by Matt Lincoln
“Okay, got it,” Fiona replied. “I’ll let Wallace know right now. Don’t worry, okay? I’ll call him as soon as I hang up. Keep your phone on, and I’ll trace your location, okay?” The call ended abruptly, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I wasn’t exactly sure what was going on with Daichi, but at least now we’d be able to get some help without tipping him off.
“Okay, I’ll let you know,” I said into the phone to no one before slipping it back into my pocket.
23
Fiona
I stared at my phone nervously as it rang. It was two in the afternoon in Japan, which meant it was two in the morning back in Las Vegas. Wallace was probably asleep, and I wasn’t sure what I would do if he didn’t answer. Junior had just called to inform me that they needed help. He’d even gone as far as to speak in code while talking to me, so this was definitely a serious situation.
“Hello?” a groggy voice came through the speaker.
“Junior and Charlie need help,” I blurted out with preamble. “Junior just called me, but he kept answering all of my questions with unrelated answers. I asked him if there was someone there that was preventing him from speaking freely, and he confirmed that there was. He and Charlie are at a police station now. I’ve traced their location, and I emailed the address to you.” A beat of silence followed, and I worried that I might have spoken too quickly for Wallace to absorb everything.
“Okay,” Wallace finally replied. “I’ll get in touch with the NCB and have them provide some backup. Keep tracing their location in case they move. I’ll get in contact with Nelson, and he’ll be able to communicate the situation better than I will. Is everything okay with you, Gardner?”
“I’m fine,” I insisted. “Nothing’s happened since I moved hotels. I just wanted to let you know about what was going on with Junior and Charlie.”
“Thank you for telling me, Gardner,” Wallace responded. “Be careful. At this point, we can’t be sure who we can trust.” I felt goosebumps rise all over my arms as Wallace ended the call. It was frightening to think that anyone we encountered from here on out could be in league with the group we were after.
I sank into one of the three puffy beds in the room. After I’d called Wallace, Nelson had arranged a new room for us. Instead of a double room, this time, he’d picked a single room with three beds in a more remote hotel. He’d also dispatched some police officers to the old hotel to try to retrieve my equipment, but according to them, everything had either been trashed or stolen. I wasn’t too concerned since the first thing I’d done once I’d arrived at the new hotel was to format my laptop remotely. It had been painful to destroy so much data, but I couldn’t risk that laptop falling into the wrong hands.
Unfortunately, that meant that I had no equipment now. Not only had it had rendered me effectively useless to the mission, but not having anything to do was driving me crazy. There were a few basic things I could do with my phone, but the small device just wasn’t powerful enough to do everything I could with a computer.
I got up off the bed and walked to the window. Below me, I could see the busy city of Akihabara, a hub for video games, music, and every kind of electronic you could imagine. Nelson had chosen a tiny hotel smack in the middle of the city. The location would not only make it harder to find us, but the consistently crowded street would minimize the chance that anyone would try attacking us. If there was anywhere in Tokyo where I’d be able to find the parts to replace my equipment, it would be here.
Nelson hadn’t specifically told me not to leave the hotel room, but obviously, the implication had been there. I couldn’t just sit here, though. The whole reason I’d come to Japan with Charlie and Junior was so that I’d be able to assist them. I wouldn’t be able to do anything without a computer aside from being a burden.
I wished that I had some makeup or a hat to conceal my identity, but unfortunately, all I had were the clothes I’d left the hotel in and what I’d bought from the small boutique as I was escaping. I pulled my short hair into a ponytail before pulling the hood of my sweater up. It was February, and there was still a bit of snow on the ground, so it wouldn’t look unusual for me to have my hood up. The sweater and skirt I had purchased were both baggy enough that it was impossible to tell what my body looked like underneath. It wasn’t the most flattering outfit, but as long as it made it harder to identify me, I didn’t really care what I looked like right now.
