My first stop was at the infirmary. I wanted to ensure that my prisoner will not escape and what if anything else I can get out of him. I wonder had Tenma kept him sedated or has it worn off? But I’m worrying over nothing, I -hear- Miyagawa’s voice as soon as I get to the top floor. I puff on my cigarette as I listen to the barrage of words to the poor doctor.
“You can’t keep me here! I was tortured! And now you doctor have drugged me. You’ll get in trouble for this you hear! But you don’t have to listen to that Fujita. That man is -insane- and is a dirty cop. You don’t want to be associated with him doctor. You’re young. With a lot of future ahead of you.”
I go ahead and open the door with a chuckle. “You’re the one without a future Miyagawa.”
I glance at Tenma somewhat amused.
“Why do you think I took you to this doctor? He’s well schooled in the methods of “policing”.
“I imagine you don’t want him put down at the moment?” Tenma turns to me cooly. “He’s a loud one.” Then he looks down at our captive, “But they all are.”
“You’ll have to excuse me good doctor. I need a few minutes.”
Miyagawa’s eyes widens in a panic, “Wait wait! Tenma your name is Tenma right? Don’t leave me with him. He’ll -kill- me this time. Wait!!!”
The good doctor just nods and closes the door with the lock clicking. I can’t help but grin at Miyagawa as I ash my smokes. “I thought briefing an idiot would be necessary…” I say under my breath, “Do you know why I kept you alive?” I ask and glare at him remembering the pig that I wanted to slaughter.
“What? What do you want? I’ve told you -everything- about Mama-sama and that she’s fixated on that -hag- Yagi Hide.” He eyes me wearily but I’m not about to get baited by him today.
“I got what I want on that subject. Thank you.” I smirk slightly, “An acquaintance of mine captured a mole last night who re-assigned some guards I had procured for witness protection. His name was Obara Goro.”
“Oh that -imbecile-.” He snorts, “I bought him. Just like I was buying -you-. You couldn’t get me that woman, so I had to take matters into my own hands and took a scatter gun approach. Feh, I swear if I ever get my hands on Yasutake! After everything I’ve done for her!”
And I stare at him. That’s precisely the reaction I wanted out of him. But I still much prefer to kill that old woman myself. But a scatter gun approach? That means it really just was a stroke of luck that he happened upon Hide’s protection assignment. “And how about a foreign trade group? The mole said he pulled assignments from those as well.”
“How should I know! Obara was supposed to report to me last evening while you were -torturing- me.” He tries to move under his restraint but ends up groaning, “I swear! Once I get out of here, I’ll tell Kawaji and -everyone- in the Interior all the abuses I’ve endured!”
I can’t help but let out a breath, I’m growing impatient. “There’ll be no jury to hear you Miyagawa. Only a judge unless you cooperate.”
“And that judge would be you? Or that oaf Kawaji? Don’t forget even the TMPD takes direction from the Interior!”
With a scoff I make clear to him his position. “No doubt, you were the one who re-assigned the entire Ito prefectural police.” I take a hit on my cig, “Did you have any help? One of your Interior colleagues perhaps?”
“What are you talking about? Why would I involve anyone else when I’m perfectly within my authority to send whoever I want to that backward place.”
But something here isn’t adding up. On the contrary, the Interior wouldn’t let one man move so freely with such abandon. Was Miyagawa perhaps secretly ousted? But those police men seems to have a pattern. A history even.
“Cat got your tongue Fujita! Do you understand now -who- you messed with? Release me right now and I’ll take mercy on you!”
Suddenly I burst out laughing. I didn’t realize it but I haven’t laughed in so long that even the bones in my cheeks twinged in pain. “Only an idiot like you would say something like that. But I’ll help you out fool… Once I’m done busting Yasutake’s illegal operations in Ito and the local prefectural police regain their station, you’ll be left hanging out to dry. Not a single one of your friends in the Interior will dare touch you.”
“No. No. That’s -not- true!” He starts shaking, “Kawaji, Kawaji has a sense of justice! He’ll see how I was treated and know I’ve been a -victim-.”
“Ah so now Kawaji is a harbinger of justice?” Thankfully this time I only ended up chuckling. “Trust me, his fangs are far sharper than mine.” In his own way of course. “Besides, thanks to your being so interested in my access to Kawaji, I already let him know you were after him. I’m his -dog- after all.”
“Damn you!”
“Ah well… Stick and stones…” I shrug and go leave him. Shutting the door behind me, I see Tenma leaning by one of walls.
“You heard all that?”
“Of course.”
“Well hopefully, just like the other times, you won’t be needed.”
“I’ll have to put him back to sleep.”
“Oh please do so. I’ll be gone for a few days and…” I shake my head and puff a bit. “We don’t want him disturbing the peace. -Your- peace.”
He looks at me and tilts his glasses, “Fujita-san how have you been feeling?”
“Me? I’m fine.”
“You’ve been taking the drug as I’ve prescribed?”
“Ah most of the time.” I think. It’s been a bit of a blur. The last time was with Aioi wasn’t it? I can’t remember.
