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The room was dark. The sun had almost set and the heavy curtain at the window facing the garden was drawn. No lights were on. Farther back in the room was a large desk, and it looked like someone was sitting beside it. Nakata knew he'd have to wait until his eyes adjusted to say for sure. A black silhouette floated there indistinctly, like a paper cutout. As Nakata entered the room the silhouette slowly turned. Whoever was there sat in a swivel chair and had turned around to face him. His duty done, the dog came to a halt, plopped down on the floor, and closed his eyes.
"Hello," Nakata said to the dark outline.
The other person didn't say a thing.
"Sorry to bother you, but my name is Nakata. I'm not an intruder."
No reply.
"This dog told me to follow him, so here I am. Excuse me, but the dog just went right into your house and I came after him. If you don't mind terribly, I'll be leaving…"
"Take a seat on the sofa, if you would," the man said in a soft but strong tone.
"All right, I'll do that," Nakata said, lowering himself onto the one-person sofa. Right next to him, the dog was still as a statue. "Are you… the Governor?"
"Something like that," the man said from the darkness. "If that makes it easier for you, then go ahead and think that. It doesn't matter."
The man turned around and tugged at a chain to turn on a floor lamp. A yellow, antiquish light snapped on, faint but sufficient for the room.
The man before him was tall, thin, and wearing a black silk hat. He was seated on a leather swivel chair, his legs crossed in front of him. He had on a form-fitting red coat with long tails, a black vest, and long black boots. His trousers were as white as snow and fit him perfectly. One hand was raised to the brim of his hat, like he was tipping it politely to a lady. His left hand gripped a black walking stick by the round, gold knob. Looking at the hat, Nakata suddenly thought: This must be the cat-catcher!
The man's features weren't as unusual as his clothes. He was somewhere between young and old, handsome and ugly. His eyebrows were sharp and thick, and his cheeks had a healthy glow. His face was terribly smooth, with no whiskers at all. Below narrowed eyes, a cold smile played at his lips. The kind of face it was hard to remember, especially since it was his unusual clothes that caught the eye. Put another set of clothes on him and you might not even recognize the man.
"You know who I am, I assume?"
"No, sir, I'm afraid I don't," Nakata said.
The man looked a bit let down by this. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I am. I forgot to mention it, but Nakata isn't very bright."
"You've never seen me before?" the man said, rising from the chair to stand sideways to Nakata, a leg raised as if he were walking. "Doesn't ring a bell?"
"No, I'm sorry. I don't recognize you."
"I see. Perhaps you're not a whisky drinker, then," the man said.
"That's right. Nakata doesn't drink or smoke. I'm poor enough to get a sub city so I can't afford that."
The man sat back down and crossed his legs. He picked up a glass on the desk and took a sip of whisky. Ice cubes clinked in the glass. "I hope you don't mind if I indulge?"
"No, I don't mind. Please feel free."
"Thank you," the man said, gazing intently at Nakata. "So you really don't know who I am."
"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I don't."
The man's lips twisted slightly. For a brief moment a cold smile rose like a distorted ripple on the surface of water, vanished, then rose up again. "Anyone who enjoys whisky would recognize me right away, but never mind. My name is Joh
Silence descended on the room. Nakata had no idea what the man was talking about, though he did catch the name Joh
Joh
Nakata was lost. He might as well be talking with Kawamura, the cat. "So you're a foreigner, but also not a foreigner. Is that what you mean?"
"That is correct."
Nakata didn't pursue the point. "Did you have this dog bring me here, then?"
"I did," Joh
"Which means… that maybe you have something you'd like to ask me?"
"It's more like you have something to ask me," Joh
"Yes, that's right. I completely forgot! Nakata's not too bright, and I forget things quickly. It's just like you said. I've been waiting for you in that vacant lot to ask you about a missing cat."
Joh
"Yes, that's correct. Mrs. Koizumi asked Nakata to find her, and I've been looking all over for Goma for the past ten days or so. Do you know Goma?"
"I know her very well."
"And do you know where she might be?"
"I do indeed."
Lips slightly parted, Nakata stared at the silk hat, then back at his face. Joh
"Is she nearby?"
Joh
Nakata gazed around the room, but couldn't see any cats. Only the writing desk, the swivel chair the man was seated on, the sofa he himself was on, two more chairs, the floor lamp, and a coffee table. "So can I take Goma home?" Nakata asked.
"That all depends on you."
"On Nakata?"
"Correct. It's all up to you," Joh
"No, Nakata doesn't want to disappoint them."
"The same with me. I don't want to disappoint them either."
"So what should I do?"
Joh
"Is it something that Nakata can do?"
"I never ask the impossible. That's a colossal waste of time, don't you agree?"
Nakata gave it some thought. "I suppose so."
"Which means that what I'm asking you to do is something you're capable of doing."
Nakata pondered this. "Yes, I'd say that's true."
"As a rule, there's always counterevidence for every theory."
"Beg pardon?" Nakata said.
"For every theory there has to be counterevidence-otherwise science wouldn't progress," Joh
Nakata kept quiet.
"Truth be told, I've been looking for someone like you for a long time," Joh
"No trouble at all. Nakata has plenty of free time."
"I've prepared a couple of theories about you," Joh