“Students these days haven’t got any guts. They should have a go at hitching themselves to a princess. So the people you go out with are girlfriends?”
“Well, yeah. College friends and stuff.”
“When you go out, you get in touch with them first, I presume?”
“Yeah. But sometimes I just go out on a whim. If I try the places where I’m a regular, I usually recognize a face or two.”
For a little young lady of twenty to claim “regular” status was saucy. But now I could attach an explanation to her sneaking out at night.
“By the way,” I said, turning my eyes to her bag again, “do you have your cellphone with you?”
“I left it. Because it’s a bother.”
“A bother?”
“Because if they found out I was missing, they’d call me. If it kept going off, it’d be annoying. If I’d have to turn it off anyway, there’d be no point in having it. If I wanted to make a call, I could just use a public phone anyway.”
“I like your logical thinking,” I approved, nodding a few times. It wasn’t flattery. “But because of that, there’s one problem. If you left without your cellphone, the police would probably have doubts.”
“Wouldn’t they simply think I forgot it?”
“Would young women nowadays ever forget their phone when they go out? Maybe even their wallets, but their phones? The detectives would find it odd. Our question is how to clear that.”
“Everyone forgets their phone once in a while, when they’re in a hurry.”
“Then why were you in a hurry? You didn’t even have a promise to meet someone.”
“Because I wouldn’t make the last train?”
I snorted. “You, who took a cab from near your house? But the idea that you ‘wouldn’t make it’ isn’t bad.” I tapped the notepad twice with my pen. “You said you have several places you frequent. Are there any that close at midnight among those?”
Juri gave this some thought, biting lightly on the nail of her thumb, before her lips parted. “Shibuya’s ‘Doubt’ might.”
“Okay, then let’s go with that. Chiharu bitching about the cosmetic cream pissed you off. You decided to fix your mood by going to Doubt. But if you didn’t hurry, it’d close. You were in a rush and forgot your phone. Anything seem unnatural so far?”
“Nope,” she answered, without giving it any deep consideration.
I wasn’t relying on her judgment to begin with. “Next is when and where the culprit kidnapped you.”
This was the big problem. If we bumbled here, the plan would be ruined.
I ran a simulation in my mind. I was the perp trying to abduct a Katsuragi girl. Where would I ambush her and get away without being seen?
“It seems like only one place would offer a chance. After you snuck out of the mansion, you went out to the road and hailed a taxi. If someone were kidnapping you, it’d happen before you got out to the road. The street was dark, and there weren’t any passersby at that hour. They could only abduct you then.”
“By abduct, you mean I’d have been taken by force?”
“In an instant, before you even had the time to scream.” At that point I closed my eyes and pictured the scene. The high-end residential area of Denenchofu. Juri walking on her own. The kidnapper approaching her from behind in a car. Slowly. When they passed her, they would stop. Opening the back door, a man would quickly disembark.
“There would have to be at least two,” I said with my eyes still shut. “The driver, and another guy on standby in the backseat. Getting out of the car, the latter would put a handkerchief over your mouth as you stood frozen in surprise. That handkerchief would have the standard chloroform on it—” I shook my head. “Chloroform is so clichéd. Ether, then. It’s used for inhaled anesthesia. The kidnapper has medical knowledge and knows how to handle it.”
“Does it matter which? It’s stuff the police can’t look into anyway.”
I opened my eyes and showed her a frown. “It has to do with my constructing an image. I have to figure out the details of the crime and work out the culprits’ characters as well.”
“Do you really need to go that far?” Juri mocked me.
“Staged kidnappings fall apart because the perps haven’t imagined how it would go if it weren’t staged. They end up acting in weird ways that seem all but staged and give themselves away. Why do you think I was prying into what you were up to before you ran away?”
I wasn’t sure if Juri took my point, but she mutely raised and lowered her shoulders.
I decided to go on. “The kidnappers who knocked you out with the ether make a quick getaway in the car. Their destination is a hideout they secured in advance. There they have enough food and an assortment of daily necessities. Naturally, they have a phone line, plus a computer. They also have a TV set. They can stay holed up for days with you in captivity.”
“And the location of the hideout?”
“That’s pretty important. We can’t choose carelessly. We have to think about where their hideout would be alongside coming up with the perps’ personalities.”
“If it’s all the same, make them cool.”
“Unless it’s necessary, we won’t. For instance, one of their traits would be that they’re incredibly cautious and tenacious, but at the same time, when they do act, they’re swift and bold.”
“Huh, is that right.”
“Think about it. Given the abduction method, the perps somehow learned that the Katsuragi girls occasionally slipped out of the house, and kept lookout on the estate waiting for a chance. They wouldn’t do that if they weren’t cautious and tenacious. At the same time, when the chance did arise, they didn’t hesitate. That means they also have the power to act.”
“I see.” Juri gave a slight nod and looked at me with upturned eyes. “Can I ask one thing?”
“What is it?”
“Am I all tied up at the hideout?”
“I’m trying to decide if you would be or if you’re just being held there. What about it?”
