mc.risingsun-第59部分

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nnex　next　door；　and　construction　was　in　full　swing。　A　line　of　big　cement　trucks　was　pulled　up　along　the　curb。　I　pushed　my　way　through　the　cluster　of　Japanese　men　in　blue　suits；　and　broke　through　to　look　down　into　the　pit。
　Ishiguro　had　landed　in　a　wet　concrete　pouring。　His　body　lay　sideways；　just　the　head　and　one　arm　sticking　above　the　soft　concrete　surface。　Blood　ran　in　spreading　fingers　across　the　gray　surface。　Workmen　in　blue　hardhats　were　trying　to　fish　him　out；　using　bamboo　poles　and　ropes。　They　weren't　having　much　success。　Finally　a　workman　in　thigh…high　rubber　boots　waded　in　to　pull　the　body　out。　But　it　proved　more　difficult　than　he　expected。　He　had　to　call　for　help。
　Our　people　were　already　there；　Fred　Perry　and　Bob　Wolfe。　Wolfe　saw　me　and　walked　up　the　hill。　He　had　his　notebook　out。　He　shouted　over　the　din　of　the　jackhammers。　〃You　know　anything　about　this；　Pete？〃
　〃Yeah；〃　I　said。
　〃Got　a　name？〃
　〃Masao　Ishiguro。〃
　Wolfe　squinted。　〃Spell　that？〃
　I　started　to　try　to　spell　it；　talking　over　the　sound　of　the　construction。　Finally　I　just　reached　in　my　pocket　and　fished　out　his　card。　I　gave　it　to　Wolfe。
　〃This　is　him？〃
　〃Yeah。〃
　〃Where'd　you　get　it？〃
　〃Long　story；〃　I　said。　〃But　he's　wanted　for　murder。〃
　Wolfe　nodded。　〃Let　me　get　the　body　out　and　we'll　talk。〃
　〃Fine。〃
　Eventually；　they　used　the　construction　crane　to　pull　him　out。　Ishiguro's　body；　sagging　and　heavy　with　concrete；　was　lifted　into　the　air；　and　swung　past　me；　over　my　head。
　Bits　of　cement　dripped　down　on　me；　and　spattered　on　the　sign　at　my　feet。　The　sign　was　for　the　Nakamoto　Construction　pany；　and　it　said　in　bold　letters：　BUILDING　FOR　A　NEW　TOMORROW。　And　underneath；　PLEASE　EXCUSE　THE　INCONVENIENCE。
　
　？
　It　took　another　hour　to　get　everything　settled　at　the　site。　And　the　chief　wanted　our　reports　by　the　end　of　the　day；　so　afterward　we　had　to　go　down　to　Parker　to　do　the　paperwork。
　It　was　four　o'clock　before　we　went　across　the　street　to　the　coffee　shop　next　to　Antonio's　bail　bond　shop。　Just　to　get　away　from　the　office。　I　said；　〃Why　did　Ishiguro　kill　the　girl　in　the　first　place？〃
　Connor　sighed。　〃It's　not　clear。　The　best　I　can　understand　it　is　this。　Eddie　was　working　for　his　father's　kaisha　all　along。　One　of　the　things　he　did　was　supply　girls　for　visiting　dignitaries。　He'd　been　doing　that　for　years。　It　was　easy　…　he　was　a　party　guy；　he　knew　the　girls；　the　congressmen　wanted　to　meet　the　girls；　and　he　got　a　chance　to　make　friends　with　the　congressmen。　But　in　Cheryl　he　had　a　special　opportunity；　because　Senator　Morton；　head　of　the　Finance　mittee；　was　attracted　to　her。　Morton　was　smart　enough　to　break　off　the　affair；　but　Eddie　kept　sending　her　in　private　jets　to　meet　him　unexpectedly；　keeping　the　thing　alive。　Eddie　liked　her；　too：　he　had　sex　with　her　that　afternoon。　And　it　was　Eddie　who　arranged　for　her　to　e　to　the　party　at　Nakamoto；　knowing　that　Morton　would　be　there。　Eddie　was　pushing　Morton　to　block　the　sale；　so　Eddie　was　preoccupied　with　the　Saturday　meeting。　By　the　way；　on　the　news…station　tape　you　thought　he　said　'no　cheapie'　to　Cheryl。　He　was　saying　nichibei。　The　Japanese…American　relationship。
　〃But　I　think　Eddie　just　intended　for　Cheryl　to　meet　Morton。　I　doubt　he　had　any　idea　about　the　forty…sixth　floor。　He　certainly　didn't　expect　her　to　go　up　there　with　Morton。　The　idea　of　going　there　must　have　been　suggested　during　the　party　by　someone　from　Nakamoto。　The　pany　left　the　floor　accessible　for　a　very　simple　reason：　there's　a　bedroom　suite　up　there　that　executives　sometimes　use。　Somewhere　in　the　back。〃
