138

Bjorn looked around, stunned by Pedro's claim to have a better knowledge of his near future than himself. How could that possibly be? he wondered. And Pedro's insinuation that his behavior was somehow being monitored was right out bizarre. But knowing smiles and looks exchanged between Jan's daughters seemed to support Pedro's claim. The girls were in on it somehow, and obviously amused by Pedro's shameless forwardness.

"But what do you think about the apartment?" Pedro asked, changing the topic to the more mundane.
"Oh, it's beautiful," Olga replied enthusiastically.
"So you like it?" Pedro asked, looking for confirmation from the rest.
"Yeah, yeah," everybody agreed, nodding politely.
"It's great, isn't it," Pedro said with a big smile. "I can hardly wait to move in."
"It's a palace," Igor commented.
"It is. It's a palace!"

Pedro looked around in the kitchen, and then over at Georgio.

"Well, I guess it's time for you to show your guests out," Pedro commented. "But you'll return, right?"
"Yeah. In fact... Einar can let them out... I can stay here if you like."
"Yes, I would. You're not too busy are you?"
"No... Not really. Einar and I are just here to finish a few things."

Pedro made a sweeping pass of Georgio's guests with his head as if to firmly lock their faces into his memory. Then he bid them farewell with a friendly smile, telling them that he had much enjoyed getting to know them, even if their presence was somewhat unexpected.

"Well, that was unexpected," Ante commented to Bjorn as they followed Einar to the back exit.
"And awkward," Bjorn added.
"Yeah, but he was cool about it though, wasn't he?"

"Is this the first time you've met Pedro?" Bjorn asked Einar as he ushered the group out of the servants' hallway and into the stairwell.
"He's been here a few times before," Einar replied. "But this is the first time I've talked to him face to face."
"And what do you think?"
"Well, he was super cool about this, wasn't he... And Jan almost offered me a job. Isn't that cool?"

"Impressive guy, don't you think?" Olga continued.
"And not as mean looking as Jan," Einar agreed.
"You think Jan looks mean?" Ante asked.
"He can look kind of scary, don't you think?" Bjorn added, agreeing with Einar. "And his daughters... They got those beady eyes too."
"Beady eyes?"
"Yeah. Don't you think so?"

Ante did not answer. Then, as they reached the ground floor, he could not help asking everybody if they too got the impression that Pedro was ready to hire him as a chef.

"Yeah, he did, didn't he?" Einar replied, stopping up by the back door. "Will you take his offer?"
"Now, now," Bjorn protested. "None of you guys got any job offers up there. They were just being polite."
"You think so?" Einar asked.
"Well... I guess you could take them up on their words one day. But they were just thinking out loud."
"Okay," Einar commented. "But anyway... Are we all going down to the garage, or are you two going back by foot?"

Bjorn and Ante looked at each other. They were both ready for a walk in the fine weather, and asked Einar to let them out. A gush of fresh arctic air entered the stairwell the moment Einar opened the door, and it felt great to step into the crisp coolness of it all.

Bjorn and Ante waved goodbye to Einar and the two Russians, and started walking up to the path at the back of the building, leading diagonally up towards the crest of the hill.

The part of the path closest to the apartment was widened into a dirt road, and a large excavator parked at the end of the road, gave the two men the impression that there were plans to widen the entire path, all the way up to the top of the ridge.

Bjorn pulled out a cigarette, and lighted it, taking in the full view of the building site, as it appeared from the back of the apartment building.

"So, what did you make of Pedro's prediction about the days to come?" Bjorn asked.
"About Tuesday and Wednesday, you mean?"
"Yeah."
"You know," Ante said, hesitating while thinking. "Maybe Frank is sharing info with these guys... I mean... Frank's probably corrupted, isn't he?"
"You're right. It must be Frank. Who else could it be?"
"If Pedro wasn't bluffing, that is."
"Oh no, I don't think he was."

137

"Well, that's awkward," Ante said in a low voice. "What do we do now?"
"Ah... I was just showing these people around," Georgio explained to Pedro at the far end of the hallway.
"I can see that, Georgio. But why are you hiding your guests from me?"
"I'm not hiding them. I... We were... I mean, we were just about to leave."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah!"

Pedro looked unimpressed by Georgio's explanation.

