“You look good, shacho,” Vasili said softly as he approached.
“Liar. I look like shit.”
Vasili smiled a sad smile. “You do look like shit. But somehow you pull it off. I’ll bet fashion world will be taking your example. You will see. Everyone will be looking like shit next season.”
She shook her head and smiled. “You’re an asshole, Vasili. How are you?”
“Eh, good. Always good with me. Always busy.”
Vasili had always felt a kinship with Eriko. She was a woman and he was a foreigner in an organization that had only a grudging tolerance for either. Throughout the years, they had forged a kinship over their mutual outsider status.
Eriko was cunning, with a preternatural ability to know when it was time to forge alliances and when it was time to slit throats, neither of which she shied away from. When she sent someone a message, it was liable to be a bloody one. As a woman operating in a man’s world, she found that threatening to rip someone’s balls off usually wasn’t enough to get her way. She had to actually make good on that threat.
Vasili had been instrumental in helping Eriko take the post of shacho during the gangland warfare that had characterized the 2020s—a fact she had not forgotten. He still remembered those days, so many years ago, when Araki’s death had left a power vacuum that had filled with blood. He remembered the internal jockeying for power that had occurred as factions had formed and lines had been drawn.
Roughly half of the syndicate members straight up refused to serve under a woman, choosing instead to flock to Nishihara. To Vasili’s way of thinking, Nishihara was nothing but a thug and a psychopath. He made no bones about the fact that he was going to purge the ranks of anyone who wouldn’t bend the knee to him.
There had been a truce in place while the matter of succession was debated. But Vasili and the others who backed Eriko knew what would happen the second it ended. So when the call came from Eriko that she was moving against Nishihara, he never hesitated. He rallied his men and came to her aid. She, in turn, called a meeting, the first of her infamous dinners, where she served Nishihara up, bloody.
Her consolidation of power as the head of the organization had been brutal. But not only had she been victorious, she had also been able to forge a coalition with the surviving members to keep the Kaisha a going concern.
Soon after, she had taken the organization to war. Vasili had always thought it was an entirely unnecessary war from a tactical standpoint. It was waged against the Ukiyo-gumi, a small band of upstarts that posed no real threat to the Kaisha. They were little more than rats nibbling at the crumbs the Kaisha dropped without the muscle to take or hold territory.
But Eriko whipped the Kaisha into a frenzy against their so-called “common enemy.” Vasili saw it for the cheap trick it was, but it worked. Even her doubters within the syndicate rallied around her against this “existential threat.” She won them over to her cause and led the charge herself into their “headquarters” (which looked a lot like a social club for gangsters from a movie). It was a slaughter. But in the end, Eriko was left as the undisputed leader of the Kaisha. And the Kaisha gained a reputation as an organization that was absolutely not to be fucked with. So Vasili never mentioned his suspicions that many of the Ukiyo-gumi members killed in the raid had looked like hired actors playing dress-up as gangsters.
Ever since, she had led with an iron fist while at the same time also instilling a certain moral backbone into the organization, in her own way. She had imposed a list of hard-and-fast rules for operating, which had been strictly enforced under her leadership. These included:
1. No killing civilians (unnecessarily)
2. No betraying the organization or its members
3. No human trafficking
Each of these was punishable by death. She had other rules too, like bans against hard drugs or forming addictions, or rules against carelessness with law enforcement. These were considered lesser crimes and usually resulted in fines, reprimands, or expulsion. But betraying Eriko’s core rules was a good way to get yourself executed.
As they were exchanging greetings, Chobei entered the room and approached his mother’s side. Vasili was surprised to see him there.
“Vasili, you don’t mind if Chobei sits in, do you?”
Vasili did mind. “Of course not. The more the merrier!”
“Good. Ah, I see Matsuo has arrived.” Eriko began wheeling herself over to greet her new guest.
“I took care of that problem we talked about,” Vasili said when they were alone. “She won’t press charges.”
Chobei nodded, then walked away to rejoin his mother. Vasili heard Kameko whistle lowly from behind him in the universal signal for: This fucking guy, amiright?
“That is thanks I get for sticking neck out for him? Next time I won’t bother.”
The actress’s haunted look and eyes puffy from crying forced its way into his mind, but he tried to push the image from his thoughts. Vasili went over to join the others as Matsuo was greeting the shacho.
Matsuo was gushing. “How lovely to see you! And here I was getting upset about having to come all this way for such a trifling matter. But if it’s another opportunity to see you, then the long trip will have been worth it!”
“A pleasure, as always,” Eriko said. “Well, gentlemen, shall we begin? I wouldn’t normally be in such a hurry, but dying like this is wearying work.”
Once they had been seated, each side presented their case. Vasili played up his rival’s impatience and the potential downsides for him of missing the completion deadline, which were already substantial to begin with. He could potentially lose a lot of money on this deal.
Matsuo, in turn, stressed the principle of the matter. He talked about how Vasili had fallen behind on his payments for operating in Matsuo’s jurisdiction and making use of his pull in the construction industry.
