Tokyo Surprise (9 page)

“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,” Jessica added.

“That is very plausible,” said Granny Murata. She switched on a walkie-talkie. “Nana, can you call up activity outside the waxworks museum on the day Kiki was
kidnapped?”

“I’m on it.”

It was just a couple of moments before Nana’s voice came back. “I’ve got Kiki’s bright yellow electric hybrid car pulling up to the museum about an hour after she got off
the plane.”

“That confirms it. Good work, everybody,” Granny said. “Team O will investigate the museum.”

“We’re coming with you,” Jessica said.

“Please, Jessica – this is a serious matter. If you are right, the place may be filled with Yakuza.”

“But it’s a tourist attraction, and we’re tourists! It’s a brilliant cover,” Josh argued.

“Exactly,” Jessica agreed. “What’s more natural than seeing the waxworks with your grandchildren – your unruly, curious grandchildren who have a tendency to open
doors marked Staff Only?”

Granny Murata sighed. “
If
you do precisely as I say, and
if
you promise me you will stay safe, and
if
you remember your training...” She hesitated. Josh held his
breath.

C’mon, Granny
, he thought.
We don’t have much time!

“Then, it looks like we will be paying a family visit to the waxworks museum this summer,” Granny said. Josh had to clench his fists to stop himself from whooping for joy. He and
Jessica bowed respectfully to Granny, and then high-fived behind her back as they stepped over the unconscious bodyguard and started down the steps.

“What about your friends?” Jessica asked. “Are they still singing karaoke? Should we go and get them?” Josh remembered that they’d left the three old women in the
booth.

“Don’t worry about them,” Granny reassured her. “I phoned Hina’s mobile phone to say we’ve been called away, and I’d return her camera when I see her
tomorrow.” She held out her hand and Josh dug the camera out of his pocket. To his dismay, the screen was cracked. It must have happened when he ran into the wall.

“I’m so sorry, Granny – I’ll pay for it,” he promised.

“Well – that is very honourable of you,” said Granny Murata. “But I’m sure Sachiko can fix it in the Team O workshop.”

The Tokyo Tower was an old radio tower that had been turned into a tourist attraction. It was shaped like the Eiffel Tower, painted in orange and white stripes. Josh leaned up
against the passenger window as their car pulled up to the front of the four-storey building that sat at its centre. One of the tower’s legs passed them by, with its massive steel latticework
gleaming in the late afternoon sunlight. He and Jessica had been there once before – one summer their parents had brought them to Tokyo and they’d gone to the special observatory at the
top, and had totally failed to see Mount Fuji on the horizon because it had been too cloudy. But it had been an awesome day anyway.

The car stopped, and the doors opened. Josh climbed out to see five ancient people standing in front of him, wrapped in warm clothes and leaning on sticks. If he hadn’t already seen it
with his own eyes, he never would have believed that Nakamura, Sachiko, Nana, Mimasu and Mr. Yamamoto were capable of standing up straight, let alone fighting off armies of Yakuza. Now, they looked
ancient. Mr. Yamamoto was carrying a backpack that looked like it might topple him over at any minute. Granny Murata adopted her own elderly body language as soon as she stepped out of the car,
bending over and taking small, shuffling steps and nodded curtly to the others.

They entered the building, which was swarming with tourists and locals. Josh spotted two TV screens showing the early evening news. A scrolling subtitle said
Chiba Mikiko still missing
– bodyguard found assaulted in stairwell, two known Yakuza arrested
. Granny ushered the group into the lifts.

“Keep your eyes open for anything suspicious, any heavily guarded areas or hidden doors,” Granny told the rest of Team O as the lift whirred up to the third floor. “Thanks to
Josh and Jessica, now we know what Yoshida’s up to.” Josh felt his face flush with pride as Sachiko and Nana both grinned at them. “If we do not find Kiki within an hour and a
half, Yoko will take her place on her new music show – and we do not know what will happen to Kiki after that.”

The wax museum was impossible to miss – the doorway was painted bright yellow and the president of America was standing outside with three members of the Beatles. A sign on the wall said
“Apologies – John Lennon removed for cleaning.”

Granny hobbled up to the counter and bought a group ticket for them. “I am here with my English grandchildren,” she told the girl at the counter.

“Awww –
kawaii!
” The girl beamed at Josh and Jessica.

“Yes,” Granny said, looking every bit the sweet, twinkly-eyed grandmother. “They are
kawaii
, aren’t they?”

Josh wasn’t sure about being called
kawaii
– it was like “cute”, but with an extra veneer of sickly sweet adorableness.

They went into the museum through a group entrance. Nana pulled a shiny gadget from her pocket. “There are twelve surveillance cameras in this museum,” she whispered to the others.
“So there will be certain times when we need to tread carefully – we will almost certainly be watched.”

“Let’s make sure our cover holds up,” Mimasu added under her breath. “Plenty of shuffling. I’ll be stone deaf; Nakamura-san, you can be nearly blind.”

A young lady in a red blazer met them in front of the first room.

“
Ohay
ō
!” she chirruped, handing them all leaflets about the museum. “I am Mandi! I will be your guide for today!”

Sachiko immediately engaged her in conversation.

She’ll keep her occupied
, Josh thought,
while we investigate
.

Mandi led them through a set of doors into a room full of European royalty, including a wax sculpture of England’s crown jewels. The room was almost empty of other visitors. Josh supposed
the museum might be winding down for the night. It would be shutting soon. Josh looked around for anything that could be suspicious – hidden doors, obvious security cameras, roped-off areas
– but he couldn’t see anything. Mimasu beckoned him over to take a picture of Mr. Yamamoto with the Queen.