"You know! Why don't you all come down here so I get to meet you guys?" Pedro continued. "If you have time, that is."

Georgio looked at Ante and Olga who both did as if they could spare a few minutes, nodding and smiling sheepishly.

"Okay, why not?" Georgio replied, still pretending that their rush to leave had nothing to do with Pedro and his guests entering the apartment.

"As you can see, I have some guests here of my own," Pedro continued, as Georgio and his guests headed towards the kitchen. "This is Jan and his two daughters, Vera and Hannah. They run the casino in the village, and Jan owns most of the land around here, isn't that so Jan?"
"That's right," Jan replied with a smile.

"And, who do we have here?" Pedro asked politely as Georgio came into the kitchen with his guests.
"Well, this is Olga and Igor from the village, and Ante and Bjorn from the Neiden road checkpoint, and this is Einar, my assistant," Georgio explained.

"And this must be your hand bag," Pedro commented, handing the bag over to Olga.
"Yes, thank you," Olga answered, looking bothered and embarrassed.
"And what sort of business are you in, Olga?" Pedro asked, looking genuinely interest.
"I'm running a sewing factory... cooperative."
"A sewing cooperative. Here in Lundby?" Pedro asked rhetorically, "Well, that's great."
"You think so?"
"Absolutely. Entrepreneurship is what Lundby is all about. What sort of things are you making?"
"Dolls and fluffy animals. And jackets and... well... lingerie."
"That's quite a range of different stuff," Pedro commented. "How many are you all in all."
"It's just me and two others here in the village, and three over in Nikel. Six all in all."
"So there's plenty of room for expansion?"
"There is," Olga replied with a modest smile.

"And you're her proud husband, I take it?" Pedro continued, looking at Igor.
"Yes, I am... Very proud of her."
"You work together?"
"No. I work for Pingo."
"When you're not driving people around at night, that is," Ante added.
"Well... Only when I'm off work."
"You drive people around?" Pedro asked.
"Yeah... Like a taxi service."
"A taxi service?"
"You know... Those apps that you can use. And you get a car to drive you from A to B."
"Yes, I do. Which one are you using?"
"A2B."
"Cool name, don't you think?" Pedro asked with a smile.
"Yeah."
"You know, I own that app."
"You're kidding?"
"Well... I own ten per cent."
"You do?"
"Absolutely!" Pedro replied with a satisfied nod. "I see a great future in that kind of services."

Then, looking at Einar, he asked how he was doing, working for Georgio.

"I'm doing fine," Einar answered.
"He's very talented," Georgio added. "He's been a great help."
"And what sort of plans do you have when you're finished here?" Pedro asked. "You're not going to Venice with Georgio and his friends, are you?"
"Oh no... That won't happen," Einar answered. "I don't know what I will do... I'll find something."
"I'll need a carpenter or two one of these days," Jan commented.
"Is that so?" Einar asked.
"Yep... You seem a little young, though. How old are you?"
"Fourteen."
"So! That's younger than I thought."
"How old did you think I was?"
"Seventeen... Or what do you think, Vera?"
"Yeah... More than fourteen, any way," Vera replied.
"But you know your stuff, do you?" Jan continued.
"He does." Georgio replied on Einar's behalf. "Do you already have a master carpenter?"
"I'm negotiating with one right now."
"Well, I would not hesitate to recommend Einar to him."
"Okay," Jan said with a nod. "You know... Give me a call when you're finished working for Georgio."

Jan handed a business card to Einar, who accepted it with stunned appreciation.

"And how are things up at the checkpoint?" Pedro asked, turning to Bjorn and Ante.
"Can't complain, really," Ante answered.
"You got any special skills?"
"No, not really," Ante answered modestly.
"He's one heck of a chef. But apart from that, no." Bjorn added with a smile.
"Is that so?" Pedro asked. "You're the chef up there?"
"Kind of, yes."
"Kind of?"
"Oh, come on now," Bjorn said, turning to Ante. "Of course you are. He's really talented!"
"Good enough to come work for me?" Pedro asked.
"Hey, wait a minute!" Bjorn protested. "He's our chef."
"He is your chef?" Pedro asked. "You own him?"
"No, but..."
"And what about you?" Pedro continued, still looking at Bjorn. "Do you have any special skills?"
"No... Not really."
"You've been a soldier all your life?"
"No. I worked as an engineer once."
"You did?" Pedro asked. "So, why have you joined the army?"
"Ah... Because... I'd rather be in the army than an engineer."
"Why?"
"It's easier... And it pays just as well."
"It does?"
"After taxes," Bjorn added.

