“Then why am I here?” Fumahiro said as he stuck his right index finger up his left nostril.

“We just want to talk to you,” Yeijiro answered.

In the over two hours Juri had observed Fumahiro, she had noted the many annoying mannerisms the janitor had. That included his nose picking. It was the detective's opinion that his nostrils must be the cleanest in all of Japan.

Synopsis- Hiromi meets with Gabrielle in Hong Kong and proposes a change to Operation Swan Song.

Thank you to Puddin for all her help preparing this story chapter for publication. I’d like also like to thank Kimmie who gave me some assistance.

Author’s Note- A Hong Kong Dollar is equivalent to a little under thirteen cents in American money.
 

~*~
 
The Slaters missed their connecting flight to Seattle at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. At Air France’s expense, the couple and their grandson were put up in a nearby hotel and put on priority standby for the first flight out the next day.

“Do you feel like eating anything?” Stuart asked his wife shortly after the couple settled into their room.

“No, Stuart,” Midori replied. “I want to give Shannon a bath and then get him to sleep. He’s a little cranky right now, but you go ahead.”

Stuart looked over at his restless grandson and came to a decision. “I don’t really need anything to eat till morning either. Do me good.”
 

~*~
 
Fumahiro Suzuki was taken to the main Yokohama police station by Sergeant Narahashi, and Patrolman Koshin. On the way there the janitor tried to protest his innocence of any crimes.

On arrival at the police station, Fumahiro Suzuki was placed in an interrogation room by himself. After this was done, Seregant Narahashi went to see Detective Juri Hayakawa.

“Is there anything else you need of me, Hayakawa-san?”

“No, Sergeant. I will take it from here.”

Patrolman Koshin couldn’t keep himself from telling Juri Hayakawa his personal opinion of the janitor. “He’s a complete retard. I do not know what you expect to learn from him.”

“That is not your concern, Koshin-san,” Juri replied in an annoyed tone of voice as she continued to monitor Fumahiro Suzuki through a two-way mirror.
 

~*~
 
Gabrielle Tanaka was becoming a little bit frustrated as she made last minute preparations for her meeting with Tom Slater. FBI Deputy Director Grant Williamson was AWOL.

“The Deputy Director is away at this time,” Amy Hennigan at the FBI communications center told Gabrielle.

“I have important matters to speak to the Deputy Director about. Can you either give me a phone number I can contact him at or please inform Director Williamson I need to speak to him urgently?

“Sorry, Agent Tanaka, I cannot fulfill either of your requests. The Deputy Director is out of the office and has asked not to be disturbed for any reason till Tuesday morning Washington time. Would you like to speak to his personal assistant?”

“No, I don’t and thanks.” A perturbed Gabrielle then hung up the phone.

For a minute Gabrielle went over in her mind what could be causing Grant Williamson to be both fanatical about Swan Song’s outcome and at other times lacking interest.

Their paths had inadvertently crossed the previous February, and in retrospect, it might explain Grant Williamson’s behavior. Was the Deputy Director looking to use political connections as a means to becoming the Ageny’s Director one day? For he had visited a Washington D.C. hotel where a fundraiser was taking place for Democratic Presidential hopeful, Barack Obama.

A successful Operation Swan Song would help Grant Williamson further his ambitions but probably not as much as having a friend in the White House would.

‘I’ll have to call in a favor from Cassie Myers when I have time. She'll know if my hunch is right,’ Gabrielle thought, before re-focusing on the planned rendezvous with Tom Slater. While getting ready to come into the office, she had paid extra attention to her appearance, as if she were preparing on a date.

She had on a brown Burbury suit with a peach color shirt and scarf that was very flattering, she thought. She’d also put on a little more perfume than was her norm, because she thought Tom would like it, and it enhanced her own natural aura. If Tom didn’t like the scent of ‘Flower Red,’ an expensive Japanese perfume that was very sexy, had a warm luscious feeling about it, and lasted well through the day, Gabrielle didn’t understand her friend any more.

Maurice stopped by Gabrielle’s desk a few minutes short of eleven. The Probationary Inspector had been so busy preparing the rendezvous he had only talked to Gabrielle on the phone that morning.

“That’s a nice outfit you have on, Gabrielle.”

“Thank you, Maurice. When will we be leaving?”

“Half past eleven. Gabrielle, you may want to check your eye liner. It looks a little smeared to me.”

“Thanks, Maurice, I’ll do that right now,” Gabrielle said as she stood up. It had finally dawned on her what was odd or different about Maurice. His comment was too perceptive, and had been made too casually, just like a woman friend might have done, and without the usual male paranoia about saying anything a woman might take offense at.

The Probationary Inspector was probably a crossdresser when in private. Gabrielle also thought it likely that the woman Maurice was engaged to, Lily Ng, helped or facilitated his interest in wearing women’s clothes and makeup, because he was obviously comfortable talking to women as if he were one of them. For some reason, she felt pleased to find a sympathetic friend among the relentlessly male-dominated Hong Kong police.
 

~*~
 
The last things Hiromi did before leaving her office were to tidy up her desk and turn off her personal computer. Only then did she feel ready for her big meeting with Gabrielle.

“Mrs. Sato,” Said Hiromi’s secretary, Josephine Gilbert. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

“No, Josephine, but for your information I am going out for a while. I should be back in two hours,” Hiromi said before making her way to Roger Hyde’s small office.

“Boss, what can I do for you?” Roger asked. Miriam Andrews was also in the office.

“I want to go to Tung Choi.” Tung Choi was Hong Kong’s famous outdoor women’s clothing mall.

“I’ll go get the Jaguar,” Miriam said as she prepared to leave the office.

Hiromi spoke straight to Roger. “I’m only taking Miriam with me. Is that a problem?

Roger was used to Hiromi Sato’s preferences, including her desire not to be smothered by the people protecting her. “All right, Boss.”

Miriam had the Jaguar waiting for Hiromi a few minutes later. “Mrs. Sato, would you like me to drive?”

As Hiromi still had much to learn about getting around Hong Kong, she gave her consent to being driven. “Yes, I would like that.”

Tung Choy street is on Kowloon side. To get there from Kanagawa Bank, Hiromi and Miriam would have to take the Cross Harbour Tunnel.

The CHT, which was completed in 1972, is almost 2 kilometers in length. It is heavily traveled at all times of the day and night. Therefore Miriam couldn’t gun the Jaguar like Hiromi did when driving up and down Victoria Peak.

“We don’t have all bloody day,” Miriam yelled as she honked the Jaguar’s horn at the Lorry in front of her.

Hiromi found Miriam to be amusing. “Can we take a slight detour when we get out of the tunnel?”

“Absolutely, Mrs. Sato. Where do you want to be taken?”

“Do you know the McDonald’s that’s close to the Peninsula Hotel?”

“There are several Mickey D’s in that area. Would it happen to be the one on Castle Peak Road?”

Hiromi nodded her head. “Yes, that is the one.”

“If you don’t mind me asking Mrs. Sato, why are we going across the harbor for French fries when there is a Mickey D’s not a ten minute walk from the bank?

“I’m meeting a friend there,” Hiromi said. She had come up with what she thought was an excellent excuse for the clandestine meeting. One that Miriam may approve of. “She is my ex-girlfriend.”

Miriam grinned. “Does Charlie know about her?”

