Jake pulled into the parking lot of a strip mall just north of the 10 Freeway, a few miles from Park’s residence. He cruised slowly toward the lone empty parking space in front of the liquor store. Noting the five men congregating in front, he tapped his back as he exited the car, ensuring his Glock was securely nestled in the waistband. His biggest fear wasn’t death; it was embarrassment.
He didn’t want to get caught in the middle of an armed robbery, not having his weapon, and somehow the police and media learning an unarmed FBI agent failed to thwart a felony in progress. His destination was not the liquor store but the nondescript phone store next to it. Jake weaved his way past the men sharing a forty-ouncer hidden in a not-so-discreet brown paper bag. He smiled confidently, not wanting to be confrontational, but remembered the words of Marine General James Mattis preparing us for combat in Iraq: “Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet.”
Jake was the only customer in the phone store, and the long-haired, pimply-faced teenager sitting behind the counter looked up from his iPad to greet a potential commissioned sale. “Can I help you?”
“I sure hope so,” said Jake, acting confused by the many phones offered on the wall display.
“You’ve come to the right place. We’ve got all your cellular phone needs. You’re actually in luck. The owner is running a special on the iPhone 5 and with a three-year service contract you get an automatic free upgrade each year on your contract anniversary.”
Jake smiled. The kid was good and pushing hard for a sale, but the undercover agent was going to be a huge disappointment. “Look, I’m in a hurry and just want the cheapest prepaid phone you have in your inventory. It’s for my grandmother so she can put it in her car in case of an emergency.”
The clerk gave Jake a “cheapskate” look. “A lot of customers initially want the prepaid, minimal-use phone but quickly learn it’s not the ideal plan. Let me show you some free phones that I can give you merely by adding your grandmother to our new family and friends plan. For less than a visit to Starbucks I can make your grandmother always available.”
“Nice try but you don’t get it. I don’t want her always available. I want her to know this is limited use and only in the event of an emergency,” said Jake, admiring the kid’s persistence.
Without much of a fight, the young salesman selected a no-frills cell phone, which served the purpose but meant pennies in the young man’s pocket.
Jake thought he’d ease the pain for the salesperson as he rang up the sale and was genuine in his next statement. “I’m in a hurry but I may be back. That three-year contract on a 5 sounds enticing. I’m looking to upgrade.”
The clerk gave Jake an entrepreneurial grin. “I’ll give you my card. I hope when you come back in you’ll ask for me.”
“You can count on it,” said Jake as the teenager handed him the bag with the prepaid cell phone and a business card with his name and phone number on it.
Before Jake went to his car he stopped at the liquor store.
“You got aspirin?” Jake asked the clerk behind the counter. The man was short and dark, possibly Indian or Pakistani.
The clerk responded but Jake had no clue what he said. Jake repeated the question and the clerk pointed to shelves at the back of the store, where Jake found an assortment of high-priced over-the-counter drugs. He was looking for the largest bottle of aspirin and shook each bottle to make sure it met his needs. When he was satisfied, he found a roll of overpriced Scotch tape on another dust-covered shelf and stopped by the cooler to grab a Pepsi before heading to the cash register.
Once inside the car he popped three aspirin, washed them down with a swig from the Pepsi, wrapped the cotton from the aspirin bottle around the mouthpiece of the prepaid cell phone, then taped it in place with a couple of inches of tape from the roll he had just purchased.