Thief in the Night
A Lupin the Third fan fiction by Lywinis
Chapter Six: Snowed In
Cara was ushered outside to a waiting police car. She was taken to the station, where she was kept under guard and allowed to get her clothing. She was kept in the waiting area. She couldn't do anything about it, so she sat and waited. The Chicago police assured her that she would be set free as soon as possible. She never had much faith in the system.
She paced around the little cube of a visitor room, counting the footsteps as they took her around the cell. Sixteen steps across and ten steps wide. She sighed and looked out the window at the gathering storm clouds. As much as she hated to admit it, she missed England. She missed her father, and all of her favorite familiar places. She didn't miss the robberies, though.
She surprised herself there. She'd been doing it so long; there wasn't any…joy in her work anymore. She snorted to herself. She sounded like an old woman. But in a way, it was kind of true. She was getting too used to England…too used to her staked out territory. If she continued robbing the jewelry stores, no matter how careful she was, she was apt to be caught. The trial had shown her that.
It had shown her something else. There was someone who wasn't about to stop at seeing her behind bars. Someone wanted her dead. Probably some rival of Lupin's, out to get revenge for some wrong, or draw him out into the open. She was just a pawn in the underworld again, after she'd worked so hard to stake her claim to London. Now there would be copycats all over the place, and she would have to lie low.
She actually didn't mind. She was tired of the life. She was tired of seeing police cars, tired of being wanted, tired of having to fake disguises and alibis. She swore to herself that if she ever got out of this alive, she would give up the escapades and capers. Cara de Brouligiere was going to go into retirement.
She looked out the window, at the driving snow that was beginning to fall. She'd never make it home on a flight now. Sighing half to herself, she wondered if the others made it out all right. She chided herself almost immediately for the mutinous thought; of course they did. Escaping was what they did best.
The feeling of being too old for her body came back to her. Her eyes suddenly itched, and she realized she hadn't slept properly in about a month. Worn down was more like it. Her head rested against the windowpane, and she dozed. It had been a long day, and would be an even longer night.
The snow stopped after a week, and the airport was stopping all flights out until the runways were clear. That ended up being another three days. The state of Illinois believed in cutting its budget, and so Zenigata happened to be staying at the same cheap hotel that Cara was at. She had her own reasons for being there, one of them being that she had no access to her accounts because of the trial. They had all been frozen for inspection, and so, for one of the first times since her mother died, Cara was broke.
She sat in the lobby reading a newspaper at the beginning of the snowfall. The hotel was a generic one, all flat rates and free breakfasts to lure in the traveling tourist. She looked up as Zenigata entered the sitting room, searching out a free breakfast of his own. The hotel employee assigned to the buffet hurried over with a clean plate to assist him, chattering at the bewildered inspector all about the fresh bagels and the hot coffee. She looked up to the ceiling in a silent plea for patience as Pops lost his temper and began snarling at the poor girl in Japanese.
She folded her paper and tossed it to the side, wandering over to where the chirpy attendant was now nearly in tears. "Miss, please excuse my uncle, Tottsan doesn't speak English very well."
Zenigata looked over at her. "You!" She silenced him with a look and began chattering to the girl again in that incomprehensible English.
"Is there any way I can serve him instead of you, since I know what he likes?"
The poor girl, all big green eyes and curly black hair, nodded meekly. "T-there's a pair of tongs for each item under the counter there," she said. "Please use the plastic gloves in the box on the end." Cara smiled at her warmly, and the girl fled in relief.
When she was gone, the former thief's eyes became hard as slate as she glared at the inspector. "You know, you'd get better service if you'd at least learn a modicum of English."
"Why should I? It's barbaric."
"No, the way you were shouting at the poor girl when all she wanted to do was serve you breakfast was the barbaric part." She pulled a pair of plastic gloves from the box as instructed, and handed him a clean plate. "Now, play the part of my confused uncle, or you'll get yourself in trouble with the management. What would you like for breakfast?"