Pedro looked at Bjorn for a moment, as if he was considering whether or not to tell him a secret.

"You were over at Ane's factory the other day, weren't you?" Pedro asked.
"Yeah. Together with Geir. Why?"
"Nah... Nothing. Ane told me about you. That's all."
"She did?"
"Nothing bad... Just that you were over there at Wednesday, was it?"
"Yeah. She told you that?"
"She did indeed... But never mind that. What sort of stuff did you do as an engineer?"
"Ah... Electronics. But mostly programming towards the end."
"Is that so?" Pedro asked with a pleased smile. "What sort of programming?"
"Scripts, web pages, and some low level stuff."
"Well, that's very interesting," Pedro said with a nod. "We're looking for programmers."
"You are?"
"Well... Not me so much as my technical guru... You know... I'll introduce you to him on Wednesday."
"This coming Wednesday?" Bjorn asked puzzled.
"Yeah."
"But, when?"
"When you're down at the airport anyway."
"At the airport?" Bjorn asked even more puzzled.
"Sure. Haven't Frank told you?"
"No."
"Well," Pedro said with a knowing smile. "Then you have it from me. You'll spend most of Wednesday at the airport, together with Espen, provided you don't misbehave on Tuesday."
"And what's going to happen on Tuesday?" Bjorn asked.
"That's for me to know and you to find out," Pedro answered with a smile. "If I told you everything ahead of time, life wouldn't be any fun, would it?"

136

"He's quite a character," Ante said, watching Einar follow Igor and Olga up the servants' hallway.
"He is," Georgio agreed. "But he's surprisingly talented and reliable."
"Really?" Bjorn asked.
"Yeah... I have some other helpers too, but Einar is the smart one. It's really impressive how quickly he's picking up the tricks of the trade."
"But you're not afraid he might click one day, and go completely bananas?"
"Well, I didn't know about his past before I caught him with that plank the other day. That's when he told me about the police man he killed."
"And you've chosen to ignore that?"
"Yeah... I guess I have... You know. It was an accident. It happened when he was twelve."
"So he managed to break out of jail?"
"No, of course not. They don't put kids his age in jail. They had him locked up in one of those orphanages, or whatever, and he just escaped one day. Stole some money from one of the guards and headed for Lundby."
"He's from Kirkenes?"
"Yeah, I think so. It's not very hard to get from there to Lundby."

Bjorn looked at Georgio, thinking it weird that he had not suspected anything was amiss right away. Einar had after all been quite aggressive several times just in the short time he had known him.

"But he's constantly making threats. Didn't you find that kind of odd?" Bjorn asked.
"Not to me he hasn't."
"Really?"
"Yeah. In fact, he is always very polite and helpful."
"You're kidding?"
"No."
"But he has threatened me several times all ready," Bjorn protested.
"Well, that's probably due to your uniform. He feels threatened by you and is telling you to stay clear. That's all."
"You think so?"
"What else could it be?"

Bjorn had to admit that Georgio had a valid point, and he felt suddenly uncomfortable in his uniform, suddenly realizing that not everybody might be equally happy to see him in it.

"But never mind that," Georgio continued. "I'll show you something... Come with me!" And off he went leading Ante and Bjorn through the dining room to the smaller one of the two living rooms.

"This is where Pedro will sit and relax when he is not entertaining guests," Georgio explained. "And as you can see, the floor is decorated with a small armillary sphere in each corner, and with St. George slaying the dragon here in the middle. Now... One of these armillary spheres was cut and put together by Einar on his own, with no help from me. Can you guess which one it was?"

"Is that so?" Bjorn asked impressed, immediately starting to scrutinize the handy work together with Ante. "Well, there's no way to tell, is there?"
"No. There isn't. And he has only worked for me like six weeks or so."
"Wow, that's quite impressive!" Ante exclaimed.
"It is, isn't it?"

Georgio was about to say more, but was interrupted by someone coming in through the main entrance.

