Did you enquire at the front desk?
(Genes voice, getting louder.)
I went to desk, the woman replies, in halting English, but there is nobody
Did you ring the bell?
(Genes voice, getting louder.)
I went to desk, the woman replies, in halting English, but there is nobody
Did you ring the bell?
She say he will meet in bar. Mr Ricker.
Well, the bars almost shut now. Its very late
(They enter the bar.)
I know. Yes. My flight also late. My plane also late.
Its been pretty much empty since
Gene slams to a halt as he apprehends the scene.
What on earths happened to the window? he demands, indignant.
If you dont mind Jen raises a peremptory hand were actually just in the middle of something here
Gene focuses in on Noel, who currently has his back to them (and Ransom, whos all but obscured by Noel). He starts to look a little wary.
Mr Ricker?
The Japanese woman steps forward. Noel half turns his head.
Is everything all right? Gene asks.
Everythings fine, Jen says, nodding emphatically.
No problem, Ransom echoes, shifting into view and smiling, jovially.
Noel slowly lowers the bottle from his throat.
Whats happened to your cheek? Gene wonders.
(There is blood on Ransoms cheek where a tiny splinter of glass from the beer bottle has lightly nicked his skin.) Ransom lifts a hand to the cheek and pats at it, cautiously. Its fine. He winces. Its nothing.
As Ransom speaks, Noel gently places the broken bottle on to the bar and then casually lifts his shirt to show Jen his chest. His chest is painfully emaciated but exquisitely decorated. The tail of the adder curls over his shoulder and finishes in a neat twirl around his nipple. All the remaining skin on his belly, waist and diaphragm has been intricately inked into a crazily lifelike, rough, wicker corset.
Oh God! Jen gasps, suddenly remembering. Wickers!
Noel grins.
But of course my dad coached you in five-a-side for years
She squints at the tattoo work, amazed, as bright trickles of blood drip down on to the design.
Mr Ricker? The Japanese woman takes another cautious step forward.
Noel half turns, dropping the T-shirt. Mrs Kawamura?
Mrs Kawamura bows her head as Noel tramps his way, carelessly, through shards of glass and goes over to formally introduce himself. They shake hands, then Noel politely indicates the way and they leave the foyer together. Gene gazes after Noel, bemused.
His mum was Head of Housekeeping, Jen says, matter-of-factly. Mrs Wickers. Dyou remember her?
Uh no. Gene shakes his head.
Jen squats down and starts picking up the larger pieces of glass. Ransom is still sitting on his stool, looking pale and disorientated.
Should I fetch the first aid box? Gene wonders.
Hang on a second Ransom lifts a hand. You didnt He blinks a couple of times then frowns. That story you were telling earlier. About the Jap kid. The one who was kidnapped by the North Koreans
Sorry?
It takes Gene a few moments to make the connection. You mean Megumi? The girl who
Did they ever find her? Ransom interrupts.
Find her? Gene echoes, frowning. Uh, no. No. I dont believe they did.
Oh. Great. Ransom looks depressed.
Although, in the final reckoning, Megumis disappearance was actually just the start of something way bigger something almost revolutionary
How dyou mean? Ransom interrupts again, somewhat irascibly.
Well, her case ended up having all these really widespread social and political repercussions throughout pretty much all of Japanese culture, Gene continues (somewhat haltingly to begin with). I mean its fairly complicated he shrugs but what basically happened was that quite a few years after Megumi first disappeared her parents were approached out of the blue by this North Korean spy who claimed to have been involved in the initial kidnap plot. He was seeking asylum in Japan and told them exactly what had happened to their daughter and why
They believed him? Ransoms sceptical.
It seems he was fairly convincing Gene nods so they promptly informed the Japanese authorities of what they knew, but the Japanese government refused to do anything about it.
Why not? Jen looks up, outraged, from her position on the floor.
Because they didnt want to risk antagonizing the North Koreans, Gene explains. Relations between the two countries were especially volatile during that period
How many people are we talking about, here? Jen wonders. Kidnap victims, I mean. In total?
I dont actually remember, Gene confesses. Quite a number. Definitely in double figures. Fifteen? Nineteen?
Jen receives this information without further comment.
Anyhow, instead of just putting up and shutting up like the government wanted Megumis parents decided to take matters into their own hands. They virtually bankrupted themselves spearheading this massive, public campaign, transforming Megumi and her plight into a huge, cause célèbre.
He clears his throat. Its important to bear in mind that what they did how they behaved was considered completely shocking and outrageous in the Japan of that era. In general people werent encouraged to make a public fuss about personal dramas. It flew in the face of Japanese etiquette which prefers, as youll probably know from your own extensive experience, Gene addresses Ransom, respectfully, to do things quietly, surreptitiously, behind the scenes, so that people in positions of authority dont ever risk feeling compromised.
