A Whisper of Leaves

by Ashley Capes

  A Whisper of Leaves

  Ashley Capes

  A Whisper of Leaves

  Copyright © 2015 by Ashley Capes

  Cover: www.vividcovers.com

  Layout and Typset: Close-Up Books & David Schembri Studios

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval without permission in writing from the author.

  ISBN-13: 978-0-9925537-3-9

  www.ashleycapes.com

  Published by Close-Up Books

  Melbourne, Australia

  1.

  Riko unclenched her fist when the plastic of her phone cover creaked.

  “Damn it.”

  She dropped it on the empty passenger seat and took a breath. Relax, idiot. Smart phones aren’t cheap. She gripped the steering wheel of her little Toyota instead; was he ever coming out?

  Parked beneath the shade of a pine tree in one of Fuji-Yoshida’s better neighbourhoods, it probably looked like she was on a stake out – the family who’d circled the block in the afternoon sun had certainly given her an odd look.

  But she didn’t have a choice; her job was at stake, maybe more.

  And the man who held everything in his palm was doing his best to stay out of sight. Ikeda’s compound – the residence was more than merely ‘fenced’ – had cameras, intercoms and a massive gate that remained closed to visitors. He had to leave sometime. Or return, if he was out. And she’d waited hours – she wasn’t going anywhere, especially after nearly getting lost finding the place.

  What would she even say? He’d be angry. And he wouldn’t believe her. Why would he? Her word against that of his son. She was a fool for trying.

  Riko jumped when her phone rang. She grabbed it.

  Dad.

  “No way.” Not now. She jammed the mute button down and tossed the phone back onto the seat. Even if she could talk, he wasn’t going to say anything she hadn’t heard a thousand times before. Worse than a broken record – he was like some awful, auditory tattoo.

  A black Lexus, sleek as a gymnast, pulled into the driveway. Riko jumped out of the Toyota and dashed across the road, slipping between Lexus and gate. The driver, a man in a dark hat and suit, hit the horn and inched the car forward.

  Riko stood her ground. “I need to speak to Ikeda-sama.”

  The driver pulled on the handbrake before winding the window down. “What are you doing?” he called.

  “I need to speak to Ikeda-sama. It’s important.”

  He stepped out of the car, leaving it running. “He doesn’t take visitors. Best if you get out of the way, young lady.”

  “Please.”

  He shook his head, then looked over his shoulder. “Shachō?”

  A back door opened and a short man exited. Of an age with her father, his hair matched the jet black frames of his glasses. A blue tie sat bright against the grey of his suit. “Konda? What is this?”

  “This lady here wants to talk to you. She won’t move, I’m sorry.”

  Riko gave a bow. “Ikeda-sama. I wanted to speak to you about your son.”

  The man’s expression morphed from annoyance to suspicion. His narrowed eyes tracked her as she stepped closer. Konda too, kept a close watch.

  “How does this regard Yuuki?” Ikeda’s posture would have brought a coat rack to tears.

  “I taught at –”

  “Enough.” He held up a hand. “You are Riko-san?”

  “Yes. And I came to swear to you that I never acted in an inappropriate manner with Yuuki.”

  Konda whistled, but looked down when Ikeda glared at him. To Riko, Ikeda said, “This is a poor apology.”

  “It must be hard to believe, but I’m telling the truth. Maybe the pressure on him was –”

  He shook his head. “You do not hail from Japan originally, do you? I hear a slight accent. English? No, Australian perhaps?”

  She frowned. “My parents are from Hokaido, but they moved to Melbourne before I was born.”

  He nodded, showing no pleasure at his guesswork, skilful as it was. “Then you are here on a work permit.”

  “Yes, but that doesn’t have anything to do with what happened.”

  He smiled. “Do you think so? My son is not a liar. Should you wish to remain here in Fuji-Yoshida, in Japan for that matter, you will keep away from my family and my home.”

