Honorable Enemies

Chapter 20

The FBI office was crowded and noisy when Steve walked in to meet Susan. He waited patiently while she finished her conversation with another agent, then greeted her with a friendly smile. "Good morning."

"It is a good morning." She beamed and picked up her coffee cup. "We've got some information about crew cut."

"That sounds promising."

"It is. The car he was driving was stolen," she explained. "The HPD found it abandoned next to the Punahou High School."

"Maybe I was wrong," Steve admitted.

"How's that?"

"A professional hit man wouldn't steal a car to go eliminate someone. It's too risky."

"Maybe he doesn't operate like other hired guns." "That's the scary part."

Steve pointed at the neatly arranged bulletin board containing the FBI composite drawings of the well-groomed, gap-toothed Japanese "house-sitter" and the young assailant with the grotesque ear. "These came out better than I thought they would."

"Everyone has a copy of the composites," Susan went on, "so the enforcer shouldn't be too difficult to locate unless he finally left the island. Not too many people have a right ear that looks like it's been partially chewed off."

Susan greeted another associate and turned to Steve. "Let's go to our private office."

"Lead the way."

They walked down the hallway to the storage room Susan had been using since they first arrived on the island.

"Steve," she began sadly, "I just talked to another agent who works in our office in San Francisco. There's an epidemic of Asian-bashing spreading across the country."

"I know," he said ruefully. "Some of the National Guard units are being called out."

"This isn't the usual Japan-bashing," she continued gravely. "All Asians are being harassed. People are shooting Asians — and they're shooting back, especially the Koreans."

Steve shook his head. "It's going to get worse as long as these terrorist attacks continue."

Steve and Susan stared at each other for a few seconds, realizing how close they had become.

"Are you going to Tokyo?" he asked.

"I sure am. I still believe the answer to the attack on the cruise ship lies in Japan. However, I'm not going in an official capacity."

"What?"

She tore the top sheet of paper from her legal pad and looked at her notes. "There's a major controversy raging in the National Police Agency — they supervise all of Japan's law-enforcement services — and they've reversed course in regard to allowing the FBI to work with them on this particular investigation."

"Are you saying," Steve asked with a perplexed look, "that you can't even get access to any of the information they may have uncovered?"

"That's correct. Our Attorney General is really steamed, but the official protests to the NPA are being handled by the Department of Justice and the State Department."

"This is crazy," Wickham protested. "Both countries are clubbing each other to death, and we can't get law-enforcement agencies to cooperate with one another. Totally fucking insane."

"That may be true," Susan conceded with a degree of surprise at Steve's outburst, "but the fact is that the Japanese feel very strongly about this, and they made it clear that we are not welcome to join them in the investigation."

She folded the piece of paper. "I don't know what the reason is. It could be the open antagonism between our countries, or maybe they know something we don't.

"Or," she speculated, "it could be a matter of saving face if they believe Japanese citizens were involved in the scheme. We know there were at least three Japanese linked to the crime here. We know one died in the helicopter crash, but can we solve the case?"

"We will eventually," Wickham answered with a sense of determination. "I guess we need to make some travel plans and get under way."

"I took the liberty of making travel arrangements for both of us," Susan admitted with a slow smile. "I'm going to Singapore before I go to Tokyo."

"Great," he exclaimed and instantly wished he could retrieve the word. His enthusiasm had not been overlooked and Susan was obviously embarrassed.

She maintained her composure while a sense of uneasiness settled over her. There wasn't any doubt that she was attracted to the handsome agent, but the files she had reviewed indicated that he was married. Susan was also well aware of the difficulties associated with an interracial relationship.

If she had learned anything worth remembering in her adult life, it was to stay away from married men and interracial relationships. Susan bore the scars of experiences in both arenas.

"Well, I better get busy," she suggested and caught Steve's eye. "Our flight leaves at eleven-oh-five."

The President glared at his Secretary of Defense and then gave Admiral Clayton Biddle a cold look. "The Japanese are placing the blame on us," the President blurted and held up a front-page headline from The Washington Post. "How could such a thing happen?"

"Sir," Admiral Biddle cautiously answered, "the Japanese have the right to operate in international waters. If you or Secretary Mellongard so desire, we can take every precaution to avoid other ships, but I don't think that's the best solution to the problem."

The President bristled and leaned forward against his polished desk. "We're not going to go out of our way to avoid anyone, including the Japanese. Period. I want the people in command of our ships to pay attention to what the hell they're doing. It's that simple."

"Yes, sir," Biddle responded somberly.

"What's the status of the carrier?" the President asked in a tone laced with irritation.

The Admiral maintained a calm exterior while he examined the idea of taking early retirement. "Lincoln is operational, but the tempo of flight ops is hampered anytime a deck-edge elevator is inoperable."

The President looked at Biddle's service medals. "What's your recommendation, Admiral?"

"Secretary Mellongard and I believe the carrier needs to go to the naval shipyard in Philadelphia. They've got the facilities to do the job right."

The President thought about the idea and rejected it. "Is there someplace closer?"

"I'm afraid not, sir. The other yards are in use, and Philly happens to have a slot open."

"How long would it be tied up?"

