by Alex Ko
Josh and Jessica sighed. Sadly, Josh could tell this wasn’t the old lady act – this was their steel-willed grandmother speaking, and she really meant it.
Granny’s battered old car threaded its way through the central Tokyo traffic back to the Sakura Apartments in Minato Ward. Flashing lights and white-gloved men and women in peaked caps directed them at junctions. Josh couldn’t help grabbing a pencil and taking a ten-second sketch of one of them while they were stopped at an intersection. Even the car journeys in Tokyo seemed to involve a fantastic mix of the traditional and high-tech.
A fire truck crossed the intersection in front of them with its siren wailing.
“Hey, Jess,” he said. “Shini said he was going to call the police, didn’t he? How long ago was that?”
Jessica looked at her watch. “About...half an hour before we left? Maybe a bit more...” She raised her eyebrows at him. “The Tokyo police are normally pretty efficient, aren’t they?”
“That’s what I thought. If it was an emergency – like, a people-are-attacking-my-customers-with-baseball-bats emergency – they should’ve arrived before we left.”
Jessica shrugged. “I s’pose they should. They probably got delayed – it was right in the middle of the business district, the traffic was awful getting there.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Josh said. But as he watched cars swerve to get out of the fire truck’s way, he wasn’t so sure. “Granny, why do you think the Hanzos were attacked?”
Granny Murata was silent for a moment. Then she said, “I must admit, I do not know. Nothing they said gave me any clues. I will be sure to keep an eye on the situation, do not worry. Meanwhile, perhaps it is good that you two are to join Shini at this photo shoot tomorrow.”
“We’ll keep an eye on him,” Jessica promised. “And report back to you if we find anything out.”
Another mystery, Josh thought. Don’t worry, Mr. and Mrs. Hanzo – the Murata twins are on the case.
The next morning, Josh frowned out of the car window as Granny pulled up outside what looked like a building site, surrounded by a metal fence.
“Is this really it?” Jessica asked Granny. Granny glanced down at the printout of instructions Shini had emailed them, and nodded.
“Hai,” she said. “This is the place.”
A security guard in a black cap approached the car.
“Donata desu ka?” he asked, peering in. Josh saw that he held a clipboard with a list of names on it.
“Josh and Jessica Murata,” Granny answered him.
“Shini Hanzo arranged for us to visit the photo shoot,” Jessica said. Josh waited, his heart in his mouth, while the guard scrutinized his list.
Finally he nodded. “Hai,” he said. “Come, I will take you.”
“Have a nice time, and behave yourselves,” Granny said as Josh and Jessica climbed out of the car. “I will collect you in an hour. And give my best wishes to Shinichiro-san,” she added with a piercing glance at Josh.
“Thanks, we will.” Josh gave her a nod. Granny had given them strict instructions back in her apartment. Josh had glanced longingly at the bookshelf that held the secret entrance to the team’s headquarters, but Granny had been quite firm that there was no need to take any of Team O’s super-spy equipment with them. They would be keeping an eye on Shini, nothing more.
Granny drove off, and the guard bowed slightly. He gestured for the twins to follow him through a metal gate and into the construction site.
“Odd place for a photo shoot, isn’t it?” Jessica murmured to Josh. As they rounded the corner of a temporary office, the first few floors of a tower block under construction loomed up in front of them, all bare concrete, scaffolding and plastic sheeting blowing in the wind. Actually, Josh thought, it was kind of artistic-looking – in a bleak, urban kind of way. His fingers twitched with the urge to start sketching.
In front of the tower block, there was a large group of people. Most of them were wearing red or white football shirts, bouncing footballs about between them and laughing. Both teams were already here, with officials from the Japanese and English Football Associations in black tracksuits.
“Come on.” Jessica prodded Josh forward with the end of her pen. He noticed she’d already got her notebook out and made a few scribbles in her weird shorthand. “Don’t freeze up on me now. Look, there’s Shini!”