The golfer takes out his phone and starts checking his texts, so Gene focuses his attention back on Jen again.
But Megumis parents flew in the face of all that, marching, picketing, leafleting, protesting for year after year after year. Megumi became a household name throughout all of Japan a celebrity. And in the end the Japanese government were pressurized into making some kind of a deal with the North Koreans whose rice crop had just failed so they were desperate for Japanese aid. This was ten or more years later even longer maybe fifteen
Ransom finally puts his phone away.
Up until then the North Koreans had always hotly denied any knowledge of Megumi and the other kidnap victims, Gene continues. They were obliged to perform a complete about-turn it was deeply humiliating for them and quite a few of the victims were eventually returned to Japan, to this huge, public fanfare.
But not her. Ransoms poignant.
Nope. Megumi never made it back. They claimed she was dead. They said shed hung herself during a short stay in a mental hospital when she was around twenty-six or twenty-seven, although there was scant formal evidence to back this up. What they did admit, though and I suppose this is one of the few, really positive aspects to the story was that shed given birth to a child during her captivity, this beautiful little
Christ. I gotta get out of here!
Ransom turns and dry retches on to the bar top.
Oh great, Jen murmurs. Oh bloody wonderful.
Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Ransom rolls on to his back, yawns, stretches out his legs and farts, luxuriously. He feels good. No. No. Scratch that. He feels great. And he smells coffee. The golfer flares his nostrils and inhales deeply. Coffee! He loves coffee! He wiggles his toes, excitedly, then frowns. His feet appear to be protruding Alice in Wonderland-style from the end of his bed. He puts a hand above his head (thinking he mightve inadvertently slipped down) and his hand smacks into a wooden headboard.
Ow!
He opens a furtive eye and gazes up at the ceiling. He double-blinks. He is in a tiny room. It is a pink room, and it is a smaller room than any room he can ever remember inhabiting previously. A broom cupboard with a window. Yes. And it is pink. And the bed is very small. He is covered with a duvet, a pink duvet, and the duvet has his sleep-addled eyes struggle to focus pink ponies on it! Little pink ponies, dancing around! The duvet is tiny ludicrously small, like a joke. A laughably tiny duvet. A trick duvet. A miniature duvet. He tries to adjust it but he feels like hes adjusting some kind of baby throw. A dog blanket. When he moves it one way, a different part of his body protrudes on the other side. His body (he is forced to observe) is not looking at its best. His body looks very big. His body looks coarse and capacious in this tiny, dainty, girly, pink room. His body looks hairy. It feels voluminous.
He shuts his eyes again. He suddenly has a headache. He thinks about the coffee. He can definitely smell coffee. He needs a coffee. He opens his eyes, turns his head and peers off to his right. (Might there be a door to this room so that he can eventually get )
WHAH!
Ransom yelps, startled, snatching at the duvet. Two women complete strangers! are standing by the bed and staring down at him, inquisitively. Not two women. No. Not
A woman and a girl. Yes. But the woman isnt a woman, she is a priest (in her black shirt and dog collar), and the girl isnt a girl, shes What is she? He inspects the girl, horrified. Shes half a girl. The lower section of her face is Its missing. A catastrophe. Its gone walkabout. Or if not quite missing, exactly, then uh a work in progress. A mess of wire and scar and scaffolding.
The girl registers his disquiet and quickly covers her jaw with her hand. Ransom immediately switches his gaze back to the priest again, embarrassed.
Thank goodness hes finally awake, the priest murmurs, relieved.
The half-faced girl nods, emphatically. She is wearing a school uniform. Her hair is in two, neat plaits.
I dont recognize him, she whispers, from behind her hand. Dad said he was really famous, but I dont recognize him at all.
It takes a while for Ransom to fully decipher her jumbled speech, and when he finally succeeds he feels an odd combination of satisfaction and disgruntlement.
Ssshh! the priest cautions her.
Where am I? Ransom croaks, trying to lift his head.
Youre in my bedroom, the girl promptly answers.
I left you to lie in for as long as I could, the priest tells him (rather brusquely, Ransom feels). Gene left for work several hours ago. But Mallory needs to go to school and Im scheduled to meet the bishop in Northampton at ten She checks the time. I dont have the slightest clue where Stan is right now, so
She shrugs.
Oh.
Ransom feels overwhelmed by an excess of information.
I like your feet. The girl chuckles, pointing.
After a short period of deciphering, Ransom peers down at his feet. He can see nothing particularly remarkable or amusing about them.