Be careful driving
out there, folks.
We got fog all over
off of the bay area
clear down the peninsula,
but we're getting hit
with the worst of
it in San Marco, Cali.
So, let's stay safe out there.
This in local news:
Steven Luft will not
step down from his post
at The Luft Foundation
despite the relapse of...
Dispatch, is anybody there?
Dispatch, can you pick up?
- Hey, sheriff. Do you copy?
- Yes, I copy.
About to sleep over there?
Heh, sorry. I just...
uh, I just stepped out.
Got an abandoned car
out on Anzar Road, by...
Sheriff?
Sheriff, do you copy?
Sheriff, I lost you there.
Hey!
- How's he doing?
- Well, he's got a concussion
and some really nasty
cuts and bruises,
- but he'll be okay. What happened
out there? - Can I talk to him?
- Well, no. He's still asleep.
- Call me when he wakes up?
- Yeah. Sure, sheriff. Yeah.
- Thanks.
Checking in?
Do you have a reservation?
No.
Hello.
- Whiskey sour.
- Whiskey sour.
Cure for the common jet lag.
- Looks like you made a friend.
- What?
You'll find out in five,
our, three, two...
I saw you looking
at me or looking...
Tokyo.
Find it?
Think so. There's some blood.
How far am I, 30 yards?
Closer to 50. Don't step on anything.
I've got to take pictures.
Teresa!
It's the hospital.
Who was the last person
that talked to him?
Well, nobody.
As you saw, he didn't have
any I.D. on him.
- So, is he in some kind of
trouble then? - Maybe.
- Any patients missing their clothes?
- I can check.
You know, Dad, checking out
- of the hospital is not a crime.
- Yeah, I know.
- Then what will you do if you find him?
- Ask him a couple of questions,
- find out what happened to him.
- I can tell you what happened to him.
No, no, no.
Somebody beat that guy up
and left him for dead
long before I came along.
- What are you talking about?
- You see those clothes in there,
all shredded to hell?
I didn't do that.
- Oh, so you don't feel bad about
hitting him. - Of course, I do,
but what do you want me to do,
arrest myself?
No. I just don't think
you should be the one
running the investigation.
- So, you want it?
- Sheriff?
It's your show, deputy.
- Did you find anything here?
- The drawer's empty.
- What if it was a getaway vehicle?
- The town car?
- Yeah. What do you think?
- Getaway from what?
I don't know. The running man and a buddy,
they're on their way somewhere.
There's an argument,
things get physical, boom!
- The running man is found on the
side of the road. - It doesn't work.
- Why not?
- His buddy went out on foot?
- Check on the registration?
- It belongs to The Luft Foundation.
I talked to their
security guard,
and he said the car was stolen
right off the property.
- They didn't report it? - They never
realized it was gone until I called.
- Did you show him the whatnot?
- Yeah. He has an alibi.
Sorry to keep you waiting, Paul.
- I had to make a long-distance call,
very long distance. - Oh, yeah?
Made in Japan, as it turns out.
Never sold in the U.S.
25 years old.
- Worth any money?
- Sure, 15 bucks.
As long as I've got you here,
have you seen this man?
- So?
- So, what?
So, what should I do next?
Take this and put it up
everywhere you can.
- Done. What else?
- There's nothing else to do, really.
- Wait and see what turns up.
- That's it?
That's it!
I bet you speak perfect
english, too, right?
Huh?
- Yes?
- I have your dry cleaning.
Wrong room.
Is it too late
For me to say
That I love you
And wish I could stay
So I will kiss you,
and I'll miss you
And then it's time
to say goodbye
Can I help you?
Um, yes. Uh, can you connect me
to Mr. Suzuki's room, please?
Mr. Suzuki checked
out yesterday.
- He was just here. You didn't see him?
- I came on a half-hour ago.
- Hello. - I think we may
have found your running man.
Oh. Did you call Teresa?
I told her she could have this one.
I think you're going to want
to take this one yourself.
Right over here, sheriff.
Is that your guy, sheriff?
Well, whoever he was,
he was dead before he went
in the water. We'll run the
fingerprints and let you know.
All right. Thanks.
Okay, you all know what to do.
- Let's get at it.
- How it going?