Zenigata, clueless as ever, pointed to a few things, and Cara served him respectfully. In the end, the old man had quite an appetite. Several muffins, bagels, fresh fruit, even some oatmeal went onto his plate and he was soon seated next to her, munching happily while she sifted through the paper again.
His hunger sated, he seemed to want to talk. "Why are you here?"
She put down the paper, not much interested in it anyway. "Same reason you are, tottsan. The state didn't want to pay for anything more expensive than a Holiday Inn."
"I thought you were rich."
"And I thought you knew how a trial worked. They froze my accounts so that they could make sure no excess revenue came in from illegal sources."
He looked ashamed of himself. "Oh." He sipped his coffee; he had taken a liking to the strong American brews in his many overseas travels. "Thank you for helping me get breakfast."
"Not a problem. At least we should try to get along, considering we're stuck here."
"You're a thief. Why should I want to get along with you?"
"For one thing, tottsan, I can speak English far better than you, and if you want, I can teach you. For another, I'm retiring."
He stared at her suspiciously. "Retiring? I thought you had staked out the entire area of London for your private preserve?"
"Yes, several years earlier I did. Now that I've been brought to trial, a whole host of copycats will spring up and I'll have to up my own efforts to keep myself fresh and original. I feel old, Pops. Too old, in fact. I'm tired of being chased, and now all I want is to retire in peace and live out my days as the Ruby Princess."
"I had always wondered why you stole. You have too much money as it is." He didn't seem envious; he merely stated a fact.
"I was rich…until my father found out about my activities. He allowed me to stay, but my trust fund is the only thing keeping me going. There is no inheritance. He's only keeping me around to keep his good name intact. In fact, I have a feeling he'll kick me out after this, just for bringing bad publicity to the empire he worked so hard to create."
Zenigata shook his head. "I'd always heard rumors you had an overseas bank account, in Switzerland, or perhaps the Caribbean."
She snorted; the man did his research. "I did. Fujiko found out the codes and access numbers from Lupin, and she wiped me out."
"I knew you played a part in Sutton Hoo!" His voice was triumphant, but his posture sagged a bit. Being right about your hunches and having them verified only got your ego so far if you couldn't put the perpetrator behind bars. She nodded, seeing no reason to deny it, now that she had gotten away with it.
He sobered. "Fujiko wiped you out?"
"Just like she would Lupin. She lives to double cross him, and she saw no harm in doing the same to me."
He wanted to feel happy, or at least triumphant about this, but seeing her like this, slightly depressed and looking much wiser than her years told the usually oblivious man to keep his mouth shut.
She appreciated the old man's silence on this one. She studied his face, and was surprised to see that he wasn't that much older than Lupin or Jigen. She amended the "old man" comment. She actually respected Zenigata, truth be told. He'd been after the thief for longer than she had known Lupin. After all the times Jigen, Lupin, Fujiko, Goemon, and even Cara herself had made him look like a total fool, he was still as dedicated as ever.
Her thoughts were interrupted, however, by Zenigata's quizzical stare. He was looking at her like she was crazy, and she realized she'd been staring at him the entire time. She looked down.
"Cara, look…"
"Listen, Inspector, if you want to learn English, come to my room." She gestured outside, at the still falling snow. "It's not like I'm going anywhere." In a fit of mischief, or perhaps gratitude, she leaned over and pecked him on the cheek. Her eyes were unreadable as she picked up her paper and left the lobby.
Zenigata put a hand to his cheek and wondered if there was such a thing as cabin fever after only one day of being snowed in.
"No, not like that. You have to pronounce a stronger 'r'." Cara chided, listening to the Inspector pronounce his words fitfully. "Listen: 'Hello, my name is Koichi Zenigata, it's a pleasure to meet you.'" Her voice was slow and measured, so he could hear and follow her syllables. He nodded and tried to follow her.
