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Kamatori was speaking over a telephone. His intellect may not have been on a level with Toshie's, but he was meticulous and deviously clever at managing Suma's secretive projects. He was especially gifted at behind-the-scenes finance, pulling the strings and fronting for Suma, who preferred to isolate himself from public view.
Kamatori had a stolid, resolute face flanked by oversized ears. Beneath heavy black brows, the dark lifeless eyes peered through a pair of thick-lensed rimless glasses. No smile ever crossed his tight lips. He was a man without emotions or convictions. Fanatically loyal to Suma, Kamatori's master talent was hunting human game. If someone, no matter how wealthy or high in government bureaucracy, presented an obstacle to Suma's plans, Kamatori would shrewdly dispatch them so it seemed an accident or the blame could be fixed on an opposing party.
Kamatori kept a ledger of his killings with notes detailing each event. Over the course of twenty-five years the tally came to 237.
He rang off and set the receiver in an armrest cradle and looked at Suma. "Admiral Itakura at our embassy in Washington. His sources have confirmed the White House is aware the explosion was nuclear and originated with the Divine Star."
Suma gave a stoic shrug. "Has the President launched a formal protest with Prime Minister Junshiro?"
"The American government has remained strangely silent," answered Kamatori. "The Norwegians and British, however, are making noises about the loss of their ships."
"But nothing from the Americans."
"Only sketchy reports in their news media."
Suma leaned forward and tapped Toshie's nyloned knee with his forefinger. "A photo, please, of the explosion site."
Toshie nodded respectfully and programmed the necessary code into the computer. In less than thirty seconds a colored photo rolled out of a fax machine built into the divider wall separating the driver from the passenger compartment. She passed it to Suma, who turned up the interior car lights and took a magnifying glass from Kamatori.
"The enhanced infrared photo was taken an hour and a half ago during a pass by our Akagi spy satellite," explained Toshie.
Suma peered through the glass without speaking for a few moments. Then he looked up questioningly.
"A nuclear hunter-killer submarine and an Asian junk? The Americans are not acting as I expected. Odd they didn't send half their Pacific fleet."
"Several naval ships are steaming toward the explosion point," said Kamatori, "including a NUMA ocean survey vessel."
"What about space surveillance?"
"American intelligence has already gathered extensive data from their Pyramider spy satellites and SR-Ninety aircraft."
Suma tapped a small object in the photo with a finger. "A submersible floating between the two vessels. Where did that come from?"
Kamatori peered over Suma's finger at the photograph. "Certainly not the junk. It must have come from the submarine."
"They won't find any sunken remains of the Divine Star, " Suma muttered. "She must have been blown into atoms." He tossed the photo back to Toshie. "A readout, please, of auto carriers transporting our products, their current status and destinations."
Toshie looked up at him over her monitor as if she'd read his mind. "I have the data you requested, Mr. Suma."
"Yes?"
"The Divine Moon finished off-loading her auto cargo last night in Boston," she reported, reading the Japanese characters on the display screen. "The Divine Water. . . she docked eight hours ago in the Port of Los Angeles and is off-loading now."
"Any others?"
"There are two ships in transport," Toshie continued. "The Divine Sky is scheduled to dock in New Orleans within eighteen hours, and the Divine Lake is five days out of Los Angeles."
"Perhaps we should signal the ships at sea to divert to ports outside the United States," said Kamatori.
"American agents may be alerted to search for signs of radiation."
"Who is our undercover agent in Los Angeles?" asked Suma.
"George Furukawa directs your secret affairs in the western states."
Suma leaned back, obviously relieved. "Furukawa is a man. He will be alert to any hardening procedure." He turned to Kamatori, who was speaking into the phone. "Divert the Divine Sky to Jamaica until we have more data, but allow the Divine Lake to proceed to Los Angeles."
Kamatori bowed in acknowledgment and reached for phone.
