Suma, walking alone at sunset, had spied her standing in the surf casting a net into the rolling breakers.
She stood serene and golden under the rays of the dying sun. A thin shift was all she wore, dampened into transparency by the waves, revealing all and hiding nothing.
He was captivated. Without speaking to her, he sought out her name, and by the time the stars began to appear had struck a deal with her father and bought Toshie for a sum that suddenly turned the struggling fisherman into the wealthiest man on the island and the owner of a new fishing boat loaded with the latest in state-of-the-art electronics.
At first Toshie was hysterical with shock and sorrow at having to leave her family, but gradually she became awed by Suma's wealth and power and soon became attracted to him. In her own way she enjoyed her subservient role as secretary and mistress. He had her tutored by the best teachers he could hire, trained in languages, business, and finance, taught the ins and outs of high fashion, and coached in the finer subtleties of lovemaking.
She knew he would never marry her. There were too many other women, and Hideki was incapable of loving only one. But he was kind to her, and when the time came for her to be replaced, she knew he would be generous.
Kamatori, wearing a yellow yukata lounging robe with indigo bird patterns, sat nearby at a low black lacquered table directly opposite Roy Orita and sipped tea. Out of respect to their superior, both men patiently waited for Suma to speak first.
Suma ignored them for several minutes as he enjoyed the pleasure of Toshie's foot manipulations.
Kamatori avoided Suma's angry stare and kept his eyes lowered. He had lost face for the second time that week and was extremely humiliated.
"So your team of idiots failed," Suma said at last.
"There was a mishap," Kamatori replied, still looking down at the surface of the table.
"Mishap!" Suma snapped. "Disaster would be closer to the truth."
"Pitt, Admiral Sandecker, and the man called Giordino were very lucky."
"There was no luck. Your assassins merely underestimated the Americans' canny ability to survive."
"Professional operatives are predictable," said Kamatori, making a lame excuse. "Civilians do not adhere to the rules."
Suma signaled Toshie to stop. "How many men did you lose?"
"Seven, including the leader."
"None were captured, I trust."
"All bodies were recovered and the survivors e
scaped before the local authorities arrived. Nothing was left behind to leave a trail."
"Raymond Jordan will know who was responsible," said Roy Orita.
"A matter of no concern." Kamatori's face took on an expression of scorn. "He and his pathetic MAIT
team are no longer an effective force. The Japanese end of his operation has been terminated."
Suma ignored the tea and took a small cup of saki offered by Toshie. "Jordan can still be dangerous if his operatives root out the location of our command center."
"Jordan and Kern were at a dead end when I broke off contact twenty-four hours ago," Orita said with assurance. "They had no clue to the site."
"They're attempting to trace the bomb cars," Suma argued. "That much we know."
Kamatori shrugged indifferently. "Jordan is chasing shadows in a smoked mirror. The cars are securely hidden and guarded. Until an hour ago, none had been found and confiscated. And even if his operatives stumble on a few and neutralize their bombs, it will be a case of too little too late. We'll still have more than required to produce an electromagnetic shield over half the earth."
"Any news from the KGB or the European community intelligence agencies?" asked Suma.
"They're completely in the dark," answered Orita. "For reasons unknown to us, Jordan hasn't revealed his investigation to them."
Kamatori sipped at his tea and stared over the cup at Suma. "You have beaten him, Hideki. Our robotic technicians have nearly completed the weapon system electronics. Soon, very soon, you will be in a position to dictate terms to the decadent Western world."
Suma's face was a stone mask carved in self-satisfying evil. Like so many men who were stained by money, Suma had advanced far beyond wealth to the highest form of addictive corruption-- the overwhelming thirst for absolute power.