It's okay. Theoretically,
it's the perfect place to dump a body.
Especially if you're going
to meet the running man.
- Here. It's right on the way.
- Let's not get ahead of ourselves.
You think it's a coincidence?
No, I just think I'm going to keep
you on the run with that case.
- Why?
- 'Cause it feels not cold yet.
Dig a little deeper, will you?
Besides, there is a connection.
It's all the same case anyway.
Hello.
Who is it?
What?
I'm sorry, ma'am. I must
have knocked on the wrong door.
Which room are you looking for?
I'm not quite sure.
An associate of mine
was checked into this hotel.
He's a japanese man
about six feet tall,
very...
easy on the eyes?
- Suzuki Akira.
- Suzuki Akira.
Lettuce.
Hello?
- Hello?
- Give me the fucking phone.
Hello.
It's you, isn't it?
- Hey!
- Hey! What's up?
I took your advice. I looked a
little closer at that registration.
The Luft Foundation security guard
said they weren't interested?
- Yeah, you told me.
- Well, check this out. Three years ago,
some kids got drunk
and stole a tractor
at some Luft property
in Santa Clara County.
Nothing really happened. They just
rode around on it till they got bored.
Not only did The Luft
Foundation press charges,
but someone from the company
appeared personally in court
just to ask for the strongest
possible sentence,
and all this over an old tractor that
nobody was using anyway,
yet now when a very
expensive car goes missing,
they just want to sweep it
under the rug?
- You know Steven Luft, right?
- I should. He funded my reelection.
- Really?
- Don't get too excited.
He funded the other guy, too.
Well, you think you can
talk to him about it?
I can try, but I know what he's
going to say, though.
- What?
- That since he got sick,
he didn't feel like being a hard-ass
anymore. But I'll talk to him.
Thanks, Dad.
First time at Mr. Luft's ranch?
First time at this one.
- Hello, Paul!
- Mr. Luft. How you doing?
Depends who you ask.
The doctor says I should stay in bed.
I say I'm fine.
What do you want to drink?
- Whatever you're having.
- Oh, no. You don't want any of that stuff.
- Get him a scotch and soda, will you?
- Uh, no, thanks. I'm on duty.
Oh, iced tea.
So.
Time to support my
local sheriff, is it?
Election's not
till next year, you know.
It's actually about my daughter.
Adorable girl, adorable girl.
From what I hear,
she's not going to be
with us much longer, is that right?
FBI Academy or something?
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
Poor old dad left all alone, eh?
Right.
She actually talked to
your head of security
not too long ago,
about that town car
that was stolen from the estate.
Didn't say anything about that.
- About the car being stolen?
- No, about your daughter calling.
Oh, well, the thing is,
we've been looking
for the man who was
seen with the car.
Asian man, mid-40s.
Ring any bells?
No.
Who is he?
The running man.
That's just the nickname
that's been floating
around the office.
Teresa told me you're not interested
in pursuing the matter.
- That's right. I'm not.
- Any reason why? - Do I need one?
No, not really.
It's just in the past
you've always been
so vigorous about it.
Well, look. Things have changed
over the last few years.
I made three major decisions.
What little time I've got left
I'm not going to spend rotting
away in a hospital bed.
And number two, I'm not
going to spend any more time
or resources on being
a vindictive son of a bitch.
- What was the third?
- Spend more time with my kids.
Oh, no, I remembered,
I don't have any.
Well, Paul, I don't think
there's any point
in pressing these charges
any further...
unless you have another reason
for looking for this man.
Not unless you've got one.
- No, nothing for... - Excuse me, sir.
They're here to see you.
Sorry about this, Paul.
I'm going to have to cut it short.
I'm sorry we couldn't
be more help.
- Yahwe, cut the sheriff a check for
his campaign. - Oh, no, it's all right.
Ah, whatever he needs,
whatever ne needs.
- Yeah? - The coroner
got prints off the body,
- and guess what? He's got a record.
- What's his name?
Oh, yeah. It's, um...
Akira Suzuki.
He lives, or he lived
in San Francisco.
You got an address for me?
Lettuce?
Are you looking for Akira?
Oh, he has been at home.
I just never see him.
I can hear him
all the time, yes.
