Sakura

By J W Murison

Big Grizz is in Japan for a sakura holiday, when he is dragged into a Rip Van Winkle murder mystery. Twenty-one-year-old Japanese beauty Himari Ito, falls asleep one night, with the whole world at her doorstep, only to wake up eighteen years later, a decrepit sole, wheelchair dependent, with two children, who claim she is their mother. When Inspector Kaito Watanabe investigates the death of computer genius Rio Suzuki, it begins the fall of one the most ruthless criminal organizations that have spread across the whole of Eastern Asia. His biggest problem; the fact that no one knew it even existed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: J W Murison
• Release date: Oct 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463670736

J W Murison

I was born in the cottage hospital of Fyvie in Aberdeenshire in 1961. I grew up on various farms in Aberdeenshire until I was eleven and then our family moved to Morayshire. I did not enjoy High School there. I was frequently belted for not being able to do my homework or producing illegible work most teachers couldn’t read or couldn’t be bothered trying to read. As a result of this, I was often shoved into special needs classes where the teacher taught nothing but religion. At the age of fifteen, a month before my sixteenth birthday I joined the British Army. I remember the recruiting sergeant coming out laughing with my test results in his hands and telling me I could not get a trade in the army as my test results were too low. I didn’t care, I wanted to run up and down hills with a gun and blow shit up. Thankfully I was bright enough for that and I joined the infantry. I served a total of seven years under the colours, from the jungles of Central America to the streets of Northern Ireland. My home and family were the men of the 1st Battalion The Gordon Highlanders.When I left the Army I found getting a job extremely difficult at first. My first job was driving a chippy van and my first full-time job was at ICI Powfoot where I made gunpowder. From there I have had many jobs. I have worked in building sites and on the roads. In peat bogs and kitchens washing dishes. I have waited tables and driven furniture removal vans. Picked fruit and vegetables in season and driven Taxis. In essence, I could and would turn my hand to whatever put food on the table and kept a roof over my head.At the age of twenty-five and having been a year unemployed I reached one of the major milestones in my life. Disillusioned and getting desperate I was persuaded to try a part-time course at the college. Of course, I had to pick the one thing that scared me the most, computers. It was to my great surprise that not only was I able to complete the course but I enjoyed it as well. So I signed up for a full year. For the first time in my life, I found that I could communicate with people on the same level. It was a revelation. It was then I began to suspect for the first time that I wasn’t as stupid as I had been led to believe throughout my life to that point. However, the winds of fate picked me up and blew me away before I could take it any farther and it was another twenty-five years before I would return to pick up where I had left off.This of course doesn’t explain my preoccupation with books. The only thing I found I could do really well as a youngster was read. Now as you may suspect by now I have learning difficulties. In fact, I am registered as disabled with learning difficulties. I am dyslexic, have dyscalculia and a few other associated problems. I know some might be frowning right now as many dyslexics have problems reading. I was told when I was assessed that I have a rare form of dyslexia where my reading abilities are probably above the norm; however, my ability to write legibly, grammar, punctuation and numeracy skills are well below average. This of course is reflected in my writing. At first, I had to get friends to edit all of my work. Even then many errors slip past and were often commented on. Once I began to make some money from my novels, I turned to professional proofreaders. The first book I had edited by a professional proofreader was Teardrops in the Night Sky. Now all of the Steven Gordon series has been proofread, and most of my later novels as well. The simple cost of proofreading is the one thing that stops me from doing it with all of my novels. Having a very poor education with few qualifications has always kept me on the breadline where work and pay is concerned. So it’s going to be a little while longer before I actually make any money from my books as the royalties from them will go straight towards having