  Remain in Japan? Could he actually get her deported? “But –”

  “Understand, Riko-san, that I will not have this disgrace fall upon the Ikeda name. Consider yourself fortunate that you were only dismissed.”

  “That’s not –”

  Ikeda pointed at her. “Not another word.” He climbed back into the Lexus and snapped an order. The gates rattled open and Konda returned to the driver’s seat, giving her a look. A warning? Part sympathy – it was so fleeting she couldn’t be sure.

  Riko stepped aside and the car lurched forward.

  And that was that.

  2.

  Riko paused on the forest trail, the ache in her calves and the sweat trickling down her back signs enough. She dumped her pack on dark leaves and unzipped her jumper, which helped a little. She turned a slow circle, breathing deep. A whole year teaching English in Fuji-Yoshida and she was only now setting foot inside the national park, only now coming close to Mt Fuji. Not that the mountain was visible through the tangle of trees yet. Green limbs, green leaves, green everywhere, and the earthy rot of leaves underfoot. But nice. On a fallen log the moss was soft beneath her fingertips and gentle light fought through the canopy, even the stick she carried was perfect for hiking.

  “I’m glad you thought of this, Kiyomi.”

  Her friend grinned, shrugging her way out of a powder-blue coat. Her short hair was damp with sweat at her temples and neck. “Me too. It’s just so hot, even in here.”

  “You’re doing better than me.” Riko smiled back. “It’s good to get my mind off work too.” Her smile faded. “And if I still had a job, that’d mean something.”

  “I still think the school is wrong to punish you. You didn’t do anything.”

  “It’s his word against mine.”

  “It’s still not fair.”

  Riko shrugged. “How far to Saiko?”

  “Not far.” She grinned. “Just how unfit are you?”

  “Yeah?” Riko bent and scooped a clump of dirt, throwing it at Kiyomi, who ducked as she laughed.

  They’d already been hiking for hours and her legs and back were weary – a good weariness, but a little rest wouldn’t hurt. She took a drink from her backpack and tipped it back, cool water soothing her throat. Sweat slicked the back of her neck; she’d tied her hair up into a pony tail but it didn’t make much difference, even in the cool beneath the trees.

  “How come Daisuke couldn’t come?”

  “He’s with his parents but he promised to visit tonight,” Kiyomi said, putting her own water away. “Ready?”

  “Yep.”

  Kiyomi set off again, the scrape of her feet loud. There was so little sound in the forest – no animals, no wind. The trees were just so dense; almost oppressive – as if the rest of the world had slipped away beyond the green.

  “Know any short cuts?” Riko asked.

  Kiyomi laughed. “No, not really.”

  “Then let’s find one, I’m getting hungry. What direction’s the lake? You said it was close.” Riko hopped off the trail, climbing an uneven mound of broken ground where an old tree had woven its roots aro
und cracks of volcanic rock.

  “Riko, no!”

  She spun. “What?”

  “Come back.” Kiyomi gestured, almost frantic.

  Riko climbed down. “Kiyomi?”

  “You shouldn’t leave the path.”

  “Why not? Geeze, are we in a horror movie?”

  “No, seriously. You might find something you won’t like.”

  “Oh. You mean, because of the suicides?” Riko glanced at the pale trunks; how many bodies would the rangers find this year? Last year it’d been over sixty. “No-one really talks about it much.”

  She nodded, lowering her voice. “Sometimes hikers find things like photos or notes or empty pill casings. Daisuke found a body once.”

  “That’s crazy.” Riko shivered. Sunlight still slipped through the leaves but the shadows seemed thicker now. Deeper. And over there, between a mossy stump and another fissure in the ground...was that something moving? Stupid. Probably just an animal – except she hadn’t seen any all morning. Not even a bird.

  “Well, I doubt we’ll see anything.” Kiyomi said. “It’s supposed to be deeper in that you see those things. And not close to the lake like we are.” She laughed, though to Riko it sounded a little forced. “Daisuke thinks Aokigahara’s haunted and that older spirits are supposed to be here too. Unhappy ones.”

