The Ends of the Earth (36 page)

‘You think that’s the best time?’

‘The night watch will be tired. And there will be just enough light for you to see by. I do not know the hazards you will meet. There will be many. But any other time is worse.’

‘Dawn it is, then. I have a car. It won’t take us long to reach the area. Wait for me in front of the railway station at five o’clock tomorrow afternoon.’

‘I will be there. And I will be ready.’ With that he bowed and walked away.

‘There and ready,’ Max murmured to himself. ‘Well, I can’t ask more than that.’

Max had walked to Minami Hongan-ji. He boarded a tram to return to Seifu-so, knowing the route would take him to the northern end of the Imperial Park. It was crowded with people going home from work, hot and tired from their labours. Many fell asleep as the journey proceeded through the centre of the city. Conversation was limited, conducted in whispers. The vehicle rattled and swayed onward, its bell jangling at intervals.

Max found himself thinking of another tram-ride, in Paris earlier in the year, when his father had suddenly seen Lemmer, standing close to him in the car. But for that one glimpse, Sir Henry might have lived to mount his own rescue mission in Japan. Max himself might be in Surrey, running the fabled flying school he and Sam had dreamt of. The secrets he had uncovered would be unknown to him. He would be leading a different life.

But chance had decreed otherwise. And he was not sorry.

Sam and Chiyoko had returned in his absence and Malory had elicited far more from them about their activities than she had from Max.

‘A plane, Max? I thought the plan was to leave by sea.’

‘You and Sam are leaving by sea, Malory. But unlike a plane, a boat can be overhauled and stopped. If it is, you’ll have nothing to hide. I’m a pilot. This is the best way, believe me.’

‘Why didn’t you mention it before?’

‘I wanted to be sure we could lay our hands on a suitable machine. Can we, Sam?’

‘Yes and no, sir.’

Max sighed. ‘Take a turn with me in the garden and explain what the hell that means, would you?’

‘I’d have got ruddy nowhere without Chiyoko, sir, and that’s a fact. No one in these parts seems to speak a word of English. She did all the talking. We went to the only aerodrome round here, south of the city. Fookoo something. An Army base, with a small civilian operation tacked on. I was hoping they’d be getting rid of surplus planes at a knock-down price, like at Hendon. No such luck. Nothing doing. But Chiyoko charmed some bloke into suggesting we try a boatyard on a lake east of here.’

‘Lake Biwa?’

‘That’d be it.’

‘What use is a boatyard to us, Sam?’

‘They’ve got a plane for sale. But that’s where we come to the snag. She’s a seaplane, sir. And you’ve never flown one, have you?’

‘It can’t be that difficult.’

‘I was hoping you’d say that, sir. My thoughts exactly. This machine could be just what we’re looking for. Japanese Navy surplus. Two-seater biplane, twin main floats, built for reconnaissance. Engine in good condition. Range of nearly eight hundred kilometres. I make that about five hundred miles. Now, I’ve checked and double-checked the map. Your nearest friendly port is Why-high-why, one of our colonies on the Chinese coast. The Royal Navy’ll look after you there. That’s about eight hundred miles. Shanghai’s closer to a thousand. Either way—’

‘It’s too far.’

‘Extra fuel’s the answer, sir. We can strap tanks to the fuselage. The plane was designed to carry a machine-gun, so we’ll be all right for weight. You just have to put down somewhere halfway and fill her up.’

‘By somewhere halfway you mean in the middle of the Yellow Sea?’

‘I was thinking more of an inlet on the Korean coast, sir. The route to Why-high-why takes you straight across Korea. Originally, I was reckoning on you putting down in a field. It’ll have to be the sea now. A quiet stretch, obviously.’

‘And a calm one.’

‘It’s not perfect, sir, I know, but what is? At least you don’t have to worry about a runway this end. You’ll have the lake. I reckon it should work. The plane’s ours for a thousand yen. A fair price, according to Chiyoko. Though what she knows about the price of second-hand planes …’

Max smiled. At a fiftieth of the price of Hashiguchi Azenbo’s model of his design for Zangai-jo, it sounded not so much fair as extraordinarily generous. Max clapped Sam on the shoulder. ‘You’ve done well, Sam. Better than I could have asked for. Tomorrow, you and I are going to buy a seaplane.’

