Besides, this was no ordinary transport task of carrying jewelry from the main office to a branch store. According to Shīno, a first time customer came in earlier this evening. That customer entrusted some goods to Shīno. When Shīno examined them, he suspected they might be stolen goods. Since he didn’t think it was right for him to hold onto them, Shīno decided to take them to the police for safekeeping.
✦ ✦ ✦
Just five more minutes. Although thinking of the twenty billion yen was a lot of pressure, Kazutaka told himself that it was all right since he was doing this for his friend.
✦ ✦ ✦
Kazutaka thought it was just about time to have reached the destination when the car stopped. He waited for three minutes, but the car didn’t start moving again. It was too long to be stopped for a light.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Excuse me, are we there yet?” Kazutaka asked through the intercom. But there was no reply.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Ah, hello? Are we at police headquarters?” he asked as the cargo door opened. “Oh, just as I thought. We’re here, aren’t we?” Kazutaka paused in shock.
✦ ✦ ✦
The man who opened the door was not in a security company uniform. He was dressed all in black. Even his head was covered by a bag-like mask over his head. The only thing Kazutaka could see was the man’s eyes. Two others were with the man, also clad completely in black. They quickly entered the cargo space.
✦ ✦ ✦
Hey, wait a minute. Déjà vu, I've seen something like this before. Yeah, that’s right. It was in a movie I saw the other day. Kazutaka barely had time to complete that thought before he felt an acute pain in his eyes and heard a sharp swoosh.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Whoa! What the...?”
✦ ✦ ✦
His capacity to think clearly was gone in an instant. Kazutaka pressed his hands over his eyes but they were peeled off from his face by a strong force. The next thing Kazutaka knew, he was blindfolded and some kind of cloth was stuffed into his mouth. "Stop it! What are you doing to me?" Kazutaka tried to scream at his attackers but it came out as grunts. "Ugfh. Ahhh, hmm!"
✦ ✦ ✦
As if to fill the void of his shattered thoughts, panic kicked in. Kazutaka had no idea what was going on. He didn’t know what was happening to him. He was utterly helpless. Someone held his legs and wrapped something around them so that he couldn’t move his legs. Next were his arms. Both arms were then tied together over his chest so that Kazutaka also lost control of them. Then he heard a big thud. He knew what that was. Then the attaché case was set on Kazutaka’s stomach. All of a sudden, it dawned on him. The jewelry was being stolen, with him attached.
✦ ✦ ✦
Nooo! He screamed loudly within his own mind.
✦ ✦ ✦
Kazutaka knew he wasn’t worth that much even if they did decide to try to sell him into slavery. But the attaché case, which was connected to him by handcuffs, contained twenty billion yen worth of jewelry. His panic peaked.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Bring him out,” Kazutaka heard a man say. He was grasped under his armpits then felt his arms and legs being pulled. Kazutaka felt sharp, shooting pains as his joints protested being yanked out of their sockets. He then suddenly felt light headed along with a strange sense of floating. He felt as if the world had gone upside down. “Ughhh, hmm, ahhh!” Stop! Let me go! A series of loud muffled grunts were all that came out of his mouth as he tried to beg for them to cease his torment.
✦ ✦ ✦
This was not something that should happen to a decent, upstanding, middle school teacher. Kazutaka wanted to fight back but he couldn’t move his arms or legs. Abruptly, his body was laid on something soft and cushiony. Kazutaka heard several footsteps and the sound of a few vehicle doors slamming shut. Then it felt as though his entire body was being pushed towards his legs. He decided that the vehicle must have started moving. He knew he most likely had been moved into a different vehicle.
✦ ✦ ✦
He thought of Shīno. What would he do when he got to the police station and found out that Kazutaka wasn't there? Shīno would look for him, but the police themselves would not move all that quickly. They would likely spend unbelievably long hours asking question after questions doing an interrogation before finally deciding, "It’ a big hassle but we’d better do something about it. Citizens will complain otherwise." Kazutaka was certain of this from his previous experiences with local police when his middle schoolers caused trouble.
