Tokyo Noir: The Complete First Season

by J. Scott Matthews

“Wait, so you made me come all this way just to—”

  “Hang on, I’m getting the call.”

  “Un-fucking-believable,” Mei said, crossing her arms.

  Vasili walked away a little. “Yeah?”

  “What the fuck?” Matsuo fumed into the phone. “You know killing me is just going to put the suspicion squarely on you. Are you fucking stupid or something?”

  “What are you talking about?” Vasili said sweetly. “I’m miles away.”

  “They’re going to know it was you, since your bitch here is—”

  “Kameko is right here with me,” Vasili said. “At least, that’s what your people watching us think. Maybe I’ll have her wave to them.”

  “You won’t get away with killing me!” Matsuo snarled.

  “Nobody will suspect a thing. After all, it will look just like big bad serial killer got you.”

  “Certain people will know. Yoshii will know it was you. He’ll—”

  “Keep his mouth shut if he knows what’s good for him. Now he and I will share the secret you two once shared. And he’s got more riding on keeping it a secret than I do. Your closest friends will say nothing, do nothing, about your death.”

  “You motherfucker! You absolute piece of—”

  “Okay, buddy, I’m going to say goodbye now. I told you I’m not afraid to eat people alive.”

  With that, Vasili hung up the phone and slid it back into his pocket. Jun ambled over.

  “Everything alright?”

  Vasili nodded.

  “Shall I get the car?”

  “Eh, let’s give it another few minutes. For appearance’s sake.”

  [Car parked outside Torakichi Restaurant, Chiba; 7:02 p.m.]

  “Oh shit, what’s happening?”

  “What?” The guy in the driver’s seat didn’t even look up from his phone. He was tired of this shit.

  “He’s coming this way!”

  “Who? Oh shit.”

  He looked up to see Vasili walking straight for them.

  “Do you think he made us?”

  “I don’t know? How could he?”

  “Well, he’s coming straight for us!”

  Vasili walked around to the driver’s side of the car parked against the sidewalk. He leaned down and knocked on the window.

  “Hello there!”

  “What do we do? Do I answer it?”

  “I don’t know, maybe if we don’t he’ll go—”

  “I can hear you talking in there!”

  The driver looked at his partner in a panic. Then he rolled down the window. “Uh, hi.”

  The big man twisted his respirator to the side and leaned on the door. Then he heaved his massive upper body through the window.

  “Hi. We’re leaving. Tell your fucking boss that the deal’s off.” He stood up and started walking away, muttering loudly to himself as he went. “Won’t stand for this kind of treatment. No respect …”

  “Oh shit,” the driver said.

  “I’m calling Obinata, tell him to hurry.”

  “I don’t know if that’ll work. He seemed pretty pissed. Where the hell is the boss?”

  [Black van driving along the Shuto Expressway bound for Tokyo; 7:03 p.m.]

  Kameko finished sealing the phone and her other personal items away in a plastic bag, which she set aside. Then she began laying out her medical tools. She selected a scalpel and brought it close to Matsuo.

  “No, please … I’ll give you anything you want!”

  Kameko smiled, then began cutting away his clothing. She had to roll him around some to get his shirt off, but finally succeeded in exposing his enormous belly.

  “I’ve got money! I’ll pay whatever you—”

  “At least try to go out with some dignity,” Kameko said. “Have a little pride.”

  With that, she began cutting away his pants and underwear. Soon the fat man was naked on the gurney, except for his socks and shoes.

  “Well, maybe you shouldn’t have that much pride,” Kameko said. She flicked his exposed penis with one finger.

  “Please, I’ll pay you anything! I’ll give you anything you want if you just—”

  “There’s no amount you could pay me to make me turn. Not against Vasili, and not against the syndicate. You? You’re a traitor to both.”

  Matsuo was breathing heavily by this point.

  “The funny thing is, you’re going to die for someone else’s plan. Because I know you’re not smart enough to have come up with this shit yourself. This is more Yoshii’s style.”

  “Fuck you! It was my idea to …” Matsuo caught himself in time.

  “Go on,” Kameko said.

  “Fuck you. We should have just killed you all and been done with it.”

  “Instead here you lie. About to be hoisted by your own petard. Then disemboweled upon it. Fucking idiot.”

  Matsuo said nothing. His lip quivered.

  “Unfortunately, your phony ’serial killer’ strangled the other victims, so now I’ve got to do the same to you. Which sucks, because I would really like for you to be awake for this.”

  “Yoshii and the others won’t stand for this,” Matsuo said. “They’ll know it was—”

  “They’ll know and they won’t say shit. We’re about to kill you, mutilate your corpse, then toss your carcass in a dumpster. And you know what Yoshii is going to say about it?”

  Matsuo’s only answer was a tear that formed in his left eye.

  “He’s not going to say shit about it. You know it, I know it, and Vasili knows it. So let’s not pretend that your good buddy is going to stick his neck out for you in the least. Not if it means putting his own in a noose.”

  Matsuo just stared up at her. Tears were forming in his eyes.

  “Hey, no one said there was honor among thieves,” Kameko said with a shrug. She leaned in over top of him. “Okay, hold still. I’m going to strangle you now.”

