Tokyo Noir: The Complete First Season

by J. Scott Matthews

  True to their word, Tengu and his men returned exactly twelve hours later. They hauled Asai up and set him down. He was woozy from the blood that had pooled in his head overnight.

  “Now, then, where were we? Oh yeah, I was asking questions, and you were being difficult. You find the desire to talk while you were staring down at the bottom of that pit?”

  “Yes,” was all Asai said, his head hung down against his chest.

  “Good. Let’s start with you answering every last one of my questions.”

  “Hello, boys!”

  The men from Matsuo’s crew looked up, just as Tengu slid into the booth between them at the izakaya where they were having dinner. They looked furious enough to do him harm right then and there. The only thing stopping them was the fact that Tengu’s men were standing at the end of the table. They already had their hands cocked under their overcoats in the universal signal for I’ve already got my hand on my gun so don’t even fucking think about it.

  “Hideyoshi, Obinata … eh … the rest of you,” Tengu said, looking around the table. “I was wondering if we could have a brief chat?”

  “Fuck off,” Hideyoshi said.

  “Great,” Tengu said, ignoring him. “See, I was hoping we could talk about what happened to Tetsuo Kobayashi.”

  “If you’re implying we had anything to do with that, you can take a flying fuck off a tall building, you …”

  He trailed off midsentence when he heard both Hori and Fujita cock their weapons under their overcoats.

  “Finished?” Tengu asked with a pleasant smile. “Because I’m not accusing you of anything. Just asking for information is all. Which is heaps nicer than me demanding information, which is where this is going if you don’t start cooperating.”

  “We had nothing to do with his death,” Hideyoshi said. “He was out in this area the day he disappeared. But he didn’t meet with us.”

  “Where was he?”

  “He was at the Barrier site in the afternoon,” Hideyoshi said. “I think he stopped somewhere earlier that day, I’m not sure where.”

  “Anyone?” Tengu asked the table.

  “I don’t know this directly,” said one man. “But I heard he stopped in at HM Kensetsu that morning.”

  “Which is?”

  “One of Matsuo’s construction firms.”

  “So you’re telling me someone at one of those sites might know something. Correct?”

  “Yeah.”

  Tengu broke out into a smile.

  “See, that’s all I’m asking, guys! Enjoy your meal,” Tengu said, picking up a piece of fried chicken from a platter on the table and popping it into his mouth.

  He walked out with a backward glance at the men still seated at the table. Then his own men fell in line behind him and they walked out the door.

  “Well, that was a waste of time,” Lee said as they got into the car outside.

  “Maybe,” was all Tengu said.

  Tengu rubbed his eyes. He looked around the small office located in the abandoned warehouse they were using for the interrogations. The light stand powered by the generator threw long shadows against the wall.

  Tengu put his reading glasses back on and glanced down at the list in his hand. He started checking off the names as he read them aloud to Fujita and Hori nearby.

  “Okay, let’s see … didn’t know shit … didn’t know shit … gave us a name to check on …”

  “Yeah, but that sounded weak,” Fujita said. “Like he was just telling us what we wanted to hear.”

  “Agreed. Still worth a look, though. I sent Lee and Yano out after him. Where was I? Oh yeah, didn’t know shit … didn’t know shit … literally shit himself … who are these two? Is this your handwriting, Hori?”

  “Yeah, those are referrals from Chieko. She said they might be worth talking to.”

  “Okay, I’ll add them to the list. So let’s see, that brings us to … Hirotoshi here. What’s his story?” Tengu asked, taking his glasses off and rubbing his eyes.

  “Some junkie. He was overheard mouthing off about the killings. Kozu’s guy said he sounded like he knew something. Probably just bullshit, but …”

  “But we have to check anyway,” Tengu said. “Right. Is he connected?”

  “He was, before falling on hard times. Used to run with a crew in Setagaya, I think.”

  “Alright, let’s see what he knows.”