Shini was coming over to greet them, dodging around piles of camera equipment. “Hi guys!” he called. “Come and meet the others.” Josh swallowed down his nerves and allowed Shini to steer them into the crowd. “This is Takeshi,” Shini said. Josh caught Jessica blushing bright pink – Takeshi Higa’s handsome face had grinned down at them from billboards ever since they arrived in Tokyo, as part of the promotion leading up to the match.
“Hi.” Josh bowed, then held out his hand, and Takeshi shook it warmly.
“And this is Goro Sasaki, and well, I guess you know Karl Clarke.”
Josh found himself looking up at the famous face of the England captain.
“Hello!” He shook Josh’s trembling hand. “How are you doing?”
“Um, great, thanks!” Josh couldn’t help beaming as he met more and more of the players he’d only ever seen as red and white dots on the television. He tried hard to keep Shini in sight as much as he could, but he started to relax – what could possibly go wrong when they were surrounded by players, managers and security?
Josh turned and bumped into a slight, middle-aged Japanese man in a severe suit and tie, who was standing stiffly amongst the cheery footballers. He stared at Josh.
“Are you supposed to be here?” he asked, in clipped English.
“Yes, we’re guests of Shini’s,” Josh answered. “Josh and Jessica Murata, sir,” he added. The man sniffed and bowed formally.
“My name is Kobayashi Kenji. I am the Minister for Social and Cultural Affairs.”
“Ah,” Josh said.
“Hajimemashite, Minister,” said Jessica over Josh’s shoulder. She had her notepad at the ready. “So...can you tell me why the photo shoot is taking place in this location?”
Kobayashi launched into an explanation at once. “Ah, you see, the tower in progress represents the growing development of Japanese football on the world stage,” he said. “The great talent of our players is like the scaffolding on which we hang international renown for our whole country, just as Japan is thriving in the realms of culture, tourism and business.”
He broke off and looked at his watch. Perhaps he had a meeting to get to, Josh thought.
“Ah, the photographer is here,” Kobayashi continued, indicating a young man dressed in black who was unpacking and setting up equipment. A grumpy frown passed across the Minister’s face. “You will kindly not interfere, and don’t touch anything.”
“Hai,” said Josh and Jessica together. Josh spotted two metal, folding chairs that looked like they weren’t in the way, and the twins sat down on them, watching the photographer and his assistant eagerly as they got to work.
The assistant ran back and forth, helping the footballers to feel at ease and getting them to pull a bunch of fantastic poses: kicking the football, leaping in the air, even swinging off the scaffolding.
“Don’t you dare pull a muscle, Gallagher!” the England manager yelled as the defender jumped down onto the platform with a thump and a hearty laugh.
Josh pulled out his sketchpad and began to draw as fast as he could, trying to capture the best poses.
Takeshi and Jamie Elton began an epic, highly competitive game of keepy-uppy, with the photographer snapping away gleefully. In the end it was Takeshi who dropped the ball, earning playful jeers from his teammates and a great round of applause from everyone for both players. The only person not clapping was Kobayashi. Josh frowned. He found himself sketching the Minister, trying to capture his weird, uptight pose and the glint off his watch as he looked at it yet again. Underneath he scrawled the words, What is his problem? He showed the drawing to Jessica, who snigge
red.
“All right,” the photographer called. “Everyone in for a big group shot, please.”
Both teams crowded onto the platform. Josh settled down to shade one of his sketches, with half an eye on the players.
“What is he doing?” Jessica muttered.
“Who?” Josh asked. Jessica pointed to the platform. Kobayashi was now up there with the players, arranging them in position.
“Okay, big smiles...” the photographer called out. Josh glanced at Kobayashi as he backed away from the platform. Something had caught Josh’s eye – it was that watch again, gleaming in the sunlight as Kobayashi glanced at it. Then Josh saw his eyes flick up – way up, past the platform, up to the top of the half-constructed building. Josh looked up too.
Was that...something moving? Josh frowned.
Clang!
A dark object bounced into the air. At first it was just a black shape in the sky, but it fell fast, clattering off scaffold poles and splintering through wooden boards. Josh’s heart felt like it had frozen in his chest. It was a huge block of cement!
