The lunchtime Shinjuku crowd eyed the eight-car motorcade of black Lexus sedans as they turned off the busy main street of the bustling business distrid disappeared into a hole in the side of a futuristic-looking building. The black tinted shatter-proof glass windows and bullet-proof side panels suggested only ohing. Yakuza. The Japanese were used to seeing motorcades like this one all over town, but the presidential authority with which they cruised the streets never failed to inspire awe. Miakahashi was sitting in the back of the fifth car with his adviser Hirayama. In the front sat a heavily tattooed bodyguard in a black suit and the driver. Both Takahashi and Hirayama were on their cell phohe minister was talking politics with some gover bureaucrat while his saiko-komon was taking care of an altogether different kind of business.
「Are you sure?」 the adviser Hirayama was asking someo the other end of the line.
「Well, she』s Ameri. Her passport says her name is Diane Jane Joplin. About the age you mentioned and there is definitely a sole of some description in her luggage. We don』t see may Ameris of her age traveling alone and definitely very few with soles of that description in their luggage.」
Hirayama could barely believe his luck. Once again the sario analysis struct had been right on the money. Ohe Boston Yakuza had reported that they hadn』t found the sole at Joplin』s house, Hirayama had moved into high gear. The software had narrowed the places she would go to New York, New a or Tokyo. He had rushed to issue notices to the Yakuza』s informants in the airlines and Japanese s to call his cell phone as soon as someoting her description otted, within the forty-eight hours.
「Did you find out where she』s staying?」
「Of course, your instrus were clear. She said she was staying at the Keio Plaza Hotel.」
「Description?」
「I have her data in front of me. Oer seventy. Slim with brown eyes and mousy blonde, almost-brown, hair. Keeps it in a pony tail. Quite pretty in that Ameri way. She didn』t look excited like most tourists do when they visit a civilized try for the first time. I』d say she looked sad and a bit lost.」
「Good work. You will be rewarded through the usual el.」 Hirayama pressed a button oiny phone and slipped it into his suit pocket. The minister was still on the phohe deep boom of his voice filling the car as it slid into one of the reserved parking slots o the other Lexus sedans. The heavies, all dressed in black, were already lined up o the car park exit waiting to usher their master through.
The fact that the Boston Yakuza hadn』t found the sole after ransag Joplin』s sprawling house had been a setback but the gods had set things right with this the latest piece of news. Miakahashi would be pleased although Hirayama knew his boss well enough to believe that he wouldn』t show it. Things were slowly being brought under trol. He had successfully ma Yamamoto』s ill-gotten funds uhe minister』s trol and the minister had wired a small fortuo one of Hirayama』s own ats. Loyalty had its value and Hirayama』s unfling loyalty was beginning to pay dividends. Yet, the true prize would be Yamamoto』s position within the Yamaguchi-gumi hierarchy. That job was now vat and he hoped that the oyabun would see fit to elevate him to that position.
The position of saiko-komon or personal adviser, though powerful, was an untenable one. Yes, he had access to information that other Yakuza would gi