“Um…” She licked her lips and said, “Do I get raped there?”
5
To Mr. Katsutoshi Katsuragi,
We have your dear daughter. If you would like her returned safely to you, then abide by our demands. First, prepare hundred million yen in cash.
This goes without saying, but do not contact third parties or the police. If you do not uphold this, the deal is off.
Note that we have not done your daughter physical harm, but depending on her attitude, there are limits to our chivalry. We believe a quick decision would be best for both of us.
I swiveled my chair a half-turn toward Juri. “So, how much should we make the ransom?”
After having peered at the computer screen, she had sat back down on the bed. “I take it you’re going to make it over one hundred million yen?”
I smiled. “Why not? Who do you think got kidnapped? The daughter of world-renowned Nissei Automobile’s executive vice president. We can’t demand less than a hundred million, that’d be chump change.”
“I wonder if they would pay that much. For a child by a mistress.”
“The kidnappers wouldn’t know that.”
I swiveled back my chair and rested my hands on the keyboard. In the empty blank of [hundred million yen] I typed the number [3].
“Three hundred million yen? Why?” Juri asked.
“No particular basis. If I must say, to throw them off.” I reached for my can of beer. “It might have the effect of making them wonder if the kidnappers are a trio. These days, three hundred million yen perhaps isn’t a whole lot, but if we made it ten or twenty, even your father wouldn’t be able to gather that much right away.”
“So…three hundred million yen. If we split it, that’s one-point-five hundred million yen each.”
“I’m okay with just a tenth. Thirty million yen. The one who needs money is you.”
“You don’t need money?”
“I do. But t
he goal of this game isn’t just that.”
I operated the mouse. A colorful 3D image appeared on the screen. On the top was a title. It said “AUTOMOBILE PARK.”
“What is that?”
“The fruits of months of labor. If some blockhead nutcase hadn’t interfered, this dream of a world would have become reality.”
I clicked with the mouse. A digital gate opened, revealing a world of automobiles. If you continued to the right, you could see the invention’s early days. From cars that used steam engines, to classics, an assortment of gems that would make an aficionado drool.
“It’s like a museum.”
“It’s not just a museum. Those places always have warnings, don’t they. Patrons, please do not touch the exhibits. But at this automobile park, there are no tasteless warning signs. On the contrary, the patrons can test-drive all the cars. From ones that require you to hand-crank the engines to Toyota 2000 GTs and F1s, you can ride anything. Even without a license.”
“How?”
“Each area has several simulators. With them, you can virtually experience riding any car you wish. In a nutshell, it’s like an arcade driving game. Even the scenery changes by make and model. Say, for the Toyota 2000 GT, it’s set up so you feel like you’re driving around in the good old Showa era.”
“Huh, sounds fun.” Juri seemed genuinely impressed. If only her father had been as simple.
“Coming into contact with the history of automobiles, the patrons gradually approach our own times. Past that area, you enter a speculative future auto world, but there’s a special corner right before it. Frankly, that’s the centerpiece. Nissei Automobile’s new car is concealed in this corner. The simulator installed here lets you experience riding in the new model before anyone else. The simulator here’s amazing. Unlike the toys in the other areas, it’s the real deal brought in from Nissei’s R&D department. Patrons will be able to verify the new car’s performance as if they were actually driving it. Its image video and music would play at the same time, even as technical advisers rapid-fire its advantages. By the time you’ve left this special corner, pamphlet in hand, you’re wondering how you might take out that loan.”
I’d been speaking breathlessly, but noticing how Juri was staring at my face, I stopped. Then I sighed and switched the screen back to the ransom letter.
“I’ll say this again, but if it weren’t for that cranky old man of yours, everything I just talked about would be reality. Nissei Automobile’s new car would have been a marketing success, and Cyberplan’s stock would’ve risen. It would have made everyone happy.”
“So basically you’re causing an abduction ruckus out of spite because your plan was chopped?”
“If you’re interpreting it as revenge, that’s unfortunate. I told you from the start, didn’t I? This is a game. I’ve challenged your geek of a father to a match. It’s to find out once and for all who is the master.”
“But Papa doesn’t know it’s a game. Isn’t that unfair?”
“Uh-uh. Katsutoshi Katsuragi wouldn’t leave this up to the police. He’s bound to scheme and strategize in his own way. Of course he won’t know that I’m his opponent, but make no mistake, he’ll play. The real battle begins then.”
I reread the ransom letter on the screen.
I’d considered various phrasings for the last bit that went [we have not done your daughter physical harm], set off by Juri’s question about whether she’d be raped by the perps.
Having trapped an attractive girl of her age in a room, the kidnappers would no doubt be visited by uncouth desires. According to my setup, the kidnappers were two men. Perhaps it made better sense for one or both of them to rape the hostage if only to crush her will to flee.
