Sign of the Dragon (Tatsu Yamada Book 1)

by Niall Teasdale

  27th August.

  Grigory Vasilev was an obvious indication that crime did pay. He did not live in an ultramodern, multi-room apartment in Tokyo like Zima had, but he had two bedrooms, a separate kitchen, a massive bathroom, and a lounge. It was the lounge he was being interviewed in, and it looked like the kind of thing a bachelor with a bit of a playboy complex might possess. There was a lot of black leather and chrome metalwork. There was not a book in sight.

  ‘Mister Vasilev,’ Yamauchi began, ‘you’re the boss of the Funabashi gang, correct?’ She was sitting on a plush leather sofa and feeling uncomfortable. It was probably the leering smile Vasilev was wearing.

  While Yamauchi’s question was in Japanese, Vasilev’s reply was in Russian. Yamauchi had downloaded a Russian-culture skill pack to do the interview; Tatsu had told her he would not speak Japanese. ‘Gang is… an emotive word. We are a Russian cultural society, conducting business together, and seeing to it that the Russian community thrives here in Chiba.’

  ‘It appears that someone disagrees with your position. Your old boss, Anastas Zima, was murdered in his apartment. Another of your colleagues, Evgeni Nikolaev, has also been murdered.’

  ‘And there have been several more heinous crimes committed against us which the TYMPD seems unable or unwilling to solve.’ Tatsu, standing by the door while the interview was conducted, rolled her eyes.

  ‘The police have assigned two senior detectives to the case. You don’t believe they’re doing enough?’

  ‘Clearly they are not. The murders continue and the police seem no further ahead with their investigation. Our own enquiries suggest an outside agent is involved, probably from the yakuza in Tokyo attempting to push their drugs and illegal prostitution into Chiba. However, it is not impossible that the criminals from the Shiroi region are attempting to move into our territory. Russian mafia. Very dangerous.’

  ‘And nothing like your own organisation, obviously.’

  ‘Nothing like.’

  ‘You say you believe the yakuza may be responsible? Do you have proof of that?’

  Vasilev waved a hand dismissively. ‘Nothing we could take before the police, but we know the manner of death in each case. A sword was used. A Japanese sword. There are rumours to go with this evidence, but, as I said, nothing we could put before a detective.’

  ‘Do you believe that reprisals will be necessary, Mister Vasilev? Do you have plans to attack the yakuza in return for their attacks on you?’

  ‘We are businessmen, Miss Yamauchi. The only way we have of revenging ourselves against an assassin is to ban him from doing business with us.’ The smile Vasilev delivered with this statement was probably meant to be reasonable and business-like. Vasilev was not that good an actor.

  ‘And what about the fighting currently breaking out on the streets of Chiba? I’ve witnessed Yankees facing off against a Chinese gang. There are reports of fighting along your border with the Shiroi gang.’

  ‘These events are nothing to do with us. These are Yankee gangs, yes? When have Russians ever got on with Americans? We have no influence over these groups, though it may be that the Shiroi gang direct their pawns in this manner. Alongside Yong Pan, we wish to see peace in Chiba. Only peace.’

  ~~~

  ‘I doubt anyone’s going to believe him,’ Yamauchi said, ‘but you have to admit that you haven’t found the killer yet.’

  ‘True,’ Tatsu replied from across the van. ‘Whoever it is, they’re good. They leave basically no evidence and they plan meticulously.’

  ‘So, it’s not for lack of trying?’

  ‘No, it’s not for lack of trying. Vasilev is trying too, and he’s found nothing either.’

  ‘You don’t believe the yakuza are involved then?’

  ‘It’s possible. If there is yakuza involvement, it’s not from the local group. I don’t think the Shiroi gang are involved either.’

  ‘An independent then? Someone not affiliated with any group but working on their own to destabilise the Funabashi gang.’

  Tatsu nodded. ‘That seems likely. Well reasoned.’

  ‘I am an investigative reporter. Where are we going?’

  ‘I’m going to show you how low things can get in Chiba. We’re going to the port.’

  ~~~

  ‘They get UBI,’ Yamauchi said as they walked through the corridors of an old office building. ‘How did they end up like this?’

