“When do you leave?” Kobayashi’s voice sounded different here in the muffled stillness of the park.
“Tonight,” he replied, with a finality that could have been interpreted as acceptance, as opposed to the helplessness he felt. They walked along in silence, over the bridge and around the corner, until the massive gates to the temple came into view ahead.
“There is no hope of a … a pardon?” Kobayashi finally said.
Charlie shook his head. “It’s a question of liability, really. As long as I’m here, there’s always a risk that I’ll be targeted, as payback. Plus, I’m pretty sure they’ll be glad to be rid of me. I seem to have a habit of causing trouble wherever I go.”
“It would be difficult to argue with the positive results you have achieved in this case.”
Charlie smiled. It was true that the end result of his activities was to close the loop on an international fraud investigation, even if he hadn’t exactly followed protocol. One thing he had been sure to do was to tell Hudson that the funds in the offshore account were likely to be transferred, and that following the transaction would be key to connecting the illicit money to the ringleaders of the scam — in this case an account controlled by Miyamoto.
“Lucky for me, Miyamoto didn’t have time to set up an account that was far enough from him to avoid implicating himself, otherwise the results may not have been so favourable, and things could have gone very badly for me. You, too,” he added, turning to look at Kobayashi, who had faced her own share of criticism from her superiors in the aftermath. But she had protected herself by uncovering communications between Aiko Kimura and two members of the 7th Division, who were bearing the brunt of her superiors’ anger, at least for the time being.
“It seems we both survived,” she said.
Charlie frowned. “I’m not so sure. I’ve had three postings, all of which have been terminated early due to … well, maybe I’m just not cut out for consular work.”
“I don’t believe that,” she said as they passed under the massive gate and approached the outlying complex of buildings that lay before the main temple. She led them over to a little stall where an old woman was selling small paper scrolls. Charlie recognized them as the papers affixed to the large racks that he had noticed on his first trip here. Each scroll had a handwritten wish or prayer. The old woman smiled at Kobayashi, and the two had a brief exchange in Japanese which resulted in the purchase of two scrolls for a few hundred yen.
“I always make a wish when I come here.” Kobayashi handed him a scroll and made her way over to one of the tables near the racks, where pencils were supplied. Charlie followed her over and picked up one of the pencils, scribbling on his scroll and watching as she completed her own inscription and walked over to the rack, securing her paper among the thousands of others. He did the same and then stepped back.
“There,” she said, giving a little bow.
“I guess we’re not supposed to ask what the other wished for.”
Kobayashi smiled. “I think you know, Charlie.”
He nodded, and they moved on toward the temple. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”
“Please do.”
“How did you convince the Yamaguchi-gumi to provide protection for us? I mean, I know the official answer — you convinced them that allowing Lepage and I to go would result in significant damage, financial and otherwise, to their main rival. But I have the feeling there was more to it.”
“Why do you think that?” she asked, as they entered the courtyard of the main temple.
“It just seemed … too easy, I suppose.”
There was a hint of a grin on Kobayashi’s face as she looked at him. “The desire to undo one’s enemy is powerful, Charlie.”
He had the sense that she was leaving something out, but decided not to press. Whatever she had done, it had worked, and he was ever grateful. He only hoped she hadn’t done something that would come back to haunt her.
“And you aren’t concerned about any reprisals?”
She paused as they reached the steps to the main temple, then turned to him and shook her head. “To kill a woman, even an inspector, would be … dishonourable.”
“You’re prepared to stake your life on it?”
“Yes,” she said with a conviction that told him she really did, and that gave him some comfort. They were silent for a few minutes as they strolled through the temple and took in its sights and sounds and the smell of incense. Back out in the main courtyard, they sat on a bench and enjoyed the early afternoon sunshine. It was almost one o’clock, and Charlie was going from the embassy to the airport at three. This last meeting with Kobayashi had been an indulgence by Westwood, and Charlie was grateful not only for the act of kindness, but for the hope it gave him that, maybe, the worst of his sins had been forgiven. As he sat there on the bench, though, he was overcome by another thought — that these would be the last moments he would spend with Kobayashi. He would not be returning to Japan, and it was unlikely that she would be travelling to Canada — or anywhere else he might be — anytime soon.
“What will happen to Rob?” she asked, breaking his sombre reverie.
“He’ll be all right.” Charlie was happy for the chance to think of something more positive. Lepage had been flown out on a U.S. military transport plane the day after the Shibuya exchange and was already back in Canada. He would be a star witness in the inter-jurisdictional fraud sting and after he had served his purpose there, he would have a brief sentence in a minimum security facility, after which he would be free to start his life over again. Charlie thought of his last words before leaving the embassy — a heartfelt thanks. They discussed Lepage’s possibilities for the future for a while, then Kobayashi turned to look at him.
“What about you, Charlie. What will you do?”
Charlie paused to take in the beauty of her face — the small, delicate features, bright eyes, porcelain skin, and the floral smell of her perfume, and all he felt was … loss. “I really don’t know. Maybe it’s time I went home for a while.”
“Back to Ottawa?”
Charlie shrugged. “I’m not sure that’s home for me anymore.”
They sat in silence for another moment, then he glanced at his watch. “I should really be going.”
“I’m very sorry to see you go, Charlie,” she said. She was not the type to display emotion openly, but he could see that she was struggling in her own way. “But I’m very glad that I met you.”
They kissed for a long moment, then separated and stood, starting the journey back to the main gate.
“You asked me what I wished for,” she said as they passed the racks of paper scrolls and she put her arm through his. “I wished that you will find happiness, wherever you go.”
As they made their way back to the path, Charlie had a brief fantasy of skipping the ride to the airport and running away with Kobayashi, somewhere no one would find them. But as the path came to an end and they left the tranquility of the park behind them and the bustle of Tokyo reappeared before their eyes, he knew that wasn’t real. He didn’t know where he was headed next, but he was glad of where he had been.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks to the great team at Dundurn, including Kirk Howard, Beth Bruder, Margaret Bryant, Michelle Melski, Laura Boyle, Jenny McWha, Rachel Spence, and particularly my editor, Allison Hirst. Thanks also to Dr. Greg Brown for your advice on all things medical and to Wilf Wakely and Yoshiyasu Yamaguchi for sharing your insights on Japanese culture.
Book Credits
Acquiring Editor: Allison Hirst
Project Editor: Jenny McWha
Proofreader: Rachel Spence
Cover and Interior Designer: Laura Boyle
Publicist: Michelle Melski
Dundurn
Publisher: J. Kirk Howard
Vice-President: Carl A. Brand
Editorial Director: Kathryn Lane
Sales Manager: Synora Van Drine
Publici
ty Manager: Michelle Melski
Editorial: Allison Hirst, Dominic Farrell, Jenny McWha,
Rachel Spence, Elena Radic
Design and Production: Laura Boyle
Marketing and Publicity: Kendra Martin, Kathryn Bassett, Elham Ali
Remember Tokyo Page 30