True to his word, Kazuhiko had gotten himself nice and shitfaced. Luckily, he had been tasked with the one thing he was truly gifted at. And his luck just got better. Because now he saw the big gaijin he had been told to look for coming his away. He slammed the rest of his drink, not knowing that it would be his last, and went up to the big man heading to the door by the bar.
“Hey, fuckface! Hey, you white ape!” he said as he gave the big man a hard shove.
The man couldn’t have been expecting it, but it didn’t even faze him. His vision was already a drunken blur, yet he caught the momentary look of surprise on the foreigner’s face. Then he saw the ceiling, then the dance floor, then a bunch of legs. Then his view was obscured entirely as a group of heavy bodyguards piled onto him. He kept screaming at the big man even as he was roughly pulled to his feet and dragged back towards the elevators.
As he was being manhandled out, he recalled how he had been promised a bonus if he was able provoke a fight with the big man. Now he couldn’t wait to get what was coming to him.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“Just where is this damn thing coming from?”
The drip was driving Mei crazy. She was standing on one of the beat-up office chairs, using a penlight to peer into the ceiling over the corner. Every time another droplet of water splashed into the little pond that had formed, it chipped away at her already-raw nerves. It had been wearing on her all afternoon, and now she was ready to snap.
The sudden piercing shriek of the phone almost startled her into falling off the chair.
“Kentaro … Uh-huh … Shit, where? Hang on,” he said, grabbing a pen. “Go ahead … The what building? Alright, on our way.”
Mei was already hurrying to get her things.
“We’ve got another body. It was just discovered behind the AJX Building at Azabu Juban, 2-chome 8.”
“Let’s go.”
Mei and Kentaro drove in one car, followed in another vehicle by the others. They arrived on the scene just after the police had cordoned off the area.
“Detective Kimura, I’m leading the serial killer investigation,” she said to the ranking cop at the scene. “What do we have?”
“Trash man noticed the body in the dumpster behind the building and just called it in. Seems to fit the MO of the Shibuya Killer.”
“Let’s have a look.”
Mei pulled on a pair of rubber gloves and handed a pair to Kentaro.
The cop walked them back towards a large dumpster with a swirling red logo featuring a large H emblazoned on it. Mei noticed a row of posters that had been plastered to the side of the building. They featured a skeleton dressed as a Shinto priestess. It was wearing the traditional loose-fitting hakama pants, but the kimono jacket on its upper body was black instead of the usual white color. It was holding a jeweled dagger in one hand and beckoning with the other. “YOU ARE INVITED!” read the caption below. She had seen lots of similar posters lately all over.
“Whose dumpster is this?” Mei asked.
“Well, from the logo, I’d say it’s Club Hyperion’s,” said one of the duty cops standing nearby.
“Why does that sound familiar?” Mei mused aloud to herself.
“Probably because they have stickers all over town,” Kentaro said.
“Yeah, and they get some of the top international DJs to play there,” the cop said. “Seriously, some nights I think the only thing nastier than the beats are the girls!”
Mei and Kentaro looked at him.
“I’ll just go and … uh …”
“Secure the crime scene,” Mei said.
“Yes, that.”
He walked off quickly. As he was leaving, Suzuki walked up to them from the other direction eating a steamed bun in a 7-11 wrapper.
“Afternoon. So our serial killer has struck again.”
“That’s what they tell us,” Kentaro said.
“You’re hungry now?” Mei asked.
“Yeah, I missed lunch today,” Suzuki said, popping the last bite in his mouth. “Alright, let’s see what we’ve got.”
Gingerly, they extracted the body from the dumpster and laid it out on a sheet. It appeared to be that of a middle-aged man.
“Just to get you started here, I’ll have a quick look,” Suzuki said. “But you’re going to have to wait for the full report.”
“Anything you can do for us would be appreciated,” Mei said.
