by I. J. Parker
‘Forgive me, but you always manage to become involved in impossible situations. If you say that those peculiar events of the dancer and the boy are somehow connected, I’ll take your word for it, but frankly…’ He shook his head.
‘I don’t feel happy about it. The boy is only about five, and he is mute.’
Kobe’s eyes narrowed speculatively. ‘Your son was that age, wasn’t he?’
‘That has nothing to do with it,’ Akitada snapped. ‘This child was lost. In the rain at nightfall. Anyone would have stopped for him.’
Kobe shook his head. ‘Well, let’s go talk to Tora. Perhaps something will come to us when we hear what he has to say.’
The first heavy drops of the storm struck them as they crossed the courtyard to the jail. There, Kobe read the charges and shook his head again.
They found Tora manacled and chained to a heavy column and clinging to it like a shipwrecked man to flotsam. Two guards stood over him with whips. His blue gown had been pulled down for the flogging, and angry red stripes marked his bare back. His head was pressed against the column.
‘Stop that,’ Kobe snapped.
The guards saluted, but Tora did not bother to open his eyes. Akitada was suddenly afraid. This was not Tora’s first arrest or whipping, but in the past he had always borne the experience defiantly. He went to him. Up close, Tora was filthy and stank.
‘Tora?’ Akitada’s voice was unsteady, so he tried again. ‘Tora, are you all right?’
There was a slight tensing of the shoulders, but no other sign that the chained man had heard.
Akitada turned to the nearest guard. ‘Untie him.’ The guard looked at Kobe, who nodded.
When his arms were released, Tora slumped and sat, his head bowed between his knees.
Akitada knelt beside him and put his hand on his arm. ‘Tora, look at me. I’ve searched for you all day.’
Tora muttered, ‘Go away, sir. I’m no good to you anymore.’
‘Nonsense. I need you, and you need me. What about Hanae?’
Tora’s head finally came up. He looked at Akitada from bloodshot eyes and said, through a split lip, ‘You know about Hanae?’
‘I? know she may be in some sort of trouble,’ Akitada said cautiously. ‘What happened?’
‘Some rich bastard’s got her. I was trying to find her, but the scum in the quarter all cover up for the cursed nobles. I got a bit impatient. When that she-man Ohiya refused to help me, I knew he was in on it, too. I was going to squeeze the truth out of that perfumed piece of dung when the constables jumped me.’
Kobe interrupted with: ‘We’d better discuss the rest in my office.’
Tora staggered to his feet with Akitada’s help and limped on one bare foot. Akitada asked, ‘What happened to your clothes, and your other boot, and…?’ He ran out of words to express his shock.
‘I walked to Uji and back. Never mind. Did you mean it? About helping me find Hanae?’ When Akitada nodded, Tora’s hand shot out and grasped Akitada’s fiercely. ‘Even after I left you in Otsu?’
Akitada nodded again. ‘I meant it,’ he said and felt some of the tightness in his chest giving way. He put his hand on Tora’s shoulder.
‘I’m not too proud to beg, sir,’ Tora said. ‘I left you because I was afraid for Hanae. You’d do the same for your lady, I think.’
The comparison made Akitada uncomfortable. Tora’s assumption that he, too, would set aside every other consideration, even the most sacred obligations, to protect Tamako troubled him. It had been a long time since he had felt this strongly about his wife.
As they crossed the courtyard, Tora said, ‘Hanae’s my wife, and she’s going to have my child, sir. Can you make the superintendent turn me loose so I can find her?’
‘Your wife?’ Akitada still did not want to believe this. A woman from the Willow Quarter? Tora had never needed to marry his women, or to pay for prostitutes. He almost said so, but Tora’s face stopped him. He said instead, ‘Why didn’t you tell me? How long has this been going on?’
‘We met after Yori died. I didn’t want to bother you and your lady with my concerns so I kept waiting for a chance, but it never came.’
Akitada opened his mouth and closed it again. He should have looked after his family better. There was more to be mended than the roof of his house.
In Kobe’s office, Akitada asked, ‘Can we get the charges dismissed?’
Kobe said, ‘Of course not.’
‘There must be something you can do.’
