Hate boiled in Hooker’s throat, and with a mighty slash of the letter opener, he decapitated the lizard.
They had flown from Miami to San Francisco and taken the Great Circle flight over the Pole to Tokyo. Then they collapsed for two days. The pickings were slim. The Magician was going to check out Red Bridges’ shipyard and then snoop around, see what he could dig up. Eliza had a lunch date with Ira Yerkes, the Tokyo bureau chief for Howe News Service, hoping to pick up some background on AMRAN. 0’ Hara set out to find an old friend in Japanese army intelligence. As usual, they would use the hotel telephone as a drop in case of emergency.
She had interviewed Yerkes two years before, while he was back in Boston on vacation. He was tall arid slender, in his late thirties, and hyper; a darkly handsome man who could hardly sit still long enough to eat lunch. He hadn’t changed a bit. She remembered him as a man buzzing with energy and mildly flirtatious, but who acted as if he always had someplace else to go — right that minute, and not necessarily on business, just anyplace at all. It was his nature, and possibly because of it, he was one of the best reporters in the Howe chain.
He picked up some sandwiches in an American-style restaurant and led her to a small park at the edge of the Ginza, near his office building, spread out the food like a picnic and immediately lay back with his eyes closed, facing the sun.
‘I really need to get some rays. It’s been an inside wintuh,’ he said. His long New England vowels seemed strangely Out of place in Japan. ‘So what’re you doing in Tokyo, where are your cameras, all that stuff?’
‘That’s part of it. I’ll probably have to arrange for a camera crew and truck before I leave.’
‘No problem. The old man’s got the best in Japan. And twice as much as he needs. You speak the language?’
‘Uh-uh.’
‘That could be a problem. Maybe I’ll go with you as interpreter.’ He looked up suddenly. ‘Are you on to something hot?’
‘Nah.’
‘You got a reputation for poppin’ outa the box with some crazy shit, lady.’
‘Tourist stuff. Maybe a little something on Japanese industry.’
‘A little something on Japanese industry she says,’ Yerkes said around a laugh. ‘You can’t do a little something on Japanese industry. That’s like doing a little something on Uncle Sam. Where do you start?’
‘How about oil?’
‘There isn’t any in Japan. Not enough to do thirty seconds on. Refining, maybe. Lotsa refining.’
‘What do you know about AMRAN?’
‘Don’t tell me you’re interested in Hardluck Hooker.’
‘Why do you call him that?’
‘You don’t know about Hooker?’
‘I know he was a big-shot general in the war. What do you want from me — I wasn’t born until 1949.’
‘So — it’s history. He’s got a great war record but he steps in shit every time he turns around. He got chased outa the Philippines by the Japs, his son was killed in the war, he got axed out as a presidential candidate, and half a dozen of his partners in AMRAN have dropped dead on him. He’s been trying to put this consortium together for years.’
‘I didn’t know about his son.’
‘It’s been soft-pedalled. Excuse me, you’re in my sun...’
‘Sorry.’
‘That’s better. Anyway, the Hook was military governor of one of the southern provinces here during the Occupation. He was very sympathetic to the needs of the country, helped put it back on its feet. Even arranged some loans for some of the local big boys. He doesn’t talk about the kid anymore. Bad politics.’
‘Why does AMRAN have its main offices over here?’
‘Why not? Oil is an international business. Also I think the old man likes it here. The Japanese either love him or hate him.’
‘Hate him?’
‘The younger ones think he was a dictator. Maybe he was, but what the hell, he was the conqueror. He could have been a real asshole.’
‘What do you think of him?’
‘He’s a war hero, right up there with Patton and MacArthur. History’ll probably give him about eight out of ten.’
‘Can I talk to him?’
‘If you luck out. I did a piece on him about a year ago. I said he was the most tragic figure in World War H. Some dipshit on the international desk changed it to “one of the most tragic figures.” Anyway, if you’re interested in
