now?”
“...Don’t know!” Jessica said. “Just keep running!”
Josh flew down the stairs. Just ahead of him Jessica grabbed the banister to pivot around another corner and kept on going. Josh ran until his legs felt stiff, then until they
felt like jelly, then until he couldn’t feel anything any more. Josh didn’t know what floor they’d reached; he didn’t even know how close the two goons were to catching him.
He just kept running.
Finally, they hit the last set of stairs. A flash of black caught his eye. He turned to look, misjudged the corner, and ran smack into a wall. When lights stopped flashing in front of his eyes,
he looked up and saw the lithe silhouette of Granny Murata swing across the stairwell and into the two Yakuza thugs that were following them, knocking them off their feet.
The bodyguard was clattering down the stairs towards Josh, his face red with rage. He grabbed for Josh’s throat but he ducked away and the bodyguard ended up punching the wall.
“Argh!” he groaned, cradling his hand. He turned on Josh. “You little—” Josh backed away, but before the bodyguard could make another grab for him Jessica appeared,
sprinting back up the steps to their landing. She cannoned into the bodyguard with her shoulder. He staggered, but recovered quickly and got an arm around her neck. Josh tried to land a kick on the
back of the man’s knees, hoping they’d buckle, but the bodyguard used Jessica like a shield. She let out an angry choking noise, and scrabbled with her hands on his arm as her face
turned red.
Suddenly the bodyguard yelped – Jessica had found his little finger and pulled with all her might. His grip came loose and she scrabbled out from beneath his arm and ran over to Josh. The
bodyguard looked at them with eyes full of loathing. Josh knew what to do, without even glancing at Jessica. In unison they spun around and placed two high kicks in their enemy’s face. There
was the snap of bone breaking. He fell down, out cold.
“Josh, Jessica – you are all right.” Josh looked up to see Granny Murata descending the stairs two at a time.
“Granny!” they both cried out. Looking up, Josh could see two figures spread out on the concrete floor of the landing above them. Groaning and rolling from side-to-side, they had
clearly taken a battering. Granny looked down at the bodyguard, whose huge limbs spread out around their feet. She nodded slowly, looking him up and down.
“Your technique is still in need of improvement,” she commented. “But your improvisational skills are good.” Josh and Jessica grinned at each other.
Josh kneeled down, turned the bodyguard over and rummaged in his jacket pocket. He found a wallet and a mobile phone.
“These should help,” he said, passing the wallet and phone to Granny. He turned back to the bodyguard and checked him for other pockets, or any kind of clue. He pulled the
man’s jacket open. That was funny – the lining was black silk, apart from one white seam. He pulled on the silk and the seam split open. A hidden pocket! And there was something
inside...
“I’ve found something,” he said, pulling out a small folded-up piece of paper.
“What is it?” Jessica asked.
“Dunno – it looks like a ticket for something. Why would he hide this?” He squinted at the letters. “Tokyo Tower... Ro Ningyokan .”
Jessica’s eyes lit up. “That’s the waxworks museum – you remember Kiki said she was going there? That can’t be a coincidence.”
“No,” Josh said, his heart beating even faster. “It’s better than that – Mr. Yoshida owns a load of museums, right, Granny? Is this one of them?”
“It is,” said Granny, raising her eyebrows. “You two are sharp thinkers. You believe Kiki might be hidden there?”
“Well, it’s a public place. Mr. Yoshida can control the security, and Kiki loves to go there.”
“Plus the bodyguard said on the phone that everyone would be able to see her,”
“...Don’t know!” Jessica said. “Just keep running!”
Josh flew down the stairs. Just ahead of him Jessica grabbed the banister to pivot around another corner and kept on going. Josh ran until his legs felt stiff, then until they
felt like jelly, then until he couldn’t feel anything any more. Josh didn’t know what floor they’d reached; he didn’t even know how close the two goons were to catching him.
He just kept running.
Finally, they hit the last set of stairs. A flash of black caught his eye. He turned to look, misjudged the corner, and ran smack into a wall. When lights stopped flashing in front of his eyes,
he looked up and saw the lithe silhouette of Granny Murata swing across the stairwell and into the two Yakuza thugs that were following them, knocking them off their feet.
The bodyguard was clattering down the stairs towards Josh, his face red with rage. He grabbed for Josh’s throat but he ducked away and the bodyguard ended up punching the wall.
“Argh!” he groaned, cradling his hand. He turned on Josh. “You little—” Josh backed away, but before the bodyguard could make another grab for him Jessica appeared,
sprinting back up the steps to their landing. She cannoned into the bodyguard with her shoulder. He staggered, but recovered quickly and got an arm around her neck. Josh tried to land a kick on the
back of the man’s knees, hoping they’d buckle, but the bodyguard used Jessica like a shield. She let out an angry choking noise, and scrabbled with her hands on his arm as her face
turned red.
Suddenly the bodyguard yelped – Jessica had found his little finger and pulled with all her might. His grip came loose and she scrabbled out from beneath his arm and ran over to Josh. The
bodyguard looked at them with eyes full of loathing. Josh knew what to do, without even glancing at Jessica. In unison they spun around and placed two high kicks in their enemy’s face. There
was the snap of bone breaking. He fell down, out cold.
“Josh, Jessica – you are all right.” Josh looked up to see Granny Murata descending the stairs two at a time.
“Granny!” they both cried out. Looking up, Josh could see two figures spread out on the concrete floor of the landing above them. Groaning and rolling from side-to-side, they had
clearly taken a battering. Granny looked down at the bodyguard, whose huge limbs spread out around their feet. She nodded slowly, looking him up and down.
“Your technique is still in need of improvement,” she commented. “But your improvisational skills are good.” Josh and Jessica grinned at each other.
Josh kneeled down, turned the bodyguard over and rummaged in his jacket pocket. He found a wallet and a mobile phone.
“These should help,” he said, passing the wallet and phone to Granny. He turned back to the bodyguard and checked him for other pockets, or any kind of clue. He pulled the
man’s jacket open. That was funny – the lining was black silk, apart from one white seam. He pulled on the silk and the seam split open. A hidden pocket! And there was something
inside...
“I’ve found something,” he said, pulling out a small folded-up piece of paper.
“What is it?” Jessica asked.
“Dunno – it looks like a ticket for something. Why would he hide this?” He squinted at the letters. “Tokyo Tower... Ro Ningyokan .”
Jessica’s eyes lit up. “That’s the waxworks museum – you remember Kiki said she was going there? That can’t be a coincidence.”
“No,” Josh said, his heart beating even faster. “It’s better than that – Mr. Yoshida owns a load of museums, right, Granny? Is this one of them?”
“It is,” said Granny, raising her eyebrows. “You two are sharp thinkers. You believe Kiki might be hidden there?”
“Well, it’s a public place. Mr. Yoshida can control the security, and Kiki loves to go there.”
“Plus the bodyguard said on the phone that everyone would be able to see her,”
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