Haruki Murakami - 1Q84: Book 3

Haruki Murakami was born in Kyoto in 1949 and now lives near Tokyo. He is the author of many novels as well as short stories and non-fiction. His works include Norwegian Wood, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Kafka on the Shore, After Dark and What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. His work has been translated into more than forty languages, and the most recent of his many international honours is the Jerusalem Prize, whose previous recipients include J.M. Coetzee, Milan Kundera, and V.S. Naipaul.

ALSO BY HARUKI MURAKAMI

Fiction

After Dark

After the Quake

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman

Dance Dance Dance

The Elephant Vanishes

Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World

Kafka on the Shore

Norwegian Wood

South of the Border, West of the Sun

Sputnik Sweetheart

A Wild Sheep Chase

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

Non-fiction

Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

Translated from the Japanese by Philip Gabriel

Its a Barnum and Bailey world,

Just as phony as it can be,

But it wouldnt be make-believe

If you believed in me

Its Only a Paper Moon

E.Y. HARBURG & HAROLD ARLEN

I WONDER IF you would mind not smoking, Mr. Ushikawa, the shorter man said.

Ushikawa gazed steadily at the man seated across the desk from him, then down at the Seven Stars cigarette between his fingers. He hadnt lit it yet.

Id really appreciate it, the man added politely.

Ushikawa looked puzzled, as if he were wondering how such an object possibly found its way into his hand.

Sorry about that, he said. I wont light up. I just took it out without thinking.

The mans chin moved up and down, perhaps a half inch, but his gaze didnt waver. His eyes remained fixed on Ushikawas. Ushikawa stuck the cigarette back in its box, the box in a drawer.

The taller of the two men, the one with a ponytail, stood in the doorway, leaning so lightly against the door frame that it was hard to tell if he was actually touching it. He stared at Ushikawa as if he were a stain on the wall. What a creepy pair, Ushikawa thought. This was the third time he had met with these men, and they made him uneasy every time.

Ushikawas cramped office had a single desk, and the shorter of the two men, the one with a buzz cut, sat across from him. He was the one who did the talking. Ponytail didnt say a word. Like one of those stone guardian dogs at the entrance to a Shinto shrine, he stood stock-still, not moving an inch, watching Ushikawa.

It has been three weeks, Buzzcut noted.

Ushikawa picked up his desk calendar, checked what was written on it, and nodded. Correct. It has been exactly three weeks since we last met.

And in the meantime you havent reported to us even once. As Ive mentioned before, Mr. Ushikawa, every moment is precious. We have no time to waste.

I completely understand, Ushikawa replied, fiddling with his gold lighter in place of the cigarette. Theres no time to waste. I am well aware of this.

Buzzcut waited for Ushikawa to go on.

The thing is, Ushikawa said, I dont like to talk in fits and starts. A little of this, a little of that. I would like to wait until I start to see the big picture and things begin to fall into place and I can see whats behind all this. Half-baked ideas can only lead to trouble. I know this sounds selfish, but thats the way I do things.

Buzzcut gazed coolly at Ushikawa. Ushikawa knew the man didnt think much of him, not that this really worried him much. As far as he could recall, no one had ever had a good impression of him. He was used to it. His parents and siblings had never liked him, and neither had his teachers or classmates. It was the same with his wife and children. If someone did like him, now then he would be concerned. But the other way around didnt faze him.

Mr. Ushikawa, we would like to respect your way of doing things. And I believe we have done that. So far. But things are different this time. Im sorry to say we dont have the luxury of waiting until we know all the facts.

I understand, Ushikawa said, but I doubt youve just been sitting back all this time waiting for me to get in touch. I suspect youve been running your own investigations?

Buzzcut didnt respond. His lips remained pressed in a tight horizontal line, and his expression didnt give anything away. But Ushikawa could tell that he wasnt far from the truth. Over the past three weeks, their organization had geared up, and, although they had probably used different tactics from Ushikawa, they had been searching for the woman. But they must not have found anything, which is why they had turned up again in Ushikawas office.

It takes a thief to catch a thief, Ushikawa said, spreading his hands wide, as if disclosing some fascinating secret. Try to hide something, and this thief can sniff it out. I know Im not the most pleasant-looking person, but I do have a nose for things. I can follow the faintest scent to the very end. Because Im a thief myself. I have to do things my way, at my own pace. I completely understand that time is pressing, but I would like you to wait a little longer. You have to be patient, otherwise the whole thing may collapse.

Ushikawa toyed with his lighter. Buzzcuts eyes patiently followed Ushikawas movements, and then he looked up.

I would appreciate it if you would tell me what youve found, even if its incomplete. Granted, you have your own way of doing things, but if I dont take something concrete back to my superiors, well be in a tough spot. I think youre in a bit of a precarious situation yourself, Mr. Ushikawa.

These guys really are up a creek, Ushikawa realized. The two of them were martial arts experts, which is why they were selected to be Leaders bodyguards. Despite that, Leader had been murdered right under their noses. Not that there was actually any evidence that he had been murdered several doctors in the religion had examined the body and found no external injuries. But medical equipment within the religion was rudimentary at best. And time was of the essence. If a thorough, legal autopsy had been performed by a trained pathologist, they might very well have discovered evidence of foul play, but it was too late now. The body had been secretly disposed of within the Sakigake compound.

At any rate, these two bodyguards had failed in their assignment to protect Leader, and their position in the religion was shaky. Their role now was to locate this woman, after she had seemingly vanished into thin air. The order was out: leave no stone unturned until they found her. But so far they had come up empty-handed. They were trained bodyguards, but when it came to finding missing persons, they lacked the right skills.

I understand where youre coming from, Ushikawa replied. And I will tell you some things Ive discovered. Not the whole story, but I can reveal parts of it.

Buzzcut sat there for a while, his eyes narrowed. And then he nodded. That would be fine. We have uncovered a few details ourselves, things you may already be aware of, or perhaps not. We should share whatever information we have.