"Oh my... That's Pedro," Georgio whispered. "I'm not sure he'll be too pleased to see you here. Let's go!"

Georgio led Bjorn and Ante into the hallway with the bedrooms, and through the door leading into the servants' section where they met up with Einar, Igor and Olga.

"Here's the key for the door downstairs," Georgio explained, handing it to Einar. "Can you show our guests out through the back entrance? Pedro is here, and I'm not sure how he'll react if he finds us here, showing his place off to strangers."
"Oh, really... He's here?" Einar asked, wide eyed at the news.
"Yeah... Now hurry up will you?"

Georgio opened the door to the servants' back entrance and started ushering his guests out.

"But what about my bag?" Olga protested.
"Your bag? What you mean?" Georgio asked.
"I dropped it off by the entrance."
"You did? Well... I'll come down with it... Now, go will you?"

But before they all had time to exit, Pedro appeared in the kitchen, directly from the main entrance, and closely followed by Jan and his two daughters. He was holding Olga's bag in his hand, and was looking straight down the servants' hallway.

"Hey Georgio, shouldn't you at least introduce your guests to me?" he asked in a loud voice.

135

Bjorn, Ante and Einar walked down the narrow hallway to the kitchen at the far end.

"Man! What a kitchen," Ante exclaimed on seeing the modern fittings and spacious work surfaces. "This is what we should have up at the checkpoint."
"It's fancy, isn't it?" Einar agreed.
"Sure is! Who's the lucky chef?"
"I don't know. No one has moved in yet."

"I'm sure Pedro has his own chef. Probably brings him along," Georgio commented from the side, entering the kitchen from the dining room, together with Igor and Olga.
"Oh... Hi... There you are," Ante said. "This sure is a great kitchen, isn't it?"

They all nodded in agreement, looking around to take in the sight.

"So you survived?" Georgio asked with a crooked smile.
"Einar, you mean?" Ante asked casually.
"Yeah."
"Ah... Well... As you can see, we're all here."
"You sure are. I told you he's harmless. Aren't you, Einar?"
"Mostly harmless," Einar replied with a nod and a sly smile.
"When you're not bashing people around the head with a plank, that is!"
"Hey! It wasn't that bad. And he was asking for it... I mean, he was breaking into the apartment."
"Well... Yeah. He's not going to try that again any time soon."

Bjorn looked at Georgio, and then at Einar, both clearly quite pleased with how things turned out at the night of the attempted break in.

"So, what happened to him?" Bjorn asked, curious to know how the burglar had faired after the beating.
"Well... I'm glad I stopped you, Einar" Georgio replied. "I just happened to come by, and there this guy was on the ground being bashed around with that plank."
"I wasn't bashing him. I was just giving him a lesson. It was not like I was trying to kill him or anything."
"No, but you messed him up pretty badly. David had to stich him up a bit."
"David, the pharmacist?" Bjorn asked.
"Yeah... He'll do little things like that. He's no doctor, but he knows what he's doing."

Bjorn nodded thoughtfully.

"Have you seen the servants' quarters?" Bjorn asked, turning to Olga and Igor.
"No, we haven't," Olga replied. "It's up that way, is it?"
"Yeah... Well worth a look, I think."
"Why don't you show them?" Georgio suggested, turning to Einar.
"Okay," Einar replied.
"Only if you promise not to kill us," Igor said mockingly.
"I only kill people who mess with me or my stuff," Einar replied in kind. "You're not planning to steal anything, or harass me are you?"
"No."
"Well, then I won't kill you."

133

Georgio brought his guests with him to the top of the stairs where they remained standing while he picked out the right key for the door to one of the apartments.

"The sky light is a miniature version of the dome they will erect over the tennis court, by the way," Georgio explained while looking through his keys. "And the crystal chandelier is imported from Venice. It's the real deal! You see how it breaks the light, and makes a little pattern at the wall over there?"

"This is a palace, isn't it?" Olga exclaimed, thoroughly impressed by it all.
"It is," Georgio confirmed. "It certainly isn't your average apartment building. That's for sure."

Then he opened the door to the north facing apartment.

"Come have a look! And remember, don't step outside the floor coverings."

