Fishing for Stars (46 page)

‘Manageable? Compromise?’ Miss Sparkle chuckled. ‘Ah, I see, there is another woman! You want Anna, but also everything else?’

‘Yes,’ I grinned rather sheepishly, taken aback by her perspicacity. ‘I cannot help it.’ I spread my hands in an attempt to seem casual. ‘I am a man.’ In retrospect it was a ridiculous remark, and thankfully she ignored it.

‘To possess, then, only the greater part of Anna, is it worth it?’

‘Yes,’ I laughed, ‘well worth it.’

‘Then why do you fear her reunion with
Konoe-san
? He cannot harm her now.’

I was stymied. I had never thought about it like that. What Miss Sparkle was telling me was that nobody ever possesses someone entirely, that people are free to apportion their love. I saw suddenly that there might be a need, a hunger in Anna, that I could never fulfil, but perhaps Konoe Akira possessed those qualities that could. I also saw that we were not necessarily competitors.

‘What do I fear?’ I pretended to be thinking while knowing full well what she was suggesting. ‘Okay, I fear that her need for him will be greater than her need for me,’ I replied with some uncertainty, surprised by my own reply. Miss Sparkle had made me see it clearly for the first time, made me realise that true love is giving freely of those things you can share while accommodating, accepting, those you can’t. Loyalty and trust are two of the most important components of the many that make the whole of love. Put this way it sounded eminently intelligent and simple, providing always that you didn’t involve your emotions.

Miss Sparkle rose. ‘I will go now,
Duncan-san
. Please call me if I can help. In the meantime I will think about what you have said. You are a fine man and Anna is very fortunate.’

‘Thank you,
Korin-san
. Will you please allow me to be the judge of Anna’s immediate welfare? I am not certain that I will inform her of your visit. But I would like to think that I may call on you, on your wisdom.’

She cackled at the compliment. ‘In Japan only men possess wisdom; women make suggestions. Of course, call on me when you wish.’ Then, as if she’d read my previous thoughts, she said, ‘I am an old woman who has been trained since a young
maiko
never to make emotional decisions, and the strict observance of this rule robbed my life of real meaning. Reason is why we survive, but without emotion there is very little quality to our existence. True love is about forgiveness and there is no logic in forgiveness.’

With these words Miss Sparkle departed. I noted with some amusement the big Mercedes parked in a no-parking zone directly outside the hotel. Miss Sparkle’s appearance resulted in a great deal of bowing as she crossed the hotel foyer, a bellboy rushing to open the rear door of the big black auto even before the driver could leap out of his seat.

‘Bravo! If you’d stayed in the hotel to arrange the ransom rather than galloping off on your white charger to rescue me, I could have bought my way out unharmed in a couple of hours.’

Anna, Tokyo

WHILE SHE HADN’T COME
out directly and advised me on what to do about Anna’s determination to see Konoe Akira, the meaning of Miss Sparkle’s final words was nevertheless unmistakable. I needed to, in her opinion, allow Anna to see her mentor without opposition. I had to trust her strength and her love – our love – to survive whatever might come of that meeting.

I wasn’t at all sure that this was sound advice or that I was able to cope with it emotionally. I told myself that I knew a great deal more about Anna’s psychology than anyone else, that by giving in and not resisting I would, potentially, be partly responsible for more harm and a fresh set of problems.

However, I also knew that whether or not I was able to stop Anna from seeing Konoe Akira, I was risking our future together by my vehement opposition. After all, it had originally been my idea she visit him. If she went ahead despite my resistance, there would be no way I could back down gracefully.

It had all seemed so neat. In my fevered imagination she would confront a pathetic old pervert of no substance and instantly slough off his influence; before my very eyes, she would be miraculously restored to health.

This was classic Nick Duncan mind-shit. The events of the past few days had proved how ridiculous and inappropriate this excremental notion was.
Here I go again, heads I lose, tails you win,
I thought, feeling a tad sorry for myself.

When I arrived back upstairs Anna was showered, dressed and sitting at the mirror brushing her hair. ‘Good morning, gorgeous boy!’ she called. ‘Where you bin? I’ve missed yah,’ she quipped.

I walked over and she kissed me warmly. ‘Downstairs,’ I said, surprised at her ebullience. ‘Sleep well?’

She grinned. ‘Like a log . . . sorry about last night.’

I wasn’t sure whether this was an apology for the fight we’d had or for her panic attack. ‘That’s not necessary. You were under a fair bit of strain. I’m glad you’re feeling better, darling,’ I said, in this way accommodating either possibility.

She continued brushing her hair. ‘Who was downstairs?’ she asked casually.

‘A messenger from
Fuchida-san –
 they’ve found Gojo Mura,’ I said, putting one and three together.

Anna turned. ‘Oh, Nick, how exciting for you! When can we meet him?’

I hesitated momentarily. ‘I’m not sure. It was arranged for this morning, but I postponed it.’