the next one proofread. All of the novels on Smashwords have been proofread by a professional.Some may ask, why not go to a publishing house? Yeah okay, that’s a fair question but I don’t think I'm ready yet. Too many people trying to do the same thing all at the same time. I also don’t like the idea of being told what to write as has happened to many writers I know who are with publishing houses. There are far too many people following the formula for success rather than writing what they love or what they want to write. Publishing houses also follow the trend to keep the money rolling in. I don’t actually care a damn about any of that; I swap genre like my wife swaps outfits getting ready for a day out. To date, I have written Romance, Science Fiction, War and Science Fiction Fantasy Adventures. My short stories also include Horror, Children’s stories and Drama. None of this takes into account my poetry either. I don’t have to write a short synopsis or seek approval from editors either. I just write what the hell I like, when I like. Is it the right or wrong thing to do? I suppose in the end it is just a matter of opinion. For me, it is the right thing. To become a literary giant or a best selling author, then it is probably by far the wrong thing to do.I can see in my mind's eye a few shaking their head and wondering what the hell I’m all about. For me, it’s all about fun. I love the exploration of the mind. Whether my characters are in a romantic bind in some blistering desert or being chased across the universe by the bad guys, I don’t care, I just love the journey. Maybe that is the point of my writing across so many genres. I think to only write in one genre would crush me eventually, I am not the kind of person you can kick into a pigeonhole and leave there. I want to have a wee keek at what's around the corner, climb into the next hole over; have a root about and then move on. Of late I have discovered that some of my readers have also decided to join me on the journey. As I have moved from pigeonhole to pigeonhole, a brave few have begun to follow. It is such a buzz when a reader who normally only reads Romance novels, tells you she read your brutal alien invasion novel and loved it.My books are about the characters, it is they who tell the story. I think it is that character development that helps my readers cross the boundaries with me. I am sometimes surprised by how invested some of my readers become in the characters I write about. Not only surprised but delighted. For seventeen years I sat and scribbled away in A5 jotters or banged away on an old laptop that only had a few hours of battery life. Every now and then I would take an old book out of the cupboard and read it, then shove it away for a few years. Only a select few were privy to those novels and they could never understand why I never sent them to a publisher. I knew there was little hope of a mainstream publisher taking me on, especially considering the extra work my disabilities would bring. So I sat on them for seventeen years; until about seven years ago, when I began another book and stopped to ask myself a question. What the hell was I doing? So with the help of a friend I had a wee website built, but it was a bit of a flop as no one knew me and no one wanted to buy a book from a complete unknown. It was suggested that I put my books on Amazon. I put them on Kindle and was immediately slated for my grammar etc. That discouraged me for a while but then my friends and family began to step into the breach and helped me edit them. The remarks about my grammar and misuse of words have dropped considerably now and more and more people are taking the journey with me.I sincerely hope you have enjoyed reading this and it puts some perspective on myself and my writing. To date, only one of my books is available to order from your local books store or library and that is “Teardrops In The Night Sky”. It is the most popular of my novels and is a simple adventure story that crosses many boundaries. Teenagers to pensioners have written and told me of their delight at reading this novel. For the older generation, it is the type of adventure without foul language and all the heavy sex scenes most modern novels contain. For them, it’s a step back in time to the kind of pure adventure they were brought up with. For the young, it’s something new to explore. It just so happens it's also my mothers favourite novel. Of course, now it has been professionally proofread I am going to have to give her a fresh novel. The rest of my books are all available on Amazon as is Teardrops; in Kindle, paperback and hardback format.J W Murison