“No, and I don’t want him to know I met her,” Hiromi said as they finally emerged from the tunnel. The bright Hong Kong sun filled the Jaguar since its sun roof was open.

“Charlie won’t get anything out of me.”

“Miriam, we’re just going to talk.”

They were now on Salisbury Road and Hiromi could see The Peninsula Hotel in the distance.

“What is the name of your friend?”

“Gabrielle,” Tom said as the Jaguar turned onto Nathan Road. Hong Kong traffic wasn’t much better above ground at lunch time.

Getting to the McDonald’s on Castle Peak Road wasn’t difficult. The task of finding somewhere to park was. After being turned away by two parking lot attendants, Miriam finally found a space. It was a two block walk from the fast food restaurant.

Hiromi didn’t enter the McDonald’s till almost 12:40. She had no problem locating Gabrielle. The FBI Agent had come prepared. She had a food tray in front of her with a large fries and two drinks on it.
 

~*~
 
Gabrielle was not just watching the woman she knew as Tom Slater, but the people around her in the fast food restaurant. Maurice, dressed as a businessman, was taking advantage of the free wi-fi. Two undercover police personnel, a man and a woman, were pretending to make out at a corner booth. Gabrielle knew there was at least one more police backup for the Swan Song rendezvous.

Everything looked safe to Gabrielle, and that was good. She didn’t want any more surprises.

“Gabby,” Hiromi said as she sat across the table from Gabrielle. “I’m very happy to see you.”

“I love you, Tom.”

“I love you too.”

“Let’s talk in Japanese, all right?” Gabrielle asked and Hiromi nodded in reply. “What has happened?”

Hiromi started from the beginning or from when the FBI agent last met Tom Slater in January. She was about to tell what happened to Agent Chrysanthemum when Gabrielle interrupted her monologue.

“Did someone come with you today?” Gabrielle was eying Miriam Andrews. She was paying too much attention to the table they were seated at.

“Yes, her name is Miriam. She’s one of my bodyguards. Nobody else came with me.” Hiromi said as she ate a french fry.

“Miriam, she won’t….”

“No, I told her you were my ex-girlfriend.” Hiromi still found Gabrielle very attractive, it just took a little more work than it used to. She was beginning to feel very warm inside just looking at her friend.

‘You’re bisexual,’ Hiromi admitted to herself. ‘But you’re a married woman.’

Gabrielle laughed. “Then why don’t we prove it. For appearances sake.”

Hiromi and Gabrielle each leaned over the table till their lips met in a very brief kiss.

When Hiromi was settled back down, she had a question for Gabrielle. “What’s that perfume you have on?”

Gabrielle smiled. Tom had noticed. “It’s called Flower Red. It’s by Kenzo. You may have seen their ads, lots of red poppies, red chimneypots, and a beautiful woman staring pensively into the distance.”

“I like it,” Hiromi replied, as she made a mental note to herself about the perfume. Chuck would probably like smelling it on his wife.

As the two women looked across the fast food table at each other, Gabrielle was getting mixed signals. There was still sexual tension between them, but it was different now.

“Are there any Swan Song people here besides us?” Hiromi asked. She felt more than a little ashamed at the kiss. Chuck expected his wife to be faithful to him.

Hiromi tried to excuse what she just did as a necessity of her needing to maintain Swan Song cover. Also she owed a great deal to Gabrielle, maybe even her life. A kiss was the least she could do for her. Still Hiromi didn’t feel right. She had a lot to come clean about to Chuck in a few days.

“No, but we have Hong Kong police backup,” Gabrielle said as she studied Hiromi. She had a business dress on. Her hair, makeup, jewelry, and accessories were in perfect order.

“Are you expecting trouble?”

“No. You?”

“Only if I go back to Japan,” Hiromi said as she popped another french fry in her mouth. She was eating them without ketchup.

“You eat those like they’re some pregnancy craving.”

“I wish,” Hiromi said forthrightly.

“Tom, why did you want to meet me here? Why not just turn yourself and Chuck in?” Gabrielle asked as she continued to watch her friend very closely.

“Gabby, I’ll get to that, but let me tell you a little bit more about what happened,” Hiromi said. She got to the fate of Agent Chrysanthemum almost immediately.

“Holy Shit.”

“I killed the only friend I had,” Hiromi said. Every syllable full of pain.

Gabrielle saw how her friend was trying to hold herself together. She had killed a friend and it was tearing Tom Slater apart.

“You had no choice.”

“I could have done something. Maybe I could have turned the gun on everyone,” Hiromi said as she hung her head. “Or turned the gun on myself instead.”

“Tom, you were in an impossible situation. Reina was going to die whether you did it or not.”

“But I did it!”

Hiromi went on to tell how she cracked up afterwards. She couldn’t live with herself.

“The demons overwhelmed me. I couldn’t deal with the life I was living.”

“How are you now?”

Hiromi shrugged. The French fries were all eaten. “I got it under control, but sometimes I get anxious. When that happens, I remind myself of what Dad said to me when you picked me up in Washington.”

“What was that?”

“Duty, Honor, Country.”

Hiromi and Gabrielle talked about Operations Hornblower and Firecracker but just a little bit. They couldn’t stay in the McDonald’s too long.

“Where is Chuck by the way?”

“Chuck is working at Kanagawa. I told him I was going to Tung Choi street.”

Gabrielle hadn’t forgotten Tung Choi. The outdoor shopping area was where she and Hiromi met before the January debriefing.

“Did you tell him you had a sudden urge to go shoe shopping?” Gabrielle joked in order to lighten the atmosphere.

Hiromi smiled. “Yes, something like that.”

“Want some more French fries?”

“No, Gabby, but thanks for asking.”

“I love you, Tom Slater.”

Hiromi looked at her fingernails before speaking. She was in need of a long personal talk with Gabrielle but wanted to do it somewhere more private. “I love you too.”

Gabrielle, who was studying her friend’s body language from the moment she sat down, came to a conclusion. ‘Tom Slater is a woman now.’
Ӭ
“What’s going on right now with the Watanabes?” Gabrielle asked as she inwardly grieved for the man she had come to love.

“Keiji Watanabe has prostate cancer.”

“When did you learn this?”

“I learned it last Thursday when his private physician called me. That old bastard is refusing to do chemo or radiation.”

“Is there anything else?”

“A war has broken out with the Inagawa-kai. I’m betting you know that already.”

Gabrielle nodded her head. “Yes, I do, and about the attempt on your life last Thursday night as well.”

“The biggest threat to me right now is Keiji Watanabe. That old man is very paranoid, and getting worse as his death approaches.”
 

~*~
 
The heavyset man with bad breath that had helped question Choy Deming was named Leung Chin Yee. Chin, who was twenty-eight-years-old, was employed as a bouncer at the Rolls Royce Club.

Since the club stayed open till the wee hours, Chin always got to bed late and would sleep till the early afternoon. Tuesday was no different, the noise of a busy Hong Kong day outside his apartment, caused Chin to wake up a few minutes after 12:30 p.m.

The first stop for Chin after getting out of bed, was the toilet of the tiny rancid apartment he called home. It was so small, it wasn’t even ten feet from the kitchen sink to where Leung Chin Yee disposed of his bodily wastes.

