“Captain!” Mayuka cried. “It’s the captain. Oh, we’re saved…”
Helen sighed and motioned toward Akane. The girl put Kotarou’s leash on the floor and headed for the door.
“Ms. Hasekura, we’ll be arriving at Vladivostok soon, so please prepare to disembark…”
The moment the captain stepped inside the cabin, Mayuka leaped toward him and said, “C-Captain, arrest them now! Mr. Soga was the one who stole the violin, and this woman is smuggling drugs…”
Hinata approached her from behind and squeezed her shoulder tightly. “Don’t bother, Mayuka. It’s no use telling him anything…”
“Why not?! He’s the captain! He’s the most powerful person on this ship!”
“Who do you think put down the record of us leaving? Who erased the drink order from the system? Why do you think Chris looked so proud about finding the captain’s bag?”
Oh… Mayuka slumped to the floor, defeated. Hinata crouched next to her, put his hands around her and Chris, and looked up at the captain.
“You were working with Helen from the very start. And you had your own private stash of drugs in your bag, didn’t you? When you thought we’d found you out, you pushed Mr. Kobayashi’s wheelchair into the pool, hoping to silence him, or at the very least send a message…”
The captain’s thick brows knitted together as he stared down at them. Then he looked toward Helen. She shrugged and spread her hands.
“You’re too soft, Captain. If you wanted to silence anyone, you should’ve gone for the boy and his dog, not the young man. Let this be a lesson to you and Mr. Soga on what happens when you coddle children. Of course, we’ve stopped them here, so all’s well that ends well. Tie them up. I’ll let you decide how to deal with them. Oh, and…don’t forget about the young man named Kobayashi.”
Minutes later, the children’s hands and feet were bound, and they’d been left in the upstairs bathroom of Helen’s cabin.
“What’ll we do, Hinata?” Mayuka asked, wiping her tearstained face on Hinata’s shoulder. “Nobody’s going to hear us now, no matter how loud we shout.” At least the captain had forgotten to turn the lights off.
Hinata’s mind was racing. How could they get out of this?
Kobayashi would be worried when they didn’t come back after lunch (assuming he hadn’t been captured by the captain). Chihori was probably looking all over the ship for them right now.
But this was a private cabin, and they were in the upstairs bathroom, way at the back. Even if Chihori was right outside the cabin door, there’s no way she would hear us shouting.
They’d been separated from Chris, too. Hinata blinked back tears.
“Akane, put that dog to sleep with a sedative,” Helen had commanded. “We’ll be taking it off the ship with us in Vladivostok.” Apparently, the two of them were planning to get off in Russia without returning to the ship.
During their last encounter, Helen had learned that the ID number in Chris’s microchip was the password for the information she was after. She was going to take Chris to have his ID read in Russia. And once she’d gotten what she wanted, she’d have no more use for him…
Hinata shook his head, feeling a shiver run down his spine.
Why did I follow Akane to this room, anyway? And why did I blab to Helen about all the things I’d discovered?
Before leaving, Helen had told Soga, “Why don’t you enjoy a little Russian vacation, too? I’m not in any position to reveal your criminal activities. If anything, it might suit us to start working together.”
Soga looked so happy that, if he were a dog, his tail would be wagging.
He’d probably imagined offering his expensive violin to a Russian performer and being showered with adoring cheers from the audience. Plus, he’d get his insurance payout, too…
The captain would continue commanding his ship, as if nothing had ever happened.
And in the meantime, Hinata and Mayuka would be at the bottom of the sea. With Kobayashi, too, probably…
Hinata shook his head again. It’s not over yet! I told myself that I’d do everything in my power! I’m not giving up, not until the bitter end! Chris’s life is in danger, and he’s depending on me!!
“Mayuka, turn around. I want to see if I can chew through the ropes around your wrists.”
“It’s not a rope—it’s Helen’s scarf.”
“Whatever it is, I want to try something, so turn around!”
Mayuka slid her butt along the bathroom floor. Once Hinata was at the right angle to get his teeth around the silk scarf, he bit down hard.
They look so soft, but scarves are really tough, Hinata thought desperately. He’d tried pulling it, tugging it this way and that, and biting it, but it simply refused to loosen up. This posture is agonizing, too. My front teeth are really starting to hurt…
“I wonder what time it is,” Hinata said with a sigh.
