Page 12 of All He Takes
Nicky squinted to see clearer. She could tell by the shape and aesthetic that it was an older car, likely from the ‘90s.
"It's a sedan," she said. "An older model, probably from the ‘90s, I think. Maybe a Japanese brand. It's dark in color. Looks like its dark green, maybe forest green, but that's all I can get from this..."
Nicky knew cars, and she knew them well. There was something distinctly Japanese in style about the shape of this car, but it didn't look like a mainstream brand. It could have been one of the many competitors in the ‘90s, who ended up being bought out by larger corporations and forgotten by history.
Nicky took out her phone. She could feel it--some sort of memory associated with a car frame of that style. She looked up Japanese car brands from the ‘90s and scrolled through the list, scanning the various models and shapes of vehicles. Her eyes were trained and her fingers moved over the phone screen with deft precision, searching for some hint or clue that might help her identify the car in the parking lot. She scrutinized each entry carefully, trying to pinpoint any key similarities that could help her narrow down the possibilities. As she scrolled through the list, her expression grew more and more focused, her mind racing with possibilities as she tried to pinpoint the elusive vehicle.
"What are you doing, Lyons?"
"I think I know what it is," Nicky said. "Just give me a second."
"Wow, very impressive," said Mr. Dumond.
And there, Nicky spotted it.
Hana. A brand that once existed in the ‘90s but ended up going out of business. Nicky held up a picture of a Hana sedan to the security footage.
"Looks like a match," Ken said.
"That's not all," Nicky said. "This is a Hana Kuma."
"Really?" Ken said. "I've never heard of it."
"It's a sedan that was originally designed in Japan, but for a while they had a production facility here in America. But they went bankrupt years ago. In fact, you can't buy them anymore, only restore them."
"Are you sure?" Ken asked. "Because it doesn't look like anything special to me."
"My dad used to have one," Nicky said. "He restored it when I was a kid."
The memory struck her like a chord. That was why she recognized it. Her dad had one. Nicky had learned most of what she knew about cars from her father. As much of a deadbeat as he was, she knew that letting her watch while he worked on cars was one of the few good things he did for her development.
And he'd loved that Hana. When it broke down, he'd spend weeks restoring it. He'd even added a custom touch to it, something that Nicky never figured out.
"Well, I'll be damned," Ken said. "Then we know who our mystery man is."
"We know that the photos were dropped off by a Hana Kuma," Nicky said. "We don't know who was driving it."
"But we can find out," Ken said.
Nicky stood up, feeling determined. "Right. We need to get some traffic footage from the local police."
That would take time, and they didn't have much. If the man from the Hana Kuma turned out to be the same man from the photos, he could escape any day now.
They didn't have any time to waste.
CHAPTER SIX
The light in the basement flickered on, and the man smiled gleefully at his latest prize.
Sitting in a chair, underneath the light, was a beautiful brunette woman. The woman sat with her head bowed in fear as the man loomed over her. She was dressed in a simple but elegant black dress, her dark hair cascading down her slender neck. Her features were delicate and finely wrought, with full lips and smoldering brown eyes.
She was perfect. The perfect subject for his photoshoot.
"Aren't you so pretty, doll?" he asked her. "You've been told that your whole life, haven't you? So pretty. Such a pretty girl."
"P-please," she managed, "please let me go. I'll do whatever you want, just let me go."
"Ah, there's the problem, doll. See, you're not in control anymore. I am. I'm the master, and you are the pet."
