Charlie, Eddie, Robby, and Sean arrived at the picturesque beach house just over looking the waters of the island of Okinawa. Charlie looked up grimly at the gray sky. Another storm was fast approaching. He took out the keys to the house and unlocked the door.
"Not bad," observed Robby as he looked around.
"Gaia sure knows how to make their people feel wanted," added Sean.
"Let's start looking around. Charlie, Ally told you that the stalker could see all of her movements inside, right?" said Eddie as he looked around the interior.
Charlie nodded, "But I'm not sure how he could have done it."
"That's easy. A camera," replied Robby.
"But how?" asked Charlie.
"Well, that's what we have to look for," said Eddie. "You'd be surprised at how someone can set up cameras, even in a place like this."
He was referring to the fact that there were hardly an pictures on the walls. It didn't seem possible to hide anything, let alone a camera. The boys from the band put on plastic gloves and started to look around.
"Maybe, he used a long range lens," suggested Charlie, feeling useless.
"No. Knowing Ally, she would have kept the curtains drawn anyway. Haven't you ever noticed how she like to keep the curtains drawn? Even in England," disagreed Robby as he shook his head, remembering how dim the rec room in Gaia always was.
"There's been something that's been bothering me. Ever since that accident at the television station," said Eddie.
"What?" asked Sean.
"Something that doesn't make any sense to me," muttered Eddie. "It's like knowing the answer to something, having it at the tip of your brain, but still being unable to answer the question."
"That's exactly how this stalker has always been like. So close, yet always just far enough," said Charlie.
"Let's stop talking and keep looking," said Robby.
The four men separated as they went through the house. Sean stopped and called everyone after a half hour. He was found in the bedroom, pressing his hands against the wall. "I can see something," he said. "What's beyond this wall?"
"Another room," replied Charlie, remembering the floor plans of the house. "It was first built during the early fifties, but was later renovated."
"The wall is hollow here," said Sean as he rapt his knuckles against the wall. The sound definitely showed that the wall was hollow.
"We'll have to cut into it," said Charlie.
"No. The stalker didn't cut into it," said Eddie. "We have to figure out how he opened it up."
Robby investigated the edge of the wall paper. "It looks like it was scrapped up a bit and glued back into place," he observed. He took out a tool and peeled it up. "It looks like the wall is made up of panels."
"The pattern. There's a break in it," said Sean. "It's a lens."
Charlie walked up to where Sean was looking. He didn't bother to stop Robby and Eddie from taking off the wall paper. "The panels are easy to take apart. There should be insulation in the wall. It looks like someone took of the panels recently and then covered up with wallpaper," said Robby.
"Let's move it," said Eddie. Together, he and Robby, moved the part of the wall. There were wires exposed, embedded into the insulation. "My God. He wired this place up." They didn't have to take apart the rest of wall to figure out that the camera was attached to the wires. "There's too many wires here. Did Ally say that the stalker could hear her?"
"Yes," said Charlie. "The other wires are hooked up to a microphone."
Eddie stopped with a startled look on his face. "I think I know who the stalker is. It makes sense now. All of it."
It seemed at that moment that Charlie also experienced the same realization. "Yes. Of course. It makes sense now. Everything didn't fit because we weren't looking at the right things. There were things that didn't make any sense, but they do now. This place. He made it into a trap."
"Do you realize that Tsukushi is probably playing straight into his hands?" said Sean without acknowledging that he still didn't know who the stalker was, but if Charlie and Eddie figured it out, then he would soon enough.
"We have to get back to Tokyo. Before it's too late," concluded Robby.
"Not yet. We have to look around more. We've got to find out how he was able to transmit the images and sounds from here. And we've to look for more than just one set of cameras and microphones. We've got to hurry. Before it's too late," said Charlie. "I'll call Sammi right now. Keep looking. We have to find Tsukushi."
*
Yuki was in Osaka. She was settling everything in the inn that belonged to Tsukushi's parents. Actually, the inn belonged to Tsukushi because she was the one who had purchased it. Susumu usually spent his summer vacations there, training for the next track season. Yuki had only visited once before, but Tsukushi had never set foot on the property.
