fright and there were sweat beads on his forehead. He put the make-up box on the table. From it he took what looked like an overlarge rubber surgical glove.
‘Get into these clothes, Jerry,’ Mazzo said.
It was the same suit I had put on before. I put it on.
‘Now the shoes.’
These I put on.
‘Please sit down, Mr. Stevens,’ Charles said.
Carefully, he unfolded the piece of rubber and it became a face mask. This he fitted over my face.
‘This is the thinnest latex, Mr. Stevens,’ he said. ‘It won’t be uncomfortable. It is on this base I work.’ He was molding the rubber mask to my skin. There were blank eyepieces and I could see without trouble. ‘Now the eyebrows and the moustache.’ He worked away, then finally stood back. ‘It is simple, Mr. Stevens. You will have a good supply of eyebrows and moustaches. I have three masks, in case you have an accident. You will be able to arrange this yourself without trouble.’
He took a photograph from his make-up box, studied it, then studied me. ‘Excellent. Please go to the mirror. See for yourself.’
I got to my feet, and because of the raised wedge in the heel of the shoe, I limped to the wall mirror and surveyed myself. For a long moment, I stared, feeling a cold chill run over me. This wasn’t me! The man in the mirror was a total stranger. The latex mask showed a handsome, heavily tanned face with a thin nose, a firm mouth and an aggressive jaw. The thin eyebrows and the pencil line moustache gave this image distinction. I just stood staring, and it was only when I moved that I convinced myself that the reflection in the mirror was me, and not someone else.
I became aware that Harriet and Durant had come into the room.
I turned.
‘Walk,’ Durant said.
I limped across the room, turned and limped back to the table.
‘Wonderful!’ Harriet exclaimed. ‘No one could tell them apart! Your talents, Charles, are worthy of your great reputation.’
Charles simpered.
‘Thank you. Great care must be used to fit the mask. Mr. Stevens is used to making up. There will be no problems.’ He smiled uneasily. ‘Now, my work is done. I would like to go home. I have many, many commitments.’
‘Of course,’ Harriet said. She waved to Mazzo. ‘Arrange for Mr. Charles to go to his home.’
‘Thank you, thank you.’ Charles’s face lit up with relief. ‘You can depend on my discretion. I am so glad everything is so satisfactory.’ He moved to the door, paused to give me a shy smile. ‘It has been a pleasure, Mr. Stevens. Goodbye.’
‘Goodbye,’ I said, thinking he was lucky to get out of this mess, but, then, how was I to know this was his last goodbye?
chapter three
I spent the whole of the following morning practicing John Merrill Ferguson’s signature. By now, I was getting fluent, and it no longer worried me that the task was beyond my powers.
Again, with the breakfast trolley, there was a credit note for one thousand dollars.
As I worked, after breakfast, I remembered Durant had said that today, I would be moved from here and begin the impersonation. The sooner it began, the sooner I would be free.
After lunch, Durant appeared with a legal looking document which he put on the table.
‘Use a pencil and sign here,’ he said curtly.
Picking up a pencil, I signed Ferguson’s name with a flourish.
Durant examined what I had written, then nodded.
‘Do it again in ink,’ he said.
Using the Parker pen, I signed over the pencil signature.
Again he studied what I had written, then he regarded me with his hard, dark eyes. ‘You have passed the test, Stevens.’ He crossed to a chair and sat down. ‘The impersonation will begin this evening. You will be taken to Mr. Ferguson’s residence in Paradise City, Florida. There, you will meet Mr. Ferguson’s wife. She knows about this impersonation. You have nothing to worry about. You will have your own quarters, and you will have no contact with the staff. Mr. Ferguson hasn’t had contact with his staff for some time, so this will not be considered unusual. Mazzo will attend to your needs. At certain times, wearing the disguise, you will show yourself in the grounds of the estate. Mazzo will be with you. Three times a week, you will be driven to the corporation’s office. Again Mazzo and others will be with you. None of the staff will approach you. All you will have to do is to sign letters and documents. I will be directing the operation. I have arranged for Mr. Ferguson’s personal secretary to go on vacation. I have replaced her with a woman who has never seen Mr. Ferguson. No problem there.’ He paused to stare at me. ‘You will do exactly what I say. You will sign any paper I give you without question.’ Again, he paused to stare at me. ‘Is that understood?’
‘Yes,’ I said.
‘As you see, Stevens, you are being well paid for very little effort.’
If it was going to be that simple, I agreed with him, but was it?
He got to his feet.
‘We leave at seven this evening. You will wear the disguise. Mazzo will assist you. Whenever Mr. Ferguson takes a trip, there are always spies and the press. Do exactly what Mazzo tells you, and there will be no problem.’
Taking the document I had signed, he left.
Paradise City! I had often read about this fabulous playground for billionaires, and I had often dreamed of taking a vacation there. So that’s where the Ferguson residence was. To add to the excitement, I was to meet Ferguson’s wife.
Man! I thought, you are moving up in the social scale. When this impersonation was over, I promised myself I would find some cute dolly-bird and have a real vacation in Paradise City, spending some of the thirty thousand dollars that would be waiting for me in the Chase National Bank.
With these thoughts to entertain me, the rest of the afternoon passed quickly.
At 18.00, Mazzo came in, carrying a suitcase.
‘Here we go, Jerry,’ he said, putting the suitcase on the table. ‘Change into these clothes.’
He produced an off-white linen suit, a pale blue, silk shirt, a dark red cravat and a pair of fawn colored loafers.
I put on the clothes.
‘Pretty fancy, huh?’ Mazzo said, and released his sighing laugh. He took from a box the latex mask. ‘Can you fix this?’
‘Sure.’ I limped into the bathroom. They hadn’t forgotten to build up the right heel of the new pair of shoes.
It took me a little time to fix the mask. I was scared of damaging it, but I finally got it fixed. Then I gummed the eyebrows and the moustache in place.
Mazzo stood in the doorway watching me.
‘It sure is something,’ he said. ‘I wouldn’t know you from the boss.’
‘That’s the idea,’ I said.
‘Here’s a hat and dark glasses,’ Mazzo went on, producing a broad brimmed white hat which I put on. He then gave me black skiing goggles.
Again he stared at me.
‘I’ll fetch Mr. Durant. He’ll want to see you before we take off. Go over by the bed and wait.’
When he had gone, I stared at myself in the long mirror.
So this is what John Merrill Ferguson, one of the richest and most powerful men in the world, looked like.