“Have you been eating? Have trouble staying awake?”
I shake my head. I’ve not been hungry and as for staying awake, that’s a -different- problem.
“I imagine you’ll not have much rest in the next few days. The drug will help extend your stamina and keep you alert. That’s the purpose of this drug experiment.”
With a nod, “Then I’ll remember to take it.”
“We don’t know any of the side effects but it’s dangerous to skip doses. So don’t Fujita-san.”
I raise my hand. As usual this doctor is a worry wort. “Of course I won’t.” But see, I already did. I walk briskly away, I have to go to my office and then catch the next train out to Ito.
(OOC Saitou goes to his office. Will post here again later.)
It’s getting late I tell myself as I get back to the office. I would’ve liked to have taken the earliest train but I suppose my body wouldn’t let me…
But I put that thought away. I need to focus on what’s before me and so I go straight to my desk to see if I’ve received any response from Muriyama or Miyake himself. Quickly going through the pile of papers, most of which were busy work, I find what I’m looking for. A message from Miyake himself.
Yamaguchi-san,
We’ve been able to conduct the surveillance you requested through our mutual friend. There have been some fishing vessels that my men and I have spotted around the inlets of Ito. The sight of unmarked fishing vessels are not uncommon in the area especially for those illegally fishing in our waters but what’s curious is that the majority of these vessels have not moved from their positions, much less dock at the port. These vessels are most active at night when smaller boats arrive and bring unmarked boxes from the fishing boat to the shore. Unfortunately since it’s only been a couple of days, it’s hard to discern most of their activity and schedule. We will continue to observe from a distance as you asked. Currently they anchor in the straits of Teishi Island.
Unsigned
I sit down on my chair and light a smoke. Then pull out a map, tracing the water route from Osaka to Shizuoka. So there -is- activity on the waters and since Ito is a small town, having an actual warehouse would easily rouse suspicion or at the very least interest as to what’s inside. Yasutake must be using the fishing boats as storehouses so they can quietly receive shipments from Osaka by boat and move their illegal wares discretely by land… But to where?
Yokohama… is what that mole said last night Three warehouses close to a train line with special cars some from Ito. They must be using it to smuggle drugs into the capital. And as for human trafficking? Shinomori said there were women being held in those warehouses. Obviously to be sold to foreign customers in Tokyo. After all the brothels would never touch women who were kidnapped and force them to work. That would be crossing the line with the police and right now that line is -hardly- holding. The brothels would rather get willing women and drown them in debt, one that they could never pay until it’s time to marry them off or throw them out for a younger face.
I draw a long breath from my smokes. Kato’s “empire” only spanned Osaka and Kyoto. It seems the Witch is much more cunning than her son if she has managed to keep her own empire running as far back as Tanaka’s time. Over five years that I worked that case and I didn’t even smell a hint of -her-. I’d chastise myself but now is -not- the time for that. Tanaka’s death has created a vacuum or perhaps created an opportunity for this woman and she has grabbed it with both hands… But I can’t be in two places at the same time and I don’t know where Shinomori is, probably already on his way to those warehouses or investigating the other two trade groups before he goes to deal with that “potter” in Ito… Regardless, I do know one thing however. He’ll appear wherever she sticks her nose into and I’d rather her be in Yokohama and secure that area first.
At once I write to the weasel. She should still be in Tokyo and likely at the Kamiya dojo since her “Prince Charming” refuses to see her, so as not to get her involved. But I see right through him.
“Not get her involved? It’s more, you don’t have the courage to face her Shinomori. I grimace a little as I suck on the cig. In some ways we are alike when it comes to -that-. I let out a long stream of smoke above my head, leaning my back and looking up the ceiling and I don’t know what it was, but I reach down opening the secret drawer.
Taking out a couple of things, I unwrap the ring from Yaso’s tenagui and stare at it. I’m not a superstitious man but back then, it was said wearing or even trying on a wedding ring before the ceremony was considered bad luck. I still remember that night when she gave it for me to wear. I thought to myself, I wish it was I who gave it to her. I wore the band anyway until well I guess the superstition came true. I wrap it back in the tenugui and instead pull out that -old- thing. I never thought of it as good luck, only that I liked having it on me.
Taking the letter from Miyake and locking everything up, I go downstairs to see when Kawaji will be back and what, if -any- reinforcements I can muster in the next few days. I can only hope the weasel takes care of business in Yokohama. Japan doesn’t need to export drugs nor its women. But I can’t leave it all to those who the police consider as mercenaries. I’ll have to send -him- as insurance.
(OOC: Saitou goes to find Shindou. Shindou will deliver the message to the Kamiya dojo. Assume Shindou will follow Misao wherever she goes. He believes it’s an order from Fujita and it’s just his personality to follow his nose when something is up. If nothing is actually happening in Yokohama or you don’t want to write that portion, we can all assume she and Shindou went and found something and found your favorite character Aoshi-sama. The trio resolves whatever’s in Yokohama which will take the trio a day or two into the future, concurrently to the events that will happen in Ito in the next day or two or three)
(OOC #2 Saitou will be in Ito on his next post)