　I　said；　〃How　did　you　know　that？〃
　Connor　smiled。　〃Hanada…san　mentioned　he　had　once　used　it。　Apparently　it's　quite　luxurious。〃
　〃So　you　do　have　contacts。〃
　〃I　have　a　few。　I　imagine　Nakamoto　was　probably　just　being　acmodating；　too。　They　may　have　installed　cameras　up　there　with　the　idea　of　blackmail；　but　I'm　told　there　were　no　cameras　in　the　bedroom　suite。　And　the　fact　that　they　had　a　camera　right　in　the　conference　room　suggests　to　me　that　Phillips　was　right　…　the　cameras　were　placed　to　kaizen　the　office　workers。　Certainly　they　couldn't　have　expected　the　sexual　encounter　to　occur　where　it　did。
　〃Anyway；　when　Eddie　saw　Cheryl　going　off　with　Morton　to　another　part　of　the　Nakamoto　building；　it　must　have　alarmed　the　hell　out　of　him。　So　he　followed　them。　He　witnessed　the　murder；　which　I　believe　was　probably　accidental。　And　Eddie　then　helped　out　his　friend　Morton；　calling　him　over；　getting　him　out　of　there。　Eddie　went　back　to　the　party　with　Morton。〃
　〃What　about　the　tapes？〃
　〃Ah。　You　remember　we　talked　about　bribery。　One　of　Eddie's　bribes　was　to　a　low…level　security　officer　named　Tanaka。　I　believe　Eddie　supplied　him　with　drugs。　Anyway；　Eddie　had　known　him　for　a　couple　of　years。　And　when　Ishiguro　ordered　Tanaka　to　pull　the　tapes；　Tanaka　told　Eddie。〃
　〃And　Eddie　went　down　and　got　the　tapes　himself。〃
　〃Yes。　Together　with　Tanaka。〃
　〃But　Phillips　said　Eddie　was　alone。〃
　〃Phillips　lied；　because　he　knew　Tanaka。　That's　also　why　he　didn't　make　more　of　a　fuss　…　Tanaka　said　it　was　all　right。　But　when　Phillips　told　us　the　story；　he　left　Tanaka　out。〃
　〃And　then？〃
　〃Ishiguro　sent　a　couple　of　guys　to　clean　out　Cheryl's　apartment。　Tanaka　took　the　tapes　someplace　to　get　them　copied。　Eddie　went　to　the　party　in　the　hills。〃
　〃But　Eddie　kept　one。〃
　〃Yes。〃
　I　thought　it　over。　〃But　when　we　talked　to　Eddie　at　the　party；　he　told　a　pletely　different　story。〃
　Connor　nodded。　〃He　lied。〃
　〃Even　to　you；　his　friend？〃
　Connor　shrugged。　〃He　thought　he　could　get　away　with　it。〃
　〃What　about　Ishiguro？　Why　did　he　kill　the　girl？〃
　〃To　get　Morton　in　his　pocket。　And　it　worked　…　they　got　Morton　to　change　his　position　on　MicroCon。　For　a　while　there；　Morton　was　going　to　allow　the　sale　to　go　forward。〃
　〃Ishiguro　would　kill　her　for　that？　For　some　corporate　sale？〃
　〃No；　I　don't　think　it　was　calculated　at　all。　Ishiguro　was　high…strung；　under　great　pressure。　He　felt　he　had　to　prove　himself　to　his　superiors。　He　had　much　at　stake　…　so　much；　that　he　behaved　differently　from　an　ordinary　Japanese　under　these　circumstances。　And　in　a　moment　of　extreme　pressure；　he　killed　the　girl；　yes。　As　he　said；　she　was　a　woman　of　no　importance。〃
　〃Jesus。〃
　〃But　I　think　there's　more　to　it　than　that。　Morton　was　very　ambivalent　about　the　Japanese。　I　had　the　sense　there　was　a　lot　of　resentment　…　those　jokes　about　dropping　the　bomb；　all　that。　And　having　sex　on　the　boardroom　table。　It's　。　。　。　disrespectful；　wouldn't　you　say？　It　must　have　infuriated　Ishiguro。〃
　〃And　who　called　in　the　murder？〃
　〃Eddie。〃
　〃Why？〃
　〃To　embarrass　Nakamoto。　Eddie　got　Morton　safely　back　to　the　party；　and　then　called　in。　Probably　from　a　phone　somewhere　at　the　party。　When　he　called；　he　didn't　know　about　the　security　cameras　yet。　Then　Tanaka　told　him　about　them；　and　Eddie　started　to　worry　that　Ishiguro　might　set　him　up。　So　he　called　back。〃
