It was very early in the morning when the young girl left the hotel in Naminoue and headed for home, an apartment that she shared with another girl.
All in all, it had been a pretty good night but now she was tired and her legs ached from having been on her high heeled feet for so many hours. She had teased and cajoled a lot of the young soldiers at the bar into buying drink after drink, probably more than they could really afford. But, after all, that’s how she made her living. For each drink she got a young man to buy, the bar owner gave her a very small commission to augment her regular, meager salary. She was never going to get rich at this job, so she had to hustle and occasionally offer the patrons more than a smile, a drink and a dance.
One of the additional functions at the club for which she earned extra money was to perform a strip tease on the club’s small stage. Tonight, while doing her number a nice looking young guy with whom she was acquainted offered her twenty dollars to take off her one remaining article of clothing, her small thong panties. She smiled remembering how she had coyly agreed. She hooked her thumbs into the garment and slowly pulled the thong down ever so slowly, grinding away, teasing him just out of reach while giving him a good look at her. Once the article was off she danced in front of him, twirling it in one hand meanwhile cupping one bare breast with the other hand as if offering it to him. He was damn near mesmerized with his eyes riveted on her young, fully developed and enticing body and he sat there motionless still holding the twenty dollar bill in his hand. She managed to stay just out of his reach until she got close enough, then she quickly reached out, grabbed the money, hopped back up on the small stage before he could react and made a dash for what passed as a communal dressing room for the girls at the rear of the club. The crowd erupted in laughter and applause; they had enjoyed her little show.
After she redressed, she went back to work cadging drinks from the customers. The young man from whom she had taken the twenty dollars was still there and she deliberately worked her way over to his table. He gladly allowed her to join him and ordered drinks for both of them. That was a good sign. If he had money to give her for the strip tease and he still had money for more drinks, he probably had even more money he would be willing to part with for a quickie at a nearby hotel. She demurely let him know she was available and it didn’t take long for him to get the message and proposition her, to which she, of course, coyly agreed.
At the hotel she slowly stripped, continuing her teasing as she undressed. She quickly showered, then joined him on the bed for a little sexual activity. When they finished she showered again, he paid her, gave her a little goodbye kiss, and left. He had been rather generous. Unlike most guys who will give the girl only the usual ten or twenty dollars; he showed her his appreciation by giving her an additional five dollars. This is what she was hoping for. She took the five dollar bill, folded it very small and flat; peeled back the insole lining of her shoe, and placed the bill in the cavity in her shoe. After replacing the lining, she put on her shoes and left the hotel.
Tomorrow she will have to visit the old lady who runs the nearby small grocery store and with whom she had become friends. The old lady acts as a sort of banker for her of the tip money she has been able to hide lately. The old lady keeps the money until it reaches an agreed upon level, then takes it to the bank and wires the money to the girl’s family in the Philippines.
A short rain squall had blown in from the East China Sea while she was in the hotel so she walked along being careful not to step into any puddles of water. Her apartment was only a hundred yards or so away but at this time of night there were no taxis on these back streets.
She was not paying attention to her surroundings. Instead she was thinking of how pleased her family would be when they received the money. Sadly, this was to be her last conscious thought.
The big man stepped out of the dark space between the buildings after she passed, lifted the brick and struck her on the back of the head knocking her to the ground. As she lay there he reached down, turned her over, looked at her, and continued to strike her repeatedly in the face. The additional blows were entirely unnecessary; the blow on the head had crushed her skull. Now, she just lay there unmoving. After all, isn’t that normally what dead people do, just lay there? He took her small purse, then stood, looked around, and seeing no one, hurriedly fled into the night.
There were no witnesses to the deed except for the two Shishi dolls situated in a covered niche atop a gated entrance across the street. The dolls, which some say are lions and other say are dogs, are very common throughout Asia. They are found frequently at temples and are used to adorn many of the houses to guard against evil spirits. They are especially popular in Okinawa; but this time their magic didn’t work.
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