windar
Teller of Tales
Chapter 21. Thursday, June 28. 22:10. Deluxe King Bed Suite with city view, 49th floor, Park Hyatt Tokyo, Shinjuku District, Tokyo.
“You really think she’ll do it, Stan?” Bill Johnson asked. They were sipping whiskies-Scotch not Japanese- from the minibar. The room was now vacant with the abduction of its residents and they were using it as an operational HQ with the forbearance of Tamiko who had given Stan back the card key to the suite.
“We need a woman who speaks Japanese. I don’t think either of us fits the bill, Bill, and I don’t know anyone else in Tokyo.”
Bill smiled at the play on his name. “But Tamiko seems like such a good girl. The Red Dragon Torture Dungeon Place is pretty far out of her comfort zone, don’t you think?”
“She’s a good girl, fascinated by fantasies of being a bad girl,” Stan replied. “Reminds me a bit of my former partner, Detective Moore.”
Bill arched his eyebrows. “Really?” he asked. “What exactly happened between you two?”
“Me and Tamiko or me and Moore?” Stan asked.
“Both,” Bill replied, “But, for the moment, I’m more interested in the former.”
Stan clued Bill in a bit on the games that had transpired between him and Tamiko.
“I wouldn’t have made her for the type,” Bill said, “But one never knows. Still what we’re asking her to do is a long way from a private session in a hotel room.”
Stan nodded. “It is. But we appeal to both her bad side and her good side. It will be an adventure, a chance to explore some repressed desires, but also a way to help save those poor women who previously occupied this room from a horrible fate.”
“I’ll defer to your knowledge of the young lady, Stan,” Bill said, downing the remainder of his whisky, and opening a second. The room tab was still held in the name of the three abductees until their checkout date on Sunday, so why not enjoy?
There was a knock at the door. Stan glanced at his watch. “It must be Tamiko. She told me her shift was finished at 10 PM.” Stan went to the door, and, hearing Tamiko’s soft, sweet voice, opened it just enough for her to come in. “Would you like something to drink?” he asked.
“Maybe a soda. Diet if you have one.”
Stan opened one of the small bottles and poured it into a glass with some ice.
“I have a couple of interesting tidbits,” Tamiko said. Bill and Stan looked at her with interest. “Alda Flores, she’s a housekeeper, handed in her resignation. She says her family in the Philippines needs her. But her contract and visa have almost six months to go.”
“Is it unusual for Filipina guest workers to leave early?” Bill asked.
“Yes, they usually stay for the full term. There’s some kind of bonus if they stick it out.”
“I see,” Stan said. “Do you know where we could find her, assuming she hasn’t left yet?”
“No,” Tamiko replied. “I barely know her. The other is a maintenance man, Hideo Sekiguchi. He was bragging that he had booked a vacation at a very posh resort in Thailand. He was regaling one of the other guys about the prostitutes he would have fun with there.”
“And is that something he’s done before?” Bill asked.
“I don’t know him well, either, but I always heard him complaining about being broke,” Tamiko replied. “It may all be normal, I don’t know,” she said. “I’m not a brilliant detective like you guys.”
“You’re the first to ever call either of us that,” Stan replied. “But we have a proposition for you that I hope you will consider,” he continued. “Something that may help us to rescue these poor women from a horrible fate.”
Tamiko looked serious. “I will do anything to help. I am imagining them suffering horrible things.”
Everyone fell silent for a moment imagining Gun, Barb and Annika in the hands of their merciless abductors.
Then, Bill spoke up. “I can’t tell you all the details, but I have contacts that may be able to help get them out. The problem is that we need to know for sure if they are in the Red Dragon Torture Dungeon Place. The people who took them may have them there or they may have moved them somewhere else.”
“I see,” Tamiko said.
“We need someone to go inside there, undercover,” Stan said. “We need a woman who speaks Japanese.”
Tamiko looked around. “That leaves you two out,” she said.
Bill and Stan laughed. “Definitely,” Bill said.
“But I suppose I qualify,” Tamiko said.
The two men nodded. “What is your schedule here at the hotel for the next few days?” Bill asked.
Tamiko smiled. “As it happens, I am off tomorrow and Saturday. I was going to go visit my parents who live a little bit outside of Tokyo. But I suppose I could tell them I have to do an extra shift.”
“So, you’ll do it?” Stan said. “That’s my girl!”
Tamiko looked a bit perturbed. “I…I don’t know. What do I have to do?” she asked.
“Get hired at the Red Dragon Torture Dungeon Place,” Bill said. “Not in the part where they have the three girls, but in the public part. And keep your eyes and ears open. There’s a lot of people work there and someone may have a big mouth.”
“And in this public part, what would I have to do?”
“I was there the other night, as I told you,” Stan said. “It’s all fake. You have to be nice to the customers, sit on their laps and grind against them. But no sex. And maybe participate in the BDSM show. They’d tie you up and pretend to hit you. But not for real. You’d barely feel it.” Stan couldn’t tell whether Tamiko looked relieved or disappointed that she wouldn’t have to suffer. He might have added that it would hurt much less than their session the previous night, but he didn’t want to embarrass her or himself in front of Bill.