Chin went straight from toilet to his kitchen area. Aware of his bad breath, he gargled knowing it didn’t help much, as almost all the teeth in Leung Chin Yee’s mouth were rotting, the result of the large doses of sugar his poor family gave him in place of food as a child.

When Chin had enough money saved, he would have false teeth made for himself. That’s why he didn’t mind taking on extra good paying work offered to him by Wu Jun Hung, his boss at the Rolls Royce Club.

Chin looked in the cabinets and refrigerator he had. What little food he had around didn’t appeal to him. So he decided he would go out to eat but first he had to get dressed.

Less than ten minutes later, Leung Chin Yee was out of his apartment house and walking down a Hong Kong sidewalk. His next destination- The Kowloon McDonald’s on Castle Peak Road.
 

~*~
 
Hiromi explained to Gabrielle why she believed Keiji Watanabe posed the greatest danger to her. She also told the FBI agent about Dai Hashimoto’s pending promotion and the interesting conversation they’d had two days before.

“Tom, you’ve done your mission. Why don’t you turn yourself and Chuck in?”

“I want to talk to the Swan Song Committee and a few other people.”

“Can you tell me why?”

Hiromi took two slips of paper out of her purse. She didn’t begin talking till they were in front of her.

Using the notes she had written the day before Hiromi carefully explained to her plan to Gabrielle. “If I play my cards right, get some luck, plus some assistance from the Swan Song committee, I could well be the next Oyabun of the Watanabe Yakuza.”

Gabrielle immediately big eyed in response to what Tom was saying to her. ‘Tom wouldn’t be joking around with me?”

Hiromi was deadly serious. She thought that Swan Song could go further than they'd ever dreamed by leaving her in place, with the possibility of sharing power at the top of the organization or perhaps becoming Oyabun. If she did, Hiromi might be able to turn the whole enterprise around, as well as gathering intelligence about rival gangs.

“Do you understand, Gabrielle?” she said. “I know that Swan Song was supposed to have limited scope and a definite timeline, but none of us ever thought I could have been so successful, despite my early failures. We could walk away now and pick off a few minor players, perhaps one or two of the higher-ups, but the gang would continue on just as it is now, with new gang members moving in to replace any we managed to put in jail.

“But I have the potential cooperation of one of the old-style bosses who wants the organization to change and become more respectable in the modern way. Dai Hashimoto is very impressed by the patronage of the Royal Princess, I think he is willing to move toward more of these prestigious connections to Japanese society, so we can come out into the open as businesspeople instead of lurking in the shadows.”

“Dai Hashimoto, one of the most feared people in organized crime any where, going soft? That sounds too incredible, Tom. Tell me the truth?”

“You’re right, Gabby, it does. Before I left Japan, Dai bowed to me. He didn’t do it in the style of someone about to lead an organized crime family.”

“He’ll back you for Oyabun or step aside after Keiji croaks?”

“Yes Gabrielle, that’s what I think will happen. Getting back to the Watanabes and their business interests, I’ve already presented an analysis of one of our traditional rackets that proves that it operates at a net loss, and we could vastly improve our ROI if we devoted the same amount of funds to almost any legitimate investment. I’m sure that a similar analysis will show that many of the most harmful activities don't actually make any economic sense.”

Gabrielle shook her head in disbelief. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, Gabrielle, I am.”

Gabrielle’s heart was breaking. She could barely keep herself from crying. “Tom, you’ve completed your mission.”

“Have I?”

“You have given law enforcement in three countries the goods on the Watanabe Yakuza. These gangsters are all going to go to jail.”

“Then what? In the first place, not all of them will go to jail, because there are family members with no current ties to criminal activities who will gladly assume command and everything will go on just as it does now. I've seen how easily a member of the leadership can be replaced, because there is a line of people waiting at the door who want every top job the minute the current occupant leaves the office. The Yakuza are modeled after military commands, so a vacancy simply means that someone is promoted and the ‘unit’ goes on. So what does it matter if a few go to jail?”

“Does it matter? Your parents miss you terribly and so do I.”

That stopped her enthusiasm cold. “How are Mom and Dad?” she asked.

“Dad had heart valve replacement surgery two months ago. He is all right. Actually Mom and Dad are in Germany now. Your sister-in-law Ilsa just got remarried.”

“That’s good,” Hiromi replied. She did note how Gabrielle referred to her parents as Mom and Dad.

“There is some bad news, I’m afraid. Your sister Susan and her husband Simon were killed in an auto accident a few days after our January rendezvous here.”

Tears began to well up in Hiromi’s eyes. Gabrielle reached out and touched her friend’s hand.

“I’m so sorry. Shannon was in the car at the same time his parents died. He survived and is doing well. Mom and Dad are taking care of him now.”

Hiromi held back the tears. She would cry later on for Susan and her family.

Without any hints from Gabrielle, Hiromi began to think what it had to be like for his parents and in particular his mother. The emotional damage from having lost Susan and Simon had to be tremendous and now the Slaters had to care for their grandson when they themselves were in need of physical healing.

Now her Swan Song decision didn’t seem as simple any more. Deep down, she still wanted to go ahead, but she would listen to input from the people that mattered to her first.

The strong sense of duty that Tom Slater felt was still a part of her. It was just merging with the rest of the new person she had become and it was causing conflict.

Which was more important, her duty to her country? Or was family the most important duty of all? Could she balance the two of them?

Gabrielle was part of the family equation, not just Chuck and her parents. She still felt a love for the pretty FBI agent and Hiromi also knew she probably owed her life to Gabrielle, because it had been her Hornblower meeting with her that had begun the process of freeing herself from the wicked Hiromi persona that had taken over her life for so long.

“Gabrielle, I need to talk to Mom and Dad too.”

“Yes, Rebecca, I think you do too.”

“Rebecca?”

“It’s Mom’s new name for you. If you can’t be a man again or don’t want to be a man again.”

‘Rebecca, I like that name. Rebecca Slater is nice. Rebecca McBride is nicer.’ Hiromi thought. “How often do you and Mom talk?”

“I’ve been talking to Mom a lot. Am I right in thinking you don’t want to be a man again?”

A restaurant employee went by the table right at that moment. He was in his early forties, kind of old for a fast food restaurant employee, especially one doing menial work like cleaning tables and disposing of garbage.

Then it clicked in Gabrielle’s mind. He was the fourth member of Maurice’s watcher team. It made sense too. The guy seemed too interested in the table Swan Song business was being discussed at.

“Almost right, Gabrielle, I definitely didn’t want to be a man again when I came in. But now, after what you told me about my family, I’m not as certain.”

Tom’s admission, while not totally unexpected, caused Gabrielle to inwardly sigh. She had fallen in love with a man who now preferred to be a woman. She sometimes wondered if she was cursed in some way. She’d had nothing but bad luck in either finding a woman she could bond with, or a man she wanted to marry.

Gabrielle had always been more attracted to women than men, but she found it difficult connecting with her fellow gender. She viewed most lesbian women she met as insecure drama queens, perhaps stemming from their experience of disapproval, even hostility, from family and friends because of their sexual orientation.

Those who weren’t either insecure or drama queens, often had a strong urge to merge. U-Haul lesbians didn’t appeal to Gabrielle either. She preferred to know a woman emotionally and intellectually before jumping in bed with them and had practiced this preference. She’d known Cassie Myers for at least a year before going to bed with her, and Mary Fuschida was a childhood friend who’d moved imperceptibly from friend to lover as they’d grown up into young women, and those were her only two sexual partners ever.

