Neil flipped open his laptop and was happy, but not surprised, to see that there was wireless connection on Nori’s private jet. He was just as certain that Nori would be tracking everything he typed in and every site he searched. He’d be careful and wouldn’t check the site for The Chef, no matter how much he wanted to see if Larry had sent any more clues.
Nakamura, clean-shaven and dressed in jeans, sat across from Neil, reveling in the amenities of the luxury jet.
“This food is amazing!” he said. “It’s so hard to find real udon noodles in Vancouver. And the fish in this dashi aren’t frozen, they’re fresh!” Nakamura was also on his third Godzilla movie, in Japanese. “This is so much better without those horrible voice-overs.” He was giddier than Neil had ever seen him, and without his mustache he seemed years younger.
“You relive your childhood, Nak . . . I mean Hachiko. I’ve got work to do.”
Nakamura waved to the flight attendant for more popcorn shrimp and settled in with his headset. Neil heard him laughing and cheering for Godzilla as the jet smoothly made its way over the ocean. Neil spent his time searching websites on Japanese cooking techniques. He wasn’t even sure what the rules were for the duel but he suspected he’d need to bone up on his knife work.
As if on cue there was a ping and Neil saw an e-mail from Nori titled “RULES FOR THE ULTIMATE BATTLE.”
He certainly has a flare for the dramatic, Neil thought. Then he opened the e-mail and realized Nori wasn’t exaggerating. As Neil had already known, the duel wouldn’t be just one day, winner take all. No, part of Nori’s pitch had always been that there would be five separate duels over a week.
But apparently nothing about these matches would be straightforward. Each duel would have a different theme, and Neil would receive a clue the day before that he would have to figure out to be ready for the battle.
Neil tapped on Nakamura’s shoulder and showed him the e-mail.
“So you’ve got a week,” Nakamura whispered across the aisle.
“What? Check your math. I’ve got four days.”
Nakamura looked confused. “Four?”
“I’ll win the duel three to zero, so it’ll be over after just four days,” Neil said matter-of-factly.
Nakamura just rolled his eyes and turned up the volume on the TV.
Neil sat back and his laptop pinged again. There was a new e-mail—“Battle #1,” it said.
“That was quick.” Neil opened it. The first duel will take place in two days on my yacht. You will receive a shopping list tomorrow, on your arrival in Tokyo. Until then, enjoy the flight.
Neil didn’t like the idea of being stuck on a boat when he really needed to be following leads in Larry’s disappearance. Tokyo was a good place to start, but he needed to do more than just drop in.
Neil started typing a response: I get seasick. Can we change the venue to Tokyo? He hit send.
Almost immediately there was a response. Land is risky for me, especially Tokyo. I assure you my boat is very solid but let no one accuse me of being unfair. If we can battle on land we will try. It will take time to secure my safe passage. Stay tuned. Also, you can stay in Tokyo and we will arrange transport for the duels.
Neil considered. This was better than nothing. He had no leads at all yet so he’d use his free time to look for some. Tokyo seemed a likely starting ground. Nakamura could stay behind during the duels to keep up the work. Neil wouldn’t need him on board the ship.
He typed, Okay, agreed. Then he hit send and closed the laptop. He was still hours away from Tokyo and felt a sudden wave of exhaustion. He turned off his overhead light and fell asleep to the sound of Nakamura chanting, “Godzilla, Godzilla.”