The infirmary was deserted, and the medic who was suppose to be on duty was nowhere to be found. But a locked cabinet was never a problem. Even though Casino didn't have the spring steel with him, a random paper clip could always do the trick, and he knew which cabinet stored the APC tablets. The same cabinet secured a supply of morphine, too, but his head didn't hurt that much. And the gash on his left arm had stopped hurting days ago. Shoving a few bottles aside, he found the one he was looking for. He shook a couple of pills out into his palm and tossed them back, swallowing hard. A shot of the good bourbon he had stashed under his mattress would help, too.

After today's intensive training session on coded messaging, Chief and Goniff had headed straight for the mess hall and dinner, but all Casino wanted was a little peace and quiet. All those dots, dashes, jumbled numbers and letters seemed too much like math, and math had always made his head hurt.

As he climbed the mansion's granite front steps, he thought about how unusually quiet the halls had seemed over the last week. He, Chief and Goniff had been transported from London back to the mansion, but Garrison and Actor had stayed behind at HQ. The Warden had muttered something about paperwork and a special assignment, but had been skimpy on the details. Casino wondered if it had anything to do with the scam Actor had tried to pull. He hadn't had a chance to confront Actor about taking the fall, nor had he had the opportunity to explain his part in it to Garrison. After several days he'd begun to worry that Actor wouldn't be coming back, and that weighed heavy on him.

As he pushed the big oaken door closed behind him and headed for the stairs and their dormitory, he heard a rustle of papers in the library to his left. Curious, he stepped over to the archway to investigate. Actor was sitting at the long reading table in the center of the room, shuffling through a stack of photographs, with a large book open beside him.

"Hey, you're back!" The wave of relief that swept through him was unexpected. "I was beginnin' to think they'd shipped you back to Alcatraz."

Actor barely glanced up from his work. "Fortunately, that option was overruled."

"Wait, I was kiddin'. You mean the Warden was really thinkin' of sending you back?" That was a sobering thought. Casino often wondered what he'd do if faced with being sent back to Leavenworth, but he'd never considered the Warden actually going through with it.

Actor continued to study the photographs, jotting notes on a pad of paper. "Never doubt the Lieutenant's resolve. It's not an empty threat."

His headache forgotten, Casino dropped into the chair on the other side of the table. "Listen, about what you did…"

"It was an impulsive and foolish gamble. I will think twice about attempting anything similar in the future."

"Yeah, a'course…but I mean about you tellin' the Warden I wasn't in on it. Why'd ya do that?"

Actor set his pen down on top of the pad and looked Casino in the eye. "It was my con. You were simply following my lead. Is it something you would have devised on your own?"
"Yeah, sure…well, no…maybe, but…"

"I rest my case." Actor went back to scribbling notes.

Leaning back in the chair, Casino took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh. "Anyway, listen…thanks…"

"You're welcome."

Still, Casino was curious. "So what've you been doin' all week?"

"Penance."

"Huh?"

Again, Actor set down his pen. He hesitated, as if reluctant to explain. Finally he said, "My indiscretion was not without consequences. I've been tasked with investigating the provenance of all of Sir Reginald's collection, so everything can be returned to the rightful owners after the war."

"Hey, that ain't so bad, right?" Casino grinned. "You like that kinda stuff, and it might mean you won't have to go on so many missions."

"No, I will continue to participate in all missions. And my tenure with the Army has been extended."

Casino had to let that sink in. "Whaddaya mean extended?"

"The duration and a year."

"The duration and a year?! That ain't fair! Just for fencing a stupid painting? What about all the times you risked your life? All the times you pulled the Lieutenant out of hot water? Don't that count for nothin'?"

Closing the book and rising from his chair, Actor turned to replace it on the bookshelf behind him. "I am not looking a gift horse in the mouth, considering how much harsher the punishment could have been." He selected another oversized volume and returned to his chair. "The Lieutenant needs us and our skills, and that is the only reason neither of us is going back to prison."

In answer to Casino's quizzical look, he explained, "The man isn't stupid, Casino. In spite of my denials, he knows you were a willing participant."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"So if I were you, I would tread very carefully from now on. The next time, he won't be so lenient."

"Still, it don't seem fair…"

Setting his study aside for the moment, Actor pushed his chair back from the table. He pulled his pipe and tobacco pouch from his jacket pocket and took a minute to fill the bowl and light it. He took a puff and squinted through the tendrils of fragrant smoke. "After the war, I will be assigned to a team identifying and returning looted art."

"Ha! You? They're gonna trust you around all those pricey paintings?"

Actor frowned at the sarcastic slight, but then a small smile touched the corners of his mouth. "It does seem counterintuitive, doesn't it? However I am a renowned expert on the Renaissance."

Staring down at his pad of notes, Actor continued to puff thoughtfully on his pipe. When he finally spoke again, his voice was quiet. "When I was sitting there across from Sir Reginald at the Savile Club, I had an epiphany." He glanced up at Casino. "That means…"

"I was raised Catholic. I know what it means."

"Yes, of course." Actor looked back down at this note pad. "It was as if I were looking into a mirror. And I did not like what I saw."

"Whaddaya mean? You ain't nothin' like Reggie. He don't give a rat's ass what's goin' on in the world, so long as he gets what he wants."

"Think about it, Casino. Is that not how we operated? Taking what we wanted without a thought for who might be hurt? Is that not what Herr Hitler is doing, only on a much larger scale?"

"Well, yeah, I guess, when you put it that way…" He'd avoided giving it too much thought back in New York, when his old pal Tony had scoffed at the idea of soldiers dying because gangs were making a profit on black market tires. But he'd experienced the same feeling. He'd been just like Tony once, but something had changed. Something fundamental had shifted inside him. And it was going to take a while for him to figure out exactly what that was. His eyes met Actor's. "Yeah, I think I know what ya mean."

Actor set his pipe aside in a nearby ashtray, and picking up his pen, returned to his work. "Don't tell the Warden, but I'm looking forward to my 'punishment'."

Casino huffed a laugh and rose from his chair, heading for the stairs and his bed. "I don't have to tell the Warden, babe. I'm sure he already knows."