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overnight? I want to take a little nap before I call."
    "Please take your time. There are videos available with the room, too."
    She grinned at him obscenely.
    Sakamoto headed for the elevator.
    The elevator came down from the third, and he went up to the fourth.
    He then hustled down the stairs to the third.
    To his relief, the hall stood empty.
    It was early on a weekday, so business was slow.
    Still, as he picked his way quietly down the hall, cries of passion sounded from a couple of rooms.
    If an employee noticed him, he could simply say he'd gotten the wrong floor. If they took him for a voyeur, that was all right, too.
    There were six rooms to a floor.
    Three of the six were occupied.
    An ear to the door gave a pretty good idea of what was going on in there.
    In two of the rooms they were clearly doing it.
    One room was oddly quiet. Number 302.
    The sound of the television indicated that someone was in there.
    (Here goes nothing!)
    The room key gave him a good sense of the hotel system.
    The doors had cheap automatic locks.
    Steeling his nerves, Sakamoto slid an appropriate master key into the lock.
    A couple of twists and the lock popped open.
    He bolted in.
    In a single motion, as he pulled the gun from his jacket, he shut the door behind him.

    A middle-aged man sat on the bed watching TV, necktie loosened, suit coat thrown aside.
    It was Sagara.
    Caught unawares, he sat there bewildered, mouth open.
    As soon as he saw what was in Sakamoto's hand, he threw back his head.
    "Sachi!"
    A shrill cry escaped his mouth.
    "Don't move!"
    Sakamoto strode over to the bed.
    He took him by the collar and pinned him to the bed.
    "We know everything. Better cooperate!"
    "Who are you? What the hell is this?!"
    Sakamoto replied with the back of his hand, knocking Sagara flat.
    Sagara screamed and rolled around on the double bed. Blood gushed from his split lip.
    Sakamoto quickly switched the gun to his left hand and with his right pulled out his pale-green badge.
    He stuck it in Sagara's face.
    Sagara groaned. Then he bared his teeth, yellowed with tobacco. He wasn't giving up. He started shouting back.
    "What the hell?! What the hell do you think you're doing?! I haven't done anything. I'm just here with a woman. . ."
    Sakamoto slapped him hard across the other cheek. Sagara went on rolling around on the bed.
    "I asked you to cooperate. When I want you to talk, I'll ask. Get it?"
    "Hey, this isn't funny. I got my-"
    Sakamoto gave him another punch as soon as he spoke. With a yelp, Sagara fell back on the bed, face in his hands. He kept his mouth shut, though.
    "Good. That's better. Now, don't move."
    Sakamoto slowly transferred the gun to his right hand.
    He had a compact automatic, a Browning .380. The short muzzle was threaded to mount a silencer.

    Its simple mechanism meant there was no risk of jamming, even with the silencer.
    The gun was not actually loaded. It worked to make people think twice, though.
    Because of its design, you couldn't tell by looking at it if it was loaded or not.
    Most Japanese didn't know anything about guns, anyway. The sight of one was enough to stop them dead in their tracks.
    So you didn't even have to use it. Just wearing one had quite an effect. Every cop was now packing something. And they could use it however they wanted.
    "Where's the woman?" Sakamoto asked, looking around the room.
    "What woman?"
    Sagara bobbed his head stupidly.
    Sakamoto asked again, "Where is Miura Sachiko?"
    Sakamoto knew without asking that there was only one place she could be. He'd already noticed Sagara's eyes darting anxiously toward the bathroom.
    "Miura? I don't know! Never heard the name. This is some woman I just picked up. I didn't ask her name. She's some whore. What do I care who she is?"
    Lies poured out of him.
    Sakamoto said, "That's a shitty way to talk about someone you've paid good money to keep quiet."
    Surprise showed on Sagara's face.
    "Wait! Just wait!"
    Ignoring him, Sakamoto grasped the handle of