“Okay, right off the bat I’m seeing ligature wounds to the neck and bruising indicative of strangulation.” He untucked the victim’s shirt and pulled it up to reveal the stomach region. “The mutilation is consistent with the others. Though there’s more blood with this one. That tells me the evisceration took place either soon after death, or possibly even concurrent with it. I won’t know what was removed until I can examine it later at the morgue.”
“What about the pockets? Anything in there?” Kentaro asked.
“The contents of his pockets include one wallet, faux-leather, with about three thousand yen in crumpled bills. His ID says his name is—let’s see—Ide Kazuhiko, age forty-one. Lives in Ogikubo. Other contents include a wad of bills, much crisper than the ones in his wallet, it seems, totaling roughly twenty thousand yen. Also a cell phone, keys, ticket stub to a … Club Hyperion to see DJ Aki.”
Suzuki looked up. “This ticket is from yesterday. Looks like our victim was at Club Hyperion sometime last night.”
“Excuse me! Hey! Can I get back here? I need to throw something out!”
They looked over to the edge of the cordon to see a woman holding up a bag of trash. She wasn’t wearing a respirator or overcoat, just a black tank top and jeans.
“Excuse me, where are you coming from?” Mei asked, walking over.
“Hyperion. I just wanted to throw some trash out. Any way I can get through?”
“No, this is an active crime scene. Were you at the club last night?”
The woman started to look around uneasily. “Yeah. It’s fine, I’ll come back later.”
“Hold on. We found the body of a man we suspect was there last night. Would you mind taking a quick look to see if you recognize him?”
“A lot of people go to the club. And it’s too dark to see much. Plus, I don’t have my respirator or coat, so—”
“Please, it will just take a second.”
Still looking uncomfortable, the woman agreed. Mei lifted the police tape for her to duck under and walked her over. Suzuki had covered the body with a sheet, exposing just the face.
“Do you recognize this man?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I do. He was there last night. I remember because I saw him get into a scuffle with the owner.”
“The owner of the club?” Mei asked. “Big Russian guy, right?”
The girl suddenly went wide-eyed.
“I … I think so. I don’t know, I don’t really know much about him. Look, can I go back up? I just popped out for the trash. I don’t have my respirator or anything …”
“Alright, go get your respirator,” Kentaro said. “But come right back. We need to talk to you about last night.”
Mei stood there looking at the body. Who was he? Someone’s father? Someone’s brother, son, good friend? Someone who had somehow gotten mixed up with the wrong people and paid for it with his life?
As she looked down at the victim’s eyes staring vacantly ahead, the pity she felt for him calcified into anger within her. And now that they had physical evidence and witness testimony placing him in Vasili’s club …
“Wait!” Mei called after the woman. “I’ll come with you. We can do the interview inside. Might be more comfortable that way.”
“What are you doing?” Kentaro hissed.
“Gathering evidence.”
“No, it’s okay! I’ll come back out!” the woman said.
“Goddammit! You can’t just enter his club without a search warrant! You have to follow the proper procedure here!”
“Come on! You know exactly what’s
going to happen if we don’t see the inside of that club now! By the time we return, with warrant in hand and thumbs up asses, all we’re gonna find is a spotless scene reeking of bleach. Any video surveillance tapes from last night will be gone, all evidence will be scrubbed, and anything linking this body to that club will be destroyed.”
So saying, Mei began hurrying into the building after the woman. She caught up with her just as the elevator door was opening.
Kentaro followed her to the door of the building, where he took out his phone and frantically began dialing numbers. He had just held the phone up to his head when he saw the elevator doors close around Mei.
A large black SUV came to a stop at a red light in a crowded intersection in Ikebukuro. It sat there with its motor idling silently, until the stillness was pierced by the sound of a cell phone ringing from the front window. In the early-evening dusk, bright lights reflected off its surface, which had been polished to a mirror sheen. Before the light could change to green, the SUV suddenly peeled out, its tires screeching as they gripped the damp concrete for purchase. It swung around two lanes, shooting through traffic back in the direction it had come.
