Big in Japan Ch. 03

Saigawa bowed formally. "I will relay that request, and I thank you for your generosity, Crowbar-sama."

I then said "I must ask, Masaharu-san: is your organization smuggling whisky and rum products from the United States?"

"Japanese whisky and rum very popular here in Asia." said Saigawa. "But smuggling efforts from the United States are not profitable, at least not for us. We do provide customers in... Asia... the products they desire, but the whisky smuggling from there is done by others. And before you ask, Sire, we don't know who is, nor do we care."

I nodded. "I understand. I appreciate you taking your valuable time to come here and bring me this information. Cha?"

"Thank you, Sire." Saigawa said, accepting a third cup, as did I. "It is no trouble to come here, and I am honored to meet the Iron Crowbar and the Iron Wolf. Your successes are known the world over, and I am not exaggerating when I say that. I can assure you that the Ninkyō Dantai have no desire to draw your ire nor have you come against us."

"I feel exactly the same way." I said. "Is there anything else you can tell me, that can help both of us?"

"Only to ask that you consider carefully the reasons for the murder of Easton Windham." said Saigawa Masaharu. "The true answers may surprise you."

"I would think," I said, "that the location of his death is the most important aspect of that case. Again, I thank you for your information, and you taking the time to visit. And please do tell your organization to keep any business they do in my County legal and legitimate." This time, it was a dismissal, and Saigawa honored it.

He barked a small laugh, then bowed. "I will be sure to do so. Please excuse me." I nodded and Teresa bowed, and Saigawa slowly got up, went to five paces out, turned and bowed again, then bowed again at the door. Then he exited, and was gone.

Teresa looked over at me. "A cup of cha for your thoughts, Sire." she said.

"I'm practically swimming, and my bladder is screaming." I said. "But that was interesting. Your thoughts?"

Teresa said "My first thought is that the Yakuza must have reason to worry, if they're sending their consiglieri to speak to you and deny their involvement in our American cases."

"True." I said, noting Teresa's astuteness in observing that the man was likely a legal eagle for the Japanese Mob. "But 'worry' may be too strong a term."

"Do you think he was telling the truth?" Teresa asked.

"Yes and no." I replied. "Of course the Yakuza has smuggling operations in the United States, but ATF Agent Nancy Harding is no closer to them now than she ever has been. But he's right about the whisky smuggling. While it is profitable, and they do smuggle whisky into Japan and Communist China, the cases we're dealing with are home-brewed smuggling, pun fully intended."

I continued: "But I do agree with Saigawa that what we are dealing with in Texas and our Town & County has little-to-nothing to do with the Yakuza. Okay, let's get home and go to bed. These poor guards are stationed here because we are here, and I'm tired... as I'm sure you are."

"Not much gets past you, Sire." Teresa said tiredly.

Part 18 - Remembrances

Friday, September 11th. I was spending this anniversary of the 9/11 attacks halfway around the world, in another country.

The funeral was set for 10:00am, local time. A funeral pyre had been built, with four gates in the manner of ancient traditions. The gates were aligned north, south, east, and west. The south gate was the 'important' one. A bowl of fruit was placed there, in case the kami of the deceased wanted to eat before leaving.

The coffin was of simple wood and was sitting on top of the pyre. The head was facing north, per tradition. The guests were sitting to the east of the pyre (looking west to see it). Family and honored guests would approach from the right, and just before reaching the pyre they would see the photo of the deceased and a placard with his new name.

By tradition, the deceased are given a new Buddhist name in Kanji script by the Temple, so that the kami will not return when his name is called. I recalled from television reports how even Emperor Hirohito had received a new name (and the era named after it) when he'd died. The spymaster formerly known as Misaki was now named 'Kami-noh-Supai', which Todd told me translated to 'spirit of the spies'.

The guests were in place and a Buddhist priest began chanting a sutra. Nagamasa and Mariko walked in from the audience's right and bowed before their father's coffin, then threw small pieces of aromatic wood onto the pyre. Then the deceased's other family came through. And then my family.

I had to walk alone, as I was considered to be here partly as extended family, and partly as the ceremonial 'advisor to the Emperor'. I bowed, threw my piece of wood on the pyre, bowed again, then walked to the audience's left. The family was seated there, at a right angle to the audience. I bowed formally to them, and they returned it, then I walked a little further down and sat down in my place, to the family's right, facing the left side of the audience.