  Tengu and his men walked down the hall to where Hirotoshi was sitting. It wasn’t the main floor where the pit was located. They had found that there was an easier way to get junkies talking.

  “Hi there!” Tengu said, entering the room. “How you feeling … Hirotoshi, is it?”

  The suspect was seated in a metal chair under a single bulb, with long shadows stretched out all around.

  “A little rough, to be honest. Your guys won’t let me fix up.”

  “I can see that, you’re sweating quite a bit,” Tengu said, sympathetically. “Just need to ask you a few questions, and you’ll be on your way. Shouldn’t take more than a few hours.”

  “Oh man, I wish I was high for this. I don’t think I can deal with this sober.”

  “You wanna get high?” Tengu asked. He turned to Hori next to him. “You heard the man. Why don’t you cook the man a spoonful of breakfast?”

  Hori nodded and turned to get started. Tengu stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “But just half a dose to start. I want him lucid enough to talk.”

  Soon their guest had been properly dosed and was looking relaxed. Tengu took a seat directly in front of him. “Now, what can you tell me about this serial killer business?”

  “Oh man, that’s some bad shit right there. I wouldn’t want to get caught by that guy. No way.”

  “Duly noted,” Tengu said. “I heard you were talking as if you might know something about it. So maybe you can be a little more specific.”

  “Hey, man, this ain’t coming from me, but I heard something about it.” With that the man held up his hands in a don’t-shoot-the-messenger signal.

  “I’m all ears,” Tengu said.

  “No, man, you’re all nose!” the man said languidly before dissolving into a fit of giggling.

  Tengu heard a snort from behind him and turned around to see Hori shielding his mouth with one hand and trying not to laugh.

  “Sorry, just got something in my throat,” Hori said, unsuccessfully concealing a smile.

  “Get it out,” Tengu barked before turning back to their witness. “What do you know?”

  “Guy I know said he heard someone talking about it. Something about, like, they’re going to take away Vasili’s toys or something.”

  “Did he elaborate?”

  “Yeah, like, get rid of the guy making them, or whatever. Cut him off at the source. Now I don’t know what that means, figure it’s some code you use, but—”

  “Shit!” Tengu popped out of his chair and whipped his phone out. “Kameko? Get the big man, he’s gonna want to hear this.”

  Chapter Twelve

  give them nothing

  That was all the text message from Kentaro said. Mei slipped her phone back into her pocket. She looked up at the squat gray building where Major Ozaki of the Dark Army had asked her to come for their meeting. It looked like an abandoned public school, because in fact it was. The central branch of the Dark Army was using it as their temporary headquarters.

  Mei showed her credentials to the guard at the gate outside and was allowed to pass. As she walked through the front courtyard towards the building, she saw a squadron of recruits being led through calisthenics and strength training by someone who looked to be ex-military. Watching the fresh recruits put through their paces reminded her of her days in the police academy.

  She understood Kentaro’s qualms about the Dark Army, but they seemed to rest on a lot of hearsay and rumor. She wasn’t that familiar with the organization herself but figured any outfit that wanted to help clean up Tokyo couldn’t be all bad. The NPA wa
s badly underfunded, understaffed, and overworked. If some volunteer do-gooders wanted to pick up some slack, good for them. All she cared about was the end results. She’d leave the politics to the politicians.

  She was escorted down the hallway of the abandoned school by one of the guards from the gate. Without saying a word, or so much as looking in her direction, he led her to the waiting room outside the principal’s office, where he stood stiffly at attention. Before long, Ozaki cracked the door to his office and beckoned her in.

  “I feel like I’m back in school, waiting to see the principal,” Mei said as he waved her into a seat.

  Ozaki smiled. “I can’t imagine you spent much time in trouble with the principal.”

  “No. But I spent a lot of time talking to her, letting her know what was going on. Like if I heard a student bragging about defacing school property. Or saw a fight or something.”

  “So you were an informant on your classmates?”

