Pipe Dream

"Who are you?" she asked, almost falling onto the sofa in shock.

"You look just like Faye Dunnaway!" he exclaimed.

"Well, I don't know who the hell you look like, but you're damned sure not Kane!"

Just then Jan arrived. "Is Tiffany here?" she asked, walking in. "Who are you people? What happened to Tiffany and Kane? Am I in the wrong apartment?"

"Kane went down the drain!" Tiffany laughed, pulling off her wig. "But I'm still here!"

Laughing hysterically Jan finally managed, "I can't believe the lengths to which you guys go!"

"It's for a good cause and it will grow back," Kane said, putting his arm around Tiffany.

She walked away. "Well, you're not touching me until it does!" she solemnly. "You're somebody I don't know!"

Uncle John arrived, every bit as big and menacing as Kane described. Jan could hardly contain herself. Tiffany instructed him that they would pause briefly by Paul's car if they were lucky enough to find it.

They left right away, Uncle John following in his big van.

Luckily, upon entering the parking lot where Paul's office was on the eighth floor, they spotted his Mercedes right away. Jan pulled up behind it and paused a moment and then parked where they hoped to be able to see and even hear what went on.

Uncle John drove around the other side of the building. "He's a cagey old coot!" he doesn't want Paul to have a chance of finding out who he is." Pretty soon he came through the front door of the building and walked over to Paul's car. Glancing around the lot, seeing no one, he jumped really high for a man of his size and landed squarely on the hood over the front wheel. They could hear the crunch of metal when he hit. Then he just sat there on the dent to wait for Paul.

"He practiced that at home," Kane said. "He has two old cars out back. Big as he is he found out just sitting down wouldn't do it and he wanted to dent it good!"

"It sounded like he succeeded!" Tiffany laughed. "You do realize we may be here for awhile?"

"That's OK, by me," Jan said, "you can fill me in on what happened to bring this about finally."

And so the 'two strangers,' as she called them, brought her up to date on their ill fated deals.

Uncle John remained seated on Paul's hood.

Eventually, Paul emerged from the building, spotted John but walked briskly up to his car. "I'll bet you're from the finance company . . . " he began.

"No Mr. Swales. This is not about your car. I'm Andrew Jorgensen," he said, offering his hand, still sitting on the hood. "There's a little matter regarding a chemical contract in the Mid-East. I bought half of this deal off a fella who claimed you promised to deliver in 90 days. Now Mr. Swales, I don't cotton to slippery snakes who don't keep their word. I'm here to tell you, you've got three weeks to set this matter right! Otherwise you and me are gonna have another little talk. And you can count on that as fact. I am a man who keeps his word! Got that?"

"Got it!" Paul said, his face drained of color.

Uncle John stood up, revealing the big dent in the hood.

"Ah," he said, "sorry about that. I hope your insurance company won't be too upset!" With that, he turned and walked into the building.

Paul jumped into his damaged car and roared off.

As Tiffany, Kane and Jan sat laughing hysterically, Uncle John drove by and waved. All three gave thumbs up signs and headed to the Marriott for happy hour.

Settling in the bar with their drinks, Tiffany remarked, Uncle John really did a number on him, I wish we'd told him to meet us back at my house, so we could toast to his success!"