  “But you don’t?”

  She shrugged. “I guess not. But it’s easy to get lost if you leave the trail and I don’t want to see a dead body.”

  “Let’s keep to the path then.”

  The trail crested a long hill. Damp leaves coated the sharp slope on the other side, and she slid halfway down, hands grasping for purchase as her rear bumped and scraped the earth. Kiyomi slid too, but handled it better. Riko’s sweat chilled at the bottom of the slope, the sun failing to penetrate leaves in the hollow. Kiyomi picked up the pace and within moments, the trees thinned. A marker appeared, standing in weathered blue. Close to the lake now. Light reflected in the distance, flashing between twisted trunks.

  “I can see the water.”

  “Good, I’m a little hungry myself.” Kiyomi’s relief had a strained edge. Riko couldn’t blame her friend; her own voice was probably the same. Something about the forest, when the sun snuck behind a cloud...

  The walking trail exited the trees above a large open area dotted with tables and benches. The grass was cut close; the water’s edge a brilliant deep blue. Across the lake, clear of snow, loomed Mt Fuji – a dark purple giant. Almost glorious, the way it hogged the skyline, seemingly unconcerned with everything below it. Even its reflection in the silken surface of the lake was proud.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

  Riko nodded. There was a new stillness, just looking at it – how close, yet how distant its peak. She should climb it one day, even if she wasn’t that fit.

  “Let’s eat.” Kiyomi strode to one of the tables and unpacked lunch. “I’m surprised no-one is here.” Riko sat across the table and accepted an obento package, digging in to the rice ball. The sun warmed her back and she stared at Fuji’s reflection as she chewed.

  “So what are you going to do now?” Kiyomi asked around a mouthful.

  “Stay away from Ikeda-san, for a start.” Riko said.

  “What?” Kiyomi paused, food halfway to her mouth. “You never mentioned that.”

  “I went to his house yesterday. I had to try something.”

  “What happened?”

  “He was ready to pounce on my visa. Said his son wasn’t a liar and told me never to come back, or he’d make sure I’d be going home. He sounded like he meant it.”

  “He did. Don’t go there again. He’s a powerful man, Riko.”

  “Yes, Mum.”

  Kiyomi frowned. “I mean it, Riko. I’m worried. He knows everyone.”

  “Don’t be worried. I’ve got three months to find something. I can always offer private lessons for a while.” Her contract with Yamanashi Language Centre forbade taking private students, but that didn’t matter now. Still, she couldn’t stop a sigh. Private tutoring wouldn’t amount to much. Her position at the Centre hadn’t been too bad – she taught mostly professional adults and senior high schoolers looking for extension work, people who actually wanted to learn. Mostly anyway. Some of the men were a little...forward and she’d had to put a stop to that. But the work had been enough to support herself.

  And now, with spring break soon to be over, she’d be going back to nothing, instead of a secure job.

  “Can you try another branch? Travel to work?”

  She shook her head. “Fujita-san isn’t just director of the local centre, he runs the whole network.”

  “Typical. I could try get you a few shifts at Uni. The library’s giving the PhD students as much work as they can take lately.”

  “That might help, thanks.” She lowered a kiwi-half and spoon. “I might have to ring Mum and borrow some money.”

  Kiyomi raised an eyebrow. “Do you really want to do that?”

  “No. And if Dad found out, he’d jump on a plane and drag me back to Australia. It’d be all the proof he needed that I can’t take care of myself.”

  She placed a hand over Riko’s. “I wouldn’t let that happen.”

  Riko made to thank her but stopped. The scent of wood smoke drifted through the trees. “Can you smell that?”

  “What?”

  She stood. “Smoke.”

  Kiyomi followed. “Over there.” She pointed to the tree line, to the right of where they’d entered the clearing. A faint smudge hung in the treetops until the soft breeze did away with it. Riko headed for the forest.

  “Wait.”