Anna was not fooled. ‘Because of me?’

‘Well, yes. Unavoidably. Doctor’s orders.’

Lowering the hairbrush she turned to face me. ‘Doctor? What doctor?’

‘You don’t remember?’

‘Remember what? We had an awful row. I remember that. I’m awfully sorry, Nicholas,’ she repeated, head to one side, her beautiful violet-blue eyes regretful.

‘Darling, you had a panic attack during the night . . . early morning,’ I corrected. ‘Yesterday morning actually. I called the doctor and he gave you an injection,’ I said, trying to minimise the seriousness of the event. ‘He said I should stay with you and . . . well, call him if you woke up distressed, but you’ve slept for hours.’

‘Really? A day and a night? I woke up with a headache, but even that’s gone.’

As I’d entered the room I’d caught the now unmistakable whiff of the dragon, even though Anna had opened all the windows under the pretence of letting in the spring sunshine. She would probably be okay for the next eighteen hours. ‘Good, now what about some breakfast?’ I glanced at my watch. ‘Brunch?’

‘Have you eaten, Nicholas?’ she asked.

‘Not yet.’

‘You must be starving. I am. Let me put on some lippy. How about scrambled eggs . . . something that’s not Japanese, with toast and coffee, yum!’

But over breakfast Anna seemed preoccupied. ‘What’s wrong, darling?’ I asked, sensing she wasn’t happy.

‘Nicholas, when I went into the bathroom, I found a woman’s clothes – underwear, a pair of sandals . . .’ She looked at me steadily. ‘Perhaps you’d care to explain?’ Before I could say a word she added pointedly, ‘I can’t say much for your taste, my dear. Her underwear was sluttish!’

‘Anna! Surely you remember?’ I laughed helplessly. ‘They’re yours, darling, I bought them at Mitsukoshi. Your suit was ruined.’

She looked at me uncertainly, then reached over and grabbed my hand. ‘Oh I’m so sorry, darling, now I’ve hurt you.’

I grinned. ‘Well at least it proves I’m consistent in matters of taste.’ I hadn’t personally liked the shirtmaker so I’d assumed Anna probably would. If she didn’t, it meant I was losing my bad-taste touch, but the rebuke over the undies restored my confidence. ‘I actually thought the undies looked pretty good.’

‘The sandals are really quite nice,’ she comforted me, ignoring my remark about the underwear.

It was obvious that she could recall very little of what had occurred after her rescue and the helicopter ride to freedom.
Kinzo-san
’s office, the trip to the bathhouse and her new clothes were, it seemed, forgotten. Perhaps, strangest of all, she’d forgotten our lunch in the park and the fact that she had told me of her rescue and the murder of the three guards in great detail. Only our argument seemed to have stayed with her.

‘Nicholas, can we meet Gojo Mura?’ she now asked excitedly. ‘You have such fond memories. It would be good to know how it all turned out for him. It’s such a lovely day and I feel completely rested.’

I grimaced. ‘Not sure about that, darling. Had a bit of a row with
Fuchida-san
.’

‘Row? What, over Gojo Mura?’

‘I told you he wanted to go this morning and I said it wasn’t possible. He didn’t take my refusal kindly. I guess blokes like him don’t expect to be rebuffed.’

‘Oh, then it was
Fuchida-san
downstairs?’

‘No, he phoned earlier to tell me he was sending a car. I told him then that I couldn’t come. That’s when he had a shitty.’

‘So, if it wasn’t him, who was downstairs? You said it was someone from the
yakuza
?’ Anna as usual had picked up the fine print.

‘Someone sent by
Fuchida-san
on a different matter,’ I said, prevaricating.

Anna leaned back in her chair, her beautiful mouth in full pout. ‘I see. You’re not going to tell me. Let me guess . . . it has something to do with me?’

‘Yes, I can’t deny that.’

Her smile when it came was not intended to charm me. I was headed for trouble. With an impatient flick of her head she said, ‘Then surely I am entitled to know?’

‘It was
Fuchida-san
’s
mama-san
, the one I told you about, Miss Sparkle with the diamond earrings. He sent – well no, that’s not strictly true – she came over to see if she could care for you, you know, after the kidnapping. The shock and all that.’

‘Well, what a very nice thing for him to do. Surely allowing her to take care of me was his way of apologising?’

Anna was slowly wearing me down. If I agreed, it would constitute an apology in her mind and I’d have no reason not to call
Fuchida-san
, whereupon he’d promptly make a damn fool of me by refusing to take the call. ‘Well not really, as I said, it was her own decision to come.’

‘And you sent her home?’

‘Yes, of course. I was here to take care of you. She wasn’t necessary.’

‘That will
really
help to patch things up between
Fuchida-san
and you, Nicholas.’

‘Does it matter?’ I said defiantly. ‘We’re getting out of this place anyway!’

