Lady Joker, Volume 1 Kaoru Takamura (ereader ebook .TXT) 📖

a small silent bow in front of the more than sixty gathered reporters from seventeen media companies, then bent his head over the notebook in his hands.

“Unfortunately, as of 2 a.m., there has been no contact from the perpetrator. The situation remains the same.”

As those first words were uttered, the unspoken incredulity of the reporters pressed heavily into every corner of the hall.

“And I’d like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for your cooperation with the media embargo,” Teraoka addressed them formulaically. “Currently, we’ve acknowledged the incident as abduction and unlawful confinement, but we consider the victim to be in an extremely precarious situation. It goes without saying that the entire police force will do all it can to conduct a thorough investigation, and in respect to the spirit of the embargo we will strive to respond to the media in good faith, so I ask for your continued cooperation.”

Director Teraoka’s voice sounded as stiff and monotonous as ever, at least to the ears of those in attendance, and without looking up to meet the eyes of the reporters, he solemnly continued to recite only the words in his notebook.

“The layout of the victim’s home is as you see it in the map we’ve distributed to each of you. The victim was captured in the location marked with an X and we believe he was taken out through the front gate. At this time, that’s the extent of what we know. The front gate, marked A, has an automatic lock manufactured by the company SECOM that can be opened from the outside with a passcode and from the inside with a switch. After arriving home, the victim manually turns on the nighttime alarm system himself, therefore, at the estimated time of the incident—10:05 p.m. on the twenty-fourth—the alarm system was turned off. We’ve detected several footwear impressions near the shrubbery as well as in numerous spots inside the exterior wall surrounding the property, and we are currently analyzing them. As for the note retrieved from the spot marked with a circle, we are working quickly to identify any fingerprints and the type of ink used. As of 2 a.m. right now, we have not managed to find any witnesses. That’s all.”

As soon as the director’s voice broke off, there was a barrage of questions from the assertive commercial broadcasting reporters. “Does that mean they jumped in over the wall and escaped through the gate?” “Do you have a profile of the suspect?”

Without missing a beat, the director of Public Information standing next to Teraoka replied sharply, “One question at a time, please,” and the voices died down. In the momentary silence, Haruhisa Kubo, encamped in the front row, clearly registered the beads of sweat running down Director Teraoka’s forehead, even though the room wasn’t the least bit warm.

The questions began immediately in the usual order by the usual suspects from the Nanashakai kisha club who were also installed in the front row. Each question was short, as was its reply, exchanged at rapid-fire speed. The reporters took notes while organizing everything in their heads, forced to decide what was important and what wasn’t on the spot. Kubo’s hand gripping his ballpoint pen quickly turned clammy with sweat.

“First, please name the family members who were home at the time of the incident.”

“The victim’s wife, Reiko Shiroyama, fifty-eight years old.”

“What was the wife doing last night around 10, and where was she exactly?”

“She told us she was in the living room on the first floor, reading.”

“Does she usually hear the front gate close?”

“She said it depends. Sometimes she hears it, sometimes she doesn’t.”

“Last night, did the driver take the same route home as usual?”

“He did.”

“Does the president always return home at a specific time?”

“It depends on the day, but she told us he most often returns around 10 p.m.”

“You said they made the hundred-ten call at 10:50 p.m. How did the family come to the decision that they needed to make an emergency call?”

“Around 10:28 p.m., there was a call from the office to the president’s home, and when the person from the company learned that he had not returned home, they contacted the driver and as a result determined that something was wrong.”

“What is the name of the individual who called from the company?”

“I’m not able to disclose that information.”

“How many different footwear impressions were collected from the crime scene?”

“I am not able to answer that as they are still under analysis.”

“So you’re saying there are several?”

“I’m not able to disclose that at this time.”

“There’s no way one guy can hold down a grown man and drag him off without making a sound. It has to be the work of a team, is that what you think?”

“We do not know that at this time.”

“So the perp breached the wall beforehand and was waiting in the bushes, correct?”

“At this time, we are not able to confirm either way.”

“Describe what the victim was wearing.”

“Navy suit, black wool vest, blue and silver necktie, black shoes.”

“What about a coat?”

“He wasn’t wearing one.”

“A briefcase?”

“An attaché case by Burberry. Brown in color.”

“It’s unlikely that they’d abduct a person without a car. Do you or do you not have any information about that?”

“At this time, we have not obtained accurate eyewitness information.”

“So you do have some information?”

“We have not received any reports of that nature.”

“The note—what else was written besides the four words, ‘We have your president’?”

“Four words, that’s it.”

“Will the note be released?”

“We have not reached the stage to consider that.”

“You said the incident is being treated as abduction and unlawful confinement, but could it possibly develop into kidnapping for ransom?”

“We are not able to comment at this time.”

“What about corporate extortion?”

“At this point, we do not know anything about the perpetrators’ objective.”

“Before this incident, have there been any harassment or threats made against Hinode? Are there any matters that the police are aware of?”

“Not at this time, no.”

“Could this be considered part of a series of corporate terrorism incidents?”

“We are not able to comment