The Big Enchilada

video and still, but I don’t ever see the videotape. Every once in a while they give me some film to develop and print. Like I said, photography’s really my hobby. I just give them what they want. Swear to God, I don’t know what they do with the stuff.”
    “But you make extra prints, right?”
    “Hey, I wouldn’t do that.”
    I laughed in a way that made him cringe and repeated my question.
    “Hey, okay. I make some extra prints. But I haven’t done anything with them...”
    “... yet.” I finished his sentence.
    “Okay... yet.... I sort of figured I’d get some security for my old age, kind of a pension. Put a little black on those guys. They can afford it.”
    “Faro, the way you're going, I think your old age is the least of your worries.”
    “I can handle myself, but your future won’t be much if you mess up the deal at the club. It’s a very serious operation.”
    “Your concern touches me.” I paused long enough to get him off guard. “Now give me the membership list.”
    “What!” He jumped enough to nearly tip over the chair to which he was tied.
    “I... I... told you. I don’t know who the members are.... I don’t have any list.”
    “Then it’ll be tough for you to blackmail them if you don’t know who they are.”
    He looked puzzled for a second. “Hey, I never thought of that. You’re right. Pretty stupid of me, I guess. Ha ha.”
    “Never mind the list, give me the key for the padlock.”
    “The key?” He was jumping again.
    “The key.”
    “I don’t know where the key is. I guess I lost it. I’ve been meaning to get a hacksaw and cut it. But there’s nothing in there anyway. Just some chemicals and paper, stuff like that.... Hey, where are you going?”
    I had walked into the kitchen. I opened a couple of drawers until I found a large, heavy knife, and went back into the living room.
    “What are you doing?” Faro squirmed in the chair. “Unless you tell me where the key is, sucker, I’m going to start cutting pieces off that long prick of yours and make you eat them. We’ll keep it up until you tell me, or until you have nothing left.”
    “Hey, man, that’s not a very funny joke.” His voice cracked and broke, and he was sweating profusely. “Depends which side of the knife you’re on.”
    His eyes were wide as I brought the knife toward his cock. When the blade just touched him he screamed.
    “No! No! Stop! The key’s in the desk. Taped on the bottom of the middle drawer.”
    I smiled at him and found the key. He was shaking and crying. Suppose he had really lost the key?
    I opened the cabinet. There were folders containing photos similar to the ones I had already seen. The folders had no names on them, only numbers. The numbers went up to about 150, but there wasn’t a folder for each number. I looked at some of the pictures. There was one of a super-tough cowboy star dressed as a ballerina. He was being whipped by a small woman clad only in knee socks and a black mask. He seemed to be enjoying himself.
    I flipped through the folders. At the back of the cabinet, under some papers, was a plain envelope. In it were two sheets of paper, each with three typed columns of names. The names were numbered up to just over 150. Some of the names had check marks that coincided with the presence of folders. Very orderly.
    I looked over the list. I found Simon Acker’s name. That certainly didn’t surprise me. There was no check next to his name.
    It almost didn’t register when I saw the name Adrian Sweet, but then I realized that was the guy who had been in charge of the proposed merger of Acker’s company. Now that was interesting. There was a check next to his name, and a folder to match. There were only a couple of pictures in it. In each there was a thin man in his late thirties with a young boy of about twelve. They were both naked. In one the man was spanking the boy with a large wooden paddle. In the other, the positions were reversed. The man looked keen and intent. The boy seemed mildy bored.
    I took the folder, along with the membership list, and went back to the living room.
    Faro was composed again, but looked very pale and drawn.
    “Interesting stuff you’ve got there,” I said.
    “What are you going to do with it?” he said weakly. “I’m a dead man.”
    “Not if you act smart. I took one file. You can keep the rest for now. I also took the list, but since you didn’t have it, you won’t miss it. Now there’s one more thing