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p id="E44" class="x-scope qowt-word-para-0"span id="E45" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: bold;"Chapter 3: Soba Noodles and Information/span/p
p id="E46" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-1"span id="E47" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"[Copyright Notice: This chapter /spanspan id="E48" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"contains/spanspan id="E49" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;" lyrics and references to the 1986 song "Venus" by /spanspan id="E51" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"Bananarama/spanspan id="E53" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;". These are the official property of London Records and any other associated entities. No infringement is intended by using these elements in my story.]/spanspan id="E54" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" /span/p
p id="E55" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E56" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"Later that morning, Cathy and Kondo were on their way back to /spanspan id="E57" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"Dobuita/spanspan id="E58" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" from New Yokosuka Harbor in the latter's white 1986 Nissan Skyline/spanspan id="E59" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;". /spanspan id="E60" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"The weather had turned rainy once again, so much so that Kondo had his windshield wipers at their maximum setting./span/p
p id="E61" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E62" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""Does it always rain this much around here?" Cathy asked./span/p
p id="E63" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E64" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""Actually," Kondo said, "No, not really. /spanspan id="E65" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"It's/spanspan id="E66" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" been unseasonably rainy since that day the snow turned to rain. You /spanspan id="E68" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"know,/spanspan id="E70" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" that day that murder occurred back in Yamanose."/span/p
p id="E71" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E72" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"Unaware of this tragedy, Cathy was caught very much off guard by this comment, and as such, shot her new partner a look of confusion. "Wait," she replied, "There was a murder in Yamanose? What happened?"/span/p
p id="E73" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E74" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""A martial arts sensei named Iwao Hazuki was beaten to death at his home in Yamanose where he also ran a dojo," Kondo explained, "His son and his live-in student saw the whole thing. My contact at the local police station told me that his son, /spanspan id="E75" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"who's/spanspan id="E76" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" /spanspan id="E77" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"apparently also/spanspan id="E78" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" a martial artist himself, has been running around Dobuita for the last day or so trying to get information."/span/p
p id="E79" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E80" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"Cathy frowned upon hearing this, but then realized something. "Wait a minute," she said, "Is he about eighteen years old, five-foot-nine, and weighing about one-forty?"/span/p
p id="E81" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E82" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"Kondo thought for a second. "Come to think of it," he replied, "Based on what my police friend told me, /spanspan id="E83" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"yeah/spanspan id="E84" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;", that describes him pretty well. Why?"/span/p
p id="E85" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E86" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""I was leaving the Tomato Convenience Store the day before yesterday," Cathy explained, "And this young Japanese kid wearing a brown leather jacket and jeans tried to talk to me. I was in a hurry, so I politely brushed him off and kept walking."/span/p
p id="E87" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E88" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""Do you think that was him, then?" Kondo asked./span/p
p id="E89" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E90" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"Cathy nodded with considerable confidence. "Now I am," she replied, "Yeah."/span/p
p id="E91" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E92" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""We can look into it more once we get back to base," Kondo said, "Right now, /spanspan id="E93" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"let's/spanspan id="E94" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" concentrate on this theft case."/span/p
p id="E95" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E96" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"Cathy nodded before looking down to find a small cardboard shoe box at her feet that /spanspan id="E97" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"appeared to be/spanspan id="E98" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" /spanspan id="E99" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"somewhat overstuffed/spanspan id="E100" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" with various cassette tapes. She promptly picked it up and sorted through them until coming upon a particular tape: the recently released Bananarama album /spanspan id="E101" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"True Confessions/spanspan id="E102" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"./span/p
p id="E103" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E104" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""Bananarama, huh?" she inquired with a chuckle before inserting the tape into the vehicle's tape deck, at which point the group's cover of the famous song "Venus" came through the speakers./span/p
p id="E105" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E106" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""/spanspan id="E107" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"A goddess on a mountain top/spanspan id="E108" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"," Cathy began singing /spanspan id="E109" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"out loud/spanspan id="E110" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" in a very playful way, "/spanspan id="E111" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"Was burning like a silver flame/spanspan id="E112" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"..."/span/p
