mc.risingsun-第41章

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　I　watched　the　kids　skating　in　the　rink。　I　listened　to　their　laughter。　I　thought　of　my　daughter。　I　thought　of　the　four　o'clock　meeting。
　I　said；　〃Why　are　we　sitting　here？〃
　〃Because；〃　he　said。
　So　we　sat　there。　The　teacher　was　rounding　the　kids　up　now；　leading　them　off　the　ice。　〃Skates　off　here。　Skates　off　here；　please。　That　means　you　too；　Alexander！　Alexander！〃
　〃You　know；〃　Connor　said；　〃if　you　wanted　to　buy　a　Japanese　pany；　you　couldn't　do　it。　The　people　in　the　pany　would　consider　it　shameful　to　be　taken　over　by　foreigners。　It　would　be　a　disgrace。　They　would　never　allow　it。〃
　〃I　thought　you　could。　I　thought　the　Japanese　had　liberalized　their　rules。〃
　Connor　smiled。　〃Technically。　Yes。　Technically；　you　can　buy　a　Japanese　pany。　But　as　a　practical　matter；　you　can't。　Because　if　you　want　to　take　over　a　pany；　you　first　have　to　approach　its　bank。　And　get　the　agreement　of　the　bank。　That's　what　is　necessary；　in　order　to　proceed。　And　the　bank　doesn't　agree。〃
　〃I　thought　General　Motors　owns　Isuzu。〃
　〃GM　owns　a　third　of　Isuzu。　Not　a　controlling　interest。　And　yes；　there　are　isolated　instances。　But　overall；　foreign　investment　in　Japan　has　declined　by　half　in　the　last　ten　years。　One　pany　after　another　finds　the　Japanese　market　just　too　tough。　They　get　tired　of　the　bullshit；　the　hassles；　the　collusion；　the　rigged　markets；　the　dangō；　the　secret　agreements　to　keep　them　out。　They　get　tired　of　the　government　regulations。　The　run　around。　And　eventually　they　give　up。　They　just　。　。　。　give　up。　Most　other　countries　have　given　up：　Germans；　Italians；　French。　Everybody's　getting　tired　of　trying　to　do　business　in　Japan。　Because　no　matter　what　they　tell　you；　Japan　is　closed。　A　few　years　ago；　T。　Boone　Pickens　bought　one…fourth　of　the　stock　of　a　Japanese　pany；　but　he　couldn't　get　on　the　board　of　directors。　Japan　is　closed。〃
　〃So　what　are　we　supposed　to　do？〃
　〃The　same　thing　the　Europeans　are　doing；〃　Connor　said。　〃Reciprocity。　Tit　for　tat。　One　of　yours　for　one　of　mine。　Everybody　in　the　world　has　the　same　problem　with　Japan。　It's　just　a　question　of　what　solution　works　best。　The　European　solution　is　pretty　direct。　Works　well；　at　least　so　far。〃
　On　the　rink；　some　teenage　girls　began　to　do　warmups　and　a　few　tentative　leaps。　Now　the　schoolteacher　was　leading　her　charges　along　the　corridor　past　us。　As　she　went　by；　she　said；　〃Is　one　of　you　Lieutenant　Smith？〃
　〃Yes；　ma'am；〃　I　said。
　One　kid　said；　〃Do　you　have　a　gun？〃
　The　teacher　said；　〃That　woman　asked　me　to　tell　you　that　what　you're　looking　for　is　in　the　men's　locker　room。〃
　〃It　is？〃　I　said。
　The　kid　said；　〃Can　I　see　it？〃
　The　teacher　said；　〃You　know；　the　Oriental　woman？　I　think　she　was　Oriental。〃
　〃Yes；〃　Connor　said。　〃Thank　you。〃
　〃I　want　to　see　the　gun。〃
　Another　kid　said；　〃Quiet；　stupid。　Don't　you　know　anything？　They're　undercover。〃
　〃I　want　to　see　the　gun。〃
　Connor　and　I　started　walking　away。　The　kids　trailed　after　us；　still　asking　to　see　our　guns。　Across　the　rink；　the　man　with　the　newspaper　looked　up　curiously。　He　watched　us　leave。
　〃Nothing　like　an　inconspicuous　exit；〃　Connor　said。
　
　The　men's　locker　room　was　deserted。　I　started　going　through　the　green　metal　lockers；　one　after　another；　looking　for　the　tapes。　Connor　didn't　bother。　I　heard　him　call　to　me；　〃Back　here。〃
　He　was　in　the　rear　by　the　showers。　〃You　found　the　tapes？〃
　〃No。〃
　He　was　holding　open　a　door。
　
　We　went　down　a　flight　of　concrete　stairs　to　a　landing。　There　were　two　doors。　One　opened　onto　a　below…grade　truck　entrance。　The　other　went　into　a　dark　hallway　with　wooden　beams。　〃This　way；〃　Connor　said。
　We　went　down　this　hallway；　crouched　over。　We　were　underneath　the　rink　again。　We　passed　throbbing　stainless…steel　machinery；　and　then　came　to　a　series　of　doors。
