Cajun Justice(38)

Cain laughed. “Not at all.”

“What can I say? Japan’s been good to me. It’ll be good to you, too.”

“You even lightened your hair. Do Japanese men prefer blondes?”

“Life is certainly easier here as a blonde.” Bonnie grinned. “Most men don’t notice such things, but you’ve always been very observant.”

“The blond hair must help you get noticed around here—with all the dark clothing and brown hair I see, I feel like I’m attending a funeral.”

Bonnie laughed. “Japan is changing. A little bit at a time. It’s a very slow change, but they are letting more and more outside influences in.”

They enjoyed catching up in person, but he was jet-lagged and exhausted from the travel. At one point Bonnie looked at her phone. “Tanaka just texted me. He’s getting off the train and will be here in just a minute. He’s a security guard at the company, and he’s going to be your point of contact at your new job. I can’t wait to introduce you.”

“How’s his English?”

“Really good. He studied aviation at Embry-Riddle in Florida for years.”

“If he’s a pilot, why’s he working as a security guard at this automotive company?”

“He never finished his degree. He had to come back to Japan. He wasn’t a pilot, but he knew enough about commercial aviation that he was able to get a job at United Airlines. That’s how we met.”

“What did he do for the airline?”

“He worked various jobs—mainly checking in passengers and sorting baggage issues. Anyway, his dad, who works for the Tokyo National Police, thought he could do better and helped him get the security job at the automotive company. You’re going to like him; he’s really cool. He’s Japanese, but he’s not, if you know what I mean.”

Cain chuckled. “Nah, I don’t really know what that means. At least not yet.”

“Well,” Bonnie said, “you’ll see, the longer you’re here.”

“So why didn’t they just hire a retired Japanese cop to protect this CEO? Somebody who knows the language, customs, and already has police training? Why did they go searching in America?”

“Japanese police don’t have the experience that you do. This country is so safe. I don’t even think the police carry guns—at least not the ones you normally see on patrol. The threats on this CEO are unusual. I think their executive team is panicking.”

“The police don’t carry guns? What do they do, carry sticks and knives to a gunfight?” Cain asked with a grin.

“I’ve never felt scared here. This isn’t like New Orleans, where I carried my Mace with me everywhere I went.”

“Sis, every place has its dark side.”

Just then, a young Japanese man walked up to their table.

“Perfect timing, Tanaka,” Bonnie said. To Cain, Tanaka looked like every other Japanese businessman in a dark suit, a dark tie, and a crisp white button-down shirt.

Cain stood to shake Tanaka’s hand. “It looks like you stole my tie.”

“I’m sorry?” Tanaka’s face immediately projected worry. “Can you please say that again?”

“He’s just joking, Tanaka-san,” Bonnie said. “My brother likes to joke.”

“I like to joke, too,” Tanaka said. “But you seemed so serious.”

Cain laughed. “That’s my poker face. I’ve been working on it.”

Tanaka smiled. “Okay. Because there are probably one hundred million ties like this in my country.”

All three of them laughed. Cain grabbed a nearby chair and pulled it to their table so Tanaka could have a seat.

“Please don’t judge me for being at Starbucks literally right after my flight,” Cain said. “What can I get you? It’s my treat.”

“Thank you very much, but I have this,” Tanaka said as he lifted a plastic bottle and showed Cain the label.

Cain looked at the green label and saw some English among the scattered Japanese characters. “‘Japan’s number one green tea brand,’” Cain read aloud. “I’ll have to try that sometime.”

“Tanaka, I was just giving my brother some backstory on Mr. Sato, the CEO,” Bonnie said. Then, addressing Cain: “Mr. Sato is acting very counter to usual Japanese culture, both by refusing to step down in the midst of a PR scandal and by actually hiring you, an outsider, to protect him. This is a very rare opportunity for you.”

I left one international scandal to be part of another? “Tell me more about this scandal,” Cain said.

Bonnie continued. “The news is reporting that the auto company falsified emissions controls. This is a huge embarrassment, and Mr. Sato is worried that angry stockholders may attack him because they’ve lost so much money. And it’s not just about money. The CEO has shamed these people—betrayed them.”

“Shame is worse than death,” Tanaka interjected. “Death comes to us all, but you choose to bring shame onto someone. In Japan, it is customary for a boss to resign when he has shamed the company. Sato-san, our CEO, refuses to resign. He is adamant that he has done nothing wrong. But there are many people who lost their jobs and their savings because of the news of this scandal.”