“Shīno, what was the real reason you asked me to carry the attaché case? Can you tell me?”
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Shīno got up and walked toward the windows. He then set up the coffee maker and turned on its switch. The aroma of coffee filled the reception room. There was low music on in the background. The background music of the store was always classical music, which was Shīno’s favorite genre. They were in the room which Shīno normally used for important business meetings or consultation with his clients. But today, Kazutaka and Shīno were alone in the room. In fact, Shīno had told one of his clerks “not to put any phone calls through” before they'd entered it.
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Shīno poured some coffee and set the cup in front of Kazutaka. Then Shīno sat down opposite him.
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“Did they explain things to you while you were in captivity?”
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“They told me about the contents of the attaché case.”
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“So, you saw the kidnappers then. What were they like?”
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“They were professional thieves.”
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“Wasn’t it Bud West and his group?”
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Kazutaka bit his tongue. Shīno snickered a little and muttered, “On the mark, huh?”
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“Yui, I’m not going to ask you how you stayed safe even after being kidnapped or why you didn’t bring back the attaché case. I knew that Bud West was gathering information on his website and monitoring my jewelry store. So I suspected Bud West would come after the jewels. All of them could have been arrested. I’m not going to report the whole thing to the police or anything because you’ve come back safely. You should thank me for that.”
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“Why should I thank you?”
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“It looks like you made friends with them.”
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Kazutaka clamped his lips shut. It was true that he made friends with the group of thieves, but Shīno’s argument sounded illogical and absurd.
✦ ✦ ✦
“You knew what was going to happen. Yet you still put me in the transport, Shīno. That wasn’t cool. I even thought that we couldn’t stay friends anymore.”
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Shīno looked down and remained silent for a while. Then he nodded and said that he understood.
✦ ✦ ✦
“I couldn’t think of any other way. Multiple theft rings had their eyes on the Teardrop of the Nile. I just assumed and hoped that Bud would get to it first because he is known for moving quickly and being very thorough.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Shīno didn’t want the jewelry stolen by just anyone.
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It was a world-renowned transporter who'd brought in the Teardrop of the Nile. Whether it was genuine or not didn’t matter. Since Shīno took the order, he simply wanted to get the job done properly.
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If anyone else had done the transport job, whether it was Shīno, a clerk, or a professional courier, they would have gone through exactly what Kazutaka had.
✦ ✦ ✦
“I don’t think what you did was right, Shīno. You know, getting involved in transportation of stolen goods. When you've got risky items, you should choose another way other than asking me to carry them. You should have asked the police to come and get them or just turned down the job.”
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“It’s not a matter of right or wrong... That’s not the point, Yui.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“What is the point then?”
✦ ✦ ✦
Shīno leaned forward and began his explanation.
✦ ✦ ✦
“I didn’t believe the museum’s announcement from the start. The Teardrop of the Nile was stolen on its way from America to England. The real stuff must be in the safe deposit vault of a bank, at the residence of a wealthy individual, or in someone’s luggage.”
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“Bud and his team believed it must be at the museum.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“If that was true, Bud would post it on his own site. Even Bud doesn’t know exactly where it is. He hopes, more than anyone else, that the Teardrop of the Nile will be returned intact without being disassembled into smaller pieces. I don’t know what you think, but I feel the same way as Bud.”
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“You wish to return the Teardrop of the Nile to its rightful owner?”
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“Of course.”
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Shīno held his coffee cup and started laughing.
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“But I want to be the one who returns it. I don’t want Bud to get that honor.”
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“They told me that you charge excessive commissions as a resale agent.”
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“Do you think you can stop people from stealing? We can’t, right? Someone steals something and brings it to someone else. With an important piece like the Teardrop of the Nile, the best we can hope is that the jewelry will end up in the hands of someone who will keep it in its original state. Thieves can’t purchase insurance on their loot. I don’t think I did anything wrong.”
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“Don’t you feel responsible for getting me involved in this whole mess? And the taunting log on the message board that said, ‘I wonder if it’s true. :-D’. I was really irritated by that.”