p id="E113" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E114" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"Kondo then took his cue to join in. "/spanspan id="E115" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"The summit of beauty and love/spanspan id="E116" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"," he sang in a very deep bassy tone, "/spanspan id="E117" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"And Venus was her name/spanspan id="E118" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"."/span/p
p class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E120" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 10pt;"The pair then sang out the chorus together. "/spanspan id="E121" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"She's got it/spanspan id="E122" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 10pt;"!" they sang, "/spanspan id="E123" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"Yeah, baby, /spanspan id="E124" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"she's/spanspan id="E125" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;" got it! Well, /spanspan id="E126" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"I'm/spanspan id="E127" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;" your Venus, /spanspan id="E128" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"I'm/spanspan id="E129" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;" your fire, and your desire/spanspan id="E130" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 10pt;"!"/span/p
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p id="E131" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E132" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"They sang the chorus once more together as they pulled into the public parking lot next to the Hirata Tobacco Shop. The partners then both exited the /spanspan id="E133" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"car/spanspan id="E134" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;", laughing hysterically together as they walked together towards the You Arcade and the small alley-like street beside it where Yamaji Soba Noodles was located./span/p
p id="E135" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E136" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""/spanspan id="E137" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"Damn Kondo,/spanspan id="E138" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"" Cathy said, "You could've totally been a singer."/span/p
p id="E139" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E140" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"Kondo giggled for a moment in response. "Thank you," he replied, "And I think after that performance, we can drop the formalities now. Call me 'Johnny/spanspan id="E141" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"',/spanspan id="E142" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;" okay?"/span/p
p id="E143" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E144" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""Got it," Cathy said, "So, Johnny, are you originally from Japan?"/span/p
p id="E145" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E146" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""I was born here in Yokosuka," Kondo began explaining, "Yes. But I went to live with my father's parents, my grandparents, when I was about two years old. I grew up in the Potrero Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, California."/span/p
p id="E147" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E148" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""Why'd you have to leave?" Cathy curiously asked./span/p
p id="E149" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E150" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""My parents were living in Sakuragaoka back then," Kondo replied, "But their marriage was pretty much falling apart by that time. The one thing they could agree on was that I deserved a better chance at life in a more stable environment, so my grandparents came and brought me back to the States with them."/span/p
p id="E151" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E152" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""I know you were probably still a little guy at the time," Cathy said, "But that had to be really tough."/span/p
p id="E153" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E154" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"Kondo shrugged/spanspan id="E155" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;". /spanspan id="E156" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""I guess," he said, "Like you, I joined the armed forces straight out of high school. I joined the Marines just after the Vietnam War ended, and I ended up being stationed in Okinawa as an MP. I joined NSIC after getting my Honorable Discharge three years ago and was assigned to work out of the harbor."/span/p
p id="E157" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E158" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"Cathy nodded. "Good for you," she replied./span/p
p id="E159" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 0pt;"span id="E160" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"Yamaji Soba Noodles/spanspan id="E162"br /spanspan id="E163" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"10:55 AM/span/p
p id="E164" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E165" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"Cathy and Kondo arrived at the noodle shop about 5 minutes before their agreed upon meeting time. As they entered through its sliding front door, they were promptly greeted by its owner, master soba noodle chef Susumu /spanspan id="E167" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"Aketagawa. 57-year-old Aketagawa was a short Japanese man with a very friendly face who /spanspan id="E168" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"seemed to have/spanspan id="E169" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;" a very upbeat disposition about him./span/p
p id="E170" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E171" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""Good morning," Aketagawa warmly greeted, "Table for two?"/span/p
p id="E172" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E173" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"Kondo nodded. "Yes, please" he replied, "And two bowls of your finest buckwheat noodles if you would, please."/span/p
p id="E174" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E175" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""Certainly!" Aketagawa replied before turning to his apprentice chef, Kiyoshi Yamanaka, who was working just behind him. "Two bowls of buckwheat noodles, please" he said to him./span/p
p id="E176" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E177" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""Coming right up!" Yamanaka said before readying the requested noodles to be cooked. Kiyoshi Yamanaka was a 30-year-old much taller man who stood at 5'9./span/p
p class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;"Meanwhile, Cathy and Kondo sat at the table just across from the front counter and talked amongst themselves./span/p