"Thirty to forty days, sir."

Glancing at the small globe on his desk, the President made his decision. "Gentlemen, let's keep Lincoln on station for the present time. If Japan even attempts to muscle us around, I want the biggest stick on the block."

Clayton Biddle remained his usual calm self. The Admiral had learned to expect anything from the unpredictable Commander in Chief.

The President gently spun the globe and watched it revolve for a moment. "We've seen a sudden increase in Japanese warships in the South China Sea. I want them to think about the overwhelming power that is sitting in the middle of their shipping lanes."

Biddle nodded. "Yes, sir."

"And I want to take another step," the President continued and let his glance slide to Mellongard. "Bryce, you and Admiral Biddle work out the logistics, but I want Independence out of Yokosuka and on station somewhere in the South China Sea as quickly as possible.

"I want Lincoln in a position to block the Lombok and Sunda straits," the President continued, "and — where's Kitty Hawk?"

"She's in the Arabian Sea," the Admiral told him, beginning to feel uncomfortable. "Sir, the threat of closing Japan's main sea-lanes is going to infuriate the Japanese people and cause global repercussions."

"We'll place her in the Strait of Malacca," the President went on, ignoring the advice, "as a reminder that we mean business if the Japanese become rambunctious."

Admiral Biddle started to protest, but Mellongard spoke first. "Sir, with all due respect, I don't think this is a good course of action. The waters of the Malacca Strait are extremely congested and difficult to navigate. As many as fifteen hundred ships pass through there each day, and a number of nations would be extremely upset if we cruised in there with a carrier group."

The President gave Mellongard an angry look and turned to his Chief of Staff. "Scott, set up a meeting with Bud Tidwell and have an airplane standing by. I want him out there calming the fears of our allies, and I don't give a damn about anyone else.

"We've got a problem with the Japanese," the President said curtly, "and I want them to think things through before they do something irrational."

Mellongard slowly exhaled. "Sir," he said as calmly as he could, "placing a carrier group in the straits would be extremely intimidating. We've got enough problems with the Japanese, and we don't need to provoke them at this stage of the game."

Admiral Biddle nodded his agreement, then looked at the floor.

The Japanese rely on the straits and shipping lanes for the vast majority of their oil and raw goods. Without the ability to import raw materials, Japan would quickly grind to a halt.

"Bryce," the President said evenly, "you know as well as I do that large, highly maneuverable and powerful forces are likely to make the Japanese think twice before they want to confront the U. S. I want them to have a very clear picture of what they're facing if push comes to shove."

"Sir" — Mellongard tried another avenue of reasoning—"this type of action has the potential for open warfare, and we've got thousands of military people in Japan."

"And they're going to stay right where they are," the President said firmly. "At the present time we have an obligation to Japan, and we're going to honor that commitment."

"Mr. President," Mellongard pleaded, "we have people and weapons in Japan to defend their country. To reverse course and threaten the possibility of cutting off their economic lifeblood is not what I would recommend. There is no mutual trust in the region, and our military forces are the only security mechanism that governments from Tokyo to Canberra can count on. We can't afford to switch from policeman to bully."

The President hesitated, then gave him enough of a smile to be polite. "I understand your concerns, but my job is to focus on the problems at hand and make the tough decisions, and now is the time to prepare for a confrontation with the Japanese. I don't want them to have any doubt about our resolve."

Bryce Mellongard was dismayed and needed time to sort through the possible effects of this threatening action. "At a minimum, it's going to set back our relationship with Japan a long way."

"I don't care," the President continued in a steady voice, "if it sets our relations with Japan back to 1945. The days of the U. S. being their benevolent protector are almost over, and the alliance with Japan is shaky at best. We're not going to continue to spend billions of dollars to defend a country that is an economic competitor and attempts to skirt every issue from trade to exchange rates."

The men dutifully nodded.

"Their military is mushrooming," the President said bitterly. "Mark my words — at some point in the near future, Japan's growing military power in the Pacific Ocean is going to eclipse our shrinking forces and ships."

He idly twirled the globe. "Then we're right back to rebuilding a huge military force to cope with an Asian Cold War. Gentlemen, I know it may sound implausible to you, but it's right over the horizon, believe me."

The President watched the surprised reactions on the men's faces before he went on. "If we're going to confront Japan, which I believe is inevitable at some point, I'd just as soon do it now and sharply decrease the size of their Self-Defense Forces in the process."

Pausing to wait for a response, the President leaned back in his chair and observed his SECDEF.

"I realize," Mellongard began slowly, "that we're on a collision course with Japan, but using our military power to hold them hostage economically is going to send shock waves around the world."

"That's fine," the President replied in a calm voice. "Everyone, including the Japanese, needs to take a close look at the situation that prevails today. We're the only superpower on the planet, and that status has an upside, which is obvious, and a downside.

"The downside is that our nation spends a lot of money to provide a great deal of stability to this world. Many people look to us for leadership, and they're grateful that we use our power in a responsible manner…"

The President let his remarks hang in the air for a brief moment. "That's why we're obligated to place a cap on Japan's military forces, forcibly if we have to, or we'll get to repeat history — and that's the last thing we want to do."