“Don’t be a prude. I’m pretty sure the cops won’t look for us in an adult bookstore. Besides, I could use a distraction, and they specialize in that.” Bob started walking towards the door.
“Geez, it’s not even the classy place. It’s the scuzzy place.” Phil folded his arms and leaned on a traffic sign post. “No way. You go be distracted or whatever in there.”
Bob turned around and started walking back to Phil. “Dude, trust me. This is a good…” Bob stopped and stared. Phil looked over to what he was staring at. A rusty yellow Pacer was parked almost right in front of the store. “Is…is that Old Man B’s Pacer?”
Phil slowly looked at the license plate. “1A 4713. Yup, that’s the Pacer. Eeewwww. What is he, eighty? He’s at least in his late seventies. I’ve heard him babbling about serving in Korea near the end of the war during one of his rants.”
Bob shivered for a moment. “Yuck. Okay, my mood has been totally killed. Let’s get going.” Phil looked at Bob, then at the Pacer. He walked to the other side of the car, and then around the back and stopped right by Bob.
“I have an idea.”
***
Mabel Gravley sat patiently in the kitchen of apartment 203. She watched as the two men slowly took every CD and DVD out of each case, then tossed the cases aside. The stern, silent one kept putting them into manila envelopes, while the goateed one kept doing the same. Once they’d grabbed every disc, the goateed man pointed at the bedrooms. The silent one walked away and she found herself alone with the goateed man. “Ms. Gravley…can I call you Mabel?”
She nodded. “Mabel is fine.”
“Well Mabel, we’re not unreasonable men. We’re here looking for something Phillip and Robert might have that they aren’t supposed to have. I really wish I could tell you more. They aren’t in any legal trouble, and once we find what we want you’ll never see us again. However, you need to promise me you won’t tell them we were here. And you’ll have to promise me you won’t tell anyone we were here. Can you do that for me Mabel?”
She nodded. “What choice do I have?”
“None.” said the silent man, who had walked in right behind her and startled her. He was standing with his gun out in one hand, and a handful of CDs and DVDs in the other. Mabel was visibly shaking. The silent man nodded, and walked toward the door.
“Mabel, thanks for your cooperation.” The goateed man walked away, towards, the door. Mabel looked at her hands as the door slowly closed. They were shaking uncontrollably. She had been the apartment manager for about ten years, and of all the things she’d seen this was as scared as she’d ever been. She’s called in drug users, drug pushers, even a guy who was holding a kidnap victim in one of the units. This was by far the most scared she could remember being in her entire life. She took a deep breath, then another. Finally, she was able to stand up. Just as she stood up, the door opened. The silent man walked in a step, and reached inside his jacket.