‘Not unless you can persuade the injured parties to withdraw their charges.’
‘That dancing master?’
‘And the owner of the restaurant. He claims personal injury and damage to his property.’
Akitada grimaced. ‘Perhaps I can pay them off.’
Kobe continued, ‘Also, the courtesan Kohata. She says Tora has caused her to be ridiculed and this has permanently damaged her reputation. I doubt she’ll come cheap.’
‘I may not have enough money,’ Akitada said to Tora. ‘The judge in Otsu kept all the gold I had with me.’
Tora looked blank. ‘Why?’
‘I was also arrested. We are both charged with kidnapping the boy.’
Tora sucked in his breath. ‘What? How can they do that? We saved the kid from that witch of a mother. And why take all your gold? Have the judges turned to highway robbery now?’
‘The money is to cover damages. The Mimuras claim I misused the child.’
Tora stared at him, brow wrinkled. ‘“Misused”?’ Understanding dawned, and with it a look of such outrage that Akitada almost smiled. ‘Filthy-minded scum. Have they lost their minds?’
‘The Mimuras want money.’
Kobe had followed the exchange with interest and grinned. ‘I suppose you’ll have to decide whether to bribe yourself out of your legal difficulties first or take care of Tora’s problem.’
Akitada said, ‘It isn’t funny, Kobe.’
‘I couldn’t resist after you accused me of accommodating Sadanori.’
Akitada sighed. ‘I’ll go back and see what I can do about getting Tora’s charges dropped. Then I’ll look for Hanae.’
Tora said quickly, ‘Never mind the charges. Just find Hanae. Please?’
‘I promise.’
Tora looked grateful. ‘You’ll like her, sir.’
Akitada doubted it, but he nodded.
Trudging back to the amusement quarter in a steady drizzle, Akitada was not optimistic. Two days and a night had passed. Either Hanae had chosen her new life freely, or she had already been violated. He would take care of Tora’s problems first.
Dusk had fallen early. In the quarter, lanterns glimmered like fireflies in the darkness. From the open doors of wine houses and restaurants came the sound of music and laughter. In spite of the weather, the Willow Quarter was doing a fine business.
The Fragrant Plumblossom was crammed with guests. Chikamura, his head bandaged, was entertaining everybody with the story of the attack. When Akitada asked to speak to him privately, Chikamura led him into a small back room.
Akitada said courteously, ‘I deeply regret the incident earlier today. The man who caused your injury is my retainer, Tora. He was desperate at the time because his wife had been kidnapped. He begs your forgiveness, and I came to pay for the damages.’
If he had not been so worried about his slender funds, Akitada would have been amused. Chikamura’s face expressed his gratification at an apology from a nobleman, delight at the thought of generous reimbursement, and finally doubt and regret that it might not be a good idea to appear too greedy. He hemmed and hawed, said he understood, but there was the matter of the broken wall and the cost of the doctor, and…
‘Can you show me the damage?’
‘I had it fixed. The carpenter charged two pieces of silver for a rush job, but I had to have the restaurant open for tonight.’
‘Yes, quite. And the physician?’
‘Another two pieces of silver.
He’s a terrible crook.’
‘Very well. If you stop by the prison early tomorrow and withdraw the charges, you shall have ten pieces of silver. Is that agreeable?’
It was. Chikamura bowed him out of his restaurant, pleased that he had kept the gentleman’s goodwill while collecting many times over what he had paid.
Akitada’s spirits rose a little.
Kohata was next. She was home and sullen. Akitada looked at her expensive costume and the costly appointments of her room and took an instant dislike to her. He cut through her lamentations with the comment that he had many friends among the aristocracy and hoped that he would be able to say nice things about her. Kohata pouted and then agreed that perhaps the incident might be forgotten if her business continued to flourish. Akitada felt little guilt over threatening a woman who depended on the goodwill of men like himself. After all, she had been ready enough to grind a poor man under her dainty foot.
The dancing master was also at home. Akitada was admitted by a young male servant in a surprisingly handsome silk robe. A worried-looking Ohiya lounged alone and in informal attire, leaning against a lacquered armrest. He wore a deep-red silk robe and a voluminous open jacket of golden yellow brocade with purple trim over full lavender silk trousers that were embroidered with black flowers. Akitada averted his eyes from this costume and accepted a seat on a plump cushion. Strongly scented incense rose in delicate spirals from a censer, and a flask of wine stood by. The servant whisked one of the two cups away and brought another.