Anna’s right eyebrow shot up. ‘Oh, are we?’

I caught myself in time. I realised my next remark was crucial or we’d be back where we’d been in the taxi coming home from the park. ‘She came to see me to ask if it was okay to see you. It was perfectly amicable – the Japanese way. I didn’t flatly refuse. I simply said I’d like to think about it. I didn’t want you to wake up with a strange Japanese woman at your bedside.’

‘Oh, by thinking about it, you mean you were going to ask me. See how I felt. Was that it?’ Anna suggested, smiling sweetly, knowing she was on to something.

‘Well, yes . . . I suppose.’

‘All right then, yes, I’d like to meet Miss Sparkle. I’m fed up with the whole damn business of the
yakuza
. It’s been a one-way street, you and
Fuchida-san
making decisions about my welfare. The whole thing has turned out to be a monumental mess!’

‘Hey, wait on! We got you out. Rescued you. Shit! Is that the gratitude you show?’ I cried.

‘Look at you, Nick. You’re cut to ribbons, you’ve been tortured, spent two days in a police cell. Three men have been brutally murdered in front of my eyes, two more I am told at the gate!’

‘But you’re safe!’ I interjected.

Anna laughed bitterly. ‘Bravo! If you’d stayed in the hotel to arrange the ransom rather than galloping off on your white charger to rescue me, I could have bought my way out unharmed in a couple of hours. Christ, Nick, I make my living negotiating. The Shield Society was simply a bunch of opportunists.’

‘Rightwing fanatics!’ I cried. ‘They are capable of anything.’

‘What? Even killing the golden goose? Don’t be ridiculous! Fanatics maybe, but not bloody stupid.’

‘Well, I offered to pay your ransom,’ I said self-righteously.

‘When? After you’d kidnapped Konoe Akira’s aged mother, broke into his home, held a gun to his head to teach him not to cross the great war hero, Nick Duncan, and ended arse-up in a thousand-year-old vase and ultimately in police custody?’

‘Ouch! You know about that part?’

‘Yes, your gangster friend told me with some alacrity in the car from the heliport . . . the whole sense-defying fiasco from start to finish.’

Anna was only confirming what I myself had come to think. Defending my actions any further seemed pointless. ‘Anna, you’re right. I was stupid; things got out of hand. But you’re safe and I’ll mend.’ I hesitated then reached out and put my hand over hers. ‘Darling, can we kiss and make up and get the hell out of here?
Please!
’

‘Stupid boy!’ Anna cried out now, seemingly more frustrated than angry. Then she sighed and seemed to relax and when she spoke again it was in her normal quiet voice. ‘Nicholas, it was entirely my fault. I got us into this jam. I wanted to see Konoe Akira alone initially and I refused to allow your involvement. But, just as I was responsible for getting myself kidnapped, I was also responsible for my own welfare, and able, I felt sure, to have myself freed. You simply acted too quickly and, may I say, without thinking it through, so I was unable to contact you to arrange things.’

Anna paused for a moment. ‘The art of negotiation is patience and the ability to win your point with reason, although you can usually rely on good old-fashioned greed. Money solves most things and, as the saying goes, “revenge is a dish best eaten cold”.’ Anna appeared to be thinking. ‘Had it all gone to plan and I’d paid my own ransom, I daresay I would have licked my wounds, kicked myself for acting stupidly in the first instance and decided to go home with my mission unaccomplished.’ She paused again. ‘But not now. Now I want to face him, to see him.’

‘I don’t understand.
Why?
What can you possibly gain?’

She frowned. ‘Self-respect.’

‘But he won’t agree to see you. Not now, after all that’s happened. Besides, he’s had his comeuppance, it’s cost him twenty-five thousand dollars.’

‘You’re not listening, Nicholas!’ She looked at me knowingly. ‘Self-respect, not just for myself.’

I shook my head. ‘I’ve made a complete dickhead of myself. Sometimes you can’t believe your own stupidity.’

‘We all know that feeling,’ Anna said softly.

‘And how do you propose to get to him? Impossible, I should think.’

‘You’ve just helped me to do that, Nicholas.’

‘Oh, how?’

Anna gave a cryptic little smile. ‘Now it’s my turn to use the
yakuza
. I will invite Miss Sparkle over for afternoon tea. You will formally introduce us and then you will be kind enough to leave us alone.’

‘You already know her,’ I replied, realising I was utterly defeated.

‘Oh?’

‘Her name is
Korin-san
. She is, or was, the seventh
okami-san
in the Nest of the Swallows.’

Anna looked at me, her expression almost beyond amazement. ‘Oh my God!’

I wasn’t privy to the meeting Anna had with Miss Sparkle, but when she returned she announced that she would be spending the next several days at the Jade House. This provoked yet another row. When I objected to her returning to the scene of her kidnapping, she replied, ‘Nicholas, please don’t ask. I’m working at the Jade House, that’s all.’