“Yeah, thanks for helping me out there, by the way,” Pura said.
“So we’re sitting there watching all this from the bar’s window. And Takeshi says, ‘It’s like Saburo’s parents accidentally threw away the child and raised the placenta instead!’”
At that Johnny and Satoshi both nearly fell over again.
“Fucking dicks,” Pura said, smiling as he took a pull off a whiskey bottle.
“Oh man, you could always count on Takeshi for shit like that,” Johnny said with tears in his eyes. He turned to Satoshi. “You remember the night Yanagi’s crew split up and we had that big dinner?”
Satoshi just started laughing harder.
“What happened?” Pura asked, already smiling.
“Masa was outside having a smoke. So Takeshi took the last piece of sushi and stuffed it full of wasabi. Then … then when …”
Johnny trailed off laughing, so Satoshi took over.
“Then when Masa came back, he said, ‘Hey, anyone want the last piece of sushi?’ Knowing that when he did that, Masa would take it.”
“Which he did!” Johnny said. “Right away he starts choking on the wasabi. And the rest of us lost it!”
“Masa would have kicked his ass right there, but he was coughing and wheezing so hard he could barely talk!”
“Then he tried to come over the table at Takeshi, but he started coughing so bad he threw up right there!”
“Holy shit,” Pura said. “I’m surprised Masa let him live after that.”
“Yeah, Takeshi and I left right after that for a different bar,” Johnny said.
“Yeah, thanks for that,” Satoshi said. “I had to spend the next few hours calming him down.”
“Sorry about that,” Johnny said. “But as we were leaving, Masa was at the window in the bathroom, still screaming down at Takeshi. Even as he was getting sick, he was all like, ‘You better run, Takeshi! I’m going to fucking kill you! You’re fucking dead!’”
Their smiles slowly faded. They stood on the roof of Johnny’s building, silently surveying the city. Tokyo stretched out like an ocean in front of them, almost too immense to fathom. The wind blew cool in the early-morning air. The omnipresent clouds hung heavy in the sky above, but out at the horizon, a sliver of golden sunlight shone through, illuminating the undersides of the clouds with its rays. In any other city it would have produced a brilliant golden sunrise, but in dust-choked Tokyo, the best they could hope for was a few beams glinting off the clouds. To Satoshi, it was utterly beautiful. Despite everything, he couldn’t help but smile even as the tears traced down his cheeks.
Masa always loved the sunshine, Satoshi thought, his smile faltering. Now he could see dark clouds rolling and tumbling through the sky as they moved over the city. They reminded him of the roiling black mass of clouds from his recent dream. His smile died completely.
Chapter Five
“Tell me you have something good for me,” Mei said.
Medical Examiner Suzuki glanced up from his paperwork. “Ah, Detective Kimura. Thank you for coming.”
Mei stood in the doorway to Suzuki’s broom closet of an office. The tiny room seemed to be positively bursting with papers, files, and folders. A steaming cup of green tea was balanced precariously on a bulging mound of papers to the side of his desk.
“Sorry, let me clear a space for you,” Suzuki said.
He scooped files off the other chair in the room and motioned for her to sit down.
“Alright, so I’ve been working on building DNA profiles based on the blood found at the factory. I tested blood collected from different points around the body. This includes the splatter pattern found against the wall behind the victim, the trail leading away from the scene, etcetera.”
“Find anything useful?”
“I think so. Now, the majority of the blood obviously belongs to our victim. But the splatter has a distinct profile, as you can see on this electropherogram.” He held up a graph with several spikes on it. “The spikes represent unique genetic markers, and when you compare it with Tetsuo Kobayashi’s profile …” He held up another graph with a different pattern. “You see it’s unique. This points to another victim. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find a match with any of the DNA samples we have on file in our database.”
“Alright,” Mei said, reasoning it through. “That was from a blood splatter on the wall. So, what does that mean? The victim fought back, somehow punctured one of his attacker’s veins? Seems like that would be consistent with the spray pattern and the amount of blood at the scene.”
“Exactly. But there’s more to it. A lot of the blood I tested seemed to be a mix of their two profiles, making it difficult to get a signature. But I think I’ve found another, distinct DNA profile in the blood trailing away from the scene.”
At that, Suzuki produced another electropherogram, this one different from the two before.
“Of course, there’s always the possibility of intermixing, adulteration, degradation, etcetera given the conditions at the scene. But I believe it’s a distinct sample.”
“And what makes you so sure of that?” Mei asked.
“When I ran it through the database, I got a match. It’s not perfect, but I’d say it’s about eighty-five percent accurate. And it matches a known criminal with a violent record.”
“Who?”
“Masahiro Shiku. He’s a known kobun of the Kaisha under Vasili Loginovski. He did a brief stint in prison for extortion. He was also implicated in several murders, but never with enough evidence to convict.”
“So we have the blood of one of Vasili’s soldiers at the scene of the murder of another of his underlings. Since then we’ve had another body turn up near the premises of Vasili’s main headquarters.”
“Seems like a pretty clear pattern is emerging.”
“Yeah, sure seems that way.”