But I couldn’t get myself to go along with a scenario where the kidnappers violated Juri. Of course, actually doing so wasn’t an option. I didn’t have any interest in that. But in that case, she would have to lie. Once it was over—assuming our crime was successful, of course—the police would ask her about every little thing. Did the kidnappers lay a hand on you? In short, they would be sure to inquire if they’d had their way with her. What would be the best reply for her? How did hostages who were actually treated in such a way respond? This was the hard part. If she didn’t give a straight answer, wore a bitter expression, and teared up, the detectives might infer what had happened. But the issue was whether Juri could act. I decided I couldn’t expect that. It wouldn’t do to underestimate the investigators’ insight.
The kidnappers did not commit rape—that was the conclusion I reached. Then why had they thought better of it? Abstaining of their own accord wasn’t exactly persuasive. The idea I came up with was almost contrived.
The kidnappers were a team of two, and one was a woman. They were lovers or even married. When they kidnapped Juri, the woman was driving. With this setup, even if the woman wasn’t watching, the man would be highly unlikely to go after Juri.
The words “we have not done your daughter physical harm” were meant to imply rape, but also the perps’ unwillingness to do such a thing. Finding out from Juri’s mouth afterwards that one of the kidnappers was a woman, the detectives would slap their knees.
“Now, the next question is how to send the ransom letter.” I folded my arms and leaned back in my chair. “Do you know your father’s email?”
“I don’t,” Juri readily admitted with a shake of her head.
“What about his cellphone number?”
She showed me her outspread palms in reply.
“You don’t know anything, huh?”
“Well, go to Shibuya and ask girls around my age. Ask if they remember their dad’s email or cellphone number. If you ask ten girls and even one of them answers yes, then I’ll kiss your feet.”
“I don’t particularly want you to kiss my feet.”
Maybe that’s true, though, I thought. As it was, recording people’s numbers and such in our phones was making us remember the info less and less. That was true even for me. What’s more, she probably rarely called her father.
It wasn’t like I didn’t have the means to look up Katsutoshi Katsuragi’s email and phone number. Asking someone at the company was all it took. However, I’d have to give my name.
“You can’t just call?” Juri asked. “In kidnapping dramas and stuff, don’t the kidnappers usually call?”
“If we do that, then we take on a huge risk. Being traced is out of the question, but the kidnapper’s voice, voice print, speech pattern, the background noise, all of that is of value to police and gives them an upper hand. If we make a blunder like that from the start, a perfect crime is a dream of a dream.”
“But it’s the first call. I don’t think the police are on this yet. Our home phone doesn’t even have voicemail.”
“Twenty hours have passed since you left home. We have to assume that they’ve contacted the police. Police take all possibilities into account. If this were a normal home, they might leave it alone, but the person who disappeared is Katsutoshi Katsuragi’s daughter. They must be considering the abduction scenario, and several investigators are probably waiting for the perp to call.”
“I wonder if they would do all that,” Juri said, tilting her head.
“Maybe they haven’t, but maybe they have. I’m no optimist, so I don’t make bets on fifty-fifty chances.” I looked at the computer screen. I had thought I could send the ransom letter by email, but that seemed to be out. “You have a fax, I’m sure?”
“We do. In Papa’s study. Are you faxing it?”
“That seems least likely to give our opponents a clue. Okay, next is how we get their reply. Any ideas?”
I asked Juri without expecting her to come up with a decent plan, but she started thinking with a serious look on her face.
“It seems like you were going to send the ransom letter by email at first, but what address were you planning on using? You weren’t thinking of using the one you normally use.”
“Of course not
. No fool would be honest enough to provide his name and address to send a ransom letter. I can make the receiver’s software show a fake address, but just in case, I was going to prepare a new address.”
“An address that won’t give you away?”
“Right. There are two options I’m considering. One is a free email service.” On Hotmail, for instance, I could acquire an account without a clear identity or address. Even the police had no chance of figuring out who I was from such an account.
“And the other option?”
I pointed at Juri’s chest. “Using your address.”
“Mine?”
“You use email too, don’t you?”
“I remember the address, but I forgot the password.”
“In that case, let’s make a new one. You said you have a credit card, right? As long as you do, you can sign up right away.”
“Huh.” Juri looked pensive for some reason. “One correction.”
“What’s that?”
“I was lying about having a card. I just have some pocket money, that’s all.”
“I suspected as much. Why did you lie?”
“I didn’t want to show you a chink in my armor. If I told you I didn’t have money, I’d be showing a weakness.”
I glared at her face as Juri confessed this shamelessly, but she was unperturbed. “If that’s the case, then we only have one option. I guess we’ll use a free email service.”
“You’re getting an account at one of those?”
“What about it?”
“Well, you can provide that address on the ransom letter and tell them to email their reply when you fax them.”
“That’s one way.” I felt like cutting the girl some slack. She was pretty sharp.
“But we can’t do that?”
“It’s not bad, but it’s not fun. I don’t feel like communicating with my opponent by email. Even if we do get an account, we’d use it just once. We’d obtain another one to send a new email. In short, if the opponent tried to email us, we wouldn’t see it.”
“How cautious of you.”
“Naturally. What do you think we’re up to here?”
The Name of the Game Is a Kidnapping Page 6