They stepped into a generous hall with cabinets and racks on both sides for guests to hang off their jackets. The craftsmanship was stunning with little patterns and details everywhere. Everything shaped and fitted perfectly. And although the cabinets were what drew the guest's immediate attention, it was clear that no less care had gone into the flooring and skirting which was done with similar precision and craftsmanship.

The floor was partly covered by large rugs for the guests to walk around on, but elaborate patterns could be seen everywhere, especially in the larger rooms, such as the living room overlooking the fjord. And Bjorn noticed that the armillary sphere was a recurring element everywhere, while the theme on the more elaborately decorated floors and doors was that of St. George slaying the dragon.

"This is Pedro's apartment, isn't it?" Bjorn ventured.
"That's right," Georgio confirmed. "St. George gives it away a bit, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, that's what I thought too."

"So, every apartment is different with different patterns and cabinets?" Igor asked.
"That's right. Mons' apartment is furnished like a yacht. Thick teak floors, and sturdy cabinets. All polished and shiny, of course. Brass elements... You name it. And the foreign minister has an illustration of the whole world edged into the floor of his living room."
"And the armillary spheres?" Ante asked.
"Well, that symbolizes the empire."
"Yeah, I know, but do the other apartments have them too?"
"Ah... Yeah, they do. Even the fourth one... In fact, the fourth one has no other theme. It's entirely dedicated to the empire."
"So, you think Frederico will be moving in there?" Bjorn asked.
"I don't know. I don't think he has the money for it to be honest. Frederico isn't a very rich guy."

The apartment building was much larger than Bjorn had thought from seeing it from the outside, and he was amazed to learn that it had seven bed rooms, all fitted with their own en suite bathroom, in addition to a separate section for the servants, complete with a little living room and four small bedrooms, also with their own bathrooms.

The servant section ran parallel with the guest bedrooms, with its own corridor. A single door connected the servants' corridor to that of the guest section. And having never seen a modern place with its own division for servants, Bjorn was intrigued to explore it together with Einar, who acted as his guide.

"The servants have a small living room for themselves up there," Einar explained, pointing to the far end of the servants' corridor. "And the kitchen is over there," Einar continued, pointing over in the exact opposite direction.
"This doesn't look so bad," Bjorn commented on seeing one of the servant's quarters. "It's bigger than what I have up at the checkpoint... And it has its own bathroom. That's pretty good."
"Yeah, it is. He'll have people willing to work for free, just to be able to live here," Einar commented with a nod.
"You think so?"
"Yeah... Things are pretty bad, you know. There's just too many people looking for work."

132

Georgio parked his car in an underground parking lot in the basement of the luxury apartment building. The parking lot was big enough to hold at least twenty cars, and the entrance was wide and generous, with a steel gate being installed by a couple of guys in overalls.

Georgio rolled down his window to greet the men working on the gate, and to explain to them who the visitors were. Then he put his hand in the air to signal that Igor too was welcome to park his car in the basement.

Georgio and Igor parked their cars in the far end of the parking lot, away from the gate, and next to a door leading into the rest of the building. A few metres to the right of the door, there was a spacious elevator as an alternative means to get to the apartments, but Georgio informed the visitors that the elevator still wasn't operational, so they would have to take the stairs.

"And let us first take a look at Einar's place," Georgio suggested, as he ushered his visitors in through the door. "He has set up a little place for himself and some friends, which they are allowed to use while they're working here."
"Is that how you're paid?" Ante asked in Norwegian, turning to Einar.
"Partially," Einar replied. "I get some money too, though."
"Like how much?" Bjorn asked.
"Fifty MG a day... It's not a lot, but Georgio is a nice guy. He lets me sleep here, and he pays for lunch and stuff."

Bjorn nodded thoughtfully, but did not pursue the topic of pay any further. Instead, he listened in on what Georgio had to say about the various rooms.

The basement was divided into two section, the parking lot and a pool area with a hot tub and a large swimming pool, none of them containing any water. A spacious sauna, which still required some work, served as Einar's bed room. Georgio showed it off with some pride, as if this make shift bedroom was some sort of grand generosity from his part.

"This is where Einar, and his friends spend their nights," Georgio announced. "It's ideal in many ways. Short distance to the showers and toilets, snug and easy to keep warm. And a very short distance to work."
"But there are apartments upstairs. Why not let the kids live there?" Bjorn asked.
"Ah! Well... I think that will become clear when you get to see them. It is not a place we let people in just to roam around. There's the fumes for one thing... Varnish and stuff... And it would be like living in a museum. We can't take the risk of anything going wrong."