Ironically, Gabrielle’s feelings now for Tom Slater could easily be described as a version of U-haul lesbianism. She had known him or her for fourteen months but only three months of which had direct interpersonal dealings. Yet Gabrielle wanted to be Tom’s wife or mate for the rest of her life.

The woman Tom Slater had become appealed to Gabrielle. She was neither Drama Queen nor Needy U-hauler, and Tom seemed confident about herself. The only insecurity in her was from her lack of experience as a woman but that was evaporating with time.

Midori Slater had already told Gabrielle that she would love and embrace a lesbian daughter, if that were her choice, just as much as she had her straight son. ‘Rebecca’ didn’t know this yet, but Gabrielle knew she'd have to tell her, even though it might weaken her own case for Tom’s return.

As for Stuart Slater, he was devoted to his wife. Gabrielle knew Dad would follow Mom’s lead when it came to Rebecca.

One thing that attracted Gabrielle to Tom, or Rebecca, whatever she wanted to be, was her courage. After all she’d been through, she wanted to bring Swan Song to the best possible completion no matter the risk to herself. Gabrielle so wanted to be the deserving gift at the end of the rainbow for Rebecca, or Tom.

Still she grieved for the man she hadn’t had the chance to be intimate with. If she could pull Tom back to his original gender, she would but Gabrielle sensed it was already too late for that.

“I love you,” Gabrielle said in English as she swore never again to keep secret from Tom how she felt about her.

“I love you too, Gabrielle,” Hiromi said as she summoned up the strength to say something to Gabrielle.

Gabrielle wasn’t taking too much note of Hiromi’s pause or what could be causing it. “Tom, are you sure you don’t want to turn yourself in now? We can go from here to a safe house and don’t worry about Chuck. My Hong Kong helpers will get him to safety also.”

Before coming to the McDonald’s, Gabrielle and Maurice had worked out a set of signals. If Tom said the word, she’d drop a napkin on the floor. That would tell the Hong Kong police watchers around them that Agent Ripley wanted to be taken to safety right then.

“No, Gabrielle, I want a meeting set up with those people I listed earlier before I decide anything. Can you do that for me?”

“I’ll try,” Gabrielle said with a sigh. “Tom, I can’t promise you anything. If they say no, what do you want us to do?”

“Chuck and I will fly to Melbourne on Saturday. As soon as we get there, whether the meeting is a go or not, I’m going to tell Chuck the truth on arrival. On Sunday, I’ll report to wherever the committee tells me.”

“I have to contact the committee. You’ll get a reply in a few days.” Gabrielle who felt so elated when the meeting started, now felt like a balloon slowly being drained of its air. If Tom got what he wanted from the Swan Song committee, it was likely he and Gabrielle wouldn’t be able to have a future together.

“Gabrielle, can you do me a favor when I get to Melbourne?” Hiromi asked before putting her hands outstretched on the table in front of her.

“I’ll try. What are you asking?”

“Can you be at the hotel when I tell Chuck? He may want some proof for what I say. Otherwise he might think his wife lost her mind.”

“Yes, I can do that, assuming the committee agrees to the Australian idea of yours.”

“Thank you, Gabrielle. I appreciate everything you have done for me.”

The meeting was turning almost business like. The sexual tension was declining with every spoken word. Tom had even stopped calling Gabrielle Gabby. She usually hated that nickname, but not when Tom used it. He always used it in an affectionate way or sometimes in a slightly teasing fashion.

‘Now I’m becoming Gabrielle to you? What is happening to you, Tom?’

As Gabrielle’s mood began to change, she joked. “Miriam looks lonely right now.”

“She isn’t my type,” Hiromi said with a laugh. Miriam Andrews did nothing for her, unlike Gabrielle Tanaka.

Gabrielle felt him slipping away, even though he was still sitting down. “Tom, before you leave, I have to tell you that Mom wants you back whether you want to be a woman or man, and so will Dad. Please don't think that you’ll have to be Tom again if you don't want to be.”

He looked straight into her eyes. “Thank you, Gabrielle. I know how much that cost you, and I do love you.”
 

~*~
 
When Yokohama Police Detective Yeijiro Mazaki arrived for work Tuesday afternoon, he immediately sought out his partner Juri Hayakawa. She was still observing Fumahiro Suzuki via a two-way mirror.

“Good afternoon Yeijiro-san. Did your wife’s appointment go well?”

“Yes, the doctor said the fibroids were not malignant. Thank you for asking.”

Juri pointed inside the interrogation room. “This is the person I told you about yesterday.”

Yeijiro watched Fumahiro Suzuki for a little bit. The janitor was restless and talking to himself.

“Does he have any criminal record?”

Juri handed Yeijiro a piece of paper. “Suzuki-san has been arrested twice for vagrancy but not in the last ten years.”

Yeijiro nodded his head. The Negishi Bay Apartments were built about the same time. “Have you spoken to Suzuki-san yet?”

“No, not yet. I thought we would make Suzuki-san wait. He may be more likely to talk then.”

“I think you made the right decision, Juri-san.”
 

~*~
 
‘Isn’t my type? Are you giving me hints, Tom?’ Gabrielle thought as her heart continued to ache.
Ӭ
Gabrielle, seeking answers, asked Hiromi a few more questions as she studied her friend even more intently.

“When you travel to Australia, will any of your bodyguards be coming?”

Hiromi shook her head. “When I went there in December, it was only Chuck and I.”

“All right, Tom. Other than Swan Song and the breakdown you suffered, how are you doing?”

“I’m all right. When Swan Song isn’t weighing me down, I find things to do that I like,” Hiromi said as a smile formed on her lips.

Gabrielle noted the smile. “How’s Chuck?”

“He’s good,” Hiromi said as the smile on her lips grew larger. At the same time she made a quick glance at her watch. “Before I forget, can you have Hong Kong customs free up my personal goods? In them are two compact discs with Watanabe files on them that I want to give to the committee. Some of the files name the persons responsible for killing Judge Song.”

“All right, Tom. I’ll look into that also for you.”

“Gabrielle, we’d better call a halt for now. I want us to have a long talk, but somewhere more private.”

“Tom, I want to talk to you too,” Gabrielle said as she put her purse up on the table. This signaled the watchers that the Swan Song meeting was about to end.

Hiromi had one more thing to say. “Gabrielle, I love you, but I love Chuck too. He is the sweetest man and he treats me like a queen. Right now I’m not taking birth control, because I want to have his baby.”

The last statement from Hiromi didn’t come as a surprise at all to Gabrielle but it still felt like a load of bricks being dropped on her. Tom loved Chuck more than he did her.
 

~*~
 
By the time Leung Chin Yee entered the McDonalds, his stomach was growling very loudly at him. As a result he paid little attention to what was going on in the fast food restaurant. All Chin wanted to do was get something to eat.

Chin’s attitude changed as soon as the McDonald’s employee gave him his sandwich and French fries he had ordered. After getting a soft drink, he began looking for a table he could eat at.

The McDonald’s was still busy, so it took Chin over a minute before his search proved fruitful. A table had become empty in the back of the restaurant and Chin hurriedly made a beeline straight for it.