“… and as you can see here, our recent enforcement efforts have cut crime in key areas by …”
As the district commander was giving his presentation, Endo glanced down to see his phone vibrating on the table. He glanced briefly at the text, then stared in wide-eyed shock. He knocked his chair over as he bolted to his feet.
“Excuse me, gentlemen, continue!” he shouted as he was halfway out the door.
To an outsider, the scene would have been almost comical. A massive bouncer blocking a much shorter woman from gaining entrance through the velvet curtains with his hands held up.
“I need to speak to the woman who just came through! She’s a potential witness—”
“You can speak to her outside,” the bouncer said.
“It will just take a second—” Mei said, trying to squeeze by him.
“Warrant.”
As the bouncer said this, he moved to block her path with his body. Both of his hands were held up and outward in the universal I don’t want any trouble, Officer sign used with the police to signal nonviolent resistance.
“It’s not a search, I just need—”
Mei darted the other way. He sidestepped to block.
“Warrant.”
“Would you just—”
Dodge. Intercept.
“Warrant.”
The bouncer looked relieved all of a sudden as Mei heard the elevator open.
“Ma’am, you can take this matter up with the owner.”
Mei turned around to see Vasili and his two assistants arrive. Shit, this was going to get ugly.
“Hello, my name is Va—”
“Vasili Loginovski. Aka The Rock. Proprietor of this club and boss in the Kaisha.”
“Yes, I am the boss of a lot of companies. You have done your homework, Detective Mei Kimura from Homicide. And tell me, how is the investigation into the serial killer going?”
Mei’s breath caught in her throat, but she did her damnedest not to let it show.
“It would be going a lot smoother if you would allow me to take a look around. We have reason to believe the latest victim was at this club last night.”
“Certainly! You have a warrant, I take it?”
“I do not have a warrant, no.”
“Oh, I’m afraid that’s a different story, then. I like to do things by the books. I’m a bit of a stickler for the law.”
“Mr. Loginovski, if you would—”
“Look, I want to help, but you have to understand my reluctance. I’m a small business owner, and cops, they are not always—how should I put this?—so honest? They steal things, plant evidence. You know how it is.”
“I certainly do not. Look, I just want to look around the premises and speak to some of the staff, if I may.”
“You may! With a warrant. Show me a warrant and I will cooperate in any way I can.”
Just then the elevator door dinged open, and Senior Superintendent Endo rushed out. Mei could barely hide her surprise, while Vasili could barely hide his relief.
“I am very sorry about the conduct of my officer,” Endo said, bowing deeply to Vasili. “And I can assure you that this breach of protocol will not be repeated.” Endo seemed to have forgotten something. “Oh, pardon me. My name is Endo, I’m senior superintendent of the Criminal Affairs Bureau.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Vasili said. “Vasili Loginovski, owner of this club. I was just telling your officer that we would be more than happy to respond to any requests. With the proper paperwork, of course.”
Mei knew that this piece of theater was for her benefit. She had noticed the look of recognition that passed between the two men.
“Again, my deepest apologies,” Endo said obsequiously.
“Thank you, Senior Superintendent,” Vasili said. “It’s nice to know that some civil servants still have a sense of professionalism.”
“Let’s go,” Endo growled at Mei.
Mei looked at the heavy black curtains blocking the way into the club as she was ushered out by Endo. She wondered just what he was hiding behind them.
“I’ll see you soon, Detective Kimura,” Vasili called out. “Real soon.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
“Just what the fuck did you think you were doing back there?” Endo snarled.
“My job.”
“Your job? Entering a private establishment without a warrant is not your job. In fact, it’s against the law.”
“I just went up to debrief a witness. She wasn’t wearing her respirator and felt more comfortable being inside.”
“That still doesn’t make what you did back there legal. Any evidence you gathered that way would be inadmissible in court. Besides, that man is not the target here.”