After I felt satisfied enough that no one would be able to recognize me at a glance, I left the hotel room. There was no elevator in this hotel, so I slowly made my way down the three flights of stairs to the ground floor. I wasn’t really used to exercising in any capacity, so by the time I got to the bottom, I was a little winded. I pulled my hood down lower as I left the hotel and walked down the street. Now that the sun was beginning to set, the temperature was dropping, and I could feel the sting of the wind as it cut across my exposed face. All around me, billboards, signs, and marquees were lit up in bright colors. It reminded me a little of Las Vegas, actually. The main difference was that where Las Vegas was a city that epitomized opulence and glamour to the point of being gaudy, Akihabara seemed more like something out of a sci-fi movie. Everything seemed simultaneously shabby and unbelievably futuristic.
At first, I kept my head down as I walked and only peered out from behind my hood periodically. However, I quickly realized that walking like this would only make me look more suspicious, so I forced myself to look straight ahead and walk normally. I fought not to jump every time someone made eye contact with me.
I wondered suddenly if this is how Laura had felt after she’d escaped from the organization. Ever since we started investigating the Jane Doe case, I wondered why she hadn’t gone to anyone for help. Now I understood. It was petrifying not knowing who you could or couldn’t trust. At least I had Charlie and Junior with me, and I was armed. Laura had escaped with nothing but the clothes on her back.
I used my phone to translate the signs posted outside the shop windows and was able to find virtually everything I needed. I wouldn’t be able to get everything I would have liked without a better grasp of the language, but all I really needed, for now, were the basics. In most stores, it was just a matter of bringing what I wanted up to the counter and handing over my credit card. Twice, I was told the store only accepted cash, and in those instances, I just walked away. I felt rude doing that, but I didn’t really have a way to communicate. I also didn’t want to linger anywhere for too long.
In the end, it took about an hour for me to find everything I would need for a makeshift setup, and once I had purchased the last piece of equipment, I made a beeline straight for the hotel. I was probably moving a little too fast to be inconspicuous, but my nerves were beginning to fray. I kept glancing around as I moved, half-expecting that someone would suddenly turn and start walking toward me. Fortunately, nothing of the sort happened, and I made it back to the hotel without incident.
I took the steps up to the room quickly and stopped outside the door once I got there.
“There’s no one in there,” I told myself out loud, and even my small voice sounded loud against the relative quiet of the hallway. I put my hand on the door handle and turned it tentatively. It was still locked, just as I’d left it. I put my shopping bags down against the wall beside the door and pulled my gun out of its holster. I unlocked the door using my keycard, then quickly pushed it open, raising my gun in the same motion. I could see the entire room from the entrance, and I let out a breath of relief at finding it empty. I holstered my gun and then collected my bags before stepping into the room. I kicked the door closed behind me and then turned around to lock it.
Once I did, I dropped my bags onto the floor and then walked over to the bed. I allowed myself to fall back onto it and took a moment to relax and let my heart rate slow. It had probably been overkill to draw my gun just to open my hotel room door, but I couldn’t help but feel paranoid. I couldn’t let myself get too comfortable, though, and as soon
as I felt less tremulous, I got up and pulled all the bags over to the far side of the room. There wasn’t a desk or even a table in here, so I sat on the floor and began to set everything up at the foot of my bed. I checked my phone for any new messages from either Wallace, Junior, or Charlie, but I didn’t have any missed calls or texts. I set my phone back down and worked as quickly as I could. I didn’t know when they’d call me for help again, and I wanted to be prepared as soon as possible.
24
Charlie
I watched as Daichi and Tanaka walked down the hall and disappeared around the corner. As soon as they were out of sight, I pulled out my phone and quickly dialed Wallace. I’d been trying to find an opportunity to get in touch with him since we’d gotten to the police station, but up until now, I’d been unable to find an opportune moment. He’d called me a few times, but I’d had to ignore it as Daichi always seemed to be hovering around.
