“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.
“What am I going to do?”
“You’ll put on an act.” I looked into her eyes. “It’s a big role. A very big role.”
—
The next day, Monday, I got out of bed following my routine. Although that didn’t mean I had slept well. I was excited thinking about finally reaching the big act, and just as I thought I was dozing off, I’d suddenly wake, over and over again. My head was a little heavy.
I washed my face, and while I was doing my regular exercises, Juri called out from the bed.
“You’re already awake?”
She seemed not to have slept well, either. Her eyes were red.
“Because I’ve got to go to work.”
“Work? On a big day like this?”
“Because it’s a big day. I can’t do anything that’s different from usual. On the chance they become suspicious later, it would be really bad if I took the day off.”
“Do you think you’d be suspected?”
“That…” In my pushup position, I shook my head side to side. “…should be unlikely.”
“In that case—”
“It’s okay,” I said. “Today is a Monday, no different from any other. So I’ll head out like usual, go to meetings, and craft business proposals. I don’t want to ruin that rhythm just for a game.”
I couldn’t tell whether she understood what I was saying, but Juri fell silent.
During breakfast, we made our last arrangements. I would go to work, but the plan would be executed after I came home. I didn’t plan to do overtime today.
Tedious tasks awaited me when I got to the office. I had to attend a promo planning session for the idol talent. The strategy was to double her up with a game character, but it was something every company was doing and there was nothing novel about it. They had requested my opinion and when I said exactly that, the place was instantly subdued. The guy who was nudging the meeting along asked if I had any ideas, then.
“How about we gather several similar-looking girls,” I threw out an idea that happened to pop into my head. “If you brought girls who were about the same build and had the same facial features and put makeup on them, they’ll look even more like each other. Line up ten of them with the same face, but only one of them is real. Well, which? You don’t enlighten them for a while. I think it’d become a hot subject.”
It’d probably become a hot subject, but it wouldn’t help sell the idol, someone opined. It’d follow the pattern of a stunt and that’d be it.
I didn’t object. The man was right. But his thinking was wrong in that idols were just a stunt. However, I stayed silent because my views on such a job being accepted or not didn’t matter.
When afternoon came, I secretly checked the internet. On the CPT Owners Club bulletin board, there was a new post from “Julie.” The site’s actual visitors were perhaps growing mistrustful of this new frequent poster.
Finally (Julie)
Hello. I heard back from my contact. They say this time they want to close the deal. They put in a whole bunch of conditions, even though I’ve been telling them that as long as I get my hands on the car I want, anything is all right. So anal. They made me wait so long that the number I want has changed!
Now it’s 4XXX and 7XXX.
Aaah, I want to hurry up and sign already.
I noted the numbers written there. It was probably Katsuragi’s wife’s cellphone number. With this I had collected almost all the components.
When I cut my internet connection, I saw Kozuka approaching from the front. I switched the screen to a proposal.
“What’s up?” Kozuka asked with a forced smile. It was his tell that he had bad news.
“I’m doing reasonably well. I’m getting fired up about my new project.” I’d be happy if he heard it as sarcasm. I said it with that intent. Kozuka scratched his head.