  “It could be a fire.” Ducking into the shade, Riko followed a narrow path until she lost the scent of smoke. She backtracked and found Kiyomi looking around the trail. Riko pointed. “There. It’s deeper. Off the path.”

  Kiyomi crossed her arms. “Bad idea.”

  “Shouldn’t we put it out if it’s a campfire?”

  “Maybe, but we could get lost.”

  “We just have to mark out a trail, right? Like you told me?”

  Kiyomi threw up her hands. “All right, very clever. Wait a minute.” She dug into her bag and drew out a pocket knife. She cut an ‘x’ into the bark. “I shouldn’t be doing this. It’s a National Park.”

  “No-one will know.” Riko climbed over a moss-covered log, tracking the scent of smoke. She detoured deep fissures in the ground, pausing only for Kiyomi to slash another marker or two.

  Through the trees she saw no smoke, but the scent remained.

  Kiyomi slowed. “We should have found the fire by now.”

  Riko paused. Kiyomi was right. Smoke wouldn’t have reached the clearing at all, if it wasn’t thicker here, deeper into the trees. “Maybe we should turn back?”

  Kiyomi smiled. “I thought you wanted to put out the fire?”

  “I can still smell it. It’s stronger.” She tossed her stick into the undergrowth. “But there’s nothing here.”

  “There.” Kiyomi clambered across a mess of tree roots. Riko leant over. Beyond a broad tree trunk a small orange blaze burned clean. It was a pile of leaves, resting beneath an oak. What little smoke rose from the pile was caught by the canopy, branches spreading wide.

  Riko crept forward, Kiyomi at her side.

  The ground around the fire had been raked. Not a single stray leaf rested on the forest floor. Closest to the trunk lay thick loam, it too, neat.

  “There’s no-one here,” Riko whispered. “Should we go closer?”

  “This is weird.”

  Footsteps swished through grass. A tall man strode into view, steel rake in hand. His clothes were faded but hardly shabby, and his white hair grew in a firm wave. He stood over the blaze. Were his eyes moist?

  “What’s he doing?�
� Kiyomi said as she crouched. “Is he some sort of ranger?” Her eyes were wide.

  “I don’t know. Maybe we should go.”

  Riko turned, choosing each step carefully and trying to use the broad tree as a screen. She cast frequent glances over her shoulder. Kiyomi duplicated her steps and Riko held her breath until they put some distance between them and the odd man. Then she quickened her stride, moving from mark to mark until she tripped.

  Riko broke her fall with both hands, scraping the loam as she hit. A spider slipped from a curled leaf and she flinched back with a cry.

  Kiyomi put a hand on her shoulder. “Are you all right? What is it?”

  “I’m okay, yeah. Just a spider.” She sat up, wiping her hands with a shiver. “I hope he didn’t hear anything.”

  “He seemed lost in his own world.”

  Riko pushed to her knees and stopped. Something rectangular poked from where she’d torn into the ground. She brushed leaves and dirt aside, giving the spider a frown as it scurried away.

  A book. Bound in leather, its pages yellowed, stained and mostly stuck together. How long had it been buried on the forest floor?

  “Look at this.” She held it up.

  Kiyomi took it, turning it over in her hands. “Wow. I’m surprised it’s still in one piece. It looks old. Even without the grime.”

  Riko accepted the book when Kiyomi held it out. “Should I leave it?”

  “I would.”

  “Do you think it’s...you know?”

  She frowned. “No way to know. You should leave it.”

  But she didn’t want to just put it back beneath the earth to rot away. It looked like a journal. A fascinating story could lurk inside. And what were the chances of her tripping at exactly the right point to uncover it? No. It had to come home.

  “I think I’ll take it.”

  “If you say so.”

  “No-one’s going to miss it, are they?”

  Kiyomi shrugged, then held out her hand. She pulled Riko up. “Let’s just get out of here, all right? That old guy was strange, burning leaves out in the middle of no-where.”