Girl in a Box by Sujata Massey

Author:Sujata Massey [Massey, Sujata]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: Suspense
ISBN: 9780061870729
Publisher: Harper
Published: 2006-08-29T04:00:00+00:00

23

While putting on my black uniform jacket the next morning, I found the note with Mr. Fujiwara’s message, which I’d wanted to forget. Now, as I looked over the message, I realized that the phone number was not from inside the Mitsutan store; it was an outside number, with an area code, 090, typically used for cell phones. Mr. Fujiwara could have called from the building, using the cell; or he could have been somewhere else. I went inside one of the toilet stalls at the far end of the locker room and shifted the message from my jacket pocket to the inside lining of my purse. This number would be something to follow up on later.

I came out of the stall, washed my hands and regarded myself in the mirror. My overly made-up face looked back, its paleness exaggerated even more by the austere black uniform.

In the West, the color of death was black; in Japan, it had once been white, long ago, when Buddhist beliefs were more prevalent, but it had changed to black over time. There was an entire department on the fourth floor devoted to women’s mourning suits with prices starting at 49,000 yen. I didn’t own a mourning suit; to buy one, I thought, was to be a real pessimist. But thinking over my life patterns in Japan, I had to admit that I probably should have my own, instead of always borrowing from Aunt Norie.

I still needed to return her kimono. When could I do it? I made up my mind to do it right after work. During my lunch break, I made it out to the street and used my cell phone to call Aunt Norie to double-check about supper that night.

“We’re very excited to see you, but I apologize for not being so well prepared,” my aunt said. “I’m a bit busy, so I’ll stop in at one of the depaatos to pick up some of the meal.”

I cringed at the possibility that she could catch me in uniform, but then realized that she was probably talking about a department store in Yokohama. But if she was busy, she shouldn’t have to shop for food at all.

“Let me bring something from Tokyo, to save you the trouble,” I offered.

“No, you won’t know what to buy. If you do bring something, don’t get it from Mitsutan.”

“Why?” I asked cautiously. Had she gotten wind of where I worked?

“One of the store managers was killed. I heard on the television news this morning. That means the store workers will be very distracted. And with a police investigation going on, fresh food deliveries may be delayed. We could suffer food poisoning.”

“I would gladly pick something up at Mitsukoshi,” I suggested, wanting to change the subject.

But Aunt Norie wouldn’t be deterred. “It’s a terrible situation, really. The yakuza have their fingers in everything.”

“Oh? Have the police said that gangsters are responsible for the executive’s death?” I could never possibly catch all the news that my aunt did.

“Well, what they said is, it appeared to be the work of violent ones, and you know what that means.

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