High and Low Page #5

of our meeting.

lnspector Tokura.

So far, this case sounds

almost impossible to break.

But we've got to find

that " almost."

Follow every lead through

to the bitterest end.

And when you're worn out

and discouraged...

think of Mr. Gondo's pain.

Take the boy...

and drive to the shore tomorrow.

Find this " Fuji and the sea" scene.

lf you can jog his memory,

you may find the hideout.

Division Three.

Hello. Tokura speaking.

We'll be there right away.

Don't touch anything.

They found the car.

Abandoned on a highway.

Get the lab.

Have more men sleep over here...

the rest on call.

Mud-spattered, but there's been

no rain lately.

lt's dust that settled

on drops of water.

What's this?

- What's wrong?

- Listen to this!

Hello. This is Gondo.

The boy's fine.

l'll let him talk to you.

Daddy? Are you there?

Hear that? A trolley.

So?

A trolley runs near the hideout.

Three different trolley lines...

run through Kamakura.

Maybe a specialist

can tell which streetcar it is.

l'm on my way.

An Enoshima trolley?

Absolutely. l live near there.

l've heard that sound...

a million times.

lt's an old single-wire trolley.

Only the Enoshima line

uses those old lines.

There are lots of curves...

and the rails are narrow.

The wheel base is short,

so it makes that noise.

Thanks.

ls Mr. Aoki in?

l'm sorry. He's out.

At your husband's office?

No.

Where?

He took Shinichi in the car.

He wants to make him remember.

He's a nuisance.

He just felt he had

to do something.

You were let out here?

We came that way.

Good. You look out the back.

Tell me if you remember anything.

Now what?

We can't move without the boy.

Aoki will go to the Sakawa River.

Let's follow him.

Daddy!

What? Remember something?

l peed there.

We'll find Aoki's car

and get the boy.

Wait, Bos'n.

The lab says...

there's fish oil and blood...

bonito and mackerel scales

on the stolen car.

lt must have gone

through a puddle of refuse...

from a fish market.

The Koshigoe market

is the only one near that trolley.

Got it.

We get bonito and mackerel

around here.

And other types of fish...

come by truck from Tokyo.

Thanks.

Where does the trolley run?

Under the cliff.

Does it look like this

from up there?

Let's see.

You should see Enoshima lsland

from there...

a little more to the right,

near the station.

With that cape in front,

it must look like this.

You saw Enoshima lsland?

You must have.

We didn't come this way.

Bos'n, l feel we're getting closer.

Up there.

Try not to look like a cop.

Okay, but you'll need

plastic surgery not to.

Daddy! l saw this tunnel!

You passed here?

Which way?

From there.

Here, Shinichi?

Look.

Enoshima doesn't look

like an island.

Let's go back to Koshigoe.

They'll have Aoki by now.

The boy will show us

that hideout.

We'll raid tonight.

Got your pistol?

l'm not going after a madman

with my bare hands.

Let's look around on foot.

That car!

lt's Gondo's.

Don't be stupid.

Stop playing detective.

When l got the car out

this morning, he said...

" Aoki, we aren't going

to the factory anymore."

He was smiling...

but l know how he felt inside.

Those executives are cruel...

but it's really my fault.

But you can't walk around here

with the boy.

What if the kidnapper saw him?

Bos'n! He's gone!

Daddy!

Here it is!

They're asleep.

Take the boy away.

They're dead.

The inspector will explain.

Yes, but we're asking you

not to print it.

The accomplices...

a man and a woman,

were found dead.

Heroin overdose.

Suicide?

l'll explain.

Their arms were covered

with needle marks.

Both were advanced cases

of drug addiction.

lt's unlikely

they'd make a mistake...

in the dosage.

And dealers don't sell heroin

that pure anyway.

They died in bed.

Near their pillows...

were two empty packets

and syringes...

and a cup for dissolving

the heroin.

There were two more

used packets nearby.

So they had four...

and had taken the first two.

lt doesn't suggest suicide.

Then why did they die?

The heroin was unusually pure.

What they took

was over 90% pure.

When it's smuggled in...

it's 70% to 95% pure.

The dealers cut it...

with glucose

and hydrochloric procaine...

till it's only 30% pure.

A one-gram package...

contains only 0.3 grams

of pure heroin.

What happens to an addict...

who takes heroin that pure?

A very clever murder.

Here's important evidence.

lt was found in their room.

The imprint...

of what they'd scribbled

on the page above.

lt's been restored

and enlarged.

lt shows the agony...

of an addiction withdrawal.

" Bring us the stuff. Fast.

" lf you don't,

we'll spend the money.

" We won't do

what you say anymore."

Obviously, they tried

to blackmail him.

We can't be sure...

but it looks like he killed them.

And the money?

We found 2,500

of Mr. Gondo's 1,000-yen notes.

The kidnapper

figured that out too.

He gave them a share...

but made them wait to use it.

Who were they?

Caretakers of a villa.

We found that out

from the villa owner.

So you're close?

No, now we have to start

all over again.

Of course, Narcotics

is doing its best.

We'll get valuable data

from them...

but the accomplices' death...

is a great setback for us.

The line leading straight

to the kidnapper has been cut.

So l'm asking you:

Don't print a word of all this.

Why not?

The kidnapper doesn't know

they're dead yet.

lf he did...

he wouldn't have left

all that money there.

What'll he do...

if we convince him

they're still alive?

He'll probably try

to kill them again.

So you don't report anything.

He'll go back to check.

And you'll arrest him there?

Right.

Even if we keep quiet...

the neighbors will talk.

lt's a new development.

There aren't many houses.

And it's off-season.

Hardly anyone's there now.

Drug addicts are cautious.

They had no visitors.

Our keeping quiet

will convince him?

No, l want to ask you

another favor.

Print that one of the 1,000-yen notes

was spent.

Say it's our announcement.

l'm asking your cooperation

for Mr. Gondo's sake too.

Did you know he lost his post

at National Shoes?

That's bad. Don't they care

about public opinion?

They'll vote him completely

out of the firm soon.

l think we ought to give

National Shoes a whack.

Let's do it.

" Gondo Shut Out

Public Opinion lgnored"

" Women Start Boycott

Of National Shoes"

" Second Tragedy

Gondo Voted Out"

" Marked 1,000-Yen Note Found"

" 30 Million Ransom

ln This Briefcase"

We've recovered 2.5 million.

Will you come for it?

Sorry it's so late.

No, it's a great help now.

We want it all back.

The kidnapper hasn't spent any.

But he'll be hard to catch

unless he does. lronic.

Mr. Kawanishi is here.

Kawanishi? What for?

A request.

Send him in.

Nice to see you.

l must thank you.

You've made Mr. Gondo a hero.

Now what?

Don't be so cold.

We've been so close

all these years.

l objected to your being fired.

l risked my own position...

to keep you as an executive.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes