Ring by Kôji Suzuki Read Free Book Online
Authors: Kôji Suzuki
Something-or-other Nono-yama. He wasn't sure how to pronounce the characters for the first name-Yuki, maybe? From the characters alone he couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman. Why did she have someone else's card in her pass case? He heard footsteps coming up the stairs. He slipped the card into his pocket, put the case back where he'd found it, and shut the wardrobe. He stepped into the hall just as his sister-in-law reached the top of the stairs.
"Sorry, is there a bathroom up here?" He made a show of acting antsy.
"It's there at the end of the hall." She didn't seem to suspect anything. "Is Yoko sleeping like a good girl?"
"Yes, thanks. Sorry to put you to such trouble."
"Oh no, not at all." The sister-in-law bowed slightly, then stepped into the Japanese-style room, hand on her kimono sash.
In the bathroom, Asakawa took out the card. "Pacific Resorts Club Member's Card" it read. Underneath this was Nonoyama's name and membership number and the expiration date. He flipped it over. Five membership conditions, in fine print, plus the name of the company and its address. Pacific Resorts Club, Inc., 3-5 Kojimachi, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. Phone no. (03) 261-4922. If it wasn't something she'd found or swiped, Tomoko must have borrowed this card from this Nonoyama person. Why? To use Pacific Resorts facilities, of course. Which one, and when?
He couldn't call from the house. Saying he was going to go buy cigarettes, he ran to a pay phone. He dialled the number.
"Hello, Pacific Resorts, may I help you?" A young woman's voice.
"I'd like to know what facilities I can use with a membership card."
The voice didn't respond right away. Maybe they had so many facilities available that she couldn't just list them all.
"That is… I mean… for example, like on an overnight trip from Tokyo," he added. It would have stood out if the four of them had gone away for two or three nights together. The fact that he hadn't turned anything up so far meant that they had probably gone for no longer than a single night. She could easily get away for a single night by lying to her parents that she was staying at a friend's house.
"We have a full range of facilities at our Pacific Land in South Hakone," she said, in her businesslike manner.
"Specifically, what sorts of leisure activities do you have there?"
"Certainly, sir. We have provisions for golf, tennis, and field sports, as well as a swimming pool."
"And you have lodging there?"
"Yes, sir. In addition to a hotel, Pacific Land features the Villa Log Cabin community of rental cottages. Shall I send you our brochure?"
"Yes. Please." He pretended to be a prospective customer, hoping it would make it easier to extract information from her. "The hotel and the cabins, are they open to the general public?"
"Certainly, at non-member rates."
"I see. Can you give me the phone number? Maybe I'll go have a look."
"I can take care of reservations right now, if you wish…"
"No, I, ah, may be going for a drive down there sometime and just decide to have a look… So could I just have the phone number?"
"One moment, please."
As he waited, Asakawa took out a memo pad and pen.
"Are you ready?" The woman returned and dictated two eleven digit phone numbers. The area codes were long-they were way out in the sticks. Asakawa scribbled them down.
"Just for future reference, where are your other facilities located?"
"We have the same sort of full-service resorts at Lake Hamana and at Hamajima in Mie Prefecture."
Much too far! Students wouldn't have that kind of war chest.
"I see. Sounds like they're all on the Pacific, just like the name says."
Then the woman began to detail all the fabulous advantages of becoming a Pacific Resorts Club member; Asakawa listened politely for a while before cutting her off. "Great. The rest I'm sure I can find out from the pamphlet. I'll give you my address so you can send it." He told her his address and hung up. Listening to her sales pitch, he'd
"Sorry, is there a bathroom up here?" He made a show of acting antsy.
"It's there at the end of the hall." She didn't seem to suspect anything. "Is Yoko sleeping like a good girl?"
"Yes, thanks. Sorry to put you to such trouble."
"Oh no, not at all." The sister-in-law bowed slightly, then stepped into the Japanese-style room, hand on her kimono sash.
In the bathroom, Asakawa took out the card. "Pacific Resorts Club Member's Card" it read. Underneath this was Nonoyama's name and membership number and the expiration date. He flipped it over. Five membership conditions, in fine print, plus the name of the company and its address. Pacific Resorts Club, Inc., 3-5 Kojimachi, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. Phone no. (03) 261-4922. If it wasn't something she'd found or swiped, Tomoko must have borrowed this card from this Nonoyama person. Why? To use Pacific Resorts facilities, of course. Which one, and when?
He couldn't call from the house. Saying he was going to go buy cigarettes, he ran to a pay phone. He dialled the number.
"Hello, Pacific Resorts, may I help you?" A young woman's voice.
"I'd like to know what facilities I can use with a membership card."
The voice didn't respond right away. Maybe they had so many facilities available that she couldn't just list them all.
"That is… I mean… for example, like on an overnight trip from Tokyo," he added. It would have stood out if the four of them had gone away for two or three nights together. The fact that he hadn't turned anything up so far meant that they had probably gone for no longer than a single night. She could easily get away for a single night by lying to her parents that she was staying at a friend's house.
"We have a full range of facilities at our Pacific Land in South Hakone," she said, in her businesslike manner.
"Specifically, what sorts of leisure activities do you have there?"
"Certainly, sir. We have provisions for golf, tennis, and field sports, as well as a swimming pool."
"And you have lodging there?"
"Yes, sir. In addition to a hotel, Pacific Land features the Villa Log Cabin community of rental cottages. Shall I send you our brochure?"
"Yes. Please." He pretended to be a prospective customer, hoping it would make it easier to extract information from her. "The hotel and the cabins, are they open to the general public?"
"Certainly, at non-member rates."
"I see. Can you give me the phone number? Maybe I'll go have a look."
"I can take care of reservations right now, if you wish…"
"No, I, ah, may be going for a drive down there sometime and just decide to have a look… So could I just have the phone number?"
"One moment, please."
As he waited, Asakawa took out a memo pad and pen.
"Are you ready?" The woman returned and dictated two eleven digit phone numbers. The area codes were long-they were way out in the sticks. Asakawa scribbled them down.
"Just for future reference, where are your other facilities located?"
"We have the same sort of full-service resorts at Lake Hamana and at Hamajima in Mie Prefecture."
Much too far! Students wouldn't have that kind of war chest.
"I see. Sounds like they're all on the Pacific, just like the name says."
Then the woman began to detail all the fabulous advantages of becoming a Pacific Resorts Club member; Asakawa listened politely for a while before cutting her off. "Great. The rest I'm sure I can find out from the pamphlet. I'll give you my address so you can send it." He told her his address and hung up. Listening to her sales pitch, he'd
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