The bathroom was horrible. It smelled of shit and urine with a pungent miasma of semen and sweat and probably hadn’t been cleaned in a year or more.

There was a curtain between the toilet and the sink area. Tom pulled it across so he could do his business in private.

Tom then put a large amount of toilet paper on the seat before he sat down on it. He was urinating a few seconds later.

“So you had surgery already?” The woman asked.

Synopsis- An attempt on Hiromi Sato’s life is only the first sign that Operation Swan Song is beginning to unravel.

I also want to thank Puddintane for her constant help with this story. She just doesn't do editing for me but provides alot of creative input. DHCF wouldn't be half as good without this help I receive. I also need to thank Lindabeth for her help with this story chapter.

 

~*~
 
Tom felt both mentally and physically exhausted as he drove home. The audit, when combined with all the Swan Song goings on, had severely taxed his mind. Right then the night time drive back to Negishi Bay looked as if it would drain the rest of his mental energy.

‘The first thing I will do at the apartment is soak myself in a warm tub,’ Tom told himself as Kimo worked on the Fairlady’s GPS unit.
 

~*~
 
Keitaro Katsu checked his watch. The time was 12:10 and he was worried about whether the intelligence the Inagawa-kai had paid dearly for was accurate. What if this was a set-up?

Just then, Keitaro saw a Fairlady approaching and said, “That car…..it may be the right one!” He turned toward Korin and hissed, “Are you ready, Korin-san?”

“Hai! I am very ready.”

Keitaro spoke into the almost invisible micro headset he was wearing. “Akihisa-san, I think it is time.”
 

~*~
 
Akihisa, who was one street over from Keitaro and Korin, started the engine of his Datsun. As soon as the three other members of the hit team arrived, he was ready to take off at high speed.
 
~*~
 
Just a little farther down the alleyway from Korin and Keitaro, the fourth member of the assassination team, Shizue Takeshita, took up his position, ready to play his part in the daring escape plan Akihisa Uno had made for the hit on Hiromi Sato.
 
~*~
 
Ana was seriously sick of Japan and the people she was working for. As soon as some other work became available for her, she would jump the sinking ship known as the Watanabe Yakuza. In Ana’s opinion, that particular branch of the Yakuza didn’t have much of a future. She downshifted to slow down, causing Yuri, her bodyguard, to turn toward her.

He said, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Just a traffic light.”
 

~*~
 
“Shit!” Tom exclaimed.

“Is something wrong, Boss?”

“Nothing except that we’re going to hit another traffic light,” An exhausted Tom said. It was just his luck. The night he really wanted to get home fast had him repeatedly stopping and going.
 

~*~
 
When the traffic light turned green, the Fairlady proceeded forward again. The road had very little traffic on it. With luck the drive back to Negishi Bay would take just another thirty minutes or so.

A man dressed in the uniform of a policeman stepped into the road. He began motioning for the Fairlady to pull over.

“A sobriety checkpoint. Why does it have to happen to me?”

“Just pull over like the officer is telling you to.”
 

~*~
 
Keitaro watched as the Fairlady pulled over to the curb. A single car went by in the opposite direction.

When the car was at a full stop but with its engine still running, the driver’s side window began to go down. Keitaro could see that a female driver was behind the wheel but the Yokohama street was too dark for a facial identification.

“Can I please see your driver’s license and proof of insurance?”
 

~*~
 
An SUV stopped about about four car lengths behind the Fairlady. Inside it were bodyguard Dimitri and two members of the Watanabe Yakuza. All three men watched the drama happening just a short distance away.
 
~*~
 
Ana took her purse and began fumbling through it for her wallet. As she did, Ana realized her foot was coming off the brake and this was causing the Fairlady to slowly inch forward. She took a moment away from her driver’s license search in order to put the vehicle in park.

In the meantime Yuri had gotten the Fairlady’s insurance card out of the glovebox. The bodyguard whispered to Ana. “Just calm down, this is nothing out of the ordinary.”

Finally Ana got a hold of her driver’s license. She then handed this and the insurance card to the policeman.
 

~*~
 
“Thank you. I will have to check these,” Keitaro said before stepping to one side.

In the shadows of the alley, Korin Ikaba’s level of impatience was well past the overflow stage. He was supposed to wait till Keitaro gave a nod of his head before he began shooting but Korin bypassed that critical step.

Keitaro was just beginning to examine the driver’s license with the help of a flashlight when Korin came out of the alley and took aim at the driver of the Fairlady.
 

~*~
 
Ana Ramirez was putting her purse back where she found it when Korin came out of the shadows. She only had a split second to see the man who was about to take her life when she saw a flash of light, and then nothing.
 
~*~
 
Korin Ikaba had fired one shot into the head of Ana Ramirez. The bullet entered just above and to the right of her right eye, and was immediately fatal. Her head and brain absorbed the entire force of projectile and exploded, cracking her skull like an egg, allowing the instantaneous pressure wave expanding from the entry wound to force gobbets of brain and blood and bits of bone through the fissures, drenching the interior of the car with gore, and some of her blood shot straight out from the entry wound to spray into her assassin’s face and coat his hand with a film of blood.

Because the special frangible bullet came apart in Ana’s skull, there was no exit wound, and Yuri was uninjured, but dazed by the force of the explosion inside the small space of the sports car, and bruised and bloody from being hit by pieces of Ana’s skull and brain.

Yuri was just beginning to react when Korin fired a second time, but this time he missed, trying to perform what’s called a ‘double tap’ to insure that his target was dead. Because he couldn’t see clearly, his shot went wild and hit the headrest instead, causing it to explode. Some of the pieces of it cut into Ana’s neck, but she was beyond caring, and they only added to the relatively minor cuts and scratches suffered by her bodyguard.
 

~*~
 
“Shit,” Dimitri said as he watched the shooting take place. He and two Watanabe Yakuza then jumped out of the SUV and began running to the crime scene.

All three men had their guns drawn. Like a form of telepathy existed among themselves, they had all vowed as a group to capture the killer and his accomplices dead or alive.
 

~*~
 
Keitaro looked up from the license when he heard the shot; That fool Korin was supposed to wait until he got the ok, but it was too late. There were three men running towards them.

“We’ve got to get out of here!” Keitaro yelled, but Korin didn’t need the warning, he had already seen Dimitri and company running towards him and had turned to flee.

Keitaro, with Ana’s driver’s license and the Fairlady’s proof of insurance still clutched in one hand, took off down the alley with Korin following him. They both had their guns out and were ready to use them if it helped with their escape.
 

~*~
 
Dimitri stopped for a moment to check on Ana and Yuri. One look in the car told him that Ana was dead, and Yuri was covered in blood.

Yuri was conscious but dazed, and yelled, “Don’t worry about me, just get those men!” as soon as he saw Dimitri looking in. His ears were ringing, and he couldn’t hear anything, but he managed to pull out his cellphone and send off a one word text message to Kimo, ‘Starburst,’ and then forwarded the same message to the Negishi Bay command post.
 

~*~
 
At the same moment Dimitri and company arrived at the entrance to the alley, another car full of Yakuza arrived.

“Two men, they ran down that way,” Dimitri called out.

The driver of the new car was named Alp Celik. He would have driven down the alley after the killers except there was a van parked in it about half way down.

Alp instead jumped back in the car and drove off. Maybe he could get to the other side of the alley before the killers escaped.
 

~*~
 
Tom was too focused on his driving to notice much if anything Kimo did. So it came as a shock when the bodyguard barked out an order to him.

“Zigzag!”

“What?” Tom asked as he looked over at Kimo. The Polynesian bodyguard was trying to place a cell phone call.

“We have trouble, Boss. Just do what I tell you.”

Tom, with his senses on high alert, began to drive in an evasive fashion.
 

~*~
 
A restaurant worker named Riku Fujishima was on the way home for the evening when she saw an SUV stopped on the road ahead, and there was Fairlady beyond it with its car door open, completely blocking the narrow road. Riku, who considered herself a upstanding citizen, got out to investigate.

As she walked toward the car, she thought she heard men’s voices in the darkness of an alley, and then what sounded like a gunshot just as she came up to the open car door and glanced inside.

What Riku saw inside the Fairlady made her vomit uncontrollably, but when she was able to stagger away, and turn back toward her car, she ran toward it sobbing, fumbled her way inside and locked the doors, shaking like a leaf in the wind. Then she dialed 110.
 

~*~
 
Shizue Takeshita was standing motionless but ready with a smoke canister in his right hand, when he heard the first shot ring out in the alley, followed immediately by a second. Although he was frightened, because he knew there would be a chase car with more bodyguards, Shizue held his ground until he heard the running footsteps of his associates. Only then did he operate the release lever of the smoke canister. His timing was almost perfect because first Keitaro and then Korin emerged from the darkness and ran past him before he could turn, but he didn’t waste any time before he too made a dash for the escape car, where Akihisa Uno was waiting to make good their escape.

More shots rang out in the alley behind them, and fear made the three assassins run faster. The end of the alley was getting closer.

One more shot rang out. Shizue felt it whistle by him. It was that close.
 

~*~
 
While he ran for his life, Keitaro was thinking, ‘Akihisa-san should know we killed the wrong person.’ But this was his last thought before he felt a sharp and overwhelming pain and he stumbled, then fell sprawling to the ground, face first, but he didn’t feel a thing by then.

Just seconds after a bullet whistled by him, Shizue Takeshita tripped over something large in the alley. As he climbed to his feet, he learned what caused him to fall.

It was the body of Keitaro Katsu. The member of the Inagawa-kai had been shot through the heart.

Shizue had no time to mourn his dead friend. He had to again run as fast as his feet could move him. Otherwise he would meet with the same fate as Keitaro Katsu.

When he rounded the corner at the end of the alley, Shizue caught sight of Akihisa’s getaway car. Korin Ikaba was just getting inside it.

Shizue ran faster. As he did, another bullet whistled by him. The getaway car was pulling away from the curb when Shizue caught up with it. He opened the back left passenger door, and dove inside.
 

~*~
 
The Negishi Bay command post kicked into high gear as soon as the ‘Starburst’ message was received. The two men on duty that night were Masato Uchiyama and his supervisor, Munoto Amaya. Masato had also been working at the command post when Operation Firecracker went down.

Like all the personnel on duty that day, the men at the command post went into a frenzy of activity. Their first job was to find which Watanabe Yakuza was closest to Hiromi Sato at that time and then notify these people of her need of assistance.

Munoto and Masato also had to notify the leadership of the Watanabe Yakuza, first Dai Hashimoto and then Akira Sudo.

“I am leaving now, Tiger-san,” Akira told Dai over his cell phone. The Saiko-komon lived at a distant end of Yokohama from where Hiromi Sato was currently located. Akira, on the other hand, could rendezvous with Hiromi in as little as ten minutes.

As soon as he’d heard what Akira had to say, Dai called Keiji Watanabe. The elderly Oyabun was asleep at Negishi Bay and had to be woken by one of his aides.

“Keep me informed, Dai-san,” Keiji said, after he was told of the attempt on his granddaughter’s life. When the phone call was ended, the Oyabun didn’t go back to sleep. His mind was working furiously, and there were both Yakuza and family decisions that needed to be made.
 

~*~
 
“Kimo, do you know where we’re going?” Tom asked as he continued to take evasive maneuvers. The problem was, he swore the Fairlady had just gone through the same intersection for the second time.

Tom quickly sized up the large Polynesian bodyguard in the car with him. Kimo was muscle, not brains so far as Hiromi Sato’s protectors go. Roger and Yuri seemed to possess both in ample supply but not Kimo.

Kimo was overwhelmed by what was going on. He was frantically talking on the cell phone, text messaging, and directing his boss as to how and where to drive. Then as Tom made a overly quick left hand turn, he also conducted an honest evaluation of his bodyguard. If he was in the Polynesian’s shoes right now, he’d be feeling overwhelmed also.

“Boss, turn right at the next traffic light.”

Tom knew if he turned right like Kimo directed, they would be heading away from Negishi Bay. “That will take us to Yokosuka.”

“Yes, Boss, I know that. That is where I been told to take you.”
 

~*~
 
Dimitri and the two Yakuza with him had lost the foot race with the last three killers, and saw their escape car speed away into the darkness with the headlights off. They abandoned the chase and went back to the alley.
 
~*~
 
Back at the decoy Fairlady, two Watanabe Yakuza were helping Yuri. The facial wound he had suffered was slight but he was bleeding heavily, which is common with head wounds.

Yuri was holding a towel to his face to keep his blood from trickling into his eyes, but had the presence of mind to ask, “Where’s Sato-san?”
 

~*~
 
The car driven by Alp Celik came around the corner just as the getaway car was taking off with the murderers inside. Worse luck that they were in front of him, and heading the other way. Their lack of headlights made them obvious, though, so he started chasing them at high speed as he shouted out, “Quick! Let them know where we are!” as he followed them around a corner.

Neither Alp nor the other persons in the Yakuza car had any guns with them. Their only chance at capturing the killers would have to involve a crash of some kind, which Alp was entirely willing to do.
 

~*~
 
Akihisa was a skillful driver, but he was on Watanabe ground and not familiar enough with the roads he was driving on. He would need luck to get away.

He got just that thanks to a pair of container trucks coming in the opposite direction. Akihisa made a last second right hand turn down a street by cutting in front of the approaching 18-wheelers. The car with Alp driving it couldn’t do the same.

“We have gotten away,” Akihisa proclaimed after a few minutes of sighting no one in his rearview mirror.

“And Sato-san is dead,” Korin said gleefully.

No one had spoken about Keitaro yet. Akihisa, Korin, Shizue all kept any emotions they felt to themselves. All three men considered any outward expression of grief a sign of weakness.

“Can someone dial Tokuro-san for me on my cell phone?” Akihisa asked. “It is time we tell him the good news.”
 

~*~
 
Japan Airlines is very efficient when it comes to providing exceptional service to its Business and First Class customers. Gabrielle’s suitcase had come out of the chute and onto the conveyor belt before she even reached the baggage area.

Gabrielle grabbed her bag but didn’t linger around baggage claim. It would have been too obvious. With Roger Hyde still waiting for his bag or bags, she went straight to the ‘nothing to declare’ zone and walked through to the outer terminal without any stoppage.

When outside, Gabrielle began to look for somewhere she could keep an eye out for Roger without being too conspicuous. She quickly decided on a service desk that helped Hong Kong visitors find hotel accommodations. It was perfectly located for watching the baggage claim exits.

Gabrielle was still waiting to be helped, when she saw Roger finally emerge from the baggage area. By some miracle, the British bodyguard walked straight past Gabrielle by just a few feet as he made his way towards a rental car counter that was another twenty to twenty-five yards further on.

Finally an employee at the hotel reservations counter got around to helping Gabrielle. “May I help you?”

“No, thank you, I changed my mind,” Gabrielle said before walking away from the counter.

Gabrielle closed the gap between her and the bodyguard till she was about ten yards from him. It was there she pulled out her cellphone and pretended to talk to someone on it. Again, Roger didn’t show any signs of his being watched.

‘Why are you continuing to do this?’ Gabrielle asked herself as she continued to fake a cellphone call. ‘You can’t very well follow Roger Hyde all the way to his hotel room.’

With her suspicions back under control, Gabrielle ended the surveillance. She knew what rental car agency Roger Hyde was using for his visit. When she saw Sylvia Chang later that day, Gabrielle would tell the Police Inspector about the British bodyguard’s return to Hong Kong.
 

~*~
 
Dimitri knelt over the body of Keitaro Kasbe. He had never seen the man before, but there was one characteristic about the man he recognized, a distinctive Yakuza tattoo.

“He’s an Inagawa-kai,” said Meiji Kono flatly. He was also looking at the body but from a standing position. He had been one of the two men who ran along with Dimitri in pursuit of the killers.

Dimitri rifled through the pockets of the corpse, looking for clues, but came up empty, and then his ears picked up a distant siren, that was growing louder. “We’ve got to get out of here.”

A Yokohama police car with two men inside was responding to the call made by Riku Fujishima. The approaching siren signaled all the Watanabe Yakuza near the Ana Ramirez to clear out.

By the time the two policemen arrived, the street was empty. A Yokohama police sergeant made a quick check of the Fairlady and what was inside it. When he was finished, he went back to his police car and began making a call to headquarters.
 

~*~
 
Yokosuka, a city of over 400,000 people, is located at the mouth of Tokyo Bay. It is host to Japan’s largest military port. Both United States and Self Defense Maritime ships are docked there every day of the year.

Tom Slater had visited the city just once as a child. His parents took him and his two sisters there to see ‘The Big E’ when she came into port once and tours were being given of the aircraft carrier. Since nineteen years had passed, Tom had only the vaguest recollections of Yokosuka.

“Boss, make the next right hand turn,” Kimo instructed Tom after another glance at the GPS in the Fairlady.

Tom made the turn as he was told. In doing so it was like going instantly from night to day. This street the Fairlady was brightly lit by garish signs that advertised the businesses in this part of Yokosuka.

“This is the red light district,” Tom muttered out loud. He had remained outwardly calm since learning of the botched attempt on his life. On the inside, Tom was feeling less secure about his personal safety.

“Yes, boss, I know. This was where I was told to take you.”
 

~*~
 
Tetsuro and Betty Yoshida had left a party they’d been invited to just before midnight and were approaching home before Betty asked, “Do you know yet when we can go on vacation?”

“No, I don’t. I am still working on this important case,” Inspector Yoshida said as he drove.

“Teddy Bear, you have never worked on one case for so long in all the years we have been married, almost a quarter of a century.”

“It will end very soon. Could you please turn my cell phone on for me?”

Betty reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his phone, then turned it on and waited as it went through the little tune and video display. Then she checked to see if there were any messages, but there were none, and they were just pulling up to their home.

After Tetsuro parked the car, he and Betty Yoshida were just stepping into their home when his cellphone began to ring. Only after the front door was safely closed behind them did he answer the call.

“Yoshida.”

“My name is Miho Ono and I’m calling from the Yokohama Central police station. Am I speaking to Inspector Yoshida?”

“Yes, you are.”

“I have been asked to call you, Yoshida-san. There was an incident tonight in the Naka-ku ward…..”

Inspector Yoshida listened without comment, and then said, “Yes, I will come there at once.”
 

~*~
 
Tom had just passed an adult club called ‘Your Way’ when Kimo instructed him to make a left hand turn. As the Fairlady turned the corner, a couple of sailors staggered into the road. Only a swift application of the brakes kept Tom from hitting them.

“Boss, pull into that parking lot on the left,” Kimo instructed Tom.

Tom was hardly surprised when he saw members of the Watanabe Yakuza waiting for him as he pulled into the parking lot. The Fairlady had barely come to a stop when one of these men came to assist their Yakuza superior.

“Sato-san’” Watanabe shareigashira Takahiro Mureta said as he opened the car door for Tom. “I am so glad you are safe. Please, come with me.”

Tom was shown through the service entrance of an adult establishment. Even in its back areas, it was dimly lit and smelled of cigarette smoke and alcohol. Loud music from its main business area filled Tom’s ears.

As he walked down a narrow dirty hallway, Tom passed a whole group of rooms, narrowly spaced down a corridor, then she passed a larger dressing area, its door open, and a pair of bathrooms. In the former a couple of scantily clad and peculiar looking women were having an argument in a language other than English or Japanese.

Tom wanted to go back, to look in the dressing room to confirm what he though he’d just seen when Takahiro Mureta held open a door for him. “In here, Sato-san.”

The room Tom was shown into probably belonged to the Club Manager. Inside it were a desk, computer, a phone, and two chairs.

Actually those were the only good points about the room. The place was a disaster area. Papers were out everywhere and there was no organization to them. There was half eaten food out on the desk. The worst part of the room may have been the smell. Rotting sushi and cigarettes don’t mix very well.

“Why am I to stay here?”

Takahiro Mureta looked embarrassed because of where he had to put Tom. “Sato-san we are trying to find a safe way to get you home. I apologize for the conditions of this room.”

“What is the name of this place?” Tom asked as he folded his arms across his chest as a sign of displeasure.

“The club is called Your Way.””¨

‘How appropriate, Tom thought as he looked down at himself. “How long will I be here?”

“We don’t know yet. Akira-san is working on a solution. Is there anything I can get you?”

“There is nothing I need right now.” Takahiro Mureta excused himself before leaving the room.
 

~*~
 
“You did well, Akihisa-san. You will be properly rewarded,” Tokuro Inagawa said before hanging up the phone.

The greatest menace to the Inagawa-kai was now dead. Tokuro smiled with great satisfaction, and then went back to bed.
 

~*~
 
Akira was talking on his cell phone call to Keiji Watanabe as he drove to Yokosuka. “Oyabun-san, I am on the way to see Sato-san right now,”

“My granddaughter is not to return to Negishi Bay tonight.”

“I will do as you order, Oyabun-san. Where am I to take Sato-san?”
 

~*~
 
Just ten minutes in the ‘Office of Horrors’ as Tom termed the room he was in, was already causing him to feel ill. The smell was bad enough, but the room’s use as general ash tray by the club manager was beginning to affect how Tom breathed.

Tom finally said to himself he had enough. He had to get out of the room, if just for a few minutes. A need to urinate right then gave him a good reason to leave the office.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” Tom told the Yakuza outside the office.

“It is down the hallway, Sato-san.”

As Tom walked there, an Asian woman holding a Caucasian man’s hand came in the opposite direction. As they all passed one another in the narrow hallway, the man and woman gave Tom a lookover.

‘That guy has military written all over him. He’s probably a sailor on liberty,’ Tom thought to himself. He was more than a bit distracted as he opened the ladies room door.

