CHAPTER 17
Sakiko idly swirled her cappuccino as she walked along the street past clothing shop after take-out restaurant, giving quick glances to the parade of faces she encountered. What were their lives like, she wondered? Were they driven by grand motivations? Or simply by an urge to find something tasty for lunch, a cute blouse to buy, or a new companion to share their nights? She had no right to judge anyone, and she didn’t judge. After all, how many of them had committed fraud?
The number of pedestrians dropped drastically as she took several turns away from the main thoroughfare. From the high-traffic retail strip, she found herself in a run-down neighborhood of small shops, half of which appeared to have closed. It was mid-afternoon, but the sun seemed so much weaker here, unabl
