第79节

They're talking about putting on some kind of display for the

Shogun."

'Good. Did they say anything about drafting in more people to speed

things up?"

'Yes. But they won't be Trackers."

'Japs."

'No. They'd lose too much face working alongside us.

They'll probably be Koreans or Vietnamese."

'Gotcha." Steve tested his wrenched leg by putting his full weight

upon it. It was still tender. 'Listen, while we're on the subject of

dinks, I saw a horse tied to one of the hitching-posts out front. Had

this black cloth on its back, trimmed with red ' 'It's called a

"caparison"..."

Steve ignored the interruption ' - and there were red doo-dabs '

'Tassels..."

'-hanging from the reins. Did you, by any chance, see who it belonged

to?"

'Yeah. Toshiro Hase-Gawa. He's a Herald to the Inner Court."

'Sounds important..."

'He is important." Cadillac gave Steve a concise explanation of the

Heralds' role, their position in the government hierarchy and their

special relationship with the Shogun.

Steve listened intently. He'd asked because the horse, with its red

and black trappings, was identical to the one he'd encountered near Two

Island Lake. So the Man in Black was Toshiro Hase-Gawa, Herald to the

Inner Court, one of the 'eyes and ears' of the Shogun - the top man in

Ne-Issan. He really was caught up in a high-level conspiracy.

Once again his gut-feeling and that silent inner voice had enabled him

to put it all together. It was the Shogun who wanted the

Consul-General killed. And by using a lowly long-dog, he made sure no

one would ever be able to point the finger at the prime mover. Neat.

Steve was prepared to keep his side of the bargain to secure

Clearwater's release, but what then? The Shogun, he imagined, merely

had to lift his little finger and his people would be falling over

themselves to ensure their safe delivery to the border. Except, of

course, that, for the same reason they were using him to make the hit,

they would not want to be seen doing so.

It would make things a lot easier if they could move under the Shogun's

protection, but could he be trusted?

How much did he know about what was going on? Had he, for instance,

bought the story about the massive air strike that would be delivered

if he did not return safely with Cadillac and Clearwater? The Man in

Black was a tricky customer. He might be using his position as

intermediary to settle a few scores of his own.

Fascinating problem. What was even more fascinating was the intimate

knowledge Cadillac had garnered about the Iron Masters. 'Tell me,'

said Steve, 'how do you know all this?"

'By listening to what they say."

Steve looked puzzled. 'Are you telling me you understand their

language? How the elf-eft did you learn to do that?"

'The same way I learned to build airplanes."

'unbelievable. Can you speak Japanese too?"

'Yes, like a native. And just for the record I can read and write it

as well." Cadillac checked their immediate surroundings, then uttered

a fluent stream of gobbledegook.

Steve didn't understand a word, but it certainly sounded like the real

thing. He shook his head in amazement.

'Why the hell didn't you tell me about this before?"

'You never asked. But forget I told you. Outlanders aren't allowed to

speak Japanese. If they found out, they'd kill me."

'Don't worry, I won't breathe a word."

'Good. C'mon, let's go back to the house."

'What about the ground trolleys?"

'Your friends can pick up the pieces. You and I have got something to

celebrate."

We certainly have, thought Steve. He found it hard to contain his

excitement. Christopher! This could be the final break he'd been

looking for. Ever since Jodi had told him about the yellow-card system

and the arm-stamps, Steve had been trying to find a way round