  “I never thought of it that way, but I suppose I was. I was just trying to help keep the peace, so to speak.”

  “Yes, well, it seems like that trait has stuck with you. Frankly, it’s one of the reasons why I was so eager to work with you. You seem very driven, very dedicated. I like that.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Mei said. She didn’t know why she had called him “sir” there. Force of habit, maybe.

  He nodded. “Now I don’t want to step on your toes, or seem like I’m usurping authority in your investigation. I’m just offering you whatever assistance I can. We have a large volunteer force helping to patrol the streets. In addition, we also have ex-military and people with similar experience providing security services for politicians and influential members of the media, business community, you name it. Whatever resources I can offer you for your investigation, just let me know.”

  “Thank you. But I have to ask, just what is the Dark Army about? I’m afraid I don’t know much, aside from what bits and pieces I’ve heard on the news.”

  “Well, look around, Detective Kimura. Signs of institutional collapse abound. The government is overwhelmed, resources stretched thin. Hell, it’s fitting that we’re having this conversation here, in a school that was abandoned for lack of funds. The people serving here are tired of watching our country fall apart. We’re tired of saying that crime, the decline in public morality, and the dissolution of society is someone else’s problem.”

  “I guess what I’m trying to get at is … where do you fit into the grander scheme of public order?”

  “We like to see ourselves as occupying a … supportive role. Law enforcement is strained to the limit, and we want to help. Most of our men have some form of martial or military training, and we know how to handle ourselves in difficult situations. Consider us an asset. So I’ll ask again. What do you need from me?”

  “Well, as I said before, increased patrols in the area where the killer is most active would be a huge help. Kita at the Metro PD has been less than forthcoming there.”

  “Consider it done. What about behind the scenes? I have men who are former police; they could help with the investigative work. Background research, paperwork, that sort of thing.”

  “Thank you, but I wouldn’t be comfortable accepting help there. It would start raising some tricky questions regarding confidentiality.”

  “Understandable. Merely an offer.”

  “Also, we’re still looking for Masahiro Shiku.”

  Ozaki’s eyes widened at the name.

  “Are you familiar with him?”

  “No, not personally. But I’ve heard the name somewhere. We’ll keep an eye out.”

  “Okay, careful with that one, though. He’s a potentially dangerous individual.”

  Ozaki smiled. “We’ll be careful. Anything else? Any other suspects to keep an eye on? Leads to follow up?”

  “We’re still looking. But I’ll let you know as soon as we have something.”

  “What about a pattern with the victims? Any common thread?”

  Mei considered her response to this. She didn’t know if this was innocent curiosity about the case, or if he was leading her somewhere. Kentaro’s warning flashed through her mind, but in the end she decided to be open about it. Some of the papers were already running with the story that it was somehow related to organized crime, so she had nothing to lose by telling him.

  “No definite pattern with the early victims, aside from possible involvement in organized crime. Except for Detective Suga, of course.” She considered that for a moment. “Probably.”

  Ozaki raised an eyebrow in an obvious question mark, but remained silent.

  “Later victims seemed tied to one man in particular, Vasili Loginovski.”

  Ozaki leaned back with an expression that seemed to say, Yes, that was the answer I was looking for.

  “Do you know the name?” Mei asked.

  “The Rock? Oh yes, of course,” Ozaki said bitterly. “He and his syndicate are a plague on this city. If it were up to me, I’d execute every last one of them and be done with it.”

  “That’s … rather extreme, don’t you think?”

  Ozaki paused. “Yes, of course, forgive me. Sometimes I get carried away. But I honestly believe that the Kaisha and these other criminal syndicates are among the worst blights on this city. Hell, on Japan as a whole. They spread their corruption throughout society, even to the police that they’ve bought and paid for. It’s one of the reasons I helped to start the Dark Army. Someone needs to watch the watchers.”

  “Alright, so where are we?” Mei asked.