　〃Do　you　know　where　we're　going？〃　I　said。
　One　of　the　doors　was　ajar。　He　pushed　it　open。　The　room　lights　were　out；　but　I　could　see　that　we　were　in　the　lab。　Off　in　a　corner；　I　saw　a　faint　monitor　glow。
　We　walked　toward　it。
　
　？
　Theresa　Asakuma　leaned　back　from　the　table；　pushed　her　glasses　up　on　her　forehead；　and　rubbed　her　beautiful　eyes。　〃It's　okay　as　long　as　we　don't　make　much　noise；〃　she　said。　〃They　had　a　guard　outside　the　main　door　earlier。　I　don't　know　if　he's　still　there。〃
　〃A　guard？〃
　〃Yeah。　They　were　serious　about　shutting　down　the　lab。　It　was　spectacular；　like　a　drug　bust。　It　really　surprised　the　Americans。〃
　〃And　you？〃
　〃I　don't　have　the　same　expectations　about　this　country。〃
　Connor　pointed　to　the　monitor　in　front　of　her。　It　showed　a　freeze…frame　image　of　the　couple；　embracing　as　they　moved　toward　the　conference　room。　The　same　image；　seen　from　other　camera　angles；　was　reproduced　on　other　monitors　on　the　desk。　Some　of　the　monitors　had　superimposed　red　lines；　radiating　out　from　the　night　lights。　〃What　have　you　learned　from　the　tapes？〃
　Theresa　pointed　to　the　main　screen。　〃I'm　not　certain；〃　she　said。　〃To　be　pletely　certain；　I　would　have　to　run　3…D　modeling　sequences　to　match　the　dimensions　of　the　room　and　keep　track　of　all　the　light　sources；　and　the　shadows　cast　by　all　the　sources。　I　haven't　done　that；　and　I　probably　can't　with　the　equipment　in　this　room。　It　would　probably　require　an　overnight　run　on　a　mini。　Maybe　I　could　get　time　next　week　from　the　astrophysics　department。　The　way　things　are　going；　maybe　not。　But　in　the　meantime；　I　have　a　strong　feeling。〃
　〃Which　is？〃
　〃The　shadows　don't　match。〃
　In　the　darkness；　Connor　nodded　slowly。　As　if　that　made　sense　to　him。
　I　said；　〃Which　shadows　don't　match？〃
　She　pointed　to　the　screen。　〃As　these　people　move　around　the　floor；　the　shadows　they　cast　don't　line　up　exactly。　They're　in　the　wrong　place；　or　the　wrong　shape。　Often　it's　subtle。　But　I　think　it　is　there。〃
　〃And　the　fact　that　the　shadows　don't　match　means　。　。　。〃
　She　shrugged。　〃I'd　say　the　tapes　have　been　altered；　Lieutenant。〃
　There　was　a　silence。　〃Altered　how？〃
　〃I'm　not　sure　how　much　has　been　done。　But　it　seems　clear　that　there　was　another　person　in　that　room；　at　least　part　of　the　time。〃
　〃Another　person？　You　mean　a　third　person？〃
　〃Yes。　Someone　watching。　And　that　third　person　has　been　systematically　erased。〃
　〃No　shit；〃　I　said。
　It　was　making　my　head　spin。　I　looked　at　Connor。　He　was　staring　intently　at　the　monitors。　He　seemed　pletely　unsurprised。　I　said；　〃Did　you　already　know　this？〃
　〃I　suspected　something　of　the　sort。〃
　〃Why？〃
　〃Well；　early　in　the　investigation　it　seemed　likely　that　the　tapes　were　going　to　be　altered。〃
　〃Why？〃　I　said。
　Connor　smiled。　〃Details；　kōhai。　Those　little　things　we　forget。〃　He　glanced　at　Theresa；　as　if　he　was　reluctant　to　talk　too　much　in　front　of　her。
　I　said；　〃No；　I　want　to　hear　this。　When　did　you　first　know　the　tapes　were　altered？〃
　〃In　the　Nakamoto　security　room。〃
　〃Why？〃
　〃Because　of　the　missing　tape。〃
　〃What　missing　tape？〃　I　said。　He　had　mentioned　it　before。
　〃Think　back；〃　Connor　said。　〃In　the　security　room；　the　guard　told　us　that　he　changed　the　tapes　when　he　came　on　duty；　around　nine　o'clock。〃
　〃Yes　。　。　。〃
　〃And　the　tape　recorders　all　had　timers；　showing　an　elapsed　time　of　about　two　hours。　Each　recorder　started　about　ten　or　fifteen　seconds　later　than　the　previous　one。　Because　that　was　the　time　interval　it　took　him　to　change　each　tape。〃
　〃Right　。　。　。〃　I　remembered　all　that。
　〃And　I　pointed　out　to　him　one　tape　recorder　that　didn't　fit　the　sequence。　Its　tape　was　only　running　for　half　an　hour。　So　I　asked　if　it　was　broken。〃
　〃And　the　guard　seemed　to　think　it　was。〃
