"Meet me in Tokyo. Three days. Twelve o'clock Santa Barbara time. Ryokan Hiei," Lassiter read aloud, squinting at the bright pink paper Aurora had mailed with her voodoo doll. "Signed with a gold A."
"What are you going to do?" Rebecca asked.
"I have to go to Tokyo," Lassiter replied, sliding the note back into its Manila envelope.
"I believe that I'm the one who'll make that decision, Detective," Chief Vick said.
"Chief, I have to stop this crazy--- I have over 300 days of unused sick leave, and I will use them!" Lassiter protested.
"How is that even possible?" Rebecca asked.
"A combination of willpower, conditioning, and the proud Lassiter genes," Lassiter replied.
"Detective," the Chief interrupted, tapping her fingers on the desk. "Need I remind you that technically speaking, you were in protective custody? And that you disobeyed my orders by continuing to work on this case?" Lassiter had no responses to that. "Listen," she continued. "I want to catch this killer just as much as you do. But there are so many problems to consider. How do you know it isn't a trap? How will you get backup if you need it? And if you arrest her there, you'll have to get her extradited."
"O'Hara can come with me. If it's a trap, she'll be my backup. And if I can successfully extradite famed international jewel thief Pierre Despereaux, I think I can manage with an American murderer," Lassiter countered.
"Despereaux escaped," the Chief said.
"Be that as it may, the extradition was my work and I did it. The escape was not my division!"
"I am going to consider the matter and I will let you know what I have decided by the end of the day. In the meantime, keep this to yourselves."
"Of course, Chief," Lassiter said.
"Anything else you need?" Rebecca asked.
"The rest of the mail would be nice," the Chief replied.
"Oh, right," Rebecca said, and scurried out of the office with an obedient nod.
"Lassiter, why are you still in my office?" Chief Vick said.
"Chief," Lassiter said, putting his hands on the back of one of the chairs in front of her desk. "Karen. Let me catch this killer."
"I said I'd consider it. Now get out."
Lassiter sighed. "Fine."
He shut the officer door behind him with a rattle, not quite the banging of being slammed, but enough of a clatter to let her know that he was frustrated and didn't like her answer.
Chief Vick sighed. "Why can't people just let me do my job? Or at the very least, just let me sleep!"
Outside the office, Rebecca, with the mail stacked in her arms, asked, "Do you really think you'll have to go?"
"No. I think the Chief will turn me down," Lassiter said. "But I need to go."
"Why?"
"Because I let six people die in this city. I don't want to see this happen again."
"But, Carlton, all of that is beyond your control."
"It doesn't have to be."
"Carlton, you shouldn't be flying off to a different county to meet with a psychopath just to prove that you have control over a dangerous situation."
"No, it's not about that, Williams. This is about justice. Don't you see? This is my life. Justice. I have to make sure that justice is dealt out. This has gone on long enough. What if it'd been me? What if it'd been Guster or even Spencer? ...Well, there's no love lost there, but still. You know what I mean."
"Yeah. I know." Rebecca bit her lip, deep in thought. "What will you do if the Chief won't let you go?"
"I don't know," Lassiter said, and walked off.
Rebecca shook her head and went into the Chief's office. "Um, Chief, I have the mail." She held up the envelopes and put them on the Chief's desk before walking out again.
Chief Vick frowned, wondering if they knew that she could hear everything they said.
She got up and opened her office door. "Detective Lassiter?" she called.
Lassiter looked up from his desk, stood, and took a few steps toward her. "Chief?"
"If you go to Tokyo---and I do mean if---you will take Detective O'Hara and you will take Mr. Spencer. You will also be responsible for everything that happens while you're there. I do not want to wake up to the news that you caused some sort of riot in Japan. And we never, ever, ever had this conversation."
"Yes, Chief!" Lassiter replied as Chief Vick went back into her office, trying to hide his glee."I'm on the case!"