Sherlock Holmes, The Missing Years, Japan

by Vasudev Murthy

  I shuddered, thinking of that morning of discovery.

  ‘That should also explain to you too, Watson, why the two Japanese men who boarded at Marseilles were surprised to see Miss Bryant. They knew she was an operative of the Triad and did not expect her on the ship. I would not be surprised if it was Miss Bryant who subsequently killed Mr. Kasama in Shanghai. Who could ever imagine a small, slim Englishwoman of uncertain years as a professional assassin? I believe she was Professor Moriarty’s “ambassador,” if you will, to the Triad. Their calculation was perfect. I would suggest, Mr. Sasaki, that you ask your Chinese counterpart to detain this lady, who, I think, would not be difficult to trace in Shanghai.

  ‘David Joyce, who I knew personally, was from Scotland Yard and had been deputed by Lestrade to keep an eye on me and Colonel Sebastian Moran, masquerading as Colonel James Burrowe. Joyce joined us at Marseilles to allay any suspicions. I am sure that it was Miss Bryant and the two Japanese who murdered David Joyce under the direction of Colonel Moran, who was equally shrewd and must have guessed who Joyce was and that he was watching him. But the matter was executed with such professional finesse that we shall never have conclusive proof on the matter. Who induced him to open the cabin door, who killed him, who threw him overboard? The body will never be found and we shall have to declare him “Lost at Sea, Presumed Dead.” Miss Nohara can easily trace these two Japanese and that should not concern us further.

  ‘But to return to my story: Sometime after I met Mr. Kasama, I left for Marseilles and then Paris, taking on the identity of an American businessman, Jim Hodges, supposedly running a business importing wines into the United States. I took up rooms in the Le Marais neighbourhood and changed my appearance, for obvious reasons, and was seen as a stooping, balding middle-aged businessman. Of course, I had connections in the Paris underworld but I avoided using them, as it was risky. I created my own network, using the good offices of Kazuo Takenaka, your ambassador to France.

  ‘This was by no means easy—but by setting up a legitimate business that involved importing beverages from various countries, including sake from Japan, I was able to visit the Japanese Embassy from time to time and meet the ambassador. We communicated, when necessary, by meeting each other accidentally at the Louvre or the Catacombs.

  ‘You will recall Mr. Takenaka, an extremely gifted man with a great facility for languages, history, and economics. A man of utmost integrity and circumspection—a credit to your Diplomatic Services, Your Majesty. He will be missed.

  ‘Then began the very difficult process of investigating the matter. I was soon able to befriend the Japanese commercial attaché at Paris, who Mr. Takenaka believed was involved in the matter. His intuition was correct, and the attaché, Mr. Takada, proved to be my primary source of information for a long time, before he returned to Tokyo earlier this year. You can perhaps have him detained shortly after this meeting.

  ‘I remember meeting him at the Café Le Petit Château d’Eau near the Eiffel Tower once we had become very friendly.

  ‘Hodges-san, how your business is doing?’ he asked me, over a meal of escargots and veal and some excellent Bordeaux wine.

  ‘Very well, Takada-san, but I occasionally worry that supply from Hokkaido is not regular and predictable.’

  ‘Why you import only wine? Why you not try something new, Hodges-san?’

  ‘Well, you know, I’ve been in the spirits business forever, Takada-san. My father built his whiskey business in Kentucky and that’s the only thing I’ve ever done. Would I be able to understand a new business?’ I demurred.

  ‘New things happening in the world today, Hodges-san! Can I give you idea?’

  ‘Of course!’

  ‘You good man, Hodges-san. Many business enquiries today about opium importing. People in Japan need reliable agent in Paris to distribute. Very easy business. Much demand. You make the money. You import wine. You import opium.’

  ‘But isn’t it illegal?’

  ‘All business have problems, Hodges-san,’ he shrugged, rolling his eyes.

  ‘What you mean by illegal? Everything legal, everything illegal. You take risk and you make the money. Why you worry? Why you not try? I introduce you to my tomodachi—I mean friends—who distribute opium.’

  ‘Why not? Let’s play ball!’ I said. We proposed a toast to a new business possibility.

