Shark of Spades

This Is Goodbye

"Just like Misa. She could never make it easy, could she?" Evan asked, pausing in front of some kind of large storage locker. "Knowing Misa,  she probably just left a sheet of paper with further directions on it to annoy us."

I smirked, agreeing silently, as Evan fitted the key into the lock.

"Just finding this place was difficult enough," he continued, still working the lock.

"How did you? Find it, I mean."

"The key had the initials MK on it. I thought it stood for Misa Kusoe, but it actually meant Michael Krypt, as in the local Michael Krypt Storage and Co. It seemed like the most likely place."

He finally twisted the key the right way, and we both paused, hearing the click of a lock  being retracted. With a nod to no one in particular, he pulled out the key and opened the door. I followed him, flicking on the light switch and seeing...wow.

Evan's mouth was open a little bit, as though he didn't know how to respond. In the storage locker was the shiniest, nicest car I'd ever seen, and I'd stolen my fair share. To Evan, this  must be...

That's right. He said that he always loved old cars.

No way...

I walked past the inanimate Evan and strode up to the car, removing the piece of paper taped to the hood.

I  was going to just leave the paper here and have you go on a treasure hunt all over the country, but I'm too tired. Sorry that it ends here.

-Misa

Taped to the back of the note was another note. Without opening it, I handed it to Evan.

"Dear Evan," he read aloud, finally unfreezing a bit. "Hope you like it. I've been saving up for a while to get this, so if you want cash instead, feel free to return it. You should be able to get..." He trailed off.

"Evan?"  I asked, less concerned about his mental health and coping and all that  and more wanting to eavesdrop on Misa's final words to him.

"You should be able to get at least a few million," he continued shakily, his eyes wide. "The keys are in the ignition, and the tank should be full. Have fun and drive really fast for me. Love, Misa." He looked as though he might drop the paper, but he managed to tuck it into his pocket. I expected that he'd frame it in bulletproof glass as soon as he found a place to settle down.

"Well, let's be going then," I said, going over and rolling the large shutter up and turning back to Evan. "You ready?"

He nodded and slowly walked over to the car, opened the door, and slid in the driver's seat. I went to get in the passenger side, but he shook his  head.

"Huh?"

"That's Misa's seat. You're in back."

"Seriously? I've been ousted by a dead kid?"

"Just shut up and get in back or I'm leaving you behind."

I laughed, grinning, and hopped in the back. "You sound a lot like her."

His hand paused as it reached for the key to start the car.

"Are you going to have another emotional break down? Because in that case, I'm getting out now."

"No, I'm fine. It's just...I always thought she was saving up cash so she could, you know, live her life as herself. And...it turns out that all along...she was just trying to help me. Like this is a thank-you or something for hiding her back then."

"But that would mean that she knew that you weren't dead."

He shrugged, looking down. "I'm starting to realize that she knows a whole lot more than I ever thought she did. More than she should have. I'm  starting to think that she must have been some kind of genius, because no normal person could ever be this smart."

"Well, she knew what she was doing," I finally replied, not sure how to answer. Misa had been smart. I could easily see her IQ being astronomical.

"Yeah," he said quietly. "She did." Then he turned on the car and hit the gas pedal.

I slipped the first note from her in my pocket.

***

"So, where are you off to?" Evan asked me as we leaned against the car. We'd split the money in the envelope 50/50 (although technically, he got a freaking multi-million dollar car, so in my opinion, all the cash was mine) and I'd told him that I was going off on my own.

"Here. There. Anywhere." As  much as I hate to admit it, it's going to be hard to erase her memory.  It's been a few years after all. Soon, she'll be another Jonathon.

Evan nodded as though expecting a vague, noncommittal answer. "Good luck."

I nodded, stepped up on the sidewalk of the train station, and shook his hand. "To you too."

He nodded and watched as I walked onto the train, and then I watched from the window as he drove off.

I wasn't lying. I was going somewhere. But I did have a specific place in mind, because she'd told me exactly where to go.

***

I was back in Chicago. I didn't expect to be bombarded by any nostalgia at all, but I surprised myself yet again by recalling brief memories. Making pasta, watching her talk with Aaron, watching her play cards.  Watching her throw down the Queen of Spades, her tell. She was a queen, all right. A queen of death and cards and of taking people's hearts with  her. She was that cliff hanger that pissed everyone off, like a  sentence with a semi-colon and yet no continuation. I found myself waiting to see her walking down the street, just waiting to see her alive again.

But she wouldn't be.

***

I ended up at the apartment we'd shared, walking casually with my hands in my pockets. I  wasn't sure what I was going to find, only I sensed that she'd wanted me to come here when I'd picked up the letter taped to the car. Somehow, with our weirdly psychic connection, she'd told me to come.

"Well, here I am," I muttered, stepping into the apartment and going straight for the freezer. Inside, I found another note.

Jack -

I thought it would be really funny if I put a cardboard cutout of me in here, but I've been temporarily indisposed, so I can't be here right now.I just wanted to tell you that you have a responsibility to carry on my legacy. Got that? You're Card now, and damn it, don't you dare lose a single game or I'll kill you. My gun is yours, and if you know where to go, you'll find the rest. Have fun with your life, and think of me sometimes. Or not. I get it either way.

-Card

PS- If you ever see Fitz again, beat the shit out of him for me.

I tucked the note in my pocket, laughing quietly. On the back of the note, Card had written me an address. If I track him down, I thought, it's really just going to be your finger on the trigger, isn't it? For some reason, that made me laugh harder. Then I stopped, because it was weird for me to laugh all by myself.

So I left to go grab my inheritance.