by Matt Lincoln
“She’s got it,” Junior declared as he ended the call. “Fiona’s sending me Goda’s address right now. Daichi, you said we could be in Kyoto in the next three hours, right?”
“That’s right,” Daichi nodded. “The bullet trains will be running until about nine in the evening. If everything goes well, we’ll make it there and back before the end of the day.”
“Let’s head there as soon as someone arrives to pick him up, then,” I replied as I nodded toward the shopkeeper. About ten minutes later, a police car pulled up to the street beside us, and we handed the suspect over to them. Daichi handled most of the communication since neither Junior nor I were proficient enough to speak to them at all. Just like during our last mission in Greece, I felt frustrated at not being able to communicate with others. People liked to throw around the statistic about English being the most widely spoken language in the world, but as soon as I began traveling to different countries, I realized how misleading that claim was. I wondered if maybe I should try to learn another language, but even Junior, who had actually spent time trying to learn Japanese, was having difficulty speaking with anyone.
“Okay, that settles that then,” Daichi stated as the police car drove off. “Now we need to head to the station and get some tickets. Are you both ready?”
“Let me just call Fiona again,” Junior responded as he retrieved his phone from his bag. “I just want to make sure she’ll be okay staying here on her own. Kyoto is a three-hour train ride away. We won’t be able to help if something happens.”
“That reminds me,” Daichi began as he reached into his pocket before pulling out a phone. “This is yours, Agent Hills. I was still holding it when you ran out of the building to chase after the shopkeeper.”
“Oh, thanks,” I smiled sheepishly as I took the phone from him. “I didn’t even realize I didn’t have it on me.”
“Okay, everything’s good,” Junior smiled as he returned. “She’s just going to stay in the hotel until we get back. She said to bring her some dinner since we’re not letting her go out.”
“Yeah, well, it’s for her own safety,” I responded as we made our way toward the train station. “Nelson made sure to keep her information off all our flight and hotel records so no one should even know that she’s here. Still though, until we catch whoever is after her, we can’t be too careful.”
18
Junior
“Oh… and you guys are going right now?” Fiona asked. I’d just finished telling her about our plans to head to Kyoto right away and about how she’d have to stay here in Shinjuku by herself.
“Yes, I don’t want to waste any time,” I replied. “We could stop by the hotel to pick you up first. If you’d feel safer with all of us together, I mean.” The speaker was so quiet that for a moment, I wasn’t sure if the call had disconnected.
“No, it’s okay,” Fiona assured me steadily after a few beats of silence. “I’ll be fine. As I said this morning, I have everything I need here, and I have my gun if anything goes wrong. Fingers crossed that nothing does, but I’m a big girl. I can handle being by myself for a day.”
“Are you sure?” I asked. I didn’t want it to sound like I didn’t think she could take care of herself, but this was Fiona’s first-ever field mission. Anyone in her position would be nervous at being left alone.
“I’m sure,” she replied. “And besides, it’ll be safer for everyone else involved. If I go, I’ll just get in your way. If I just stay put right here, nothing is going to happen. So don’t worry about me and just go catch this guy, okay? Oh, and you guys better bring me something to eat when you get back. If I have to survive for the rest of the day on whatever I find lying around the hotel room, you need to make it up to me!”
“Got it,” I confirmed, feeling equal parts relieved and worried. I was happy that Fiona felt confident enough in herself to not panic over our departure, but still worried that something would go wrong the moment we left. Regardless, I had a job to do, so I ended the call and rejoined Charlie and Daichi.
“Okay, everything’s good,” I announced. “She’s just going to stay in the hotel until we get back. She said to bring her some dinner since we’re not letting her go out.”
“Yeah, well, it’s for her own safety,” Charlie grumbled. He was right. Even though no one should know her current whereabouts, we still needed to remain vigilant.
The train station that Daichi led us to was much larger than the one we’d gotten off at this morning. The station itself was basically a mall, with hundreds of stores, businesses, and restaurants sitting above the underground train tunnels.
“The area for the bullet trains is this way,” Daichi called as he led us through the densely packed building. Unlike the subways, which traveled underground, the bullet trains sped through and above the city on tracks that sat high above the ground.
“It looks like the next train to Kyoto leaves in about thirty minutes,” Daichi informed us after we’d acquired our tickets and entered the loading platform. We sat on a set of nearby benches while we waited for our train. Every few minutes, a train would whizz by so quickly that anything not held down would whip around furiously or flutter away. At one point, I saw a man in a suit lose his grip on the newspaper he was holding, and the pages scattered out all across the platform.
I tried to hide my amused smile as I watched the papers dance through the air. As I did, I noticed a man at the other end of the station staring not at the businessman as he attempted to retrieve the pieces of his newspaper but directly at me. A second later, one page obscured my vision, and when I stood to get a better look, the man had vanished.
“Everything okay?” Charlie asked.
“I thought I saw someone watching me,” I muttered distractedly as I scanned the crowd. People were filtering in and out of the platform constantly, and I couldn’t spot the man I thought I’d seen.
“Where?” Charlie asked. His voice was calm but not dismissive.
“At the end of the station,” I muttered before sitting back down slowly. “I might have imagined it, though. Mind playing tricks, maybe.”
“Do you really think that?” Charlie asked.
“I don’t know,” I admitted honestly. “I thought I saw someone looking at me, but a second later, he had completely vanished. Maybe he wasn’t even looking at me. Even if he was, there’s any number of explanations for it.”
“It’s not that uncommon for foreigners to get stared at,” Daichi shrugged. “Especially when they have blond hair as you do. That’s really unusual to see in Japan. He might have just been staring at you because you stand out.”
That was true. Even during my own research back when we were still investigating the Chicago Jane Doe case, I’d learned that the majority of Japan’s population was native Japanese. Looking around the station again, I noticed that I was the only person in the entire area with light-colored hair and eyes. Even Charlie had dark brown hair, so he wouldn’t stand out as much as I would.
“You’re probably right,” I agreed, but even as I said it, I found that I didn’t really believe the words. “I’m going to go grab something to drink for the train ride. I’ll be right back.”
“Don’t take too long,” Daichi warned as I stood up. “The train’s supposed to be here in about ten minutes.” I nodded as I walked toward the end of the platform where a row of vending machines sat lined against a wall. I used a translating app on my phone to try to decipher what the labels said and ultimately settled on some flavored water and a round pastry with a creamy red filling. Both were sweet and fruity, and after trying a bit of each one, I decided to stow them in my bag for later. I’d probably get thirsty or hungry in the three hours we’d be sitting on the train.
I pulled out my phone and deliberated on whether I should call Fiona and tell her about the man I thought I’d seen. If it really had just been my imagination, I didn’t want to worry her. Then again, it was probably better to err on the side of caution. After considering it for a
minute, I called her.
“Hello, Junior?” Fiona asked as if she wasn’t sure if it was me.
“Yeah. Hey, Fiona,” I greeted, taking a look around to make sure there wasn’t anyone else in earshot.
“You scared me,” she audibly sighed through the phone. “I assumed something had gone wrong if you were calling me so soon after we just spoke. Wait, has something gone wrong?”
“No, well, I’m not sure,” I frowned. “I thought I saw someone watching us a little earlier. But then I blinked, and he had gone. I might have just been imagining it, but I wanted to call and let you know, anyway.” Now that I was actually saying it out loud, I started to feel kind of stupid. Exactly what was she supposed to do with this information? She was already planning on staying in the hotel room even before I’d called her. All I’d likely just done was put her on edge.
“Look, it was probably nothing, so forget I even called,” I assured her.
“No, you were right to inform me,” Fiona insisted, and to my surprise, she didn’t sound scared or upset. “I know you’re just trying to look out for me. Thank you for calling to let me know.”
“No problem,” I replied, feeling a little lost for words. I hadn’t expected her to be grateful for the warning. Of course, I was going to look out for my teammates. “But seriously, I probably was just imagining it. Don’t let this freak you out or anything.”
“I won’t,” Fiona responded, and I was certain I could hear her smile through the phone.
“Hey, Junior!” I looked up to see Charlie flagging me down. “The train’s coming! Hurry it up!”
“I’ve gotta go,” I spoke into the phone. “I’ll call you if I have anything else to tell you.”
“I’ll be here,” Fiona replied, and with that, I ended the call.
I raced back to where Charlie and Daichi were standing just as the train slowed to a stop with an airy, high-pitched whine. As we boarded, I took one last look around the station but didn’t see anyone who resembled the man I’d seen a few minutes earlier. I decided I must just be paranoid after everything that had happened and brushed off any uncertainty I had left that I hadn’t just imagined the entire ordeal.
19
Naomi
I glanced up from the mirror I was using to retouch my lipstick. Otsuka was sitting across from me in the interrogation room of the small police office he’d been brought to after being arrested. Wallace was working on having him transferred over to a Las Vegas jail, but there was no reason I couldn’t interrogate him now. Even though his face was stoically set, I could tell by the tense muscles in his neck and the way his ears and temples were turning red that he was fuming.
Men like Otsuka were easy to figure out. They looked down on women, so the easiest way to worm under their skin was for a woman to flaunt power and authority over them. I had a suspicion that sitting here and ignoring him would be the quickest way to make him angry, and I was right.
“Mr. Otsuka,” I began finally, setting my mirror into my bag and turning to look at him. “Can you tell me where you were two nights ago?”
“I was at home with my girlfriend,” he spat, curling his lip into a hateful snarl as he did. “You can ask her.”
“Oh, but I already did,” I replied. “And that’s not what she said. No, she told me that you and a friend of yours took her car and went on a little joyride to Las Vegas. Now, why would she say that, Mr. Otsuka?”
“That bitch!” The man roared as he slammed his hands on the table. “I’ll kill her!”
“You? Kill her?” I asked, smiling sardonically at him. “I think not, Mr. Otsuka. You couldn’t even manage to kill Agent Gardner, now, could you? And that was after setting her house on fire. To be quite honest, Mr. Otsuka, I truly doubt that you’re capable of killing anyone.”
