Mike Cavallo, meanwhile, was in a rotten mood. He had three murders which were, according to the autopsy reports, all committed with the same, or a remarkably similar, weapon and no leads whatsoever.

The only link between the crimes was that the two Japanese were both old men who knew each other and that the boy worked at the same bank as one. Whether that was significant, however, he had no idea.

In frustration, he had come in early to try calling Michiko in Tokyo at the number she had given to him. It was nine p.m. there and he hoped she would be in.

Mike dialed the number and, after a short sequence of electronic tones and hisses, a phone rang. After nine rings with no answer, he hung up and tried again. Following the same series of noises, a phone sounded a second time, but once more there was no answer.

Jeez, he thought in disgust. Well, I'll try later. In the meantime, some fresh coffee wouldn't be too bad.