It was five o’clock in the morning, another hour before the sun rose, and the parking lot of the Third Quarter was completely deserted except for the Charger parked near the end of the lot. Or at least I had to assume it was the Charger that was buried under three feet of snow.
Agent Njeim helped me clear it off. I climbed in and inserted the key and said a silent prayer when I turned the ignition. At first it didn’t seem like the engine would turn over, chugging a couple times, and then, on the fourth try, it worked. I revved the gas a few times to make sure it wouldn’t crap out and then turned on the heat and stepped out to let it warm up.
Agent Njeim said, “You could stay.”
“I could.”
“But you won’t.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Like you said—like Roger said—the world has changed. My father always knew there would come a day when Temple would no longer be needed. When he would overstay his welcome, as the saying goes. I think that time has come.”
“But … you’re different now. You said so yourself. That you feel even better now than you did in your prime. There’s no reason you couldn’t continue the legacy. Especially with Nate and me backing you.”
“I appreciate all your help, Agent Njeim, but I’m afraid Temple’s time has come to an end. The world managed to get on before Temple, and it will manage after Temple.”
Beside us, the Charger’s engine purred.
I asked, “What will happen to my daughter?”
“To be honest, I’m not sure. She can’t very well stand trial, not after what she was involved in. There’s a good chance she’ll end up in one of the black sites around the country.”
“I wouldn’t call that justice.”
Agent Njeim shrugged.
“Would you call any of what’s happened justice?”
She had a point there.
“So what about your brother?”
“He’s out there somewhere. He waited all this time to get back at me, he won’t just give up now.”
“And your plan?”
“I’m going to make sure he comes for me. And I’m going to kill him.”
“What if he kills you instead?”
“Then I die. But after having been shot three times in the heart, I think I have an advantage.”
Agent Njeim opened her mouth, started to say something, but then stopped.
I said, “What?”
She shook her head.
“Nothing.”
“Say it.”
“What if your brother had children of his own? What if there are others like you out there?”
“That I will have to worry about when the time comes.”
I held out my hand.
“It was a pleasure, Agent Njeim.”
She shook my hand.
“Take care of yourself, Mr. Shepherd.”
“You too.”
I watched her drive away in the SUV and then got into the Charger, which wasn’t nearly as warm inside as it should have been for having the heat on full blast.
I hit the wipers to clear the residual snow from the windshield and realized that I’d parked facing New York. The river was several blocks away, and there were several buildings between me and the river, but still I had a great view of the city’s skyline. It looked so quiet in the dark. So peaceful. So vulnerable.
I shook my head and put the Charger in gear.
Time to go.