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Imoru cleared his throat.  There was a period, however, he continued,  when Yuzo did not
confide in me. I don t know where he went or what he did. I only know that it cannot have been
good or safe. I believe he associated with some bad people. Maybe even yakuza.
Natsuka glanced at Toshi in the rearview mirror. Their gazes met and Toshi nodded, as if to tell
Natsuka silently that he would ask the right question.
 Imuro-san, Toshi asked,  what made you suspect him of involvement with organized crime?
The elderly man paused and Natsuka sensed him searching his memory.  I m not certain. But when
he turned nineteen, he started riding a motorcycle. He rode with other boys his age. I met a couple
of them and they seemed like bad kids. It was shortly after that I lost contact with him.
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Just as I thought. Natsuka made a turn into Imoru s neighborhood. There was a good chance Yuzo
had become a bosozoku. The young gangs of bikers were prime recruiting ground for the yakuza.
Once a youth got involved with an organized crime family, he broke off ties with his own family.
Imoru sighed.  I have no proof, of course. But then, when Yuzo became involved with the Temple
of the White Tiger, I knew he d found something that gave his life meaning and allowed him to
cast off the bad life he d led. Imoru paused and looked down at his hands.  At least, that s what
I d hoped.
 When you got back into contact, did Yuzo ever mention any names or tell you where he d been or
what he d done? Toshi asked.
Natsuka exchanged another glance with Toshi in the rearview mirror. Dealing with the Japanese
mafia presented a whole different picture. If Yuzo had done something to cross one of them, he
was in grave danger. If he was still alive.
Imoru shook his head.  No, Toshiro-san. Neither have I dared to ask him. I ve always feared that if
he found out my suspicions, he would run away again& somewhere I would never find him. In the
rearview mirror, Natsuka could see that Imoru chafed his hands together in his lap now, his distress
surfacing freely.  That s why I was so happy when he finally began to speak about his life to me
again.
 So he seemed to be happy at the Temple.
Imoru s eyes brightened a bit.  Oh yes. When I saw him, he appeared as if a terrible weight had
lifted from him. He told me he had achieved some level of spiritual peace. He was very devoted to
the temple s priest. Imoru looked down as if embarrassed.  I believe he was in love with him.
Natsuka noticed how Imoru spoke of his nephew in the past tense, as if he believed the young man
were dead. Knowing Toshi as he did, Toshi was vowing to himself to find this young man and end
Imoru s agony.
And Natsuka knew he would help Toshi, no matter what.
***
 Was the priest s name, Kikuchiya Fujimara? Toshi heard the suppressed tension in his own
voice.  Does that name sound familiar? Toshi had learned during their previous investigation that
Fujimara was the owner of the hotel in addition to being its priest. His background was spotty--an
arrest on illegal gambling charges, but had been clean since.
Imoru furrowed his brow. He seemed to be having difficulty remembering for a moment. Then his
face brightened.  Ah, yes! That s him! Yuzo always referred to him as Kiku. He is half Chinese,
Yuzo told me once. His mother is Chinese.
Toshi nodded, remembering the facts he and Toshi had gathered during the Ronin Killer
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investigation. Born of a Chinese mother and Japanese father Fujimara had grown up in the
Chinatown of the nearby city, Yokohama. In 1996 he had established the Temple of the White
Tiger in Shinjuku ni-Chome.
Toshi repeated these facts to Imoru and Imoru nodded, a wistful look in his watery eyes.
 Yes, Yuzo told me about Kiku. He gazed at Toshi.  You are very much like your uncle, Toshiro-
san. He used to remember all these things, too.
Soon they had reached Imoru s apartment building, a seven-story with a beautiful Japanese bonsai
garden in the front.
 Please, Imoru said.  All of you come upstairs. I have things to show you that might be of help in
the search. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]