The Last Assassin

by Barry Eisler

  Yamaoto nodded to Kuro. Kuro took out his mobile phone and input Big Liu's number. He handed the phone to the Taiwanese.

  For someone who had been reluctant to speak a moment earlier, the man was suddenly garrulous. He let loose a torrent of agitated Chinese, his eyes darting from the heads to the bodies to Yamaoto and back again.

  After about a minute, he returned the phone to Kuro with a trembling hand. Kuro gave it to Yamaoto, who raised the unit to his ear and said in English, 'This is Yamaoto Toshi.'

  'Okay, very good,' Big Liu said. 'You kill bad men. Big Liu happy. But still missing money. And Big Liu men still dead.'

  'Yes,' Yamaoto said. 'And we should talk about all of that.'

  'Okay, talk.'

  Yamaoto didn't like to be issued commands, but decided it was better to attribute the construction to a faulty command of English and let it go for now.

  'I killed those men because there was no other way to avert a war,' he said. 'But I don't believe they were responsible for what happened at Wajima. They claimed there were two men there who shot them with tranquilizers. And if they really were the perpetrators, they never would have come in. They would have had escape plans in place and they would have used them. So there is a leak in one or both of our organizations, or worse, a collaborator. We need to discuss this and try to figure out who.'

  'Tran… tran…' Big Liu said, and Yamaoto realized the man hadn't followed anything after the word tranquilizer. He handed the phone to Kuro and said, 'Translate what I just told him.'

  Kuro complied, then gave the phone back. Yamaoto said, 'You see? We really should talk about this face-to-face. May I suggest my associate Mr Kuro's club in Minami Aoyama in Tokyo? Whispers, you may remember it's called. I think it would provide the right setting.'

  Whispers was Kuro's most lucrative and high-class establishment, staffed by stunning women from all over the world. It was the very club where they had sealed the current supply arrangement, and Big Liu had been so overwhelmed by the beauty of the hostesses that he had stayed in Tokyo two extra days and taken a different blonde back to his hotel every night. Yamaoto sensed that the allure of another all-expenses-paid trip to the club would be enough to bring Big Liu around.

  'Big Liu still missing money,' the man said, holding out. 'And Big Liu's men still dead.'

  'My men are dead now, too,' Yamaoto said, 'although I suspect they were as blameless as yours. Blood has been repaid with blood. As for the money, I'm certain we can reach an accommodation. We're reasonable men, after all. Won't you be my guest in Tokyo for a few days?'

  There, pushback on Big Liu's attempts to squeeze Yamaoto for the missing money and restitution, but without an actual no. And a sweetener that Big Liu could tell himself was a concession: confirmation that all aspects of Big Liu's trip, including, doubtless, another stay in a suite at the world-class Grand Hyatt in Roppongi Hills, suitable for after-hours entertainment by multiple blonde Whispers hostesses, would be complimentary.

  'When?' Big Liu asked.

  Yamaoto smiled. 'Whenever would be convenient for you. But I would propose that sooner is better.'

  'Saturday,' Big Liu said, after a moment. 'Busy before then.'

  Yamaoto shrugged. Maybe Big Liu really was busy for the next three days. Maybe he was just trying not to seem too eager, to maintain the appearance of control. Yamaoto didn't particularly care. The main thing was that he was coming. If they sat down together, Yamaoto was confident they could work out what had happened, then settle this in a reasonable way.

  'Saturday, then,' Yamaoto said. 'I'll arrange a suite for you at the Grand Hyatt.'

  'Good,' Big Liu responded, and Yamaoto could feel his eagerness. 'Thank you. Yamaoto good man. Good friend.'

  Yamaoto detested these sorts of false protestations of friendship between business partners who would as happily kill each other if that's where the profit lay, but sometimes they were called for. 'Yes, and so is Big Liu,' he said. 'I'll leave it to Mr Kuro to sort out the details, and will look forward to seeing you on Saturday.'

  Yamaoto clicked off and handed the phone back to Kuro. And suddenly, for the first time since the sumos had told him their story, his mind flashed on a possible explanation: John Rain.