You know, the walls
here are very thin,
and then you put
your ear up to it,
you can hear
absolute everything.
Okay. When was the last
time you heard him?
Last week.
He had a friend over,
and they were arguing
late at night.
Any idea what they were
talking about?
I don't speak Japanese.
I speak English,
I speak German, Italian,
uh, French,
- but no Japanese.
- Oh. Okay.
- Oh! I heard him say "Kami."
- Commie?
Over and over and over again.
He said kami, kami, kami.
- Like communist? - I don't know why.
I mean, the wall came down
- over 20 years ago.
- And does he live alone?
Uh, sometimes the girl's there
every few months, you know?
She comes for a few days
and goes away,
- comes again, goes away.
- Do you know her name?
I've never seen her.
Only hearing the noise.
- Any idea what line of work he's in?
- Fish.
- Fish?
- Fish.
Hello?
Hey!
And, um, give me
a pack of camel, too.
- Excuse me, Miss Akahori?
- Yes?
I'm detective
Jason Hoffman, SFPD.
You filed a report earlier today
- about a break-in at your
hotel room. - Yes.
Well, I've got good news.
We got him.
I just need you
to come with me for
a formal identification.
You'll have to
put that out first.
Um...
let me put these away.
This will only
take a few minutes.
- Let me go get my jacket.
- Here you go.
I'm sorry to rush you,
but we really want to get this guy...
Miss Akahori?
Miss Akahori.
Miss Akahori.
We're not here to hurt you.
All you have to do
is tell me where it is.
- You took it! - I don't know what
Hitoshi has been telling you,
but go ahead and shop him
around, Miss Akahori.
No one else is going to be interested.
You get my drift?
No.
- You think she understood that?
- Oh, I think she got it.
San Marco County investigators
are looking for answers
after the discovery
of a body in a local pond.
Local officials
have not released
the identity of the victim
but have confirmed
they are investigating
the incident as a homicide,
their first in over a decade.
Uh, at this time we are
pursuing all available leads.
- Anzar Lake is a secluded...
- Well, thanks for your help.
If you think of anything else,
please call. Thank you.
- Smells good!
- Okay, are you going to fill me in?
- On what?
- Who was that on the phone?
Uh, Mrs. Ming Yung Kim,
the owner of the pet store.
- And? - Akira Suzuki was
a part-time employee.
Showed up on time,
never caused any trouble.
His extra-curricular activities
came as a total surprise.
- No background check, huh?
- She did an inventory after that break-in.
Not even a single seahorse out of place.
Her words, not mine.
Well, what do you make of it?
Think our burglar was doing
the same thing I was,
retracing Akira Suzuki's steps,
looking for something.
- But I've been wrong before.
- I know.
Police are asking for
the public's assistance
in solving this crime.
If you have any information,
please call San Marco Coun...
- Hello.
- Thank you, sheriff.
- Who is this? - Thank you
for taking me to the hospital,
and I'm sorry I didn't
stop to thank you today.
That's okay. How about
we meet up and talk about it?
- No, I can't. I'm in trouble.
- I can help.
It will be over soon,
now that it's in the newspaper.
I only wish to thank you
- and to say good job on the TV.
- Wait, which paper?
Hello.
- Hi. I'd like to check
back in, please. - Okay.
And I'd like the same
room as before.
- Hey, Stef. Cup of coffee.
- Sure thing, sheriff.
Oh, shit!
- Hey, you're not picking up.
- Oh, sorry.
A missing person's report
just popped into the database
for an Akira Suzuki.
Some tourist filed it,
but no one from SFPD
has checked into it yet.
Thank you, sir.
Hi.
I'm sheriff Del Moral
of the San Marco County
Police Department.
- Yes?
- Aki Akahori?
- Yes?
- I'm with the police.
Can you open up for a second?
Hi.
Oh, I'm sheriff Del Moral
of the San Marco County
Police Department. Were...
- Can I see some identification, please?
- Uh... sure.
I need a few minutes
of your time.
It's about your friend
Akira Suzuki.
May I come in, please?
I'll meet you in the lobby.
Did your friend ever say
something about a pet store?
- Pet store? - Or anything about
going to San Marco County?
No. I mean,
as I said in the report,
- I barely know him.