✦ ✦ ✦
Shīno, please. Start looking for me right away. Your twenty billion yen is here. More importantly, I’m right here, Shīno, Kazutaka wanted to pray aloud, but being rendered incapable of speaking or moving in any way meant he was left to just thinking. He just hoped that his prayers would be heard anyway.
✦ ✦ ✦
He felt his heart begin to race. His whole body felt hot and he could feel sweat begin to pour off of himself. Just as suddenly, Kazutaka felt something cool and soothing on his forehead and he heard a man speak into his ear.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Don’t worry. We won’t harm you.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Huh? That voice sounded rather gentle and even a bit kind. No, these are my enemies!
✦ ✦ ✦
"Ugh, humph!" This was no time to be admiring the tone of one of his attackers' voices. Frustrated, Kazutaka shook his head to escape from something cold pressing against his forehead. That something touched his forehead again. It was pressed upon Kazutaka’s forehead softly in a way meant to calm him. That mystery object was probably a hand. The gentle voice whispered again.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Once we take out what’s inside the attaché case, we’ll let you go. Please cooperate. You can’t escape anyway. Understand?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Agh?” Kazutaka wanted to ask who it was. He stopped squirming, and then he felt his head being caressed. “Please be quiet. We’ll drive like this for a little while.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Ugh...”
✦ ✦ ✦
“That’s it. Good boy.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Hey, I’m not a dog. I’m 27 years old. What do you mean, “Good boy?” Kazutaka protested inwardly.
✦ ✦ ✦
“The spray we used earlier, those were only eye drops. So your eyes will be fine. Did it smart a little? That's because we used a stinging type, but don’t worry, it’s totally harmless. Sorry if we alarmed you.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Oh yes. I was alarmed alright, Kazutaka admitted.
✦ ✦ ✦
Kazutaka turned toward where the voice was coming from. He heard breathy chuckles.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Look. He's listening to me. Maybe we can free his arms as long as he stays calm.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“No way, chief," another low voice spoke from a short distance away. Then Kazutaka heard someone approaching, followed by a clicking noise. It sounded like metal rubbing against metal.
✦ ✦ ✦
The gentle voiced man whispered, “He’s awfully young. Why did Shīno pick such a young clerk to transport such valuable goods?”
✦ ✦ ✦
I’m not a clerk, Kazutaka wanted to tell them, but it was impossible.
✦ ✦ ✦
“There will be a loud noise from metal being cut. Be patient, okay? Oh, also...don’t move your head or arm. That would be dangerous.” The owner of the gentle voice patted Kazutaka’s arm soothingly as he whispered. Kazutaka then heard a rustling sound and something soft was spread over his body.
✦ ✦ ✦
Ah ha. They were severing the metal chain, separating the handcuffs from the attaché case. They placed a blanket over him to prevent him getting hurt by flying metal bits and pieces.
✦ ✦ ✦
These thieves are very thoughtful. Hum? Wait a minute, Kazutaka thought. Why am I impressed by how thoughtful they are?
✦ ✦ ✦
Shortly after, someone held Kazutaka’s arm down.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Go for it.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Immediately, a loud noise started. Kazutaka felt vibrations on his wrist. They were trying to cut the handcuff chain. The noise continued for about 30 seconds and then abruptly stopped.
✦ ✦ ✦
“This isn't working, looks like they used some kind of special metal.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Doesn’t work? Not even a bit?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“No. Look here. You see? The chain barely has a scratch but the blade on our metal cutter is completely worn down. It’s gotta be a chrome alloy or something.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Can we cut into the attaché case then?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“We might damage what’s inside.”
✦ ✦ ✦
There was a moment of silence.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Hmm. What should we do? We'd planned to just take the attaché case and release the clerk. Stealing isn’t such a big deal. We know how to get away with it, but if we take the clerk with us, that’s kidnapping,” the low voiced man responded.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Well, we’ll just have to take him if we can’t cut the chain.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Todo-san, can’t you open the attaché case?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“There’s no key hole.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“No key hole? Um, right.”
✦ ✦ ✦
If Kazutaka could have spoken he would have told them that it was because the attaché case had been locked by remote control. Ordinary keys wouldn’t open it. “Look here, chief. There are four sensors right where the case opens. There must be multiple locks inside the case controlled by a remote control.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Like the doors on cars?”