Book preview

Foreword

With this novel I have taken certain cultural liberties. Although this novel is set in Japan, I have westernised much of it for ease of understanding. I know that the Japanese give their last names first, and their first names last. In this novel I have used the western way of speaking one’s name. The Japanese also use honorifics, like San, Chan, Sempi, Sensei. I have for the most part ignored this tradition, to make it easier for western readers to understand, and of course easier for myself to write. Some may believe I am taking liberties, and that I should have made the book more authentic to avoid causing offence. If you believe that, then I apologise. However, as I have never sold a single copy of my novels in Japan, I really don’t think any of them will care.

Chapter 1

Himari and Akari stepped into the immaculate lift. Their immediate superior followed and Himari quickly pressed the open-door button. She stepped back beside Akari, and the pair bowed politely. Their superior looked them up and down. A slight nod of the head acknowledged her gratitude and she turned her back on them. Pressing for the floor she wanted, the doors closed silently.

The lift stopped two floors down and their superior got out.

Akari sighed with relief, ‘I thought she was going to stop us going home.’

Himari added her own sigh, ‘That would have been too much. Our very first month, and this is the first time we have been allowed to go home at our contracted hours. I hate being an adult.’

Akari giggled, ‘Friday night and adults… Want to do some Karaoke and beer?’

‘Oh no! I want a bath and bed. I am so tired.’

‘But we talked about this.’

Himari shook her head, ‘We talked about doing it once we got paid. We haven’t been paid, I have no money.’

The lift stopped and a gangly senior male got into the lift. He bowed too much when he saw them. The women politely acknowledged his bow but then kept their heads down.

Himari’s eyes flicked up and saw his Adam’s apple, which was very prominent, bob up and down. She said a silent prayer that he wouldn’t talk to her. The prayer was answered; he turned his back on them. He got off halfway down the office block without talking.

Akari burst out laughing. Himari pushed her, ‘Stop it! He might still hear.’

The lift moved, ‘I thought he was going to try to talk to you again. He is so ugly.’

Himari shuddered, ‘All month he has pestered me, since our first day.’

‘On the bright side, he is the Chief Programmer, he makes a lot of money.’

Himari shuddered again, ‘I wouldn’t give myself to that creep for all the money in Japan.’

‘What’s his name again?’

‘Chief Programmer Rio Suzuki. He is twenty-five years old and single. If you want him, he is all yours.’

Akari stuck a finger down her throat and made gagging noises, ‘Uck! Still, Chief Programmer at twenty-five is very impressive.’

‘I don’t care.’

The lift stopped, and the pair of twenty-one year olds stepped out into the foyer of their office building and headed for the large glass doors. Heads snapped round as the two beauties flashed their ID badges at the turnstiles and walked through. All eyes hesitated for a moment on Akari, before lingering on Himari. The two had been friends since childhood and Akari was used to it. Akari was beautiful in the traditional Japanese sense. Himari, however, could have stepped straight out of an anime. It had always guaranteed her a following of geeks and anime freaks, as she liked to call them.

The lights of Tokyo did little to diminish the rain that swept up the streets in sheets. With umbrellas up, they ran to the nearest subway station. The rain could do nothing to dampen their high spirits. They were young and beautiful; the world belonged to them. Soon they could afford to explore the bright lights of the city.

Himari had already attracted a likely candidate as a life partner. Hinata Kobayashi was twenty-seven years old, the son of the company’s president. Rich, handsome, and a lady killer. He was famous for dating and dumping. He had hit on her the moment they met. Himari had been impressed, but immediately slapped him down hard. He hadn’t liked it, not one little bit, yet he had come back. When he realised that she wasn’t going to fall down for him, she won a slither of respect. His attitude had changed, and Himari knew he was working himself onto a hook. She would soon discover the bars he frequented, and place herself there invitingly.

The train journey passed quickly and Amari’s father was waiting for them at their stop. They only lived a few streets from each other. After thanking him, Himari ran indoors. She was greeted by her parents and they ate a late dinner together. Afterwards they watched one of their favourite game shows. By then she was feeling tired. Himari lingered in the bath, soaking away the pressures of the day. Tomorrow, she and Akari would check their bank balances. If their pay had gone in, it would be a shopping trip, lunch, maybe a few drinks. They would plan their assault on the bright lights of Tokyo and the men they would hook into marital servitude.

It had been a good day. Himari studied her naked form in the mirror and knew she looked good. She ran her hands over the large breasts that no man had ever touched before. Her skin tingled and responded to her own touch. She knew she was ready for a man in her life, more than ready. Yet she would not give in to those carnal desires. The man who would take her first, was the man who would take her forever. Himari got into bed and soon drifted off to sleep; she dreamed strange dreams that seemed to last for a very long time.

Chapter 2

The night was a black as velvet, the rain came down in sheets. Rio Suzuki was desperate to get home. It would be the third time this week that he had been late home. His children didn’t like giving their mother her medication. He had always kept it as part of his responsibilities: the same time every day for almost eighteen years. It had been one of the conditions for joining this company; he was not to be late home. Any meetings after hours would be conducted from home via conference call.

This week, however, they had bought a new company and he had been having trouble amalgamating the different departments. He toyed with the idea of calling his son, but the roads were empty; he would be home within half an hour.

His foot slowly pushed down on the pedal. He was committing a crime and risking his perfect driving record but he felt the need to rush home. He hoped the police were doing the same thing as the rest of the citizens of Kanazawa and staying indoors.