Before he got there, he became greatly surprised. The Kristi Yamaguchi look alike was also dining at the McDonald’s and was speaking to a woman even more beautiful than her. She had two of the most magnificent breasts his eyes had ever seen.

As Chin sat down to eat, his eyes continued to wander to that other table. He was very glad to be at McDonald’s that day.
 

~*~
 
“You do remember what I told you about Dr. Wagner’s formula?”

“Yes, I know, and it may be too late already.”

“When did your last menses begin?”

“The last day of June.”

Gabrielle knew what Hiromi meant when she’d said it may be too late already. Her friend was in that limbo period where a woman can’t know whether she is pregnant, but could be, because she’d had relations with her husband while she was at the peak of her fertility, and the optimal time to conceive a child had already passed. If she was destined to be pregnant, the fertilized zygote was being wafted down her Fallopian tubes toward her uterus, where it would implant and start to grow in earnest.

“Chuck dreams of us buying a farm in Australia with horses and having two or three children together.”

Gabrielle could already see another batch of bricks getting ready to fall on her head. “What do you think about it?”

Hiromi was honest. “It’s a little scary; I’d never imagined the possibility of motherhood as a boy, but I think I like the idea, a lot, but only if the committee doesn’t accept my proposal. It also depends on how Chuck receives the news of who I really am.”

“What do you think will be Chuck’s reaction?”

“Frankly, Gabrielle, I don’t know.” Her expression changed briefly, to a look of anxiety? Desperation? Grief?

‘What do you think, Gabrielle? How would you feel if you had to tell someone you loved that you’d been lying to them, that you’d been pretending to be someone you weren’t, and if they rejected you because of that?’

Both Gabrielle and Hiromi got up and began walking to the exit of the McDonald’s. Neither was aware of a sixth set of eyes was watching them.”¨”¨
 

~*~
 
‘Maybe I can find someone like her after I get my teeth fixed,” Leung Chin Yee thought as he watched Hiromi and Gabrielle walk away.

Chin was still thinking of Hiromi’s breasts, when the cell phone in his pants pocket began to ring. He put down his drink and began fumbling in his pants pocket to retrieve the device.

“Hello.”

The person calling Leung Chin Yee, was his boss at the Rolls Royce Club. “Chin, can you come in to work right away?”

“Yes, Mr. Wu. I will come right there.”
 

~*~
 
“Gabrielle, thank you for everything you have done for me.””¨

“You’re welcome, Tom,” Gabrielle said, as if she was saying goodbye to a friend for the last time.

“Gabrielle, I love you,” Hiromi said as she continued to feel warm and tingly due to having Gabrielle near by. She felt more torn than ever by the love she felt for both Chuck and the pretty FBI agent.

“I love you too,” Gabrielle said at the same time she felt like a balloon almost drained of all its air. “Have you heard of the South Pacific Hotel?”

“Yes I have, why?”

“That’s where I’m staying. You wouldn’t want to come over say Thursday at lunch time and get naked with me?” Gabrielle asked not sure if she was making a serious proposal to Tom or not. At a similar McDonald’s meeting in January, it had been Tom asking Gabrielle to get naked with him.

“Gabrielle, I can’t. I’m a married woman.”

‘You certainly are, Tom,’ Gabrielle thought as she felt the last air leave her body. “I understand. Look out for an email from me in a couple of days.”

“I will, bye, Gabby.”

With that the Swan Song rendezvous was over.
 

~*~
 
When Miriam saw Hiromi’s talk with Gabrielle was coming to an end, the bodyguard left the McDonald’s. She waited near the exit till her employer came out.

“How did it go?” Miriam asked Hiromi as soon as her boss was outdoors. Lunch time was over in Hong Kong but the streets still bustled with people.

Hiromi glanced at her watch. It was 1:30 already. “I don’t want to talk out here.”

Miriam got the message. “All right, Mrs. Sato.” The two women then set off by foot to where the Jaguar was parked.
 

~*~
 
Gabrielle’s emotions were all over the map when Maurice approached her inside the McDonald’s. “Are you ready to go back to Arsenal Street now?”

“Yes, Maurice, I am.”
 

~*~
 
Yeijiro Mazaki and Juri Hayakawa decided together that Fumahiro Suzuki had enough time to contemplate why he had been brought to the police station. So the detectives entered interrogation room 20B and asked the janitor to take a seat.

“I have broken no law,” A fidgety Fumahiro said as he sat down.

“No one says you have Suzuki-san,” Juri replied. She had been well briefed by Lieutenant Tsunesaburo Horiuchi on how simple minded Fumahiro Suzuki was.

“Then why am I here?” Fumahiro said as he stuck his right index finger up his left nostril.

“We just want to talk to you,” Yeijiro answered.

In the over two hours Juri had observed Fumahiro, she had noted the many annoying mannerisms the janitor had. That included his nose picking. It was her opinion that his nostrils must be the cleanest in all of Japan.

“I did nothing wrong,” Fumahiro said insistently. His beloved late mother had impressed on him that to be brought to a police station was not something he should cause to happen to him.

“You have been arrested in the past,” Juri said.

“I had no place then. Now I have a home.”

“Yes we know that Suzuki-san,” Said Yeijiro. “Now let us talk about the Negishi Bay apartment building you live at.”
 

~*~
 
Hiromi let Miriam drive the Jaguar back to Kanagawa Bank. The two women began talking before the car even left the parking garage.

“Thank you for taking me here, Miriam.”

“You’re welcome, Mrs. Sato,” Miriam said as she made their way back to the CHT. “Your friend is very cute.”

“Thank you.”

“Did anyone tell you she looks like the figure…”

Hiromi cut Miriam off. “Kristi Yamaguchi? Yes, all the time. Gabrielle and Kristi are cousins.”

“That would account for the resemblance.”

Hiromi was thinking of Gabrielle and their meeting. She knew her honesty had hurt the FBI agent. It had also hurt Hiromi, especially after she learned of how Gabrielle had been fighting for her behind the scenes for almost a year.

‘I’m trapped. Chuck loves me, Gabrielle loves me, and I love both of them but can’t make both happy. Instead I’m going to hurt both Chuck and Gabrielle. What a mess I’ve made.’

“Does Gabrielle live in Hong Kong?”

“No, she’s just visiting.”

“Do you want to meet her again?”

Hiromi wasn’t used to discussing her personal life with her employees. Maybe because of Miriam’s sexual orientation, Hiromi wanted to open up and share her uncertainty. “I wasn’t planning to. Gabrielle asked if I wanted to come to her hotel later this week.”

“So why didn’t you say yes?”
 

~*~
 
Gabrielle was doing a slow burn not long after Maurice began the drive back to Arsenal Street. How could Tom Slater even think of dumping her after all she had done for him?

‘I’m such a fool. Why did I let Tom use me like he did?’

Gabrielle saw Tom as still wanting to use her. When she told the truth to Chuck and if he rejected her, which was likely in the FBI agent’s opinion, she would run back to Gabrielle.

That was if Tom didn’t get the Swan Song mission changed. If his idea did get approved, Gabrielle saw Tom as turning his back on her also. She has picked trying to change a tiny insignificant part of the world, and likely failing in the process, over her love for him.

Gabrielle pictured Tom or Rebecca coming back to her again. ‘She’ll beg, and say she is pregnant now and wants you. What are you going to tell her? You know what you’ll say.’