Eriko listened to them each in turn, then sat back in her chair and closed her eyes for several minutes. Chobei looked around uneasily, clearly unsure what to do with himself. He was about to wake his mother when she opened her eyes and looked at the disputants.
“Alright, I have made my decision. Matsuo, you will keep the materials that were taken. But you will aid Vasili in procuring replacements and doing everything you can to get his men back on schedule. And don’t pull a similar stunt again without first giving the man a chance to pay what’s owed. You owe him that much, at least.”
“Shacho, if I may—” Vasili began.
“May what? Question my judgment?”
“Of course not. My crew is already behind schedule, and I need those materials right away. Missing completion deadline could be catastrophic for me. Besides, is also matter of Tetsuo’s death to consider.”
“I understand the circumstances. You just explained them to me. My answer is the same. Any more impertinent questions, Vasili?”
“No ma’am.”
“Good. You may leave now. It has been a long day, and I’ve grown weary.”
Matsuo and Vasili both bowed and took their leave, walking out stiffly side by side.
“Not a great feeling to be ruled against, is it?” Matsuo asked as they were parting at the door. “I suppose there’s a first time for everything, though.”
Vasili shrugged. “Eh, is part of game. I am more interested in how you’re going to help me replace these materials you took.”
“Get in touch with me tomorrow. We’ll work something out.”
Vasili nodded. “Alright, Matsuo. A pleasure.”
Matsuo practically snorted as he ducked into his vehicle. “Always.”
“Alright, Chobei. Now, why did I rule the way I did?”
Eriko and her son were still at the table. She had told him to pour them both a glass of shochu. Then she’d overruled his protests that it wouldn’t be good for her health.
“Well, I would imagine it had something to do with Vasili’s recent mistreatment of me, when he—”
“No, dam
mit! That doesn’t even enter into it!” Eriko sighed heavily and rubbed her forehead with a wrinkled hand. “His treatment of you made you lose some face, yes. But he did help you out of a tight spot. One that you put yourself in, I might add.”
“But she—”
“You’ve got to see the bigger picture,” Eriko said. “And you don’t even factor into this one. Vasili was behind in his payments for operating in Matsuo’s territory, right? Bosses can operate in other regions, but they must pay the proper respects to the person who controls the territory. This is fundamental.
“But Matsuo was overhasty in taking his payment from Vasili’s construction site. He should have given him the benefit of the doubt, or worked things out. So why did I rule in his favor?”
Chobei sat there haughtily for a few moments with his arms crossed in front of him. “To teach Vasili a lesson? To put him in his place? I don’t know, Mother, why don’t you just tell me?”
Eriko scoffed. “No, none of those things. First there’s the principle of it: Vasili was late with his payments. Tetsuo’s death is an extenuating circumstance, sure. But death is a constant in this business, not a variable. Safeguards and backups must always be arranged in advance. That’s on Vasili. But there is more to consider.
“Vasili can recover from this. Sure, he paints it as the end of the world, talking about exposing himself to liability and all. But his crews can recover from a delay of a day or two. Still with me?”
Chobei nodded.
“Good. Then there are my past rulings for both men. Just last month, you saw me rule against Matsuo in his issue with Hashimoto. You remember that case, and the reasons for that decision?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. So to keep Matsuo happy, I need to balance out my rulings, make it seem like he’s not being treated unfairly. Vasili mostly handles his own matters and rarely brings problems to me. So ruling against him is less of an issue. There’s a delicate balancing act going on. It’s not always possible, so you have to pick and choose your spots carefully when you do. This was a good time for that.”
Chobei was starting to lean forward now, his earlier petulance falling away.
“Then, of course, there is the larger context to consider. Matsuo’s contacts in the construction industry and industrial sector are making him an increasingly powerful figure. The Barrier construction and all the related industrial output are filling his coffers. So it’s important to keep him happy. Plus, more bosses will be setting up shop in Chiba and the surrounding areas to get in on this action. So setting a precedent early in this matter will show them how I’m likely to rule in future disputes.”
“And all that is going through your head when you’re acting as mediator?”
“Yes. Being a boss is complicated. It’s a delicate balancing act, sometimes between several competing interests and players. You have to start thinking strategically.”
“And what if they won’t honor your decision?” Chobei asked. “How do you respond?”
“It depends. The answer to every question in this business is: it depends. But you don’t go starting fights you don’t need to be in. Understand?”
Chobei nodded. “It never ceases to amaze me that no matter how far I’ve already come, there is still so much more to be learned.”
Eriko snorted through her breathing tube.
“It’s late. Wheel me up to bed.”
“So either he was there to send message to me for … for what, exactly? Making him lose face in front of his men? Or … or he was there because she is grooming him.”
Vasili was thinking aloud in the back of the SUV. It had become a habit of his lately.
“He’s clearly upset with you,” Kameko said. “That much we know.”
“Right. And either he has his mother’s ear and is poisoning her against me—which is bad for me in short-term—or she’s grooming him to take over when she passes—which is bad for me in long-term.”