The visibility became poorer, and his windscreen began to fog. As he reached for the de-mist button, he hit a large patch of water. The car began to aquaplane and slide. Rio over compensated, and when he reached the other side of the patch of water, his wheels were facing the wrong way. His small car slammed into the central barrier and spun off across the carriageway. When it hit the barrier at the other side, the car flipped up and over the barrier. He was only half conscious by then, and when the car slammed onto its roof, Rio Suzuki died instantly.

*

Inspector Kaito Watanabe and Sergeant Asahi Yoshida stood in the sheltered area beneath the overpass contemplating the fate of the driver. The rescue services were busy cutting the car roof off after it had been righted.

‘I think we are wasting our time Sensei; he is bound to be dead.’

The Inspector glanced at his assistant, ‘You can be a disrespectful prick at times Sergeant. He could be fighting for his life in there. I have seen people survive far worse.’

Asahi bowed slightly, ‘Sorry Sensei.’

A few minutes later, the roof was peeled off with the screech of tortured metal. A young fireman turning away to be sick gave them the answer they were waiting for. The two didn’t move. Eventually, a uniformed officer approached. He stopped before the two men and bowed to the Inspector.

‘The occupant of the car is dead.’

‘Do we have his details yet?’

‘Yes Sir, Rio Suzuki, forty-five years old, married with two children. He is the Chief computer programmer for the whole of the ACO group.’ The officer carried on with the details, including the man’s address.

Kaito was silent for a while as he digested the information.

‘Are you sure about all of that?’ He eventually asked.

‘Yes Sir.’

‘Does he have more than one car registered to his address?’

‘No Sir, I already checked that.’

Kaito’s frown deepened, ‘Okay, thank you.’

‘Would you like us to send a unit round to his house to inform the family Sir?’

‘No, I live in the same district, and I am just heading home now. I will take care of it. Give the details to the Sergeant here.’

The officer bowed and Asahi followed him to his car. He was gone almost ten minutes. When Asahi returned, he climbed into their car. Kaito took the tablet and went through all the details. The journey took just under half an hour.

When Asahi pulled up outside the apartment block, his superior just sat there in silence. Eventually he had waited enough.

‘Is there something wrong Sensei?’

It took a while for Kaito to answer.

‘This man is the head programmer for the whole of the ACO group. I did a background check. His salary is estimated to be over fifteen million yen a year. What the hell is he doing living in a dump like this, and driving around in a cheap car? It doesn’t make sense.’

‘Maybe he is a heavy gambler.’

‘He has no record at all.’

‘Maybe he was brought up here.’

‘He is from here, but from the other side of town. His parents were quite wealthy, both gone now. Ironically, they both died in a car accident.’

‘Maybe they left their son with a lot of debt.’

‘Let’s go talk to the wife.’

The apartment was located on the bottom floor. Wind-blasted rain still reached them under a wide veranda that travelled the length of the building. Kaito noticed the wheelchair access. His subordinate rang the bell and banged on the door. It was eventually snapped open by a sullen-looking youth. It seemed like he was about to say something rude, but the expression on his face changed when he saw the strangers.

‘Who are you?’

Kaito bristled, ‘I am Inspector Kaito Watanabe of the Kanazawa police department. Is this the residence of Rio Suzuki?’

‘He isn’t home from his work yet, he is hours late.’

‘I need to speak to your mother.’

‘You will have to talk to me.’

‘Is she at home?’

‘Yes.’

‘Then go fetch her.’

‘You are wasting your time, talk to me.’

‘I need to talk to your mother, and I need to talk to her now,’ Kaito put a tone to his voice.

The boy sighed with frustration. Before he could reply, a young teenage girl appeared.

‘Who is it Haru-chan? What do they want?’

‘It’s the police.’

‘What have you done?’

Haru turned slowly, with a look of shock on his face, ‘I haven’t done anything Sara. They want to speak to mother.’

She bowed low three times in quick succession, ‘I am sorry, you will have to speak to my brother. Our mother is unavailable right now.’

Kaito took out his ID and moved it slowly from one face to the other.

‘I don’t care how indisposed your mother is. Let me in to talk to her right now.’