Tom got a quick shock when he saw another person in the room. Now he knew what was so peculiar about the women at the club.

“I’m sorry,” A woman said as she finished peeing. Standing up! The ‘woman’ gave her penis a little shake to complete her business then lowered her dress and underwear to cover herself. “You can have it now.”

Tom couldn’t divert his eyes from the woman. He had never encountered such a person in his life.

“You can use it now,” The woman said. Tom moved to the side so she could use the sink. As soon as she was clear, Tom walked over to the toilet.

The bathroom was horrible. It smelled of shit and urine with a pungent miasma of semen and sweat and probably hadn’t been cleaned in a year or more.

There was a curtain between the toilet and the sink area. Tom pulled it across so he could do his business in private.

Tom then put a large amount of toilet paper on the seat before he sat down on it. He was urinating a few seconds later.

“So you had surgery already?” The woman asked. She spoke pretty good if accented English. If Tom had to make a guess, she was from Thailand or somewhere else in Southeast Asia.

Tom knew the woman was referring to gender reassignment surgery. Telling her about Dr. Wagner would only make him sound like a nut. “Yes, I did.”

Drawing upon his deep knowledge of the Watanabe Yakuza, Tom now knew that the club he was in catered to men who liked women with something extra.

In addition to the transgendered women inside the club, others walked the Yokosuka streets outside, selling their services to passing men. Tom considered these men pathetic for a whole litany of reasons, but then he repented.

‘By the same standards you’re judging those poor men outside by, you’re pathetic too, Tom Slater,' he thought to himself in a moment of self-revelation. He too was a man who’d had sex with a man, and had intimate knowledge of what a penis felt like in his nether parts, and other things besides.

His own sexual activities had been limited to Chuck, so he could count relative chastity on his side, and he possessed a woman’s body now, just as many of these prostitutes undoubtedly desired, but those were the only real differences between Tom and the inhabitants of Your Way. Those men weren’t admitting how they felt and neither was he.

Tom also remembered the wedding ring on the man’s hand who had just passed him in the hallway. He was lying to family and friends just like Tom was.

‘You’re really pathetic.’ Tom admitted to himself as he looked at the wedding ring on his own left hand. He was married to Chuck, the sweetest, most loving man in the world, and he’d lied to him, was lying all the time. He felt a wave of revulsion come over him. He wasn’t worthy of the love of an honest man like Chuck, who was far more generous and understanding than he deserved.

“I envy you. You had breast augmentation too.” The woman broke into his thoughts of self-loathing.

Tom also felt guilty and angry as she got up off the toilet and wiped herself. She had gotten the perfect sex change at no financial cost to herself, and this poor woman was prostituting herself in order to pay for a shabby simulation of the real thing. That the Watanabe Yakuza exploited these transgendered people made him furious.

She was a part of this evil, had enabled the exploitation of the poor creature before him with neat little entries in their accounts. One blow job, tick. One anal sex, tick tick. Tom felt dirtier than she had ever before this. Aided by his own gender bending, he was an accomplice to human smuggling and exploitation of women and transgendered people. It made him feel worse about himself than anything else he’d done, with the exception of the murder of Reina Shimizu.

When Tom pulled the curtain clear again, the woman was just completing the process of fixing her makeup. She looked at Tom again and gave a brief smile. “I’m still saving money for the doctor in Bangkok. We got to talk some time when we’re not so busy, bye.”

Tom did his best to smile.

He was back in the office a few minutes later. The first thing he did once the door was closed was take the Glock22 out of his purse and put it on a table beside him. He was so angry, Tom might just shoot the next male Yakuza he saw in the balls.
 

~*~
 
Inspector Yoshida was deeply troubled when he arrived at the crime scene. Had the Swan Song committee lost yet another agent?

The body had just been removed from the Fairlady. It was being placed on a stretcher as Inspector Yoshida arrived. A pair of crime scene technicians or CSI were working on the inside of the vehicle.

“What can you tell me, Kyoden-san?” Inspector Yoshida asked Assistant Coroner Kyoden Ui.

“Female, age unknown. Dead from one GSW to the head. You saw the condition of the head?”

“Frangibles?”

Kyoden shrugged. “Probably, but I won’t know for sure till I conduct an autopsy. A second bullet looks to have grazed the back of her neck.”

Tetsuro spoke to one of the CSI. “Has any identification been found?”

The CSI shook his head. “No Inspector-san, we have yet to discover any.”

Tetsuro looked at the body again. It was a grisly sight but the Police Inspector had seen worse.

“Kyoden-san, can you check two things about the body for me?” The face of the dead woman had become so misshapen from the bullet strike that a visual identification wasn’t possible

“Of course I can. What is it you ask?”

“I would like you to check for a tattoo and if the victim had recent breast surgery,” Inspector Yoshida explained.

Kyoden checked the body of Ana Ramirez very thoroughly. “Right now, I do not see signs of either thing you ask. When I get to the lab a more thorough examination will be made.”

Inspector Yoshida watched as the body was loaded into a coroner’s wagon. While this was happening a young police sergeant came running up.

“Inspector, there is something else you may want to see.”
 

~*~
 
On the recommendation of Long Qinglan, Gabrielle Tanaka had made a reservation at the South Pacific Hotel. The Hotel was located at the junction of the Wanchai business district and Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island.

Due to its oval shape, the South Pacific is one of Hong Kong’s most recognizable landmarks. Even at night-time the hotel is hard to miss.

When the cab she was riding in came to a stop outside the hotel’s front door, Gabrielle methodically gathered herself and her belongings and climbed out. The taxi driver was by this time at the trunk of his vehicle and assisting a hotel porter.

The South Pacific’s check-in desk was staffed by a middle aged Chinese man when Gabrielle approached it. “How may I help you?”

After taking a moment to put her laptop bag down, Gabrielle introduced herself. “My name is Gabrielle Tanaka and I have a reservation.”

The hotel clerk had Gabrielle’s reservation pulled up in a matter of seconds. “Yes Ms. Tanaka I have you booked for four nights. Can I have your credit card please?”

After she gave the desk clerk what he requested, Gabrielle looked around the hotel lobby. It was vacant except for her and the hotel porter who had the FBI agent’s suitcase and wardrobe bag on a cart. A short distance away was a hotel restaurant or coffee shop. It appeared to be open.

Another clerk, this one female and in her mid to late-twenties, came out of a room behind the check-in desk. “Are you Gabrielle Tanaka?”

“Yes, I am.”

“I was told to give this to you.” She handed a sealed white envelope to Gabrielle, then went back inside the room.

Gabrielle put the envelope in her purse. She wouldn’t read it till she was alone in her hotel room.
 

~*~
 
The young police sergeant had taken Inspector Yoshida to where the body of Keitaro Katsu was. For the moment, only a crime scene photographer was anywhere near the body.

Inspector Yoshida shook his head in disbelief when he saw how Keitaro was dressed. Was a member of the Yokohama police been responsible for that night’s crimes?

“Why aren’t any technicians here?”

The police photographer named Yasuhiro, answered Inspector Yoshida’s question. “A team will be here shortly. It has been an unusually busy evening.”

Inspector Yoshida took a closer look at the body lying in a Yokohama back alley. Of particular interest to him were the shoes and socks worn by the dead man. They told Tetsuro this was not a real policeman. That was bothersome in itself. Citizens of Japan just did not masquerade as members of law enforcement.