"Hell-o…my name is…Koichi Zenigata…it's a pleasure…to meet you."
"Good!" Cara nodded. A grin split her face. "That's probably the best pronunciation I've heard from you yet."
He beamed. "Thank you."
"Now let's try another phrase." She held up the chalkboard she'd asked to borrow from the hotel's restaurant. A big lobster decorated the top of the specials board, and she'd laughed when she saw it, but she borrowed it and the colored chalk to teach her "uncle" passable English. All of the words she wrote were phonetically divided, so he could follow them easily.
Excuse me, miss, may I please order a hamburger?
"Excuse me, miss…may I prease order a hambargar?"
She smiled. "Close, but not quite. You still have trouble pronouncing your 'l's." She sounded out the word for him, and he listened, his forehead wrinkled in strain. When she thought he could do it, she encouraged him to try it.
"Excuse me, miss, may I please order a hamburger?" he tried the words, the lettering sounding foreign to him still. When she clapped her hands, he beamed again. His jacket rested on the chair behind him, and his tie was loosened. A bowl of instant ramen steamed on the table beside him (she swore he packed the stuff in his suitcase just so he could have the blue brand with him in case of an emergency).
In fact, she thought it rather surreal, sitting in a snowed-in motel, teaching the man who had arrested her proper English. He didn't seem to mind it; in fact, she could almost see the young man who had gone to school in the hopes of becoming a police officer.
He was bright, surprisingly. He was single-minded, and that was how Lupin got the best of him more than once. He failed to see the entire picture, being focused too often on the master thief, and Lupin or one of the others would throw him a screwball from another direction. His single-mindedness allowed him to be a quick study in the English language, though.
She stretched her back. Switching to English, she spoke slowly and carefully, using short words so he could understand her. "We have to give the board back. It is almost lunch time."
He nodded, firing off in Japanese, but she held up a finger and glared at him. Sighing, he switched to English. "All right. May I eat my ramen now?"
She nodded, picking up the chalk and wiping the board clean. She flipped on the television and switched to the educational channel. It was showing Sesame Street. She grinned, remembering that one from childhood. "This will help you with your letters, too, Inspector."
He watched, fascinated by the puppets. "This…is a children's show?" he asked laboriously. When she nodded, he scowled. "You mean I have to watch?"
"Oh, come on, I watched this when I was little," she said, switching back to Japanese to argue. "This was how I learned English. If you don't want to learn, fine. But you're doing beautifully. You picked up on it faster than anyone I've seen learning it as a second language."
Her nudge at his ego and her flattery made him turn back to study the screen again. He slurped at his ramen, fascinated again by the puppets. His forehead wrinkled as he followed the words.
She took the opportunity to slip down to the restaurant to return the specials board. The girl who was nearly in tears from Zenigata's outburst earlier that week apparently double shifted as the hostess for the restaurant, and she took the board back, asking about her uncle.
"He's picking up on it faster than I expected," Cara replied amiably. "He's extremely sorry about his yelling. He gets frustrated when he can't make himself understood."
The young lady smiled, so chipper it was amazing to Cara, who'd never seen anyone so lively in her life. She talked with the girl for about a minute, then claimed she was hungry (which she was), and would talk to the girl later (which she hoped to avoid, as the young lady was a tad annoying).
The girl smiled and scribbled something on a slip of paper, handing it to Cara. "For your uncle."
Cara looked down in disbelief. It read, call me if you want. It was signed Nandra, and it had her phone number at the bottom. She nodded at Nandra and walked into the restaurant, pocketing the slip of paper.
She ordered a salad and ate quickly, wanting to work with Zenigata on his English some more. Then the absurdity of what had just happened at the hostess station hit her: Zenigata screamed at a girl, and he got a date. Her laughter was low, but it brought tears to her eyes nonetheless. She was getting strange stares from the other diners, so she finished eating, paid, and left.