“Are you following this banking scandal?” Watanabe asked as he flipped the page in the newspaper. “Fucking criminal is what it is. These guys at Tokyo’s GCBC branch were fucking their clients and everyone else over left and right. Made off with billions. We should be going after criminals like them.”
“Not our job,” Mei said. “Besides, I’m sure that if they’re really guilty, they’ll get what’s coming to them.”
“Let’s hope so,” Watanabe said. “And from some of the revelations at the trial so far, that might actually happen for once.”
“Alright, gentlemen, let’s get this meeting out of the way so we can get started,” Mei said. “I’ve just come from the medical examiner’s office with his report on the factory crime scene at Tsukishima. I think we just might have a lead.”
“About damn time,” Kato said.
Mei ignored him. “Suzuki is fairly confident that he’s identified three distinct blood samples from the scene. The victim’s, that of an as-yet-unidentified individual, and Masahiro Shiku’s.”
There was some murmuring from the room.
“I take it that means you all know who he is. He is now our prime suspect in this case. I’ve pulled up his files, and he has an extensive record of violent offenses. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have an address on file.”
“Lots of lower-level soldiers and freelancers working with the crime syndicates are floaters,” Watanabe said.
“Floaters?” Ina said.
“People with no fixed address. They crash in abandoned buildings, condemned areas, that sort of thing. Some are damn near impossible to find, when they don’t want to be found.”
“Exactly,” Mei said. “So our first move is tracking down his known accomplices to zero in on him. I’ll go see his last known employer, Takao Kozu, and see what he knows. Kato—”
“Who’s going with you?” Kentaro asked.
“I was planning to go alone.”
Kentaro shook his head. “Someone better go with you.”
“I can handle myself.”
“Yeah, Suga used to say that too,” Ina said.
�
�Yeah, I’m not trying to break your lady-balls,” Kentaro said. “It’s because you’re lead investigator, tracking a killer who’s not afraid to go after police.”
“Alright. Ina will come with me. Kato, I want you to visit Hajime Ozu. He’s a known accomplice of Masa’s. The two did time for extortion, so see if he’s heard anything from him. Watanabe, I want you to visit Kazuhiko’s sister. See if she can point you in the right direction.”
“On it.”
“Kentaro, how’s your schedule look today?”
“I have a full plate with my other caseload. But I’ll try to make myself available.”
“Understood. Everyone good?”
Nods.
“Then let’s get to it.”
As soon as Mei finished her briefing, she saw Kentaro get up and head for the door. She went after him.
“Hey! Kentaro! I’d like a word.”
Kentaro turned in the hallway without saying anything.
“I want to apologize for the other day,” Mei said. “I was way out of line. I realize that what I did was wrong, and potentially damaging to the case. I won’t let that happen again.”
Kentaro nodded but didn’t say anything.
“To be totally honest, I’m a bit out of my depths,” Mei continued. “I’ve never run a major case before. I could use a good detective like you on my side. So, please accept my apology.”
“Apology accepted. But please understand that you need to be smarter about this.”
“I know, I can be a little impatient at times.”
“Yes, you certainly can. I would also add ‘irresponsible, impulsive, and foolhardy’ to that list.”
“Noted,” Mei said.
“I’m on your side in this, Mei. But no more roping your personal obsessions into this case. Just solid police work and following leads until we find the killer.”
“Agreed. That’s my only agenda from now on. Partners?” she said, sticking out a hand.
“Partners,” Kentaro said, shaking it.
Mei smiled and turned around to head back towards the office.
“Mei, hang on a second,” Kentaro called after her. He looked hesitant as he approached her. “I didn’t just get angry at you over a procedural matter. It’s also a matter of safety. Your safety.”
Mei remained silent.
“Look … you don’t want to give a guy like Vasili any opportunities to get his claws into you. Because if that happens, you’ll never get free. You’ll be … compromised. A puppet just doing his bidding.”
Mei nodded, trying not to show any emotion.
“Believe me, Vasili’s got his tentacles wrapped around more of the cops here than you can imagine. And I don’t want you to be another one of them.”
“Thanks,” Mei said.
Kentaro gave a reassuring smile and then walked away. As Mei was turning around, her phone began buzzing in her pocket. She pulled it out to see a message from Kameko telling her to meet her at a cafe in half an hour. Her heart sank. She yelled back to Ina that she needed an hour before heading out.
Thanks, Kentaro, but you’re too late, she thought as she headed for the door.
Mei stepped through the door into the cafe and scanned the room. She spotted Kameko, wearing a dazzling smile and waving at her with exaggerated cheer. She trudged over to her table.
“Detective Kimura! A pleasure,” Kameko said in perfect English, with no hint of an accent.
“Hello.”
“I’ve already ordered, but help yourself to anything you’d like.”
Mei slid into the chair across from Kameko. “How about just an explanation for why I’m here?”
“Straight to business, I like that!” Kameko removed a thin laptop from her bag and turned it towards Mei. “Security footage from the club the night the victim was killed. I didn’t see anything useful there. But I’m not a cop, so maybe you’ll see something I didn’t. The victim starts off at the bar and comes straight towards Vasili, who appears from the lower left corner of the screen. Watch.”
