Honorable Enemies (1994) by Joe Weber Read Free Book Online Page B

through gritted teeth.
    "Hey, looky here," laughed a skinny man with a birthmark on his face. "We got us a stinkin' Jap bitch drivin' a Japmobile."
    "Yeah, man," his pal chuckled and put his hands on the hood and leaned forward. "Hey, bitch, how about doin' us both for the price of one?"
    Susan's temper flared and she gripped the Smith & Wesson with a renewed strength. "You morons."
    The man with the birthmark reared back and kicked the left front fender as hard as he could, almost losing his balance. "Whad'ya think about that, Tokyo Rose?"
    Susan flipped her badge on the dashboard where they could be sure to see it, then gripped her weapon with both hands and slowly raised it above the steering wheel.
    "Shit, man!" birthmark exclaimed. "A fuckin' cop!"
    Both of the vagrants ran through the traffic and disappeared into the crowd east of the Civic Center.
    After the adrenaline shock wore off, Susan's heartbeat finally slowed to normal as she continued toward the airport. Sh e t urned the radio off and thought about the escalating conflict between the Japanese and the Americans.

THE OVAL OFFICE
    Ambassador Koji Hagura was a short, rubbery-faced man who epitomized the etiquette of the Japanese lifestyle and ancient traditions. Always the polite gentleman, Hagura never directly contradicted anyone. Instead, he would go out of his way to find an indirect and conciliatory way to express his view.
    Educated at Boston College and Stanford, Hagura would occasionally smile at a particularly amusing story or joke, but he never laughed in front of the Americans. His mission was serious, and he was a proud man who relished being the Japanese Ambassador.
    Special Envoy Yamagata Isoroku was a younger and thinner version of the Ambassador. He had adopted many of Hagura's mannerisms, but not the stiff, formal public face. Isoroku was very active in the Washington diplomatic social circles. He enjoyed the less-pretentious social style of the Americans, and he had quite a reputation as a raconteur of anecdotes after a couple of stiff martinis.
    Although Isoroku often grew impatient with the Americans, whom he considered short-term thinkers, he kept his feelings to himself. Like Hagura, Isoroku believed that any sign of impatience, or any display of irritation, would be regarded as a loss of face.
    After they entered the impressive office, Hagura and Isoroku stopped and bowed.
    The President and his Secretary of State, who were standing beside the desk, returned the polite gesture with bows that were almost imperceptible.
    Although the Japanese occasionally shake hands, especially to save face when an unknowing Westerner thrusts out a paw , shaking hands remains for them an unusual and uncomfortable personal experience.
    The President motioned for his guests to have a seat while Tidwell sat to one side.
    "Gentlemen," the President began slowly while he seated himself, "we offer you and the Japanese people our deepest sympathy for the unconscionable incident in Hawaii."
    He specifically avoided using the words Pearl Harbor. "Let me assure you that we're doing everything in our power to bring to justice the person who committed the heinous act."
    The President looked straight into the Ambassador's widely set, soft brown eyes. He could see the sincere pain in Hagura's demeanor.
    "It was a cowardly act, and we are using every resource available to find and apprehend the person who committed this abominable crime."
    Koji Hagura's usual air of self-assurance had been replaced with a rather bland, expressionless look. He waited a proper amount of time before he delivered the short speech he had practiced for the past two hours.
    "Mr. President," he said at last, "we sincerely appreciate your kind words and thoughts. On behalf of Prime Minister Koyama and the Japanese people, I offer our humble apologies for the regretable terrorist attack in Osaka."
    Yamagata Isoroku lowered his dark eyes and nodded in agreement. They were honestly embarrassed by the