“Nothing, for now.” Max said matter-of-factly. “Exposing it would get us all killed. We simply need to wait a while longer. But we will tell the world what really happened. I guarantee it.”
“You think we could open a few crates?” Jeff asked.
“No.” I am the new guardian.
Behind them, emanating from the television, Prince Takeda’s regal voice echoed in the cavern.
Rising to twenty-eight thousand feet, the Learjet 40XR soared on its flight path over the Pacific Ocean. Toshi motioned to the copilot to take over as he exited the cockpit and moved back into the main cabin.
“Everyone comfortable?”
Max nodded but saw that Tomoko was simply staring out the window. Silver-gray clouds floated overhead, while pure white clouds below made the reflected sunlight appear to be glowing upward from beneath the aircraft. She appeared lost in thought.
They were seated in high-backed leather chairs that faced each other, two on each side of the aisle. Toshi took the fourth empty space across from Jeff. He leaned over and tapped Tomoko on the knee. “Daijobu?”
“I’m fine.” She turned her head and smiled. “I was just thinking.”
“About what?”
Her face grew a guilty mask as she looked at the three men staring back at her. “Well, when we went to Prince Takeda’s bunker today, I took the diaries . . . ”
Max sat straight up. “You told me you’d found a place for them in the cabinets.”
“I did, and I also watched the prince’s video to the end. He told where to find a book that explained the file organization. There was a space already reserved for the diaries. It was a metal box and—”
The three men spoke simultaneously. “And?”
Tomoko retrieved her purse lying on the floor next to her seat. Her cheeks flushed red. She unzipped the bag and removed what looked like a tan piece of cloth. Reaching across the aisle, she handed it to Toshi, who immediately unfolded it on the tabletop next to him. They all gathered around, staring down at the faded lines of mountains, rivers, and strange symbols.
Max couldn’t contain himself, finally blurting out what he was sure everyone was thinking. “Is this really it? The 176th map?”
“I think so!” Tomoko gripped his arm, her voice pulsing with excitement. “It was in the box.”
The cabin erupted in a chorus of shouting and laughter, causing the startled copilot to rush stumbling from the cockpit, a look of surprise and fear etched on his face.
Jeff held up a waving hand. “Daijobu! Don’t worry. Everything is fine.”
Toshi echoed the reassurance before dropping back into his seat. He rubbed the hair on his chin while staring out the window. Finally, he turned and looked directly at Max with a mischievous spark in his eyes. “Shall we make a detour to the Philippines? Do a little treasure-hunting?”
For a moment the air in the cabin hung still, unmoving; each person eyed the others’ reactions. The only evident noise was the powerful sound of the humming engines. Then Tomoko broke the silence with a veiled phrase. “Trunk-u hitotsu dake de.”
“Romantic Airplane”—it was their song, and the message being conveyed was clear.
Max squeezed Tomoko’s hand before leaning over to kiss her. “Interesting idea, Toshi, but for now, there’ll be no detour. We need to stay on our present course.”
Richard Goodfellow spent two years teaching English in Japan in the early 1990s. A software engineer and self-described road warrior, he penned the majority of Collector of Secrets on airplanes and in small towns throughout Oregon, Texas, Florida, and everywhere in between. After completion of the novel’s first draft, he returned to Japan for a month of further travel to lay fresh eyes on the locations of the novel, almost every one of which is real.
The following is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in an entirely fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2015 by Richard Goodfellow
Cover and jacket design by 2Faced Design
Interior designed and formatted by:
www.emtippettsbookdesigns.com
ISBN 978-1-940610-45-0
First hardcover publication: August 2015
1201 Hudson Street
Hoboken, NJ 07030
www.PolisBooks.com
Table of Contents
Title Page
About Collector of Secrets
POEM
Prologue - 1945 – Luzon, the Philippines
CHAPTER 1 – Thursday, April 19, 2007
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7 – Friday, April 20
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10 – Saturday, April 21
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14 – Sunday, April 22
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18 – Monday, April 23
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26 – Tuesday, April 24
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34 – Wednesday, April 25
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 39
CHAPTER 40
CHAPTER 41
CHAPTER 42 – Thursday, April 26
CHAPTER 43
CHAPTER 44
CHAPTER 45
CHAPTER 46
CHAPTER 47
CHAPTER 48 – Friday, April 27
CHAPTER 49
CHAPTER 50
CHAPTER 51
CHAPTER 52
CHAPTER 53
CHAPTER 54 – Saturday, April 28
CHAPTER 55
CHAPTER 56
CHAPTER 57
CHAPTER 58
CHAPTER 59
CHAPTER 60
CHAPTER 61 – Sunday, April 29
CHAPTER 62
CHAPTER 63
CHAPTER 64
CHAPTER 65
CHAPTER 66
CHAPTER 67
CHAPTER 68
CHAPTER 69
CHAPTER 70
CHAPTER 71 – Monday, April 30
CHAPTER 72
CHAPTER 73
CHAPTER 74
CHAPTER 75
CHAPTER 76
CHAPTER 77
CHAPTER 78
CHAPTER 79
CHAPTER 80
CHAPTER 81 – Tuesday, May 1
CHAPTER 82
CHAPTER 83
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright Notice
Collector of Secrets Page 36