  [SUV driving along the Shuto Expressway bound for Tokyo; 7:26 p.m.]

  Mei had been staring out the window at the passing traffic since Vasili had told her what that was all about. She could feel his eyes glancing over at her occasionally, but she didn’t look back.

  “You want to talk about it?” Vasili asked. “Because is a little late now for second thoughts.”

  “I know. But I’m having them anyway. Was this really the right call?”

  Mei asked it more of herself than him, but he answered anyway.

  “For me it was. He killed two people close to me, and several others. Would have killed more. And if he threatened my operation … more would die. People like your father.”

  “I know, but … I’ve had to kill people before. But this time it feels different.”

  “It was the right decision, if that is any consolation.”

  “Yeah, probably. I don’t know, I still feel like I’ve lost my way.”

  “Lost your way? Is not possible.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because there is no path. No path but the one we make ourselves. The way ahead is too dark to see. No markers, no guiding lights. You have to navigate it yourself, the best you can with what you’ve got.”

  “Less than comforting.”

  “You want comfort? Go back the way you came. Back there is neat, tidy path that is safe and well-lit. Is perfect in every way. Except is going in wrong direction. And you know this. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here right now.”

  She sighed, then nodded.

  “I suppose so.”

  “I know so.”

  She didn’t say anything, just kept looking out the window. She saw him glancing at her in the reflection in the glass.

  “Don’t worry. It gets easier.”

  “Yeah. That’s what I’m worried about.”

  They were silent for a while, each staring out the windows on their own sides. Vasili was the one to eventually break the silence.

  “If it would make you feel better, we can stop for ice cream on the way back.”


  Mei didn’t respond immediately. After a moment she snorted, then started laughing despite herself.

  “Fuck you,” she said, smiling as she wiped away a tear.

  [Dumpster beside a Family Mart convenience store, between Ebisu Station and the New South Entrance of Shibuya Station; 4:49 a.m.]

  Akio wanted nothing more than to quit and go home for the day. He had worked a double shift between his job at the supermarket and his second job at Family Mart, and he still had to study. So when he saw the foot sticking out of the Family Mart dumpster, he decided then and there that he wasn’t going to deal with it.

  He dropped the trash bag on the ground and walked back inside the convenience store.

  “Shibasaki,” he called into the back. “Shibasaki!”

  “What?”

  “We’ve got a body in the dumpster.”

  “A what?”

  “I think there’s a naked guy in the dumpster!”

  “Well, just politely ask him to move along. You know the company protocol on this.”

  “Uh, I think you better handle this. I think he might be dead.”

  His manager emerged from the back. “What are you talking about? Just wake him up and send him on his way. I don’t see why you kids can’t just …” He trailed off as he walked out the automatic doors.

  He ran back in after a few moments.

  “Call the police! It’s the Shibuya Killer! He’s left another body!”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Masa watched the live feed from the camera. It was aimed at the patch of floor in front of the doorway to his “private quarters,” in the abandoned building where he was squatting. Hell, the camera was probably worth more than the entire condemned building and everything in it. The only light in the hallway was from the daylight-bright lighting display from the marquee of the pachinko parlor across the street, so he had the camera’s night-vision function enabled.

  The light dimmed as a shadow moved in front of the door. Then the person it belonged to came into view. Masa smiled.

  Satoshi.

  But then, who else would it be?

  Satoshi stopped in front of the door and stood there. Masa watched him as he removed his handgun and inserted a fresh magazine. Masa could only guess that Satoshi had already topped himself up with Dextro-MXE. Typical Satoshi.

  Satoshi stood there for a long while, eyes cast downwards. Just breathing. He didn’t look happy to be there. And yet, there he was. Satoshi, the good soldier, the loyal soldier. Just doing his duty.

  On the video feed, Masa watched Satoshi take a deep breath, then another. He watched him lean back from the door, then bring his foot down hard against the rotted wood. He saw splinters fly as Satoshi plunged into the room, gun drawn. Of course, if he had just tried the door, he would have found it unlocked.

  Masa smiled.

  He turned off the video feed to his phone and slipped the phone back into his pocket. Then he picked up his toolkit and began walking down the hallway.

  Satoshi checked the address Osammy had given him, then looked up at the building in front of him.

  This must be the shithole, he thought to himself. He wanted to rush up and get this over with. But no, he had to be careful now more than ever. Osammy himself had even said it was a trap.

  He circled the building, looking at everything carefully. It was an old run-down building located in Katsushika Ward, just over the border from Edogawa Ward a block in from the Arakawa River.

  At the point where the building stood, the tsunami of 5/13 had lost a lot of its momentum. But that didn’t mean it had petered out completely. Satoshi could see the high-water mark about fifteen feet up the side of the building, and he recalled what Hisoka had said about that day and how her father had saved her. Looking at the water mark now, it seemed unbelievable that anyone could have survived that.

  Satoshi was just about finished with his circuit when something caught his eye. It was a motorcycle that had been wedged in between two vehicles in the alley beside the building.