The staff was greatly saddened by the deaths of their bosses, but they were also concern about their futures. On top of that, the inn couldn't conduct any business because the police had taken over, searching the property for clues. Yuki wondered why they did that. The staff was hoping to get word from Tsukushi directly because they had never met the daughter that their bosses were so proud of.
Tsukushi's mother and father always bragged about their very accomplished daughter. The staff wanted to meet her because she was Ringo Arisu. It was sort of hard to believe that she could have such humble parents, but they had met her brother as well. It was very clear that from such humble people that two very extraordinary people were born.
The police had arrived before Yuki could, but the staff couldn't stop them. There were two staff: a day and night staff. The inn catered to their guests twenty-four hours a day. The night staff wasn't as large as the daytime staff, but it was a very efficient way of running the inn. The inn made lots of business because of the hot springs. Tsukushi had purposely bought it for the hot springs. The staff wore colors of mourning. Despite being terrible braggarts, Chieko and Tetsuya Makino were very kind bosses. They never over worked the staff.
Yuki's presence reassured the staff that the inn wasn't closing permanently. "I came here as ordered by their daughter," said Yuki. "I am here to reassure you that you will not lose your jobs, but the inn will be closed indefinitely. I do not know when the inn will be reopen for business. I am here to settle accounts and to prepare this place for a close up."
"What are we supposed to do?" asked the daytime manager, Takuya.
"You still have your jobs. Just do what you would normally do without guests here," said Yuki.
"There hasn't been a time when there weren't any guests here," said Takuya. He was worried. He actually respected the Makino family. He could tell that he was at the start of a dynasty. He could tell that the Makino family was going to rise to the top. He had met the young master many times. Susumu didn't seem to fit well with his parents. He had a more noble bearing. Takuya was more worried about the young master and mistress. "Perhaps, the young master and mistress should come here to recover."
The rest of the staff agreed with him. Yuki shook her head. "I'm afraid that they have things to take care of in Tokyo," said Yuki, although she had to agree with the staff. She thought of suggesting it to Tsukushi, but these days Tsukushi wasn't taking well to suggestions. Besides, Tsukushi didn't really want to come to Osaka. Yuki knew better than to force things.
The police walked in. It was Inspector Sano came in. He interrupted, "My apologies, but I would like to speak to everyone, Matsuko-san."
Yuki nodded. Technically, she was the only guest at the inn. The neighboring inns and villas sent flowers to show their condolences. All the flowers were displayed all over the inn. Yuki went out into the rock garden. Takuya came to see her. "The master liked to tend to it. He found it relaxing," he whispered. "He also enjoyed the gardens. He liked it very much."
"I remember that their father was never really one for hard work. He was more of a dreamer," said Yuki softly.
"Yes, the master was. It was the mistress that build up this inn from just being a private house with some hot springs," said Takuya. "You know the young master and mistress well, don't you?"
Yuki nodded and sighed. "Tell me something, Takuya-san, did anything unusual happen the day of the accident?"
"Nothing really. The master and mistress were in a hurry to go to Tokyo. They really didn't want to take the train, even though it would have been faster. No, they wanted to show off the car to their daughter and show how pleased they were with everything. I have never heard of a more perfect daughter," said Takuya.
Yuki didn't have the heart to tell him that Tsukushi was not perfect. She allowed people to think that because that's how she felt about Tsukushi as well. She knew that Tsukushi wasn't perfect, but it was difficulty for Yuki to think otherwise of her. There were times when Yuki swore that she didn't know who Tsukushi was. It was odd having a best friend who kept so many things from her.
She remembered that Tsukushi was always like that, even when they were younger. It was hard to accept it. Tsukushi always took care of things for others. It seemed as if she was born with a sense of responsibility to the world. She took care of others, but didn't trust the world to take care of her. That was part of the problem. Yuki wished that she was as strong as Tsukushi. She wished that her best friend would rely on her more often. She had a feeling that Tsukushi had sent her to Tokyo to get her out of the way.