  He paused to consider, but then dismissed the thought. How would Rain get access to the particulars of the Wajima meeting? The man was formidable, but he wasn't supernatural. The more likely explanation was the simpler one: a turncoat, either in Yamaoto's organization or Big Liu's, working with people outside, and motivated by nothing more complicated than greed.

  Besides, Rain was still in hiding. There had been no sign of him in New York, where Big Liu's people were watching Midori and her child and where Yamaoto expected Rain would resurface if he resurfaced at all.

  Now that he thought of it, though, he realized Chan in New York was overdue to call him. Ordinarily the man checked in at least once a week to update him on the New York surveillance operation, but now Yamaoto realized he hadn't heard from Chan in, what… eight days? Nine?

  Chan had been late once before, but Yamaoto had told Big Liu about it and there hadn't been a problem since. He imagined Chan didn't like reporting to a Japanese, but that's what he was getting paid for, and Yamaoto was irritated that the man was being lazy and disrespectful again.

  If Big Liu had still been on the phone, Yamaoto would have mentioned it to him. But there had been more pressing things on his mind just then. Well, it wasn't a material thing, just an annoyance. If Chan had anything to report, presumably he would have done so. Yamaoto would mention it to Big Liu when they met on Saturday. They'd straighten it out then.

  He heard Kuro saying, 'Kumicho,' and realized the man had been trying to get his attention.

  'Yes,' Yamaoto said, looking at him.

  'Shall I… shall I have them taken away?'

  Kito and Sanada. It was a shame he had needed to dispatch them. Most likely they were guilty only of incompetence, not of betrayal. They had come to him hoping for mercy, and look what he had been forced to do instead.

  'Yes, take care of it,' he said to Kuro, with a dismissive wave.

  He walked out to the club entrance and signaled to his bodyguard, who was waiting inside. The man went out and checked the street, then returned and escorted Yamaoto to the Mercedes, waiting with its back door open just in front of the entrance.

  On the ride home, Yamaoto thought about what he was going to do next. One thing he knew for sure. Whoever was behind what happened in Wajima wasn't going to go quickly, like Kito and Sanada. No. This one would suffer before he died.

  25

  We met Kanezaki that night at a coffeehouse in Roppongi. We watched from the van to make sure he was alone, then followed him in. Dox carried the duffel bag with the gear Kanezaki had lent us.

  Kanezaki had his back to the wall and saw us when we came in. If he was surprised to see us together, he didn't show it. Good for him.

  We sat down. Kanezaki smiled and said, 'Yeah, I had a feeling.'

  Dox grinned. 'How've you been, Tom?'

  'Not bad. You?'

  'Ah, you know. Staying busy. Keeping the world safe for democracy, that kind of thing.'

  'I'm afraid to ask what that's been entailing.'

  'Hell, you know most of it.'

  'And what I don't know isn't going to hurt me, is that right?'

  'Look,' I said, 'we just wanted to return your toys. Thanks for lending them to us.'

  He raised his eyebrows. 'That's it?'

  I looked at Dox, then back to Kanezaki. 'Yeah. That's it.'

  Dox slid the duffel over to Kanezaki's chair.

  We were all quiet for a moment. I knew Kanezaki had been hoping for information, his life's blood, and that he would be frustrated at not getting it. I waited for his next move.

  'How do you like Japan?' Kanezaki asked, with a nod at Dox.

  'It's all right. I like the ladies a lot. I keep asking my friend here to take me to see some geishas, but he won't do it. Yo
u know where I could find some?'

  I thought Dox might be laying on the country bumpkin routine just a bit thick, but it seemed to have the desired effect. Probably despairing of getting anything via a more circuitous route, Kanezaki said, 'I hear they have geishas in the countryside. On the Sea of Japan.'

  'Sea of Japan?' Dox asked. 'Sounds far just for a little entertainment.'

  Kanezaki looked at Dox, then at me. 'All right. Are you guys going to tell me what the hell you pulled in Wajima?'

  I looked at Dox. 'Do you know anything about Wajima?'

  Dox knitted his brow. 'Wajima, Wajima… you know, it rings a bell, now that you mention it. Yeah, I might know something. Maybe.'

  Kanezaki was starting to look decidedly nonplussed. This was the moment I was waiting for.

