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ôIÆll bet sheÆs fine with it,ö said Margie. ôSheÆs a forgiving wife, our Maisie is.ö

ôShe certainly is,ö said Eric with a smile.

ôWhat do you think youÆre doing!ö suddenly a voice rang out through the warehouse. ôGet a move on, Blandine! The boss donÆt got all day, you know!ö

ôYeah, hop to it, Goldie,ö Margie urged him on. ôLetÆs not keep Ebony waiting.ö

ôIÆm coming!ö Eric cried, and hurried off, watched on by his grinning colleagues.

He entered the office, fully expecting to find Norm there, eager to discuss the plans for his upcoming vacation, but instead he found Norm accompanied by two men heÆd never seen before, though one of them looked slightly familiar for some reason.

ôEric, please take a seat,ö said Norm, and gestured to a chair in front of his desk.

ôYes, sir,ö said Eric meekly, and quickly sat down, nervously rubbing his hands on his blue jumpsuit as he did.

Much to his surprise, he found the older of the two visitors eyeing him closely. The man, who was probably in his early sixties, and had one of those big flabby faces, even brought his face so close to his that he could smell the cigar smoke emanating from him.

ôMh,ö said the man finally. ôYou were right, Tobias. It is uncanny.ö

ôIsnÆt it?ö said the other man. He was dressed in an expensive suit, was clean-shaven and had one of those square jaws that reminded Eric of a G-man. He also had heavy brows that half-obscured two sharp eyes that were coldly scrutinizing him. Like a fishmonger studying a halibut and deciding how best to slice and dice it for later consumption.

ôEric,ö said Norm, ôthese two gentlemen have a special request for you.ö

ôOh?ö said Eric, wondering if they were here to place a large order of foie gras.

ôDo you know who I am?ö asked the older man.

ôNo, sir,ö said Eric truthfully.

ôThis is Diedrich Karat,ö said Norm.

Eric stared at the man. Then his eyes traveled to the large picture suspended on the wall behind Norm. It was the same man, only looking slightly younger and a lot skinnier. EricÆs eyes went wide. ôMr. Karat?ö he asked, his voice sounding squeaky to his own ears.

ôThatÆs right,ö said Mr. Karat, nodding with satisfaction at the other manÆs consternation.

ôHas anyone ever told you that you are the spitting image of Mr. KaratÆs son Cotton, Eric?ö asked the younger man, who hadnÆt yet been introduced.

Eric nodded wordlessly.

ôHis colleagues all call him Goldie,ö said Norm. ôFor karat gold?ö he added when the two men turned bland faces to him.

ôIs that so?ö said Mr. Karat with a sort of avuncular smile that didnÆt quite become him. Like a shark trying to affect a grin at its prey. ôWell, I donÆt know if youÆre aware of this, Eric, but my son has recently found himself in a spot of trouble.ö

Once again Eric nodded wordlessly. He now realized he was clenching his buttocks to a painful extent, and that his armpits were twin pools of sweat. ItÆs not every day that you suddenly find yourself in the presence of the big boss of your company.

ôCotton needs to go away for a couple of weeks, Eric,ö the G-man took over the narrative. ôAnd in the meantime we would like you to replace him.ö

EricÆs butt-clenching intensified. ôYou would?ö he squeaked.

ôOnly for a couple of weeks, mind you,ö said Mr. Karat. ôWhile Cotton works through a few issues that are of no concern to you.ö

ôButàö Eric began, but was immediately silenced by a look of warning from Norm.

ôYouÆd be doing the company a huge favor,ö said the G-man.

ôItÆs important that no one find out about Cotton disappearing from the scene,ö Mr. Karat explained. ôOur investors might get antsy. TheyÆre like vultures, you see. One sign of weakness and theyÆre likely to attack and rip the flesh from our bones.ö

ôAnd thatÆs where you come in,ö said the G-man, towering over Eric, as was Mr. Karat. If theyÆd have aimed a spotlight at his face he wouldnÆt have been surprised. ôWe need you to make sure things at the Karat Group look as if itÆs all business as usual. Though of course weÆll shield you off as much as we can. All you need to do is look the part.ö

ôB-b-butàö sputtered Eric.

ôLook the part but notact the part. I mean in meetings or negotiations with clients.ö

ôWeÆll take care of all that,ö Mr. Karat assured him. ôAll you have to do is show up and make it look as if Cotton is right where he should be, in complete control of the company.ö

ôWe donÆt have to tell you that discretion is an absolute necessity,ö said the other man.

ôYouÆre not to breathe a word about this to anyone, you hear?ö said Mr. Karat.

ôNot to your wife, not to your friends or colleagues. Absolutely no one.ö

ôAnd when all is said and done, youÆll be handsomely rewarded.ö

EricÆs ears pricked up. ôRewarded?ö he squeaked.

ôHandsomely.ö

He swallowed as he thought about this for a moment.ôIÆm not sure ifàö he began.

ôEric, this is not a proposition,ö said Norm warningly. ôThis is an assignment.ö

ôThe most important assignment youÆll ever get,ö said Mr. Karat.

ôI donÆt know about thisàö he muttered helplessly.