Osborn sat at his desk, staring at the screen. The footage of Orion's kidnapping played in an endless loop, the image of the man in the Noh mask burning itself into his mind. There was something so deliberate about the way the mask had been worn—an effort to conceal, to avoid being recognized. It bothered him. It wasn't just the fact that someone would wear a mask in such a situation, but that it was so distinctive.
He rubbed his eyes, trying to focus on the details. The minivan. The masked man. The van that had appeared multiple times around Princeton University. But something about it didn't add up.
A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. Without looking up, he called out, "Come in."
The door opened, and Ethan, a junior analyst, stepped inside with a stack of files in his hands. His expression was serious, a sign that something important had come up.
"Got something," Ethan said, walking to Osborn's desk and placing the files down. "I've been digging into that minivan you were tracking."
Osborn raised an eyebrow. "What did you find?"
Ethan flipped open the file, scanning a few pages before looking back up. "It wasn't rented. We couldn't find any record of it at all. No registration, no trace. It's as if the car was made for this kind of thing. No paperwork. Nothing. It's almost like a ghost car."
Osborn leaned forward, his fingers tapping on the desk. "A ghost car… That means they're covering their tracks well. Too well."
Ethan continued, his voice tight with frustration. "I checked every database, and nothing came up. It's been wiped clean. Whoever is behind this—they know how to hide."
Osborn stared at the screen again, his mind racing. The van was a dead end. But the mask—the mask had to be a clue. The Japanese Noh mask. It wasn't just some random item. The more he thought about it, the more he was sure that mask wasn't a coincidence.
"I've been looking into the mask," Osborn said, leaning back in his chair. "It's a traditional Japanese mask, used in Noh theatre. It's old. They're rare, hard to come by in the States." He paused, trying to piece things together. "The mask could be a clue. A cultural connection. It might lead us to someone, or something."
Ethan frowned. "So, what now? Are we looking for some sort of Japanese connection?"
Osborn rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe. I need to find out where that mask came from. I'll start by tracing its origins."
He scrolled through his files again, focusing on the specifics of the Noh mask. He could find little to nothing in the American market, but there were some links that suggested connections to certain specialty dealers in the U.S., though none seemed to lead anywhere solid.
Frustrated, Osborn muttered to himself. "This doesn't make sense. I need more information. If this is a lead, I can't afford to let it slip through my fingers."
Suddenly, an idea hit him, and he froze for a moment. What if the mask had been imported? What if the source wasn't local at all?
The thought lingered in his mind. He wasn't one to back down, and if a trip to Japan was what it took to get the answers, then so be it. But before he made any decisions, there was one more thing he needed.
Osborn turned back to Ethan. "I need to get in touch with someone who can help translate. Japanese. English. We might need to track down any records or leads from Japan. Do you know anyone who could help?"
Ethan thought for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, actually. There's a woman in HR, Mari Takahashi. She's fluent in Japanese and has helped with cases like this before. I can ask her to meet you in the morning."
Osborn gave a curt nod. "Perfect. Tell her I'll need her assistance first thing tomorrow." His mind was already turning toward Japan, but with Mari's help, he could start making connections faster.
Ethan left, and Osborn turned back to his computer, gathering his thoughts. He was preparing himself for a trip that would take him across the world, but first, he needed every piece of information he could get.
As Osborn drove to the airport, the sun was setting, casting long shadows across the city streets. His phone buzzed, but he didn't answer it. His thoughts were on one thing—tracking down the Noh mask. And no matter where it led him, he wouldn't stop until he had answers.
Tomorrow would be a new day. A new lead. And hopefully, the key to unlocking the mystery behind Orion's disappearance.