Free A Dog in Water by Kazuhiro Kiuchi Page A

anymore.”
    Don’t fight back, but don’t show fear. Fear can all too easily tip over into panic
.
    Takeda knew. When dealing with guys like this, panicking usually ended up getting you killed. You had to negotiate calmly, neither resisting nor showing fear. Even if they seemed to have the upper hand, you had no choice but to continue to negotiate.
They won’t kill me before they get what they want
, Takeda told himself.
    “Stop talkin’ bullshit, asshole!”
    The man in the ski mask suddenly stomped on Takeda’s stomach. Bringing both hands to his belly, Takeda curled on the living room floor. He acted as though he was in far more pain than he really was. If he didn’t, the attacker was sure to deal a second blow.
    “Where’s your safe?! Tell me or I’ll kill your wife!”
    Ski Mask went to the sofa where Takeda’s wife Yumi was laid out. He hauled her up into a sitting position and pressed the large, angular automatic pistol into her neck. Yumi’s scream was muffled by the gag in her mouth.
    “The money is yours, but I mean it, it’s not anywhere in this house,” Takeda said to the other intruder, a man in a hockey mask. Ski Mask was too violent, unsuitable as a negotiating partner. He decided to bet on Hockey Mask.
    “Stop,” interceded Hockey Mask, who had been silently pointing a gun at Takeda the whole time.
    “You saying I had bad intel?” Ski Mask released Yumi and turned towards his accomplice. “This asshole is tryin’ to give us the slip! Rough ’em up a bit more and he’ll spit out the truth!”
    Hockey Mask ignored this outburst and asked Takeda, “How long will it take you to get the money ready?”
    “If stones would do I can get them to you first thing in the morning.”
    “Stones?”
    “Diamonds. You can’t trust banks these days, so I convert mostof my earnings into top-grade diamonds that I keep in a safe-deposit box.”
    “The fuck you do, you bastard! You’re gonna try and fool us with glass fakes!” Ski Mask barked.
    “It’s gotta be cash. Even if the diamonds were real, we have no way to turn them into dough …” Hockey Mask said. He didn’t seem to be much older than Ski Mask, yet he was far more calm.
    “I see. Well, if you want cash it’ll take a few days. You understand, don’t you?”
    I can buy myself some time
. Takeda felt a small measure of composure return. He wanted to get the intruders to leave his home as soon as possible. Persuading them that he meant to surrender cash but that it would take a few days was how. He wanted to put his family out of danger. He was prepared to become a hostage if that’s what it took.
    “I’ll definitely get you the money and not contact the police. Won’t you trust me?”
    “One hundred million yen in bills. You have until tomorrow night,” Hockey Mask said.
    “Impossible. I need at least another day—”
    “You and your wife will die otherwise. Get it done.”
    “F-Fine. I’ll do my best. So, please—”
    That instant, the front door opened.
    “I’m home!” called a child’s voice. The intruders exchanged glances.
    I took too long
. Takeda felt himself begin to tremble.
    Late at night, the exposed hallway of the apartment building turned the echo of high-heeled footfalls into shrill pings. The woman who was walking had her coat collar turned up and seemed to be in her mid-twenties. Her finely proportioned face was frighteningly devoid of emotion.
    She stopped before an apartment door, confirmed the number and took a deep breath. She pressed the button on the intercom. After a moment a man’s voice responded.
    “Yes …?”
    “It’s me.”
    “Huh?” The intercom went silent.
    “Open up.” It was a command. The woman reached into her shoulder bag.
    The lock clicked and the door opened a crack. The security chain was still fastened. A man around forty wearing glasses peered out. “H-How did you …?” he asked incredulously.
    She removed her right hand from her bag and held it before the man’s