He gave each of them a respectful nod of his clipped grey head and turned and walked away, leaving them alone on the deserted boardwalk. Alex looked around at the shuttered attractions, the torn tickets and scraps of paper blowing around on the wind. There was a melancholy, end-of-season feeling about being left alone there.
‘Do you remember the last time we were here?’ he said. ‘It seems so long ago. Imagine if someone had told you back then all that would happen to us?’
Naoko laughed. ‘It would have been a very short first date.’
‘And now this is over, what do you think we should do next?’
She turned to face him. ‘My offer still stands …?’
‘Which offer?’
‘Of going to Osaka. Of you joining me out there and the two of us starting again.’
‘You mean it?’
‘Of course. It’s what I want.’
He looked out at the dark water. ‘With so many people holding grudges against us now, maybe it’s the best option we have.’
‘Is that the only reason you would come with me?’ she asked.
He stood up and took her face in his hands. ‘Of course not,’ he said. ‘I can’t think of anything I want more.’
They walked from the fairground and caught the last train back to Shinagawa station. They were both exhausted and sat close together, propping one another up and trying to stay awake in the moving carriage. There was a couple opposite with a young daughter, about five years old, Alex guessed, clutching a stuffed pink rabbit she had won at the fair. She stared at him, transfixed, as the train zoomed through tunnels and over bridges, back into the heart of Tokyo. Her mother tried to quietly divert the child’s attention but without success. When they reached their station, the train slowed and Alex and Naoko stood to leave. The mother spoke nervously and the child looked up from her seat with wonder as the doors closed.
‘What was that about?’ Alex asked as they walked along the platform.
‘The girl’s mother wanted to apologize to you. She said her daughter was being rude.’
‘Why? Because she was staring at me?’
‘She thought you weren’t real. She said you looked like a mannequin. She’d never seen blond hair and blue eyes on a real person before.’
‘You’re kidding?’
‘She kept asking if she could touch you to see if you were really human.’
Alex held a hand up in front of his face and examined it.
‘One hundred per cent flesh and blood,’ he said.
‘How long do you need to collect your things from Koenji?’
‘Not long. A few hours at most. I’ll be ready by the morning.’
‘Why don’t we just get the train to Osaka tomorrow and get out of here? Why hang around?’
Alex shrugged. ‘We can leave on the early train if you want to?’
‘There’s an evening service. Let’s wait and get that one.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Meet me at Tokyo station,’ Naoko said. ‘At the Shin–Osaka bullet-train platform at 6 p.m. There’s something I have to do before we go.’
35
IT WAS LATE when Alex returned to his guesthouse. The communal living room and kitchen were silent and empty, the sink piled high with unwashed dishes. He walked quietly up the five flights of wooden stairs to the attic floor. Light crept gently from beneath a few door frames as he passed but, mostly, all was dark. The house was sleeping. He searched through his bag and found his keys and unlocked the door to his room. He closed the door behind him and switched on the bare bulb. There was a letter lying on the tatami floor that someone had slipped under the door. He picked it up and looked at the envelope. It was stamped and postmarked London. He opened the envelope carefully and took out the letter. After he had read it twice, he left his room and went back downstairs. In the hallway, he dialled the number on the house telephone.
After three rings, someone picked up. Alex took a breath.
‘Hello?’ the voice said.
He hesitated. He could feel emotion begin to fill him from the soles of his feet until his face grew warm and flushed. He realized it was shame.
‘It’s Alex,’ he said, and paused. ‘How are you?’
His mother gave a soft exhalation into the receiver. He could hear the creak down the line as she slowly took a seat.
‘Alexander,’ she said. ‘Are you still in Tokyo?’
‘Yes.’
‘Are you well?’
‘I’m fine. And you?’
‘I’m not too bad.’ A pause. ‘Did you get my letter?’
‘Yes.’
‘Your father. Well, he’s not very well. I wanted you to know.’
‘Your letter said he’s had a stroke. Is it serious?’
‘It was terrifying at the time, but he’s recovering.’
‘Is he in hospital?’
‘He was. He’s at home now.’
‘Can I speak to him?’
‘He’s just gone to sleep. He’ll be terribly upset he missed you. He’s been asking for you ever since it happened.’
‘Will he get better?’
‘The doctors say he should recover most of the function he’s lost in his arm. His speech may be impaired but we think it’s not too bad.’
‘Your letter said it happened in June. Why didn’t you let me know sooner?’
‘I wanted to wait until I knew what to tell you. It’s been so long since you’ve contacted anyone, I wasn’t sure if you would be concerned.’
‘I’m always concerned about Dad.’
His mother’s tone became sharper suddenly, more defensive. ‘But not if it was me. Is that what you mean?’
‘He never wanted to turn his back on me.’
There was a long pause. ‘That’s another reason why I wanted to get in touch with you. I saw Monica.’
‘Patrick’s ex?’
‘I bumped into her on the tube. I hadn’t seen or heard from her since Patrick died. Anyway, I told her what had happened … with you. She looked shocked when I said you’d lost your job and moved away. She said she’d had no idea that you had been implicated at all. Then she told me why she and Patrick had split up. About his problems. She said she’d been too upset to come to the funeral and she’d decided that a clean break was best. A fresh start, so to speak. She said if she’d known about you she would have told me sooner.’