- It also says he left a suitcase behind.
Yes.
May I take a look at it?
It was stolen.
Is there anything else you can
tell me about him? Any...
any kind of information
would be helpful.
As I said, I don't
really know him.
Everything I know
is in the report.
All the clues were
in that suitcase.
Clues?
Oh, I'm sorry.
I just like that
you call them clues.
- It's habit, I guess.
I write mystery novels. - Oh!
Anything I might have read?
I don't know.
Um, only one of my books
has been published in English.
"Inspector Takabe Investigates."
- You wrote this?
- Keep it.
As evidence?
Thanks. I appreciate it.
- Look, mister...
- Del Moral.
Mr. Del Moral.
Why are you here?
Well, you filed a
missing persons report.
With the San Francisco Police.
Can you please tell me
what's going on?
I'm investigating a homicide
down in San Marco County,
- and the victim...
- You think it's Akira.
Well, yes, I do.
I'm very sorry.
- I may need you to, at some point...
- Identify the body.
We already did that.
Fingerprints.
- How... - Looks like he
was beaten to death.
I may need to talk to
you again at some point,
but in the meantime,
just give me a call
if you can remember
anything else,
anything at all.
You take care now
and have a better day.
Oh, Miss Akahori,
this may sound a little odd,
- but do you have any idea
what commie means? - Commie?
- Yeah, in Japanese.
- Oh, kami.
- It means God.
- God?
Yes, or it could mean
paper or hair.
Well, it's probably nothing.
Thanks anyway.
I don't see any down here.
He could've left.
I think we should talk.
This is the passport your friend
used to check into the hotel.
It's not him, is it?
Here's a face. Now all we
need is a name to go with it.
I know this guy.
He came to my hotel room.
- So, you talked to him?
- Yeah. His name is Hitoshi.
He left me a business card.
I tried that number,
but it's disconnected.
- Do you think he's behind
this whole thing? - No, no.
Hitoshi seems even more
scared than you do.
Besides, he pointed me to this.
Down at the bottom.
I didn't know
which article he was
talking about until now.
"Customs officials at SFO
have intercepted
a suspected smuggler
carrying $500,000 worth
of rare turtles.
The animals were identified
as indian flat-head turtles
and are worth
up to $50,000 each
on the black market.
Once highly valued for use
in traditional medicine,
the turtles are on
the verge of extinction
and are protected
by international law."
If they arrested someone
at the airport,
how did those turtles
end up in my hotel room?
- There must have been a second smuggler.
- The real Akira Suzuki.
- May he rest in peace.
- My Akira killed him.
Killed him for a half million
dollars' worth of turtles,
which he then leaves
behind in a toilet?
Maybe he didn't know
he was going anywhere.
Maybe, but that still doesn't
answer my biggest question.
What did he want from you?
- Besides the obvious.
- I don't know.
Are you sure you don't mind?
Oh, don't worry about me.
I'll just set up my little pup
tent out in the back, and...
There's a new toothbrush inside
the bathroom cupboard,
and you're welcome
to use some of Teresa's,
- that's my daughter's clothes.
- Is this her?
Yeah, when she was about three.
- So, this must be your wife.
- Yeah.
It was a long...
uh, long time ago.
- Are you married?
- No. Well, almost.
Once.
But he's dead.
Oh, I'm sorry to hear.
A long time ago also.
- I started reading your book.
- Yeah?
Yeah. it's good.
I like it.
Police work in Japan.
And inspector Takabe,
he takes one look at a guy
and knows his whole life story.
Yeah, I know.
It must seem ridiculous.
- No, I just wish I could be like him.
- Yeah.
Oh, Teresa!
This is Miss Akahori.
- Hi.
- Hi!
Uh, excuse us for just a minute.
Did you get the phone records
for our pay phone yet?
Yes, and Oakland PD's
looking into it.
In the meantime,
this is from when
the running man called
you, the one before...
Yeah.
Oh, that's our tip line, right?
Yeah, but I think he made
another call earlier that day.
- That's the Japanese Consulate.
- Hmm.
You want to tell me
what's going on?
I think our running man
probably thinks
he can avoid arrest if the
consulate gets involved.
No, I mean what's
going on with...
She's assisting
in the investigation.
