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The police questioned Nick and Selena for an hour, and then let them go. They recognized Selena from the newspaper photographs taken at the museum. Witnesses had seen the phony waiter push the serving cart toward Nick and run away. If the bomb had gone off, it would have taken out half the room and killed dozens of people. The cell phone was meant to trigger the blast.
Nick was a hero, but he didn't feel like one.
They went back to their room.
"What a day," Selena said. "I don't believe this."
"We would've been turned into hamburger if that had gone off."
"And now we're stuck here. The police want to interview us again tomorrow."
"That bomb was meant for us," Nick said.
"You think it was the yakuza?"
Nick held a finger to his lips.
"It must be them. Kobayashi getting even."
He picked up a pad of hotel notepaper and wrote on it.
Not Kobayashi. Yamamoto. I think the room is bugged.
Selena read the note.
"You think he'll try again?" Selena said, playing along.
"Maybe, but we're probably okay for tonight. No way I can get to sleep. I need to stretch my legs. You want to come with me?"
They left the room, took the elevator down to the lobby, and walked outside. It was another warm night. The streets were crowded. There were always crowds in Japan, no matter where you went or what time of day it was.
They began walking. Sometimes they paused to look into a store window. Nick used the reflections to check for a tail. He saw no one suspicious.
"What makes you think it was Yamamoto?" Selena asked.
"Kobayashi is old-school," Nick said. "A bomb in a crowded restaurant doesn't fit with his concept of honor. He wouldn't have any hesitation about killing us, but blowing up a big hotel restaurant and creating a lot of collateral damage isn't his style."
"Why do you think the room was bugged?"
"It's the only explanation that makes sense. Kobayashi is out of the game. If the room is bugged, Yamamoto would have heard me talking on the phone with Harker."
"You can't be certain it was him."
"Let's find a place to sit down. I'll call Harker. She'll think of something."
"If it was Yamamoto, we're in trouble," Selena said.
They walked until they came to a small park, found a bench, and sat. Nick took out his phone and called Elizabeth.
She picked up.
"When are you coming home, Nick?"
"There's been a problem, Director."
Nick told her what had happened and that he thought Yamamoto was behind it.
"You're certain it wasn't the yakuza?" Elizabeth asked.
"It doesn't fit. Kobayashi is the only one with real motivation to want us dead, but it's not his style. The rest of the yakuza don't care. Hell, they're probably thanking us for giving them a chance to take over."
"You realize what this means? If it's Yamamoto, the only way to get him off your back is to expose him. That's exactly the kind of thing I didn't want to see happen."
"Hey, Director, I didn't call the shots here. That bomb would have killed dozens of innocent people, along with us. It doesn't say a lot for letting Yamamoto get away with it."
"Damn it, Nick. All right, I have to talk with Clarence about this. In the meantime, stay out of sight."
She disconnected. Nick looked at the phone.
"I take it she's not happy?" Selena said.
"Nope. In fact, I'd say she's pissed."
"She'll get over it."
"Let's find a different hotel for the rest of the night. It's better if no one knows where we are."
"What about tomorrow?"
"I guess that depends on what Harker figures out."