“Like you were saying earlier, whose bones or teeth do you think came back for revenge?” asked Charlene.
“I don’t think it was Twiggy Thompson,” said Kip.
“Memphis Middle School? Wait, that was you, Kip? You broke his legs?” Charlene said with a twinge of shock.
“He called me ‘Shrimpy’ and no one knew that it was me; that’s why I don’t think it was him.”
“Why not?”
“Well Twiggy and everyone else just kinda think he tripped over a duffle bag full of cement mix in center hall,” said Kip.
“How?” asked Charlene.
“By accident…or maybe I duct taped the duffle bag to the hall’s ceiling and had a rope that went around the corner whereby a person could pull it free and let gravity do the rest without ever being seen,” said Kip. “And then maybe later that day I said in feigned surprise to the principle, ‘He was the one that called me Shrimpy?’ Whatever the case, he was the ‘Shrimpy’ one after that, spending the rest of the year in a wheelchair.”
“I can’t believe it. No wonder…” said Charlene.
“No wonder what? It couldn’t have been him because he didn’t have a deep enough voice even at 18 for him to be the okuri trying to hire you to kill me,” said Kip.
“Who else could it be, then?” She asked in a tone that sounded like she was folding her arms in frustration, but she didn’t actually move her arms.
“Teeth,” said Haru.
They both stared at him again, having forgotten he was there during their reminiscing.
“Whose broken teeth|?” Haru repeated.
“Right. There was that bully in 5th grade before you transferred in,” said Kip. “He was stealing everyone’s lunch money and one day he stole mine.”
Kip recounted the tale of the bully losing his front teeth to a sock full of quarters he brought that day and how the bully, Praxton Fullerson, had never returned to school the following year.
“And you never thought it was important to tell me that?” asked Charlene, angered.
“Uh, you never told me someone tried to hire you to kill me until after a guy nearly did it,” said Kip, equally angered.
“Children, children,” Haru interrupted. “Let’s not fight. We have a common enemy. We have to find this Praxton. See what he is up to. I’ve not heard of him. If he’s hiring hitmen, they’re not true ninjas. We will find them. We will end him.” He said this so harrowingly that both Kip and Charlene went silent as they stared at him.
-----
Kip and Charlene followed Haru as he led them out the maze of rooms and to the front door. The door was still open and Haru looking out when, upon crossing the gravel and rock driveway, Kip’s left heel caught on something and bent hard over and snapped.
“Godammit!” said Kip.
“Oh no,” said Charlene. “What did that?”
“Volcanic Japanese rock,” said Haru from the open door. “I had it imported. Very strong.”
“No kidding and mostly buried,” said Kip, pulling off his shoe and examining it. “This is my favorite pair too. We need to get it repaired.”
“Okay, so we go back to the hotel and find a repair shop,” said Charlene.
“No, no, no…we do not repair Versace in Toledo. No ordinary repair shop will do. We need to go to New York City…well, a little place in Brooklyn I know, actually.”
“Why would we go all the way to Brooklyn to fix your shoe?” asked Charlene.
“Because it needs fixing and if Praxton is after me, we’ll draw him out along the way,” said Kip, rubbing the shoe’s two pieces as if that would make the heel magically repair itself.
“He has point. You disappear easily in a city like New York,” said Haru.
“But draw him out along the way? We’re flying, right?” Charlene said emphatically.
“Uh, no. We can’t bring our arsenals on planes,” said Kip.
“Speak for yourself,” said Charlene. “I take a cutlery kit and pretend I’m a knives salesperson.”
“That would be convenient,” said Kip. “But I gotta drive. Let’s get to the rental car.”
“Wait,” Haru interrupted. “I think, if you may be having company, a custom car is in order.”
“Custom car?” asked Kip.
“Yes, another import from my home country,” said Haru, walking out the front door still in his kimono, leading the way with his walking stick to a garage around the corner of the castle’s driveway.
Upon reaching a garage door, Haru reached into a pocket on the outside of his Kimono and pulled out a set of keys with a fob on them and pressed the button. The garage door quietly opened revealing a vintage silver Datsun with black interior.
“I give you the 1970, 240Z Datsun. Four-wheel independent suspension, front disk brakes, 151 horsepower, 2.4 liter, L24 16 overhead-cam engine, original 901 silver metallic color,” said Haru, gently stroking the door handle of the driver’s side door.
“Very impressive,” said Kip, making sure to look only and not touch.
Haru opened the door and said with his accent, “And that not all, look.” In the door of the driver’s side was a console that flipped over revealing throwing stars. He reached over to the middle console that might have held coins but it too flipped with a toggle button and revealed throwing knives.
“I love this car,” said Charlene as if she’d seen it before but was taking it in anew.
“Does it got a place for a gun?” asked Kip.
“Chazz drive. You ride shotgun. Gun brute instrument. You wear holster…and seat belt.”
“Safety first,” said Kip, trying not to sound too sarcastic.
“You’re not coming?” asked Charlene.
“No. This not a trip for an old man. I’m retired, remember?” Haru said to Charlene.
“You’ve earned that. Kip and I will try to return it as we found it.”
“You’d better do more than try,” said Haru in the ominous tone they’d heard before.
“We will,” said Kip, trying to reassure him, but wondering if that were possible, should they be attacked along the way. “Why don’t you drive it off the lot,” he said to Charlene. “I’ll take the rental back.” Kip pulled off his other heel and started to walk away wearing only his nylons around the corner and back to where he’d parked his rental car.
“Good idea,” said Charlene after him, and then she turned to Haru and hugged him saying, “Thank you, father.”
“You have three fathers, you know that?” said Haru to her with a slight smile.
“Yes, and no mother. But I’ll find out who killed her sooner or later.”
In a low voice, Haru said, “Don’t be surprised if your friend has something to do with it.”
“Kip kill Lucy? You’ve got to be kidding,” said Charlene.
“Not him, but someone who know him,” said Haru. “Someone after revenge.”
Charlene stared at him and then looked away, considering. “Goodbye Haru. We’ll be back.”
“I believe you,” said Haru. “Go now, find cover. Disappear into crowd of millions.”
Charlene got behind the wheel and started the engine, which turned over and growled with power. She followed Kip down the winding driveway and out of the gate, which Haru had opened ahead of them. They might not know exactly who was coming next, but they were aware of Kip’s enemies’ motivations and were now at least more prepared to fight back at whatever was headed their way.