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p id="E180" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E181" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""So," Cathy said, "You mentioned you had family in Sakuragaoka. Are they still there?"/span/p
p id="E182" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E183" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""Well," Kondo began explaining, "My stepmother and stepbrother still are. My dad's /spanspan id="E184" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"a longshoreman/spanspan id="E185" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;", so /spanspan id="E186" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"he's/spanspan id="E187" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;" not around all that much. I got a post card from him a few weeks ago that had an Oshima postmark on it."/span/p
p id="E188" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E189" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"Cathy nodded. "What about your biological mom?" she asked./span/p
p id="E190" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E191" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""She works as a schoolteacher in Nagano," Kondo replied, "I try to make the trip to see her as often as I can." /spanspan id="E193" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;" /spanspan id="E195"br /span/p
p id="E196" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E197" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"The shop's sliding door came open a few minutes later, at which point Osamu Murakawa entered. Detective Inspector Murakawa was a 38-year-old Japanese man who stood at 5'8. He was dressed in a beige suit jacket with a brown shirt underneath, brown pants, and black boots./span/p
p id="E198" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E199" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"Kondo stood up from his seat. "Murakawa-san, I presume?" he inquired./span/p
p id="E200" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E201" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"Murakawa gave the man a polite nod in response. "Yes," he replied./span/p
p id="E202" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E203" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""I'm John Kondo," Kondo said as he extended a hand to the man, "I'm a Special Agent with the United States Naval Security and Investigative Command." He then motioned to Cathy, at which point she too stood up from her seat. "This is my partner, Petty Officer Cathy Wilkins with the U.S. Navy" Kondo continued, "We work for the 'Operation Precious History' task force."/span/p
p id="E204" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E205" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""The pleasure is all mine," Murakawa replied before shaking his hand and taking a seat on the opposite end of Kondo and Cathy's table. Kondo and Cathy, meanwhile, took their seats beside each other. "My Superintendent says that your task force is looking into the Mad Angels," he continued, "May I ask why?"/span/p
p id="E206" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E207" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""Well," Cathy began, "As /spanspan id="E208" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"I'm/spanspan id="E209" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;" sure you already know, Inspector, the Mad Angels are a biker gang that works out of the harbor. Agent Kondo here tells me that /spanspan id="E210" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"you've/spanspan id="E211" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;" had some interaction with them."/span/p
p id="E212" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E213" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""I have," Murakawa replied, "They have a pretty rough reputation around here. They rev their motorcycles through here all hours of the night. A lot of the residents here are none too happy with that. We at the regional police have received about fifty complaints over the last two weeks alone. Personally, /spanspan id="E214" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"I've/spanspan id="E215" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;" caught a few of them with illegal drugs in their possession."/span/p
p id="E216" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E217" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""Do you know of them funneling drugs through New Yokosuka Harbor?" Kondo asked, "Is that a possibility?"/span/p
p id="E218" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E219" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"Murakawa pondered this idea before nodding. "I think it might be," he replied, "Every time we've caught them, they've been coming here to Dobuita from the direction of the harbor."/span/p
p id="E220" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E221" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""Our task force was put together to investigate the thefts of several rare Asian antiquities from secure U.S. Navy warehouses," Cathy said, "Has your agency been investigating any other crimes that may be connected to the harbor?"/span/p
p class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;""Actually," Murakawa replied, "There is one thing. Are either of you familiar with a missing civilian base employee named Alison Bennett?"/span/p
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p id="E224" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E225" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"This lit a lightbulb in Kondo's head. "Allison Bennett," he parroted, "Yes. /spanspan id="E226" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"She's/spanspan id="E227" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" a twenty-two-year-old Navy warehouse clerk from America. Chicago, if /spanspan id="E228" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"I'm/spanspan id="E229" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" remembering right."/span/p
p id="E230" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E231" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"Murakawa nodded. "She disappeared two weeks ago after leaving Nana's Karaoke Bar here in Dobuita," he explained, "Ever since then, /spanspan id="E232" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"we've/spanspan id="E233" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" been bombarded with calls from the Chicago Police Department."/span/p
p id="E234" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E235" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"Cathy scoffed. "That says something considering there's a fourteen-hour time difference between here and Chicago," she said, "Why are they so interested?"/span/p
p id="E236" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E237" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""Her older sister," Murakawa said, "Lidia Bennett. She /spanspan id="E238" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"apparently was/spanspan id="E239" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" all over the Chicago /spanspan id="E240" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"cops/spanspan id="E241" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" to do something about her sister's /spanspan id="E242" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"disappearance/spanspan id="E243" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;". But, because she went missing here as opposed to there, all they could do was check in with us."/span/p