The building, set in a slightly sloping terrain, had large windows to the north and the east of the pool, overlooking the fjord, with both the port and the airport visible in the distance. The grounds outside were barren and grey, but some landscaping had nevertheless been taking place, and Bjorn commented on this as he took in the view.

"Yeah, there will be a tennis court and a small marina for their boats," Georgio explained.
"A tennis court?" Olga asked. "Here in the arctic?"
"It sounds weird, doesn't it?" Georgio agreed. "But it will be covered by a glass dome.... You see those concrete slabs, over there and there? That's the foundation for the dome. It's a pre-fabricated thing. I believe it will be delivered this coming week."

They looked around a little more, circling around Georgio who explained and pointed out little details, such as the finesse with which the pool had been decorated, the place where Einar and his friends had set up a make shift kitchen for themselves, and the fine quality of the wood used for the benches in the sauna.

Then he lead his guests upstairs to the apartments. The stairway was wide and fully lit by natural light. Everything, even in the stairwell, was done exquisitely, and with strong, beautiful materials.

"Please do not step outside the floor coverings we've rolled out to protect the floors," Georgio said as they walked up the stairs. "It is not a catastrophe if you step outside. But I'd rather see you don't."

131

"So, there you are!" Georgio said as Bjorn approached him with Ante, Olga and Igor following close behind. "I don't have all day, you know."
"I´m sorry about that," Bjorn replied. "But... Is it all right if Olga and Igor here join us over to the apartments?"
"Well, that depends," Geoergio answered, turning to Olga. "Do you have your own car? I can't fit you all into mine."
"Sure," Igor replied with a smile. "I got mine parked over by the vicarage."
"Well then... I guess it's all right. I got my car parked over there too. Let's go!"

Georgio looked around as if looking for someone, muttering "where the hell is he" to himself.

"You're looking for someone?" Bjorn asked politely, joining Georgio in his slow wandering towards the church entrance.
"Yeah, I'm looking for a kid. A Norwegian kid called Einar.  He's helping me out. But I can't see him anywhere."
"Maybe he's outside?" Bjorn suggested.
"Yeah... Probably is."

"So, how did you get to meet Einar?" Bjorn asked as he stepped out into the cold arctic air together with Georgio.
"Ah... He just appeared one day at the building site, and... Oh there he is!"

Georgio pointed over to some kids over by the pillar with the armillary sphere, one of whom looked distinctly Norwegian. Georgio waved at him, and the kid responded by waving back before coming up to meet Georgio.

"So you're Einar?" Bjorn asked, switching to Norwegian.
"Yep... Are you here to arrest me?" the kid replied with an aggressive tone. "If you do, I swear I'll kill you."
"No, no... I'm just coming with you guys to have a look at the building site."
"So what's with the uniform? Don't you know we hate people like you?"
"So, so..." Bjorn replied, amused more than anything else. "Are you always this aggressive?"
"Only towards pigs like you."

Bjorn figured it useless to argue with the kid and simply tagged along with Georgio and Einar as they headed towards the vicarage. Then, when they caught up with Ante and the two Russians at the parking lot, Georgio introduced Einar to the others.

This time, Einar was considerably more polite, clearly having concluded that neither Ante nor Bjorn had any plans to interfere with whatever the kid was doing that warranted an arrest. They all exchanged a few polite phrases. Then they decided to split into two groups, with Bjorn and Ante sitting in the back of Georgio's car, with Einar next to Georgio in the front seats, and Igor and Olga using their own car to get to the building site.

"So, is this your car?" Ante asked as he fastened his seatbelt.
"It is indeed," Georgio answered before starting the engine with a sputter followed by a forceful roar.
"And you drove all the way up from Italy?"
"From Venice, yes."
"From Venice?"
"Yeah, I'm from Venice. Italy is a fiction."
"It is?" Ante asked looking bemused. "Well, anyway. It's a pretty long drive isn't it. All the way from Venice to Lundby."
"Three days to get to Oslo, and another three days to get to Lundby."
"And you're planning to drive all the way back when you're finished here?"
"I am! I'll save a few hours driving directly to Neiden, and not having to go via Kirkenes. I had to drive via Kirkenes coming up back in March."
"But still! It's a long drive!"
"Sure is! But I don't mind. I like driving."