　〃Yes。　That's　what　he　said。　I　was　letting　him　off　the　hook。　Actually；　he　knew　perfectly　well　it　was　not　broken。〃
　〃It　wasn't？〃
　〃No。　It　was　one　of　the　few　mistakes　that　the　Japanese　have　made。　But　they　only　made　it　because　they　were　stuck　…　they　couldn't　get　around　it。　They　couldn't　beat　their　own　technology。〃
　I　leaned　back　against　the　wall。　I　looked　apologetically　at　Theresa。　She　looked　beautiful　in　the　semidarkness　of　the　monitors。　〃I'm　sorry。　I'm　lost。〃
　〃That's　because　you　are　rejecting　the　obvious　explanation；　kōhai。　Think　back。　If　you　saw　a　line　of　tape　recorders；　each　one　running　a　few　seconds　later　than　the　one　before；　and　you　saw　one　recorder　way　out　of　sequence；　what　would　you　think？〃
　〃That　someone　had　changed　the　tape　in　that　one　recorder　at　a　later　time。〃
　〃Yes。　And　that's　exactly　what　happened。〃
　〃One　tape　was　switched　later？〃
　〃Yes。〃
　I　frowned。　〃But　why？　All　of　the　tapes　were　replaced　at　nine　o'clock。　So　none　of　the　replacements　showed　the　murder；　anyway。〃
　〃Correct；〃　Connor　said。
　〃Then　why　switch　one　tape　after　that？〃
　〃Good　question。　It's　puzzling。　I　couldn't　make　sense　of　it　for　a　long　time。　But　now　I　know；〃　Connor　said。　〃You　have　to　remember　the　timing。　The　tapes　were　all　changed　at　nine。　Then　one　tape　was　changed　again　at　ten…fifteen。　The　obvious　assumption　was　that　something　important　happened　between　nine　o'clock　and　ten…fifteen；　that　it　was　recorded　on　the　tape；　and　the　tape　was　therefore　taken　away　for　some　reason。　I　asked　myself：　what　could　this　important　event　be？〃
　I　thought　back。　I　frowned。　I　couldn't　think　of　anything。
　Theresa　began　to　smile　and　nod；　as　if　something　had　just　amused　her。　I　said；　〃You　know？〃
　〃I　can　guess；〃　she　said；　smiling。
　〃Well；〃　I　said。　〃I'm　glad　everyone　seems　to　know　the　answer　except　me。　Because　I　can't　think　of　anything　important　being　recorded　on　that　tape。　By　nine　o'clock；　the　yellow　barrier　was　up；　isolating　the　crime　scene。　The　girl's　body　was　on　the　other　side　of　the　room。　There　were　a　lot　of　Japanese　standing　by　the　elevators；　and　Graham　was　calling　me　on　the　phone　for　help。　But　nobody　actually　began　an　investigation　until　I　got　there　at　about　ten。　Then　we　had　a　lot　of　back　and　forth　with　Ishiguro。　I　don't　think　anybody　crossed　the　tape　until　almost　ten…thirty。　Say　ten…fifteen　at　the　earliest。　So　if　somebody　looked　at　a　recording；　all　it　would　show　is　a　deserted　room；　and　a　girl　lying　on　the　table。　That's　all。〃
　Connor　said；　〃Very　good。　Except　you　have　forgotten　something。〃
　Theresa　said；　〃Did　anybody　cross　the　room？　Anybody　at　all？〃
　〃No；〃　I　said。　〃We　had　the　yellow　barrier　up。　Nobody　was　allowed　on　the　other　side　of　the　tape。　In　fact…　〃
　And　then　I　remembered。　〃Wait　a　minute！　There　was　somebody！　That　little　guy　with　the　camera；〃　I　said。　〃He　was　on　the　other　side　of　the　barrier；　taking　pictures。〃
　〃That's　right；〃　Connor　said。
　〃What　little　guy？〃　she　said。
　〃A　Japanese　guy。　He　was　taking　pictures。　We　asked　Ishiguro　about　him。　He　said　his　name　was；　ah　。　。　。〃
　〃Mr。　Tanaka；〃　Connor　said。
　〃That's　right；　Mr。　Tanaka。　And　you　asked　Ishiguro　for　the　film　from　his　camera。〃　I　frowned。　〃But　we　never　got　it。〃
　〃No；〃　Connor　said。　〃And　frankly；　I　never　thought　we　would。〃
　Theresa　said；　〃This　man　was　taking　pictures？〃
　〃I　doubt　that　he　was　actually　taking　pictures；〃　Connor　said。　〃Perhaps　he　was；　because　he　was　using　one　of　those　little　Canons…　〃
　〃The　ones　that　shoot　video　stills；　instead　of　film？〃
　〃Right。　Would　there　be　any　use　for　those；　in　retouching？〃
　〃There　might　be；〃　she　said。　〃The　images　might　be　used　for　texture　mapping。　They'd　go　in　fast；　because　they　were　already　digitized。〃
　Connor　nodded。　〃Then　perhaps　he　was　taking　pictures；　after　all。　But　it　was　clear　to　me　that　his　picture…taking　was　just　an　excuse　to　allow　him　to　walk　on　the　other　side　o