Ohiya fanned himself with a gilded fan and asked for news of Hanae. When Akitada told him that she had not been found, his face fell. ‘Oh, dear, oh, dear,’ he moaned. ‘That is worrisome. I shouldn’t have spoken ill of her. No wonder her young man was so distracted.’
This was encouraging, and Akitada said cautiously, ‘Tora works for me. I’ve come to see if I can convince you to forgive him.’
Ohiya hesitated. ‘Well, he was very abusive. I don’t wish to mention the names he called me! Shocking and very crude. I’m an artist and was merely training Hanae.’
Akitada guessed from this that Tora had called Ohiya a pimp. He said, ‘I’m sorry. Tora was perhaps jealous of your influence over the young woman.’
Ohiya nodded. ‘Exactly. Young people do not handle romantic attachments very well.’
Akitada agreed, mentioned Tora’s devotion to Hanae, and hinted at compensation for Ohiya’s suffering.
At this, Ohiya sat up. ‘Oh no, I couldn’t. After all, I’m quite unhurt. He only gave me a bad fright. In fact, I had already made up my mind to go to the police and drop the charges. Tora’s headstrong and rude, but I’m willing to concede that he does seem to care for the poor girl.’
Akitada was so surprised by this sudden change in Ohiya that he felt a niggling suspicion that all was not as it seemed. ‘That’s very generous of you,’ he said. ‘I am going to search for Hanae. I wonder, can you tell me anything about Lord Sadanori? He seems to have had an interest in her. Could he be involved in her disappearance?’
Ohiya gulped. ‘Lord Sadanori?’ He reached for his cup and drank before answering. ‘Very unlikely, I would say. It’s true, he engaged Hanae quite often, and he pays very well. But no, I think Lord Sadanori’s position argues against such suspicions.’
Akitada said grimly, ‘I disagree. He seems to have a bad reputation with women. A man’s rank and power do not excuse wanton disregard of decency.’
Ohiya flushed. ‘My dear sir, do please remember that you are in the Willow Quarter. Our careers and our livelihood depend on men like Lord Sadanori. You’ll forgive me, I’m sure, if I point out that if our clients were held to such high moral standards, we would all starve.’
Akitada recalled the young woman in pink. He had come very close to paying for the services of Little Wave. Besides, Ohiya had been decent about Tora. He decided not to pursue the matter, thanked the dancing master, and left.
It was fully dark, but the rain had stopped. Akitada was soaked, he was tired, and the amount of walking he had done made his bad leg hurt, but he owed Tora this and much more. He needed to pick up the trail of the sedan chair that had taken Hanae away. If only he had questioned the neighbor more thoroughly earlier. Well, there was nothing for it. At least the woman should be home this time of night.
The streets had become quagmires after the rain, and he sloshed through puddles, raining his boots and trousers. Worse, he lost his way in the dark. A lantern would have helped, but thieves roamed the streets of the capital at night. It was better not to announce your presence by carrying a light.
When he heard the lowing of the tethered ox, he knew he was on the right street. An impenetrable blackness seemed to weigh down on the city. Akitada almost missed Hanae’s house because it showed a glow of light. This was strange, but perhaps the nosy neighbor had come to snoop.
The little gate squeaked after the rain. Akitada walked quickly up the walk.
The door of the house flew open, and, for a moment, a girl’s figure stood outlined against the light. Then she rushed down the steps and flung herself into Akitada’s arms.
TWELVE
Hanae’s Story
Akitada thought he was holding a child. She was small, and her body felt as fragile of bone and flexible of limb as a child’s. The perception lasted only a moment, because she gasped and started flailing and kicking to get free. Akitada released her instantly, saw she was falling, and reached to catch her. A stinging slap landed on his cheek, followed by a series of punches from small fists. She cried, ‘Take your hands off me!’ and screamed for help.