Georgio drove along the ridge before taking a right turn towards the main street.

"Going by foot, you can cut across here," Georgio explained, pointing to his left as he took the right turn.
"I know!" Ante replied. "I grew up here, sort of. My grandparents had a place here."
"That's pretty special!" Georgio commented.
"To you maybe. But to me, this is what the world looked like. This is what I grew up knowing."

Georgio nodded thoughtfully, and there was a pause in the dialogue until they got onto the main street.

"So, what's going on up there? What are they building?" Ante asked as soon as they could see the big building site a the top of the main street.
"It's going to be a shopping centre," Einar answered, speaking English with hardly any accent.
"A shopping centre? In Lundby?"
"Yeah! And there will be offices and apartments and stuff like that," Einar continued.
"Really? How do you know?"
"I asked the builders, and that's what they said."
"And who's behind this?" Bjorn asked.
"I don't know."
"Someone with more money than sense, I guess," Ante suggested.
"Or someone like Pedro," Georgio commented. "Someone with a plan."

Georgio took a left by the building site, heading in the direction of the apartment building.

"And what exactly is Pedro's plan?" Bjorn asked, curious to hear what Georgio was making of the things going on in Lundby.
"He's going to turn this place into a city."
"Really? Why?"
"For the same reason he does everything else in life."
"Which is?"
"He's a billionaire," Georgio explained. "He's doing this to make money. Lots of money."
"But how?"
"I don't know. You'll have to ask him. His the billionaire after all."

129

The singing and swinging continued until the music stopped. Then there was a round hand of applause for Frederico, Aung and Elisabeth who bowed for the congregation as if they had just completed a theatre show.

Frederico wished everybody a prosperous week until next Sunday, when he hoped to see everybody back in his church.

"And for those who want some coffee or chocolate before leaving for home, we will shortly be serving some goodies over there," Frederico added, pointing to the back of the building.

"Well, that's always a winner with me," Ante said with a smile. "Coffee and chocolate! Why not?"

People were moving about in the church, some leaving, but most staying on for the refreshments. Bjorn noticed again how Olga seemed to dislike Ane, staying clear of her as much as possible. But Ane did not seem to notice or care that Olga had a dislike of her, and passed her by with a friendly nod on her way over to Jan and Pedro, apparently eager to have a quick word with the two of them.

However, Bjorn had no time to think about this as he bumped into Georgio, one of the carpenters he had been talking to at the Casino Friday night.

"So you're here!" Georgio commented. "In uniform and all. That's kind of cute, isn't it?"
"What you mean?" Bjorn asked.
"An army soldier in the empire. It's a bit of a contradiction isn't it?"
"With me working for the state, you mean?" Bjorn answered, vaguely getting Georgio's point.
"Exactly!" Georgio said with a nod. "But never mind that. Did you like the show?"
"Yeah I did. It's not quite my thing, all this hallelujah and stuff. But I liked it, I have to admit."

Bjorn noted how Aung and Elisabeth were putting coffee and chocolate out on a table and suggested to Georgio that they get some for themselves.

"So how are things progressing over at the apartment building you're working on?" Bjorn added, more to be polite than out of any great curiosity.
"Very well, I'd say. We're pretty much finished. Another week at the most, and we'll be heading back to Venice."
"You're looking forward to that, I bet."
"Sure! Will be nice to get back home."

Bjorn and Georgio picked up a piece of chocolate and a Styrofoam cup with steaming hot coffee, then retreated from the crowd before continuing their small talk.

"You can come and have a look at what we've been doing if you please," Georgio said, taking a bite of his chocolate.
"In the apartments, you mean?"
"Yeah."
"Well, that's very generous of you. You're going over there now?"
"I am. I got a few things I'd like to do in order to get ready for a full day of work tomorrow. You and your friend can come with me if you please. I've got my car parked over by the vicarage."
"That's great. I'm sure Ante will love that... I'll just have to check with him, though."

83

"So, what are you up to here in Lundby?" Bjorn asked the tall Italian as they entered the casino.
"We're carpenters," the Italian answered with some pride. "We're working on the apartment building behind the church."
"The one down by the water?" Bjorn asked.
"Exactly."