Tetsuro then saw something else about the dead body that interested him. He kneeled down, and without touching it, looked at the fake policeman’s right hand.

‘He is a Yakuza and if I’m right, a member of the Inagawa-kai.’ Tetsuro thought as he got back to his feet.

Out on the main road, a van representing a Japanese television network had just arrived. Gunplay on a Japanese street was definitely big news.
 

~*~
 
Tom had finally gotten his anger more under control. He’d just begun to fret about whether he should call Chuck. If he was awake, the Australian may have started to worry about his wife, but if he wasn’t, the call would worry him anyway.

Someone knocked on the room door.

Tom instantly grabbed the Glock that was still positioned beside him.

“Sato-san, it is I, Akira Sudo. May I come in?”

Tom got up and unlocked the door. He was already back in the office chair by the time Akira Sudo got himself totally inside the room.

“I can not stay here. When will I be leaving?” Tom asked as he dropped back into angry Yakuza mode.

“It will be very soon, Sato-san, I promise. Others are getting another car for you to ride home in.”

“This place is very foul and I can not stand its air for long.”

“I promise, Sato-san, you will not be here for long. Is there anything else I can do?”

“No, just leave me alone.” Akira Sudo then bowed at Tom before exiting the room.
 

~*~
 
Dai Hashimoto called Keiji Watanabe to give him an update. “One of my people said the dead assassin is Keitaro Katsu. He is a known member of the Inagaw-kai.”

Keiji was deeply troubled by this particular bit of information. “Where is my granddaughter now?”

“She is at one of our clubs in Yokosuka.”

“My granddaughter and her husband are to be taken to my home at Lake Yanagawa,” Keiji informed Dai Hashimoto. Less than a minute later, the elderly Oyabun hung up the phone.

Keiji almost stumbled on his way back to bedroom. A few moments later he was back in bed. Alongside the elderly Oyabun was his grand nephew’s wife, Riko Watanabe. She was snoring but at a low volume. The noise did not bother Keiji as he tried falling back to sleep.
 

~*~
 
“Is the room satisfactory?” The luggage porter asked Gabrielle.

Gabrielle had gotten one of the South Pacific’s Executive Studio rooms. The main features of which were a Queen size bed and a living room area. A quick examination of the bathroom by Gabrielle said that area was clean and that was what mattered most to her.

“Yes, I like it,” Gabrielle said before giving the luggage porter a tip.

Once she had the room to herself, Gabrielle tore open the envelope left for her at the reception desk.
 

~*~
 
Agent Tanaka,

Please be in the hotel lobby no later than 9:45. That is when a member of the Hong Kong police will arrive to take you to your meeting with Chief Inspector Chang.

Long Qinglan
 

~*~
 
Gabrielle refolded the letter before putting it back in the envelope it came from. She then went to the phone in the room and called downstairs.

“Can I please get an 8 a.m. wakeup call?” Gabrielle asked as she kicked off her shoes and started getting ready for bed.
 

~*~
 
“What the hell are you doing in here?” Chuck asked an unknown man who had come into his bedroom.

“Sorry boss man,” said Seamus O’Rourke as he looked around the room. He had once been a member of the Provisional IRA. “I was told by Tiger to wake you.”

Chuck heard human voices coming from the outer apartment. Then he looked at the bed beside him. “Where’s my wife?”

“That’s why we’re here, boss man. Your wife ran into some difficulty on the way home tonight….”

Chuck without thinking first, jumped out of bed. He didn’t have a inch of clothing on his body.

Seamus without missing a beat finished telling Chuck what happened to Hiromi that night. “She is quite safe now. If you would please put some clothes on, some ladies will come in and begin packing for you and the wife.”
 

~*~
 
Tom was finding it increasingly difficult to put up with the foul office air he had to breathe. He was about to go looking for Akira Sudo when his cell phone began to ring with Chuck’s distinctive melody.

“I’m all right,” he said, as he answered.

“Kimi-chan, what happened?” Chuck then listened quietly to his wife’s description of her drive to Yokosuka. “Thank God you’re alive and uninjured.”

Right then Tom began to cough non stop for ten or fifteen seconds. “I may just have a problem breathing in not too long.”

Chuck grew even more concerned as the bedroom around him was becoming a beehive of activity. “Why’s that, Kimi-chan?”

“I’m sitting in an ash tray right now. My asthma is beginning to act up.”

Chuck was about to say something to his wife, when Ryuku Kinjoh tugged on the Australian’s arm in order to get his attention. “Is that Hiromi-san you’re speaking to?”

“Yes, it is. Can you please leave me alone while I talk to her?”

Ryuku grabbed the cell phone from Chuck’s hand. As he was always polite to women, Chuck offered no resistance to this surprising act.

“Hiromi-san, I been asked to pack some of your clothes….”

“Who authorized you to do that, Ryuku-san? I will be leaving here soon.”

Ryuku Kinjoh sighed in response to Hiromi Sato’s angry response. She would have to speak to Akira about his failure to communicate properly. Especially when it came to powerful women he worked with. “Sato-san, I was informed that you will be leaving for Lake Yanagawa. I apologize that no one told you.”

Tom acted calmly again. “That is all right, Ryuku-san. I’m sorry I snapped at you.”

“Can you please tell me what clothes and belongings you will need for the next four days. I was asked to pack these for you….”
 

~*~
 
In the meantime, Seamus O’Rourke was speaking to Chuck. “Now that you’re dressed, boss man, I would start packing clothes for four or five days. You and your wife have been asked by the Oyabun to join him at the lake.”

Chuck looked at Seamus, then Ryuku, then back at Seamus again. Yes, it indeed was time to get out of Negishi Bay. If he and Hiromi never saw the place again, Chuck would be a very happy man.
 

~*~
 
Tetsuro went back to check on the decoy Fairlady. Before he got there, a police sergeant gave him some vital information.

“According to the Transportation Department, the car was purchased on July ninth of this year and its registered owner is Watanabe Trucking.”

“Thank you, Sergeant,” Inspector Yoshida said before continuing on.

Two CSI technicians were still busy at work on the Fairlady. Inspector Yoshida waited for one of these people to pause in their work before he asked them any questions.

“Is there anything you can tell me yet?”

The younger of the two CSI was named Ikue Kanada and she temporarily stopped doing her work. “We’re almost certain another passenger was in the car. Let me show you…”

Inspector Yoshida peered into the Fairlady as he listened to Ikue’s explanation. The blood of the murder victim wasn’t present on all areas of the passenger seat.

“This is just tentative, but the person in the front passenger seat looks to been about 6’ tall. When the car is brought back to the lab, we’ll be able to tell you more,” Said the second CSI. His name was Tanosuke Imoo

Inspector Yoshida allowed the two CSI people to go back to their work. He then sought out the Police Inspector in overall charge of the murder investigation.

Chief Inspector Keisuke Mushashibo was helping with the interviews of witnesses. He had just completed one when he saw Tetsuro approaching.

“Yoshida-san,” Keisuke said as he warmly greeted his former mentor. “How long have you been here?”

“I have been here for almost an hour, Keisuke-san. I hope you do not mind my presence.”

“No, not at all, Yoshida-san. I always welcome your assistance. Have you learned anything?”

“I think a Yakuza war may have been started tonight,” Inspector Yoshida said in a sober tone of voice.

“Yes Yoshida-san, that is my opinion also.”
 