  ‘And so I entered the world of opium smuggling. The front was perfect—an American businessman involved in a legitimate wine import and export trade in Paris, secretly acting as a conduit for opium distribution.

  ‘Now I visited the Embassy more frequently. I kept Mr. Takenaka informed in our usual way, but the meetings were with Mr. Takada. Within days, he introduced me to other Japanese individuals who were clearly not always diplomats; I met Mr. Murakami, who Miss Nohara had told me about. There was no doubt about it—this man was from the Yakuza. Junior diplomats were also affiliated.

  ‘Murakami and I became friendly. I behaved as a naïve oafish American, easy to manipulate. Later, I was to learn that he had my references checked in Sapporo, but Mr. Oshima had made precise arrangements and they passed. I was completely legitimate.

  ‘Let us understand the matter again. The Japanese Embassy in Paris was used to facilitate commerce by issuing permits and identities to the Yakuza and also by identifying channels such as my business for the import of opium in various ways. The Yakuza liaised with Professor Moriarty’s network for two reasons—for the actual distribution of the opium in Europe and to ensure that physical protection was provided against any investigation by the police—the Sûreté in this instance. The Chinese Triad used the channels created to push opium into Europe through the protection of the Yakuza and Professor Moriarty’s network, which was finally involved in creating opium dens and creating and fulfilling the demand. They also knew the right persons in the Customs Department and in the Police Department. Everywhere—whether in England, France, India, Japan—corruption exists and is endemic. Everyone needed each other. I hope this is clear.’

  We all nodded, leaning forward, fascinated by Sherlock Holmes’ narrative.

  ‘My company now started importing opium, though smuggling might be a better word. Please remember that I was not the only importer. There were quite a few, and I have the list. The imports were in very small quantities. It was decided that the market and system would be tested for a couple of years before a full-scale operation. This kind of layered strategic thinking could only have come from Professor Moriarty himself.

  ‘Soon I spoke to Mr. Takada, expressing happiness that the new business was showing signs of promise. He was pleased and asked me to meet his other friends if I wanted to expand my business in Europe. I readily agreed and we travelled together to Madrid, Lisbon, Zurich, Rome, Warsaw, Berlin, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Moscow, and London—yes, Watson, I visited London at least five times during the period you thought I was dead! I assiduously built my image of a corpulent, malleable American businessman for whom only profits were important and the law existed to be ignored or used to his advantage.

  ‘The sophistication of their planning was truly remarkable, Your Majesty. At each Embassy, I met diplomats who would otherwise have passed for upstanding representatives of the Japanese Diplomatic Services, but who were completely in the pay of the Yakuza. They identified importers and cleared the way. The Yakuza took over and liaised with Professor Moriarty’s men and kept accounts of the transactions. I thus slowly but surely created a directory of all members of the Diplomatic Services who were—are—involved. This took me almost two years. Remember, I had to develop relationships one at a time and gain the trust of everyone. In return for sake and whiskey, the diplomats would slowly yield and take me into confidence.

  ‘I actually met Professor Moriarty himself in Paris. It so happened that Mr. Takada, getting bolder and bolder with every success and transaction, told me about his connections with the un
derworld. We were at the same Paris café, meeting for an early Sunday lunch and had this conversation.’

  ‘Thank you, Takada-san, this business is very interesting and not so difficult. My Sapporo source receives his shipments of opium from Shanghai—he does not know what it contains, but is kind enough to add the package to the exports he sends to me. No problem at Customs.’

  ‘You are very reliable man, Hodges-san, we are happy, very happy! We soon expand the business many times and you and I become very rich.’

  ‘Your network is very strong. I admire you,’ said I, raising my wine glass in his direction.’

  ‘You want to meet the man who does the distribution? He is great man, Professor Moriarty—very smart, very smart. Not so easy to meet him but we can try.’

  ‘Certainly! It would be an honour. If it weren’t for him, I can’t imagine how this would have worked right under everyone’s nose!’

  ‘And so, two weeks after that meeting, Mr. Takada and I, accompanied by Mr. Murakami, set out to meet Professor Moriarty. Our coach went to various places and finally reached…the Louvre!’