"Excuse me, but I need to go through the private quarters," said Inspector Sano.
"I would rather that you do not. It would dishonor the memory of my masters," said Takuya.
"I don't think that Tsukushi would mind, but I will be present for it," said Yuki.
Inspector Sano shook his head. "I am afraid that you will contaminate the scene."
"It's not where the accident happen," said Yuki. "Let me put it this way: you will not be allowed to search any more of these grounds, unless I can personally supervise."
Inspector Sano clutched his jaw before giving a tight nod. Yuki escorted the police to the private part of the inn. It was really just three suites connected together; it resembled an apartment. The first part was like a normal living room. Yuki had forgotten how the Makinos decorated the walls with pictures of their children. There were pictures of Tsukushi and Susumu when they were younger. On the small coffee table sat a scrap book. Inspector Sano picked it up and opened it.
He flipped through only a few pictures. He looked around and saw the pictures of a happy family. Yuki swallowed a bit. She realized that Tsukushi's parents were the gatekeepers to her past and that the inn was supposed to be her home base. There were also news articles of Susumu's feats on the track field.
"I asked the staff if anyone had access to the car keys, but a lot of people had access to just this room," said Inspector Sano.
"What difference does it make? Why do you need to be here? It was an accident," said Yuki, but she looked around her. "Wasn't it?"
Inspector Sano shook his head. "Apparently, you weren't informed about the situation. The accident wasn't an accident, Matsuko-san. The investigative team found out that the break lines in the car were cut. The main break lines were only partial clipped, while the emergency lines were completely cut straight through. That makes this a murder investigation."
Yuki's eyes widened with fear as she took an involuntary step back away from the inspector. "She didn't tell me," she whispered.
"Did she tell you about the stalker?" asked the inspector.
Yuki nodded. "You don't think that he's the one who..."
"He's the only suspect we've got. We're still trying to figure out who is. I've been in contact with the investigators from England. They couldn't stop him, but I'm hoping that we can. This maybe the break we need. The profiler from England said that the stalker was close to his breaking point."
"I had no idea. She doesn't tell me anything," said Yuki as she looked at the pictures on the windows. "She doesn't tell anyone anything unless she has to."
"We suspect that the stalker was here to tamper with the car. It's a good possible, considering that this is an inn. There is a possibility that the stalker was here as a guest. The profilers have said that most stalker don't linger forever. Something triggers them."
Yuki paled over. "She told me to go here because...she knows it's going," she whispered.
"I need to questioned some of the people from the night shift. Some of them haven't been questioned," said Inspector Sano. "A lot of people had access to this part of the inn. So, that means that there's far too many suspects."
Yuki helped the police by staying out of the way. She was now afraid of what was happening in Tokyo. She wanted to call Tsukushi, so she dialed the number. There was no answer. She looked at the window and saw the gray clouds. It was a sign that something bad was coming.
Later that day, the day shift staff left and the night shift came. They were questioned. One of the women, Erika, said something that was very important. "I am afraid that I was not at work the night before the master and mistress died," she admitted, but she looked sort of ashamed of herself.
"You won't be in any trouble," Yuki assured her.
"My daughter filled in for me. I was terribly ill. My family couldn't afford to lose a day's pay. I did not want to trouble the master and mistress, so my daughter went in my place," admitted Erika.
"I want her brought in for some questioning," said Inspector Sano.
They had to wait another half an hour before the girl could be summoned for a meeting. Her mother talked to her quietly at first. The girl entered the room and bowed to everyone. "My name is Miho. I am here to answer any questions you wish," she said.
"I just have a few. Did you notice anything strange on the morning that Makino Tetsuya and Makino Chieko died?" asked Inspector.
The girl nodded. "Yes, I do remember something. I remember going to prepare the other rooms, the ones closer to the private quarters, early that morning. I just wanted to take care of it before the master and mistress woke, and before the day staff arrived. I almost ran into someone when I was going down the hall. It was a guest."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure. There are no gaijin currently employed here. I told him that there were no rooms prepared. He said some thing in English, but I couldn't understand. I think he said that he didn't understand, but I pointed him the right direction."