  The members of her team just looked at her, waiting for her to continue. That was fine. The question was mostly rhetorical anyway.

  “Ah yes. So I’ve established that it’s most likely a team of men working together. This is based on eyewitness testimony. But the source is somewhat unreliable, so it’s not certain. Anybody else turn anything up on this?”

  Her team looked back at her. Some blinked. Others swayed in their chairs.

  “Anyone?”

  As if he was being put out, Ina raised his hand like a schoolboy with the answer. Mei motioned for him to go on impatiently.

  “Me and Kato found someone out on the reclaimed islands that would speak with us.”

  “And?”

  “Now I know you don’t want us interrogating witnesses or doing our job or anything,” Ina sniffed. “But we went ahead and talked to him.”

  “You’re supposed to do your job,” Mei said. “The only thing you’re not supposed to do is torture people in custody.”

  “What did he say?” Watanabe asked.

  “He said that word on the street is that those guys in the factory were syndicate men.”

  “Well, we know that Masa was there—”

  “Not just Masa, but the other guys too.”

  “Who are they affiliated with in the syndicate?” Mei asked.

  “Well, Minato Ward is Vasili’s territory, so I’d say he’s the most likely candidate.”

  “We don’t know that for a fact, though,” Kentaro said.

  “No,” Kato said. “But these guys don’t often cross boundaries. At least not without permission.”

  “I think we should be taking a closer look into Vasili and his people,” Ina said.

  “Noted,” Mei said. “What else do we have?”

  “Does that mean you want us to start looking into them?” Ina asked.

  “Not right now. I’ll handle that. I’m planning to look into Tetsuo’s final few stops before disappearing. A source told me he was at the site of a company called HM Kensetsu and was one of the contractors working on the Barrier right before disappearing.”

  “Who’s the source?” Watanabe asked.

  “Just one of my contacts. Kentaro, do you have time to accompany me out there?”

  Kentaro nodded.

  “Good. We’ll see where that leads and decide how to proceed from there. Watanabe, what have you got?”

  “Well, I’ve been doi
ng some more background research on the older victims. Think I may have a lead on Alyona Petrov, our second victim.”

  “What did you find?” Kentaro asked.

  “It turns out her plane ticket was purchased by a man named Bogdan Petrov, on behalf of a so-called modeling agency called STK Modeling. It’s essentially a shell, but my sources were able to locate several other women brought over by the same company. One of them told me that she worked with Alyona at a few different establishments. Primarily one called Kabuki Lounge. It’s an upscale hostess club featuring mostly foreign women from the Slavic bloc. As you’d imagine, it’s owned by the Kaisha.”

  “This sounds like it’s got Vasili Loginovski’s fingerprints all over it,” Kato said.

  “You’d think that,” Watanabe said. “But it’s outside his territory over in Kabukicho. Tracing the club’s ownership is basically a shell game, but we believe it’s owned by a man named Manabu Yoshii. It’s a longshot at this point, but I think it’s a lead worth pursuing.”

  “Absolutely,” Kato said with a grin. “And if you need me to go undercover, I will graciously accept this dangerous assignment.”

  “Yeah, me too!” Ina put in.

  “Get laid on your own time,” Mei said. “This doesn’t call for undercover work. We’re just going to ask them some questions. In fact, I’ll take this one too. I want you guys to stay on research. It’s turning up some valuable leads.”

  Kato leaned over to Ina and whispered something to him that was inaudible to Mei. Ina smiled. Mei turned to Kato.

  “Let me guess, a lesbian joke. Right?”

  The smile died on his face.

  “Like I haven’t heard them all by this point. Alright, if there’s nothing else, let’s get to work.”

  “Hey, boss!”

  Hikaru looked up from his ledger when he heard Okabe calling from across the bar. It was nearly empty at this time of day. The perfect time to get the accounting done.

  “What?”

  “I think I’ve got something for you!”

  “Well?” Hikaru asked, not seeing anything in the man’s hand.