Assisting how?
I don't speak Japanese.
Over this?
Over turtles?
Federal crime, federal time.
Excuse me.
Miss Yamagata.
I'm sheriff Del Moral
of the San Marco County
Police Department.
Tell her we're looking
for information about a man.
Mind filling me in?
Osamu?
We got a name:
Osamu Masumura.
Osamu Masumura.
I'm losing track
of all the names here.
How positive is she?
She's asking what
happened to Akira.
Did a hell of a job back there.
No idea what you said,
but a hell of a job.
Hey, it's never easy.
Can't let it get to you.
No. No, it's not that.
I'm just confused.
- Why? We got a name.
- Yeah, but the turtles are fake.
They're not worth anything.
- Nothing ever surprises you, huh?
- Think about it from the beginning.
Akira and his girlfriend
arrive in San Francisco.
He makes it through
customs, she doesn't,
so what does he do?
He panics and calls
his buddy just four
hours away in Reno.
Osamu Masumura.
Osamu smells money.
All he has to do
is kill Akira and take
his place at the drop,
- but he's short half his product.
- So he buys cheap chinatown turtles
- to make up for the lost ones.
- And then he drives out
- to meet the running man for
the exchange. - And then what?
Hitoshi's in luck
because then I show up
- and save his life by hitting
him with my car. - What?
Osamu goes to plan "B."
Find a new buyer,
and that's where you come in.
You're the decoy.
He left behind the fake turtles
as a distraction,
while he's long gone
and trying to get rid
of the real turtles.
How the buyer found you in the hotel,
though, that, I don't know.
He read my books.
He read my books, so he knew
I'd love a shitty clue like a
phone number in a matchbook.
As soon as I called that number,
they came after me.
Excuse me.
- Yeah. - We got him, Dad.
Oakland PD canvassed a guy
renting his back room to someone
- fitting the running man's description.
- Okay. Where are you?
I'm on my way.
Can you meet me there?
Oh, that might not be...
- Okay. I'll be... I'll be right there.
- I'll text you the address.
- You sure you're going to be okay?
- Sure. I'll cab it.
Remember you're a witness now.
No more playing 'Nancy Drew'.
Hey, sheriff!
Tell me how it ends.
Bedroom on the right.
- That's funny.
- What?
Well, just a few days ago, he had
stuff taped up all over the walls.
Yeah, what kind of stuff?
Well, newspaper articles,
pieces of paper.
- These yours?
- No.
Guess wherever he went
he wasn't driving.
And no house key.
Must be a spare.
There's something else.
Mm-hmm.
So, what do we do next?
Follow the sound.
Call the paramedics.
Get me The Japanese Consulate.
- Are you the guy I talked to?
- What kind of poison was it?
Hydrogen sulfide.
That's very common in Japan.
Was there a note?
Yeah, a print ad
on the car door,
but he didn't have a printer
in the apartment.
Mr. Yamamoto called here
last Thursday.
- Was he looking for
legal protection? - No.
- Then what did he want?
- Information about Japanese citizen.
- Did he give you a name?
- Yes, he did.
Masumura.
Osamu Masumura.
Five years ago,
Osamu Masumura went hiking
on Mount Shasta,
but never returned.
The search was called off after 18 days,
and he was presumed dead.
- And?
- And that's it.
Okay, why is Hitoshi so
interested in this case?
He said someone beat him
up and stole his phone,
and that someone was pretending
to be Osamu Masumura.
What gave him that idea?
It was the car: Nevada plates
registered to Osamu Masumura,
and he tracked the man
to his hotel,
but he was already gone.
- And what did you say? - He should
call the police, but he didn't listen.
He didn't sound like himself.
He sounded like...
Wait.
You knew him before this?
- Hitoshi? - Yeah.
- I've known him for many years.
- How? - Steven Luft.
We've done many programs
for the Luft Foundation,
all thanks to Hitoshi.
He was Mr. Luft's driver.
Who are you?
Why are you following me?
Excuse me, sir.
May I help you? Hey!
I'm sorry, sir.
He just barged in.
That's all right, Pedro.
You can go now.
I'd ask you why you're here,
but I think I have a good idea.
Quite a mess you've made.
Yes, yes, quite a mess.