　〃And　he　asked　for　his　friend　John　Connor。〃
　〃Yes。〃
　I　said；　〃So　Eddie　was　Koichi　Nishi？〃
　Connor　nodded。　〃His　little　joke。　Koichi　Nishi　is　the　name　of　a　character　in　a　famous　Japanese　movie　about　corporate　corruption。〃
　Connor　finished　his　coffee　and　pushed　away　from　the　counter。
　〃And　Ishiguro？　Why　did　the　Japanese　abandon　him？〃
　〃Ishiguro　had　played　it　too　fast　and　loose。　He　acted　too　independently　Thursday　night。　They　don't　like　that。　Nakamoto　would　have　sent　him　back　pretty　soon。　He　was　destined　to　spend　the　rest　of　his　life　in　Japan　in　a　madogiwazoku。　A　window　seat。　Somebody　who's　bypassed　by　corporate　decisions；　and　stares　out　the　window　all　day。　In　a　way；　it's　a　life　sentence。〃
　I　thought　it　over。　〃So　when　you　used　the　car　phone；　calling　the　station；　telling　them　what　you　planned　。　。　。　who　was　listening？〃
　〃Hard　to　say。〃　Connor　shrugged。　〃But　I　liked　Eddie。　I　owed　him　one。　I　didn't　want　to　see　Ishiguro　go　home。〃
　
　Back　in　the　office　there　was　an　elderly　woman　waiting　for　me。　She　was　dressed　in　black　and　she　introduced　herself　as　Cheryl　Austin's　grandmother。　Cheryl's　parents　died　in　a　car　crash　when　she　was　four；　and　she　had　raised　the　little　girl　afterward。　She　wanted　to　thank　me　for　my　help　in　the　investigation。　She　talked　about　what　Cheryl　had　been　like；　as　a　little　girl。　How　she　had　grown　up　in　Texas。
　〃Of　course；　she　was　pretty；〃　she　said；　〃and　the　boys　surely　did　like　her。　Always　a　bunch　of　them　hanging　around；　you　couldn't　shake　them　off　with　a　stick。〃　She　paused。　〃Of　course；　I　never　thought　she　was　entirely　right　in　the　head。　But　she　wanted　to　keep　those　boys　around。　And　she　liked　them　to　fight　over　her；　too。　I　remember　she　was　seven　or　eight；　she'd　get　those　kids　brawling　in　the　dust；　and　she'd　clap　her　hands　and　watch　them　go　at　it。　By　the　time　she　was　teenage；　she　was　real　good　at　it。　Knew　just　what　to　do。　It　wasn't　real　nice　to　see。　No；　something　was　wrong　in　the　head。　She　could　be　mean。　And　that　song；　she　always　played　it；　day　and　night。　About　lose　my　mind；　I'd　think。〃
　〃Jerry　Lee　Lewis？〃
　〃Of　course；　I　knew　why。　That　was　her　Daddy's　favorite　song。　When　she　was　just　a　little　bit　of　a　thing；　he'd　drive　her　to　town　in　his　convertible；　with　his　arm　around　her；　and　the　radio　making　that　awful　racket。　She'd　have　her　best　sun…dress　on。　She　was　such　a　pretty　thing　when　she　was　a　child。　The　image　of　her　mother。〃
　Then　the　woman　started　to　cry；　thinking　about　that。　I　got　her　a　Kleenex。　Tried　to　be　sympathetic。
　And　pretty　soon　she　wanted　to　know　what　had　happened。　How　Cheryl　had　died。
　I　didn't　know　what　to　say　to　her。
　
　As　I　was　ing　out　of　the　ground…floor　entrance　to　Parker　Center；　walking　out　by　the　fountains；　a　Japanese　man　in　a　suit　stopped　me。　He　was　about　forty；　with　dark　hair　and　a　mustache。　He　greeted　me　formally；　and　gave　me　his　card。　It　took　a　moment　to　realize　that　this　was　Mr。　Shirai；　the　head　of　finance　for　Nakamoto。
　〃I　wanted　to　see　you　in　person；　Sumisu…san；　to　express　to　you　how　much　my　pany　regrets　the　behavior　of　Mr。　Ishiguro。　His　actions　were　not　proper　and　be　acted　without　authority。　Nakamoto　is　an　honorable　pany　and　we　do　not　violate　the　law。　I　want　to　assure　you　that　he　does　not　represent　our　pany；　or　what　we　stand　for　in　doing　business。　In　this　country；　the　work　of　Mr。　Ishiguro　put　him　in　contact　with　many　investment　bankers；　and　men　who　make　leveraged　buy…outs。　Frankly；　I　believe　h