Maurice took that moment to speak up. “Gabrielle, how did your meeting go?”

‘It went shitty.’ Was what Gabrielle felt like saying. She instead remained outwardly professional no matter how steamed she felt on the instead.

“Ripley wants a meeting in Australia. She and Charles McBride are planning to fly there next Saturday.”

“That is interesting,” Maurice said in a merry way. “Can I ask the purpose of the meeting?”

Gabrielle told Maurice Gao everything Tom had said to her about Operation Swan Song. At the same time she made a decision to give Grant Williamson a very critical evaluation of Ripley. ‘That might bring Tom back to his senses.’

“Frankly, if what you say is true about the chaos within the Watanabe organization, Ripley is about to set off on a suicide mission. What do you think?”

“I think you’re right, Maurice.”

“Ripley sounds like a very brave person to me.”

“Yes, Ripley is very brave,” Gabrielle replied. ‘She is absolutely nuts too.’

“I was very impressed with Ripley, physically I mean. She is more attractive in person than those photos you showed me.”

Gabrielle was only half paying attention to what Maurice said. She was staring out the car window as she silently took pity on herself.

“Are her breasts natural or did she have them enlarged?”

“She had them enlarged since Swan Song began.”

“Amazing. Gabrielle, can I pose a difficult question to you?”

Gabrielle had a hunch what Maurice was about to ask. “If it’s about the kiss, Ripley told her bodyguard that I was an ex-girlfriend of hers.”

“Yes, that was what I was going to ask about. I like Ripley’s choice of cover for the meeting.”

“Maurice, can I speak to Chief Inspector Chang sometime today?”

“Of course you can, Gabrielle. She has already asked to be informed at once of how your meeting went.”

Maurice became silent for a short time. This allowed the anger inside Gabrielle to become active again.
 

~*~
 
“Miriam, I’m a married woman.”

“You did kiss Gabrielle back at the restaurant.”

“Yes, and I feel bad that I did so.”

Miriam smiled. “Mrs. Sato, I admire you for not succumbing to the temptation. It is my opinion that going behind a spouse’s back on anything big or small can ruin a relationship. Two people in love have to be open to the other.”

“I love Chuck very much.” Hiromi was enjoying her talk with Miriam. She had made a new friend, and talking about her problems made them easier to bear.

“You have one very special husband, Mrs. Sato.”

Hiromi’s cell phone back to ring. It was Chuck calling his wife.

“Kimi-chan, where are you right now?”

“We’re on the way back to the bank. Can I call you when I get back to the office?”

“Of course, Kimi-chan, how long will that be?”

“I think about ten or fifteen minutes.” Hiromi ended her phone conversation with Chuck a few moments later.

“Was that Charlie calling to see how you are, Mrs. Sato?”

“Yes, it was. Miriam, can you do something for me?”

“What is it you’re asking?”

“Can you begin calling me Hiromi instead of Mrs. Sato when it is only you and me talking?”

“I can do that for you, Hiromi.”
 

~*~
 
Maurice spoke again. “Gabrielle, how much do you know about Dr. Wagner’s DNA therapy?”

“I explained it to you and Inspector Chang last Friday,” Gabrielle said testily. “Did you forget it all already?”

“No, I did not,” Maurice said with a slight laugh. He wasn’t at all fazed by Gabrielle’s moodiness. “I was thinking about psychological changes to Dr. Wagner’s patients, as well as the physical. Do they ever take place?”

Gabrielle instantly snapped out of the mood she was in. She turned and looked at Maurice. “Yes, Dr. Wagner says a patient will likely undergo mental changes. Especially if they spend a long time in their new form.”

“That would seem perfectly logical to me. I would even think the changes could under the right circumstances become permanent. For instance, Dr. Wagner might change a single American woman into a man who worked in Wales as a lorry driver, and who also had a wife and children. But when she become a woman again, say a year later, she might find herself driving on the left still, and she might still want to pee standing up when she uses the loo. At least that’s what I imagine.”

Gabrielle laughed out loud. ‘Why did I think all those shitty things about Tom before? He can’t help how he feels now and I’m at fault too.’

‘How many times did Tom say he loved you, Gabrielle? Three? Four? He is honestly torn between you and Chuck. He loves both of you but because of his nearness, and their marriage, Chuck has a distinct advantage. Tom is an honorable man, or woman; her marriage vows would mean everything to her, just as her oath as a US officer did, so she was being totally honest about the bind she’s in right now. Which solemn promise should she ignore? Who, of the two of us, Chuck and I, does she betray? Whose heart will she break? She must feel like hell right now.’

Maurice continued to talk. “I’d think the changed woman would also miss her wife and children, and the close relationship she’d enjoyed so recently. It would be frightfully difficult to readjust to being alone, and without the comfort of a family, don’t you think? Seriously Gabrielle, what do you think?”

‘Tom wants to have a family with Chuck. Can you blame him? She does a dangerous job all day – where one slip could result in torture and death – and then comes home to a handsome loving guy who treats her like a Queen. If you were in Tom’s shoes, you’d be screaming to have Charles McBride’s children too, and the idea of being a simple farmer’s wife would sound like Heaven.

“Yes, Maurice, I think you are right.”

“Ripley was a single man before Swan Song?”

“Yes, he was,” Gabrielle replied, fully aware of what the Probationary Inspector had done. Without the slightest confrontation, nor making any sort of fuss, Maurice had managed to straighten out her thinking completely.

Gabrielle told Maurice more about the person he knew as Agent Ripley. “She said that she loves Chuck now, and even admitted that she wants to have his children.” It still hurt to say it, but now she was filled with compassion for Tom as well as her own sense of loss.

“That seems predictable to me, in light of how Ripley has lived for almost a year. Did she say what they wanted to do after Swan Song was complete?”

Gabrielle paused as Maurice pulled into the police station parking lot. She had shared many personal things about Ripley, and wondered if she had said too much already.

“She wants to remain a woman, and still be married to her husband if he will have her. Either that or be with me,” Gabrielle said honestly. ‘I might as well tell Maurice everything. The guy is so perceptive, he probably knows half of it already.’ For a moment, she envied his fiancée, whom she imagined must have the best of both worlds, a man working in a respected profession, and a best girlfriend who knew what she was thinking, as women do.

“You love Ripley too?” Maurice asked as he and Gabriele got out of the car.

“Yes, Maurice, I do.”
 

~*~
 
“How long will Gabrielle be in Hong Kong?” Miriam asked Hiromi as they came out of the CHT.

“She will be leaving Friday I think.”

“When was the last time you two met?”

“It was last January. Before that, it was August of last year.”

“Hiromi, would you mind if I give you some personal advice?”

“No, Miriam, go right ahead.”

“Talk to Charlie about Gabrielle. He appears to be a very understanding man. I would be willing to bet three hundred Hong Kong dollars that Charlie would give his consent to you seeing Gabrielle as long as you told him ahead of time.”

Miriam told Hiromi about two married women in Australia she knew. They were carrying on a relationship with full approval of their husbands.

Hiromi remembered how hurt Gabrielle looked when they parted company. Did she want to ask Chuck about it like Miriam advised her? It would also allow Hiromi to have the private full heart to heart talk she wanted to have with the pretty FBI agent.