~*~
 
Ryuku Kinjoh was trying very hard to find the clothes her friend Hiromi was requesting. The difficulty she encountered was that a woman’s closet is laid out in a secret code that only its owner totally understands. Heterosexual men find it impossible to search these jungles, and as for female friends of the owner go, they also encounter difficulty finding a certain garment.

Right then Ryuku couldn’t find a dress Hiromi was requesting. As her search became more frantic, she decided to hand off the phone to Charles McBride. “Kimi-chan, are you feeling any better?”

“No, not really.”

“You better leave that place. I don’t know when I will be leaving here.”

Another fit of coughing caused Tom to reach a breaking point. “I’m going to look for someone. I will call back in a few minutes. Bye and love you.”

Tom opened the office door. A Yakuza was still standing by the door.

“What can I do for you Sato-san?”

“I need to speak to Akira-san, immediately.”

Akira Sudo was in the office a minute later. “Sato-san, a car will be here for you in ten minutes.”

“I don’t want to wait. Just get me the Fairlady.”

“My apologies Sato-san but I had it moved away. It is too visible a car for you be in now. Even at night time.”

“All right then, but as soon as the other car is here, we’re leaving.”

“Of course, Sato-san. Your Grandfather has asked I drive you to Lake Yanagawa.”

Tom didn’t want to go to Keiji Watanabe’s Mt. Fuji area home for several reasons. The biggest one of which was he would be unable to do any Swan Song work there.

Akira Sudo was not the one who made the decision, so Tom postponed any protest of his move for now. “That is all right, but I want Charles to join me.”

“He will be coming also, Sato-san. Another vehicle will pick up Charles and your possessions,” Akira explained.

Tom thought to himself for a few moments. “I will wait for Chuck before leaving for my grandfather’s. Just get him here as fast as possible.”
 

~*~
 
After he was finished talking to Keisuke Mushashibo, Inspector Yoshida went to his Yokohama police station office. On the way there he thought over that night’s happenings and their Swan Song implications.

Tetsuro wasted no time before he called Grant Williamson. “An attempt on Agent Ripley’s life was made tonight.”

Grant listened quietly to an explanation of what happened in Yokohama. “Are we positive the victim wasn’t Ripley?”

“Not yet, sir. A positive identification will take most of the morning.”

Grant had to think for a minute. Operation Swan Song had again gone off the rails and in no way was it his fault. “Just keep me informed, Inspector Yoshida.”
 

~*~
 
Tom and Chuck were driven to Lake Yanagawa in an armored limousine. By the time they entered the guest house on the estate of Keiji Watanabe, it was almost 4:30 in the morning.

Radek Krejci, held of security for the Keiji Watanabe estate, was there to greet them. “Sato-san, if there is anything you need, please let me or any of my people know. My phone number is written down next to each phone in the house.”

Chuck, who was already looking in the refrigerator, then spoke up. “We’re in need of some food here. The only things I see are beer and a jar of maraschino cherries!”

“I apologize, Sato-san. No one has been staying here of late other than some of my security personnel. If you want I can…..”

“Just have breakfast made for me at 9:30. I have an afternoon appointment in Yokohama I can’t afford to miss,” Tom said in a firm tone of voice.

“Breakfast will be here as you ask Sato-san but the Oyabun has ordered me not to allow you to leave here before he arrives.”

“When is that supposed to be? I have an important business matter tomorrow afternoon that only I can attend to.”

Princess Tomohito was due to appear in the early afternoon, because she was handling many of the responsibilities that once belonged to her husband, Prince Tomohito, because of his illness, so she was visiting Kanagawa in order to discuss financial issues on behalf of her husband. The Princess was also President of several welfare organizations. If she liked her treatment at Kanagawa, the Bank might also gain this business.

Tom had also planned to copy some Kanagawa Bank files on Friday. He just didn’t know if he would be able to get back to that office before leaving for Hong Kong.

“Not till lunch time at least.” Was Radek’s answer as to when Keiji Watanabe would be arriving.

“I will have to speak to my Grandfather then,” Tom replied without telling Radek what was planned for the next day. He had been looking forward to meeting Her Imperial Highness. The last time Prince or Princess Tomohito had came to Kanagawa was around New Years and Tom and Chuck had been in Australia at the time.

Radek nodded his head. “Is there anything else, Sato-san?”

“Just leave us alone till 9:30 tomorrow morning.” Radek then left the house

On the way to Lake Yanagawa, Tom had managed to sleep only a little bit. He was thoroughly exhausted but his body was filthy and his hair reeked of cigarette smoke, among other things. “I’m going to take a shower.”

“Do you want me to join you, Kimi-chan?” Chuck asked. He always enjoyed showering with his wife. It didn’t matter if he was in need of a bath or not.

“No, thank you. I will be fine.”

While his wife was in the shower, Chuck took his clothes off. As he did so, Chuck put his wallet and cellphone on the same dresser his wife had placed her purse and cellphone

Chuck then unpacked his suitcase. After this task was completed, he got in bed. There wasn’t much to do around the guest house. It had neither a television nor a computer.-

Tom was in bed a few minutes later. Chuck snuggled close to his wife and began to gently kiss her neck.

“I am so happy nothing happened to you.”

“It’s over and done with. Next week is my very last.” She had a discouraged tone in her voice, almost despair.

Chuck could tell that his wife was exhausted, and needed to rest. “Yes, it will be,” he said gently, “and I’m glad. It’s been a long day. Good night, Kimi-chan.”

“Good night, Chuck.” She turned toward him and wrapped her arms around him and kissed him, saying, “Always remember, I love you,” before rolling over again and falling asleep.
 

~*~
 
Assistant Coroner Hotaru Sugimoto reported to work on Friday at 8 a.m. She was immediately called into the office of Dr. Akinobu Okada. He was the coroner for all of the Kanagawa prefecture.

“There is a particular autopsy I want you to work on this morning,” Akinobu said as he handed a file to Hotaru. “The body has not been identified yet.”

Hotaru was used to working with impatient members of law enforcement. “That could take some time.”

Akinobu instructed Hotaru to read a note in the file he had given her. “The police are asking for the body to be checked for certain characteristics. I think they are more interested in disproving who the body belongs to than the actual identification.”

Hotaru read the note. “Yes, I see that now. I will get right to work.”
 

~*~
 
At the order of Dai Hashimoto, all the Watanabe shareigashiras came to meet with him at 8:30 on Friday morning. The strategy conference was held in a 43rd floor meeting room at the Negishi Bay apartment house.

“The Inagawa-kai attacked Sato-san last night. We can not let this go unanswered,” Dai told everyone who was present.

No one disagreed with Dai. An attack on Hiromi Sato was a declaration of war. The Watanabes had to answer the attack in kind.

Akira Sudo spoke up. He had gotten almost no rest the night before and it showed in his appearance. “Ryuku-san and I had a talk before today’s meeting. She has an idea I think we should all hear.”

“I would like to hear your idea also, Ryuku-san,” Dai Hashimoto said.

Ryuku Kinjoh stood up and began to address all the others in the room. “If we move swiftly, a strike against the Inagawa-kai can be done this afternoon.”

“What are you proposing, Ryuku-san?” Shareigashira Katsuaki Koike asked.

Ryuku laid out a plan she had developed since waking up that morning. “Dai-san you only need give your approval and I can begin work at once.”

