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"I've found out a few things about Tanaka, with Freddy's help," Stephanie said. "Being a yakuza boss pays pretty well. He has a three million dollar home in California set on twenty acres."
"Do we know anything about his routines?" Nick asked. "Does he have a regular schedule, predictable patterns?"
"He runs his rackets out of an office in Torrance, right on the main drag. There are several Japanese companies that have their American headquarters in the city. That's resulted in a large Japanese population, second only to Hawaii. Except for occasional trips to Japan, Tanaka is usually in his office during the day. He heads back home in the evening. If you didn't know any better, you'd think he was simply another businessman living in the country and commuting to town for work."
"Yeah, some business," Lamont said. "Drugs, hookers, and extortion. He must be a real nice guy."
"How about nightlife? Does he go to clubs? Bars?" Ronnie asked.
"Sometimes, but not on a regular basis. There's no pattern."
"Is he married? Who's in the house besides him?"
"He was married, but his wife died several years ago in a car accident in Tokyo. The servants live in a separate guest house. The back of the house. He has a maid, a cook, and a gardener. He calls up an escort service if he wants a woman. There are usually four of his men on the property. One of them acts as a chauffeur. All of them live over the garage. There don't seem to be regular patrols of the grounds."
"He'll have electronic security," Ronnie said.
"Okay," Nick said. "I don't think we should go after him when he's in town. There are too many chances something will go wrong. People could get hurt. That leaves his house. Steph, can you pull up a photo?"
"I thought you might want one. Freddie, please display the satellite shot of Tanaka's house."
Certainly, Stephanie.
A large monitor positioned on a table near Elizabeth's desk lit up with an overhead shot of the house. The building was situated at the end of a long drive. There were no neighbors nearby. A large backyard featured a long swimming pool and broad patio. The yard was bordered with mature trees and backed up to a gentle, grassy slope. The satellite had caught someone on a horse riding along a trail about a hundred yards behind the house.
"Could be worse," Lamont said.
"It could be a lot worse," Nick said. "The house is relatively isolated. We won't have to worry about neighbors, only his guards."
"We can go in from the back," Ronnie said. "Those trees will give us some cover."
"I want to know what kind of alarm systems he's got," Nick said. "Freddie?"
Yes, Nick?
"Can you find out if Tanaka has an alarm service?"
I have already done so. The structure is protected by a national service that operates using cellular connections.
"Remember the good old days when we could cut the phone line?" Ronnie said.
"It's not a problem," Elizabeth said. "We have Hood backing us up, remember? We can jam the cellular signal."
"Sometimes the technology we use to help us out scares the hell out of me," Nick said. "It could come back and bite us some day, if the wrong people get to be in charge of it."
"That's the problem with government, isn't it?" Selena said. "We expect people who run things to respect personal rights and freedom. We expect them to believe in the Constitution. If that ever changes, we'll find ourselves living under a dictatorship before we know what happened. The politicians will spin it to sound like a wonderful thing, but it will be like Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union under Stalin. The only difference is going to be the uniforms of the people with the guns."
"That's a really depressing thought," Stephanie said.
"We're getting off the track," Elizabeth said. "When do you want to do this, Nick?"
"As soon as you set it up with Hood about that alarm system."
"I can do that today."
"We need a private jet. We can't take our weapons on a regular plane."
"That's not a problem. Clarence can have someone meet you with a vehicle when you land."
"Ask him for an SUV. A Suburban, something like that."
"I'm sure it won't be a problem. When do you want to go?"
"If Hood is on board, how about tomorrow? It's the middle of the week. Tanaka probably isn't planning anything special."
There is a first class plane reservation from Los Angeles to Japan in the name of Sora Tanaka, leaving on Friday.
"Then we'd better get our ass in gear," Nick said.