In order to smooth the way for Hiromi to have a romantic rendezvous with Gabrielle, Miriam made it clear she would be willing to assist. “I and no one else will take you to the meeting. While you two are together, I’ll guard the door.”

“And sing Waltzing Matilda for us?” Hiromi jokingly asked as Miriam pulled the Jaguar into the Kanagawa Bank garage.

Miriam laughed. “No bloody way. I can’t carry a note for the life of me. So will you ask Charlie?”

“I’m not sure,” Hiromi said as she and Miriam climbed out of the Jaguar.

During the elevator ride upstairs, Miriam said she would keep everything that happened while they were out confidential. Hiromi replied that she would appreciate that.

It was time for Hiromi to get back to work. Josephine had some messages for her boss when she got back to her office.

“These are for you, Mrs. Sato.”

“Thank you, Josephine.” Hiromi quickly glanced at the four messages before going into her office. The first order of business for Hiromi was to return Chuck’s call.

“Kimi-chan, it is so good to hear your voice. Did you have a good time today?”

“Yes, I did, but Miriam and I didn’t go to Tung Choi.” Hiromi had told Chuck enough lies. Why do the same about where she had spent her lunch hour?

“Where did you go?” Chuck asked without any hint of jealousy or suspicion.

“A McDonald’s on Castle Peak Road. While we were driving through the tunnel, I felt a sudden urge for some French fries.”

Chuck laughed. He knew all his wife’s favorite foods.

Hiromi, half seriously, told what else she did at the McDonald’s. “I met a woman and we talked. She was so nice, I kissed her. Before I left, she asked if I wanted to come over to her hotel.”

Again Hiromi made her husband laugh. “That sounds very interesting, Kimi-chan. I better let you get back to work. I love you.”

“I love you too, Chuck, with all my heart.”
 

~*~
 
“Maurice, I’d appreciate it if you keep the personal things I said about Ripley and myself out of any official reports,” Gabrielle said as she and the Probationary Inspector entered the Arsenal Street station.

“Mum’s the word, Gabrielle,” Maurice said merrily. “I will try looking for Chief Inspector Chang so you can have a word with her. Is there anything else you need?”

“No, Maurice, and thank you for all your help. I’m going to prepare my report for Deputy Director Williamson now.”

Instead of going to her desk, Gabrielle visited the ladies room. Once she was there, she went in one of the stalls and sat down fully clothed.

Gabrielle immediately began to cry. ‘How could I have been so cruel in my thoughts about Tom? He risks his life every day and what the fuck do I in comparison to that?’

As she quietly sobbed, Gabrielle rededicated herself to assist Tom in any way she could. She did think his revised Swan Song was extremely dangerous, but loved the ambition behind it at the same time. It made her admire Tom even more, he was so brave.

Gabrielle paused as she took some tissue to wipe away her tears. ‘Tom isn’t a he anymore, start thinking of her as a she.’

Tom would have to be even braver if the committee accepted her proposal and Chuck dumped her also. She would be returning to the warped world of the Watanabes all alone and possibly pregnant to boot. It amazed Gabrielle that her friend wanted to try doing that.

The new dedication Gabrielle would give to Tom would include her advocating for the revised Swan Song. She would put aside her reservations and own selfish desires.

If Swan Song was revised, Gabrielle was well aware what it would mean for her. There could be no relationship for her with Tom.

‘I hope Chuck stays with Tom then. She’ll need someone to love her every night when she is done with her hellish work.’

As for what would happen if Swan Song was terminated, Gabrielle would work hard to win Tom’s heart. If she lost to Chuck, Gabrielle wouldn’t be bitter. She knew Tom would choose the person she needed most, who would love her the most. She resolved to be that person, and realized that she and Chuck were both in love with the same woman, so shared a bond of sorts. She felt a wave of compassion for him rise through her heart. The Swan Song committee had treated him like dirt, and she had too, and he didn't deserve it. All he'd done was to love Tom when she'd desperately needed comfort and love, he'd given her a reason for living when everything around her was ugly and bleak. Even if Tom came back to her, her continued sanity was Chuck's gift to their relationship. She finally managed to feel grateful for Chuck's presence in the life of the woman she loved.

Gabrielle, with her emotions back under control, got up off the toilet and left the stall. She went over to the bathroom mirror and checked her makeup.

‘They made her kill Reina Shimizu. No wonder Tom cracked up.’ Gabrielle thought to herself.
 

~*~
 
“All I do is cleanup work,” Fumahiro Suzuki told the two police detectives. “Every day I get up at six, I go to bed at ten. No day is different.”

“Where do you sleep?” Juri asked. As the questions being asked were gentle in nature, she would handle them. If Fumahiro resisted questioning, Yeijiro Mazaki would step in.

“I have a room. It is in the basement.”

“Does anyone live with you?”

“No. I am by myself.”

“Tell me about your room?”

“It is a room. My bed is in it. I have a television too.”

Yeijiro Mazaki stepped in with a question. “How can you receive a television signal below ground?”

“I do. There is a box on my television. It is how I set the channel I want to watch.”

Juri took over the questioning again. “What else is in the room?”

“Just my clothes and belongings,” Fumahiro said as he scratched his privates and fidgeted constantly.

“Do you have a phone?”

“No.”

“Do you have a computer?

“No.”

“How do you eat?”

“I have small stove in my apartment. It boils water, I cook on it.”

“You said you had nothing else in your room, Fumahiro-kun,” Yeijiro said forcefully. “What else are you not telling us?”

Fumahiro became even more nervous. “I will tell anything you ask.”
 

~*~
 
One of the persons who called Hiromi while she was out, was Dr. Rinako Miyake. Once she got a little bit of her bank work done, Hiromi called the doctor back.

A nurse spoke to Hiromi. “The doctor was calling to say we received your pap smear results. They were normal.”

“Thank you for letting me know my results.” Hiromi then hung up the phone. She was not just happy with the benign results but pleased by them also. They said she was a healthy female and Hiromi liked being that.
 

~*~
 
Gabrielle was forty five minutes into preparing her report to Grant Williamson, when Maurice stopped by. “Chief Inspector Chang can see us now.”

Sylvia was also surprised on hearing what Ripley had said at the rendezvous. “She is planning a very dangerous course of action.”

“I agree, Inspector, but the rewards could be immense.”

“Yes, they certainly would. Have you reported any of this to Grant Williamson yet?”

“No, Chief Inspector, I have not. Only because he isn’t in the office right now and I haven’t finished my report.”

Sylvia nodded her head. “Please keep Maurice and I informed. Is there anything we can do for you now?”

Gabrielle still needed her temporary desk at Arsenal Street and use of the secure communications room. She told this to Sylvia, who said these would be available to the FBI agent as long as she needed them.

“Ripley is asking for her goods be released by Customs. There are some computer discs in them that are important to Swan Song.””¨

“I will speak to Customs at once,” Sylvia said. Her superiors were eager to learn if Ripley had any triad information that could be of assistance to Hong Kong police. “Is there anything else?”

“No, Chief Inspector. Thank you for your time and assistance.”

When Gabrielle got back to her desk, she thought of someone else Tom would need to speak to in Australia. This was due to her involvement in Reina Shimizu’s murder.

Gabrielle would make sure a JAG attorney was available to give Tom legal advice. She might very well need it.
 

