Checking the number, Kathy took the call. "Heather? Is Cal with you?"
"Cal? Oh, Caldwell," said the reporter. "No. Listen, I haven't read your emails and I haven't listened to your voicemails, and I won't, I don't have time for it. The police let Caldwell and the other boys go. They haven't come back to the mission center?"
Kathy Kreisler said, "No, none of them have, and their phones are out of service."
Heather Saotome said, "Maybe they missed the last train. I don't have any messages from Caldwell. Maybe he went to my place, like you told him."
Kathy took awhile to absorb that one. "Cal told you that?"
"And about your in-laws visiting," said Heather Saotome. "There's no land line to my place for a regular phone, but I'm on my way there. If Caldwell's there, I'll call you. Should I use this number again?"
"This is our home," said Sawamura Seiji. "It really belongs to Midori's family, of course. It's too expensive for a simple police officer."
"Certainly, for an honest police officer like Sawamura-junsa," said the little demon Mara.
Unseen motors swung open the tall doors of the gate, wide enough for a car or for most ambulances Caldwell Young had seen on Tokyo streets. The six had been expecting to be buzzed through the normal-sized door at the side of the gate, even Sawamura. Sawamura led the four missionaries and the current student president of Mizushō into the courtyard. Two women emerged from the mansion. One of them ran to embrace Sawamura. The other waited, arm out, while the little demon flew to her, lighted on her arm like a hawk, and then scampered along her arm until she merged into the main portion of herself.
Heather Saotome entered "her" apartment and found Yamada Tarō waiting there, along with his two bodyguards Nakajima and Tsujimoto. That he did not send them away immediately told Heather something worth remembering before she heard his first words. Heather Saotome's first word to the old keiretsu head were: "I haven't been able to reach Gorō-san. Has he been arrested?"
"No one has told me that he has," Yamada said. "So, your sources are also failing to perform?"
"So far," said Heather. "We might have guests soon. My boyfriend and the other missionary boys have been released by the police, but he isn't answering his phones. The leader of the missionaries told Young-san to stay with me tonight, so they could be close by, if they caught the last trains."
"You are speaking of Young-san's old lover?" said the old man with sepulcher-dead humor.
"I see you have met Mrs. Kreisler yourself, Yamada-sama," Heather rebounded.
Nakajima said, "Perhaps we should leave now. The police may be following the missionaries."
"Why would the police do that?" asked Yamada.
Nakajima said, "To find Gorō-san. They know he is involved with their church."
"Then they would have already checked out the mission center," said Heather, "Or they will be watching it to see who comes and goes. Or both. And they'll be monitoring the phones and the internet traffic."
Nakajima said, "Yes, if they are looking for Gorō-san."
Tsujimoto suggested, "Chief Kotobuki could tell us what's going on now, maybe."
"And he could also not tell us," said Yamada. "Thank you, Nakajima-san. Your advice is excellent, as always. But I will be staying here. Gorō-san still might be coming. Saotome-san, you must have a theory or two about the case. Tell me one where one of my grandsons does not kill the other one, if you have such a theory."
Heather Saotome said, "If Gorō could kill any rival, it would be Caldwell, not Rokurō. Anyway, a little while back I looked into the Z Agency on my own. Rokurō-san tried to buy it right after Hayashi died."
Saotome saw she had surprised Yamada. The old man said after a moment of reflection, "It could have just been a good business opportunity. Hayashi's connection with the Z Agency was common knowledge in the entertainment industry. Potential scandal from Hayashi's death might have depressed the selling price. Hayashi's organization is overextended. Selling off the Z Agency would have raised cash and eliminated an easy target for the organization's rivals."
Yamada might have stopped there. Not even Saotome the reporter asked for more. But Yamada asked, "Have you uncovered many other underworld connections to my older grandson, Saotome-san?"
"I had a personal interest in the Z Agency," said Heather. "I didn't look any further."
"But I sense you would have if you weren't so loyal to your employer," said Yamada. "So there is a connection to people who do murder professionally. But a connection doesn't mean a motive. A younger half-brother bullied for a lifetime by an older half-brother provides a fine one."
"You don't actually believe Gorō-san could have done this," said Tsujimoto Natsumi.
Yamada said, "There is an old saying from China that there is no power on earth greater than a poor wretch who is ready to die. Gorō-san's gentleness is usually mistaken for weakness. Gorō-san's intelligence is usually ignored because he is so willing to listen to other people's opinions. Anyone can be pushed into doing terrible things with enough pressure. If Gorō-san killed his brother, he would be quite capable of improvising ways to cover it up. The police, of course, are well aware that I am capable of doing many things to keep my surviving grandson from being hanged for murder."
"Just using money might be enough," said Heather Saotome. "But I agree with Tsujimoto, I think. If Gorō killed Rokurō, he would have called the police, right after..."
"Right after he called me?" said the old man.
Inside the mansion Caldwell Young found a large atrium with a two-section stairway leading to a second-floor gallery. There were many people there, but only two awake: A woman coming down the stairway, and her infant. A second woman appeared from a first-floor hallway as the first woman reached the bottom of the stairs, the second one in a Chinese gown, the first in a housewife's pants and shirt. Caldwell Young didn't recognize either of them.
"Young-san," said the young woman in the Chinese gown.
"Have we met?" asked Caldwell Young.
"Last year at Mizushō, when the snow came," said the girl. "I am Fujihara Sei. I am working as a Hostess now."
"I am Takei Midori," said the older woman with the infant. "We have never met, but I know of you from my husband and from Koizumi-sensei."