“Vasili Loginovski? One of the highest-ranking criminals in Tokyo? He’s not a target? Why the fuck not?”
Endo stared at her for a long pause before answering.
“Listen, Detective. There is an order and a process for everything. There is a chain of command at work here, in which you are close to the bottom and I am close to the top. You are not setting the agenda here, I am. And you are showing me that you are incapable of following the orders you have been given. Am I correct in that assumption?”
“No, sir, I am capable of following—”
“Because if that is the case,” Endo continued over her, “I have half a mind to bust your ass down to one of the regional police branches. Maybe see how you like policing the ruins on the outskirts of Fukushima. How does that sound? Let’s see how far your holier-than-thou independent streak works for you while you’re manning the tollbooth outside of the flaming wreckage of the Fukushima plant. Just don’t forget your lead body suit and two million SPF sunscreen while you’re up there.”
Mei remained quiet as Endo fumed and sputtered until his anger had burned itself out.
“I’m going to sleep on this,” Endo said. “Removing you from this case would have negative repercussions for me, personally. But that’s how I’m leaning. I’ll notify you of my decision in the morning.”
“May I say something in my defense, sir?”
“No. Turn in your firearm until further notice.”
Mei gritted her teeth but removed her weapon and slid it across the table.
“Dismissed.”
It was late by the time Mei left the meeting room after getting chewed out by Endo. She made her way to her desk to clear out for the night, only to find Kentaro waiting for her. He did not look pleased, but in her fury, Mei missed this.
“I can’t fucking believe how this place works!” Mei hissed. “Half of these guys are useless and the rest are dirty!”
“What happened?”
Mei slumped into a chair. “He might bust me down to a local division in Fukushima. I’ll know in the morning, I guess.”
“Fucking hell
, Kimura. Your job is to build a case, not grind your little personal vendetta. You could have just fucked this case with that hotheaded bullshit.”
Mei was stung by the anger in his voice, but instead of backing down she responded in kind.
“How can you say that? He apologized to him! That rat bastard Endo actually apologized to Vasili! The guy who just had one of our witnesses burned to death.”
Kentaro looked stricken. “Well, if we’re casting blame for that one, I’d say we both deserve a healthy portion of it ourselves.”
“We’re not the ones that lit the match! And even if Vasili didn’t do it himself, he sure as shit engineered it. I mean, the guy is one of the biggest heavies in the city!”
“Until that’s been proven in a court of law, he’s just a civilian. And without a warrant, you just trespassed on him.”
“Goddammit, Kentaro, whose side are you on?”
He regarded her coolly. “The law. I’m on the side of the law. Where the fuck do you stand?”
Mei trudged up the stairs to her apartment. Her anger had burned out, leaving her with a sick emptiness in the pit of her stomach. Her job was everything to her, and now she might lose that. What would she do then? What if they really did bust her down to a local division? There was no way she would be able to work her way back to Tokyo, not in her lifetime.
These thoughts were tormenting her when she inserted her key into the lock, to the point that the loose tumblers almost didn’t register with her. But as the door swung open, she froze in place. The tumblers had never rattled like that before.
Automatically, she reached for her firearm, only to remember that it had been taken from her earlier tonight. Now she was starting to think that had been done on purpose. She debated whether to call for backup, but if Endo was in on this, then calling for backup wouldn’t help. Fuck it, she thought as she moved into her apartment.
She didn’t get far.
As soon as she was inside and walking down the hall, someone shot out of one of the closets and slammed into her from behind. Mei went sprawling, but was able to twist enough as she fell to land an off-balance blow to her assailant. This had little effect, and soon her attacker was clambering in the narrow entryway to get on top and pin her down. As he did, she saw his face and recognized him as one of Vasili’s cronies, with his goatee and slicked-back hair. Figures.
The Drowning City (Tokyo Noir Book 1) Page 13
