Chapter 14: The Final Account
Nal walked down the quiet, carpeted hallway of St. Jude’s Hospice for the final time, his boots hitting the floor with a steady, unhurried cadence. He took the elevator down to the lobby, where the early morning light was just beginning to stream through the glass doors, washing the antiseptic interior in pale, cold gold. He pushed open the entrance and stepped out into the crisp, rain-washed air of the parking lot.
The dark blue sedan was parked near the edge of the lot, its engine idling softly. As Nal approached, the passenger-side door swung open, and Jack stepped out onto the damp asphalt. Jack adjusted his tie, looking remarkably rested for a man who had spent the entire night waiting in a car.
“You’re right on time, Nal,” Jack said, a smug satisfaction in his voice. “I was beginning to think you’d find another window to crawl out of.”
“I don't run from my debts, Jack,” Nal replied, stopping a few feet away. “You wanted the files. You wanted the verification. Let’s get it over with.”
Jack reached into his suit jacket, pulling out a thick manila envelope and tossing it onto the hood of his car. “Sign the release forms, acknowledge the oversight from three years ago, and hand over the remaining ledger pages. Do that, and your name stays off the active federal docket. You can go back to your diner, your bikes, and your quiet little life.”
Nal looked at the envelope on the hood of the car, then looked up at Jack. The rain had completely stopped, leaving the morning air clean and sharp. He thought of Clara, of Leo, and of Martha Sterling passing away in peace under the amber glow of a bedside lamp. The sacrifice was worth every single second.
“Give me the pen, Jack,” Nal said quietly.
Jack smiled, pulling a sleek silver pen from his pocket and handing it over. Nal didn't hesitate. He leaned against the hood of the sedan, opened the manila envelope, and signed his name at the bottom of the release forms with steady, practiced strokes. Every letter was clear, firm, and final.
When he finished, he handed the pen and the papers back to Jack. Jack scanned the signature, a triumphant gleam lighting up his eyes.
“Pleasure doing business with you, Nal,” Jack said, sliding the papers back into the envelope. “You made the right choice.”
“I made the only choice that mattered,” Nal replied.
May you like
Without another word, Nal turned his back on Jack and started walking across the parking lot toward his battered pickup truck, where Leo was waiting in the driver’s seat with the engine running.
***