“And you can’t say anything to her about keeping him in line. Even though you’re vouching for him with the Taira-kai.”
“Exactly,” Vasili said. “I don’t see how this situation could be any worse.”
“Well, they could find out that you put a hit on Chobei and try to kill us all,” Kameko said, twisting around in her seat to look at him. “That would be worse.”
“This is true. Thank you for input.”
“Anytime!”
Chapter Eighteen
“Assaulting an officer?” Endo asked, looking up at Mei from the report. “Is that so?”
Endo looked across the desk at her with narrowed eyes. His expression seemed to say, This ought to be good. Mei cleared her throat before responding.
“Yes sir, it happened before I got there. But Ina and Kato can tell you more.”
Endo looked up at them, standing behind her. “Tell me more.”
“When we brought him in for questioning, the suspect became violent,” Kato said without hesitation. “He knocked me to the ground and began striking Ina. He must have been high or something, because it took both of us to subdue him.”
“Where did he strike you, Detective Ina?”
Ina looked to be momentarily thrown off. “Um, about the face, sir. And in the abdomen. Mostly the abdomen, really.”
“I see,” Endo said. “Lucky for you it wasn’t hard enough to leave any bruises.”
“Ah, yes sir. I put some ice on it.”
“Good, good. Glad to see that you weren’t too out of sorts to vigorously question the suspect. As it seems he suffered …” Endo opened the file to peruse the report again. “Let me see … ah yes, three broken fingers, a black eye, the loss of two teeth, and extensive bruising about his face and arms. Now, how did he suffer those bruises on his inner arms again?”
Kato and Ina exchanged a glance, before Kato answered. “Not sure exactly, sir. Must have been when we were subduing him.”
Endo held his hands up in a defensive gesture, protecting his face. “Was it from doing this?”
“No sir. As I said, the suspect was aggressive.”
“And that is consistent with your observations?” Endo asked, looking at Mei.
Mei swallowed hard. “Yes sir, that is what I saw when I arrived.”
“And considering the suspect was aggressive, did it occur to anyone to—oh, I don’t know—handcuff him?”
“We tried, sir. But he resisted.”
“Of course he did.”
Endo sighed loudly and leaned back in his chair. He locked his eyes on Mei, then waved his hands dismissively at the others.
“You two can go.”
He regarded her coolly as they left, the disappointment plain in his eyes.
“You surprise me, Detective. I didn’t think this was your style.”
“Why? Are you afraid of what he might give up? Afraid I might actually solve this case?”
“Did you get any valuable information from him?” Endo asked.
“I … uh, a few possible locations where Masa may be.”
“And by all means, track them down. But I doubt you’ll find much there. When you beat on someone, they’ll tell you pretty much anything to get you to stop. So don’t be surprised if you don’t find anything.”
Mei didn’t reply.
“Do you know why I put you on this case?”
“My guess is because you wanted to lower my clearance rate when I couldn’t solve it. Then you’d have grounds for getting rid of me.”
“I can get rid of you whenever I want. I put you on the case because you’re a good detective, and we need good detectives working this case. But I’m starting to think I misjudged you.”
“I … it won’t happen again, sir.”
“Yes … see that you keep those animals leashed. I’ll cover for you in this instance. But never again. Do you hear me?”
“Yes sir.”
“Good. Release Ozu. And when you apologize to him, make it good. The man’s a former JSDF soldier, for fuck’s sake.
”
“Yes sir.”
“Now get your things and meet me in the conference room in ten minutes for the briefing.”
When Mei went back to the office, she saw Ina and Kato sitting at the table.
“You stood tall for us,” Ina said.
“Yeah, I didn’t think you had it in you,” Kato said with an approving nod.
“I did,” Mei said. “But let me be clear: that will never happen again. Understood?”
They nodded, less appreciatively.
“Good. Now, you’ve both got some canvassing to do.”
“What about you?”
“I’ve got to go tell the higher-ups about all the progress we’re not making.”
Mei looked around at the impassive faces of her superiors staring back at her.
She was surprised to see Endo arrive with a visitor when he came in just after her. Showing up with Endo immediately gave Mei a bad impression of the woman. Whether it was deserved or not remained to be seen. At least it would be a new experience not to be the only woman at one of these briefings.
“Gentlemen,” Endo said, ignoring the fact that Mei was standing in the room, “allow me to introduce Keiko Matsura. She is here on behalf of the governor today, to keep his office in the loop on the investigation.”
Keiko bowed to each of them as far as necessary, but no farther, as Endo introduced them each in turn.
“And these gentlemen are Superintendent General Kita, head of the Metropolitan Police.”
“Yes, Kita and I know each other. How do you do?”
“Fine, thank you,” Kita said with a stiff bow.
“This is Deputy Commissioner General Ueda of the NPA,” Endo said. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s Commissioner General within a year, the way his star is rising.”
Tokyo Noir: The Complete First Season Page 28
