Free The Toyotomi Blades by Dale Furutani Page B

Boutique, and got Mrs. Kawashiri, the owner.
    “Ken-san! I’m so glad to hear your voice. Are you calling from Tokyo?”
    “Yes, I am. It’s the middle of the night here, but I can’t sleep. I slept fine the first night, but I guess I was just exhausted by the trip. I’m sorry to bother Mariko at work.”
    “Don’t be silly. You can always call Mariko here, you know that. I’ll go get her. She’ll be thrilled.”
    When Mariko got on the line she did seem thrilled. I realized how much I missed her.
    “Ken,” she said, “it must be the middle of the night there. Has something happened?”
    “No, it’s just hard to sleep. It will take a few days to get adjusted to the time shift. I’ll be adjusted just when it’s time to come home. Oh, something almost did happen. I almost got mugged in what’s supposed to be one of the safest cities in the world.”
    “What happened?”
    “Nothing. Two guys just followed me. I managed to lose them on a train. It wasn’t a big deal.”
    “I wish you wouldn’t tell me about things like this. Now I’ll be worried sick until you get home.”
    “Now I’m sorry I told you.”
    “Are you seeing anything neat?”
    “Yesterday I rode around Tokyo on a train, then I explored the Ginza. I saw the old Kabuki theater and wandered through department stores.”
    “Did you see a Kabuki play?”
    “No, I just looked at the theater. Maybe later this week I’ll have the time. Everything is so expensive here. It’s unbelievable. Even with the TV show picking up my room and meals, I have to budget pretty carefully. What do you have planned?”
    “Mary Maloney and I are going to dinner.”
    Mary was helpful when I was trying to unravel the real murder I got involved in. She, Mariko, and I had become closer through that experience, but she wasn’t someone I expected Mariko to pal around with.
    “That’s a surprise.”
    “She called me and suggested it. She knew you were in Japan and said I must be lonely. I am. I’ve been meaning to get together with her for some time now and I was happy she called.”
    Mary lived in a small house in South Pasadena that was stuffed with artwork. She said it wasn’t too expensive when her father bought most of it many years ago. That might have been true years ago, but it wasn’t true now. I estimated that there was literally millions of dollars worth of art in Mary’s unassuming house.
    “I like Mary, too, although I really don’t know much about her. I hope you two have fun.”
    “What’s on your agenda?”
    “I plan to go to Ueno Park and the museums there. I have to check into the studio every afternoon to help on the segment they’re doing on me. After that I’ll have dinner with Buzz Sugimoto.”
    “What’s he like?”
    “Well, he’s a bit odd. He’s in his thirties and he dresses like James Dean. You know, jeans, cowboy boots, and white T-shirt. He even wears his hair in a 1950s jellyroll. His English is good, so I’m looking forward to talking to him.”
    “Well, have fun.”
    “Oh!”
    “What is it?”
    “I almost forgot the most exciting news of all.”
    “More exciting than potential muggings?”
    “Yes, because this news means money.”
    “Some producer has seen your TV piece and wants you to star in a Japanese soap opera.”
    “Get serious. The researcher on the News Pop show says the sword I bought may be rare and could be worth a lot of money.”
    “Like millions?”
    “Probably thousands, but certainly a lot more than I paid for it.”
    “That is exciting!”
    We said the usual lovey-dovey things you say and I hung up. I watched some TV to kill time. They run English language movies late at night in the hotel, probably because difficulty adjusting to the time shift is a common occurrence. There was a button on the TV where you could hear the original English soundtrack or a dubbed Japanese version. We have the same thing in Los Angeles, where you can hear many programs in English or Spanish.
    They were