"Bet your ass he is. We're moving in too close. But I think Noda figures he's just toying with us now. Having some fun before he cuts us in half."
"I'm not afraid of him. No matter what he tries." She glanced at the door. "Did you bring the memos?"
"Here in my briefcase. But I think it's too soon to show him everything we have. Right now he doesn't know what we've got. That's better."
"Well, I've just begun to fight. I'm going to Tokyo to get the truth out of Ken." She paused, and her voice trembled slightly with anger. "He's got some heavy explaining to do."
"You're incredible." I just looked at her. "I almost believe you still can't accept that your friend Asano is in on Noda's play. Since he's such a terrific guy."
"Matt, I don't believe it. He wouldn't be part of this. You don't know him."
"That I don't."
"All I'm saying is, this doesn't feel right. He wouldn't involve MITI in whatever Noda's planning." She sat down, running her hands through her tousled dark hair. "You know, the fact is we still don't know for sure who's really behind what."
"Exactly. How does everybody fit in, including us? We've got pieces of a puzzle lying around—a section here, a section there—but something fundamental is missing."
"So what do we do next?"