  ‘They spend what they get on drugs,’ Tatsu replied.

  ‘Then they have only themselves to blame, surely.’

  ‘Get hooked on rapture and there’s very little chance you’ll get off it on your own. The lucky ones find their way to someone who can help. Most don’t. They could never hope to afford one of the rehab clinics in Tokyo, assuming they’d be accepted into one. That’s where the Japanese addicts go if they suddenly decide they’re paying too much for their habit.’

  ‘Government statistics indicate that rapture isn’t a major problem in the cities.’

  ‘Well, it’s not as far as the government is concerned. Most of the addicts are hikikomori. They don’t go out to bother anyone else. They barely even touch social media. They have extreme social anxiety, so they keep to themselves, avoiding social contact which might reveal their habit. They get hooked through fuser trips, usually, and move on to the real thing and, so long as they don’t bother anyone, the only thing they harm is their bank balance. And they get the higher rate of UBI, so they can afford to keep living in beautiful isolation. They’re not a problem, as such. But there are a lot of hikikomori in the cities. It’s not such a popular lifestyle in the refugee zones because most people live in tiny apartments they want to leave as much as possible.’

  Yamauchi looked down at a couple, probably Americans, curled together under a single, opened-out sleeping bag. It was not cold, but they were huddled together in an office in a building which had seen better days, sleeping as much as possible to stave off the time when they needed another hit.

  ‘It’s not a great way to live,’ the reporter said. ‘This or cutting yourself off from human contact.’ She indicated the couple. ‘At least they have each other.’

  ‘Yeah,’ Tatsu agreed. ‘Until one of them starves to death because they spent the food money on rapture, or they catch something fatal because they can’t afford PIN subscriptions. Until then, they have each other.’

  28th August.

  ‘I’m not really sure what you’re going to get out of another day here,’ Tatsu said. ‘You’ve seen both sides of Chiba. Unless you’re just hoping to get more vid of gangs fighting.’

  ‘I don’t know what we’ll get,’ Yamauchi replied. ‘We’re heading out to the area the Hispanic gangs control. Maybe we’ll see something different out there.’

  ‘Like gangs fighting?’

  Yamauchi frowned. ‘You really don’t have much of a good opinion of me, do you?’

  ‘I don’t have a good opinion of TNM. You just happen to be caught in their bad reputation.’

  ‘We have a good reputation. Our viewers–’

  ‘Your Japanese viewers. And that’s only among the general populace. TNM isn’t exactly popular with cops and it’s even less popular with refugees. You have charisma, I’ll grant you that, but your employer is dragging you down in this particular environment. Anyway, the Hispanic gangs don’t really control the area we’re going to, it’s just that no one else has bothered to. There was originally a lot of factories in this area, interspersed with housing for the workers. Of course, the factories are empty now. The housing is still there, but there are relatively few commercial premises to extract protection from. The gangs peddle drugs they get from the tongs. They’re small-time, all of them. Back in America and Mexico, they were something to be feared, but those days are gone.’

  ‘I did some research last night,’ Yamauchi said, probably happy to avoid further discussion of her reputation. ‘The old American street gangs were largely run by prison gangs and they had a big following.
The Eighteenth Street gang and Mara Salvatrucha were famous. You’re saying they didn’t survive the transition to Japan?’

  ‘They lost their roots and that command structure. They ended up forming new groups, largely based around the districts they ended up in. They’re stronger down in Akashi. Up here, they got pushed out to the east. They’re weak, vassals of the tongs who don’t really give a damn about them.’

  ‘Well, let’s see what we can see.’

