leaned close once she was completely seated. "How did you find me?"

The arrogance I was known to have, according to my colleagues, surfaced. "A little of this, a little of that." I shrugged with a small smile and then got more serious. "Basically, excellent detective work and a whole lotta dedication." Nakamoto didn't look amused. I rolled my eyes and continued. "At first, it was difficult because I didn't know where to start. All I had was a name: Satoshi Nakamoto. That could've been one person or a group of people, and just because it sounded Asian doesn't mean whoever I was looking for was. And that's obvious now that we're face to face. You're as American as the flag hanging outside of the white house.

"Then I hired on a computer nerd, an absolute genius. He got involved with bitcoin and shared with me everything he found, like how it's an entirely open book. Everyone can see every transaction, so there's no way to cheat the system. Even if someone managed to do it, the miners could just form a new blockchain, and the cheater would have nothing. It'd be a total waste of time. We knew whoever created it started from Block 0 and is a miner. We also learned that the creator would be taking every precaution to remain anonymous. Through communication with other bitcoins investors over the years, we backtracked all the transactions until the first blockchain was created in 2009. It took time and a lot of hoops.

"You see, those people do not like giving up information. I understand bitcoin isn't the most legal. So, to say there were a lot of hoops is an understatement. But we did it, which led me to a college senior from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology scheduled to graduate in the spring of 2009 with a bachelor's in computer programming. Of course, that kid wouldn't be in college anymore. They would be rich out of their minds, and of course, they would feel the need to hide their wealth. So, I asked myself what I would do if it were me. Would I flee to another country and live off the radar, or would I stay exactly where I am and pretend I don't have any wealth?"

Nakamoto leaned back in the chair as she listened to my story. Her arms were folded across her chest, and a slight smirk rested on her face. I figured it must've been entertaining to hear how she got caught by a random nobody. When I paused after that last question, she placed her finger on her chin as if contemplating the question herself.

"And what conclusion did you come to?" She asked.

"At first, I thought you would've left the country. Found a nice, secluded spot and maybe even faked your death just to get there." I answered. Her eyes widened, mocking a shocked expression as if I'd figured her out. I did say mocking, though. She knew I wasn't done. I gave her a small smile before saying, "But that's only half true. While you live here in New Orleans, you're not from here. You're from a small town called Milton, Florida. You're a genius with an IQ of 148. You went to the School of Mines and Technology. Shortly after graduation, you faked your death by staging a scuba diving accident.

"The problem is that not only did they never find you, but they also never found anything linking you to your disappearance. You left tanks on the water's edge, and you even left some belongings at the entrance to the cave. But you never left anything else indicating you went deeper into the cave. No evidence that you actually disappeared."

"But if they never found evidence of a disappearance, how do they know it didn't occur?" Nakamoto asked, her gaze became more playful with every explanation I gave.

"Because you were spotted two years later on a security camera in Washington D.C," I answered. When she didn't respond, I continued my story. "I'm sure you're wondering how I made all of these connections. Let me explain. I figured whoever Satoshi Nakamoto would have faked their death and made it look like an accident. So, I had my computer analyst look up every disappearance in the United States and cross-referenced them with all the unsolved cases. Then we went deeper and looked at every case with little to no evidence or evidence that didn't match what seemed to have happened.

"Then my analyst took to the internet. Usually, when devastating disappearances occur, people keep on the lookout for those they care about. They'll find footage of those that disappear and report it to the public. And what popped up was security footage of a girl that was said to be mysteriously missing for two years. So, we got the name of the girl and looked into her past. This girl had grown up in Milton, Florida. A town with nothing special about it and seems like no one ever makes it out. She didn't fit in with anyone because of her genius IQ, so her life already seemed very lonely. She graduated high school and attended the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, where she pursued a degree in computer programming. An excellent school for someone of her nature, as well as a perfect background of knowledge that would aid in creating a digital currency.