SCHOOLS MORAHAN SHIFTED
uncomfortably in the chair he had walked to from the bed in his room at the University Hospital in Tokyo. He was feeling much better today, no question about it, but even so the journey from the bed had left him breathing in a fashion reminiscent of his emphysemic old dad in the Lower East Side tenement that was the scene of his earliest memories.

He was contemplating a walk to the window to see how his patched lung coped with the effort when the door opened and Takatsuki came in. He was the only policeman Fujisaki had sent to guard Schools who spoke any English.

‘You have a visitor, Morahan-san. She has not been before.
Roshia-jin
, I think.’

‘
Roshia-jin?
’

‘From
Roshia
.’

A Russian. And a woman. There was only one person it could be. They had never met before, though, in a sense, they knew each other quite well. ‘What’s her name?’

‘Kisleva, she say.’

Schools reminded himself that Nadia Bukayeva was a hardened killer. He was unarmed and none too robust. He could not afford to take any risks. But he was curious – as doubtless she had known he would be.

‘I told her to go away,’ Takatsuki continued. ‘But she say she has something for you.’

‘A bullet, maybe.’

Takatsuki frowned. ‘
Wakarimasen.
’

Schools mimed firing a pistol.

The frown became a grin. ‘You like us search her?’

Schools nodded. ‘
Hai
. Yes. Search her. And do a thorough job. Thorough? All over?’

The grin broadened. ‘You no worry, Morahan-san. We search her good.’

Fully ten minutes passed after Takatsuki left the room. Then the door opened again and Nadia Bukayeva walked in. She was not beautiful, but she was vital and alluring. Schools felt sure Takatsuki had enjoyed searching her and that he had indeed done a thorough job of it.

She appeared unruffled, however, and, above all, undeflected. The directness with which she looked at Schools was a statement of intent.

‘What can I do for you, Nadia?’ Schools asked. ‘It is Nadia, right?’

‘And you are Schools Morahan, the big man. Leaving Japan tomorrow, I hear.’

‘What’s that to you?’

‘I have this for you.’ She dropped a well-filled foolscap envelope on the bed. ‘To take to America with you.’

‘You’re a little young to be writing your memoirs.’

‘The envelope contains information obtained by Lemmer about Count Tomura’s part in various incidents, including the assassination of Korean Empress Myongsong in October of 1895.’

‘Queen Min? Kinda old news, I’d say.’

‘Read it and you will not think that. The assassins did not just kill her. They raped her. They burned her. They beheaded her. And Tomura was there. He was one of them.’

‘He’s your friend, Nadia, not mine. And I judge people by the people they choose to associate with. That doesn’t leave you smelling of violets.’

‘He is not my friend.’

‘He’s Lemmer’s friend. And you serve Lemmer.’

‘No longer.’

‘No?’

‘You know what has happened. Lemmer is finished. He is over. I am not with him any more.’

‘Who are you with?’

‘No one. That is why I have brought this to you. To prove I no longer serve Lemmer
or
Tomura.’

‘What d’you want me to do with it?’

‘Take it with you to San Francisco. Give it to the newspapers. Use it to damage Tomura.’

‘Well, if it’s as sensational as you say, I guess the papers’ll want to print it. What d’you get out of it?’

‘I want Max to tell Appleby I am out of the game. I want to be forgotten.’

‘If I see him, I’ll pass your message on.’

‘And when will you see him?’

‘Couldn’t say. He’s already out of the country. Shanghai-bound.’

Nadia sighed. ‘We both know where Max is. Also why he is there. But I do not know
exactly
where he is. Therefore I cannot warn him. Only you can.’

‘Warn him of what?’

‘I have a source of information in Count Tomura’s house. I have learnt something today that Max should be told of.’

‘What would that be?’

‘Tomura has left Tokyo. He has taken his son and Ishibashi with him. They are travelling to his castle north of Kyoto. Kawajuki-jo. Zangai-jo. That is where they are going. They will arrive tomorrow.’

Nadia was right about the need to warn Max of such a development. But Schools did not intend to tell her so. ‘Why should Max care where the Tomuras go? Like I told you, he’s left the country.’

She gave Schools a tight little smile. ‘Warn him. He is your friend. He must know of this. It makes what he plans to do more dangerous. And it was already dangerous enough.’

‘Well, I—’

‘I have told you and you will tell him. That is the truth. I say no more.
Do svidaniya
.’ She turned and walked swiftly from the room.