Two men dead in the space of
a week all because of turtles?
Did you know that
in the 15th century
Carthusian monks used to heal their
infected wounds with moldy bread?
Which was 500 years
before penicillin.
A lot of hassle for a folk
remedy and a lot of money.
A lot of money? I've got money.
Can't take it with you.
And unless you've suddenly
become official wildlife ranger,
I think this is a little bit outside of your
jurisdiction, you know what I'm saying?
Maybe, but I've got you
for obstruction of justice.
Do you really expect
me to believe
you didn't recognize
your own chauffeur?
All right, you got Hitoshi.
So what's he been telling you?
Not much.
He's dead.
Dead?
How'd it happen?
It looks like a suicide,
but I don't buy it.
Why do you think I had
something to do with it?
Oh, no. You thought he ripped
you off, which gives you
a damn good motive, but no.
I don't think your boys here
would be up to the task.
The chains on the door,
that means somebody's in there.
The man who showed up at
the drop was an impostor,
an impostor who thought
he was gonna walk away
with a fortune in cash,
but instead Hitoshi offered him these.
The real courier
didn't want money,
just a new life for himself
and his girlfriend.
Worthless paper to our impostor.
- So, who's this impostor?
- I don't know. That's why I'm here.
Well, I certainly don't know.
But I think you might be
able to help me find him.
- Pull over here, please?
- All right, so what do you want me to do?
Did you receive a phone call
on the night of the exchange?
Yes.
- From Hitoshi? - Yes.
- What did he say?
- That the price had doubled.
He had a gun to his head.
What did you say?
Well, I told him to fuck off.
I thought he'd shit himself
and come running home.
He deserved more credit than that.
Hitoshi turned out
to be a damn fine detective,
laying low tracking down
your cargo, but in the process
he stumbled on something
- bigger than all this.
- Which is?
The impostor.
He's done it before.
Kills someone,
steals their life.
All right. What do you
want me to do?
Call Hitoshi's phone.
Tell the man you'll pay.
- We tried that this morning.
- What did he say?
- He let them go.
- Let them go?
Yeah. He let them go.
There's a half a million dollars' worth
of turtle swimming around
in San Francisco Bay
at this very moment.
- That doesn't make any sense.
- No, it doesn't make any sense, right?
You know what he said to me?
He said he'd found
a more interesting way to make
his fortune. That make any sense?
What the fuck's
all this about, Paul?
Sheriff, I know something.
Meet me at my hotel
as soon as you can.
Os... Osamu.
Aki... Akira.
Akira?
Ah...
Oh... ah!
In her native Japan,
Aki Akahori has evolved
from popular writer
to bona fide legend
since she retired from the
public eye early last year.
Miss Akahori earned the nickname
the J.D. Salinger of Japan
and is currently enjoying
a critical reappraisal
of her work.
- You order a book, sheriff?
- Yeah. Thanks.
Sheriff.
Tell me how it ends.
Alleged sightings
of Miss Akahori
are hotly debated
on the internet.
Speculation on her whereabouts
has since become a fixture
of japanese tabloids.
Paparazzi photos like these
seem to indicate that
she now lives a quiet life
somewhere in
Northern California.
Hello!
I'm looking for a photographer.
Kaisuji Ono.
Yeah.
That's me.
You take this picture?
You like mystery books, right?
Excuse me?
Sorry, man.
Don't know where she is.
- Is she in some trouble?
- A lot of people are looking for her.
How is it you're the only one
who seems to be able to find her?
Just luck, I guess.
- My only talent.
- Mind coming down here for a second?
- Sure.
- Wait. Just stay right there.
Can you take off
your sunglasses, please?
Why?
I'd just like to see you
with your sunglasses off.
- I'll come down.
- Wait! Wait!
I shot my dearest
friend in his back
And I watched him die
upon the railroad track
And still I feel no shame
For taking up his claim
Because his soul
Is with the angels tonight
His angel follows me
wherever I go
His angel watches me
This I know
And when they lay me
in the ground
It will be shown that I go down
Because his soul
Flies with the angels tonight
Oh yes, the angels
Watch over me
Waiting for the day
When they will see
My body stretched out
Upon the ground
And my soul
Forever devil-bound