Football Frenzy by Alex Ko Page A

was afraid for my family if I exposed him.” He wiped his face again. “But
you are Kiki’s friends – I know I can trust you. How on earth did you find out?”
    “Why don’t...” Josh began. Even though they’d slowed down, his voice came out as a harsh whisper. A droplet of sweat fell in his eye and he blinked it away.
“Why don’t you tell us everything that happened?”
    Shini gave a long sigh and bowed his head, as if gathering his thoughts.
    “Just before we met, he found me in the changing rooms. He was the man I told you was a fan. Before he ran away, he offered me money to play badly against England, to let them win. I asked
him why, but he wouldn’t tell me.”
    “How did he seem?” Jessica asked.
    “Nervous,” said Shini, “like he didn’t really want to be there. But he was persistent, he offered me more and more money, and when I wouldn’t take it he
said...he said something about my parents. That he hoped their restaurant was flourishing.”
    “Then, that night...” Josh prompted.
    “Those thugs attacked.” Shini nodded. “They were sending me a message. I got a phone call from Kobayashi, and I turned him down again. Then, of course, there was the accident
at the photo shoot... I thought it might be a coincidence, really an accident...”
    Josh glanced across Shini at Jessica and she nodded back at him. You wouldn’t have thought that if you’d seen the note we found in your jacket pocket , Josh thought.
    “But then Takeshi was poisoned... I presume that canapé was meant for me.” A miserable frown passed over his face. “I should have gone to the police, but I was
scared they would come after more of my teammates...or they would find out about Kiki...”
    “It’s not your fault,” Josh said. “We understand. If it helps, we don’t think they know about Kiki and they’re not targeting anyone else. They just want to
keep you from playing at all.”
    Shini let out a long breath. “That is...kind of a relief...” he said, though he really didn’t sound sure about it.
    “Shini,” said Josh. “I’m sorry, but we have to ask...you didn’t tell him you would throw the game, did you?”
    “What? No! I would never betray my country like that! And it wouldn’t just be my country, but yours too – the whole sport would suffer.”
    “We know, sorry,” Josh said, glancing at Granny in the mirror. She gave him a nod so small it was almost invisible.
    “Kobayashi has run away,” Jessica said. “But he wasn’t the mastermind. The real villain is a Yakuza boss named Yoshida Noboru.”
    “Oh no.” Shini winced. “Yakuza, really?” The three treadmills finally wound down to a standstill, and Shini turned and leaned against the control panel. “We all
hear stories about organized crime, corruption and violence, even in the football business...but they’re like tales of y ū rei – ghosts and
spirits.” He shook his head. “I never thought I’d get caught up in something like this.”
    Josh and Jessica stepped off their machines, a little unsteadily.
    “He’s betting huge sums on England to win,” Josh explained. “And he’s gone ahead and placed the bets – which means that he must be pretty sure you won’t
play tomorrow.”
    “Which means – oh.” Shini raised a hand to his mouth. “He’s going to try to...to take me out, between now and tomorrow afternoon.”
    “You’ll need protection from now on,” said Granny. Shini looked up at her.
    “And...excuse me, Murata-sama, but how do you three know all this? You are just two kids and – respectfully – a venerable old lady. I don’t understand.”
    Josh looked at Granny, holding his breath. What could they tell him?
    Granny nodded, slowly. “I think, since your life is at risk, you must know the truth. Shinichiro-san, I am the head of a team of government agents. Do not be deceived by appearances
– being elders serves as our cover. Between us we have more than two hundred years of