Alex listened, the receiver pressed to his ear. The house creaked and groaned around him, only the pale blue light from the telephone display breaking through the darkness.
‘Alex? Are you still there?’
‘Yes. I’m here.’
‘Aren’t you going to answer?’
‘What do you want me to say?’ he asked.
‘Why didn’t you tell me any of this at the time?’
‘I tried to. You wouldn’t listen.’
‘Then you didn’t try hard enough. How else am I supposed to know the truth?’
‘There are some things you either know or you don’t.’
‘Oh, Alex. You and your impossible standards. You’ve always been like that.’
‘Like what?’
‘Stubborn and wilful. Ever since you were a child.’
‘It’s always my fault, isn’t it? Never yours. You wouldn’t have let me explain the truth to you about Patrick. You wanted to cling to your illusions. Nothing I said would have made any difference anyway.’
She swallowed hard and adjusted the handset. Alex could hear her breathing. She sounded almost tearful. ‘I’m sorry. I truly am,’ she said.
‘So is that why you wrote to me now? You want to make amends now you’ve found out the truth?’
‘I wanted to speak to you as soon as your father was sick, but you were very difficult to track down.’
‘How did you find me?’
‘With difficulty. No one here knew where to get hold of you. Your friends, or the people you used to work with. They said you’d disappeared without a word. In
the end, I spoke to someone at the embassy in Tokyo who contacted the police to see if they could trace you. Apparently, you have to register as a foreign resident in Japan. It took a while but they found you. They said you’d been in some trouble again.’
‘What do you mean, “again”?’ Alex said.
‘Is it drugs, Alexander?’
‘No, of course not. That was Patrick’s problem, not mine.’
‘What is it, then? I’m worried about you.’
He thought of everything that had happened in the past weeks. There seemed no way to explain it. ‘It’s nothing. A misunderstanding, but it’s blown over now.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes.’
‘Will you be able to come back to London? Even if it’s just for a short visit. Your father would be so happy to see you.’
Alex smiled at the thought. ‘There are a couple of things I need to take care of first. Then I’ll see if I can fly home for a week or two.’
She gave a short sob but caught herself. ‘We all miss you here.’
Alex felt his chest grow heavy. ‘I’d better go. It’s getting late.’
‘Do you want me to pass a message on to your father?’
‘Tell him to get well and I will see him soon. Tell him you spoke to me and I’m fine.’
‘Goodnight, Alex.’
‘Goodnight.’
36
THEIR TABLE WAS reserved for one thirty but Naoko arrived twenty minutes early and took a seat at the bar. She wanted to be settled and poised when Megumi came in to meet her for lunch. The bartender placed a coaster before her and asked what she’d like and she thought for a moment and said that a mineral water would be fine. She took out a compact from her handbag and discreetly checked her reflection. Her new shoulder-length hair was going to take some getting used to, but she was pleased. She could tell instantly that it suited her.
She had woken that morning with a sense of relief that life had reached a new chapter. What better way to celebrate that than with a new look? she had thought. Also, there was something deeply personal at stake about the meeting she had arranged with Megumi and she wanted to make sure that everything was to her advantage. She had matched her new hair with a patterned skirt and a tailored jacket that gave her an air of authority and composure. She didn’t want Megumi thinking her scheming had caused a loss of standards on her part.
The restaurant was in Iidabashi, on the southern bank of the large lake that was fed by canals running alongside the palace gardens. There was a floating pontoon terrace in front of the restaurant’s picture window, with white-clothed tables that overlooked the water. The cluster of tall buildings that stood in the Ichigaya district reflected sharply on the lake’s surface. The restaurant had a reputation as a place for grand lunches and high-level business meetings. Naoko had chosen it to appeal to Megumi’s vanity. She knew that an invitation to be seen dining here would be hard for her to turn down.
She had felt nervous about meeting Megumi ever since she had called the gallery. She’d had no contact with anyone since the incident with Togo Nishi at the Imperial Hotel. Although she was sure that Megumi was ignorant of the exact details of that night, Naoko guessed she would have her suspicions that something significant had taken place. As soon as she saw her face, Naoko knew her instincts were correct.
Sweeping past the doorman without thanks or acknowledgement, Megumi’s arrogant bearing betrayed instantly how her new-found seniority had gone straight to her head. Naoko had questioned the integrity of what she was about to do, but when she saw Megumi smile so falsely in greeting as she approached the bar, she knew it was the right course of action.
‘Naoko. How are you? You look so well. I love your new look. I hardly recognized you.’
Naoko gave a modest smile. ‘Thank you. You look good also. Thank you so much for agreeing to see me.’
‘Please, Naoko. We’re friends. Having lunch together is a pleasure, not an obligation.’
‘I know how busy you must be at the gallery now. The Shanghai Expo is coming up soon.’
‘We fly out tomorrow. Kimura-san has arranged two days of sales meetings before the actual exhibition starts.’
‘I’m sure you don’t need my goodwill but I hope you have a successful trip.’
