The Real Mamoru:

By sundown, the “king” and “duke’s” great scheme fell to pieces. I didn’t even do anything to here. Well, I did something. Once Sappoto-san went to sleep, I made the family a little note. I had to make sure no one was around and watching me. My only hope was that the father could read Japanese.

Dear Sir and Ma’am,

I am so sorry to tell this, but this man and his friend are not who they seem. That man is not your son; he’s a con man. Please be careful.

I folded it up and slid it in the main desk of the old man’s study. I hoped that he would find it soon. I turned when I heard a knock on the door. The old man’s wife stood in the doorway, staring at me.

“What’s going on here?” she asked. I stood up straight.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I got lost.” She the look on her face told me that she didn’t believe me. The old lady frowned at me.

“You saw it, didn’t you?” she asked. I looked at her, blankly.

“Saw what?” I asked.

“The will!” the wife hissed. “You saw it, didn’t you?” I shook my head at her.

“No?” I asked. The older woman narrowed her eyes at me.

“You’re lying,” she whispered. “I knew you all were a bunch of frauds. You just want our money. Well, you won’t get a single cent. Nothing! Now you get the hell out of here!” I shook my head at her again.

“Really, I haven’t,” I insisted. “I just came here to warn you.”

“Warn us?” she asked. I lowered my hands.

“Well, you’re part right,” I admitted. “That man is not Mamoru.”

“I knew it,” the old lady murmured.

“He and his friend are con men trying to take the money,” I explained.

“And what about you?” the old lady asked. I threw up my hands at her.

“My friend and I got roped in on this when we first landed in Thailand,” I said. The mother still looked like she didn’t believe me.

“How can I be sure that you’re not in on it?” she asked.

“Believe what you want, lady,” I said. “I’m going to stop those con men from ripping your family off.” At that moment, there came a knock on the door. Anuwat-san looked up.

“Coming!” she said. I watched as she hurried over to the front door. Curious, I followed behind. The old lady opened the door and peeked out.

“Who are you?” she asked. I peeked over her shoulder to see a young man looking in. His dark hair covered his forehead. I had a feeling that this was the real Mamoru. The young man looked the old woman in the eye.

“Is my father here?” he asked.

“That depends,” the old lady said. “Who are you?”

“I’m Mamoru,” the young man said. The old lady gasped at his words.

“But that’s not possible,” she said. “My husband’s son is already here.”

“I’m his son!” he said. Watching this gave me an idea. I walked over to step-mother and son.

“Excuse me,” I cut in. Both of them looked up at me.

“What?” the old lady asked. I pressed my hands together.

“I just might have a way to fix this,” I said. They both looked at me in a strange way.

“How?” Mamoru asked. I smirked at him.

“Dinner will be served soon,” I said. “And I get the feeling that we will have a party in honor of your coming home.” The old lady narrowed her sharp eyes at me.

“Now see here!” she barked. I put up my hand at her.

“Now, now,” I said. “It wasn’t exactly my idea. No, no. I had a little help from your daughters on this one.” Anuwat-san blinked at me.

“My daughters?” she asked. “What exactly are you all plotting?” I gave her a little smile mischief.

“You’ll have to see by sundown,” was all I would say. I turned to go down the hall to pack up my things to go. I found Sappoto-san waiting in the entrance, frowning at me. I gave her a peculiar look.

“What?” I asked.

“Don’t do anything bad,” she pleaded. I smiled at her.

“I won’t, I promise,” I said. Her eyes pleaded at me otherwise. I sighed and put my hand on her shoulder.

“Look,” I insisted. “I won’t do anything too bad. The king and duke will deserve whatever they get in consequence, nothing more. I promise.” Sappoto-san stared at me with those big eyes of hers.

“You mean it?” she asked.

“Yes!” I insisted. “Have a little faith in me, will you?” Sappoto-san pressed her lips together in response. Why must she be so innocent at a time like this? Suddenly, the sound of a man talking in one of the closed rooms caught my ear. I paused for a better listen.

“Miho-chan?” Sappoto-san whispered. I put up my hand to silence her. I followed the talking to the “king” and “duke’s” room. Sappoto-san and I leaned into the door for a listen.

“How long are we going to stay here?” the “duke” complained.

“Just a little bit longer,” the “king” replied. “We just need to be there for the reading of the will. Once we get the money, we’ll be on our way.” The “duke” groaned.

“The daughters are on to us,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter,” the “king” said. “The old man has accepted us with open arms. As long as we have his trust, everything will be smooth sailing up until pay day.”

“But what about the two girls with us?” the “duke” asked.

“Does it matter?” he asked. “They’ll be out of our hands once this job is over.” I smirked at his words. Sorry buddy, we won’t let you leave so easily without a free show for the neighborhood to see. I turned to Sappoto-san and nudged her on the arm. I motioned my head for her to follow me back to our room. I counted down to the “king” and “duke’s” ruin just hours from now as we crawled down the hall.