Rental

CW: The story references child exploitation material as part of a law enforcement investigation but contains no graphic sexual descriptions.

Scratching his bearded chin, the clerk watched as the man in the gray suit came towards the counter. The briefcase in one hand said he was on his way home from work and stopped in for some evening entertainment. The clerk hadn’t seen him before and the nervous expression on his face suggested he wasn’t a regular or even sure about his selection.

He was the right kind of guy … mild-mannered, shy, a dark gray suit that went with the black briefcase … a pencil-pusher of some sort … the clerk was laying his bet on accountant. He fit the type who’d rather fantasize than live the dream.

The store delved in more than videos. There were toys, magazines, and how-to guides for the inexperienced. But, despite current technological advances, the videos still turned a slight profit … the more elicit, the better.

With all the stories about hacking and tracing on the Internet these days, some people were too paranoid to sign up for a website and pay with a credit card. Others just didn’t know where to look for the safe sites. Some still preferred never to pay for such entertainment with anything traceable.

The clerk thought this man fit into the first category as he placed the DVD on the counter.

He opened the case to check the disc inside. It looked fine. The Girl Next Door 3. In this one, she let the handyman in while her parents were out. The clerk supposed it was a good choice for a first-timer, but this didn’t really matter.

The flick starred Violet Rose. Though the clerk didn’t delve into his inventory, he was familiar with the young starlet. Her movies were very popular. Many customers commented about her as they paid. Phrases like “Smoking hot” and “fiery redhead” were just a summary of her characteristics.

“You want the standard rental?” the clerk asked, snapping the DVD case shut with one hand.

“Yes,” the man said, setting down his briefcase and withdrawing his wallet from inside his suit jacket. It was unclear if he knew what the “standard rental” was. That, of course, carried a fifty-fifty chance of more profits via late fees.

“Twelve dollars,” the clerk said, ringing up the rental. “You new in the area?”

He was somewhat curious as he took the cash.

The man jumped a little and then nodded.

“Oh … yes,” he said. “I just moved here. I finally got the raise to afford a place closer to work.”

“You been watching these movies long?” the clerk asked.

The man surveyed the clerk before answering.

“Not really,” he said.

The clerk nodded. He got a lot of customers like that. Many of them were married and just wanted a thrilling fantasy. He didn’t care what they wanted as long as their money was good.

“You just walked by and thought you’d pop in?” he asked.

“A co-worker recommended this place,” the newcomer explained. “He complemented your discretion.”

The clerk nodded as his customer handed him a ten and a five. He’d set up here a year ago and his name was floating past people’s lips ever since. Their own names stayed out of it and this man seemed to be no exception. The vast majority paid cash and he wasn’t sure why he even had a credit card machine.

“Have it back this time next week,” he said, handing over the change.

The man nodded, took the DVD and change, grabbed his briefcase, and left. The clerk watched him until the door slammed shut. It didn’t matter if he didn’t get the DVD back. There were plenty of others in the store to draw in more customers. The clerk reached under the counter and pulled out a radio.

“We got another one,” he said. “Just left. Mid-forties. Wearing a dark gray suit and carrying a dark leather briefcase.”

It wouldn’t be his call as to whether to act on this.

* * *

One block over and three blocks down, well away from the store, two police cruisers flashed their lights as they pulled up next to the man on the sidewalk. Four officers got out, one drawing his pistol while two others kept their hands on their holstered weapons.

“Hold it,” one said in a sharp voice.

The man stopped, almost dropping his briefcase.

“What on Earth?” he asked, not believing this.

“Hands up!” an officer demanded.

The man carefully set his briefcase down on the sidewalk and raised his hands in the air, considering the one cop raising his pistol was being rather excessive. These guys were cowboys who’d been sitting around, bored, for too long.

“Sir,” one of the officers said, coming up to him, “I need you to open the briefcase.”

The man sighed. He had no choice. True, this one wasn’t much of a cowboy, but his holstered weapon was within easy reach. Best to comply.

The man opened the briefcase. The officers saw the DVD he’d just rented. They also saw the badge and pistol.

* * *

Police Captain Sasha Skylar looked up as FBI Supervisory Special Agent William Billings entered her office, followed by the man in the gray suit her officers apprehended an hour ago.

“Quite a mess we’ve got here,” she remarked. “He one of yours?”

Agent Billings nodded, waving a hand towards the quiet man.

“Gregory Zane,” he explained. “Originally a forensic accountant for us. Became an agent two years ago. We figured his mild-mannered personality was perfect. Fooled your guy into giving him one of your blank discs.”

Captain Skylar noticed a very slight smile flicker across Agent Zane’s face. It was gone soon after it appeared, and the man continued playing the role of the subordinate. Mild-mannered was right … mild-mannered and perhaps shy. The bureau had chosen well for this assignment.

“Well done,” Captain Skylar said, focusing back on Agent Billings. “You busted a year-long undercover operation. A heads-up would have been nice.”

Agent Billings shook his head.

“You weren’t exactly forthcoming either,” he retorted. “How were we supposed to know that whole store was a sting?”

Captain Skylar sighed, tucking a few stray blonde strands behind her ear. She noticed Agent Zane look a little relieved about the fact this mess wasn’t his fault.

“What was your goal?” she asked.

“Flip the proprietor for his supplier,” Agent Billings replied. “They’re shooting this kiddie porn somewhere … it can’t just be some lone degenerate making this stuff in his garage. We have yet to find Violet Rose, but we think she’s a runaway from New Hampshire named Michelle Chase. Anyway, it’s more than the nickel-and-dime busts you were getting.”

Captain Skylar nodded, understanding how two undercover operations caused one another to implode. It was this lack of communication which led to such screw-ups. That was what kept these child porn producers in business.

“So?” the captain asked, studying both agents. “What now?”