  'Yeah, we might be able to tell you something,' I said. 'But that would be a favor, wouldn't it?'

  There was a long silence. Finally, Kanezaki said, 'All right. In return for the favor I did you in getting you the equipment. And then quits.' He smiled a little. 'Until next time, anyway.'

  Next time, I thought, is coming sooner than you expect.

  'How did you know?' I asked. I was pretty sure I already had the answer, but I wanted confirmation.

  Kanezaki shrugged. 'The GPS transmitter. I knew the code, so I just followed it using the mapping software to see where you went. Looks like you spent the night in Wajima. The same night three United Bamboo triad guys were shot to death on the beach there.'

  Yeah, that's what I'd been expecting him to say. It was probably true, too.

  Dox grinned. 'Hell of a coincidence.'

  Kanezaki nodded. 'Yeah, and they were shot with forty-five-caliber rounds. That's a strange coincidence, too. Because those HKs I outfitted you with are forty-fives.'

  Dox's grin broadened. 'A drug deal gone bad, would be my guess.'

  'Why?' Kanezaki asked. 'Was this just a straight rip-off? Is that what you guys are doing now?'

  Dox snorted. 'With the wages you're paying me, son, it's a wonder I don't turn to a life of crime.'

  'No, it wasn't a straight rip-off,' I said.

  'Then what?' Kanezaki asked. 'You trying to start a war between the yakuza and the triads?'

  'What if someone were? Would you object?'

  'No. I'd like to see them all snuff each other out, in fact. But I'd want to know about it.'

  I thought for a moment. Kanezaki could already place us at Wajima. If he wanted to sell us out to the triads and the yakuza, I supposed he could. I had recognized that potential problem from the moment I first considered going to him for the equipment we needed. It was unfortunate, but unavoidable under the circumstances. You can't get something for nothing. Not anywhere, but especially not in this business.

  'I think at this point you can trust me,' Kanezaki added, when I still hadn't responded.

  I looked at Dox, who nodded, then back to Kanezaki. 'All right,' I said. 'And you can trust us, too. To hold you responsible if something goes wrong, before or after. After all, no one else could have known. You sure you want that responsibility?'

  Kanezaki nodded. 'I'm sure.'

  'Then here's the way it'll work. We need a sniper rifle. You provide it. We return it when we're done. At which point we give you a full accounting of what's really going on.'

  'And we hold on to the night-vision equipment in the meantime,' Dox added. 'And those HKs, too.' He looked at me. 'Might come in handy.'

  A long moment passed. Kanezaki said, 'No.'

  Damn, I thought that in the heat of the moment Dox's 'spontaneous' request would slide right past him. Apparently not.

  No one said anything for a long time. I waited, thinking Kanezaki might crack.

  He didn't. Part of me was impressed. In just a few short years he had really matured. I wondered if it was Tatsu's influence.

  Finally I said, 'What do you mean, "no"?' And even as I said it, I knew that in speaking first I had ceded him the advantage.

  'I mean, if you want to keep the existing gear and have me outfit you on top of it, you're going to owe me something more than just information in return.'

  I looked at him, but he didn't blink. He knew that right now I needed him more than he needed me. It didn't feel good, but there was nothing I could do about it.

  I closed my eyes and nodded. 'Deal,' I said.

  26

  Kanezaki came through with the hardware as promised, handing it off to us in a golf bag the next morning on a moving Yamanote line train. This time I gave him my local mobile number. He already had a decent idea of what we were up to, and, if he learned anything useful, I wanted him to be able to reach us.

  Dox and I took the golf bag back to the van. I drove while he sat in back, examining the equipment.

  'Hoo-ah, Christmas came early this year,' he said.

  'What have you got?'

  'The M40A3 I asked for, plus an AN/PVS 10 Day/ Night scope, Ops Inc. suppressor, and a hundred rounds of M118LR 7.62 ammunition. Fun for me and doom for the bad guys.'

  'Good. Tatsu is putting together a target list for us. Should be ready soon.'

  Tatsu called me that afternoon and I went to see him at the hospital. The bodyguard let me in. Tatsu was alone.

  'You've got the list?' I asked him.

  'I have it. But I think you'll want to hold off until Saturday.'

