Death By Choice

by Masahiko Shimada

  He felt as if the room had suddenly grown bright. All the strength drained from him, and he sank into sleep as if led there by some hand. When he woke again, it was two in the morning. Shinobu lay on the bed beside him. She breathed peacefully, holding Kita’s arm against her breast. Her cheeks were flushed, and she didn’t appear to be worrying about anything. Kita gently stroked her face.

  Would those businessmen who sold Shinobu for profit be hustling around all night long to get together the money to win back their prize possession? Or would they come back at him with some ploy he couldn’t imagine? Kita thought of confronting the enemy. He felt not the least concern.

  Kita went back to the telephone booth and called the chief’s house again. The call was answered after a single ring.

  “Is that the chief?”

  “It’s Yukichi Fukuzawa, isn’t it? You’re kidding me, son, aren’t you? Shinobu’s not in danger, is she?”

  “She’s sleeping like a baby. Have you rung the police?”

  “No. You’re the one who said not to, ain’t you?”

  “If your first concern is Shinobu’s safety, you’ll do everything I ask.”

  “Put Shinobu on the line. I want to hear her voice.”

  “She says she has nothing to say to you.”

  “Don’t tell me she’s in on this thing with you.”

  “You’ll find out soon enough. Get together thirty million of those Yukichi Fukuzawa faces by tomorrow noon. I’ll telephone later with directions on the hand-over. OK, sleep well.”

  Kita noted that he felt great every time he acted the abductor like this. He went back to the empty bathhouse and plunged into the bath. He ducked under the dividing plank in the middle, then amused himself by trying to walk along it. Not long after, Shinobu turned up, having found him missing.

  “Bet you thought I’d disappeared.”

  Shinobu looked sulky. She jumped into the bathtub, and splashed Kita’s face. Her breasts floated up and down in the water. I’ve abducted these two lovely round boobs too, Kita told himself, as he felt a still greater sense of fulfilment wash over him.

  Wednesday

  The Art of the Fugue

  In the morning, an old woman came in to fold away the bedding. Both Kita and Shinobu were naked. The memory of the embrace that had lasted through till dawn still clung languidly about their bodies. They hastily donned bathrobes, and together set off for the bathhouse again. Kita’s arms, chest and neck gave off the faint lingering scent of Shinobu; the sensation of holding her still registered in the palms of his hands and on his belly. When they had first met at the hotel, she had seemed to him nothing but an intricate, life-sized wax doll, but now he knew the warmth of her flesh and the rhythm of her breath. Suddenly, he was no longer sure whether he was abducting her, or whether he was in love. Perhaps abduction was actually one form of love. After all, you do hear of cases where the kidnapper and his hostage fall for each other. And apparently, a law of nature dictates that the hostage will not condemn her kidnapper. In the beginning, she’ll watch him carefully in order to protect herself, but before long an attraction begins, and both begin to care for each other. Then, when the criminal is arrested, his victim will declare that he behaved in exemplary fashion. She’s the only one who can treat his crime lightly. This is why a kidnapper is wise to anticipate what will happen after he’s arrested, and be as polite and hospitable as possible to his victim.

  Needless to say, Kita felt absolutely no animosity towards his own “victim.” He was a very lucky abductor. He had money. And he was pretty well loved by his captive.

  There in the bathhouse with the morning sun streaming in, he made a bet with Shinobu on the question of whether those businessmen who sold her off would come up with the ransom money by the allotted time.

  Kita put fifty thousand yen on them doing so, and Shinobu bet the same amount that they wouldn’t.

  “If they haven’t paid those three thousand Yukichi Fukuzawas by noon, it means you’ll get killed, you know.”

  “But I’ll get fifty thousand yen, won’t I? And if they do pay up on time, I may lose fifty thousand but I’ll be thirty million the richer, after all. I don’t stand to lose whichever way the dice rolls.”

  “So you plan to pocket your own ransom money, eh?”

  “Let’s split it. You’ll be able to live in clover for a while.”

  “I’m going to die on Friday, remember.”