“Look out!” Jessica screamed, pointing upwards. Josh sprang out of his chair as if it was on fire.
“Move!” he shouted. “Now!”
Shini and the others glanced up, shock and fear welling up in their faces.
The photographer and assistant grabbed their cameras and ran back. There wasn’t time to do anything but dive out of the way.
Smash! The block crashed into a scaffold full of tools and sent them scattering.
It was still falling.
Josh felt as if cold water had been poured down the back of his neck – Shini was still on the platform.
I said I’d watch him. Now I’m going to watch him get squashed. He started forward, madly. Shini and Goro dived head first off the platform, just as the concrete block smashed into the centre of it with a great thud, splintering the surface.
Josh’s ears were still ringing as he ran forward and took Shini’s arm, helping him to his feet.
“Are you okay? Is everyone all right?” he asked. The players edged forward again, stunned, and crowded around the ruined platform. A cloud of brick dust and splinters blew away on the breeze and they brushed themselves down as they stared at the concrete block embedded in the wood where they’d just been standing.
“No injuries, I think,” Shini said. He let out a long, relieved sigh.
“Well, that was...” Josh began.
Twang! Clang!
He looked up. A pneumatic drill was ricocheting down the tower, twisting chaotically. It bounced off the scaffolding and scythed out into the air, its sharp metal edge glinting in the light, hurtling right towards the players.
The drill seemed to fall in slow motion, heavy, sharp...and deadly.
Jessica was grabbing players by the arms and dragging them out of the way, but they were moving too slowly – Josh had to do something, anything...
His eye fell on the concrete block. He gasped in a breath and leaped up, planting one foot on the block and using it to launch himself higher into the air. He brought up his foot as he flew, spinning at the last second and thrusting a flying kick at the drill. If he missed, it was all over.
The world seemed to slow down, and then he landed a kick on the side of the drill handle and it spun away, thudding harmlessly into the mud a couple of metres from the players. Josh hit the ground next to it and skidded.
He looked up to find Jessica and the players arranged in a circle around him, gazing down at Josh in amazement. Karl Clarke helped him to his feet.
“That was incredible,” Clarke said. “You just saved our lives!” Josh swallowed hard, then grinned as everyone swarmed forward to shake his hand.
“Both of you did,” Goro Sasaki said, bowing to Jessica and then scooping her up into a big hug. “If you hadn’t warned us we’d never have got out of the way in time!”
Josh looked around for Shini. He was fine, but standing by himself, staring up at the tower, his face pale. Josh was about to go over to him when one of the Japanese FA officials pushed past Josh and Jessica, waving his arms furiously.
Josh watched him stomp through the crowd to where the Minister for Social and Cultural Affairs was standing staring at the devastation, his face as white as the handkerchief pressed to his sweating forehead. The official reeled off a long stream of complaints in Japanese as he came face-to-face with Kobayashi.
Takeshi saw him watching the exchange.
“He’s saying he is...er...disappointed,” he translated diplomatically. “The site was supposed to have been checked, so accidents like this couldn’t happen. Kobayashi could get into a lot of trouble for this.”
“Thank goodness nobody was hurt!” said Jessica.
“But they could have been,” Josh said quietly. He glanced at the platform again, at the huge block of concrete still embedded in its splintered, wooden surface. He turned so that only Jessica could hear him. “That looks really heavy, doesn’t it? You’d have to give it a pretty hard shove if you wanted it to move – or fall.”
Jessica raised an eyebrow. “You don’t think...” she whispered, “...that maybe it wasn’t an accident?”
Josh chewed his lip. “I thought I saw something moving up there before it fell. I don’t know what it was, just a dark shape – it caught my eye and then it was gone.”
“Should we tell someone?” Jessica suggested. “After all, we were meant to be keeping an eye on Shini.”
“I dunno. I’ve got a bad feeling.” First the attack on the Hanzos’ restaurant, and now this... Could there be a connection? He shook his head. “It’s possible it was an accident. We need to know more. Let’s keep quiet for now. I think we should keep watch for anything else suspicious.”
