Jack swallowed. They know. It is Laura and I who are to be executed! “There obviously appears to be a problem,” said Jack, pretending to sound surprised. “Is there something we should discuss?” he added, with genuine concern.

“You do not know what that problem is?” said Fukushima sarcastically.

“No, I don’t,” said Jack, wanting an opportunity to deny any accusations.

“Perhaps you don’t,” replied Fukushima, as a wicked smile appeared on his face. “The problem is with Lee!” he said, pointing the end of the samurai sword in Lee’s direction.

“With … Lee?” said Jack, feeling both astounded and briefly relieved. Fukushima was no longer using the polite version of san at the end of Lee’s name.

A glance at Lee showed a face with bulging dark eyes contrasting with a face that was pasty white.

“Yes,” replied Fukushima. “You will kill him immediately,” he said menacingly.

Jack glanced at Lee, who now remained bowed as his body shook.

“But why Lee?” asked Jack. “Surely you don’t —”

“You will not ask me questions,” said Fukushima. “If Lee is not dead within one minute, you and Laura will be.”

Jack heard Laura’s gasp as they both glanced around the room in panic. All six attendants and Da Khlot withdrew pistols and quietly started fixing silencers to the ends.

“I do not understand,” said Jack, “but it is obvious that you have your reasons. If someone would be so kind as to lend me their pistol, I will take Lee next door to the sauna room and carry out your request. It would be rude and lack dignity to conduct such an action in a place where people eat, not to mention in the presence of two ladies.”

“You really believe that I would have my men hand you a loaded pistol?” said Fukushima angrily.

“I am not about to hack at the poor man with a sword,” replied Jack. “One bullet is all I need. Surely, with the army you have present, that would not make you afraid?”

“So you would do that?” said Fukushima, with a hint of disgust in his voice.

“It would not be the first time I have had to perform such an act to gain someone’s trust,” replied Jack. “Obviously you have heard something that has caused you not to trust us. Perhaps this act will restore that trust? With my people, we refer to it as the Sophie Solution,” he added with a sideways glance at Laura.

“I have never heard of that,” replied Fukushima, curiously.

“Simply a test of loyalty,” said Jack. “What you have others perform for you. All I ask is that I carry out the task next door. We have been respectful of your culture, now I simply ask that you be respectful of mine. Your men may check the body immediately after, but my belief is that his body should be left in solitude for an hour to allow his spirit to leave peacefully.”

“You believe in spirits?” asked Fukushima skeptically.

“You are asking me to commit murder— is it such a difficult request to grant in return?”

Moments later, Jack found himself in the sauna room with Lee kneeling on the floor in front of him. Jack held a pistol in his hand with one single round. He crouched over Lee from behind, holding the back of his collar with one hand and pointing the pistol at the back of his head with the other. Da Klot and four attendants stood a short distance behind him, all pointing their pistols at Jack, with the exception of one attendant whose pistol had be given to Jack.

Jack whispered in Lee’s ear and said, “I’m not going to kill you. Pretend you are dead and when you get the chance, slip out through the patio door. Police are watching from a room at the resort down below. Run for help and scream when you reach the resort.”

“No!” gasped Lee in panic.

“Son of a bitch,” muttered Jack, slipping an arm around Lee’s throat so his next attempt to speak resulted in a gurgle. Jack used his other arm in a pincer move to cut the flow of blood in Lee’s carotid artery. “Trust me,” Jack whispered. He felt the body slump and knew he would have less than a minute before Lee awoke.

“What are you doing?” asked Da Khlot, moving closer.

Jack spun Lee around, slamming him down on the floor, while sitting on his chest. His body blocked the view of Lee’s upper torso as he smashed his nose with the butt of the pistol before quickly firing a round into the crack made by two adjoining cedar planks on the floor. As he got up, he smeared his hand across Lee’s bloody face.

The attendant who had provided Jack with the pistol approached and looked down at Lee, before speaking in Japanese.

“He says you killed him,” said Da Khlot, bluntly. “Are you finished?”

“Of course,” replied Jack. “Shall we go back and continue our dinner now?”

Jack, followed by Da Khlot and the others, entered the banquet room where one attendant bowed toward Fukushima and spoke in Japanese.

Fukushima looked at Jack in surprise and said, “You actually committed murder! You really would do anything to survive,” he continued, more to himself than to Jack. “I thought you were a man of honour and would stick to your values.”

Da Khlot pointed at Jack and spoke in Japanese. Fukushima smiled and nodded his head knowingly.

“What did he say?” demanded Jack.

“He said that you only pretended to kill him by using a — how did he describe it? — yes, a sleeper strangulation hold on him.”

“Ridiculous!” replied Jack, realizing in the pit of his stomach that his little charade had not fooled Da Khlot in the least. His mind raced … Lee was left alone, maybe he did escape to seek help. He knew Fukushima would have realized that, yet had not countered with any orders to his men. Jack decided to ask. Anything to stall for time. “If what Da Khlot said was really true, why would everyone leave Lee alone where he could escape? I don’t understand —-”

“Escape?” said Fukushima. “I think not —”

The sound of Lee’s cry from the other room interrupted the conversation. Seconds later, he burst into the room, talking rapidly in Japanese to Fukushima while keeping his head bowed.

“Now do you understand?” asked Fukushima, a bemused smile played upon his lips as he looked at Jack. “Lee-san is a man with honour,” he added, once more pointing the tip of his samurai sword in Lee’s direction.

“Lee,” said Jack quietly. “Why didn’t you run?”

Lee did not answer.

Fukushima said, “He honours his family name. Is that not right, Lee-san?”

Lee nodded, but his eyes remained fixed on the floor.

“Honour,” said Fukushima, “is something that you, Corporal Jack Taggart and Constable Laura Secord, know little about.”

Both Jack and Laura stared blankly back at Fukushima. It’s over. He even knows our names.

“Yes, I know,” said Fukushima. “I do have my own sources. I am told that the Japanese police are at the resort. It may interest you to know that they will also detain the van when it arrives, but it will do them no good. The man who is being delivered believes it is to bring a special food order. The police will find nothing to prove anything is wrong.”

“You kill us and they’ll have plenty of evidence,” said Jack.

“Evidence such as this?” asked Fukushima, stepping forward and swinging the samurai sword.

Laura put her hand to her mouth and gasped, emitting a sorrowful cry as Lee’s severed head bounced off the marble table and rolled on the floor. His body fell over in a clump with the heart still beating a gusher of blood out through the neck.

She looked up at Fukushima in a daze as he raised the sword over her head.

I’m next.

39

“You are a coward!” screamed Jack. “You have no honour!”

“It is unfortunate that you have to die,” said Fukushima, looking down at Laura while ignoring Jack. “You are a pretty lady.”