  “Postpone it a while.”

  “No way. Look, let me tell you something, honey. I’m not going to get myself caught by the police. I wouldn’t be able to kill myself on Friday if I did.”

  “That’s sly. And I’ve just fallen for you, too.”

  “That’s great to hear, but this is something I’ve made up my mind about.”

  “I swear you’ll change your mind if you stay with me.”

  “Hmm, I wonder.”

  “Jesus won’t let you do it.”

  “I’m a Buddhist, so I don’t care. I’m not saying I don’t like Jesus, mind.”

  Shinobu sighed, and sank into the hot water.

  After they’d eaten breakfast back in their room, Kita telephoned the boss again.

  “Have you got those Yukichi Fukuzawas together?”

  “Not yet. I don’t have a hope of making it by noon. Where are you right now, Fukuzawa?”

  “I’m at the Showa Base in the South Pole.”

  “Don’t get smart with me. I’m assuming Shinobu’s safe?”

  “I’ve popped her in the hot water and she’s boiling nicely.”

  “Stop the kidding. Put her on the phone.”

  “Sure. And in return, you put on the detective who’s listening in through his headphones there beside you.”

  “I haven’t told the cops.”

  “Oh yeah? So who’s the guy there in your room frowning and holding his breath, hey? I can see him all the way from the South Pole. Quick, put him on.”

  Another man took the receiver, mumbling something. “Is that the police?” asked Kita.

  “No,” the other replied in a trembling voice.

  “So who are you?”

  The other guy seemed in agony. “No one,” he said.

  “Well then, go top yourself.”

  Kita put down the receiver. Over at the hotel shop, Shinobu was busy buying up fancy horse oil, pickled plums, and sweet rice cakes.

  “I didn’t get quite enough sleep,” Kita announced. “Let’s go sleep some more.”

  He urged her back to the room with him, where he flung himself down on the matting.

  “It’s great weather. Let’s head out for a picnic in a while,” said Shinobu, twining her fingers through his hair. Outside the window, the leaves on the mountainside were playing softly in the sunlight. From where they gazed at the scene, it looked as if a huge green fish was swimming through the air. Through the open window wafted a scent of mineral waters from the hot springs mixed with the aroma of plants, which ruffled the opening of Shinobu’s bathrobe over her breasts, and tickled Kita’s neck.

  “Wouldn’t it be nice if the next world was as good as this,” Kita muttered with a yawn.

  “All you have to do is stay here like this, you know,” said Shinobu.

  “I’d love to. But hey, everyone heaves themselves to their feet when the time comes, you know. Hey ho, they think, back to boring old everyday reality, eh? This is the best experience I’ve ever had, being here like this with you. I really believe that. And that’s because I’ve decided to kill myself on Friday, see. I don’t have to go back to boring old reality. It feels just great.”

  “I’m so happy for you,” murmured Shinobu, sitting beside him gazing out at the landscape through half-closed eyes.

  “Eh?” said Kita, surprised.

  “I really envy you, going to die the day after tomorrow. Aren’t you scared of dying?”

  “Nope.”

  “Do you feel hopeless?”

  “Nope.”

  “So why are you goi
ng to kill yourself?”

  “I’ve come to the end of my life.”

  “And who says so?”

  “I dunno. God, I guess.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I don’t. Why did I get the urge to die?”

  “I read the Bible to you, didn’t I?”

  “Yeah, and thanks to you I’m not scared to die any more.”

  “It’s cowardly to kill yourself. You’re running away.”

  “You’re right.”

  “You make me want to die too, Kita. I’m scared.”

  “There’s nothing to be scared of if you die with me.”

  “No.” Shinobu spoke firmly, and peered into Kita’s relaxed face, her brow furrowed. Kita smiled benignly at her, with the air of having already severed all ties with this world. She felt she’d seen this expression somewhere before. Yes that was it – it was just like the face of the dead Yutaka Ozaki.

  She got abruptly to her feet, and heaved a deep sigh. This was worrying, really worrying. She really did feel the urge to die with him. What would happen if instead of convincing him not to kill himself, she was lured into the trap herself?

