Diamond Solitaire

saw you has been checking to see if anyone has a recollection of the small girl and the American passing through yesterday. It seems they were noticed, and they were not alone. Two other Americans traveled with them, male, in their twenties, six foot plus, names Lanzi and Frizzoni.'

'I get the picture,' said Diamond gravely. 'He's got minders.' 'They were under surveillance by Customs and their luggage was inspected, but they were clean.'

'They can get guns here. They'll have contacts. I thought at one stage he was acting independently, but I was naive. The stakes are too big. This is bad.'

'Yamagata-Zeki agrees with you. He is going with you to Yokohama.'

This was hard to credit. 'He's planning to come with me?'

'He says you can't handle this alone.'

Diamond gave a low whistle as he tried to imagine it. 'I'm grateful, but doesn't he think he's rather conspicuous? I mean well known,' he corrected himself.

'I don't think it would be wise to question his decision,' said Nodo.

'Are you coming too?'

'Oh, no.'

'Why not? We need a translator.'

'It isn't necessary. You are in Japan.'

Events moved on with the positiveness of a basho. In a matter of minutes, Yamagata, dressed only in a bright-patterned kimono and flip-flop sandals, was squeezing into the back of a taxi. There was no question of Diamond's sharing the seat, so he traveled with the driver. At intervals along the route to the station, whenever the taxi was forced to slow for lights, people reacted with double takes to the sight of the passenger in the back. Whatever the benefits of having a famous sumo in support, secrecy could be forgotten.

The problem was worse at the station. A crowd gathered almost immediately and stayed with them all the way from the ticket booths to the train. Yamagata accepted the attention as his lot in life. He wore a frown that seemed calculated to keep people from actually asking for autographs or striking up a conversation. They chatted excitedly among themselves, but they didn't trouble him, apart from staring and generally obstructing the view. When he moved, no one was unwise enough to stand in the way for long.

The up side of travel with a sumo hero was that seats were instantly offered on a crowded train, a double for each of them. Once settled, Yamagata closed his eyes as if to shut out the attention. Someone spoke something in Japanese to Diamond, so he followed Yamagata's example. There was no risk of falling asleep because the announcements over the public address system came every few moments with a staccato ferocity that would have woken the dead.

In thirty minutes they reached Yokohama station and changed trains. Yamagata led the way, still oblivious of all the attention he was getting. It was fast becoming apparent to Diamond that he would never have fathomed the intricacies of the railway system without help.

Two stations along, they got out again and went for a taxi. Other people were waiting for cabs, but the front of the queue melted away when Yamagata arrived with his entourage of the starstruck and the starers.

They climbed into the first one on the rank and Yamagata gave the driver his instruction.

Next stop, the University, unless I've been totally misled, thought Diamond.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Yokohama University was little different from Tokyo Central Station in the way people reacted to having a sumo celebrity among them. The administrative staff flocked into the reception hall to stare at the illustrious guest, who conducted himself in the same imperious manner, staring into the mid-distance as if to show disdain for an opponent. At the desk, however, he became animated and explained the purpose of the visit in fast, forceful Japanese. Confused and overcome, the young woman on duty didn't appear to take in what he was saying, so he repeated it. There was an embarrassing hiatus until one of the staff, a demure, blushing girl with wide, intelligent eyes and a tiny mouth exquisitely defined in brilliant lipstick, took Diamond aside and asked if he was American.

'English. Is there a problem?'

'We are not accustomed to visits from sumotori.'

'I can understand.'

'Of course we are honored. We wish we could have made preparations, arranged a proper tour.'

'We don't want a tour, thanks. We just want to speak to someone in the biochemistry department-a research scientist It's very urgent.'

'He said something about a missing child.'

'That's right. We want to speak to the mother, Dr. Yuko Masuda. Could you find out whether she's on the campus today?'

'I'll ask them.'

She came back without an answer, but with an instruction: 'Please, they say you should proceed to the science building and to the department of biochemistry.'

'What's your name?'

She looked slightly dismayed to have been asked. 'Miss Yamamoto.'

Diamond tried repeating it exactly as she had spoken. He wasn't being familiar just because she was pretty. 'Can you come with us and translate for me?' She lowered her head decorously. 'That would be an honor, sir.'

'Excellent And one more thing.'

'Yes?'

'It would not be wise to let Dr. Masuda know who her visitors are. We don't want to alarm her.'

'I shall tell them.'

They were escorted through a labyrinth of cloisters to the science blocks, modern precast structures several stories high. The news had traveled. Faces were at most of the windows and there was a garnering of interested students at the entrance, some taking photographs and some ready with pens and paper, but no one went so far as to ask for an autograph. Yamagata's look wasn't inviting.

Biochemistry was on the second floor. Diamond had doubts about sharing the elevator with so much poundage, but their guide didn't hesitate and the machinery survived the test.

As the doors parted, a silver-haired man in a white lab coat stepped forward and greeted them in the traditional Japanese manner.

'This is Dr. Hitomi, principal lecturer in postgraduate studies,' the indispensable Miss Yamamoto explained.

They were taken to the departmental office and offered seats. Yamagata looked dubiously at the plastic chair mat was expected to support him and shook his head, so Diamond tactfully remained standing also. Anyway, he expected to meet Dr. Masuda shortly, which would mean hoisting himself upright again.

A crushing disappointment followed. It emerged that Naomi's mother was not based at this campus after all. She had last worked here some seven years ago, researching into a drug for the treatment of comas.

'Jantac?' said Diamond when this had been translated.

Dr. Hitomi nodded.

'But we heard that she is still carrying out research here, with a grant from Manflex Pharmaceuticals,' Diamond said.

This created some uncertainty.

'He repeats that Dr. Masuda is not working here,' Miss Yamamoto told him. 'Her research here terminated in 1985.'

'Terminated? Definitely terminated?'

'Definitely.'

Dr. Hitomi spoke some more.

'He says he knew Dr. Masuda personally. She was a good scientist. Her work came to an end when Manflex took a decision to stop further experimentation with Jantac.'