Кэйго Хигасино - The Name of the Game is a Kidnapping

Sorry for bitching so early in the day.

Juri’s hair when she got out of the bathroom was a dark maroon. It seemed a little brighter than her original color, but it was better than the earlier blond.

“That looks better on you,” I said. “Blond hair doesn’t suit Japanese people.”

“Adults all say that.”

“Aren’t you an adult?”

“I mean older men.”

“When I see Japanese people with flat faces and blond hair, I’m embarrassed for them. It’s like they’re showing off a Western complex.” Seeing she was becoming angry, I added, “I’m talking about young people in general. I wasn’t saying your face is flat. Of course, it’s not carved as deeply as a Caucasian’s.”

Maybe thanks to the last unnecessary bit, she brusquely sat down on the sofa looking no less peeved. “So did you think of a good method?”

“I’m thinking.”

“You’re still thinking? We only have twenty-four hours now.” She looked at the clock and shook her head. “Since that post was written at six in the morning, if we have until tomorrow at six that’s seventeen hours.”

“There’s no need to dwell on that.”

“But if he isn’t contacted by then, he says he’ll go to the police...”

I raised one hand to stop her from talking and then picked up the stereo remote. When I started the CD, it was midway through The Phantom of the Opera . I loved the musical and had seen it several times. It was the story of a sad man who covered his hideous figure with a mask to become something more than human.

It isn’t just him who’s wearing a mask — that was my impression every time.

I just might have to go to you-know-whom . What did that mean? Did it mean he would contact the police? Ridiculous — as in, he hadn’t contacted them yet? If he thought a threat like that would work, then he wasn’t taking the kidnappers seriously.

And yet I couldn’t be entirely sure. According to my own Hakozaki Junction operation, the police weren’t involved.

Maybe Katsutoshi Katsuragi really hadn’t gone to the police yet.

I shook my head. There was no way. It was a trap. They were giving us the illusion that the police weren’t on the case just so we’d act recklessly.

“You should have gotten it yesterday while he was doing that,” Juri said.

“Doing what?”

“Driving in circles in Hakozaki. You saw that he didn’t have a police tail. So we could have just had him leave his car there. Once Papa left, we could have moved the money from the car or even driven away in it.”

“How stupid. The police would have followed us immediately.”

“Where were they? There weren’t any.”

“It’s not that there weren’t any. They had to have been watching the Mercedes from somewhere.”

I thought they might have been standing by at various interchanges on the Metropolitan Expressway. I also needed to assume that they’d listened in on our exchanges with Katsutoshi Katsuragi.

“Say we told them to bring the ransom to a designated place,” I said. “We could tell the person who’d brought the cash to leave immediately. But if we nonchalantly went to get the ransom, we’d get caught no matter what. Do you know why?”

“Because the police are watching.”

“Right. The detectives would have their eyes peeled waiting for the culprit to appear. They say that’s the best moment to nab a kidnapper. Then I’ll ask this: how do the police know about the place?”

“That’s obvious. It’s because the hostage’s parents or someone tells them.”

“Exactly. In other words, not telling them the exchange location until the last minute is only prudent. But if you don’t tell them anything, the person who’s transporting the cash doesn’t know where to go. It’s a difficult tradeoff.”

“So you indicate the general location. Then, once they get close, you tell them the exact spot.”

“You say it like it’s easy, but that usually doesn’t go well. You should assume that the police’s network will react quickly. It’s not even a matter of minutes. You have to carry the thing out in seconds.”

“And you’re thinking how.”

“Well, yeah. It’s taking shape, though. I’m glad I took my studies seriously.”

“Your studies?”

“You’ll see.”

I booted the computer and, after massaging my fingers, wrote the following text:

Dear Katsutoshi Katsuragi,

Due to an unexpected development yesterday, we were forced to suspend plans. The unexpected development was the involvement of the police. While we observed, we felt their presence. While it is unclear whether or not we were right, if you did contact the authorities, and if some sort of investigation has been opened, that is extremely regrettable. We would need to drop this deal immediately. Juri Katsuragi would never be able to return to you.

We will warn you once more. Do not have the police intervene. If in the next transaction, we feel they have, we will withdraw without hesitation. We will not contact you. And there will be no exchange after that.

In other words, for both of us, this is the last chance. Now we will give you several instructions. We do not want to meet further unexpected difficulties.

• Fit the three hundred million yen ransom into as small of a bag as possible. We would think a suitcase would be reasonable. You do not need to lock it with a key, but wrap the bills in a black plastic bag so that the contents are not distinguishable by just opening the top. You may by no means deposit a transmitter. If there is evidence of one, we will consider that a breach of our agreement. We have prepared a means of checking for a transmitter.

• Prepare a notepad, writing utensils, and cellophane tape.

• The transporter this time is your wife. The transport vehicle will be your wife’s BMW. Like with the ransom, you may not have a transmitter on your wife or the car. If we detect any, the deal will be off.

• Prepare a cellphone for your wife. Provide the number on the usual website.

Our next contact will come within twenty-four hours. Be on standby.

After reading it four times over, I used an account made with a fictitious name and sent it. Now, there really was no turning back.

“Do you have a way of checking for a transmitter?” Juri asked.

“There are several methods. A metal detector would work, or even a radio wave detector.”

“But then, you can’t use those until you have the ransom in hand.”

I smirked. “True.”

“Then why give out those instructions? Isn’t it pointless?”

“It’ll be somewhat of a deterrence. You could call it a threat. They have no idea what methods we’ll resort to, so they have to heed our warning.”

“Are you sure they will?” Juri tilted her head.

“I think the ransom itself will probably not have a transmitter. Even if the exchange is successful, it could anger the culprit, which they don’t want. If they do plant a transmitter, it’ll be on the transporter or the car.”

“So... on Mama or the BMW.”

“Because of that, we need to first prepare a countermeasure. Of course, I’ve thought of one.”

“Tell me.”

“You have something to look forward to.”

“That again?” Juri made a tired look and frowned. “Can you stop acting so smug? It’s really off-putting. Don’t you see me as a partner?”

“You’re my only and best partner. Without you this next plan definitely won’t be successful. Or rather, it won’t be feasible. In a way, you’ll have to hustle more than me.”

My assurance of sorts seemed to improve her mood a bit. Her large eyes started glittering. At the same time, that light was colored with tension.