  Just past noon, Kita and Shinobu called a cab and left the hotel for the nearest town. They left their bags in the relatively deserted restaurant of the little hot springs town, and Kita made his fourth threatening phone call from the telephone box outside. It was not the boss but some other man who came on the line this time.

  “Have you got those three thousand Yukichi Fukuzawas ready now?”

  “Thirty million’s a big ask. We’ve got seventeen million. Wouldn’t this do?”

  “You’re tryin’ to talk me down?”

  “We’re just a small business. This is all we can manage. Shinobu’s a precious star, she supports our office. Send her back unharmed, we beg you. Her mother’s in hospital from the shock. We want to set her mind at rest as soon as possible. Come on, let’s compromise. Make it seventeen million.”

  “Shinobu’d be pretty sad if she knew you guys were tryin’ to beat down her price. If that’s what you want, I have a plan.”

  “Don’t hurt her please. Her fans all over Japan would be devastated.”

  “I’m loath to kill her myself. There’s heaps of others I’d rather kill than her. No, I was anticipating that you mightn’t come up with the ransom money, see, so I’ve got another plan. Shinobu’s had some experience providing ‘comfort’ to some pretty famous politicians and high level bureaucrats. I’ll get her to tell the story in public. Here, listen to what she’s got to say.”

  Kita beckoned Shinobu to the telephone box, and handed her the receiver. Watching Kita’s face, she began to talk in an unhappy voice.

  “Help me please! I don’t want to die yet! Don’t make him angry.”

  “Shinobu, have you spilled the beans about your relationship with those Congressmen?”

  “I had to. He had a knife to my face, and he ordered me to tell everything, so I talked about it all. He’s got it on tape, and he’s going to send it to the television stations!”

  “Shinobu, where are you right now?”

  “He’ll cut my ears off if I tell you.”

  “Goddamn the guy for causing all this trouble! Put him back on.”

  The man on the other end of the line clicked his tongue in vexation, then his voice turned intimidating as he said to Kita, “I’m onto you, buster. You’re the guy who paid a hundred thousand to have a drink with Shinobu that night. I recognize your goddamn stupid voice. You’ve made a big mistake, you bastard. I hope you know what you’ve let yourself in for.”

  Kita was strangely calm in the face of this exposure of his identity. He answered with the same calm tone he’d spoken with till now.

  “Congratulations. You uncovered me, you crook. I’m not Yukichi Fukuzawa after all. I’m Ono no Imoko,” he went on, giving the name of a famous bureaucrat in the court of ancient Japan.

  “Whaddaya mean, you’re Imoko? Hey Kita, don’t mess with us buster. You’ll be dead tomorrow.”

  “No, it’s the day after I’m going to die. If you want to kill me you’d better hurry.”

  “Don’t push your luck!”

  “Pay up that thirty million. Get those stupid Congressmen to foot some of it. That should bring it up to twenty-eight million or so. You can borrow the remaining couple of million from a loan shark.”

  “OK. We’ll get the full amount ready. Come and get it.”

  “There’s no time to go do that. Donate the lot to the International Red Cross for helping poor sick kids.”

  “What?”

  “The International Red Cross, you idiot. Donate thirty million to them in the name of Shinobu Yoimachi. I’ll check whether you’ve really done it or not.”

  “What crazy nonsense is this? Are you in your right mind?”

  “I’ll let the newspapers and television stations know. You don’t need to keep this thing a secret any longer.”

  Kita put down the receiver and left the telephone box in high spirits. Now this abduction was really getting into gear at last.

  Shinobu stared hard at him. She looked scared.

  “They’re going to pay the ransom. So I win the bet.” Kita smiled at her, but she still seemed dazed.

  They went back to the restaurant and ordered beer, grilled fish, and slices of raw devil’s tongue, while he plotted their next move. For some reason, Shinobu seemed displeased. She sat there with lips pursed, chin propped on hands, looking sulky.

