Alex picked up two in Japanese.

"Hiroshi Nakamura, Chairman of Yokohama Construction. Heart attack at age 75. Saburo Shima. Former Prefect of Okayama. Aged 68. His car went out of control and ran off the road. Probably a heart attack too, I'd guess."

He looked at one of the English clippings.

"Takashi Doi, age 69, Japanese consul in New York. Suspected mugging victim. And you think.."

"Eleven men dead, all within the last three weeks, none of them famous, but known and respected in their own country."

"And all old. Statistically, death is hardly surprising at these ages except, of course, for your mugging victim. So what?"

"I don't know. So maybe nothing. This came in this morning, though."