At one point, I’d tried going to the bathroom to call Wallace, but Daichi had suddenly stated that he needed to go as well, so that hadn’t worked out. Finally, Tanaka had come to our rescue by saying that the police needed Daichi to come and explain what Junior and I were doing in Japan. Since we didn’t speak Japanese, he’d have to explain for us. As much as I didn’t like the idea of Daichi speaking for us, this was the best opportunity we were going to have to speak freely.
“Hello?” Wallace answered almost immediately. “Agent Hills, are you and Chapman okay?”
“We are,” I replied, keeping my voice low. “We couldn’t talk, though. I think the cop with us is crooked. I don’t know how much time I have to explain, but this guy is up to something. He’s the only person we’ve had contact with and the only one who knew that we’d be in Kyoto. And apparently, the cop who helped me bring down a suspect saw him standing by while I was fighting the guy. He’s also been acting shady ever since, trying to get me and Junior to split up after he got hurt.”
“Agent Chapman is injured?” Wallace asked.
“Yeah, grazed by a bullet,” I answered, looking over to Junior, who was sitting beside me and listening to my half of the conversation. “He says he’s fine, though, and we didn’t think it was safe to split up while Daichi is around.”
“That was a good choice,” Wallace agreed. “It’s likely he’s trying to get you alone so he can attack you more easily. You should also know that Agent Gardner was attacked at the hotel. She’s fine, and we’ve moved her to a new location, but the fact that they found her makes it far more likely that Daichi is working with the group we’re looking for.”
“What? He couldn’t have known, though,” I muttered, furrowing my brow at the news. “We only told him we were staying in Shinjuku. We never told him exactly where. Unless…” I trailed off as I realized exactly how Daichi had figured out where Fiona was.
“Agent Hills? Is everything alright?” Wallace asked after I stopped speaking.
“Damn it! My phone,” I growled. “He used my phone to figure out where we were staying. I handed it to him while we were on an investigation and then accidentally left it with him. I had the address of the hotel on that phone. Nelson texted it to me. We led them right to her!”
“Hills, calm down,” Wallace commanded at the same time that Junior shushed me. I craned my neck to look down the hallway Daichi had left through. “Now is not the time to worry about that. What matters is that she is safe now. I’ll let you know the address of the hotel as soon as you’re finished there and back in Tokyo. I’ve already alerted the NCB, and they’re on their way now to deal with Daichi. Until they arrive, I need you to keep him there, okay?”
“Shoot, he’s coming,” Junior hissed into my ear, and I ended the call and shoved my phone back into my pocket just as Daichi and Tanaka returned to the small waiting room in the lobby of the police station.
“Alright, the suspect is ready, if you would like to begin the interrogation,” Tanaka informed us. “We have discovered that his real name is Sora Ueda. He lives in the Higashiyama ward of Kyoto. The police officers who searched his home discovered several components used to construct explosives.”
“Wow, you found out a lot of information pretty quickly,” Junior remarked, wincing as he stood up.
“Well, fortunately for us, Ueda has a prior record,” Tanaka replied as he led us to the interrogation room. “As soon as they ran his fingerprints through the system, we found out his real identity and address.”
“Great,” I nodded. “Now, all we need to figure out is why he tried to kill us as soon as we got off the train.” The interrogation room was on the second floor of the police station. There was a large two-way mirror that allowed others to watch and listen to the interrogation, just like the interrogation room back at our office. I clenched my fist as I remembered that the bomb had destroyed our interrogation room. A bomb that had been created by the man now sitting in the interrogation room in front of me.
“I’ll help you translate,” Daichi offered as he reached for the door to the interrogation room. I faltered, unsure what I could say to keep him out without alerting him of our suspicions. I couldn’t know what he would actually say to the suspect if he was allowed in there.
“Actually, I’m afraid I’ll have to do that,” Tanaka smiled apologetically. “As this crime occurred in Kyoto, it is necessary for a Kyoto police officer to be present during the interrogation. Of course, you are free to watch from this side of the glass.”