  “You really hate losing the bet that much?” Kita said teasingly. But at this, her eyes filmed with tears. “What’s up? This is weird.”

  “Yeah, it sure is. Why do I have to get killed?”

  “What’re you talking about?” said Kita, grabbing her hand. “I’m not really going to kill you!”

  She squeezed his hand tight. “No, no, not you. They’re the ones who’ll kill me. I know exactly what they’re thinking,” she went on. “There’s no way they’re really going to pay that money. It won’t matter a damn to them if I die. They actually want you to kill me, Kita.”

  “But why?”

  “They want to shut me up, that’s why. They’ll be running round frantically working on the press right now, making sure that even if I spill the beans about the politicians it won’t get in the news. I know too much, see. It’s better if I’m out of the way. They’ll be bringing in the gangsters, who’ll finish me off and set it up so it looks like I’ve been killed by my abductor.”

  “Hmm, I wonder. Anyway, let’s do what we can. We can’t quit now in the middle of the job, after all. I’ve been a plain old Mr Nice Guy till now, you know. The only thing I was good at was sacrificing myself for others, just like my old man. I’ve only got two days more to live. The final gesture I want to make is to act completely willful in some way. It’s asking a lot to want to involve you in this too, but please stick with me just a bit longer Shinobu.”

  “I was the one who asked you to abduct me as a joke, but I never thought you’d throw yourself into it quite like this…”

  “You’ve gotta promise to keep it an absolute secret. Don’t ever tell anyone I did it for fun, will you. This was a forced abduction, right? It wasn’t a put-up job. Don’t tell the truth to a soul. Promise me.”

  Shinobu nodded, overwhelmed by the earnest tone of entreaty in Kita’s voice.

  “You won’t get killed, don’t worry. I’ve been planning how to make sure you’re safe ever since last night. Just leave things to me.”

  Shinobu nodded over and over, wiping her eyes with the napkin.

  “You’re on the stage, aren’t you?” said the old woman who brought them their plate of devil’s tongue. Her gaze shifted from Shinobu to Kita and back again. Maybe their conversation had the look or sound of a play to her.

  “Would there be a bank near here?” asked Kita.

  The old lady drew a map on the table with her finger. “You turn left at the second set of lights, there’s a pachinko parlour here,
and the bank’s right next door.” She added the observation that it was maybe not the best idea having the bank so close to the pachinko parlour.

  Kita needed to withdraw the getaway money, but before he did so he stepped into the phone box with the plan of giving the news-starved media the information about the abduction of a star. He dialled Information for the number that would put him onto the press section head of one of the television stations. Then he rang and left a message.

  “I’ve abducted Shinobu Yoimachi, and told her production company they have to donate the thirty million yen ransom money to the International Red Cross. Put this on your afternoon gossip show and the seven o’clock news. I’ll make a public announcement at three this afternoon.”

  The person on the other end was evidently a professional, trained to deal with whatever message came through in the same businesslike way. “An abduction, right?” he said perfectly coolly, repeating to check facts. “Shinobu Yoimachi, you say?” “Thirty million yen.” “Three pm.” Well the message seemed to have got through, at least.

  This was Kita’s plan. If he made the abduction public through the media, it would at any rate mean that those gangster businessmen wouldn’t so easily be able to shut Shinobu up. On the other hand, of course, it would make the abductor’s escape extremely difficult. For a start, the victim was a star known and loved in living rooms throughout the nation. If she was seized from the living room screens and seen walking about in the street, a patrol car would be onto her right away. Their only hope was to hole up somewhere where no one would see them. Kita had the vague idea of moving on to Niigata. He didn’t have any particular hiding place in mind, but he’d been there two years earlier, so he had a sense of the place. All he needed was not to get caught before Friday. On Friday he’d free Shinobu and let her loose on the media reporters. Then she could stand there live in front of the cameras and spill the beans about how she’d had to keep the wicked doings of the Congressmen a secret to save her own skin. This would then provide a chance for this star on the way out to leave her old identity behind and reinvent herself as the much-lauded heroine who pitted herself against social evils.