도박사 잭 II/14권

최종회 그 후의 3인

그 직후──

니케가 인솔하는《록스미스 기관》의 정예 앞에 레너드는 어쩔 수 없이 체포되었다.

용의는 전날 빅 레이스전 7경기에 대해 짬짜미와 특정팀에 대한 방해, 기물 파손죄. 여죄는 이외에도 많이 있는 모양으로 이제부터 차근히 심문할 모양이다.

한편 그 죄는 당연, 제7레이스에서 기적의 부활극을 만들어낸 카를로스도 마찬가지…… 공범자로 재판에 서게 된다.

그리고 그로부터 일주일이 지난 동방인 거리의 허름한 주점.

카운터에서 잭은 드물게도 신문을 들고 레너드의 체포기사를 계속해서 확인하고 있었다.

카운터 안에서는 할이 바텐더 흉내를── 아니 연습을 하고 있다.

「그러고 보니, 잭. 그때 그 5,500만은……」

「아아, 아무래도 부정한 방법으로 입수한 미라로 취급되는 거 같아서 말이야.」

「그 후에 니케에게 압수당했어.」

「그래, 조금 아깝네.」

「하하, 그렇지.」

지인에게 부탁했던 1억 천만 미라는 무사했지만 약속대로 언젠가 카를로스에게 전해주려고 결심했다.

「……그래서 기억 결정(메모리 쿼츠)에 대해서는 정말 그걸로 괜찮은 거야？」

「응, 왜냐면 또 저걸로 복잡한 일이 생기는 건 싫거든.」

레너드가 원한 킹이 남긴 어둠의 기록…… 그것에 대해서는 할에게 판단을 맡기고 할은 니케에게 건내준다는 선택을 했다. 언젠가 할이 어둠의 세계에 빠졌을 때, 스스로를 지키기 위한 비장의 수로 사용할 수 있는 정보── 그건 킹의 부모의 마음에서 나온 것이었지만 그 존재 자체가 드러난 시점에 소녀가 가지고 있기엔 지나치게 위험한 물건이다.

덧붙이자면 이 비장의 수──킹의 유물을 아는 사람은 잭과 니케 두 사람뿐이었다. 무엇보다 목걸이에 숨겨놓은 것은 잭만 알고 있는 비밀이었지만…… 얼마전 니케가 술집에 왔었을 때, 할에게 이겨 그걸 알게 되었다. 니케의 원래 직업을 알게된 지금, 레너드의 체포보다 오히려 그걸 손에 넣기 위한 방법으로── 이제와서 새삼스럽게 그런 생각을 하게된 잭이었다.

「그래서, 결국 록을 해제하는 키워드는 뭐였어？」

「알고 싶어……？」

「물론.」

「──HALLE MY LOVE(사랑하는 할)」

「정말, 딸바보 킹답구만.」

「아……」

킹이 남긴 마음에 허를 찔렸는지 할의 눈에서 한줄기의 눈물이 흐른다.

갬블에 관해서는 천재지만…… 그 이외에는 그저 평범한 여자아이에 불과하다.

「그건 그렇고 잭. 부탁할 게 있는데……」

눈물을 닦으며 할이 말을 했을 때, 가게의 문이 슬슬 한계라며 비명을 지르고 주점에 새로운 손님이 들어온다.

들어온 것은── 활동적인 팬츠 룩에 안경을 끼고 있는 니케.

「오랜만이야, 잭. 오늘은 당신에게 할 말이 있어서 왔어.」

「괜찮다면 다시 나와 콤비를 짜지 않겠어？」

「자, 잠깐 니케 씨？！ 그건 지금 내가……」

당황하는 할. 아무래도 조금 전에 똑같은 말을 하려고 했던 것 같다.

또다시 떠들썩해질 것 같다.……

잭은 머리를 감싸 쥐었다.

＜END＞

Finale - Aftermath

Leonard was led away without a struggle by Nike's elite subordinates. He stood accused of fixing all seven of the races that took place that day, as well as hindering many of the teams who took part in them and damaging their property, along with a host of other crimes. Either way, it seemed as though he would have a lot to answer for.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Carlos, the winner of the seventh race, was also to be tried as a co-conspirator for having gone along with Leonard's plans.

A week later, everything was back to normal in the bar where Jack and Halle spent much of their time in the Eastern Quarter.

Everything except the fact that Jack was actually reading a newspaper, anyway. He was looking at an article about Leonard's arrest. Halle, meanwhile, was pretending to be a bartender... Or rather, practicing being one.

'Oh, yeah,' she said all of a sudden. 'Hey, Jack, what happened 55,000,000 mira you won, anyway?'

He shook his head sadly. 'Gone like a bad bet, sad t'say. Nike took it. It was regarded as mira 'obtained through illegal means,' or some such.'

'Aww, too bad...'

'Haha. You're tellin' me.'

110,000,000 mira he had had a friend win, meanwhile, hadn't been confiscated, but Jack had already made up his mind that it would go to Carlos one day. It was his, after all.

'You sure you're okay with handin' over that memory quartz, though?' Jack asked her.

She nodded. 'Yeah. The last thing I want is someone else after me because of it.'

After Leonard was apprehended, Jack had left it up to Halle to decide what she wanted to do with the memory quartz full of incriminating information that King had left her. She had elected to hand it over to Nike.

King had intended it to act as a shield for Halle if she ever ended up getting involved in the underworld, but that very safeguard had placed her life in danger... and now an even larger number of people knew it existed. It was simply too dangerous for her to hold on to.

Originally, the only ones who knew about the memory quartz's existence were Jack and Nike--although only Jack had known that it had been incorporated into the necklace. Nike had only found out when Halle told her in the bar.

Now that everything was over, Jack couldn't help but suspect that Nike's true aim all along had been to obtain that and not Leonard's arrest.

'So, what was the code to open that thing, anyway?' Halle asked.

'You really wanna know?'

'Sure do.'

Jack cleared his throat, embarrassed. 'It was 'My beloved Halle.' Ain't never met a more doting father than your old man.'

Taken completely by surprise by his answer, a single tear rolled down Halle's cheek.

As a gambler she was first-rate, but in every other respect she was still an ordinary girl. She wiped the tear away and then spoke again, her tone carrying no trace of the sadness she must feel.

'Hey, Jack, I've got a favor I'd like to ask you...' Just as she spoke, however, the door opened again and let out its usual piercing shriek.

Through it came Nike wearing the glasses she had been when they last saw her and a pair of casual jeans instead of a fancy dress.

Without preamble she said, 'Hey there, Jack. I've got a proposal for you... How does working again as a team strike you?'

'Hey! I was just about to ask him that!' cried Halle, not wanting to miss her chance.

Jack sighed. The future, it seemed, was full of trouble.

<END>