Next came Todd and Teresa, in black kimonos, with Teresa walking two steps behind Todd in Japanese custom. Her kimono had the mon of the Clan of the Crowbar, but Todd's kimono had in white the four-leaf icon of the Takaki Clan. I remembered that upon their marriage, Todd was 'loaned' to my Clan as a 'hostage'. (Author's note: 'Soap Opera', Ch. 04.) On this solemn occasion, he was correctly wearing the icon of the Clan to which he'd originally pledged his loyalty.

Following them were Laura and Elizabeth. My sister was wearing the white-trimmed blue icon with the black background, while Laura wore the gold-trimmed red icon on black background. The four of them then walked over and bowed to the family, then came over and sat down next to me.

Honored guests, about a fifth of the total assemblage, also walked through and added pieces of wood to the pyre, then bowed to the family. But they continued down the line and came and and bowed to me and my family, as well. I bowed back, of course, and realized that my back was going to be hurting by the end of the day.

The finale of the funeral contained a surprise. Mariko rose from her position and came down the line and stopped and bowed... in front of Teresa. "Dozo." Mariko said.

"Hai." Teresa replied, getting up. The women walked forward to the pyre. Prince Ogaki, the formal representation of the Chrysanthemum Throne, lit a torch from a small charcoal fire in front of the pyre. With many bows between them, he handed the torch to Teresa. Everyone rose to their feet as she turned and walked to the south gate and entered inside the four gates., then began lighting the pyre. The wood, soaked in flammables, quickly caught.

Teresa continued down the line, lighting the pyre in several places. At the end, she placed the torch on the pyre, bowed, backed out the south gate, bowed again, then went to a safe distance and watched and waited.

So impressed had been Misaki-sama with Teresa's bravery in rescuing Carole, and then with her service in her donation to University Hospital, that among his final wishes he had asked that she be the one to light the funeral pyre, and she had been honored to accept the invitation.

As we watched the flames reach to the sky in a swirling column, I made a mental note to include in my final instructions that I wanted this for my own funeral. And I wouldn't be there to see it, but my final wishes would be honored...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

1:00pm local time, Friday, September 11th. Elizabeth had taken her leave of us, as she would be flying out with the Israeli delegation. Laura and I gave her goodbye hugs, then left her alone with Todd and Teresa for their farewells.

After lunch, Todd said that he had meetings with BOW Enterprises and Ichimoku Industries executives, and Laura was meeting with a group of Americans that I suspected were part of her 'Company'. So when 'our host' told us that it had been arranged for us to go on a short sightseeing trip, Teresa and I jumped at the chance.

We loaded up into an SUV with a Japanese Police escort and began traveling west as the crow flies. "Where are we going?" Teresa asked quietly.

"If I don't miss my guess... Sekigahara!" I replied, and Teresa smiled slightly as she observed that I was unable to keep the enthusiasm from my voice.

The trip took a little over half an hour. We went first to a spot that overlooked the famous battlefield upon which one of the greatest battles in all history had taken place on October 21st, 1600. When we got out, I saw a plastic-enclosed map on a tilted table, that pointed out (mostly in Japanese) the location of the various armies and battle points. I looked out over the valley...

There were buildings on it.

Yes, Japan is a country of 126 million people in an enclosed space, so I understood when I saw the large buildings and warehouses, and what we would call subdivisions of homes. But my feeling was not unlike how one would feel viewing Gettysburg or Chickamauga's battlefields with subdivisions and warehouses on them...

Oh, well, I thought to myself as I looked out over the valley. I did not get the huge vibe I got on Massada Mountain (Author's note: 'We'll Always Have Paris', Ch. 02.), but I definitely felt the sense of history.

Our host translated from the map. Then we got back into the cars and spent the next couple of hours visiting the various shrines as well as the Sekigahara Museum. I definitely felt more of the sense of history at the shrines and memorials.

As we were driving back towards Gifu, Teresa asked "Did you enjoy the visit?"

"Yes, very much." I said. "In my opinion, Sekigahara was one of the ten most important battles in history, as it directly impacted not only Japan's future, but world history even up to World War Two."

"What are the other battles on your big list, if I may ask." Teresa said.