Zenigata was still in her room, watching the end of the show, when she got back. She was taken by a fit of giggles when she saw him. He was sitting cross-legged on the bed, barefoot, staring at the screen. His shirtsleeves were rolled up, and he was miming the words as the show went along. She collapsed in the only chair, laughing.
He looked up, surprised. "Did I do something wrong?" He realized he was sitting on the bed, and hurriedly jumped off. "I meant no…no…" His brow furrowed. "What is the word?"
"Disrespect?" she said, her laughing quieting to breathy gasps. "No, not disrespect. It was just funny to me, seeing you so seriously intent on Sesame Street."
He flushed, his face turning ruddy right to the roots of his hair. "I am learning," he protested.
"I know, I know, and you're doing well." She walked over to the table, and saw Zenigata's lunch, cold now and only half-eaten. He was dedicated. Lunch reminded her of her encounter with Nandra, and she began giggling again.
"What now?" he asked, turning back to her. He looked as if he thought she was losing her mind. She told him all about Nandra, handing him the slip of paper. He looked down at it, embarrassed. "Should I…call her?"
"Why are you asking me, Inspector? I figure with all of your experience with handcuffs, you're a regular ladies man!"
He scowled. "Not funny."
"Then why are you smiling?"
He was smiling despite himself. "Because you are foolish."
She grinned. "Not as foolish as you might believe."
They both looked at each other, amazed at how well they were getting along. By all accounts, they should be at each other's throats, but being snowed in and taking pity on someone tended to make a friend rather than a foe.
She flipped the channel, since Sesame Street was over, tuning into the weather channel. Zenigata paid attention, mimicking the forecaster's lip synch. She watched for signs of the snow stopping, but she was disappointed when the forecaster said the snow would last for a week, maybe more.
"He is saying the snow is not stopping?" Zenigata asked. She nodded. "Crap." It was a halfhearted expletive at best, but it made her smile.
"Well, since you're learning English so quickly, soon we won't have to talk together so much."
"It is not that," he said, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "I have work to do. Sitting in..." he thought for a moment, trying to think of the English word, then switched to Japanese. "…aiyado is not troubling. It has been rewarding."
"You mean rooming together at the same hotel?" He nodded, snapping his fingers when she hit upon the word he was looking for. "Actually, you're not so bad, once I got to know you, that is. You're pretty likeable." She punched him gently on the arm. "Are you going to call that Nandra girl?"
He blushed, which she found infinitely amusing. "I will…apologize."
"Nothing else?"
"No. I have work to do." He gestured out the window. "I have to catch Lupin."
She nodded in her understanding. He had his priorities. She had hers. "Inspector?"
"You can…call me Koichi."
"It feels strange. Anyway, will you do me a favor?"
"What?"
"When you catch Lupin, make sure you get Fujiko too? Just this once. I want to see her behind bars."
He seemed a little worried by her vehemence. "All right…but it seems odd that you would want to see an accomplice go to jail."
Her eyes glinted in the light cast from the floor lamps. "She double crossed me. She needs to pay the price. I'm retiring, so someone else will have to do it."
He looked at her, recognizing simple honor. It was part of his code, and something he understood, even though his English was barely acceptable.
"I'll see what I can do, Cara. I promise."
She nodded and pulled out the chalkboard. They got back to work. It was going to be a long week, so why not make the best of it?
Hello hello again, this is a long one. :) I love Pops, enough to make Nandra stalk him. You might recognize her when I finally get around to updating Misery Loves Company. She is, as I described her to Raven, a "big ball of happy". She also is creepy later on in the role-play, but I won't give away too much. If you'd like to read it, the link is in my biography. You can't miss it.
Till later,
Lywinis
P.S. For the clueless, or for those who aren't too keen on the Japanese Lupin, tottsan can be translated as "brother", "father", or "uncle", but in the manga, it can be legitimately translated as "Pops", or "old man". So when Cara calls him tottsan, she's literally calling him Pops.Your worthless piece of trivia for today. XD
