112

Ante and Bjorn looked at Frank's gun on the coffee table, then at each other.

"So what do we do?" Ante asked.
"About the gun, you mean?"
"Yeah."

Bjorn had no ready answer. Ante shouldn't have picked the gun up in the first place, but now that the damage was done, they had to come up with some way to make it seem like almost an accident that the gun found its way back to the checkpoint.

"Will you take it up to Frank for me?" Ante asked.
"Me?"
"Yeah... you know... Take it up and give it to him. Say something like, 'Ante picked this one up for you, and here it is', you know... matter of fact like."
"No! I'm not going to do that. It's your problem, not mine. And by the way, Frank is almost certainly fast asleep right now. He won't be very happy with me waking him up."

Ante looked disappointed and a little desperate.

"Come on!" Bjorn said, making an effort to sound sensible. "It's not such a big deal. Why don't you keep it with you until Frank shows up, and then you give it to him... in the manner of fact way you had in mind."

But before Ante had time to reply, Thomas appeared in doorway.

"So, what's up?" He asked cheerfully.
"Ah... nothing." Ante answered, shortly followed by Bjorn telling Thomas honestly about the gun, without revealing any of the conclusions that he and Ante had arrived at, or saying anything about the prostitutes.
"Well, that's nice of you," Thomas said with not even a hint of irony. "I'm sure he'll be happy to have it back... Imagine that, though... Misplacing his gun at the casino... He really is an airhead at times."

"So, what's for dinner?" Thomas continued, clearly not very concerned about Frank's gun.
"Roasted turkey legs," Ante answered. "With roasted potatoes and green beans."
"Man! And I'm missing out on that!"
"You are?" Bjorn asked, puzzled.
"Yeah, I'll be sitting in the glass box while you enjoy your feast... Make sure you leave some for me, will you?"
"Of course," Ante answered. "Have I ever not done that?"
"No, but I don't want to take any chances."
"You want me to bring out a plate for you right away when we start eating?" Bjorn suggested, for some reason feeling generous towards Thomas. "That way you won't have to wait until nine."
"Well, that would be great. You think Frank's okay with that?"
"Sure... of course," Ante said confidently. "He won't mind."