Have You Seen Hira?

"So... this conspiracy board. It's really something."

Having taken refuge from the torrential summer downpour in the city's only cat cafe, this was the last thing I'd expected to see. I'd just been making friends with a little gray fur ball when I noticed Have you seen Hira? scribbled above a bulletin board on the wall nearby. Toting my little friend along, I went to check it out. News clippings, photos, sticky notes, and even threads of red yarn tacked to different bits of information swallowed up the board. More than anything were pictures of a young woman.

"Oh, you noticed!" My server exclaimed, joining me at the board, “My boss let me put this up. I'm sure you've heard all about the rumors of the Grand Hotel, right?"

"I'm afraid not," I answered, leaning closer to examine the news cutouts, "and that's surprising for someone like me."

"Someone like you?"

I smiled, tucking the kitten under one arm and extending a hand to her. "Detective Gendrick, private investigator. Looks like you've got quite a mystery on your hands here."

She cocked her brow with interest and shook my hand. "Call me Retta, and trust me when I say that you don't know the half of it."

"I'm listening."

"This," she announced, pointing at a picture of the young woman, "is my friend, Hira Takaoji. She's been missing for almost four weeks. The police looked into it for a while, but we got nothing. She's just gone."

I puzzled over the pictures of Hira. Nice girl, short bob with a streak of white down one side. She wore a bright smile in almost every photograph. Newspaper clippings about the Port Luo Grand Hotel and its financial struggles surrounded her, as did printed articles raising suspicion over the hotel’s involvement in her case.

“And what does the hotel have to do with it?”

Retta gave me a sharp, determined look. "That's where she was last seen alive. None of us know what she was doing there, but I know something bad happened to her. And I’m out to prove it!”

Studying the board again, I tried to make sense of the connections she’d tied together. Apparently rumors of Hira’s disappearance weren’t helping business. She’d posted up all sorts of information about the hotel’s workers, obviously trying to find a link between them and Hira.

"Look," Retta said finally, defeat shrouding her tone as she pressed a hand against her cheek, "I know it sounds crazy, but I know the people at the hotel had something to do with this. The police stopped helping altogether. My best friend is gone and I just want to know the truth, but I'm not good at this sort of stuff. I mean, you see the board.”

Scratching my little gray fur ball as he purred contentedly in my arms, I mulled over the situation. Re-tracing Hira's steps seemed easy enough, and Retta’s genuine concern was hard to turn away.

"I'll pay you," Retta spoke up suddenly. I glanced over at her, staring me down with arms folded over her checkered apron. "I don't know what your rate is but if I can't pay it, Mr. Takaoji can. I just want Hira to come home."

I smiled, reaching into my pocket for a few bills to shove in the tip jar on my way out. “Can you put me in touch with her father?”

***

The Grand Hotel was quite elegant, with its massive windows and white columns unfurling along the face of the pristine walls. Curly vines of ivy wandered down from the rooftop several stories high, and a bubbling bird bath tittered with starlings amidst a perfectly manicured lawn.

Yet, as picturesque as the scene was, the place was a ghost town.

The only person in the lobby was the young man running the check-in desk up front, deeply enthralled in whatever he was reading. Casing the joint as I approached him, I drank in the vast, open area filled with unoccupied chairs and side tables stacked with magazines. Inside was just as pristine and white as the exterior, and a small sign pointed guests in the direction of the Grand Hotel Restaurant & Bar, apparently located somewhere here on the first floor.

The receptionist turned the page in his novel, and I stood and waited at the counter for a moment before tapping the service bell. His eyes shot up as the book slammed shut in his hands.

"I apologize, ma'am!" he sputtered, sliding his book away and shoving his water bottle and bag of chips out of sight, "Welcome to the Port Luo Grand Hotel! Do you have a reservation with us this evening?"

My wallet was at the ready, and I flipped it open to show him my badge. "No reservation. Actually, I was hoping to speak with the hotel's owner. Are they in?”

His eyes grew two sizes at my request, but he nodded and dialed someone on the phone for me. Not five minutes later, the elevator chimed nearby and a distinguished gentleman in a nice suit stepped out.

"Good afternoon!" He strolled over and greeted me with a firm, unmoving smile. His head glistened in the lights above from under patches of thinning hair, and he fixated on me from behind round glasses. "I am Raymond Neiro, owner and proprietor of the city's finest hotel. What can I do for you today, madam?"

I flashed my badge again. "Mr. Neiro, I'm Detective Gendrick and I'm here investigating a missing person's report." I held out the picture of Hira I'd been allowed to take from the board. "Do you recognize this woman?"

He barely acknowledged the photo, instead keeping his eyes locked on my badge. "Detective, I'll be glad to answer all of your questions in my office. Do you care to accompany me?"

***

"Can I get you something? Coffee? Tea?" Mr. Neiro asked, gesturing me to have a seat across from his desk.