She pressed play on the video. The flashing lights from the laser and light show accompanying the music made it hard to see much of anything. But she could spot the man leaving his spot at the bar and weaving his way over to Vasili when he appeared on screen. There was a brief altercation in which the man tried to slap him a few times before being brushed aside by the big man and going down. Two large security guards darted over, grabbed the man, and dragged him out of frame, with Vasili looking back at him over his shoulder. He shook his head and turned around, where he went into his office in the wall beyond the bar.
“Here’s a copy for you,” Kameko said, sliding a CD across the table.
“And if anyone asks, how should I tell them I came across this footage?”
“Tell the truth, that it was given to you by a concerned citizen who just wants to catch this maniac.”
“Right. So what else can you tell me about this guy? Why did he suddenly go after Vasili?”
“No idea. Never seen him before. The guy’s name was Kazuhiko Komagata, but he wasn’t connected or anything. My guess is he’s some asshole who can’t handle his liquor, mouthed off to Vasili, then mouthed off to the killer outside and got got.”
Mei sighed and leaned back. So this was to be their game. They were going to try to stymie her investigation at every turn, point her in the wrong direction.
“And you really expect me to believe that?” Mei asked.
“No, I expect you to solve this case by any means necessary. I’m just telling you what we know.”
“Well, if we’re sharing information, why don’t you tell me about Tetsuo’s role in the organization?”
Now it was Kameko’s turn to lean back. Her demeanor had hardened considerably.
“Alright. He was a ‘fixer’—if you will—for Vasili’s construction interests in Chiba. He had a lot of contacts in the industry and made sure things ran smoothly.”
“Can you be more specific?” Mei asked.
“Securing permits, authorization, rendering payments, smoothing over conflicts. That sort of thing. Generally just making sure that things ran as they were supposed to.”
“And what were some of the ways he did that?”
Kameko smiled a sly smile and crossed her arms over her chest.
“I see what you’re doing. Look, for this little collaboration of ours to work, we need to have an understanding. In this matter, our interests are in alignment. But once this battle has been won, we go back to our respective lines to resume the larger war. We both know it. So I will reveal details that will help you in this. But I have to be careful not to give too much away. Please respect that.”
Now it was Mei’s turn to smile. “I had to at least try.”
“And I can’t fault you for that. But to that last point, I will add that Tetsuo’s death has been keenly felt by Vasili. It’s causing him problems with some of the other heavies in the construction industry. That’s why we feel that his death was not an accident, but part of a larger gambit to make things difficult for Vasili.”
“Anything else?”
“That’s all we’ve got right now. Now it’s your turn.”
“My turn for what?”
“To share what you know. Where are you at in the investigation?”
Mei considered her reply. “Still pretty early days. I’m going to follow up on this Kazuhiko character, find out what I can. Also trying to construct a timeline for Tetsuo’s last few hours. I’ll keep you in the loop on what we find.”
“Really?” Kameko asked, raising an eyebrow. “No other leads you’re chasing down at the moment?”
“Not at the moment.” Mei stood up. She slid the CD across the table to take with her. “But I’ll let you know when we’ve got something.”
“You do that,” Kameko said. Her head was cocked to the side, staring at Mei warily. “And thank you for being honest.”
Chapter Six
Vasili and his crew walked into Citize
n’s Plaza. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government building loomed enormous and gray in front of them. It was a gigantic slab of concrete and glass that reached upwards a dizzying forty-eight stories, splitting into two different towers halfway up. Vasili and his crew came out from beneath the Metropolitan Assembly Building, which featured a curved façade that formed a semicircle facing the TMG building.
But the spectacular grandeur of the setting barely registered with Vasili anymore. He had been here so many times for so many meetings that it was just part of the background. Citizen’s Plaza had long served as a meeting ground between crime syndicates. Ironically, the fact that the plaza was located in the heart of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government afforded its own protection and privacy. Nobody dared to bring weapons or start a fight in a place with such a heavy police presence all around. It was also mostly deserted, with only a few gray-faced bureaucrats scurrying through at any given time.
Having criminals meeting so openly right under the noses of a city government powerless to stop them also served as an open fuck you to the powers that be. But that was just a nice little bonus.
As Vasili and his ever-present assistants Kameko and Jun, or the Twins, along with Tengu and several of his men, walked into the plaza, he saw two groups of men arranged facing each other like generals arrayed for battle. Chobei headed one faction, which faced off against another led by a man of about fifty who was well-dressed with thick-rimmed tinted glasses. His face looked as hard and impassive as the concrete surrounding them. He turned to face Vasili, causing him to wince.
The man had an enormous gash that ran from right beside his ear to the center of his cheek. Vasili could see into his face, clearly glimpsing tendons, jaw muscle, even bone through the gaping hole. It wasn’t a fresh wound, which meant that Soseki kept it by choice. Not for the first time that day Vasili cursed Chobei for getting him into this.
“Gentlemen,” Vasili said as his own forces drew up.
Chobei was glaring at the man standing across from him with barely concealed fury, while Soseki just stared back calmly.
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