Dai asked for everyone to give their opinion on what Ryuku had proposed. Almost all the shareigashiras felt she had a solid plan.

Hideichi Ishimoto was skeptical. “Are we sure Hideki-kun will be where you say he will be?”

“Yes, I am,” Ryuku said confidently. “He always visits this woman every Monday to Friday and at the exact same time.”

Dai Hashimoto nodded his head. “Ryuku-san, your plan has my approval. You are to start on it at once.”

Akira Sudo spoke up as Ryuku prepared to leave the room. “With your permission, Tiger-san, I would like to assist Ryuku.”

“You may go also,” Dai ordered. Ryuku and Akira then excused themselves from the room.
 

~*~
 
Gabrielle was about to head out for breakfast, when the phone in her hotel room began to ring. “Tanaka.”

“Agent Tanaka, this is Long Qinglan. We spoke earlier this week.”

“Yes, Mr. Long, I remember you.”

“Did you have a good trip?”

“Yes, I did, and the hotel here is more than satisfactory,” Gabrielle replied.

“That is good then. I am calling because Inspector Chang will be delayed this morning. She wishes to see you now at 11:30. Is that acceptable?”

“Yes, it is, and thank you for letting me know.”

“Please be in the lobby at 11:15 then, Agent Tanaka. That is when someone will be there to pick you up.” The phone conversation between Gabrielle and Long Qinglan ended shortly after that.
 

~*~
 
Tom needed lots of caffeine in order to wake up on Friday morning. That is what happens when a person gets barely four hours sleep after a long day of work.

As soon as he was finished eating breakfast, Tom placed a call to Keiji Watanabe. “Grandfather, are you well today?”

“Yes, granddaughter, but I am troubled by what happened last night. It is good nothing happened to you.”

“Do we know who it is who tried to kill me?”

“We will speak more about it when I arrive this afternoon. I ask that you and Chuck have lunch with me.”

“Grandfather there is important matters for me at Kanagawa today.”

“I do not want you to go there.”

Tom then told Keiji about who was coming to Kanagawa. “Her Imperial Highness and her husband are Kanagawa’s most important customers. It would do great harm to the bank if we were ever to lose them.”

“Can not another bank officer handle this matter?”

“Grandfather, you made me the owner of Kanagawa. Her Imperial Highness will expect me to be there.”

Keiji went silent for about a minute. He was what some people called a ‘royalist’. The Oyabun also realized the loss Kanagawa would suffer should they ever lose the support of the Prince and Princess. It could easily total in billions of yen.

“All right, granddaughter, you may go. I want you and Charles to return to my home when you are done. We have several matters that need to be discussed.”

“Thank you, Grandfather. I will do as you tell me.” Tom then hung up the phone.

Tom went looking for Chuck. The Australian was in the living room and had his wife’s laptop out and was trying to use it.

“Kimi-chan, did something happen to your computer? I can’t get Windows to start.”

“Yes, I think it got a virus,” Tom explained to his husband. The computer attachment sent by the Swan Song committee had done its work to perfection. “I just spoke to Grandfather. We will be going to the bank today.”

Chuck closed the laptop and rose to his feet. “We’d better get moving then.”

While his husband was shaving, Tom unpacked the suitcase Ryuku had prepared for her. The Watanabe shareigashira had done an excellent job. All the clothes Tom had requested were there. Including the outfit she would wear to work that day.
 

~*~
 
Hotaru Sugimoto called Inspector Yoshida at his office around 10 a.m. “The body I examined has never had any breast surgery. Nor was there a sign of the tattoo you were asking for.”

“Thank you, Sugimoto-san,” Inspector Yoshida said with a sigh of relief. “When you are through with your autopsy, please send me a copy of your report.”

“I will do that for you, Yoshida-san.” Hotaru then hung up the phone and went back to the unfinished autopsy of Ana Ramirez.
 

~*~
 
Just a few moments after his phone conversation with Hotaru ended, Inspector Yoshida was given a slip of paper by a police sergeant.

“Thank you, sergeant.”
 

~*~
 
Before he left for Lake Yanagawa, Keiji spoke to his aide Joji Sato. “I have an assignment for you.”

“What is it you ask, Oyabun-san?”

“I will need a private plane to fly my granddaughter and her husband to Hong Kong.”

“Yes, Oyabun, I can get this done for you. When are they to be flying?”

“My granddaughter will leave this Sunday afternoon.”
 

~*~
 
Roger Hyde was not aware of Hiromi Sato’s new arrival date in Hong Kong. He was in a conference room at Hong Kong’s Grand Hyatt Hotel to interview new employees for his Boss. The Grand Hyatt was less than ten kilometers from where Gabrielle Tanaka was staying.

At each interview on Friday, Roger told all prospective employees that Hiromi Sato was expected to arrive in Hong Kong on July 25th or 26th. No one expressed a problem with that.

The third person Roger interviewed was Miriam Andrews. She was the former race car driver Guy Chadwick had made particular note of.

Miriam had a very brash personality. She probably rubbed many people the wrong way with it. “Mrs. Sato will never get far away as long as I’m behind the wheel.”

“All I want is for you to keep up with Mrs. Sato. Not start a Formula One race between the two of you.”

Miriam let out a loud laugh. “Why not? It would be lots of fun.”

Abrasive, brash, or whatever adjective you wanted to describe Miriam Andrews with, they all mattered very little since she was well qualified for the job Roger interviewed her for. “You’re hired.”

Miriam shook Roger’s as they both stood up. For some unknown reason she spoke in a softer tone of voice. “Did you say Mrs. Sato’s husband was named Charles McBride?”

“Yes I did, why?”

“My sister Faye in Melbourne once knew a Charlie McBride. I met him too, but just once.”

“It could be the same person. Chuck is from Alice Springs.”

“I look forward to working for him and Mrs. Sato. See you at the meeting later.”

Roger continued to do interviews till almost one. As the final interview neared completion, he saw Teresa Wu come into the conference room.

“How did everything go today?” Teresa asked Roger after the last interview was over.

“Just great and they’re getting better.”

Teresa smiled at Roger. “Can you join me for lunch?”

“Yes, that would be lovely.” Roger and Teresa then exited the conference room together.
 

~*~
 
Tokuro Inagawa was at work in his office when one of his aides walked in. “Inagawa-san, there is some news coming on television you may want to watch.”

“Turn on the set on for me then,” Tokuro ordered.

Tokyo Broadcasting System also known as TBS was doing a report on the shooting in Yokohama earlier that morning. “A woman was shot to death last night in the Naka-ku ward.”

Tokuro knew how the business of television news worked. Sensationalism was the norm. So he was surprised at how no mention was made as of yet of who the murder victim was.

Not till the live news report was almost complete did the reporter get around to the victim’s identity. “The victim has been tentatively identified as a person named Ana Ramirez. She was an American living in Japan….”

Tokuro let out a loud expletive in response to what he had just heard. As his rage continued, he picked up a large paperweight off his desk and heaved it at the television set. Fortunately for that piece of electronics, the throw came up short.
 

~*~
 
Tom and Chuck got to Kanagawa Bank at a little after 11:30. As they got out of the SUV that had brought them there, Chuck again complimented his wife on her appearance.

“You look smashing, Kimi-chan.”

Chuck’s compliment made Tom blush and feel warm inside. “Thank you.”

