The Boy Who Glowed in the Dark Read Online Free PDF Page A

over.
    “Looks like someone else was looking for the same information you are,” the inspector said. “And he got here first.”
    They went into the house. The stench of rotten flesh hit Luo right away but he was used to it. Two babushkas and an old man lay dead on the floor. They’d been executed professionally. Single bullet to the head. The scene confirmed to Luo that he was on the right track and added a new wrinkle.
    Someone else was looking for the treasure, too.

CHAPTER 5

    J OHNNY WAITED IN his hotel room all day for the man from the train station to call. He ordered chicken yakitori and a bowl of buckwheat soup for dinner. He passed on the Japanese beer and washed his dinner down with bottled water and green tea instead. It was a major sacrifice. The Japanese drank beer with everything. Anyone could buy it in vending machines on street corners all over Tokyo. There was a reason they drank it with their cuisine. It was delicious. But under the circumstances, Johnny didn’t want even a drop of alcohol impeding his judgment or slowing him down.
    He fell asleep watching a Japanese game show featuring housewives in pink miniskirts battling each other in a singing competition for a free hot tub. When the phone jarred him awake, the clock said 11:27 p.m.
    “I’m in the bar,” a man said.
    Johnny recognized the voice. It was the beggar from the train station.
    He hung up before Johnny could reply.
    Johnny got dressed and went to the bar. Most of the tables were occupied by businessmen in dark suits and ties. Shibuya may have been the playground for the young, but the businesses were owned and operated by grown men.
    A young singer with an exaggerated hourglass figure and peroxide hair sang an Adele tune onstage. She was more bosom than voice, but that seemed to suit the audience just fine. It suited Johnny well, too. There was talent and then there was talent. She was accompanied by a band. A sign on an easel at the entrance to the bar said the band’s name was Melbourne. Australian talent, Johnny thought. He’d never gotten down under that way. But now, with Nadia in the picture, he wasn’t even tempted.
    Johnny found the man at a table for two in the back. A candle provided just enough lighting for Johnny to recognize him. He wore a gray plaid sports jacket over a black dress shirt. He’d washed his hair and shaved. He looked ten years younger. Still, even the candlelight couldn’t hide the creases in his face. They spoke of hardship and suffering and commanded Johnny’s respect.
    An adorable waitress with a pageboy hairdo appeared. The man ordered Suntory whiskey on ice. Johnny didn’t want to dull his senses with alcohol but he had no choice. Men in Japan were expected to drink and drink heavily when in the company of other men. He ordered a Sapporo beer. He’d been craving one since dinner.
    “I am Nakamura,” the man said, after the waitress left.
    In Japan, men called each other by their last names. “I’m Johnny Tanner.”
    “I know.”
    “Why are you here?”
    “You know why I’m here. Nadia Tesla, and her cousin, Adam, received e-mails from my friend. I’m here on his behalf, just as you are here on their behalf.”
    “What is your friend’s name?”
    Nakamura thought about the question. “Let’s just call my friend Genesis II .”
    “What do you do for a living?”
    “I work with an organization called Global Medical Corps.”
    “You’re a doctor?”
    “Yes.”
    “What kind?”
    “The impoverished kind. Global Medical Corps goes where they are needed. We were on the ground in Fukushima within forty-eight hours of the earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, providing medical assistance, setting up temporary housing, delivering key household items. And of course, providing medical support. There were 59,000 evacuees. Some are still living in makeshift shelters.”
    “That was a real tragedy. I’m sorry for your country’s troubles.” Johnny bowed his head slightly and let a