p id="E244" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E245" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"Kondo took all the information in. "So," he said, "/spanspan id="E246" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"It's/spanspan id="E247" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" possible that Allison stumbled onto something while going through cargo at the warehouse."/span/p
p id="E248" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E249" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""Maybe some of our stolen antiques?" Cathy asked./span/p
p id="E250" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E251" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""Or maybe more of the drugs we keep finding," Murakawa added./span/p
p id="E252" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E253" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""Maybe the Mad Angels were angry that she found what they were trying to hide," Kondo said, "They snatched her off the street and are holding her somewhere to keep her quiet."/span/p
p id="E254" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E255" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""In any case," Cathy replied, "I /spanspan id="E256" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"don't/spanspan id="E257" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" think /spanspan id="E258" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"it's/spanspan id="E259" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" any coincidence that a civilian warehouse clerk goes missing around the time that a bunch of precious antiques go missing from a Navy warehouse. Where do we start looking?"/span/p
p id="E260" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E261" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""My guess would be Nana's Karaoke Bar," Murakawa said, "But it /spanspan id="E262" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"doesn't/spanspan id="E263" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" open until the evening. Usually around the time that the /spanspan id="E264" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"streetlights/spanspan id="E265" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" come on at seven p.m."/span/p
p id="E266" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E267" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""In the meantime," Kondo said, "What do you say we show Allison's photo around Dobuita?" He then turned to Murakawa, "Can you get us each a copy of her photo?"/span/p
p id="E268" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E269" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""Sure," Murakawa replied, "/spanspan id="E270" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"I'll/spanspan id="E271" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" call my office and have copies of her missing persons flyer faxed to the Yokosuka station."/span/p
p id="E272" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E273" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"The three of them then got up from their seats and Kondo left some Japanese Yen on the counter to pay and tip for his and Cathy's meals before the trio exited the shop. /span/p
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p id="E44" class="x-scope qowt-word-para-0"span id="E45" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: bold;"Chapter 3: Soba Noodles and Information/span/p
p id="E46" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-1"span id="E47" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"[Copyright Notice: This chapter /spanspan id="E48" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"contains/spanspan id="E49" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;" lyrics and references to the 1986 song "Venus" by /spanspan id="E51" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"Bananarama/spanspan id="E53" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;". These are the official property of London Records and any other associated entities. No infringement is intended by using these elements in my story.]/spanspan id="E54" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" /span/p
p id="E55" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E56" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"Later that morning, Cathy and Kondo were on their way back to /spanspan id="E57" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"Dobuita/spanspan id="E58" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" from New Yokosuka Harbor in the latter's white 1986 Nissan Skyline/spanspan id="E59" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;". /spanspan id="E60" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"The weather had turned rainy once again, so much so that Kondo had his windshield wipers at their maximum setting./span/p
p id="E61" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E62" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""Does it always rain this much around here?" Cathy asked./span/p
p id="E63" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E64" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""Actually," Kondo said, "No, not really. /spanspan id="E65" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"It's/spanspan id="E66" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" been unseasonably rainy since that day the snow turned to rain. You /spanspan id="E68" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"know,/spanspan id="E70" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" that day that murder occurred back in Yamanose."/span/p
p id="E71" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E72" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"Unaware of this tragedy, Cathy was caught very much off guard by this comment, and as such, shot her new partner a look of confusion. "Wait," she replied, "There was a murder in Yamanose? What happened?"/span/p
p id="E73" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E74" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""A martial arts sensei named Iwao Hazuki was beaten to death at his home in Yamanose where he also ran a dojo," Kondo explained, "His son and his live-in student saw the whole thing. My contact at the local police station told me that his son, /spanspan id="E75" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"who's/spanspan id="E76" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" /spanspan id="E77" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"apparently also/spanspan id="E78" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" a martial artist himself, has been running around Dobuita for the last day or so trying to get information."/span/p
p id="E79" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E80" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"Cathy frowned upon hearing this, but then realized something. "Wait a minute," she said, "Is he about eighteen years old, five-foot-nine, and weighing about one-forty?"/span/p