~*~
 
Juri Hayakawa started asking Fumahiro about the people he met during the course of his work. “Do you work alone?”
Ӭ
“Most of the time I do.”

“Who do you work with?” Juri had long since concluded that Fumahiro had no friends.

“I only see other cleaners at the apartments and sometimes people who make deliveries.”

Juri and Yeijiro asked many questions of Fumahiro in order to pin down who the people were he worked with. The janitor denied working with or knowing anyone who had the distinctive tattoo described by Shunsho Hattori.

Yeijiro and Juri then decided to halt the interrogation temporarily. The two detectives, leaving Fumahiro alone again, stepped out of interrogation room 20b.

“Suzuki-san appears to know nothing that can be of help to us,” Yeijiro said to Juri.

Juri wasn’t so sure. “Suzuki-san has on two occasions remembered something he previously omitted. Let us make Suzuki wait for a while. This may cause him to recall something.”

Yeijiro wasn’t optimistic but agreed with his partner’s plan of action. The two detectives went to the canteen to get a snack and only after that, would they restart their interrogation of Fumahiro Suzuki.
 

~*~
 
The fourth and last person Hiromi had to place a return call to, was named Lum Fook Chee. She was a senior Business writer for the Hong Kong Economic Times.

“Thank you for returning my call, Mrs. Sato. Can you spare me a few minutes of your time?”

Hiromi had never been comfortable during her few but necessary encounters with the press. She considered press relations a necessary evil. Many people will view banks and financial institutions based on how they’re presented in the media.

“Yes, I can,” Hiromi replied.

Fook described a business article she was preparing on the newest banker to take up residence in Hong Kong. The reporter was hoping to get a quote or two from Hiromi.

Hiromi provided a few. The most important quote was given as an answer to a question on what she thought were the chances for an economic recovery.

“I see tremendous opportunities for economic growth in Hong Kong and China. This will occur if our leaders do not interfere with the money supply. Artificial monetary creation will only cause a slight improvement in the short term. In the long term the same interference will cause the economy to need more time to fully recover.”

Fook took a few seconds to come up with a follow up question. “Mrs. Sato, am I right in saying you are a believer in the theories held by the Austrian School of Economics?”

“No, I did not say that. It is my view that artificial creation of money is of more harm than benefit to the economy, and that the Austrians were correct in identifying that as a potential problem, but I don’t agree with all of their conclusions.”

The interview began to wrap up. Fook thanked Hiromi for her time and asked if she would be interested in a sit down interview with the editors of her newspaper.

“I will consider it, but right now I am too busy.”

“We understand, Mrs. Sato. When you are ready, you may call me or my editor. Her name is Elizabeth Toxe. We look forward to hearing from you.”

Hiromi hung up the phone a little bit later. There were barely five days left till the time she would come clean to Chuck.
 

~*~
 
Another hour of isolation caused Fumahiro to become even edgier. As soon as the interrogation was back underway, he started asking Juri and Yeijiro when he would be permitted to go home.

“I can not live here. Let me go back to my room.”

Juri continued to do most of the talking. “You will, Suzuki-san, but first you must help us with our inquiries.”

Fumahiro fidgeted, scratched his privates, picked his nose, and unashamedly blew gas while Juri and Yeijiro asked him questions. It was like the janitor wanted to make the detectives as uncomfortable as possible.

“What does your cleanup work consist of?”

“I do trash, I sweep,” Fumahiro said at the same moment he blew a horrendous gas.

“What else?”

“I put cardboard in machine. It makes a bale.”

Juri, who found Fumahiro offensive, had maintained her professionalism throughout the awkward interview. She now tried to put Fumahiro at ease. “You use a machine called a baler, am I right?”

“Yes, a baler.”

“You must be smart then, Suzuki-san. I know that is not an easy machine to operate.”

Fumahiro did seem to relax a little on hearing the compliment given to him. Juri reminded the janitor of a grade school teacher he had when growing up. He had always liked Mrs. Shobo.

Juri had Fumahiro describe in detail exactly how he used the bailer. This made the janitor ease up even further.

“There must be other important machines and equipment you use. Am I right, Suzuki-san?”

“There is a furnace. I make sure it is always lit.”

“Tell me about the furnace,” Juri said.

Fumahiro described it in great detail to the female police detective.

For Yeijiro this marked the first time Fumahiro had said something interesting. ‘Why would a modern building like Negishi Bay be in need of an old style furnace?’

Yeijiro asked a question. “Is the furnace used for heating?”

“No, it is just used to burn things.”

“What type of things?” Juri asked gently.

“Whatever people give me.”

“Who are these people who give you things to burn?”

“I don’t know. They are the people living upstairs.”

“So you have had other visitors, Suzuki-san,” Yeijiro said harshly.

Fumahiro began to get fidgety again. Juri again took a lighter touch with the janitor. “It is all right, Suzuki-san. You do difficult work. So do I, and I know when doing this it is easy to forget details not related to that particular work.”

“I work hard.”

“I never doubted that, Suzuki-san. Do you remember these visitors who ask you to burn things?”

Yeijiro took this moment to pass Juri a note. ‘Why are we asking these questions? S has already said he hasn’t seen the tattoo.’

‘S may have information to help in other investigations. I see no harm in asking these questions. Are you in a hurry, Yeijiro-san?’

Yeijiro wrote the word ‘no’ down on the pad he and Juri were passing back and forth. While this was going on, Fumahiro picked at his finger nails.

“They were just people.”

“Was there anyone special among these people?”

Fumahiro picked at his finger nails for half a minute. Juri thought the janitor felt troubled or maybe scared to say something.

“Please tell us, Suzuki-san. I promise you will not get in trouble.”

“A woman visited me. Her clothes were burned in the furnace.”

Both detectives knew female Yakuza members were not common. “Do you know her name?”

“No, but I know she is important. Like an Oyabun.”

What Fumahiro had just said startled both Yeijiro and Juri. “When did she visit you?”

Fumahiro thought for a little bit. “All I remember is that the day was cold and it was late in the month. March or February I think.”

Juri changed course. “Suzuki-san, you must be very hungry.”

“I have nothing to eat.”

“We will get you something. Before that, you will have to wait a little bit. Is that all right?”

“Yes, I would like some food. A soda too please.”

Yeijiro and Juri left the interrogation room. In the outer room were some crackers. Juri brought these back to Fumahiro. The janitor had been given water throughout his interview.

Once Juri was back outside, she asked Yeijiro a question. “Do you know of a high-ranking woman in the Watanabe family?”

Neither detective had much knowledge of the Watanabes. “No, I do not. While you get Suzuki-san his food, I will go upstairs and look for someone who can assist.”

Yeijiro went to the fifth floor where the Yokohama police had its organized crime division. A secretary greeted the detective when he arrived there.

“Is there anyone here who I can speak to about the Yakuza run by the Watanabes?” Yeijiro asked.

The secretary nodded her head. “Yes, there is. Please come with me.”

Yeijiro was shown to a back office. A senior Yokohama policeman was there drinking a cup of coffee as he worked on a report.

“This is Detective Yeijiro Mazaki,” The secretary said. “He is looking for some help on the Watanabes.”

“Please sit down, Yeijiro-san. What is it I can assist you with?” Asked Swan Song committee member Inspector Tetsuro Yoshida.
 

~*~
 
To be continued in Part Twenty One