To paste into TVR later
Kei Hayasaka, again wearing her favorite striped V-neck, shrugs her shoulders behind the table. "I don’t know why you needed me to look into this one; those asses are everywhere," she says.
"Well, it's more that I'd like you to pull on a specific thread. I've got a name for you to run. Uh, that is, if you have the means to do that kinda thing." Rikiya realizes that he does not fully know the extent of Kei's awareness.
"I'll give you the low-down on it anyway, though, seeing as you've only been conscious for the last couple days." She looks off in a random direction from the outdoor dining table, and spots a man in a blue uniform across the street, with similar shorts and mesh tactical vest. It isn't Sugiyama this time; he seems to be on patrol around the shopping arcade. "That guy over there? He's local security. Argus Security Solutions, specifically. I guess they only started to become a thing around here, about five years ago?"
"Which is why I hadn't heard of them…"
"Something happened here in Okinawa in…oh, god, what, eight years ago? Nine? There was a big jailbreak, my sources were trying to tell me. Somebody was saying that there was a big ol' scandal and a big-time exec in the police department killed himself over it, but none of that really adds up, to me." Kei takes a sip from her can of Strong Zero. "I mean, I can keep asking around about that part, but you wanted to know about Argus."
"Yeah, I did." Rikiya steals a piece of shrimp off of Kei's plate.
"So it was a couple years later. Nobody can really say why, but the Okinawa job market is suddenly flooded with people looking for work. Lot of people claiming they've got backgrounds in law enforcement, but nobody that can actually back it up. Okinawa's police force deny any involvement, saying that none of these people have ever worked for them. You could almost wonder if they used to be Family men, but most of the Families have been gone for longer than that, and this mess happened a lot more suddenly."
"Yeah, I was…kinda there for one of those. The Tamashiro Family in particular, wasn't it?"
"That's right. You were there? Wait, do you mean…"
"Mm-hmm." Rikiya points at the hole in his shirt, having still not found an adequate replacement for it. "Tamashiro's the one who shot me. Was kind of a blur afterwards, but thinking about it, I'm pretty sure he got shot right back. Doesn’t surprise me his family died out right afterwards." Sure doesn't stop the asshole from showing up in my dreams, though…
Kei sips from her can again. "Well, point is, the big flood of newly unemployed guys? Near as I can find, none of them were Tamashiro's. They came from somewhere else, and I feel like it has something to do with that scandal. I'll have to put some feelers out about that again, I think. But more importantly, all of those people had to get jobs somewhere, specifically somewhere that didn't give much of a shit about where they came from. And that's where Argus came in."
"Argus Security Solutions…"
"Yup. Now, the locals aren't real fond of the Argus men. They became Okinawa's top security contractor within the last five years or so, which is unheard of for a new business in a place where there's not a ton of need for their services. But get this: they started replacing cops on the street. Normal police patrols in downtown Ryukyu are hard to find anymore, because you're way more likely to find an Argus man. People are paying 'em, obviously, but I'm hard pressed to find anyone who'd admit to it. Maybe this is the conspiracy nut part of me, but I think there's a reason behind that, and given how some of their guys act, I think it's because they're run by ex-yakuza."
"Which reminds me about that name. I figured out who the guy in the shades was, that was harassing the doctors yesterday. His name's Sugiyama, or at least, that was the name on his uniform. He's an Argus man, too, and I just ran into him again an hour ago." Rikiya begins connecting the dots. "Given how he was acting, I'll bet Argus is just an old-school protection racket, just with uniforms and equipment to make them look the part."
"You didn't get into another fight with him, did you?" The look on her face reminds Rikiya of a high school teacher he once had. "After all I told you about not doing anything too strenuous?"
"I thought you were off-duty," Rikiya laughs. "But nah, no fights this time. Guy looked almost embarrassed to be seen in that get-up. Wandered off before anybody could raise a fist at him."
"It's possible Sugiyama's a fake name," Kei warns. "But I can have my contacts ask around about him. In the meantime…he's seen you, he knows you know he works for Argus, and it's entirely possible he'll have warned his buddies about you. Especially if he's got any kind of authority with them."
"I appreciate it. Really, thanks a ton, this helps me catch up on stuff around here."
"You know it, good buddy," she grins. "Anything else I can get you info on?"
"The abandoned building in the alley behind the shopping arcade…" Rikiya decides he might as well ask about the family office, too. "Is it still owned by Shigeru Nakahara?"
Kei's face indicates she's attempting to memorize the name. "I'll see if anybody at City Hall can help me with that one, see if the title deed comes up." She makes to get up from her chair, before bending over the table and giving Rikiya a solid stare in the eyes. "But first, there's the matter of compensation." Her face suddenly looks more intense and serious than it did, even at the hospital.
"Uh…yeah, that. Still owe you some favors, don't I?"
"Well, a little bird told me you just came into some cash…"
Rikiya reaches for his new wallet, the gift from the Tall Dwarf, but his hand stops before it reaches his pocket. "No way, that's my living expenses right now. I can't just keep slumming it."
Kei stands up straight and folds her arms. "You're gonna have to pay me some actual money eventually, bud. I'll add it to your tab for now, but keep an ear out, I might need you sooner than later." She grabs the food tray off the table, covered in wrappers and used napkins. "And don't think I didn't notice you stealing my fried shrimp. That's the best part."
I can't believe I'm actually doing this again. Rikiya ducks under the caution tape, still valiantly clinging to the front door of Tamashiro's family office. The scent of blood still lingers in the air as he marches up the stairs. Today, he is filled with purpose. He once again reaches the top of the staircase, feeling less winded than last time, but still keeping a careful monitor on his heart rate - what energy he has in him today must go to a specific cause. He lets himself in to the patriarch's office, like he did before, and looks at the leather backed chair. The dust has more or less settled, as has the loose polyurethane foam from the hole in its head rest. But, to Rikiya, it's still a reasonable chair, and this move represents him taking back from that asshole that sat in it. And this time, I'm probably not going to get shot at for it.
He reaches for the window and shoves the thing open. The dust in the room stirs in the breeze, irritating Rikiya's nose a bit. He reaches beneath the chair and lifts it up by its casters. It is lighter than expected, given the wooden parts in the legs and arm rests. He anchors the chair against the windowsill, lifts, and tips it over the edge. It almost seems to sail in the air, from the third floor window, floating like a chair normally does not. What feels like seconds later, it impacts on the concrete outside with a dull puff that echoes off the nearby buildings. The chair, amazingly, is still intact, though Rikiya notes the cloud of dust and foam particulate coming from it. This task complete, he makes his way back down to street level.
