A slight breeze had come up, pushing through the humidity, but my sleeveless shirt still clung to me. “I should get going,” Jake said.
I texted Kenny and asked him to come and get me.
“Chloe had your wife killed,” I said. “I assume that was payback for what you did?”
“I’m sure it was. A life for a life. Pretty diabolical, though, killing Susie rather than me. Who knows what she was thinking? One thing is certain: Emmy doesn’t know that I intervened and wouldn’t have been grateful anyway. She just wants to be rid of all of us. Who can blame her? I don’t really know her, but she’s my niece. I walked away from my family once, and I wasn’t about to do it again.” He stood up. “When other people’s lives are at stake, we find out who we are, for better or worse. For me, it was both better and worse, I’m afraid.” He smiled. “Pleasure to meet you, Pen. Thanks again for everything.” He walked away.
Kenny arrived half a minute later. “Who was that guy?” he asked.
“Good question,” I said.
Who was he? Jake was larger than life, to be sure. He’d made some big mistakes. He’d suffered. But he had grown as a person and come to understand the seeming impossibility of upholding principle without compromising yourself.
And who was I? Maybe, in some ways, some important ways, I was Jake Conover.
I could do worse, I thought.
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