Josh sidled up to Jessica, who was examining a slightly wonky version of Prince Philip. “See anything?”

“Nothing,” she said. “Except that I think the prince’s wig might be on the wrong way round.”

They kept their eyes open, but after a few more rooms, Josh started to get jumpy. There seemed to be nothing here except waxworks and tourists.
Where’s Kiki?
he thought. If they
didn’t find her soon... Josh felt an involuntary shudder pass over him. He only hoped that their new friend’s life wasn’t in danger.

They passed through rooms celebrating the ancient emperors of Japan, the Japanese space programme, and Hollywood movie stars. The crowds of visitors got bigger and noisier. A loud group of
American teenagers was gathered in the Hollywood room.

“Oh, take my photo with James Bond!” one of them cried.

“Ewww, Clark, quit kissing Superwoman; that’s disgusting,” shrieked another.

“Everything seems normal,” Granny said to Nakamura, the noise of the teenagers covering their conversation.

“For a waxworks museum, anyway,” Jessica added to Josh.

“And this is our music celebrity room,” said Mandi, leading them into the biggest, loudest room yet. “Very popular, come inside and meet the stars.”

People were forming queues to get their photos taken with their favourite singers, and a crowd had gathered around a large exhibit in the middle of the room. It was a four-poster bed, draped in
silk and gauzy fabric that swayed gently as people passed by. And lying on the bed, as if she was fast asleep, was the waxwork of Kiki that she mentioned on the plane.

“
Oh
,” said Jessica. “It’s so realistic. It’s set up just like her video for ‘Dreaming of You’. Just look at that
dress
.”

Josh was looking. The dress had to be about ten metres long, wrapping the waxwork in artful folds. It was made of some kind of shimmering cloth that changed colour as they walked around the
display.

Team O spread out around the room. Mr. Yamamoto leaned close to Josh’s ear.

“Mimi says to stay alert. It would be just like Mr. Yoshida to hide Kiki somewhere near here.”

Josh looked around the room. There was a door marked Staff Only. Maybe Kiki was in there, hidden away from the public? He nudged Jessica and started to walk towards it, letting his path take
them a couple of times round a blond pop star and in between the cast of a famous movie musical, until they were passing by the door.

“Ready?” Josh whispered to his sister. Jessica nodded, her face pale. Then he took a deep breath, grabbed the handle and flung the door open.

Josh braced himself for wailing alarms and the sight of Kiki tied to a chair, but he didn’t get either. The room was a store cupboard, full of wigs, costumes and bits of
waxwork, including a box of arms and a shelf of heads.

Beside him, Jessica sighed. “Good try,” she said.

“Hey!” cried Mandi, rushing up to them. “Really, you cannot go in there.”

“Josh, Jessica, you stop that this minute,” said another voice. Josh turned. Granny was smiling and bowing to Mandi. “Please excuse them, they are half-English. They’re
staying with me for the summer.”

“Oh, well, please keep a better eye on them in future,” Mandi said.

“I will,” said Granny.

Mandi still looked a bit doubtful.

Mr. Yamamoto stepped up and bowed to her. “Mandi-san,” he said, giving her a sparkling smile. “Have you ever thought of becoming an actress? I think you’re far prettier
than any of the figures here.” Mandi giggled, completely distracted from Josh and Jessica.

“Keep looking,” Granny murmured to Josh. “It was a good try – but it would be better if you try not to draw attention to yourselves again.”

“Right,” Josh said.

Mandi ushered Team O into the next room, which was much less crowded and seemed to have no particular theme. Mr. Yamamoto stuck by her.

They walked along a corridor and past a big metal door, with two burly men in black suits and sunglasses standing guard. One of the guards fixed Josh with a suspicious glare as they passed.

“I’m reading lots of human activity through there,” Sachiko whispered when they were out of range. She showed Josh and Jessica her camera – the screen showed a
heat-sensitive scan of the area around them. “Lots of body heat behind that door.”

“That
has
to be where they’re keeping Kiki,” said Jessica. “But how can we get in?”

“Follow our lead,” Sachiko said.

They came to the end of the tour and found themselves approaching the exit to the museum. Mandi left them to find their way out, bowing to the women and letting Mr. Yamamoto kiss her hand. After
she was gone, Mr. Yamamoto and Granny Murata split from their group, waving the other four members of the team off and beckoning Josh and Jessica to follow them into a bathroom.

Inside the bathroom, where there weren’t any security cameras, Mr. Yamamoto opened up his backpack and pulled out four piles of clothing.

“The museum will be shutting down for the night very soon,” Granny Murata said. “The others are going straight to the TV studio, to see if they can stall the music show and
give us more time to find Kiki. Sachiko has provided us with disguises, so we can keep looking.”

“Here’s your cleaner’s outfit, Josh,” said Mr. Yamamoto, passing him some blue overalls and a black T-shirt. “And yours, Jessica.” Jessica’s disguise
looked exactly the same. “And to hide the fact that you are twins – here.” He passed Josh a baseball hat.

“Quickly, please,” Granny Murata interrupted.

Josh went into one of the bathroom cubicles and climbed into his disguise, and when he stepped out, he saw Jessica’s feet disappearing into the ceiling. Mr. Yamamoto held a square of
ceiling tile and Granny Murata was standing on the sink counter.

Josh climbed up on the sink counter next to her. She kneeled and took one foot in her hand, and then gave him a boost-up so he could cling on to the inside of the ceiling. Then, after Mr.
Yamamoto had followed, Granny swung herself in and pulled the ceiling tile up after her.