I was a manager at a sales office a while back. We peddled a product called Corexit that was a powerful cleaning agent of some sort. I never really got the details straight about what the stuff actually did since I only managed the office. It was up to the salespeople to read up on everything and repeat what they learned to our clients. I spent most of my time in my office on the second floor of our little building on the highway. If you came into town from the south and weren't taking the interstate, there's a good chance that you drove right past us.

In any event, one morning I get a call from someone at head office who refused to identify himself at first. "I need to speak to you, " he said when I picked up the phone.

"I'd like to know who this is before we continue, " I said.

"I work in Pollock's group, " he told me.

"I don't know Pollock, " I said.

"He came on maybe a month ago, " the caller told me.

"I still need to know your name, " I said. "That's my policy. That's how I run things here."

There was a pause on the other line. I could hear my mystery caller typing something into his computer. "You can call me 'West', " he then said.

"'West'?" I replied. "So is that your last name?"

"It's part of it, " he told me. "But we need to move on."

"So what's the story this Pollock?" I asked him.

"There was something sent out to all the sales offices, " he said. "I shouldn't have to tell you who he is."

"You don't know how much information I have to deal with here, " I told him. "So I missed something from corporate, apparently. Please fill me in."

"There's a new group, " West told me. "You should know this."

"But I don't, " I told him. "So keep going."

"This is really about someone at your branch, " he said. "That's why I'm calling."

"So Pollock has been checking up on us, " I said.

"We do some of the work for him, " West said. "I was hired when the group was formed. There's maybe a dozen of us."

"I've dealt with men like this Pollock before, " I told West. "They come and they go."

"You can say or think whatever you want about him, " West said. "I'm calling about an agent of yours who goes by the name of Vine."

"Isn't it strange, all of these names?" I said. "You're West. You work for Pollock. And then there's Vine."

"He works at your branch, correct?"

"Someone with that name works here, I believe"

"I have it here on my screen. He's one of your junior agents."

"But these names are so strange, aren't they? Vine. Why did we go and hire someone with a name like Vine?"

"You're missing the point here, " West told me. "I don't have much time."

"We've got plenty of time, " I told him. "I have concerns about this conversation that I'd like to discuss with someone."

"There are channels for that sort of thing, " West told me. "I need you to write up a report by the end of the week."

"You want me to tell you about Vine, " I said.

"We have his numbers here, " West told me. "But Pollock insists on getting insight from the sales managers themselves."

"So he wants me to confirm what the numbers say, " I said.

"That's not the point, " he said. "You tell Pollock what you think of the man in your own words. Forget the numbers."

"So I do up a little character sketch, or something like that, " I said.

"Be honest, " West said. "Nothing you say will reflect badly on you. Pollock made sure to tell me to tell you that."

"Pollock will say anything to get what he wants, " I said.

"You don't know that, " West said.

"I know plenty, " I told my friend on the phone. "But don't worry. You'll get your report. I'll get started on it right away. As soon as I'm off the phone, I'll get going."