Jessica nodded. “Right. Let’s go over what happened later, so my notes are totally accurate if it turns out to be important.”
When Josh looked around again the shoot was in disarray, the officials hurrying their players back to the team coaches.
“Where’s Shini?” Jessica said. “I was going to tell him we’d see him at the reception.” She frowned. “I know he wasn’t hurt, but I hope he’s okay...”
Josh looked round at the spot where Shini had been standing. “He must have got on the coach,” he said, watching the team bus pulling away and out of the gate.
As the coaches drove out, a large black car drove in. That must be the Minister’s ride, he thought. And there he goes. Looks like he can’t wait to get out of here.
Kobayashi was making a beeline for the car. He passed a blue jacket that had been left draped over the back of a chair and stopped, as if he might pick it up, but he was just bending down to tie his shoelace. He walked on and climbed into the car.
Obviously thinks he’s too important to deal with lost property, Josh thought.
Josh walked over to the jacket as the shiny black car drove back out through the gate. Jessica followed. He picked it up and showed it to her.
“I wonder who left this behind,” he said. “We should find someone to give it to.”
“Looks like a Team Japan jacket. If it’s one of the players’ we can give it back this evening,” Jessica pointed out. “Has it got a name?”
“Oh – it’s Shini’s.” Josh stared at the name sewn on the inside of the lapel. “He really must’ve been in a hurry.”
“Hey,” said Jessica, bending to pick something up. It was a piece of card. “This fell out. Could be a business card, or...” She turned it over, and her face froze. Josh felt a shiver pass over the back of his neck.
“What? Jess, what?” He took the card out of her hand. There was a single line of spidery writing on the other side. It read: Next time we won’t miss.
Jessica looked up at Josh, her eyes wide. “I guess that answers our question,” she gulped. “It wasn’t an accident.”
“Yeah,” Josh said. “And it has something to do with Shini.”
“So it must be connected to the Hanzos’ restaurant get
ting smashed up too,” Jessica said, almost to herself. “But why? What’s going on?”
“No idea.” Josh looked up as Granny’s car pulled into the construction site. “But I know who we need to go to next.”
Josh turned the piece of card over and over in his fingers as they rode the secret elevator from Granny’s flat, deep down into the hidden basement beneath the Sakura Apartments. He knew now that there was somebody after Shini – he only hoped Team Obaasan could help them figure out who, and why.
The whole team was waiting for them, relaxing in the soft leather chairs. Nana, the team’s surveillance expert, was serving steaming green tea from a stainless-steel and porcelain teapot. She balanced her own cup on the edge of the control panel, making tech-expert Mimasu wince. Mr. Nakamura, the ancient Team O medic, and Mr. Yamamoto were bent over a touch-screen pad, in the middle of a virtual game of Go, a traditional board game that looked a bit like solitaire. Josh smiled to himself – it reminded him of the OAP community centre his English grandparents visited sometimes, but with a lot more weapons and fewer floral-patterned sofas.
Mr. Yamamoto raised his cup in greeting as the twins walked in. “Ah Josh-kun, Jessica-chan. Mimi-san says you have a case for us.”
“We might have,” Josh said. Nana passed a cup to Granny, who blew on her hot tea before taking a sip. Josh took a deep breath. “We think something dangerous might be going on. Something to do with Shinichiro Hanzo.”
“The football player?” Mr. Nakamura asked, raising his bushy grey eyebrows.
“First – I think Granny told you – there was the attack on his parents’ restaurant last night,” Josh began. “It was like someone wanted to scare them, to damage the place but not actually hurt anyone. Then this morning someone nearly was hurt.” He described the “accident” at the photo shoot.
“Thank goodness you two were not harmed!” Sachiko gasped.
“Indeed,” said Granny. She was staring into the middle distance, her eyes unfocused for a moment. Was she imagining what she would’ve done if they had been hurt? How would she have explained it to their parents?