The siblings looked at each other and both took a deep breath. Haru stepped to the side and Sara beckoned them to follow her, ‘This way officers.’

So far Kaito hadn’t been impressed by his reception. The boy was a little taller than most boys his age, and probably a bit better looking as well. What Kaito hadn’t liked was the look in the boy’s eyes. They were angry eyes, the kind that led kids into trouble. The girl on the other hand had been very polite. Even at her young age, Kaito could tell she was going to be a stunner. The file said she had just turned fourteen, but she already had bigger breasts than his wife. The boy was fifteen, coming close to sixteen.

They followed Sara through the home to the main living area. Sara went over to a figure sitting in a wheelchair and turned it away from the TV.

‘Mother, these gentlemen want to talk to you.’

Kaito felt a moment’s shock at the drooling figure in the wheelchair. Sara dutifully dabbed away the drool from the side of her mother’s mouth. The eyes were open but vacant. The woman looked much older than her file said. Her skin was hanging loose in folds from her face and her limbs.

Haru stepped in front of them with his arms folded, ‘I told you, you need to talk to me.’

Kaito looked deep into his eyes. There was a small light of triumph in them and Kaito knew the boy was going to regret this moment for the rest of his life. He decided to try and prolong it a little longer.

‘What is wrong with your mother?’

‘Have you ever heard of the Living Death Syndrome Inspector?’

‘I have heard of it, but I know very little about it. Do you have any relations living close by?’

‘No. Please Inspector, we have nightly chores to perform and our father isn’t home yet. Can this wait until he gets home?’

‘I'm afraid not. This is about your father. He died tonight in an accident.’

It took a moment for his words to penetrate. The boy staggered back and fell. The girl sank to her knees. His Sergeant bowed low.

‘You have my condolences. Do you have anyone that can come and help you with your mother?’

Haru seemed to come out of his shock for a moment.

‘No, we can look after her ourselves.’

‘We cannot leave you by yourselves.’

‘Our neighbour will help, we are very close.’

‘Which side?’

‘Door to the left.’

Asahi left immediately.

Haru managed to get to his feet. He made his way to the counter.

‘Sara, we have to feed mother then bathe her.’

Sara wiped her tears, ‘Yes.’

Haru looked directly at Kaito, ‘Is there anything else Inspector?’

‘I will wait until your neighbour arrives.’

It took five minutes for the old lady to appear. The girl flew into her arms, and tears began to flow down the boy’s face. Kaito knew it was time to leave. The old lady caught his eye as they made their excuses. Kaito bowed low. She gave a simple nod, her eyes told him she would take care of them. With a final glance at the haggard figure in the wheelchair, they left.

The policemen made it back to their car. The rain was beginning to slacken a little.

‘Take me home Sergeant, then go home yourself.’

‘Yes Sensei. What about the report?’

‘It’s a simple traffic accident. Let the traffic police handle it. No need for us to get involved.’

‘Yes Sir.’

Chapter 3

Himari woke slowly. It was her day off and she didn’t want to get up early. An unfamiliar tune was playing somewhere in the house. Probably her mother, she thought, it was her type of music. Himari breathed deeply. Her room smelled a little different and her futon was a lot more comfortable than she remembered. Someone entered the room. She thought it was her mother. She was about to ask for another half hour when they sat on the bed. Himari’s eyes flicked open when the person slipped up the sleeve of her nightdress. There was a rip of paper and the scent of an antiseptic swab reached her nostrils.

When the swab was rubbed against her arm she turned her head.

‘What are you doing mother?’

It wasn’t her mother, in fact it was a very good-looking teenage boy. He was poised with a syringe in his hand.

Himari kicked out, screaming at the same time. She suddenly found herself falling and hit the floor with a thud that knocked the wind out of her for a second. Her mind registered the bed but couldn’t understand it, she had gone to sleep in her futon, this was a western style bed.

She struggled to sit up. The boy leaned over the bed with a strange look on his face. He still held the syringe.