Megumi smiled but the insincerity was evident in her eyes. ‘I’m really looking forward to it. Of course, all the arrangements you made before you quit certainly gave me a head start.’
She looked down at the small suitcase beside Naoko’s bar stool. ‘It looks like you’re going on a trip somewhere as well?’
Naoko nodded. ‘I’m going to Osaka. Maybe permanently. My train is in a few hours.’
‘Oh, how wonderful,’ Megumi said patronizingly. ‘I hope you won’t miss Tokyo too much.’
Their table was ready and a waiter escorted them out to the patio and showed them to their seats. The sky was clear and crisp. Couples were rowing in wooden boats on the lake. Megumi ordered a green salad and oolong tea and Naoko said she would have the same.
‘It’s a pity I have to go to dinner with clients tonight,’ Megumi said. ‘I hear the menu here is fantastic but I don’t want to ruin my appetite.’
‘I’m just happy to have your company. It’s been a while since we were able to talk.’
Megumi looked out wistfully across the lake. ‘I love October. It’s my favourite month in the city.’
‘Thank God the summer is over.’
‘I know. The last few weeks have been especially hard. It was all I could do to …’ Megumi theatrically lifted a hand to her mouth. ‘I’m so sorry, Naoko. How insensitive of me to talk of trivial things when you’ve had so many troubles.’
Naoko heard the note of spite half hidden behind the false concern. ‘Life has taken some unexpected twists recently,’ she said. ‘I never would have suspected I could lose everything so quickly.’
‘You’re very resourceful, Naoko. I’m sure you’ll make something good from a bad situation.’
‘In a funny way, I’m thankful. I realize I was so caught up in my own world that I was neglectful of the real rewards I’d been given.’
Megumi pushed the salad around her plate. ‘It’s good that you can be so positive. It sounds like a valuable life lesson.’
‘Of course, you played your part in everything that happened,’ Naoko said.
Megumi placed her fork down gently on her plate. ‘That’s ridiculous, Naoko. I did all I could to help you.’
‘Really? How did Mr Kimura find out about my private life? And the night with Alex? Was that you helping me?’
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ she said, turning her chin up slightly, as if she had taken offence.
‘You have to admit that it all played out perfectly for you. You got what you always wanted.’
Megumi took a moment, as if deciding whether to continue with her denials or tell the truth. Just as Naoko had predicted, she couldn’t resist a chance to revel in her victory.
‘Don’t be a bad loser, Naoko,’ she said. ‘It’s not attractive. I saw my chance and took it. You would have done the same. I never heard you complain about the rules when you were winning.’
Naoko leaned forward slightly in her chair. ‘I never saw the need to stab anyone in the back to get ahead.’
Megumi licked her lips as she savoured her triumph. ‘And you have such a beautiful back, Naoko. I couldn’t believe how easy it was. And the best thing was, I didn’t really have to do very much. You did all the hard work yourself. Especially after you took up with that gaijin.’ She lifted the napkin from her lap and set it on the table. ‘Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to the bathroom.’
When she had walked from the terrace and into the restaurant, Naoko bent down and took Megumi’s handbag from the floor by her chair. She looked around to check no one was watching and opened the bag. She found a seam at the edge of an inside pocket and picked at the stitching until it came loose and then pulled
out a long strand of thread. Without tearing the material of the lining, she made a small opening in the seam and worked the split with her nail until it was wide enough to push her little finger inside. She reached into her pocket and found the handful of amphetamine crystals she had taken from the package in Bangkok. There were about ten of them altogether, each jagged and opaque like small, uncut diamonds. Naoko pushed them one by one into the torn seam until they were all hidden in the lining. Megumi’s bag was from Hermès, a gift from her family, and Naoko knew it was her pride and joy. She would certainly take it with her on the trip to China. Of course, there was no guarantee that she would be stopped entering the country: that would depend on the level of security the airport had deployed that day, the vigilance of the staff, the other travellers. In short, it would depend on fate. Naoko had no idea what the penalty for carrying illegal drugs into the country was but she knew it was substantial enough to alter the course of a life. Now Megumi would have exactly the same chance she had given her.
When she had pushed the last rock of meth into the lining, Naoko bent down and replaced the bag where she had found it. She eased herself upright without haste and gave a glance around to make sure she hadn’t been seen. Then she quietly sipped her oolong tea and waited for Megumi to return from the bathroom.
37
ALEX TOOK ONE last look around. The tatami floor was swept clean and his room was bare now, except for the old postcards tacked to the wall. The ragged map of the Japanese islands still hung by the window, dotted with markers showing the places numerous people had visited during their time in the country. Alex took a pin and pushed it into the blue bay of Yokohama and locked the door behind him.
He paid the outstanding rent and gave the landlady the key. She bowed formally to him and wished him luck for the future as she tucked the money into her housecoat. He thought about saying goodbye to the other tenants he had come to know but decided against it. It was always wisest to move on as quietly as possible. He picked up the leather holdall and let himself out. It had begun to rain, a drifting autumn mist so fine it seemed to fall upwards. He began to walk towards the highway, where he could hail a passing taxi.
Last Stop Tokyo Page 23