I turned it on.
"What are you doing?" It was Mike.
"I'm going to develop that film I took of Drew."
"Oh," he said. "I thought you were opening a whorehouse."
He stayed in the doorway.
"You need to take a leak?" I asked him.
"No."
"Then why are you standing there?"
"I was just about to leave and I wanted to see how you were doing today. I mean, with Hugo and all. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I said as I began filling some trays with chemicals. "Thanks for asking."
We stood looking at each other for a moment.
Damned if this isn't the first time I've had a friend that I haven't slept with.
Except for Hugo.
He'll get over Steve choosing me instead of him.
I don't know how many times in the past I've done something to piss Hugo off. He always forgives and forgets.
He will this time, too.
I hope.
"Mike?"
"Yes?"
"Could you get me that roll of film I have in the cookie jar?"
"Sure," said Mike.
I heard the lid pop off and his hand explore an empty jar.
"There's nothing in here."
"What?" I said, crossing to look at it for myself. "What the...?"
I ran over to the main house.
Drew held the fork full of pasta inches from his open mouth. "What do you mean you can't find the nudes you shot of me?"
"I must have misplaced them. But I think I was robbed."
He put down the fork, took a sip of water and wiped his mouth with his napkin.
"Gregory. You misplace your car keys. You misplace your wallet. You may even misplace your brain from time to time. But you never misplace pictures of me posing naked as a jay-bird in front of your fireplace!"
He ran to the guest house and began ransacking the place.
"Where the hell did you put it?" Drew asked. "That roll of film has got to be somewhere around. Where was the last place you had it?"
He'd been saying the same thing over and over for the last forty-five minutes.
Mike helped look for a few minutes, then Jane came to pick him up.
We checked every nook and cranny. No film.
"You think somebody stole them?" he asked.
When suddenly Eric peered in from the window, back home from his day at work. "Stole what?"
Drew quickly went pale. "His...uh...car keys."
Eric pointed at the table. "They're right there, dip shits."
"Thanks," I said, putting the keys in my pocket.
Drew was right.
Someone did steal the film. And all of my cookie jar spare change.
I think it was Eric.
