Prologue

TUESDAY

Katsumi Hirabayashi found herself in quite a predicament. For reasons she couldn't fathom, a pair of men had abducted her and decided she would be a good candidate for a ransom scheme. As she sat tied to a chair in a dingy room with the shades drawn, she tried to think about what might have prompted this. Her parents, though diligent workers, were not particularly wealthy, nor were any of her relatives so far as she was aware.

Absentmindedly, she scratched an itch by her nose, near the edge of the tape covering her mouth. Sometime yesterday, on the second day of her confinement, she had wiggled a hand free from the ropes, and she had since taken great care to hide that fact. As she heard what sounded like footsteps approaching, she quickly slipped her hand back through the loosened loop.

The door creaked open and revealed not one of her captors, as she would have expected, but a cat. The cat was predominantly black with patches of white. His coat was short and looked well-groomed. If Katsumi had to hazard a guess, she would wager the cat wasn't a stray by virtue of how cared-for he appeared.

What are you doing here? she thought. The cat, having pushed open the door and sauntered into the room, stopped and stretched in that peculiar way all cats do. The cat first stretched his forelegs and then his rear legs, and then shook his head as though he thoroughly enjoyed the stretch.

The cat, now acting as though he owned the place, meandered around the room, perhaps looking for a juicy mouse to eat. Katsumi was sure there must be mice here, even if she hadn't seen any; the place was certainly dirty and dingy enough. The cat, his curiosity eventually getting the better of him, approached Katsumi. At first, he just nuzzled against her legs, which were tied together. After a moment, he hopped up into her lap. He looked at her with his green eyes as if to inquire why she wasn't petting him.

As the cat sat obediently, looking up at her, and Katsumi considered that he must have an owner somewhere, another thought occurred to her: this might be her salvation. Slipping her hand out of the ropes again, she reached for her locket.

It was a simple piece of jewelry, made of sterling silver and held on a fine silver chain. Its value was primarily sentimental, as the locket contained a portrait of her and her parents. Gingerly, she slipped the chain over her head and placed it on the cat. Unable to resist the temptation, she pet the cat too, rubbing him behind the ears.

Abruptly, the door opened. Katsumi withdrew her hand and tried to disguise her ability to move it, but she feared she was too late.

“What's going on here?” said the tall, thin man. He was the first of her two captors and the more intelligent of the pair. “Squirmed free of the ropes have you?” By way of answering, she shook her head, even though she knew it was a lie and likely a vain effort.

“I told ya we shoulda broken a finger for good measure,” said the short, fat man. The second captor was by far the more vicious of the two. Paradoxical as it seemed Katsumi was grateful to have the tall, thin man there to rein in the excesses of his partner in crime.

“No, we're not doing that!” said the tall man tersely. “The ransom note you wrote said she would be returned unharmed, so that's what we're gonna do!”

“Fine!” said the fat man, now irritated. “But you can't say anything about what I do to that cat!” The fat man lumbered over in an attempt to grab the cat, who simply sat, watching everything unfold. Katsumi wiggled and squirmed as though her life depended on it, but the cat seemed unbothered. Out of desperation, she revealed her free hand and smacked the cat on the back. Immediately, that did the trick, and the cat jumped off her lap and scampered off.

“Oh dear,” said the tall man with menace. “I do believe you were lying to us.” Katsumi tried to look apologetic as she slipped her hand back into the ropes, but she feared the gesture wouldn't do her any good.

“Hitoshi,” said the tall man. “What do you think should be done to hostages who-” The tall man stopped speaking abruptly. Katsumi could see by the look of befuddlement on his face that he seemed to have noticed something that he couldn't quite put his finger on yet.

“Break her fingers?” Hitoshi suggested hopefully. The tall, thin man pushed his hand into the fat man's face to quiet him as he continued staring intently at the place where her locket would have been had she kept it.

“Where's your locket?” the thin man asked. Katsumi tried not to react to the discovery of her ploy, but try as she might, she couldn't help but gasp quietly even through the tape gag. For a brief and terrifying moment, Katsumi thought the thin man would strike her. He raised his hand, fist clenched, and brought it down through the air. Abruptly, he turned to face his fat associate.

“What's the problem, Juro?” asked Hitoshi.

“She stuck her locket on that cat hoping someone would find her,” Juro said. “I'm going to go find that cat. You stay here, and don't – don't – do anything.” The fat man rolled his eyes. The thin man turned back towards Katsumi.

“And you: you better hope I find that cat, or my friend and I might have to cut our losses.” He gestured with his hand, running a finger across his throat. Katsumi gulped audibly. She certainly hoped the man didn't find the cat, trusting by nature though it seemed. Even more than that, she hoped the cat would stumble across someone who would be able to help her. Most of all, she hoped that if someone were to help her, it would happen soon.