  He had seen this bike before. In fact, he had been there when Masa had stolen it from outside a bar. He had wanted to get back at the owner for looking at him funny, or something. Or maybe he had just wanted the bike.

  He must be here, then, Satoshi thought. But just in case, he removed one of the GPS tracking units he had with him. He peeled off the adhesive backing to expose the quick-bonding glue, then he affixed the device to the underside of the mud guard over the rear tire, well out of sight. If Masa somehow got away, he’d at least have a way to track him.

  Satoshi jimmied the front door open, then entered the building. He climbed the stairs and soon found himself in front of the doorway to Room 503. He inserted a magazine into his handgun and stood there, outside the door. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself for whatever lay in wait on the other side of the door. The Dextro-MXE was already starting to take effect, as time began to dilate and organize itself into discrete moments.

  Breathe in.

  Breathe out.

  Breathe in.

  He was ready. As ready as he’d ever be for this.

  He leaned back, then brought his weight down on the door through his foot. The door exploded inward and he bolted through it, scanning the room.

  Nothing.

  He moved down the hallway quickly and efficiently, checking his corners, clearing each room before moving on.

  He made it to the last room, but Masa wasn’t there.

  In this room, he found evidence that someone had been there recently. There were a sleeping bag and a few camping supplies. In one corner was a stack of plastic bento boxes that were beginning to smell. Signs of a life on the run.

  Satoshi did another thorough sweep of the apartment. The only other thing he found was a small black leather notebook wrapped with a cord. He opened it and began flipping through it. A It contained Masa’s barely legible handwriting. number of addresses and phone numbers had been jotted down in Masa’s barely legible handwriting, along with a few scrawled notes and longer messages. He figured he’d start reading it while he waited for Masa to return.

  He couldn’t very well wait inside and expect Masa to blunder back in. Not with that shattered door, at any rate. So he walked downstairs two flights and situated himself in a hallway. It was dim, and he moved back far enough that Masa wouldn’t be able to see him down the dark hallway.

  Now he just had to wait for Masa to return. With the Dextro-MXE coursing through him, that was going to be a long wait.

  After a while, he felt his phone buzzing inside his coat pocket. It was Hisoka calling. He debated whether to answer, but since he couldn’t hear any other sound in the building, he figured he was safe for the moment.

  “Hello?”

  “Satoshi?”

  Hisoka’s voice sounded so tiny and frail through the phone. Afraid.

  “Baby, I can’t talk right now. I’m so close to finding Masa. I’ll be—”

  “No, you’re not,” she said. Her voice broke into a sob on the last word. “Satoshi, he’s here.”

  Satoshi felt as if the wind had been knocked out of his lungs. He tried to reply, but he couldn’t draw breath to form the words.

  “Masa’s here.”

  “No.” It was all he could manage to say. “No, no.”

  There was the sound of a scuffle on the other side.

  “Yes!” came Masa’s voice through the phone.

  Then the line went dead.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  “Where the fuck is your boss?” Yoshii growled into his phone. “I’ve been calling Matsuo all night with no answer.”

  “I don’t know,” Hideyoshi replied. “He never showed to his meet with Vasili last night. Nobody’s heard from him or the guys he was with. They just … vanished.”

  “What the fuck do you mean they vanished? From the meet?”

  “They never showed. We had eyes on Vasili and his people the whole time. But Matsuo and the men with him
disappeared. I’ve had my guys searching the construction site where he was last seen, but so far nothing.”

  “You think Vasili had something to do with this?”

  “I doubt it. The Twins were with him, and he was waiting outside the restaurant the whole time. Plus, he had no idea where to even find Matsuo. We were careful.”

  “Not careful enough, apparently,” Yoshii snarled. “Have him call me as soon as he turns up.”

  If he turns up, he thought as he hung up the phone. Because this wasn’t like Matsuo. Not one bit. Especially not when it was Yoshii calling. He sat and stewed for a bit. Finally, he decided it wasn’t worth working himself into a frenzy over, so he let it go. Matsuo would turn up soon.

  And he did. The next morning, in fact, when his face was plastered all over the morning news as the serial killer’s latest victim. Yoshii sat staring at the television, quaking with rage. He barely noticed his phone ringing until it stopped and started up again.

  “What?”

  “Boss!” Kaza practically shouted into the receiver. “I don’t know if you’ve seen, but I want you to know this wasn’t us! We would never—”

  “My best friend was just murdered in cold blood and your first thought is for yourself?”

  “I … I’m sorry, but I just wanted you to know that—”

  “I know it wasn’t you, fool! Not even you are this stupid.”

  “Who do you think—”

  “Who else?” Yoshii said, rubbing his eyes. “It was Vasili. He must have found out.”

  “What do you want me to do? Do we hit back?”

  Yoshii thought for a while. “No. Not yet. The shacho’s meeting is tonight. I need time to think this through.”

  “So …?”

  “So you and your men sit tight. Be on alert in case they traced it back to you.” Something occurred to Yoshii just then. “What about the doctor? Where is he?”

  “Tomimoto’s been trying to reach him since we saw the news. But he’s not answering.”

  “He talked.” Yoshii said it with absolute certainty. It had to have been the doctor.