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“I didn’t write that one.”
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“Liar. Who else could it be? Besides, what you had was a replica, too, right?”
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“Yup. I’ve failed in finding the Teardrop of the Nile and lost credibility in the industry. I’ve also lost a friend. I’ve lost everything. Please don’t nag me anymore.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Let me tell you something, Shīno.”
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“Don’t tell me that you’ll forgive if I apologize. Not even a word of it. You've always been accepting and understanding. I’ve always hated that about you.”
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“If that’s how you always felt, then you haven’t lost a friend, have you? You are contradicting yourself, Shīno.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Just then, the cell phone in Kazutaka’s chest pocket rang. It was his ring tone indicating a message had been received.
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“Ah, I’ve got a message. Excuse me.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Kazutaka took out his cell phone. He tilted his head as he checked the display. It was signed as BW, probably an e-mail was from Bud West. It was strange to receive a message from Bud because Kazutaka hadn’t given him his email address. When Kazutaka read the body of text, he got even more bewildered.
✦ ✦ ✦
The only text in the body was “300,000,000.” The photo was attached; it was a picture of Shīno holding a square shaped case in the lobby of some glass-paneled building. Based on the background, it certainly looked like a bank.
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“Shīno...”
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“What?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Did you bring the ransom money when you went to Narita?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“What ransom money?”
✦ ✦ ✦
Deadpan, Shīno crossed his arms defiantly.
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“How much did you withdraw from the bank, Shīno?”
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“I said I didn’t bring any ransom money, stupid.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“It looks like Bud has discovered where you withdrew the money from. He sent me a picture of you at the bank. Here, you see?”
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“A guy told me to bring some money. He said he would send me your cut off hand otherwise. I knew Bud would never do such a thing. If you had been kidnapped by someone else, I thought the best solution would be for Bud to come after you. That’s why I put the message on the board!”
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Kazutaka started laughing. Shīno slammed the table in chagrin.
✦ ✦ ✦
After all, the log on the message board had been written by Shīno. He'd worried about Kazutaka and decided to have Bud track him down. Shīno is really twisted, Kazutaka thought looking at the picture again.
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Ken, the lookout, must have taken the picture. Kazutaka hadn’t met him but Fuwa had contacted Ken several times. When Shīno left home for Narita, Ken must have followed him and saw Shīno stop at the bank. But Ken didn’t know about the prank phone call Ren made demanding ransom money, so Ken hadn’t thought it necessary to report it to his teammates. After Kazutaka parted from Fuwa, he must have found out that Shīno withdrew three hundred million yen from the bank. Yet the message came from Bud, which meant Fuwa and Bud were probably together now.
✦ ✦ ✦
Shīno looked irritated. Bringing the coffee pot, he looked into Kazutaka’s cup. He complained that Kazutaka hadn’t drunk any of his coffee and poured himself a second cup.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Anyways, I knew Bud wanted the Teardrop of the Nile badly. When there is a high-profile jewel out there, Bud gets obsessed. And when Bud gets a hold of the jewelry, there’s a great chance it will be eventually returned to a museum. He refrains from accepting rewards, always acting like a hero. Also, Bud only gets involved in jobs where people aren’t able to establish a criminal case in court.”
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“You don’t like Bud, do you?”
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“I hate him.”
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“How come?”
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“It was five years ago, when my father was still alive. A famous stolen jewelry piece called the ‘Great Legend’ was brought in. My father had one of his employees transport it, and Bud intercepted it. Within three days, that employee was persuaded by Bud to join his team and never came back to work at our store. He was a very skilled appraiser. My father not only lost the jewelry but also a veteran appraiser to add insult to injury. I vowed to myself that I’d never allow Bud to trick me.”
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“Your father lost his appraiser, huh? Sorry to hear that.”
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“You’ve met Bud, haven’t you? Did he leave a deep and unforgettable impression on you? Was he really charismatic?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Not really. He teaches at an English school near a train station. And, in reality, he is a struggling sculptor. Bud looked exactly like that. Not that charismatic at all.”