"Well, D-Day, June 6th, 1944, has to be Number One." I said. "Another one is Gettysburg, where the Confederate States of America's chances for independence died with their defeat there. There was a great battle between Muslims in the 1200s, that if it had gone the other way, all Islam and their relations with the rest of the world might've been different to this day... and for the better. And Charlemagne defeating the Moors at Tours is on my list..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

As we arrived back at the Takaki compound, we were driven to the family shrine and nearby cemetery.

"Kami-noh-Supai has not been interred yet." said our host, using Misaki's post-death name. "This would be a good opportunity to pay respects to your friend Taichi-sama." I nodded and Teresa and I got out of the vehicle, and took possession of a small bouquet of flowers that I'd asked to be purchased. We went to the monument that bore Taichi's name, placed the flowers at the foot of the grave, then with bows I sat down Japanese-style on my knees, and Teresa did likewise.

I permitted myself to remember that night, where Takaki Taichi, second son of Takaki Misaki but estranged from his father, and dying of cancer, committed the ultimate sacrifice by driving his explosives-laded truck into a vehicle full of criminals intent on committing acts of evil. (Author's note: 'Seriously Inconvenienced', Ch. 05.) I remembered him giving me his Death Poem scroll, which I gave to his father. And all that had led to these moments, here, in the Land of the Rising Sun...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

That night, Todd hosted a dinner for us, as well as some BOW Enterprises and Ichimoku Industries executives. It was a farewell to Mariko, who had informed Todd that with her father's passing, she would be remaining in Japan, and would not be returning to the United States, nor to BOW Enterprises.

Most of us were in western attire, suits and ties for the executives, dresses for the women, including Laura. Teresa and I were wearing kimonos, though not black ones.

There were a lot of toasts after dinner, which meant that a lot of saké was consumed, mostly by the executives. Before the evening was done, they were 'in their cups', totally 'sauced'. Todd was drunk enough that his mischievous side was coming out, and he was flirting with the women there, including Mariko.

"Naah, it's okay." Teresa said when I asked if we needed to rescue her husband. "You know he fucked Mariko every day at work. If she hadn't been draining his balls so much, his libido would've been going nuts on me... and who knows who else. He's going to miss that frequent sex."

"Oh, I'm sure you can take care of his needs." said Laura. "And Don has never minded me helping with that."

"Hmmph." I said. "No, it is what it is, and we are what we are. Though I'm slowing down in my old age."

Laura said, just a little too brightly: "Oh, we can always get you back on 'gray viagras'... with extra vitamins and minerals for strength and stamina."

Yes, that was the saké talking... I hoped...

Part 19 - Homefront

10:00am, Saturday, September 12th, local time. Our Ichimoku Industries jet was at Chubu Centrair International Airport (NGO), southwest of the city of Nagoya. Most of the Japanese and American executives that had come with us would be on the plane, many of them badly hung over after overdoing the saké the night before.

The Airport was built on an artificial island, which intrigued me as we boarded the aircraft. We'd be flying directly to Anchorage, then Seattle and City Airports... no, not our Town & County Airport, due to expected bad weather.

"Twelve hour flight, all told," I said, "but by crossing the International Date Line we're getting 14 hours back. So it'll be Saturday morning again when we arrive at City Airport."

"I know what I'll be doing." Laura said. She put on a black eye mask and reclined in her seat, and was soon sound asleep. An example I could easily follow... and did.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

10:00am, Saturday, September 12th, local time... Town & County local time. Our plane landed at City International Airport and taxied to the International Terminal. Somewhat to my surprise, we learned that our plane had diplomatic status, so we were able to avoid going through Customs. That was most very good, since we didn't really care to discuss the four long cylinders that each carried a set of samurai swords.

"Hey, look over there." Teresa said as we were walking to the exit and our waiting BOW Enterprises van. I looked over and saw what Teresa had seen: walking ahead of us with luggage were FBI Special Agent Martin Nash, ATF Special Agent Lindsey Black, and DEA Special Agent Kevin Pitts. They did not look back, and likely did not see us as we turned to a door and exited the terminal.

"What is Team Swamp Frogs doing here?" Teresa asked when we were in our van and being driven out.

"I don't know." I said. "We'll find out when we get home, I guess."

We were dropped off at County Airport, where our cars had been parked. Laura and I put our things in my Police SUV and drove up to The Cabin, where everyone was. Teresa and Todd were right behind us.

