They all stood amazed as the floors of the cubes began to lower and stack together, one on top of the other. The beds from each floor slipped together to make one king-sized bed.

As the floors fell, the walls started to rise. They slipped one inside the next, and then disappeared into the ceiling. By the time all the different pieces came together, they were staring at a fully furnished bedroom, living room, kitchenette, and dining area. Two final sections of wall slid back down to encase the toilet, sink, and shower.

“The family plan,” Nakamura said. “The rooms can also shrink during the busy season to accommodate more travelers.”

“That was AWESOME!” Larry yelled, running up and jumping on the bed, which was so springy he immediately bounced against the wall. He slid down headfirst. “Ouch,” he mumbled.

“Never dated a gymnast, I guess,” Nakamura said.

“The shower appears to be in the bathroom, over there.” Neil pointed.

Larry rolled over and stood up. He spied the French press coffeemaker and bags of beans Nakamura had picked up at Suzu’s. “Okay, NOW I can get to work,” he smiled, clapping his hands and walking toward the kitchen.

“SHOWER!” everyone said at once.

“COFFEE!” Larry said.

They compromised. Larry showered while they made him some fresh coffee. When he finally emerged, he still smelled like fish, but a fish that had used shampoo. Larry immediately downed one cup of coffee, then poured another. He gave a loud sigh and then did a perfect one-handed cartwheel from the kitchen to the dining room without spilling a drop.

He landed and took a long gulp.

“Ta-da. By the way, her name was Nadia.”

Jones gave a very mocking clap.

Larry bowed anyway. “Now let’s see what’s so important about this old piece of paper.”

He unfurled the scroll carefully along the floor and began looking for some kind of pattern in the beautiful brushwork letters and delicate woodcut prints.

“The map could be a pattern in the words or maybe something hidden in the pictures,” Larry said. “I’ve been going over it for a few days and haven’t had anything jump out.”

“Let’s start with the stories,” Nakamura said.

Nakamura and Larry started reading the text, periodically stopping to translate an obscure word.

“I guess we’re not much use for this part,” Neil said to Isabella. “Maybe I should figure out this latest haiku.”

Jones went to stand by the door and Isabella sat down next to Neil. “You have another clue?” she asked.

Neil showed her the haiku. “It’s not about fish or meat, I don’t think.”

“Do you think the Angel is our Angel?”

Neil checked his watch. “I’ve been waiting to call him to find out. He should be up by now.” Neil dialed Angel’s apartment. Angel picked up on the first ring.

“Neil! I’m so glad to hear from you. Have you found . . . the secret ingredient yet?”

“Yes, in fact. It was full of coffee and smelled a bit like fish.”

“That’s very good news!” Neil could hear Angel’s beaming smile through the phone.

“But we’re still missing a . . . side-dish. So we’ll keep looking for that. Angel, the reason I called was—”

“I know, the leak in the basement. It wasn’t Gary’s fault. The pipe was already weakened by all the digging Valette’s construction crew was doing.”

“Ack” was the only word Neil’s mouth was able to form.

“Don’t worry. Every restaurant has little unexpected hiccups. Business has been good and the leak is fixed now. The bill wasn’t too bad.”

“The what? Leak? Bill?”

“Do you want me to send it to you or just tell you how many zeroes?” Angel asked.

“No. Yes. I mean, never mind,” Neil fumbled to get the conversation back on track. He’d have to worry about Chez Flambé later.

“Angel, the real reason I called was a haiku I was given.” Neil read it to him. You will rue the day, Kong awaits an Angel to, cap his victory.

“Hmm. I’m definitely not heading to Japan, so Kong isn’t waiting for me.”

“You might be the key to the battle, though. Did you and Nori ever fight a battle with a white sauce, like a roux?

“Ah. You think ‘rue the day’ is a clue. It could be, but we never had battles that were so specific. The secret ingredients, yes, but not the way we had to cook them. Of course, Nori’s gotten a lot crazier since then. I hope I have gone the other way. His way leads to death and destruction.”

Neil was suddenly quiet. Something Angel said was ringing a bell. Neil tapped his fingers, thinking.

“Neil, are you still there?” Angel’s voice surprised Neil back to reality.

“Angel, say that last bit again.”

“Death and destruction?” Angel repeated slowly.

Neil smiled. It clicked. “Death caps and destroying angels. The clue wasn’t about you, it’s about deadly fungi, mushrooms.”

“You’re saying Angel isn’t a fun guy?” Larry called out.

“Shhhhh!” Isabella said. Then she mimed for him to zip his mouth.

Larry gave a sheepish grin and went back to his translating.

“Nori’s going to make us cook a roux with mushrooms,” Neil said. “I’m sure of it. Destroying angels and death caps are the deadliest mushrooms in the world. Just one morsel can kill you.”

“Poisonous mushrooms? That’s insane . . . so I’m sure you’re right,” Angel said sadly.

“Yes, it’s insane. But it also means I can win this thing.”

“Keep that nose working and you’ll be fine. And I promise I’ll keep Gary in line back here. He’s excellent with fish. Not so great with closing the freezer at night . . . Never mind.”

They said good-bye and Neil gave a relieved sigh. “I’m glad I figured that stupid clue out. Now I only have to spend one more day on that crazy ship.”

Larry and Isabella exchanged a look. “Um, I’m not so sure that’s a good idea, mon capitaine.”

“Do you have any idea what goes on in that place?”

“Okay. What will you do after you win this battle?” Larry asked.

“I’ll, um, I guess I’ll help you guys.”

“One, you said there’s a chance Nori might be the guy behind all this, so it certainly doesn’t hurt to have someone keeping a close eye on him.”

“Doesn’t hurt you, maybe! The judges are dropping like flies, and the way Kong throws pot lids I could be next!”

Larry continued. “Two, if you finish this duel and then stick around, especially with a restaurant leaking and burning back home, it will raise suspicions.”

“But—” Neil started.

“Si. Larry is right,” Isabella said. “This is very hard for me to say, but you need to keep dueling. You can help us search for Hiro and the treasure, but in between the matches.”

Neil let his hands fall to his sides in surrender.

“And make sure you pick the right mushrooms,” Jones said. “If it helps, I’ve got a field guide.”

“Thanks, Jones, but so do I,” Neil said, touching his nose. “But wait a minute. If I have to keep battling, then that means I have to—”

“Lose.” Larry nodded. “Possibly twice.”