In Plain Sight

Alex told Iggy his idea, the words spilling out of him in his excitement.

“That would explain a lot,” Iggy said, nodding vigorously. “If Pemberton or the mystery thief held out for more money, that would have given the buyer incentive to torture the thief’s identity out of Pemberton.”

“It also explains why the stones aren’t being fenced.” Alex said.

“Good work,” Iggy said. “I think you’re on to something. The question is, how do you find the intermediary?”

Alex had an answer for that, but the thought of it made his stomach turn.

“If you want to find a high class crook,” he said, “you ask a high class crook.”

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Alex stood on an inner ring sidewalk a block from the Core. Across the street stood the Lucky Dragon restaurant. The Lucky Dragon was famous for its dumplings and about as Chinese as Grauman's Chinese Theatre. It was a trendy hot spot for the well-to-do and those who aspired to appear so. It was also a front for the Japanese mafia. Its owner was an older man named Chow Duk Sum. His real name was Shiro Takahashi, an American citizen raised in Brooklyn by Japanese parents.

What only a handful of people in the entire world knew, was that Shiro was also Danny Pak’s father.

Danny didn’t know that Alex knew about his familial relationships and Alex had never said anything. He’d found out when Iggy was teaching him how to track people through birth records. Alex had used his friend as a test and wound up learning way more than he ever wanted to know. Now he was about to put that knowledge to use in a way that might end his friendship with Danny forever.

It might also get him killed. Alex didn’t know much about the Japanese mafia, but if they were anything like the Italian one, just knowing who Chow Duk Sum really was could be enough to earn him a pair of cement shoes.

He took one of his cards out of his pocket, scribbled This is about Danny on the back, then crossed the street.

An attractive young hostess in a brightly colored robe greeted him when he entered. Her features were Asian, but her accent was cultured, with a hint of Great Britain.

“I’m sorry,” she said, when Alex asked to see the owner. “Mr. Chow is very busy right now. If you’re not here to eat, then I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

Alex handed his card to her, forcing his hand not to shake. “Have someone give him this,” he said. “If he still doesn’t want to see me, I’ll go.”

The girl hesitated, then she took the card over to a young Asian man in a silk suit sitting at a table in the corner. After a whispered conversation, she returned, and the young man disappeared into the back. He came back only a moment later.

“Mr. Chow will see you,” he said, simply. “Follow me.”

He led Alex back, through the kitchen, to a narrow set of stairs that went up to the second floor. At the top, a long hallway ran the length of the building with doors on the left side. The man stopped at the first one and opened it. Alex briefly saw runes glow along the frame. He wasn’t familiar with the angular, painted characters of the Kanji style of runes, but he could feel their power as he passed through the door.

The room beyond looked nothing like the somewhat-garishly decorated dining room. It appeared to be right out of the pages of a fashion magazine. Elegant furniture surrounded a low wooden table with Tiffany lamps in the corners.

“Please sit,” the young man said, then withdrew, shutting the door behind him. Alex sat on one of the long couches and waited, trying to convince his nervous body not to sweat. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but the aging Asian man in a black tuxedo who entered a moment later definitely wasn’t it.

Alex stood and bowed to him as he entered.

“Mr. Takahashi, I presume.”

The man looked startled, then he bowed in return. He was medium height and slim, with long hair that he tied behind his head in a ponytail. His face was crisscrossed with lines, but his dark eyes were bright. He looked like an older version of Danny.

“I figured I’d be seeing you sooner or later,” he said. “You’re Daniel’s detective friend.” He said all this in an easy, conversational manner, then sat across the table on the opposite couch. “You know my real name, so I’m going to assume you know who I am,” he said. “That means you understand the predicament you’ve put me in just by being here.”

“I apologize for any inconvenience,” Alex said. “I wouldn’t have come if it weren’t important.”

Shiro Takahashi looked him over for a long moment. “Then I guess you’d better tell me why you came.”

Alex explained what happened with Jerry Pemberton, the stakeout of the customs warehouse, and how that had made Captain Rooney look bad. While he talked, Shiro simply sat, unmoving, and listened.