"Mommy!" exclaimed Jim when Laura led the way in.

"Daddy!" exclaimed Carole and Tasha as I came in behind Laura.

"WOOF!" exclaimed the redoubtable Bowser at all the noise.

I knelt down and hugged Carole in one arm and Tasha in the other, then it was 'brace for impact' time as Ross and Ian decided to help their sisters dogpile Daddy. Bowser again barked loudly, and I didn't know if he was protesting the treatment of me, or egging the kids on. I reached up and gave him skritchins, anyway.

Meanwhile, Todd endured attempts to tackle him by Mike and Doug. Little Jack Burke declined to participate in the muggings, a rare refusal by him to create trouble, but he did hug Teresa back when she hugged him. Then she had to attend to Buddy, who had jumped up and landed his front paws on her leg. She sat down and gave him lots of skritchins as he looked up at her with pure love in his canine eyes.

After all that settled down, I went and got our things, locking the swords in the office room lest too-inquisitive children might injure themselves or each other.

Molly and Paulina had made lunch, and we all sat down at the adult table, while the kids had their own table. "How was your trip?" Molly asked.

"It was a sad occasion, with the death of Misaki-san and all," I said, "but it was a good visit to Japan."

"Todd goes to Japan a lot more than I do." Teresa said. "So it was good to get to go and see some of the country. But like Don said, it was a sad occasion. Misaki-sama was a very revered man, very big in Japan."

After lunch, Todd and Teresa went to their house next door, leaving the kids with us for the afternoon. Laura unpacked our stuff while I went into the office, put my swords in their proper place on the wall-mounted holder, then called Chief Moynahan.

"I am ree-lieeeeved to hear that you are back in one piece, Mr. Crow-barrrr." said the Chief. "It has been an... exciting week without the calming influence of your presennnnce."

"Uh oh." I said...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Sheriff and Chief accepted my invitation to join us for dinner, as did Cindy, Callie, Betsy, and Maggie. Teresa and Todd also came back for dinner, and Todd regaled everyone with our accumulated photos while the Chief, Sheriff, Cindy, Teresa, and I sat on the back deck.

"I ree-ceeeved two phone calls yesterday... Friday." said the Chief. "One was from Martin Nash. He said that an OPR had been opened on Jack Muscone's actions in the Archie Brody case, and he wanted to interview yoooo for it, preferrably on Monday. I told him that you might be called as a witness in the Breonna Bryant trial that was beginning Monday, but otherwise it would be up to yoooo. "

"The second call," continued the Chief, "was from EAD Owen Lange. He asked me to persuade you to agree to the interview, that it was benign, and fact-finding, not an Inquisition."

"Did he tell you who would be conducting the interview?" I asked.

"Har." barked Sheriff Griswold.

"He said Martin Nash would be doing it," said the Chief, "but did not mention if anyone else would be nor who that person might be."

"Let me fill in those blanks, then." I said. "When we got to City Airport this morning, the eagle-eyed Iron Wolf spotted Martin Nash... and Lindsey Black and Kevin Pitts."

"Team Swamp Frogs." Teresa said, making Cindy and the Sheriff bark laughs out loud.

"Yes. Their junior team, the minor leaguers." I said. "We'll see who walks in the door Monday, Chief. But I can tell you this now: if it's Lindsey Black, I won't do the interview. At all."

"I don't blame you, Crowbar." said Sheriff Griswold. "In fact, I'll personally order that she be forbidden from entering any Police facility in this County, if that'll help."

"Why don't we wait and seeeee what happens, Sheriff." the Chief said. "And if she's not one of the Inquisitorrrrrrs, Mr. Crowbar, will you acquiesce to the interview?"

"You know..." I said, my voice thoughtful, "yeah... I mean 'yes sir'. I'll do it."

"Uh oh." said Cindy. "Gears are turning in that red head of yours."

"You betcha." I replied. "Okay, any progress on the Easton Windham murder?"

"No." said Cindy. "We've found no new physical nor eyewitness evidence that is giving us so much as a cluuuuue to who might have killed him. Tanya and Julia Rodriguez even suggested it might have been a paid-for pro hit, and we might never catch them."

"Even if it is a pro hit," I said, "we need to know why that hit was made, and why Easton Windham was the target of it. But I would suggest it is not a paid-for murder-for-hire. What they did to that man? That was... personal."