p id="E81" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E82" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"Kondo thought for a second. "Come to think of it," he replied, "Based on what my police friend told me, /spanspan id="E83" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"yeah/spanspan id="E84" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;", that describes him pretty well. Why?"/span/p
p id="E85" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E86" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""I was leaving the Tomato Convenience Store the day before yesterday," Cathy explained, "And this young Japanese kid wearing a brown leather jacket and jeans tried to talk to me. I was in a hurry, so I politely brushed him off and kept walking."/span/p
p id="E87" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E88" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""Do you think that was him, then?" Kondo asked./span/p
p id="E89" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E90" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"Cathy nodded with considerable confidence. "Now I am," she replied, "Yeah."/span/p
p id="E91" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E92" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""We can look into it more once we get back to base," Kondo said, "Right now, /spanspan id="E93" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"let's/spanspan id="E94" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" concentrate on this theft case."/span/p
p id="E95" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E96" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"Cathy nodded before looking down to find a small cardboard shoe box at her feet that /spanspan id="E97" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"appeared to be/spanspan id="E98" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" /spanspan id="E99" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"somewhat overstuffed/spanspan id="E100" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" with various cassette tapes. She promptly picked it up and sorted through them until coming upon a particular tape: the recently released Bananarama album /spanspan id="E101" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"True Confessions/spanspan id="E102" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"./span/p
p id="E103" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E104" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""Bananarama, huh?" she inquired with a chuckle before inserting the tape into the vehicle's tape deck, at which point the group's cover of the famous song "Venus" came through the speakers./span/p
p id="E105" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E106" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""/spanspan id="E107" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"A goddess on a mountain top/spanspan id="E108" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"," Cathy began singing /spanspan id="E109" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"out loud/spanspan id="E110" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" in a very playful way, "/spanspan id="E111" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"Was burning like a silver flame/spanspan id="E112" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"..."/span/p
p id="E113" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E114" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"Kondo then took his cue to join in. "/spanspan id="E115" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"The summit of beauty and love/spanspan id="E116" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"," he sang in a very deep bassy tone, "/spanspan id="E117" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"And Venus was her name/spanspan id="E118" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"."/span/p
p class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E120" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 10pt;"The pair then sang out the chorus together. "/spanspan id="E121" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"She's got it/spanspan id="E122" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 10pt;"!" they sang, "/spanspan id="E123" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"Yeah, baby, /spanspan id="E124" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"she's/spanspan id="E125" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;" got it! Well, /spanspan id="E126" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"I'm/spanspan id="E127" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;" your Venus, /spanspan id="E128" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"I'm/spanspan id="E129" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;" your fire, and your desire/spanspan id="E130" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="text-indent: 36pt; font-size: 10pt;"!"/span/p
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p id="E131" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E132" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"They sang the chorus once more together as they pulled into the public parking lot next to the Hirata Tobacco Shop. The partners then both exited the /spanspan id="E133" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"car/spanspan id="E134" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;", laughing hysterically together as they walked together towards the You Arcade and the small alley-like street beside it where Yamaji Soba Noodles was located./span/p
p id="E135" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E136" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""/spanspan id="E137" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"Damn Kondo,/spanspan id="E138" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"" Cathy said, "You could've totally been a singer."/span/p
p id="E139" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E140" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"Kondo giggled for a moment in response. "Thank you," he replied, "And I think after that performance, we can drop the formalities now. Call me 'Johnny/spanspan id="E141" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"',/spanspan id="E142" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;" okay?"/span/p
p id="E143" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E144" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""Got it," Cathy said, "So, Johnny, are you originally from Japan?"/span/p
p id="E145" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E146" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""I was born here in Yokosuka," Kondo began explaining, "Yes. But I went to live with my father's parents, my grandparents, when I was about two years old. I grew up in the Potrero Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, California."/span/p
p id="E147" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E148" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""Why'd you have to leave?" Cathy curiously asked./span/p