"He is the Host teacher at Mizushō?" asked Caldwell Young.
"Yes, the founder of the program," said Takei Midori. "Lokis'dottaa-san, do you know Young-san?"
"I know Young-san quite well," said Demon Mara. "I assume you know Sakuma-san or know of her. Young-san's other silent companions are also missionaries. Ezekiel Bradbury Braxton V is Sakuma-san's husband now. You would not know anything about Hill-san and Stewart-san because they never came to Kabukichō before yesterday. They're both from New Mexico, although they never met before coming to Tokyo. Stewart-san is a descendent of the famous warrior the Mexicans and Americans called 'Geronimo.' He lost his hands in the great snow last year."
Bob Waggoner was shocked that a Mariners home game would be canceled for a few dead astronauts—what good would it do them? He'd been prepared especially well for this one; he'd finally got KMAR to pay for the interpreter he'd found, he had cleared the post-game interview of Sentaro Kawanishi with the team manager and the general manager. And it would all be wasted now, if Waggoner had let it go. But since there was no reason for Sentaro Kawanishi to go to the ballpark, there was every reason for him to be at home, that home being in Bremerton, a 55-minute ferry ride from Seattle. Arriving at the residence with Mr. Mori and a sound/cameraman, he found Mrs. Kawanishi milking a gap-toothed goat in the front yard. Sure that the camera guy had got shots of the goat, Waggoner made sure the shortstop's mother saw him telling the camera guy to stop pointing the camera at her and her goat. Mr. Mori translated those orders, and Waggoner's self-introduction: "Hello, I'm Bob Waggoner from KMAR. Mrs Kawanishi?"
"Yes, I am Mrs. Kawanishi. My son has told me about you, Mr. Waggoner."
"I was supposed to interview your son after the game today, but since the game's been called off, I thought maybe I could talk to him at home. Can we come inside?"
"I will ask my husband," said Mrs. Kawanishi, picking up the milk pail and going into her house. After a couple of minutes, she re-opened the door and gestured for Waggoner and his people to come inside in the Japanese way, a downward hand-wiggle, as Mr. Mori explained to Waggoner. Kawanishi's husband and son each had a baby in their arms when Waggoner entered the living room, though Mrs. Kawanishi immediately took the baby from her husband. Both the babies were being fed from bottles, and both of them were fussy.
"These are my daughters, Mr. Waggoner," said Sentaro Kawanishi. "This one is Arare-chan, and Mother is holding Misore-chan."
"What about your other girl...Miyuki?" asked Waggoner.
"Miyuki-chan is at a friend's home now," said the shortstop.
Tanabe Akane woke up for the fourth time to empty her pregnancy-squeezed bladder, and then looked in on the children. Miyuki had one arm over her son. After thinking about staying up, Akane decided against it and returned to the bed she shared with her husband.
"Young-san and the Sawamuras, you will come with me. The rest of you, stay downstairs for now," said Demon Mara.
"I won't leave Midori alone with you," said Takei Midori.
"Bravely said," said Mara. "You may also come, Takei-san. But no more others." Mara began climbing the stairs.
When they were on the landing, Caldwell Young murmured to Mara, "Did you spell them?"
"No, Caldwell," said Mara.
Once upstairs, Mara led them to the children's room, and used her magic to close the door behind the last to enter. Then Mara carefully re-adjusted the covers over her child was sharing with Miyu and Miyo. Then she cast another spell leaving a momentary glowing sign in the air. "There. The children won't hear us now."
"What are you?" asked Takei Midori.
"She is a demon," said Caldwell Young. "She did something for Officer Sawamura. Are you here to take your payment, Mara?"
Mara said, "I made no bargain. I did it just to see what would happen. Quite a lot, as you can see here in this room."
"What do you mean?" demanded Takei Midori, holding her infant very closely.
"I helped bring Seiji and Midori together," said Mara. "We demons do some strange things. Let me tell you about another strange thing I've done. I found a baby in a cardboard box, inside a garbage bag. A very great death-angel came for her soul just after I found her. But I kept the baby. I put her to my breast—and she bit me. Either she was born with a tooth or Lilith gave her one. But I put her on my other breast. She made a bargain for a mother, and that mother is me. She is mine, body and soul, always." Mara bent down to kiss Hiyo's forehead, and glowing marks appeared on the child's face for some seconds afterward.
Seattle weather often changes quickly, but the thunderstorm Bob Waggoner emerged into after his interview was freakish beyond all other save the blizzard of the previous year, and more frightening. A lightning bolt struck a tree at the other end of the block. Waggoner actually thought of going back inside the house, but he felt Mrs. Kawanishi's eyes burning holes in his back. Also, the gap-toothed goat didn't seem at all discommoded. In fact the goat brayed, almost as if it was laughing. Waggoner led his people back to the KMAR van through sleet and hail.
The storm ended while they waited for the next ferry. Stepping out for air and cigarettes, Mr. Mori remarked to Waggoner, "I just thought of something."
"What?" asked Waggoner showing some of the annoyance he felt. Waggoner didn't entirely trust Mori's translations of some remarks made by the Kawanishis during the course of the interview, especially some made while the camera guy was in the toilet.
"We had hail and sleet today."
"Yes, we did," said Waggoner. "What is the deeper significance of this? If you can explain it to a dumb American."
"The daughters of Kawanishi-san," said Mr. Mori. "Arare is a word for hail, and mizore is a word for sleet."
Notes
巡査 Junsa, lowest police rank.
One of the goats reputed to pull Thor's chariot is named "Tanngrisni" meaning "gap-toothed."