“…I have no idea. When were we arriving in Vladivostok again?”
“I heard it would be after lunch…”
What time is “after lunch”? Hinata wondered, then bit down on the scarf again.
“Ow! You’re biting my hand, Hinata!”
“S-sorry…”
“Oh! I can move my wrists!”
Did it loosen up?! Hinata pulled hard with his teeth on the fabric, and the knot came undone.
“I’m free!” Mayuka cried, waving her hands and dropping the tangled scarf to the floor. “Okay, Hinata, turn around! I’ll untie you, too!”
Hinata and Mayuka got to their feet, rubbing their wrists and ankles, and were finally able to open the bathroom door. The bedroom was neat and tidy. There was no one in sight.
From the top of the spiral stairs, Hinata carefully peered at the floor below. Then he tiptoed down the steps to get a look at the living room. It, too, was empty.
“There’s no one here, Mayuka. Did we already arrive at the port?”
Hinata rushed to the glass door and looked through the lace curtains at the sight beyond the balcony. It was the view from the stern of the ship.
He could see a majestic, beautiful suspension bridge that seemed to be moving farther and farther away. Land was visible on both sides of the ship. Perhaps they were making their way into the bay.
We must be almost to the port!
Hinata leaped onto the door and tried to turn the knob.
It won’t budge! Why not?!
“What’s wrong, Hinata? Let’s get out of here…”
Mayuka tried the knob, too. “Isn’t this a little weird? I understand a door not opening from the outside, but we’re inside.”
Hinata rattled the knob some more. Then they heard a tense voice from out in the hall.
“Is someone in there?”
It was Chihori! Hinata and Mayuka looked at each other hopefully and shouted for all they were worth.
“Chihori? It’s us! It’s Hinata and Mayuka!”
“Chihoriiii!!”
“Kids! I’ve been looking all over for you! I came by here several times but didn’t get any response, so I was worried. Open the door right now!”
“I-it won’t open…”
“It won’t open?” Chihori paused, thinking. “Is it locked remotely…?”
Huh? What does that mean? Hinata and Mayuka were mystified.
“In special circumstances, it’s possible to keep a guest’s door from being opened,” Chihori explained. “That’s what we’ve done with Mr. Numata’s cabin. But why would this door be locked, too…?”
“Have we reached Vladivostok already?” Hinata fretted. If the ship docked, they would take Chris away!
“We’re preparing to dock. People should be able to disembark in another half hour.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Hinata smacked the door with the palm of his hand. “They took Chris away, Chihori! Helen…I mean Touko is smuggling drugs! And the captain’s working with her!”
“Wait a minute! What did you say, Hinata?”
“The boxes of dog food in the kennel—they have drugs inside! And it was Mr. Soga himself who stole the Stradivarius! Please, you have to arrest them! And more importantly, we have to get Chris back!!”
There was silence from beyond the door.
Hinata was starting to panic. Maybe Chihori wouldn’t believe him, no matter how sincerely he pleaded his case. And every moment that passed, Chris was being taken farther away…
“Chihori! Please, Chihori!!” Hinata shouted, slamming the door.
Mayuka was sobbing. “Chris…Chris…”
After what seemed like minutes, they finally heard Chihori’s voice again.
“Hinata, Mayuka, listen to me!”
“Chihori…”
“I’ve just put in a call. It’ll be close, but they’ll do what they can. You need to go out onto the balcony. I’ll see if I can rescue you from the deck above…”
Hinata and Mayuka looked at each other, then raced out onto the balcony; the wind buffeted their faces. They rushed to the railing, then looked upward. There was a balcony two decks above them. This was the ninth deck, so that one must have been the eleventh.
Chihori’s face popped over the railing above, and she waved them over to the side. They split up and moved to the left and right edges of the balcony. Without warning, a rope ladder hurtled over the edge toward them. The rungs were aluminum rods that made a sharp clattering sound as they slid over the edge of the upper balcony.
“W-w-we have to climb…?” Mayuka said, her face paling.
Oh, right. Mayuka’s afraid of heights!
“If you want to get out, Mayuka, you have to climb,” said Hinata. “You can do it!”
“It’s all right, Mayuka!” said Chihori, who had already climbed down to them. “I’ll tie a safety rope around you, and I’ll be here to help.”
Reassured by her comforting presence, Mayuka nodded. Her lip only trembled a little.