  ‘I could not imagine Professor Moriarty being willing to meet anyone in public. The most shadowy figure in Europe, the greatest criminal mind I had ever encountered—why would he seek sunshine? Then again, I could see why that locale was perfect because who could imagine that the most feared and dangerous man in Europe would meet people in one of the world’s greatest museums? Remember, there was not a single case ever registered against him anywhere in the world. Suspicion, merely suspicion, yes—but never anything definitive.

  ‘We purchased tickets and wandered about the magnificent museum. The delicacies of Japan, the treasures of China, the wonders of India, vignettes of Assyria, the mysteries of Arabia, the treasures of Rome, Etruscan vases, the paintings of Leonardo—the distilled beauty of the world’s culture were all present at the Louvre and I could have wandered about for days. But that day, my mission was different.

  ‘“How will we find him?” I asked Mr. Takada.

  ‘“He will find us,” he responded, with a knowing nod.

  ‘And sure enough, as we turned into the deserted Egyptian section and looked with some awe at the sarcophagi and other fascinating examples of the art of that culture, a voice spoke brusquely behind us.

  ‘“You are late!”

  ‘We turned around. Professor Moriarty was standing at the opposite wall, his back turned toward us, his hands clasped behind his back. I would have recognized him anywhere, so many months after our last encounter at Reichanbach Falls. He wore a long overcoat and had a walking stick. As he turned, I saw that he had changed little; the same glowering deep-set eyes, the huge frontal lobe of his cranium suggesting extreme intelligence, thin-set lips, a pale face, a balding head with hair straggling behind and to the side, the slight stoop in his posture.

  ‘He glanced at us and I was pleased that my disguise had been effective.

  ‘He did not offer his hand to shake.

  ‘Mr. Takada and Mr. Murakami bowed to him, while I doffed my hat. He did not respond.

  ‘“Is everything going well?” he asked Mr. Takada. “The last shipments were delayed. I cannot accept that. This is too small a business for me to worry about such matters. I am more interested in ensuring the system is in place.”

  ‘“I apologize, Moriarty-san,” responded Mr. Murakami, practically grovelling. “There were some delays in the arrival of ships and it seems that shipments out of Shanghai were delayed too. Very sorry.”

  ‘“I am not interested in excuses,” snapped Moriarty, his choleric temperament on display. “If there is a delay again and I am diverted from my other businesses, I will consider shutting down this activity. I am in any case not very happy with the blunders of your people in Berlin and Copenhagen. They seem utterly inept!”

  ‘“May I have pleasure of introducing you to Mr. Hodges, Moriarty-san,” said Mr. Takada obsequiously, eager to change the topic. “He import our material from Shanghai through sake manufacturer in Sapporo. We very pleased to work with him.”

  ‘“At this moment, I am still not satisfied that we can expand to the scale I need,” Professor Moriarty said, ignoring me completely. “If your men with the missing digits don’t show more urgency and intelligence in dealing with my men, I will reconsider. Why you use such people who will be noticed easily is something I cannot understand.

  ‘“And talk less!” he snapped, this time at Mr. Takada. “The more you talk, the more you are in danger of exposure. You are expanding too fast—and carelessly. I do not believe in short-term profits at all. This is not just a matter of money. My goal is beyond—to control Europe and its economy.

  ‘“Good day, gentlemen,” he said abruptly, and turned and departed. We looked after him in silence.

  ‘“So that was Professor Moriarty?” I remarked.

  ‘“Yes. Very ambitious. He have big plans. Very good businessman. Very good methods. But very dangerous. Very dangerous. Maybe you never see him again.”

  ‘And indeed, I did not have a chance to do so.

  ‘In the meantime, Mr. Kasama’s prediction had started proving to be accurate. One day at Mr. Takada’s office in the Japanese Embassy, we had a couple of visitors. They were from the commercial section of the Portuguese Embassy and knew Mr. Takada well. D’Silva and Sequeira came straight to the point. They were already involved in small-time smuggling and were quite interested in the opium angle.

  ‘“We do test for one year in Portugal, D’Silva-san. Murakami-san visit Lisbon with you to see how it work.”