  Christ, he sounded weak. I almost asked him how he was, but that would have irritated him. Besides, I already knew the answer.

  'What's going on?' I said.

  'The sumos came in. Yamaoto killed them.'

  'Shit.'

  'No,' he said, his voice low and raspy, 'it's a good thing. A man called Big Liu, the head of United Bamboo, is coming to Tokyo on Saturday to meet Yamaoto, to try to straighten out the rest of it. Liu is staying at the Grand Hyatt in Roppongi Hills. The meeting is at a club called Whispers in Nishi-Azabu, run by a man called Kuromachi, Kuro, who's as close to a right-hand man as Yamaoto permits.'

  'You got this from the informer?' I asked.

  He nodded.

  'If you've got such a solid insider, why haven't you used him to set up Yamaoto before?'

  'I haven't had you to turn to, for one thing. For another, the informant is more afraid of Yamaoto than he is of me. There's always a delicate balance in these matters. If I push too hard, I could lose him entirely. And I'm pushing very hard right now.'

  'All right. You're saying if we hit the yakuza before the meeting…'

  'It could cause the meeting to be canceled. We would lose an unexpected opportunity to remove Yamaoto directly.'

  I thought for a minute. 'What do you know about this club? Can I get to Yamaoto there?'

  'I don't know. I don't know the layout, and my informant is being difficult. He suspects that I used his information about the delivery in Wajima to set up the hit on the Chinese and the sumos. Yamaoto believes that was an inside job, and wants to find the man responsible. The informer is afraid. I don't know how much more I can get from him about the meeting.'

  I considered. We might be able to get Dox positioned on a rooftop, or maybe in the van. Maybe we could drop Yamaoto with the M40A3 as he moved from his car into the club, or on his way out.

  But that was nothing to count on. If Yamaoto was as paranoid now as Tatsu claimed, I expected the car would pull right up to the entrance and Yamaoto would be exposed too briefly, if at all, for Dox to take a reliable shot. We could set it up, of course, but if it failed we would need a way in.

  'Can you get me a floor plan for the club?' I asked. 'I assume they're filed with the department of public safety, the fire department, something like that.'

  'Of course.'

  'What about electricity? Do you have people who could shut the power down on the club's block at the right moment?'

  'Yes.'

  It was a good start. But I realized we would need more than just the plans. A floor plan couldn't tell us where the principals were seated, whether there were bodyguards near
by, or a dozen other things we'd have to know in advance. For all that, we'd need a man inside.

  'Tell me everything you know about the club,' I said. 'I assume it's a high-class place?'

  'Very. As you know, most of the really high-end clubs are in Ginza and Akasaka, where the hostesses are Japanese girls not available on a cash basis.'

  'Right.'

  'Then there are the lower-end establishments, more likely to be found in Ikebukuro and Shinjuku, which are staffed by women from China, the Philippines, and other such foreign locales, who can be rented for a nightly or even hourly fee.'

  'Yes, I've heard.'

  Tatsu smiled. 'Kuro's place is, to a certain way of thinking, the best of both worlds. Its hostesses are from all over the world: Japan, elsewhere in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, the Americas. They're all beautiful, and all available.'

  'How is Kuro able to…'

  'By making the system profitable enough so that everyone wants to play. The rules are simple. When a customer comes in, the girls discreetly signal the Mama-san their price for a night with that customer. If the man is young and attractive, the price might be low — say, five hundred thousand yen. But if the customer is decrepit and repulsive, the price might be two million yen, or more.'

  If the yen equivalent of upwards of four thousand dollars was 'low,' and some customers were spending four or five times that for a single night's pleasure, Kuro must have found a way to appeal to an awfully well-heeled clientele.

  'If a customer sees a girl he likes,' Tatsu went on, 'he can ask what it would cost to leave the club with her. If he is willing to pay her price, she's his for the evening. If not, he can ask about someone else.'

  'How much do the girls get to keep?'

  'Whatever they charge.'

  'If they keep what they charge, where's Kuro's profit?'

  'There's a fifty-million-yen joining fee and five million yen a year membership fees after that.'

  'Fifty million?' I asked. That was well over four hundred thousand dollars.

  'Yes.'

  'Well, that ought to keep out the hoi polloi.'