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g about a soul alone and in torment。 The sentiment； exaggerated by a voice filled with perverse sexual pathos； seemed perfect for Saigon。
There was a peculiar note in Shindo's voice； and Nicholas wanted to identify it。 〃The war was very personal for you。〃
Shindo walked across the room。 〃I had a lover。 Once； he was a soldier。 A grunt who served here。〃
〃And survived。〃
〃In a manner of speaking。〃 Shindo watched the glowing end of his cigarette。 The song； building to a crescendo； cascaded through the room in a ghostly swirl。 〃In the end； he didn't want to live anymore。 He couldn't。 The demons the war had embedded in him were eating him alive。〃
It was odd； Nicholas thought； how one could tell a perfect stranger what was otherwise unthinkable。 〃What happened？〃
〃What needed to happen。〃 Shindo seemed carved out of the humid night； as if he belonged here rather than in Tokyo。 〃I'll tell you what's funny。 The people who were here； who were fighting the war … and now I mean both sides because； in the end； there was no difference； really … they needed the war。 Insanity had bee the norm for them； their reality； and they were sunk so far in it they couldn't get out。 They dreamed of the war … it drew them like a flame； fed their worst instincts； buried their humanity beneath a foul bed of killing lust … and they never wanted it to end。〃 His eyes lifted from the tiny ember to Nicholas's face。 〃What happened was this： I killed him in the manner he asked me to。〃
The contralto； nearly finished； was abruptly drowned out as another couple threw themselves into sexual convulsions； louder this time； so that Nicholas had the impression that the man was taking the woman quite violently up against their mon wall。 If they weren't careful； they'd be electrocuted by the live wires as had a man and his whore earlier that day； or so the leering proprietor had informed them。 Sex and death； never far apart； were almost indistinguishable in Saigon； Nicholas thought。
The cockroach was unperturbed； unlike Nicholas。 But then it hadn't understood Shindo's story。 The floor was vibrating to the ancient ritual； and Nicholas was sure he could smell female musk。 He moved across the room； away from the disturbance； away also from the open window； which could announce his presence in this native area as surely as if he'd been centered in a gilt frame。
〃He'll be here soon； if he's ing at all；〃 Nicholas said。 〃Time for you to leave。〃
〃I still think it's a mistake for you to see this man alone。 We know nothing about him。〃
〃I'm the one who knows the ins and outs of the neural…net chip。 If he's suspicious and quizzes you； we'll be dead。〃
〃We can both …〃
〃No。 He told me it had to be one…on…one。 If I were him； I'd turn tail the moment I saw the two of us。〃
From his new vantage point Nicholas could see a wedge of the teeming street Cyclos； three…wheeled cab…bikes； whizzed by alongside old Soviet…built trucks belching clouds of noxious diesel smoke。 Flocks of cyclists squeezed by on either side of the larger vehicles； and every so often a so…called marriage taxi rumbled by； old American gas…guzzlers from the fifties or sixties； finned like a spaceship； wide as a boat。 Packs of ragged street urchins played dangerous games of pickpocket with businessmen seeking to open tow…overhead； high…volume manufacturing in newly booming Saigon by day and an unbridled sexual smorgasbord in Cholon by night。 Soldiers in their khaki uniforms rubbed shoulders with saffron…robed Buddhist monks； scantily dressed prostitutes； and a legion of amputees and the deformed。 There were always the maimed in Vietnam； young adults scarred by the war and children deformed by its aftermath； dioxin…based chemical defoliants such as Agent Orange。
As they had repeatedly for months； Nicholas's thoughts returned to Mikio Okami。 Okami was the Kaisho … the head of all the Yakuza clan heads； the oyabun。 He had been close friends with Nicholas's father； Col。 Denis Linnear； during the American occupation of Japan in the late 1940s。 Nicholas had promised his father to help Okami if the Kaisho should ever need it。
That time had e。 Okami had had a stormy relationship with the members of his inner council for some time。 It appeared that Okami's final break with them had occurred over his alliance with Dominic Goldoni。 The inner council had been part of a scheme that Okami had set in motion。 Known as the Godaishu … Five Continents … the group implementing the scheme had been woven from carefully chosen elements within the Yakuza； Japanese government； Mafia； and U。S。 government to create what could only be described as an international criminal conglomerate； skimming off staggering sums of money from arms as well as from legitimate businesses。 As profits multiplied； the inner council began to agitate to move into other； darker areas of business； such as drug trafficking。
Okami and Goldoni both rebelled and had clandestinely formulated their own plan。 Then affiance was betrayed； Goldoni was brutally murdered； and Okami； in his headquarters in Venice； had asked for Nicholas's help。 In Venice； Nicholas had met one of Dominic Goldoni's sisters； Celeste； who was also pledged to help the Kaisho。 In the end； Okami had been forced into hiding； one step ahead of his death。 Now； while Nicholas was in Vietnam； his longtime friend ex…NYPD homicide detective Lieutenant Lew Croaker was in New York shadowing Goldoni's other sister； Margarite； in hopes of following Okami's Nishiki network back to Okami himself。 Sooner or later； Margarite； who had inherited the mantle of power from her brother； would make contact with the network； since it was the Nishiki that provided the dirt on both influential politicians and captains of industry that had made the Goldoni family preeminent in power in America's underworld。
Nicholas felt passion for his friend； it could not be easy for him to maintain his distance from the woman he so obviously loved and； at the same time； discreetly spy on her every movement。 Nicholas could only guess at the turbulent emotions such actions would bring up。 Nevertheless； he and Croaker had determined it had to be done。
It was Nicholas's belief that Okami had gone deep to ground。 And Okami； it seemed； was leaving clues to direct； Nicholas and Croaker toward Avalon Ltd。 and the Nishiki network。 Why？ At first Nicholas believed it was because Tinh had been a supplier of the pany。 But now he realized Okami was telling them that Tinh was just a small piece of the puzzle。 Again； Nicholas found himself wondering who Tinh's business partners had been。
Tinh's body had been picked up by a man posing as his brother。 In fact； Tinh had no family； and it was subsequently discovered that the man who had claimed him was Yakuza。 Could this man have been a member of one of the families of the Kaisho's inner council？
Curiously； he gave as his business Avalon Ltd。； a mysterious international arms…trading conglomerate。 Embedded within its closely guarded puter system； Nicholas had found reference to something known as Torch 315。 The assumption that he and Lew Croaker had made was that Torch was some sort of new weapon and that 315 might be a date … March 15。 While they had no direct evidence