  ‘It was agreed and Mr. Takada asked them to meet a certain contact of his at the Japanese Embassy in Lisbon. It was made clear that the network was in place and that diplomats from other European countries were also interested in sharing the expected profits. We had De Groot from Holland, Herr Schmidt from Germany, Senor Cruz from Spain, Markevich from Russia—and even Cosgrove from the British Embassy, to my personal agony, a man from Cambridge, no less! Yes, Murakami helped me connect with the Japanese Yakuza network in all the European capitals. It was an extraordinary situation.

  ‘In effect, Your Majesty, I am telling you that the Diplomatic Services of most European countries have been compromised and, far from being standards for probity and dignity, are involved in smuggling. This is extremely painful for all concerned.’

  ‘What must be done?’ the emperor asked, clearly shaken. ‘If I understand you correctly, our Embassies have been responsible for legitimizing smuggling and laying the foundation of a vast network for opium trafficking and consumption in Europe. And they have induced several European diplomats to become part of their plans.’

  ‘That is correct. And to answer your question, it seems clear, Your Majesty, that you will have to personally do something. I have with me the complete list of all diplomats from all countries who have been involved in a small or big way. I obviously have the list of Japanese diplomats as well, which no doubt will be most embarrassing for all of you, because they have operated under the watch of the Foreign Ministry and Japanese Secret Police. It has taken me a long time to gather these names; I regret to say that every second person in every Japanese Embassy in Europe is suspect, including some ambassadors—’

  ‘Where is that list?’ interrupted Sugiyama-san. ‘Our ambassador at Moscow—’

  Holmes shook his head. ‘No, he is clean, but I would not like to speak for or against any diplomat here. That is not the point. It is for you,’ he nodded at Sasaki-san, ‘to quickly verify the case. You can take care of that quite easily, by calling them to Japan on some kind of apparently legitimate briefing mission and then arresting them. But the bigger fallout will be the exposure of the European diplomats, who can quite easily claim that their Japanese friends entrapped them. This can be very embarrassing.

  ‘I believe, Your Majesty, that the only way for you to handle this is t
o preempt the matter—before you are confronted by other countries with evidence of the involvement of Japanese diplomats. I suggest you write a letter directly to the head of state of each country, carried by a personal representative. Give a compressed version of the facts and provide the names of their diplomats along with circumstantial or direct proof of their involvement. I possess such proof against each name.’

  There was silence.

  ‘There are 138 Japanese diplomats involved and about seventy-nine European diplomats.’

  ‘Why did you not send us details along the way?’ asked Oshima-san, sounding a little angry.

  ‘For a simple reason that you will appreciate immediately. I had no guarantee that my correspondence would not be intercepted. The only things that I could write to you about were my financial needs and general information that was not really a secret—for example, the recent cases of the investigation of the murder of Admiral Santiago or the case of the abduction of the heir to the throne of Schleswig-Holstein. As events have proven only a few hours ago, my suspicions were perhaps well-founded; the Yakuza has penetrated your offices. And your own case of fugu fish poisoning was anything but accidental.’

  Yoshida-san spoke. ‘At what point did you decide that Operation Kobe55 had reached a logical conclusion? Why did you return?’

  ‘I came back because Professor Moriarty had become suspicious. Mr. Takada had taken me to many cities to introduce me to his counterparts in the Embassies as a legitimate importer of Japanese sake who could additionally import opium. Then he returned to Japan. His successor is clean and not involved—yet. In the meanwhile, rumours spread that an American businessman had started expanding his business quite well in Europe. That would not have been a problem, except for the fact that Professor Moriarty investigated my American background and was not satisfied with the results, or so I believe. He became suspicious. When my requests for appointments at the Japanese Embassy in Copenhagen and then in Berlin were turned down by the very same persons who had met me at least three times before, I understood that something had changed. Your attaché in Berlin, Mr. Uchiyama, met me in a park and confessed that he had been given instructions by the Yakuza—who in turn must have received instructions from Professor Moriarty—to keep an eye on me. I then went to London to find a means to convey my accumulated information to you and to consult Lestrade and Mycroft. I believe I was followed across the English Channel.