“But the women from this room; they won’t be fake, right?”
Bill shook his head. “I’d bet a lot of money that they will experience the real thing-horrible tortures and being forced to pleasure strangers, mostly men, but maybe some women, too.”
“OK, I’ll do it,” Tamiko said. “But what if they don’t hire me?”
“You’re beautiful, Tamiko,” Stan said. “Much better looking than the women I saw there. And you’re Japanese, whereas the girls I saw were mostly from poorer countries in Asia and some from Eastern Europe. I suspect they’ll wet their pants over you. It’s all about talking the customers out of their money and I think you can do it.”
“It’s like acting in a play, Tamiko,” Bill said. “It’s not you, it’s the character you play.”
“A slut,” she said.
“Exactly,” Stan said. “Do you think you can do it?” Stan remembered that she had played her part in their little drama last night quite convincingly.
“If it can help save those women from their horrible fate, I will try my best.”
“So, tomorrow afternoon you go there and ask to work that night,” Bill said. “Tell them you’re eager to start making money right away. It’s a Friday night it will be busy so they will probably hire you on the spot. You talk to the other girls, maybe ask if there are ‘extra’ things you can do to earn more money. See if anyone mentions new arrivals, Western women. You’re smart and used to dealing with people from your job here. I have confidence that you can learn something that’s useful.”
“I hope so,” she replied.
“One thing,” Stan interjected. “When you go, you want to look the type. You know, a bit slutty. Do you have any clothes that are revealing, you know, short shorts, a top that shows some skin, maybe a leather bra and fishnet stockings?”
Tamiko laughed. “No, of course not.”
“Well, I think we better get you some,” Bill said. “If you show up looking like a respectable young woman with a regular job, they may be suspicious.”
“Yes, I see,” Tamiko said.
“When I was at that store I told you about, ‘For Your Pleasure’, I saw some stuff that would be perfect. Why don’t we meet there tomorrow at noon and get your wardrobe in shape for the undercover assignment?”
“OK,” Tamiko said. “Now I better go home and get some sleep. I have a feeling I won’t get much tomorrow.”
Bill, sensing that Stan wanted a moment alone with Tamiko, excused himself to go to the bathroom. Stan approached Tamiko and took her in his arms, kissing her hard. “You’re a very brave woman.”
“Crazy might be a better word,” she said. “But then, YOLO.”
“YOLO?” Stan asked, puzzled.
“You don’t know that expression?”
Stan shook his head. “Is it one of those Japanese things?”
She laughed. “No, you old fogey, it’s English. It means ‘you only live once’.” Then she kissed him. “See you tomorrow,” she said and turned to open the door.
“You really think she’ll do it, Stan?” Bill Johnson asked. They were sipping whiskies-Scotch not Japanese- from the minibar. The room was now vacant with the abduction of its residents and they were using it as an operational HQ with the forbearance of Tamiko who had given Stan back the card key to the suite.
“We need a woman who speaks Japanese. I don’t think either of us fits the bill, Bill, and I don’t know anyone else in Tokyo.”
Bill smiled at the play on his name. “But Tamiko seems like such a good girl. The Red Dragon Torture Dungeon Place is pretty far out of her comfort zone, don’t you think?”
“She’s a good girl, fascinated by fantasies of being a bad girl,” Stan replied. “Reminds me a bit of my former partner, Detective Moore.”
Bill arched his eyebrows. “Really?” he asked. “What exactly happened between you two?”
“Me and Tamiko or me and Moore?” Stan asked.
“Both,” Bill replied, “But, for the moment, I’m more interested in the former.”
Stan clued Bill in a bit on the games that had transpired between him and Tamiko.
“I wouldn’t have made her for the type,” Bill said, “But one never knows. Still what we’re asking her to do is a long way from a private session in a hotel room.”
Stan nodded. “It is. But we appeal to both her bad side and her good side. It will be an adventure, a chance to explore some repressed desires, but also a way to help save those poor women who previously occupied this room from a horrible fate.”
“I’ll defer to your knowledge of the young lady, Stan,” Bill said, downing the remainder of his whisky, and opening a second. The room tab was still held in the name of the three abductees until their checkout date on Sunday, so why not enjoy?
There was a knock at the door. Stan glanced at his watch. “It must be Tamiko. She told me her shift was finished at 10 PM.” Stan went to the door, and, hearing Tamiko’s soft, sweet voice, opened it just enough for her to come in. “Would you like something to drink?” he asked.
“Maybe a soda. Diet if you have one.”
Stan opened one of the small bottles and poured it into a glass with some ice.
“I have a couple of interesting tidbits,” Tamiko said. Bill and Stan looked at her with interest. “Alda Flores, she’s a housekeeper, handed in her resignation. She says her family in the Philippines needs her. But her contract and visa have almost six months to go.”
“Is it unusual for Filipina guest workers to leave early?” Bill asked.
“Yes, they usually stay for the full term. There’s some kind of bonus if they stick it out.”
“I see,” Stan said. “Do you know where we could find her, assuming she hasn’t left yet?”