I folded my hands in my lap. "I'm fine, thank you. So, this young lady," I pried again, sliding the picture across to him, "one Hira Takaoji. Recognize her?"

He lifted Hira's image and scanned over it a few times, chewing his lip before returning it to me. "I do. She was reported as missing around a month ago, I saw her face in the papers. Sad, truly, it was.”

“Apparently she was last seen here. Know anything about that?”

He shook his head with a chuckle. "Detective, the hotel was quite populated around that time. I'm afraid I can't commit every guest to memory."

"Of course not. Luckily, that's why we have security cameras.”

He straightened in his chair a bit. "You’re moving awfully fast, detective. Can I ask what’s piqued your interest in this case?”

“I’m doing private work here, Mr. Neiro. I will not be disclosing my client’s identity to you.”

His eyes narrowed over his round glasses. “I can’t help but wonder… is this about that little girl at the cafe?”

Interesting, I thought, so he barely recognizes my target, yet somehow he knows who's looking for her.

Neiro sighed, rising from his desk to approach a window on our left. He stared wistfully into the bustling streets outside as he spoke. “Detective, I know you’re not stupid. I’m sure you read the paper. Things are bad for me right now, and it’s because of that girl and her ridiculous conspiracy board! She’s determined to ruin my business with that nonsense!”

I folded my arms, face straight as stone. “She’s not the only one concerned about Hira. It’s understandable people would be suspicious about her last known location.”

“Yes,” he scowled, “But she’s pulling at straws to make us seem like the bad guys here, and it’s hurting our reputation! Things are hard enough without her scaring away my guests. I can assure you, nobody on my hotel staff had anything to do with this girl’s disappearance. What’s she paying you, huh? I’ll pay you double to see that board taken down.”

Something was odd here. I looked him over carefully in his expensive suit, took a good look at his comfortably luxurious office. “I’m no business exec, but you seem pretty worried about this one young lady and her theories being the absolute death of you. Wasn’t your hotel the spot to be not long ago?”

He nodded. I leaned toward him.

“Then why wouldn’t you want to clear your name and show me the camera footage? Give people a reason to believe you’re not involved?”

***

“The Grand Hotel Restaurant welcomes you, madam. May I seat you indoors or outdoors?”

The host standing before me couldn’t hardly be fresh out of high school. Regardless, he was one of the only hosts on staff at all. According to the cams, he was the one working when my target came to the hotel’s restaurant the night of her disappearance. “Detective Gendrick, private eye. I won’t keep you too long sir, I’d just like to know about a visitor you had a few weeks ago.”

“Don’t tell her anything, Ken!” an unfamiliar voice called out from across the dining room. We turned to see another woman marching straight over toward us, garbed in a server’s uniform and wearing a vicious expression. “She’s not a cop. You don’t have to listen to her.”

The woman — a little older than Ken, but not by much — stood protectively over him, both hands on his shoulders from behind as she glared at me. Rin danced across her name tag. “That’s true, Ken. I’m no cop, you’re not required by law to cooperate with me. But you might be saving a life.”

Ben trembled like a near-erupting volcano, and his companion moved to wedge herself between us. “Look, lady,” she hissed quietly, “if this is about that missing girl, we can’t help you. You’re not going to harass my brother over this, you understand?”

Familiar with the case and sensitive about the subject? These guys know something. “No, I don’t understand. Have people harassed you about this before, Ken?”

“You’re interrupting him at work, lady. You need to be seated or leave.” Rin spat at me.

“And you’re speaking on a grown man’s behalf, miss,” I gave her a harsh look before turning gently to Ken. “I don’t need much from you. I just need to know if you remember seeing this girl. She might be dead already, but if she’s not, you could help save her life.”

Ken winced at the word ‘dead’, and peered up at his sister. He said something low enough that only she could hear, and her expression softened from defensive fury to careful consideration. Finally, she nodded and spoke.

“We’re gonna go on break at 3:30. Meet us across the street by the library if you want to talk.”

***

“We’ve been working here all summer,” Ken said, slowly, “it was a pretty good job at first, but the rumors about Hira made Mr. Neiro even angrier.”

The sun beat down from all sides, but we managed to find a covered table under the precious shade of the library’s pavilion. “Angrier?” I asked.

“Yeah… he’s really scary. When things go wrong, he yells and makes a scene. He had a huge falling out with a cook when we first started here, and that guy just stopped coming to work.”

I nodded, listening carefully and taking a glance at Rin. She watched over her brother like a hawk, concern all over her face. “So tell me about Hira.”

He looked up at me. “I remember her. She came in like, a month ago. I only know her because I had a few classes with her in school. Her dad’s like, really rich. He owns that baseball team, the Port Luo Wolfdogs? You know them?”

“I’ve seen a few games.”