He growled and lunged at me over the table. I moved to the side smoothly before grabbing him by the back of the neck and pinning him to the table.
“You should mind your temper,” I said darkly to him, leaning close to murmur in his ear. “You don’t have a chance in hell against me in a physical fight, and I am eagerly awaiting any reason you might give me to prove that to you.” A second later, the door burst open, and two police officers stepped in.
“Nothing to worry about, officers,” I smiled as I hauled Otsuka back up before depositing him into his chair. “He was just getting a little rambunctious. I’ll call you back in if I need anything.” I gave them a smile that was equal parts charming and threatening.
“We’ll be right out here, ma’am,” the first officer said before nodding and closing the door behind him.
“Now, shall we try again?” I asked Otsuka in a mockingly sweet voice. “Where were you two nights ago?” He just scoffed before turning away from me.
“Sulking like a child isn’t going to get you anywhere.” I chided, and I noted with pleasure that he tensed at being talked down to. “You know, assaulting a federal agent is a very serious offense. And right now, everything is pointing at you as the one that planted the bomb as well.” I watched him closely for a reaction to my words. He started sweating and glancing around nervously as soon as I mentioned the bomb. Realizing that I must have struck a nerve, I decided to follow that thread.
“Do you understand the gravity of what you’ve done?” I asked. “This wasn’t just an assault. You bombed a government agency. This was an act of terrorism.” In reality, Wallace had gone out of his way to make sure that the attack on our office was kept as quiet as possible. As a result, it most likely wouldn’t be investigated as a terrorist threat, but Otsuka didn’t need to know what. “Do you know what happens to terrorists in this country, Mr. Otsuka?”
“I’ll talk to you,” he suddenly gritted out, breathing heavily as if he’d just been underwater and had come up for air. “But you need to help me. If they find out that I talked to the feds, they will kill me.”
“Who will kill you?” I asked. Now we were getting somewhere.
“The people who hired me to bomb that place and to attack that woman,” he replied.
“Agent Gardner,” I corrected him.
“Yeah, her, whatever,” Otsuka barked angrily.
I wanted to throttle him for speaking so dismissively about the woman he’d tried to murder twice, but I kept my composure.
“They will kill me,” he insisted. “They might already be planning to if they’ve found out I’ve been arrested. But I didn’t build that bomb, I swear.”
“No, you just delivered it to us,” I corrected, narrowing my eyes at him.
“What do you want me to say? That I’m sorry?” The man asked. He began to rock back and forth and laugh nervously. “It doesn’t even matter anymore. I’m as good as dead.”
“We can arrange protection for you,” I said as I watched him. He was growing more hysterical every second, and he didn’t seem like he was faking it.
“You don’t understand,” he insisted, shaking his head at me. “You don’t get how powerful these people are.”
“Then help me to understand so that I can stop them,” I said calmly, looking him right in the eyes. “Tell me why they wanted to kill Agent Gardner.”
“I don’t know,” he griped. “It’s not my job to ask questions. I just go where they tell me to go, do what they tell me to do.”
“And what do you get in return?” I asked. Otsuka shrugged.
“Money, usually,” he shrugged, staring blankly down at the table separating us. “It’s not about that, though. Not anymore. I have to do what they say because if I don’t, they’ll kill me. That’s how it works with this group. You do what you’re told, or you’re dead.”
“And who’s the leader of this organization?” I asked.
Otsuka shrugged again.
“I’ve never met him,” he responded, lacing and unlacing his fingers. “We normally contact each other through a message board. He’s called a few times, but always from scrambled numbers, and he only does that if he needs something urgently, like
when he wanted me to take that bomb to your office.”
I’d have to make sure to retrieve the phone then. Fiona wasn’t here to go through it, but I was sure we’d figure something out.
“Okay, so who was the man driving the car the night you attacked Agent Gardner?” I asked.
“No idea,” Otsuka shrugged. His indifference was really beginning to irritate me. “He just showed up and said the boss needed me to go kill that lady since, apparently, the bomb didn’t work. He told me to use my girlfriend’s car just in case someone saw us.”
“And you were alright with framing her?” I asked.
Otsuka looked at me with a cynical expression.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” He asked. “I’d rather she go to jail than me. Anyway, he disappeared as soon as we left that lady’s house. About a mile down the road, he suddenly stopped the car and jumped out. Then he just walked away on foot, leaving me to deal with the aftermath on my own.” That was certainly strange. It meant that he was either local or had someone in the area who could help him escape.
“What else can you tell me about the group?” I asked.
“All I know is that they’re based in Shinjuku,” he huffed. “And that they deal in a lot of illegal stuff. Drugs, guns, women, all that stuff.”
I grit my teeth at the casual way he spoke about women as if they were just merchandise. I wanted to rebuke him on it, but I was finally getting information out of him.
“Oh,” he added, “and that they have guys like me posting around the United States. Any time they need something done here, they’ll call one of us.”
“Do you know their identities or locations?” I asked although I suspected that even if he did know, he wouldn’t tell me.