“That’s a good idea,” Junior chimed in. “Daichi and I can watch and listen from here. You know what Nelson says, being up against too many people makes suspects nervous. You two go in, and we can provide backup if anything happens.”
I fixed Junior with a bewildered glare. Dachi had been trying to get us alone for the past hour, and now here he was offering to stay outside with him. The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized it was inevitable. If we both went in, there would be no one to keep an eye on Daichi to make sure he wouldn’t bolt or try anything. Wallace had told us to keep him here until Japan’s version of Interpol arrived. It would also be much more suspicious if all three of us went in and only excluded Daichi.
“Sounds good to me,” I relented.
Daichi looked irritated but didn’t have any argument to make against us. I moved past him to push open the door of the interrogation room. No matter how nervous I was about leaving my partner alone with a double-agent, I needed to push everything aside if I wanted this interrogation to succeed. Every interrogation was like a game or a puzzle. I just needed to find out the right way to approach, but I wouldn’t be able to do that if my mind was occupied with other thoughts.
The man sitting at the table had been stripped of the police uniform he’d been wearing when he attacked us and was instead wearing a set of drab green prison clothes. I could tell how nervous he was just by his body language. His shoulders were hunched, and he was bouncing his leg anxiously under the table. Honestly, it didn’t seem like I’d have to work very hard to get this guy to crack.
I took a seat in the chair opposite him and leveled him with an icy glare. I’d never conducted an interrogation via a translator before, so I’d have to rely on non-verbal intimidation tactics as much as possible. The man reacted immediately, blanching as he looked between me and Tanaka, who was standing beside me.
“Tell him that we found the bomb components in his house,” I instructed Tanaka without removing my gaze from Ueda. I watched his expression as Tanaka translated for me and noted that he went still as soon as Tanaka stopped speaking. “Tell him that we know he was the one who made the bomb used in a terroristic attack against a government agency in Las Vegas, and if he doesn’t tell us who commissioned him to make it, he’s going to go down for the whole thing.” The man went pale before he began to bumble something.
“He says he doesn’t know what we’re talking about,” Tanaka scoffed.
“Of course he does,” I rolled my eyes. “Tell him that nothing he says is going to get him out of this. We a
lready know he was involved. Whether he takes all the blame for a terroristic attack against a US federal agency is up to him.”
I waited as Tanaka translated, and I felt a jolt of satisfaction as Ueda’s features distorted in horror. He began to ramble, glancing around as if he was afraid that someone might be listening.
“He says that he can’t talk,” Tanaka replied slowly. “He says that if he tells us who hired him, he’ll be killed.”
“Killed by who?” I asked, and before Tanaka even had a chance to translate again, I realized who Ueda worried might overhear. He kept looking over my shoulder toward the two-way mirror behind me, where Daichi was undoubtedly watching from the other side.
“Tell him that as soon as we finish the interrogation, he’ll be escorted to a secure location,” I instructed, choosing my words carefully. If I revealed too much, Daichi might realize we were onto him. “He’ll be taken into protective custody by the United States as a key witness. He’ll still have to serve time for what he’s done, but no one is going to kill him.” Tanaka relayed my words to him, and even though he was still glancing over my shoulder toward the window, he seemed to relax a little. He began to speak, and even though I couldn’t tell what he was saying, the tremor in his voice made it clear that he was scared to talk.
“He says he doesn’t know the identity of the person who hired him,” Tanaka explained once the man had finished speaking. “They contacted him through an online forum where he advertises his skills. Considering the nature of his work, he does not usually exchange names or other personal details with his clients. He said that the person who contacted him hired him to build the bomb quickly and to send it to the United States overnight. They paid him a lot, and he didn’t ask questions.”
“Why did he attack us then?” I asked. “How did he even know where we’d be?” I knew it was dangerous to be asking that since there was a strong possibility that the person who leaked our location was standing right outside this room. It would seem unusual for me not to ask, though, and I needed to keep this interrogation going for as long as I could until the NCB could get here. Ueda looked over my shoulder again before he spoke.
