Eric van Lustbader - Nicholas Linnear 03 by White Ninja

Author:White Ninja
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

BOOK III

Before Dawn/Akegata

The man who fears nothing is as powerful as he who is feared by everyone.

Friedrich von Schiller

SUMMER, PRESENT

Tokyo/Washington/West Bay Bridge/New York

When Nicholas returned home he found that it had been turned into a battlefield. The house and grounds were surrounded by concentric circles of officers from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Force. They did not recognize him, and so detained him at the outermost ring until someone in a position of authority could be contacted to tell them what to do.

His first thought was for Justine, and his heart froze in his chest. ‘Can anyone tell me what’s going on?’ he asked, but they couldn’t, or wouldn’t. They just stared at him, with stony, colourless eyes.

The longer they held him here at the perimeter, away from his house, away from knowing what had happened there, whether Justine was safe or … the more agitated he became.

Then he saw Tomi emerging out of the throngs of police officers, and he called out to her. She was heading his way, saw him and hurried up.

‘Linnear-san?’

‘Hai. You look surprised to see me, Detective.’

‘Not surprised; curious. You look different.’

He rubbed the back of his hand over his furry cheek. ‘It’s the beard or the windburn.’ ‘And something besides,’ Tomi said, peering into his eyes. ‘This is a happy moment. Your coming now must surely be a sign from heaven. Your expertise is sorely needed.’ She nodded to the men barring Nicholas’s way,

and they stepped dutifully aside.

‘What’s going on here?’

‘I will take you to Nangi-san,’ Tomi said. ‘He’s inside the house.’ ‘My wife,’ Nicholas said breathlessly. ‘Is she all right? What’s happened?’ Tomi glanced at him. ‘Every bad thing. But do not fear, your wife is unharmed.’ ‘Then she’s inside with Nangi-san?’

But Tomi was busy threading their way through the phalanxes of policemen. They went up the steps of the engawa, through the door guarded by two officers wearing riot helmets and bullet-proof vests and holding machine pistols.

‘What is this?’ Nicholas asked, indicating the guards.

‘It’s war, Linnear-san,’ Tomi said, taking off her shoes. ‘All-out war.’ Nicholas threw aside his muddy, scored mountain boots, shrugged out of his backpack, threw aside his parka which he had taken off as soon as he had come down from the high altitudes.

‘Justine?’

A rice paper door slid aside and Nangi stepped through.

‘Nicholas! Thank God! My prayers have been answered!’ ‘Nangi-san.’ Nicholas bowed. The two men embraced one another with their eyes. Tomi had never seen Nangi’s face take on such a glow. Watching this extraordinary meeting, she began to understand the singular link between these two men: the closeness between a father and a son. ‘Where is Justine? Where is my wife?’ ‘Gone,’ Nangi said. ‘She left eight hours ago for America.’ Nicholas, aware of the stricken look on his friend’s face, said with a sinking heart, ‘Why did she leave now?

What’s happened here? Tomi said we’re in an all-out war.’ ‘And so we are,’ Nangi said. He was leaning heavily on his dragon-headed cane, and Nicholas saw how lined and tired his face looked.

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