‘Get away from me!’ Himari screamed again, and began to shout for her mother. There was a pounding of feet, but it wasn’t her mother that appeared, it was a pretty young girl. The girl stopped at the foot of the bed looking down at her, the look of shock and surprise on her face was as evident as it was on the boy’s. It was then Himari saw herself in the mirror on the wardrobe and began to scream hysterically. An old woman she did not even see appeared next. The woman took one look and ran for the telephone.

Chapter 5

Kaito was picked up by his subordinate and driven to the hospital. The information he had received was confusing to say the least. Sergeant Asahi kept his peace while the Inspector tried to make sense of it all. When they arrived, they were shown into a small family room. Waiting for them were the two children and the old woman they had left the night before. This time all three bowed formally and politely.

Kaito sat down, ‘Now, what is going on?’

It was Haru who took the lead as usual, ‘Our mother woke up this morning,’ he seemed to leave the rest of the sentence hanging.

Kaito shook his head. ‘So, what about it?’

Haru gasped with frustration, ‘I don’t mean in the way she normally does. I mean she woke up, screaming and shouting, she even jumped out of bed.’

Kaito had done a small amount of research on the Living Death Syndrome when he had gotten home, but had soon lost interest. Right now, he needed a different perspective on the situation.

‘Stay here,’ he ordered the trio.

He soon found the doctor concerned with the case.

‘Can you possibly explain to me what the hell is going on?’

‘We aren’t too sure ourselves. According to the literature we have, very few of these people live longer than five to ten years. Once you have this syndrome, it is lethal. I have never heard of anyone recovering from it. This woman seems to have recovered. She was one of the first in Japan to be afflicted by the condition and the longest living survivor. Judging by her condition, as it is now, I doubt if she would have lasted much longer.

‘Now she is fully awake and lucid, but also petrified. She has just woken up after eighteen years of being in a waking comatose state.’

‘The Living Death Syndrome.’

‘It isn’t something mainstream hospitals treat. There are specialised clinics that deal with this syndrome. There is one in Japan, and we are about to get in touch with them. What is in the woman’s medication isn’t what it says on the packet.’

‘I'm sorry Doctor, could you explain that?’

‘The boy took us his mother’s medication. It would seem they forgot to give it to her last night, and they were going to do so this morning. It was when he applied the swab to give her the injection that she woke up.’

‘Their father died in an accident last night, that was probably why they forgot.’

‘Exactly why. I had the medicine tested, to see if it had gone off, or if there was anything irregular with it.’

‘Was there?’

‘Yes. What is on the packet isn’t what is in the vials. She is supposed to receive two injections a day, ten hours apart. It is mostly made up of multivitamins, drugs that we recognise to help the body function properly. The other listed ingredients simply weren’t there, and as yet we have no real understanding of those we found. Our senior, who would most likely know, is away on holiday. His subordinates have no clue. That is why I am going to call the clinic.’

Alarm bells began to ring in Kaito’s mind as twenty years’ worth of experience working in the police force kicked in.

‘Please don’t do that. I want you to hold off making that call until we can determine what those chemicals are. Could I have a copy of them?’

‘Yes of course.’

‘How is she now?’

‘We had to tie her down to a bed, she was hysterical. If she doesn’t calm down soon, she could suffer a heart attack, or even have a stroke.’

‘Can’t you medicate her?’

‘The sight of a needle sends her vitals screaming. We are also afraid of what chemicals are in her system. She could have a bad reaction. She fell asleep a short while ago, exhausted. We will see how she is when she wakes up.’

‘Her mental state?’

‘Do you know the story of Rip Van Winkle?’

‘Yes of course.’

‘That is really what has happened here. Only in that time, she has been married and had children. I think she was married a few weeks before she contracted the condition.’

‘Then how could she get pregnant?’

‘Exactly the same way every other woman gets pregnant, officer.’

‘Sorry doctor, a stupid question. Wouldn’t it be risky with a woman in her condition?’

‘I would presume so. The clinic that deals with this syndrome also deals with anything like this. From what I have been able to find out, it is very expensive. The medication alone runs to millions every year.’

‘I want everything you have on this case.’

The two officers had a private conversation in the hallway before going back in to see the family.

‘The doctor said that treating her would cost millions, would that explain why someone so well off would live so poorly Sir?’

‘Most likely. This is beginning to stink to high heaven’

‘Has there been a crime committed?’