For his meeting with Her Imperial Highness, Tom had on a Valentino business suit consisting of a black skirt and red blazer. Around her neck was a pearl necklace and she had pearl earrings on.

On Tom’s feet were a set of Gucci black 2-inch heels. These made a distinctive clickety clack sound as he crossed the bank’s marble floored lobby.

Tom and Chuck talked as they rode the executive/VIP elevator to their respective offices. “Call me if you have time, Kimi-chan.”

When Tom got into his office, he immediately began preparing for the arrival of Princess Tomohito. While a financial report was being printed, he made one phone call.

“Laemoa.”

“Kimo, can you please check on my car for me?”

“Boss, it’s in the Bank parking garage. Are you going somewhere now?”

“No, I am not. Just bring me my keys when you have time.”

“Yes, Boss, I will come right up with them.”
 

~*~
 
“It is so good to meet you, Agent Tanaka,” Chief Inspector Sylvia Chang said as she greeted Gabrielle. The two women shook hands before taking seats across from one another in Chief Inspector Chang’s third floor office at Hong Kong’s main police station on Arsenal Street. .

“Thank you for taking the time to see me, Chief Inspector.”

Sylvia pressed an intercom button. “Could you please tell Maurice to come to my office now. Thank you.”

Gabrielle and Inspector Chang made small talk for a few minutes, mostly involving how Gabrielle liked Hong Kong so far and how had her flight from Tokyo had been.

“My friend Inspector Yoshida speaks very highly of you.” Sylvia, who was fifty-three years of age, was wearing Navy blue pants and matching blazer plus a sky blue polo shirt. Hong Kong Chief Inspectors didn’t wear their police uniforms except for special occasions or to make a point, like she had when she’d met Roger Hyde the week prior.

“I have learned a great deal from the Inspector.”

“Would you like anything to drink right now?”

“No, thank you.” Gabrielle replied. Then she remembered something else. “I’d better turn my cell phone off.”

Sylvia nodded her head in approval. She disliked having important meetings interrupted by the ringing of a cellphone.

Someone knocked at the office door and Sylvia Chang called out for the person to come in.

A Chinese man around thirty years of age came into the room. He was dressed in a Hong Kong police uniform.

“Agent Tanaka, let me introduce to you Probationary Inspector Maurice Gao.”

Gabrielle got up and shook the PI’s hand. The rank Probationary Inspector or PI was similar to that of a Second Lieutenant in the military. After the introduction was over, Maurice settled into a chair alongside Sylvia.

“Agent Tanaka, as I am a busy woman, you will be mostly working with Maurice. He is young but has my full confidence. That won’t be a problem, will it?”

“No, Chief Inspector, not at all.” Grant Williamson had given Gabrielle approval to fully brief anyone who had a need to know all of Operation Swan Song’s details.

“You can now brief us on what I been told is an Operation called Swan Song.”

“Yes, Inspector, we call it Operation Swan Song. I see you are set up for a power point briefing. That will save me time.”

Sylvia smiled. “My friend Tetsuro told me in advance that would be what you would for your presentation.”

Gabrielle got set up very quickly. As she was doing so, she couldn’t help look at her wrist watch. It was 11:48.

When everyone was settled, Gabrielle began her presentation. “What I’m about to tell you may sound incredible in parts, but it is all true. Let me first tell you about the work of a Dr. Heidi Wagner…..”
 

~*~
 
“I can’t wait any longer,” Tom said out loud to himself. He then got up, grabbed his purse, and left the office.

Once he was out in the hallway, Tom turned to the left. As he walked towards the executive bathrooms, one male bank employee stared at Tom.

Tom went into the ladies restroom. He locked the door behind him before removing the cellphone from his blazer pocket.

‘Call her or Don’t call her?’ Tom asked himself as he walked around the small one person bathroom. In the end he decided not to make the phone call to Gabrielle Tanaka he had contemplated making since he woke up that morning.

‘Stop being a wuss. You still have work to do and always remember what Dad said. Duty, Honor, Country.’ Tom told himself as he put the cellphone back in his blazer pocket.

Tom put his bathroom trip to good use. He spent the time there re-fixing his hair and makeup. Her Imperial Highness would be arriving in approximately thirty minutes and Tom wanted his appearance to be as close to perfect as possible.

As Tom emerged from the bathroom, his cellphone began to ring. “Hiromi Sato.”

“Kimi-chan, how are you?”

“I’m just fine. How about yourself?”

“I can’t complain. Kimi-chan, for some reason I can’t stop thinking about you. I love my little sports car so much.”

“I love you too,” Tom said as he re-entered his offic. As he sat down behind his desk he let out a girlish laugh. “Before we go to sleep tonight, I will take you for a ride.”
 

~*~
 
Shinsaku Ishigaru saw nothing amiss as he waited for the arrival of Hideki Inagawa. It was just another summer day in Kawazaki. Children were running about and a young couple were making out in a car not too far away.

A Mercedes Benz came around the corner. It belonged to Hideki Inagawa. He was the nephew of the Ingawa-kai’s Oyabun, Kakuji Inagawa.

Hideki, who was engaged to get married, was paying a call on his other ‘lady friend’. The lady friend was married and that meant Hideki could only see her when her husband was working.

The main reason Shinsaku was there was to make sure a parking space was available for Hideki. The young playboy didn’t like walking too far from his car to any place he paid a visit to.

The street in front of his lady friend’s apartment was a busy one. Hideki had to wait for an opening before walking across the street.
 

~*~
 
At the exact moment Hideki Inagawa parked his car, Watanabe Yakuza Sadao Koba started up the car he was in. It was he and Tsuki Tono, an assistant to Ryuku Kinjoh, who had been seen by Shinsaku Ishigaru making out in a parked automobile.

“That is enough, Tsuki-san,” Sadao said after one last kiss. “We have a job to do.”

Sadao sat straight up in the driver’s seat. He was waiting for Hideki Inagawa to begin crossing the street.
 

~*~
 
Hideki finally got the opening he wanted. There were no cars coming for a long distance, so he took his time as he began to cross the street.

That was a fatal mistake.

For the BMW, with Sadao Koba behind the wheel, suddenly swerved out from its parking space and took dead aim at Hideki Inagawa.

Hideki saw the car coming but had no time to get out of its path. The BMW sportscar was going 65-80 when it struck him.

The impact of the BMW on Hideki Inagawa was so strong it caused the man to catapult over the top of the speeding vehicle. Hideki was already dead as his body hit the ground.

Sadao Koba sped off in the direction told to him by Ryuku Kinjoh and Akiro Sudo. In a church parking lot, he would dump the BMW for another car.

“There’s no one behind us, we’re free, Tsuki-san.”
 

~*~
 
After finding Hideki Inagawa had no pulse, Shinsaku Ishigaru fell into a state of shock for a short time. As soon as he was recovered, he placed a phone call to Hideki’s father, Tokuro Inagawa.

Tokuro Inagawa was shocked at what happened to his youngest son. He also knew who had to be responsible for the murder. Without thinking that his order to kill Hiromi Sato was the trigger for what had just happened, the Inagawa-kai Saiko-komon began making a pledge to the spirit of his dead son. An all out war with the Watanabes would begin that very day. It would only end when that Yakuza was wiped from existence.
 

~*~
 
To be continued in Part Eighteen

Author's Note- The idea for the club called 'Your Way' in this story chapter came from this Korea Times news article.