Amberville - By Tim Davys Page 0,3

services,” Dove reminded him. “At least a few.”

“But that was a hundred years ago!”

“Compound the interest and you’re in a bad position,” sneered Dove, but quickly became stern again; these abrupt changes were one of his specialties. “Honorably stated, Eric, you in particular are a good fit. Considering your mother…”

The fact that Rhino Edda had been appointed head of the Environmental Ministry—the most important of the three ministries in Mollisan Town—was behind several commissions of trust Eric Bear had received over the years. At this moment he would return them all for this conversation never having taken place.

“Mr. Dove,” said Eric. “I can guarantee that neither the Environmental Ministry, nor Mother, sits around drawing up any Death Lists that—”

“That’s fine, that’s fine,” Dove brushed aside the excuses while taking the opportunity to smooth out the sleeve of his jacket. “I don’t care how you go about it. The less I know, the better. I would gladly put you on the trail if I could, but it…the cat…who maintained that he knew my name was on the list…has unfortunately…disappeared. So I suppose you can begin exactly as you wish.”

“But I—”

Nicholas Dove interrupted him by getting up from the armchair. A terrible crash was heard. Eric guessed that it was the glass case with the crystal glasses that had fallen to the floor.

“Now we’re leaving!” shouted the dove.

It immediately became silent in the dining room, and both apes came trotting out to the living room.

Dove took a few steps toward the hall, but remembered what he’d forgotten and turned around.

“It’s actually rather simple,” he said, looking coldly at Eric Bear who remained seated on the sofa. “If the Chauffeurs fetch me, then my gorillas will fetch your beloved Emma Rabbit. And tear her to pieces.”

The dove didn’t stay behind to see how his threat affected the bear. He preceded the gorillas out to the hall. Eric was incapable of moving from the spot.

“Good luck!” the squeaky voice was heard to say from the stairway.

CHAPTER 2

Eric devoted the day to putting things in order on Uxbridge Street. He and Emma lived in a true showcase apartment three flights up in one of Amberville’s older, blue, historically registered buildings. Actually it was indefensible that Eric had settled down in his childhood Amberville. He ought to have done as his creative friends had and bought something less ostentatious—but equally expensive—in one of the multicultural neighborhoods in north Tourquai. Or, even better, remodeled a loft in Yok. That would have been in accord with his image: a rebel in the business world with a mysterious past.

From his fifteenth to his nineteenth year Eric Bear lived at Casino Monokowski, one of the illegal establishments in Amberville which had its counterparts in the other districts. He slept where there was room, in a bed or under a table, on a couch or on a toilet; he wasn’t sensitive in that respect. Most often the drugs made him pleasantly closed off; he could have fallen asleep on top of one of the roulette tables as well. He kept his possessions in a plastic bag in a cupboard in the employee dressing room. His best friend, Sam Gazelle, carried the key to the cupboard in his vest pocket. Eric used the cupboard so seldom that betweentimes he forgot what was in it.

During that period Eric was living on Nicholas Dove’s terms. Of this he was constantly reminded. The jobs he got were of varying degrees of difficulty. The assignments never came from Dove personally, but nonetheless there was no mistaking who was making the decisions. It might be a matter of running errands—carrying sealed envelopes that contained bundles of currency, or small packages with drugs (wrapped in so much thick, beige tape that sharp scissors or knives were required to get them open) from one corner of the casino to the other. But it might just as well be a matter of helping Sam lure money from johns in the corridor or breaking his back for an entire day as a busboy, if there were many who called in sick. Sometimes he did the more unpleasant things, such as working in the john-rooms or acting as a lookout while the gorillas did their job.

In exchange he got almost unlimited credit at the gaming tables.

In exchange he got food and shelter.

The young Eric Bear didn’t complain.

But with each new marker he bought at the casino’s bank and for every white pill he rinsed down with alcohol in one of the bars,