"Then this girl graduated, and shortly after, she disappeared. She went scuba diving into a nearby cave alone, even though she had never been diving before a day in her life. Two years later, she's caught on camera. I would have thought it was a conspiracy, but then I found some information. Are you ready for it?" Nakamoto didn't look playful anymore, just focused on my words and somewhat concerned. Obviously, she was worried about the information I found out that would lead to me verifying it was her. She moved her hand as if to gesture for me to continue. A small smile formed on her face as if to tell me I'd already figured her out.

"I found out that right after you graduated, and before the disappearance, bitcoin had been released. And on the day you were caught on camera in Washington D.C., that was the same day that the hacker group, Anonymous, infiltrated national security and mined 37 new blockchains in the bitcoin industry. I saw this connection and knew this girl had to be Satoshi Nakamoto. That this girl was you."

"That's an interesting story," She finally said. Then she leaned in and asked, "I'm still confused about how you found me." That made me smile big.

"I ran the face from the security footage in our database and created a program to flag your face if it ever popped up again. The girl that disappeared had short blonde hair and didn't wear glasses. But no matter how much you change superficial things like hair color and accessories, you can't change your face. And I didn't think you would because it would be easy to trace plastic surgery. You've done a great job changing your style to accommodate your new life. However, you did pop up again. This time looking much more like this. So, I found out who the girl in this security video was, and then I came to this cafe to speak with you." She stayed leaning in. Her face had a slight smirk plastered onto it, unwavering like she was a real-life image on a poster on some horny teenager's wall. Her eyes were glazed over to hide the innermost thoughts, insecurities, and anxieties she was feeling at that present moment.

"You still haven't told me how you know Satoshi Nakamoto is me..." She said, officially defeated.

"I didn't," I replied. She looked confused, so I answered the question painted on her face in hues of pink and orange. "You just did." She rolled her eyes and put her face in her palm. At this point, she knew I was a government official, and she just gave herself away. For something like the creation of bitcoin, she could go away for a long time. Perhaps the rest of her life. Her entire world would be turned inside out. On the upside, an unsolved disappearance would be solved, and answers would be available. The closure could be given to her family, which they deserved. It's what every family deserves, and I chose a career path as a Behavioral Analyst.

“I told you,” I said, cutting the silence. “I know who you are.” Nakamoto peeked through her fingers at me and spoke again.

"What puzzling me is how you knew to look into Americans. How did you know I was American?" She asked and added, "Satoshi Nakamoto doesn't sound like an American at all." I smiled before opening my mouth to explain once again.

"In my line of work, I am one of the best profilers in the office. Sometimes I'm able to profile details that don't make sense. When I asked myself what I would do if I was Satoshi Nakamoto, the answers I gave became my own profile. So, I asked, who would create something borderline illegal, fake their death, and then not leave their country even though it's insanely risky to stay?

"An American. Anyone in this country can say what they want, but no one actually wants to live the rest of their lives in a country that isn't America. People literally risk dying to come over here for a better life. And Americans are very comfortable with their way of living. So I knew whoever it was had to be American."

Her chin rested on her interlocked fingers. Her expression was blank and somewhat cold. I added, "I guess you can say I had a hunch." This made her chuckle.

"Okay, well," She started. "I've confessed that I am Satoshi Nakamoto, and you have me here right now. Are you going to arrest me?"

"No," I said. "I'm not going to arrest you."

Nakamoto looked confused. She looked utterly flabbergasted. I could see the wheels turning in her head. She questioned my motives more quicker than a victim asking their serial killer why they are doing this.

"Then what do you want?" She asked. The smile that crept onto my face was slow and snake-like. My eyes glistened with excitement and playfulness as I leaned closer to her. This entire time, Satoshi Nakamoto thought I was here to put her away for life. She never suspected that this was my interview. After a brief pause, I shrugged and opened my mouth to give my final answer.

"I know who you are."