p id="E149" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E150" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""My parents were living in Sakuragaoka back then," Kondo replied, "But their marriage was pretty much falling apart by that time. The one thing they could agree on was that I deserved a better chance at life in a more stable environment, so my grandparents came and brought me back to the States with them."/span/p
p id="E151" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E152" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""I know you were probably still a little guy at the time," Cathy said, "But that had to be really tough."/span/p
p id="E153" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E154" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"Kondo shrugged/spanspan id="E155" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;". /spanspan id="E156" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""I guess," he said, "Like you, I joined the armed forces straight out of high school. I joined the Marines just after the Vietnam War ended, and I ended up being stationed in Okinawa as an MP. I joined NSIC after getting my Honorable Discharge three years ago and was assigned to work out of the harbor."/span/p
p id="E157" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E158" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"Cathy nodded. "Good for you," she replied./span/p
p id="E159" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 0pt;"span id="E160" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"Yamaji Soba Noodles/spanspan id="E162"br /spanspan id="E163" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"10:55 AM/span/p
p id="E164" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E165" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"Cathy and Kondo arrived at the noodle shop about 5 minutes before their agreed upon meeting time. As they entered through its sliding front door, they were promptly greeted by its owner, master soba noodle chef Susumu /spanspan id="E167" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"Aketagawa. 57-year-old Aketagawa was a short Japanese man with a very friendly face who /spanspan id="E168" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"seemed to have/spanspan id="E169" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;" a very upbeat disposition about him./span/p
p id="E170" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E171" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""Good morning," Aketagawa warmly greeted, "Table for two?"/span/p
p id="E172" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E173" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"Kondo nodded. "Yes, please" he replied, "And two bowls of your finest buckwheat noodles if you would, please."/span/p
p id="E174" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E175" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""Certainly!" Aketagawa replied before turning to his apprentice chef, Kiyoshi Yamanaka, who was working just behind him. "Two bowls of buckwheat noodles, please" he said to him./span/p
p id="E176" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E177" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""Coming right up!" Yamanaka said before readying the requested noodles to be cooked. Kiyoshi Yamanaka was a 30-year-old much taller man who stood at 5'9./span/p
p class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;"Meanwhile, Cathy and Kondo sat at the table just across from the front counter and talked amongst themselves./span/p
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p id="E180" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E181" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""So," Cathy said, "You mentioned you had family in Sakuragaoka. Are they still there?"/span/p
p id="E182" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E183" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""Well," Kondo began explaining, "My stepmother and stepbrother still are. My dad's /spanspan id="E184" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"a longshoreman/spanspan id="E185" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;", so /spanspan id="E186" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"he's/spanspan id="E187" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;" not around all that much. I got a post card from him a few weeks ago that had an Oshima postmark on it."/span/p
p id="E188" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E189" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"Cathy nodded. "What about your biological mom?" she asked./span/p
p id="E190" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E191" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""She works as a schoolteacher in Nagano," Kondo replied, "I try to make the trip to see her as often as I can." /spanspan id="E193" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;" /spanspan id="E195"br /span/p
p id="E196" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E197" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"The shop's sliding door came open a few minutes later, at which point Osamu Murakawa entered. Detective Inspector Murakawa was a 38-year-old Japanese man who stood at 5'8. He was dressed in a beige suit jacket with a brown shirt underneath, brown pants, and black boots./span/p
p id="E198" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E199" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"Kondo stood up from his seat. "Murakawa-san, I presume?" he inquired./span/p
p id="E200" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E201" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"Murakawa gave the man a polite nod in response. "Yes," he replied./span/p
p id="E202" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E203" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""I'm John Kondo," Kondo said as he extended a hand to the man, "I'm a Special Agent with the United States Naval Security and Investigative Command." He then motioned to Cathy, at which point she too stood up from her seat. "This is my partner, Petty Officer Cathy Wilkins with the U.S. Navy" Kondo continued, "We work for the 'Operation Precious History' task force."/span/p
p id="E204" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E205" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""The pleasure is all mine," Murakawa replied before shaking his hand and taking a seat on the opposite end of Kondo and Cathy's table. Kondo and Cathy, meanwhile, took their seats beside each other. "My Superintendent says that your task force is looking into the Mad Angels," he continued, "May I ask why?"/span/p
p id="E206" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E207" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""Well," Cathy began, "As /spanspan id="E208" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"I'm/spanspan id="E209" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;" sure you already know, Inspector, the Mad Angels are a biker gang that works out of the harbor. Agent Kondo here tells me that /spanspan id="E210" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"you've/spanspan id="E211" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;" had some interaction with them."/span/p