"Can you describe how he looks like?"
The girl went on and gave a description, but it wasn't very helpful. It was too average a description. Yuki sighed. "What about an accent? What kind of accent did he have?" she asked. She was used to hearing British accents. Yuki was up to the point where she could distinguish an American accent from a Scottish, English, or even Irish accents.
"I am not too good with foreign accents. I only know that the guest was speaking English. I'm sorry," said Miho. "I wish I had paid better attention."
"What about the guest logs for that week?" asked Inspector Sano. "Give me the guest logs."
Erika immediately delivered them to him. He flipped through it. "Matsuko-san, can you tell if these name are American or not?" he asked.
Yuki looked at the list. "Actually, a lot of American names come from Europe. Even then there's no guarantee that the guest isn't a pure foreigner. He could be half or part Japanese or any other kind of Asian. However, we can narrow the list down to male guests," said Yuki.
Some of the day staff had stayed voluntarily. Takuya had an excellent memory for how the guests looked. It was up to him to remember just in case they ever returned for another visit. It was something that was easy for him. Yuki separated the the foreign names from the list and hoped that she was correct.
Takuya worked with Miho's vague description and his excellent memory. They also looked for someone who was traveling on by himself. They narrowed the down the list to someone who was also a loner or someone who kept to himself. The rest of the staff gave good reports on guests like that.
"That's him. It has to be," said Takuya as he pointed at a name on the list. "He was always by himself, but he always talked to the staff. It was like he was trying to figure out how the inn was run and he talked to the master and mistress. He acted really familiar with them as if he knew them."
"They talked about their children. He asked more questions about their daughter. The master and mistress told him a lot about her. But, they were stories that almost anyone who visits could hear about. We've heard the stories about her so many times ourselves," said Takuya. "But he was the only guests who kept talking to them."
Yuki looked at the name on the list. It wasn't anyone she knew. At least that's what she thought, but she was wrong. She looked at the name again and called Tsukushi's number. Once again there was no answer.
"We're back at square one. This guest didn't present a passport. He paid in cash," muttered Inspector Sano.
"No answer," said Yuki.
"Who have you been trying to contact?" asked Inspector Sano.
"Her. There's been no response. I'll call my other friend, Sammi," said Yuki as she dialed the number. The line was busy. Yuki frowned and attempted to call the offices of Gaia, but all the lines were back up. There was no answer. A chill went down Yuki's spine. She looked at the inspector.
"I have to go back to Tokyo," said Yuki.
"Wait, Matsuko-san. There's something on the news," said Takuya. "Come to the bar. There's something you have to see."
Yuki and the rest of the police followed him. The bar was being restocked during the downtime. "One of the boys turned on the television. It's all over the news," said Takuya.
Yuki watched the news. Her eyes widened. The inspector was on his phone in a flash, trying to contact the police in Tokyo. "I have to go. I have to go now," said Yuki as she turned and ran.
*
Sammi was pacing around her office. She hadn't received word from anyone in a few hours. More importantly, Tsukushi hadn't checked in for hours. It was starting to more than worry her. She had sent the bodyguards to go and look for Tsukushi. Iris Beckett had dispatched the bodyguards, but she reported that Dominic was no where to be found. His cell phone was turned off.
She started calling different hotels to see if a Makino Tsukushi had been registered, but none of the hotels would disclose that information. Sammi was going out of her mind with worry that she decided to swallow her pride and betray a bit of Tsukushi's trust by dialing a number that she had been hoping to avoid calling.
"Hello?"
"Is this Hanazawa Rui?"
"Yes. Who is this?"
"My name is Samantha Collins. I'm the manager of Ringo Arisu, but you know her as Makino Tsukushi. I don't have the number to make a private call to Doumyouji Tsukuasa, but I had yours."
"What's going on? Where's Tsukushi? You wouldn't be making this call unless she allowed you to."
"That's what I wanted to ask you. I was wondering if she had contacted you recently."
"No."
"What about your friends?"