“Well,” he swallowed, “she was there with a player. Number 17.”

I raised my brow, intrigued. “She came to the restaurant with one of her dad’s star players? Were they on a date?”

“I think so. Nothing was weird, they just had dinner and talked. Hira seemed pretty stoked. They didn’t leave together, though.”

Rin spoke up now, clearing her throat and thinking carefully over her words first. “What was weird was Mr. Neiro. He came over to their table a few times while they ate. I was waiting on them, I saw it. He’d stand next to her and put his arm around her shoulder, trying to touch her, trying talk to her. I could tell she was uncomfortable, and I really should have stepped in, but…” her words trailed off, twinged with guilt.

The more I heard about Mr. Raymond Neiro, the more I was starting to see the picture. “What happened after that?”

“Well, number 17 just left the hotel. But Mr. Neiro came back to talk to Hira before she could leave. I don’t know what he said to her, and I know I should have intervened, but… he got her to follow him upstairs.”

***

It was much later in the day when I returned to the Grand Hotel. I’d just finished making a few phone calls, took a little time to string the pieces together as best as I could. Mr. Neiro was all too happy to receive me. I didn’t take a seat at his desk this time; instead, I stood next to the chair, one hand firmly on my hip.

“I assume you’ve come to your senses and decided that double pay is more suitable for a professional like yourself?” He asked slyly, making a point to adjust his fancy watch right where I could see it.

“Actually, I just got off the phone with Mori Takaoji. Your poker buddy.”

The smile plastered on his face wavered the tiniest bit before he realized he needed to keep up the happy act. “I’m sorry, I’m not following.”

“Were you aware that Mr. Takaoji was Hira’s father?”

He swallowed hard, chuckling nervously. “Well, I knew he had kids —“

“So you play poker with this guy every week for years, but you apparently have no idea what his daughter looks like?” I raised my brow and frowned at him. The red flags were everywhere. “Moreover, you’re barely aware that she was last seen in your establishment?”

I could see the sweat beading on his forehead in the fluorescent lighting. “Poker nights are an escape from work. They’re no place to talk business.”

“Oh? Then why did you bet the hotel on your last game?”

The color drained from his face at my words. He swallowed, stiffened and took a deep, thoughtful breath. “I, I — I’ve always been a fan of gambling. Mori bet cash, the kind that could keep you out of bankruptcy. I liked the risk, I wanted the payout.”

“But you ended up paying out instead. Is that why you wanted to get back at Mori?”

His breath hitched, and he refused to make eye contact with me any longer. The fake smile was gone, and genuine panic overtook his expression now. His eyes darted back and forth on the floor, as if he were searching for a way out of this one. It was a long time before he spoke again. “I don’t have to answer you. You’re not a cop.”

“Right.” I shifted just enough for him to see the outline of a holster under my arm. “But I am licensed make an arrest under Port Luo Municipal Law, Section 12.”

Wild terror erupted in his eyes.

“What happened to Hira, Raymond?”

“I just wanted my hotel back!” He yelped, “I have nothing else! The girl was just supposed to be ransom to get my business back! But after a while she started trying to escape, I didn’t know what to do —“

I took a step forward, and he didn’t flinch. Leaning in close, I prodded again. “Where is Hira now, Raymond?”

His voice was no more than a whisper. “…I’ll lose everything.”

“You already have. Where is she?”

He shook his head furiously, the words ‘walk-in freezer’ barely distinguishable as he choked them out. I bolted for the door and made a beeline to the elevator, immediately dialing 911 on the way down. “Get me Resuscitation, now!“

***

The sun continued to sink beneath the skyline of Port Luo as the Resuscitation Team deliberated with Hira’s father. When the police had finished stuffing Neiro into the backseat, he stared dead ahead with empty eyes as I watched the car take off. A few minutes later, one of the medics told me that Mr. Takaoji wanted a word.

He was standing right next to Hira’s gurney as they attached her to more life support machines than I could count. Behind her, the heart rate monitor finally detected the faintest presence of a pulse. Face flushed and shining with tears and sweat, Mr. Takaoji gripped his daughter's hand and looked me straight in the eye. “You’ve saved Hira's life. I was running out of hope.”

I glanced at Hira, unconscious and pale, but alive and fighting. “I’m just glad to see that she’s alright. We need more miracles around here.”

He smiled through tears of relief. “I’m headed to the hospital with her now,” he said hastily as the medics began loading up the ambulance, “but come to my office tomorrow at Stadia Haku, I’d like to properly thank you for all you’ve done for my family!”

The ambulance took off, sirens wailing as it carried Hira and her father to the sanctuary of the hospital. My business concluded, I started down the sidewalk in the warmth of the setting summer sun. Another job done, I had was off to give my client the good word. Besides, I’d decided earlier that a certain gray fur ball would be coming home with me.