A Dog in Water Read Online Free PDF Page A

up.”
    “That means someone is still coming and going from that apartment, correct?”
    “Sometimes. A tall man wearing glasses. You’d be better off asking the management company for particulars.”
    He handed me a sheet of paper. I copied the management company’s contact info into my pocketbook, thanked the super and walked out. I also wrote down the name and address of the apartment building and the number 601 and got into my car.
    I headed to the Shibuya Ward Office and used the name of a lawyer I have on retainer to access Katsuya’s certificate of residence. It did not reflect any transfer.
    Next, I headed to the local branch of the legal affairs bureau and looked up the corporate registration for the apartment in Yoyogi Uehara. Room 601 belonged to DeBarge, Inc. as expected.
    This meant that Katsuya was receiving assistance from his brother Koichi. Perhaps it was normal for an affluent man to take care of his ex-con little brother, but something felt out of place. No matter how much of a degenerate, did it make any sense for Katsuya to violate the lover of a brother to whom he was so utterly indebted? If Koichi found out, he would sever all ties with Katsuya. The possible demerits overwhelmed any merit. I had to wonder about the brothers’ relationship. Did Katsuya have some serious dirt on Koichi? Maybe that was it.
    I walked out of the building and crossed the parking lot. My cell phone rang just as I was getting into my car. It was Junko Tajima.
    “What’s up?”
    “Uh, I’m sorry to bother you. I got a text from him.”
    “What does it say?”
    “I haven’t opened it. I’m too scared.”
    “A wise decision. I’m heading to the office now.”
    I was greeted with a very pale Junko when I arrived at the office. I took her cell phone and opened the first text message, “No Subject,” in her inbox. There was a photo attached.
    I stopped breathing.
    The photo showed Junko, her legs spread wide in a thoroughly degrading position. It wasn’t sexy or erotic. It was nothing more than an ugly shot of a crime scene.
    Don’t fuck with me or I’ll send my brother a message like this one. Call
.
    After that was listed a landline phone number. I copied it into my pocketbook.
    “What did it say?” A strained expression.
    “It’s nonsense, just some threat.”
    “Please show me.” She reached for the phone in my hand.
    “There’s no need for you to see it.”
    I searched through the submenu to delete the message. Figuring out someone else’s cell phone was difficult. Junko snatched the phone away.
    “Stop!” I shouted without meaning to. I tried to take the phone back but she clutched it to her chest and drew back, staring at my face.
    “The look on your face when you saw it wasn’t normal …”
    “Please trust my judgment. You should not see it.”
    “I’m prepared.”
    “There’s a photo attached. Don’t do it.”
    She ignored me and looked down at the LCD screen—and screamed.
    It took nearly an hour for her to regain her composure. I understood perfectly how badly she wanted to conceal the incident from Koichi. Fear and despair were driving her half insane. I kept repeating the same words.
    “Katsuya won’t tell Koichi what he did. It’s nothing more than a threat.” My words were finally starting to reach her. “Katsuya has three previous convictions, each of them an act of violence towards women. In the case of a recidivist like him, there are almost certainly more victims who forwent reporting anything to the police. You could say it’s how he keeps food on the table.”
    Junko raised her head just slightly and looked at me.
    “He plans to threaten you, to bind you and to subjugate you completely so he can siphon the money you earn. He’ll steal everything you own, max out as many consumer loans as possible, force you into personal bankruptcy, then throw you into a soapland brothel. Once he’s wrung out every last penny he can get from you, he’ll move on to his next