"No. What's going on?"
"She went off on her on a few days ago. She wanted to get a way for a bit, but she hasn't called in four hours."
"So, she hasn't called you in four hours. What's wrong with that?"
"You don't understand. She's been calling me all the time since she left. Look, you don't understand. She's in danger."
"What do you mean?"
Sammi paused as she and said, "She's in danger. You're her friend. I know that you are. You're also friends with Doumyouji Tsukasa, aren't you?"
"Yes, he's my best friend," said Rui.
"Then believe me. I've lost my best friend long before she disappeared. I will make an announcement soon," said Sammi.
Rui looked out the window. A storm is coming. It's going to be Hell, he thought to himself. "I'll met you at Gaia Records. Just make the announcement," he said.
Sammi hung the phone and started to make the calls. Within in a half an hour, the news was announced: Ringo Arisu was missing.
*
Tsukushi took a deep breath as she looked at Dominic. His icy blue eyes shifted about as he looked around. "We need to get to some place that's safe. Not out here in the open," he said.
"Let me go," said Tsukushi as she struggled against his grip.
"No. Listen to me. You trusted me before. Trust me now. We must move. Now."
"I'm not going anywhere with you. I don't trust anyone," said Tsukushi.
People stopped to ask if they were okay, but Dominic quickly said that they were fine. "We could go back into the hotel," he said.
Tsukushi glanced at his watch. It was almost six. She was sure that someone would go to Kin-san's apartment at any time. Kin-san said that he had been going home early most nights to make sure that Susumu was all right. She looked at Dominic. For some strange reason, she trusted him. She took a deep breath. "There is a safe place nearby. My friend's apartment," she said.
"Good. Let's go."
They walked across the street and took a long walk. The streets seemed to twist and change as they walked. They kept going until they were at a large apartment building. It wasn't that close to Kin-san's restaurant and Eirin Academy, but it was close enough to go by car or by train. Tsukushi and Dominic stopped at the building. He looked around first and then nodded.
"I don't know if anyone is home," admitted Tsukushi, silently praying that no one was there.
"We can get inside. We need to use the phone," said Dominic. "My cell's battery is dead." They walked inside the building. Thankfully, there was no one there. Tsukushi walked in front of Dominic, while he watched her back. She had to rely on her memory to figure out which apartment was Kin-san's.
"This is it," said Tsukushi. "I don't have a key." She could pick the lock like she had done with her study before when Susumu had barricade himself in before.
"I'll get the door open," said Dominic. He took out a lock pick kit and worked on the door. In less than a minute, he got the door opened. He pushed Tsukushi inside first.
"What should I do?" asked Tsukushi.
"Call Sammi. Tell her that you're getting out of Tokyo," said Dominic. "Tell her that you will try to reach her by e-mail." Dominic watched her as she attempted to make the call.
Tsukushi dialed the number to Sammi's cell and found that it was busy. She sighed and tried Sammi's office number, but that line was also busy. Tsukushi looked at Dominic. "All the lines are busy."
"Try the main offices," suggested Dominic.
She dialed the line; it was still busy. She tried calling some of the other extensions, but there was no answer. She couldn't remember the number to Patricia's office. She was about to ask Dominic, if he knew the number. "Dom--"
The door had opened at that moment. Dominic immediately got in front of her.
BANG!
Dominic sank to the floor. Tsukushi saw him go down in an instant. She looked up at the person. He was smiling at her.
It wasn't like any other smile she had ever seen on his face. The smile made him look like a stranger to her.
"It's you," she whispered as her blood ran cold and her skin turned ghostly pale.
AN: This chapter and the next will be short. It's more enjoyable (or aggravating for you, depending) for the build up for the upcoming chapter when everything really does happen. My roommate thinks that this is a cruel clif hanger. Interestingly enough, I took the names of the police from one of my favorite mystery series by Laura Joh Rowland. I did use a lot of mystery series references in this story.
The next chapter will bring it all together and end with a surprise. That I'm willing to beat that no one could predict. ^_^
Disclaimer: I don't own Hana Yori Dango.