‘If the answer to that is yes, then it will be more than one crime. I hope not, I hope the woman has simply recovered after a long illness. We need to discover what those chemicals are. Google them, see if you can find a commonality in their purpose. We can get an expert’s advice later. There are over three thousand people in Japan suffering from this syndrome. Double that in South Korea, where it was first reported, and it is also now sweeping through China.’

A knowing smile crossed Sergeant Asahi Yoshida’s face, ‘You researched it when you got home last night as well Sir.’

‘A little yes, now I wish I had spent more time on it. Let’s reassure those children then return to the station.’

‘Yes Sir.’

Chapter 6

Asahi stood before the Inspector’s desk.

‘Any luck on the chemicals?’

‘Yes and no Sir. The data I was getting back didn’t make much sense. However, when I put it all together, I kept getting links to a case in England a few years back. A serial killer trial. One officer’s name keeps coming up,’ he handed over a sheet of paper, the Inspector took it and began to read.

‘Inspector Grizzly Adams, Grampian police force, Scotland. Scotland is not in England Sergeant.’

Asahi pointed to a place further down the page, ‘They were doing some kind of swap between the English and Scottish forces when the case fell into his lap. He did head up the team at first, but at his own request became more of a consultant, an observer on the case.’

‘I remember hearing about this. It was a big case. We also have better relations with Scotland than we do with England. How is your spoken English Asahi, and what time is it in Scotland just now? We could conference call him.’

The smile that was struggling to break free all over Asahi face won the war, ‘There is no need to call him Sir. He also appeared on our database when I made enquiries. He is here.’

‘You mean in Japan?’

‘Not just in Japan Sir, here in Kanazawa, at the Kanazawa Excel Hotel Tokyu. He is on holiday, a Sakura holiday.’

A cold chill swept through Kaito. It wasn’t the first time he felt the hands of the gods at work during his lifetime. He put on his coat and hat.

‘Get a copy of those documents in English and let’s go meet this Scottish policeman.’

It seemed as though their luck had ended there, at first. The hotel receptionist didn’t know of his whereabouts. All she knew was that he had left before the sun rose. It was a cleaner who stopped them at the door. She had overheard their conversation. The old woman told them how friendly the big foreigner had been towards her, and he had asked her advice on nice places to view the cherry blossom. She had related the story of how she and her husband, as a young couple, had visited the Kenrokuen landscape gardens. They had snuck in at night and were still there when the sun came up. She had told him how it was the most magical moment of her life.

Back in the car the Sergeant had an opinion, ‘We will never find him Sensei.’

‘Why would he be here if we weren’t meant to find him? Just go.’

His statement confused Asahi, but he did as he was bid. When they arrived, the Inspector directed Asahi to take them to the highest spot. They got out of the car and walked around the gardens, just as it began to rain heavily. Within five minutes they came across a lonely figure sitting on a bench.

Kaito stopped, ‘That’s him.’

‘How did you know he would be here Sir?’

‘It is where I would have come.’

Grizz hadn’t been aware of the two approaching figures until they stopped beside him. His mind had been full of the horrors of war. Past battles came and went as he relived the terrors of his youth. He heard the thump of the mortars, felt their hot breath as they exploded around him. Rounds snapped past his ears or snatched at his clothing. He relived the terror and the exhilaration.

Kaito stopped Asahi just short of the figure. He could see the man was paying no real attention to the scenery before him. Water bounced off him and ran off the newly acquired short brimmed hat. The man was dressed as they were, in a rain coat. It would seem the standard for a police officer was the same the world over. It made him smile. The faraway look in the foreigner’s eyes was what made him hesitate. He wasn’t quite sure if it were tears or rainwater that ran down over the man’s cheeks. He ground his heel into the gravel below. The eyes focused and the head turned towards them.

The two men bowed, the younger much lower than the older. Grizz straightened himself up then stood. He turned towards them and bowed a little.

‘May I be of assistance gentlemen?’

It was the younger who spoke, ‘Inspector Adams?’

‘Yes.’

‘We are from the Kanazawa police department. This is Inspector Kaito Watanabe, and I am Sergeant Asahi Yoshida. Your name came up while we were researching an ongoing case. Could we humbly request five minutes of your