A light came on next door. The girl backed away, and Akitada saw a small oval face that was painted so white that it seemed all eyes. It expressed panic and fury in equal parts. He took a wild guess: ‘Hanae? Are you Tora’s Hanae? We’ve been looking for you everywhere.’
She still looked frightened. ‘Who are you?’
‘I am Sugawara. Tora works for me.’
A small hand covered her lips. ‘Oh, no,’ she moaned. ‘I didn’t know. Forgive me, sir.’ She bowed deeply.
‘You couldn’t know. You are Hanae, then?’
‘Yes, I’m Hanae. Where’s Tora?’
The neighbor’s door flew open. ‘What’s going on over there?’ she shouted.
The slender girl cried back, ‘It’s me, Hanae, Mrs Hamada. Sorry. I was startled, but everything’s all right.’
If she had hoped that Mrs Hamada would close her door and leave them in peace she was mistaken. The woman immediately came to the fence. ‘Hanae? You’re back?’ she cried. ‘That man of yours was looking for you and a noble gentleman also. How was your visit? I expect you’ll leave us now.’
Akitada snapped, ‘Go back inside, woman. You can gossip tomorrow.’
Mrs Hamada gave him a startled look. ‘Oh, you’re back, sir. I see.’ She giggled. ‘You’ve become very popular, Hanae.’
‘She’ll think the worst now,’ Hanae muttered.
Akitada had taken note of the fact that Hanae was wearing the gaudy costume of a professional dancer. Irritation at Tora’s taste in women surfaced again. He wanted to get to the bottom of this affair as quickly as possible so he could take care of his own problems. ‘Let’s go inside,’ he said curtly.
She hesitated just a moment, then led the way. The little house was painstakingly clean, but so cramped for space that Akitada could see all of it at one glance. A single oil lamp cast some light. He saw Tora’s sword hanging on the wall and looked again at his wife’s dance costume and her heavy make-up. Her childlike size made him wonder how old she was, but he had had proof enough that day that women fell early into the life of pleasure.
She also gave him an appraising look, then placed a cushion for him, knelt, bowed, and apologized for the humble surroundings. Her hands were shaking badly, and as Akitada looked, he saw rips in the sleeves of her embroidered robe. The brilliant blue silk was wet all over and mud stained her skirt. None of this made up for the trouble she
had caused.
‘Where have you been?’ he demanded, ignoring her courteous welcome.
She lifted her hands helplessly. ‘I don’t know.’
‘You don’t know?’
‘I was picked up in a closed sedan chair. The bearers took me to a house. There an old woman gave me some wine to drink. The wine made me sleepy, but I was very thirsty and drank a lot of it. When I woke up, I was alone and my hands and feet were tied. After a while I got loose and escaped, but it was dark outside and I ran so hard that I don’t remember the street.’
Akitada found this hard to believe. The very economical account left out a great deal. What of the elaborate costume and make-up? ‘You went to perform for Lord Sadanori?’ he guessed, gesturing to her costume.
‘No,’ she cried and pulled at the gown in disgust. ‘This isn’t mine. I don’t know what happened to my own clothes. I was wearing a plain gown when I left. I thought I was to be a nursemaid.’ She touched the thick white paste on her face. ‘Someone else did all this after I passed out.’
‘Really?’
They stared at each other. The make-up looked as if it had been applied by an expert, but Akitada was no judge of such matters. She was probably very pretty under all that paint. Kobe was right: Tora had good taste in women. Her hair was long and loose, and her small hands graceful. Whatever her age, she was certainly no child and knew all the tricks to attract a man like Tora. And that childlike fragility would appeal to his protectiveness.
As if she guessed his thoughts, she asked again, ‘Where is Tora, sir?’
‘In jail.’
She jumped a little at that. ‘In jail? Why? Because of me?’
Akitada nodded. ‘When he couldn’t get any answers about your whereabouts, he attacked a few people in the Willow Quarter.’
Her eyes filled with tears. He thought, she won’t really cry because it will smudge all that black paint around her eyes. But the tears fell and left black streaks in the white paint.
Akitada was ashamed. ‘He should be released tomorrow.’
‘He didn’t attack Lord Sadanori?’
This made him wonder if she had been raped after all. ‘No. Should he have?’