Bjorn nodded thoughtfully as he followed the Italians in the direction of the roulette table, in the room  to the left, behind the staircase.

"I'm doing the flooring," the man explained. Then, with a toss of his head in the direction of his colleague to his left he continued. "Mario here is taking care of the skirting, and Lorenzo is our cabinets guy."
"Sounds serious," Bjorn remarked, impressed by the high degree of specialization. "So you don't do a bit of everything each? Wouldn't that be more fun?"
"Not really, the stuff we are doing hasn't been done since Venice was a republic. You really have to be an expert to get it right. And, to be honest, I'm pretty blank on both skirting and cabinets."

Bjorn found it hard to believe that skirting was actually a field that required specialization. Cabinets, on the other hand were another matter. Cabinets may require a high degree of specialization, but skirting? Wasn't that just a matter of cutting some planks into proper lengths before attaching them to the walls?

Bjorn vented his scepticism.
"Well, Lorenzo could probably do both skirting and flooring just as well as Mario and me," the tall Italian explained. "But he's the only one of us who knows how to do cabinets the old fashioned way. I mean... It would be a complete waste to have him do any of our jobs."
"But skirting and flooring is in fact very different fields," Mario added, having followed the conversation closely. "Those are no ordinary floors Georgio is putting in. And the skirting is not just a bunch of narrow planks. We're talking top of the line luxury stuff."

Bjorn was again surprised. The apartment building, although large and elegant, did not look like a palace, but the inside was evidently another matter.

"It looks deceptively ordinary from the outside," Bjorn commented.
"It does," Georgio agreed. "But they have some wild plans for the garden."
"Garden?" Bjorn asked. "Are they going to plant a garden up here in the arctic?"
"They are."
"Really? How? I mean, this is the arctic after all. Hardly anything grows up here."
"They are going to put up glass domes," Mario explained. "And it is not like they will plant tropical plants. Just ordinary sturdy garden plants common further south in Norway."

It all sounded doable, but insane. This was Lundby, after all. A modern day gulag of sorts. And here he was talking to expert carpenters from Venice, describing a building project so luxurious that only the very best carpenters can complete it.

"So, who's behind this project?" Bjorn asked.
"Pedro," Georgio answered.
"Ah... King Pedro the Great!" Bjorn said with a smile. "The mad scientist, or whatever."

The Italians laughed. Even Lorenzo who had been curiously quiet during the conversation smiled.

"He's actually a nice guy," Lorenzo commented. "Surprisingly down to earth."
"Yeah," Mario added. "He's not the only one moving in there when the place is finished. Your foreign minister is also getting an apartment. And so is Mons... I'm not sure who is moving into the fourth apartment, though."
"Mons?" Bjorn asked. "Who is Mons?"
"Oh... You don't know?" Marius asked, genuinely surprised. "He's the owner of the port and iron mine."
"The ship owner?"
"Yeah... Pedro's friend."

Bjorn looked around in the room they were standing. People were placing bets on the roulette table, and over by the wall, there was a Black Jack table with people also betting against the house. Bjorn felt that he had talked enough to the Italians, and signalled that he was ready to go back to his colleagues, thanking the men for the pleasant and interesting conversation.

The Italians too, seemed ready to end the conversation at this point, but Mario had a final question for Bjorn.

"So, what are you doing up here?" Mario asked. "Are you from Kirkenes?"
"No, I´m from Oslo," Bjorn explained. "I work as a guard up at the Lundby Neiden checkpoint."
"Ah... Really!" Mario exclaimed with a sly smile. "So you are watching an arbitrary line, making sure that the rules on one side are not the same as those on the other side?"

Bjorn was caught a little off guard by this comment, and had to think a bit before he answered.

"Arbitrary?" Bjorn asked rhetorically. "It's hardly arbitrary. It's drawn by the foreign minister himself... And, someone has to make sure the asylum seekers don't escape."
"Sure," Mario answered, still smiling. "But just remember, in the Fifth Empire there are no borders, only property lines."
"And what's the difference?" Bjorn asked.
"I'm sure you can figure that out for yourself if you think about it," Mario said with a wave of the hand. "Chao!"