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I bow in greeting. “Thank you for seeing me, Yuzuriha-san.”
“I must say I was surprised to hear that the son of Alessandro Ursini wanted an audience with me,” he says. “I hope you will forgive me for seeing you here at home instead of my office. I find that working from home suits me better.”
“No worries.”
“Tea?” He gestures to the pot on the table.
“Sure.”
I sit across from him as he pours me a cup. He hands it to me and I give another slight bow.
“Thank you.”
I take a sip and set the cup down.
“Now, will you tell me what brings you here, young Mr. Ursini?” Ken asks me.
“I am actually here with a business proposition,” I answer. “But before that, I was hoping for a chance to talk to your brother.”
“You mean Nico?” Ken takes a sip of tea. “Why?”
“I just have some questions.”
He sets his cup down. “If it’s about what happened five years ago, it’s best to leave that in the past. My brother made a mistake and he has paid the price. He stepped down. He went back to Japan. After my father cut him off from the family business, he decided to start a farm, which he has been content to tend to.”
My eyes narrow. “He hasn’t come back to the US in the past five years?”
Ken shakes his head. “No.”
Then he can’t have murdered Bart. Of course, there’s the possibility that Ken is lying, trying to protect his brother, but I know this family. They do not tolerate failure, especially from one of their own.
“Why?” Ken asks me. “Has my brother done something?”
“No,” I answer. “I just wanted to get some details about what happened five years ago since I am now the head of operations at my father’s company.”
“So I heard.”
“Although your brother made a mistake, so did we. I must make sure it does not happen again.”
Ken smiles. “You sound like a very diligent and promising young man. Your father must be proud of you.”
“Thank you.”
“But I must say you are not very much like him.” He strokes his mustache.
My eyebrows furrow. “No?”
“How can I put this? I do not sense the same ruthlessness from you.”
I’m confused and slightly offended. Is he saying I lack in determination or passion?
“One of the things I admire about your father is his dedication,” Ken says. “He will sacrifice whatever he has to for the sake of protecting his family. Something tells me you are not ready to do the same.”
I frown.
“But please do not take offense.” Ken waves his hands and gives me an apologetic smile. “Maybe it’s only because you’re still young. Anyway, like I said, you have your own admirable traits. Something even tells me you may be a better businessman than your father.”
The tension in my shoulders eases and I straighten them. “Would you like to hear my business proposition and see if you’re right?”
True, I came here to learn if Nico Yuzuriha is a murderer, but I also came here for business. Two birds with one stone.
Ken grins. “Please go ahead, Mr. Ursini.”
Chapter Nine
Jodie
“Please take a seat, Ms. Nicholson.” Victor Delaney pulls out one of the velvet chairs.
A private dining room at one of the most expensive restaurants in town, huh? I wonder why he chose to meet me here.
I smooth the back of my dress and sit down.
I have a better question: What kind of tie is Victor wearing? Purple with oranges? Did he seriously pick that to go with his fine suit? What a waste. If not for that tie, he would have passed as an attractive forty-five-year-old. Or is he trying to make himself look young?
Oh well. It’s not like having a bad tie means he’s a murderer. I have to get a statement, though, which means I have to start talking.
“I – ”
“First of all, allow me to extend my condolences on your father’s passing.” He sits across me. “His death is a loss for our practice as well.”
Of course he’d say what sounds right. He’s a lawyer. He wouldn’t say anything to arouse suspicion – which only makes me more suspicious.
“You admired my father?” I ask him.
“Definitely,” he answers with full conviction.
Just as I thought, he’s going to be a tough nut to crack. But cracking nuts happens to be my specialty. I’ll just pretend we’re in the courtroom and he’s another witness I have to get to spill.
“It must have been hard to go against him then.”
“It was,” he admits. “But I’d be lying if I didn’t say it was exciting, too. If you’re a basketball player, for example, you know you don’t stand a chance against LeBron James but you’d love to play against him just the same.”
“I bet it stopped being exciting when he humiliated you.” I tell him.
He clasps his hands on the table and lets out a breath. “It was crushing. I don’t deny that. I’d studied the case. I prepared myself well. I thought I had at least a chance of beating your father, but as it turned out, I wasn’t able to land a single shot. It was like I wasn’t even on the court.”
