developments in the investigation.

“One way or another, you bastard, ” he mumbled to himself, “I’ll

get you.”

He got dressed quickly and went into the kitchen. Keiko already

had the coffee waiting for him. He had drunk perhaps a third of it

when the buzzer sounded from the lobby.

“That will be my ride, ” he said, pushing himself away from the

table.

“Take this with you, ” said Keiko, handing him a thermos full of

coffee. “I put some brandy into it.”

He kissed her on the cheek. “I don’t know what I’d do without

you. I don’t deserve you.”

“I know, ” she said with a smile. “My father once told me the

same thing. Now go on. They’re waiting for you.”

The Paradise Club was one of the hottest night spots on the

Ginza. And one of the safest, too. Owned and operated by Teruyuki

Kobayashi, it was a far cry from most of the sleazy clubs in the

district. It boasted the largest multilevel dance floor in the entire

city and the most beautiful showgirls in Japan. It featured live

bands, a state-of-the-art sound system and spectacular

thaumaturgic special effects, orchestrated by adepts stationed in

glass booths above the dance floors. It was a popular “in” place with

Tokyo’s young, well-heeled social set, who came there to mingle, to

see and to be seen. Well-dressed, powerfully muscled bouncers with

black belts in the martial arts maintained order and kept the

riffraff out. Often, there were lines outside on the sidewalk, with

armed security guards patrolling the outside of the club to make

sure that no one acted up or hassled any of those waiting to get in.

Lately, there had been no long lines outside the Paradise Club.

With all the lurid stories in the media about the “Ginza Monster, ”

many of the night owls were finding other places to roost. But there

were still those who were confident of safety in numbers and who

had no intention of roaming the Ginza streets. They arrived at the

door of the Paradise Club each night, coming by cab or train and

walking, rather quickly and never alone, the short distance from

the station to the club. Then, once safely inside, they could strut