“No,” Tamiko replied. “I barely know her. The other is a maintenance man, Hideo Sekiguchi. He was bragging that he had booked a vacation at a very posh resort in Thailand. He was regaling one of the other guys about the prostitutes he would have fun with there.”
“And is that something he’s done before?” Bill asked.
“I don’t know him well, either, but I always heard him complaining about being broke,” Tamiko replied. “It may all be normal, I don’t know,” she said. “I’m not a brilliant detective like you guys.”
“You’re the first to ever call either of us that,” Stan replied. “But we have a proposition for you that I hope you will consider,” he continued. “Something that may help us to rescue these poor women from a horrible fate.”
Tamiko looked serious. “I will do anything to help. I am imagining them suffering horrible things.”
Everyone fell silent for a moment imagining Gun, Barb and Annika in the hands of their merciless abductors.
Then, Bill spoke up. “I can’t tell you all the details, but I have contacts that may be able to help get them out. The problem is that we need to know for sure if they are in the Red Dragon Torture Dungeon Place. The people who took them may have them there or they may have moved them somewhere else.”
“I see,” Tamiko said.
“We need someone to go inside there, undercover,” Stan said. “We need a woman who speaks Japanese.”
Tamiko looked around. “That leaves you two out,” she said.
Bill and Stan laughed. “Definitely,” Bill said.
“But I suppose I qualify,” Tamiko said.
The two men nodded. “What is your schedule here at the hotel for the next few days?” Bill asked.
Tamiko smiled. “As it happens, I am off tomorrow and Saturday. I was going to go visit my parents who live a little bit outside of Tokyo. But I suppose I could tell them I have to do an extra shift.”
“So, you’ll do it?” Stan said. “That’s my girl!”
Tamiko looked a bit perturbed. “I…I don’t know. What do I have to do?” she asked.
“Get hired at the Red Dragon Torture Dungeon Place,” Bill said. “Not in the part where they have the three girls, but in the public part. And keep your eyes and ears open. There’s a lot of people work there and someone may have a big mouth.”
“And in this public part, what would I have to do?”
“I was there the other night, as I told you,” Stan said. “It’s all fake. You have to be nice to the customers, sit on their laps and grind against them. But no sex. And maybe participate in the BDSM show. They’d tie you up and pretend to hit you. But not for real. You’d barely feel it.” Stan couldn’t tell whether Tamiko looked relieved or disappointed that she wouldn’t have to suffer. He might have added that it would hurt much less than their session the previous night, but he didn’t want to embarrass her or himself in front of Bill.
“But the women from this room; they won’t be fake, right?”
Bill shook his head. “I’d bet a lot of money that they will experience the real thing-horrible tortures and being forced to pleasure strangers, mostly men, but maybe some women, too.”
“OK, I’ll do it,” Tamiko said. “But what if they don’t hire me?”
“You’re beautiful, Tamiko,” Stan said. “Much better looking than the women I saw there. And you’re Japanese, whereas the girls I saw were mostly from poorer countries in Asia and some from Eastern Europe. I suspect they’ll wet their pants over you. It’s all about talking the customers out of their money and I think you can do it.”
“It’s like acting in a play, Tamiko,” Bill said. “It’s not you, it’s the character you play.”
“A slut,” she said.
“Exactly,” Stan said. “Do you think you can do it?” Stan remembered that she had played her part in their little drama last night quite convincingly.
“If it can help save those women from their horrible fate, I will try my best.”
“So, tomorrow afternoon you go there and ask to work that night,” Bill said. “Tell them you’re eager to start making money right away. It’s a Friday night it will be busy so they will probably hire you on the spot. You talk to the other girls, maybe ask if there are ‘extra’ things you can do to earn more money. See if anyone mentions new arrivals, Western women. You’re smart and used to dealing with people from your job here. I have confidence that you can learn something that’s useful.”
“I hope so,” she replied.
“One thing,” Stan interjected. “When you go, you want to look the type. You know, a bit slutty. Do you have any clothes that are revealing, you know, short shorts, a top that shows some skin, maybe a leather bra and fishnet stockings?”
Tamiko laughed. “No, of course not.”
“Well, I think we better get you some,” Bill said. “If you show up looking like a respectable young woman with a regular job, they may be suspicious.”
“Yes, I see,” Tamiko said.
“When I was at that store I told you about, ‘For Your Pleasure’, I saw some stuff that would be perfect. Why don’t we meet there tomorrow at noon and get your wardrobe in shape for the undercover assignment?”
“OK,” Tamiko said. “Now I better go home and get some sleep. I have a feeling I won’t get much tomorrow.”
Bill, sensing that Stan wanted a moment alone with Tamiko, excused himself to go to the bathroom. Stan approached Tamiko and took her in his arms, kissing her hard. “You’re a very brave woman.”
“Crazy might be a better word,” she said. “But then, YOLO.”
“YOLO?” Stan asked, puzzled.
“You don’t know that expression?”
Stan shook his head. “Is it one of those Japanese things?”
She laughed. “No, you old fogey, it’s English. It means ‘you only live once’.” Then she kissed him. “See you tomorrow,” she said and turned to open the door.