  ‘Fine, but I wouldn’t hold out much hope of good vid.’

  ~~~

  ‘Well… It gives colour,’ Yamauchi said.

  The view from Suzuki’s camera was showing the residents of Chiba out on the streets, enjoying the sunshine. Or, just as frequently, looking like they could do without the sunshine. They were out because the alternative was sitting in their rooms with barely adequate air conditioning.

  ‘What temperature is it out there?’ Yamauchi asked.

  ‘Thirty-five,’ Watanabe replied. ‘Sixty-five percent humidity.’

  ‘I’m almost glad there doesn’t really seem much point in interviewing them.’ She was dressed for the weather: another blueish summer dress and hose which, according to Yamauchi, filtered UV light, reducing the amount of sunblock she had to put on. ‘Are any of them in gangs?’

  ‘Probably,’ Tatsu replied. ‘Actually, I can see a few gang colours out there, but it’s not always an absolute indicator. You need to spot the tattoos to be sure and that’s–’ She stopped as a message popped up in her sensorium.

  Sergeant Yamada, attend a crime scene at the attached location. Multiple fatalities reported. Sergeant Nakano has been informed. Connection to previous cases (attached) likely.

  Tatsu pushed the location to Watanabe. ‘Watanabe, get us there as fast as you can, please.’

  ‘Sure, but that’s way back in Funabashi.’

  ‘Yeah. I’m going to have to leave you three for a while. I have a crime scene to work.’

  Yamauchi brightened. ‘A crime scene? We could–’

  ‘No, you can’t.’

  The reporter put on her best interview smile. ‘Let’s talk about this…’

  ~~~

  Tatsu was staring at Yamauchi while she spoke to Commissioner Yamashita. The stare was making the reporter uncomfortable, which was exactly what Tatsu wanted. ‘I’m afraid I’m going to need you to send that order in an authenticated message, Commissioner,’ Tatsu said, aloud so that Yamauchi could hear it.

  ‘I’m giving you an order, Sergeant,’ Yamashita said. Of course, Yamauchi could not hear that. ‘You don’t need–’

  ‘You’re ordering me to disregard regulations on the treatment of an active crime scene, Commissioner. I will be putting a complaint in about that, assuming that no one decides to haul me in front of an enquiry board for allowing reporters to contaminate the scene. Either way, I want it recorded in writing that I was following your direct order to allow one specific channel access. All the others are being held back.’

  Yamauchi’s face fell. Maybe she had not expected Tatsu to threaten her superior. If that was the case, it was apparent that the reporter had not been paying a lot of attention.

  ‘Are you accusing me of–’ the commissioner began.

  ‘Nothing. I am reminding you of the regulations we are required to follow. I am also concerned about the preferential treatment being given to TNM at this time affecting public perception of the department’s impartiality.’

  Yamashita frowned and sighed and said, ‘You’ve made your point. Brief Miss Yamauchi on as much as you can once your investigation is complete.’

  ‘As you wish, sir.’ Tatsu cut the connection and addressed Yamauchi. ‘I’ll tell you what I can once I’ve seen what’s in there. The commissioner actually said “once your investigation is complete,” but I’m going to be nice and not take his wording exactly.’

  ‘Because you think this is related to the other murders,’ Yamauchi said, ‘and you’re not expecting to crack the case in the next few hours.’

  ‘Right.’

  ‘Can you tell me who’s dead?’

  ‘No, because I haven’t been told. More than one person.’ Tatsu turned and started for the main doors of an apartment block not unlike her own. This one had two uniformed officers standing outside it, however. ‘You should join the rest of the media outside the exclusion area.’

  ‘We will. Um, good luck.’

  ‘Thanks.’ Under her breath, Tatsu added, ‘We’ll probably need it.’

  ~~~

  Nakano was on the top floor when Tatsu found him. He was standing over a body which had been slashed across the abdomen and throat and stabbed through the heart. The abdomen cut had probably been first; the other insults might have happened in any order.

  ‘What a mess,’ Nakano said. ‘Initial survey says twenty-one dead. I’ve got more forensics techs coming in. Had to draft some teams from Tokyo.’

  ‘And not all of the victims are gang members,’ Tatsu said.

  ‘No, this was more indiscriminate than usual. We also have gunshot wounds on several of the victims. As far as we know, no one wounded is still alive. I’ve got a request in to have the entire building’s MedStats checked for trauma. We’ll check the “no data” replies manually when we get the dataset.’

  ‘Good call. Not everyone here is going to be using Kannon, but most will have MedStat.’ Tatsu gave a shrug. ‘Maybe not all of them. And not everyone who is will want to involve themselves with the police to get medical attention. It seems like the ones who were shot were in the corridors. Automatic weapons, small calibre. Probably coilguns and you don’t see those in the hands of many gangsters.’

  Nakano nodded. ‘I think the ones killed in their apartments are all mafia. I also think we’ll find their door controls were hacked. And they’re all small fry. There’s no one I’ve seen listed as being important in the Funabashi gang.’

  ‘Did we get a card? Or cards?’

  Another nod. ‘They all say the same. “A brotherhood of thieves and murderers.” Except that there are five dead gang members and a lot more civilians cut down for being here.’

  ‘Like you said, it’s a mess. I think this has gone beyond escalation. Whoever it is doesn’t care anymore. They’re just killing for the fun of it. We need a break in this case, and soon.’

  ‘Got any gods you can pray to?’

  ‘Not really. I don’t really remember my ancestors either.’

  ‘Shame. We could do with some divine help about now.’

  ~~~

  Tatsu dropped into her seat in the TNM van with a weary expression on her face. Yamauchi regarded her for a few seconds before speaking. ‘This was a bad one, right? We’ve seen a few officers coming out of there looking pale.’

  ‘It’s bad,’ Tatsu replied. ‘We’ve confirmed twenty-three dead. Five of those were members of the Funabashi gang.’

  ‘And the others?’

  ‘People living in the building. Ordinary refugees. I think they were killed because they saw who was doing the killing.’

  ‘A mass killing. Doesn’t this sound more like a gang operation than a hit? Is the violence spreading?’

  ‘There is a specific indication that this was the same killer,’ Tatsu replied. ‘They may have had help this time. Most of the victims were shot, which is a break from pattern.’

  ‘Anyone could use a sword… There’s something else which marks these deaths.’

  ‘Yes, and I’m not telling you what it is because that would defeat the object of keeping it from the media.’

  ‘You’re worried about copycats.’

  ‘I’m worried about more deaths. What do you want to do now?’

  Yamauchi considered briefly. ‘It’s already four p.m. We’ll cut today short and go back to the Hispanic area in the morning. Unless something comes up tonight, of course.’

  ‘As you wish.’ Tatsu got up and stepped over to the door. ‘I’ll walk from here. I’ll meet you at the station in the morning.’r />
  ‘Sleep well, Sergeant.’

  ‘That’s not especially likely. If you had gone in there with me, you wouldn’t be sleeping that well either.’

  29th August.

  ‘Did you see Yong Pan’s appeal?’ Yamauchi asked as Tatsu stepped into the van.

  ‘Of course,’ Tatsu replied. ‘I’m not sure how much effect it’ll have, but he’s keeping up the pressure. It seems like the tongs are listening. They have to at least look like they’re playing nice when a community elder says they should.’

  ‘And the mafia groups?’

  ‘Funabashi is on war footing and Shiroi hasn’t much choice but to react.’

  ‘The truth, Sergeant, are we looking at a gang war?’

  Tatsu raised an eyebrow. It was such an interviewer question. Put the subject on the spot. Suzuki even had his camera aimed at Tatsu. ‘Ask Izanami,’ Tatsu replied. ‘She’s the one able to predict the future.’

  ‘Strangely, she doesn’t answer my calls.’

  ‘Really? Have you tried calling her?’

  That put Yamauchi on the back foot. ‘Oh, well, no. You don’t just call the world’s most advanced artificial intelligence.’

  No, she turns up unasked to complain about your social life. Tatsu was not going to mention that, however. ‘I suppose you don’t. A war is a possibility, but the TYMPD will do its utmost to contain it, if it happens.’

  ‘A very political answer.’

  ‘It was a very political question. Shall we go see what’s happening in the east?’

  ~~~

  The answer was not much. It was too hot for anyone to be really enthusiastic about anything. The lethargy seemed to be affecting the TNM crew too, though it might have been that they were seeing refugees sitting around behaving rather than fighting. Fights made for better video.

  It was approaching five p.m. and Tatsu was looking forward to being rid of the reporter and her team when Yamauchi spoke up. ‘Uh, could I ask you a favour, Sergeant Yamada?’

  ‘You can ask,’ Tatsu replied after a second.

  ‘I was wondering whether, well, whether you could take me clubbing tonight.’

  Tatsu blinked a couple of times. ‘Huh?’