p id="E212" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E213" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""I have," Murakawa replied, "They have a pretty rough reputation around here. They rev their motorcycles through here all hours of the night. A lot of the residents here are none too happy with that. We at the regional police have received about fifty complaints over the last two weeks alone. Personally, /spanspan id="E214" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"I've/spanspan id="E215" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;" caught a few of them with illegal drugs in their possession."/span/p
p id="E216" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E217" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""Do you know of them funneling drugs through New Yokosuka Harbor?" Kondo asked, "Is that a possibility?"/span/p
p id="E218" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E219" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;"Murakawa pondered this idea before nodding. "I think it might be," he replied, "Every time we've caught them, they've been coming here to Dobuita from the direction of the harbor."/span/p
p id="E220" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E221" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-size: 10pt;""Our task force was put together to investigate the thefts of several rare Asian antiquities from secure U.S. Navy warehouses," Cathy said, "Has your agency been investigating any other crimes that may be connected to the harbor?"/span/p
p class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span style="font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;""Actually," Murakawa replied, "There is one thing. Are either of you familiar with a missing civilian base employee named Alison Bennett?"/span/p
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p id="E224" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E225" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"This lit a lightbulb in Kondo's head. "Allison Bennett," he parroted, "Yes. /spanspan id="E226" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"She's/spanspan id="E227" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" a twenty-two-year-old Navy warehouse clerk from America. Chicago, if /spanspan id="E228" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"I'm/spanspan id="E229" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" remembering right."/span/p
p id="E230" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E231" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"Murakawa nodded. "She disappeared two weeks ago after leaving Nana's Karaoke Bar here in Dobuita," he explained, "Ever since then, /spanspan id="E232" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"we've/spanspan id="E233" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" been bombarded with calls from the Chicago Police Department."/span/p
p id="E234" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E235" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"Cathy scoffed. "That says something considering there's a fourteen-hour time difference between here and Chicago," she said, "Why are they so interested?"/span/p
p id="E236" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E237" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""Her older sister," Murakawa said, "Lidia Bennett. She /spanspan id="E238" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"apparently was/spanspan id="E239" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" all over the Chicago /spanspan id="E240" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"cops/spanspan id="E241" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" to do something about her sister's /spanspan id="E242" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"disappearance/spanspan id="E243" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;". But, because she went missing here as opposed to there, all they could do was check in with us."/span/p
p id="E244" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E245" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"Kondo took all the information in. "So," he said, "/spanspan id="E246" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"It's/spanspan id="E247" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" possible that Allison stumbled onto something while going through cargo at the warehouse."/span/p
p id="E248" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E249" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""Maybe some of our stolen antiques?" Cathy asked./span/p
p id="E250" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E251" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""Or maybe more of the drugs we keep finding," Murakawa added./span/p
p id="E252" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E253" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""Maybe the Mad Angels were angry that she found what they were trying to hide," Kondo said, "They snatched her off the street and are holding her somewhere to keep her quiet."/span/p
p id="E254" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E255" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""In any case," Cathy replied, "I /spanspan id="E256" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"don't/spanspan id="E257" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" think /spanspan id="E258" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"it's/spanspan id="E259" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" any coincidence that a civilian warehouse clerk goes missing around the time that a bunch of precious antiques go missing from a Navy warehouse. Where do we start looking?"/span/p
p id="E260" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E261" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""My guess would be Nana's Karaoke Bar," Murakawa said, "But it /spanspan id="E262" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"doesn't/spanspan id="E263" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" open until the evening. Usually around the time that the /spanspan id="E264" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"streetlights/spanspan id="E265" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" come on at seven p.m."/span/p
p id="E266" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E267" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""In the meantime," Kondo said, "What do you say we show Allison's photo around Dobuita?" He then turned to Murakawa, "Can you get us each a copy of her photo?"/span/p
p id="E268" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E269" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;""Sure," Murakawa replied, "/spanspan id="E270" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"I'll/spanspan id="E271" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;" call my office and have copies of her missing persons flyer faxed to the Yokosuka station."/span/p
p id="E272" class="qowt-stl-Normal x-scope qowt-word-para-2" style="text-indent: 36pt;"span id="E273" class="qowt-font4-Verdana" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt;"The three of them then got up from their seats and Kondo left some Japanese Yen on the counter to pay and tip for his and Cathy's meals before the trio exited the shop. /span/p
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