“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?”
Chapter 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 the 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.”