‘Where are you going, Nadia?’ he called after her.

But she did not reply.

Schools waited a strategic few minutes, then heaved himself out of the chair and went to the door.

‘Takatsuki?’ he called.

Takatsuki appeared. ‘She gone, Morahan-san. Nice, huh?’

‘I need to make a telephone call to a Kyoto number.’

‘Telephone?
Sumimasen
, Morahan-san. No telephone calls unless
Chokan
says.’

By
Chokan
, Takatsuki meant his boss, Commissioner Fujisaki. Schools sighed heavily. ‘Better call
Chokan
, then.’

It took over an hour to contact Fujisaki, though he readily gave his consent once Schools had assured him the call would have no effect on his deportation the following day. ‘I’ll go quietly, Commissioner. You have my word.’ And his word was evidently good enough.

After Takatsuki had authorized the operator to put him through, Schools was connected with Seifu-so.

‘Seifu-so.’

‘Schools Morahan calling. For Max.’

‘Max? Er … Wait, please.’

A moment passed. Then:

‘Schools?’

‘There’s news, Max. I had a visit from Nadia Bukayeva.’

‘You did?’

‘She claims to have split from Lemmer.’

‘That wouldn’t surprise me.’

‘She wants you to put in a good word for her with Appleby.’

‘Why would I do that?’

‘Because she’s done you a favour. She told me something you need to know. Tomura’s heading your way, with his son in tow.’

‘Is he, by God?’

‘They’ll reach the castle tomorrow. That swings the odds against you.’

‘Maybe.’

‘To hell with maybe, Max. They’ll be
there
.’

‘
If
Nadia told you the truth. It could be a ruse to scare me off. Some move by Lemmer to persuade Tomura he still needs him. It won’t work.’

‘You’ll go ahead?’

‘Of course.’

Of course
. Max would go through with it however slim his chances were. He knew no other way. ‘How are your preparations going?’

‘Just as I’d hoped.’

‘Then all I can do is wish you the luck you’ll surely need.’

‘Thanks, Schools. Listen, Malory will want to speak to you, I know. A last word before you get on that ship tomorrow. Don’t mention Nadia’s visit, will you, or this news about Tomura? There’s no sense worrying her unnecessarily.’

It seemed to Schools that Max had a strange definition of
unnecessarily
. But arguing with him was futile. His certainty was evident in his voice even down a crackling telephone line. He was committed. He was determined. Nothing – absolutely nothing – was going to stop him.

MAX BARELY SLEPT
that night. Well before three o’clock, he was up, waiting by the gate for le Singe to arrive. He walked out into the lane that led down to Imadegawa-dori. The darkness beneath the bamboos that fringed the lane was sprinkled with fireflies. The air was sweet and warm, the silence velvety.

Then le Singe was there, beside him, announcing himself as a sensation before Max was properly aware of the darker patch of shadow at his elbow that was a human presence.

‘Seddik?’

A hand, placed lightly on Max’s shoulder, was le Singe’s answer. He had arrived.

‘Follow me.’

Max walked back in through the gate and round to the rear of the villa, where the Appersons were stowed. A lantern was shining there, held by Sam, who had got up to see them off.

‘Thought I’d better be here, in case you had trouble with the car, sir,’ he explained, not altogether convincingly. ‘They can be temperamental, these Yank motors.’

‘We’ll be fine, Sam,’ said Max. ‘There’s nothing to worry about. This is just a little pantomime to oblige the Dragonfly.’

‘You be careful, even so.’

‘Aren’t I always?’

Nodding to le Singe, Sam said, ‘Pleased to meet you again.’

There was no immediate response. After an awkward few seconds, le Singe nodded back.

‘I was at Soutine’s apartment, in Paris.’

Another nod. That was all. ‘He knows, Sam,’ said Max. ‘He knows.’

Max drove west through the empty night as far as the village of Arashiyama and a little way beyond.

Le Singe was a disconcerting travelling companion, by virtue of his stillness as much as his silence. He gave no clue to his thoughts or intentions. He was there, as Laskaris had said he would be. His collaboration with Max had begun. There was nothing more.

Max pulled the car off the road close to the lane leading to the Dragonfly’s villa and stopped. The new day was dawning. The shadows remained deep in the bamboo forest around them. But at least he could now see le Singe’s face.