Rashomon Gate – A Mystery of Ancient Japan

by Ingrid J Parker

  Somewhere down below a window opened. Tora opened his eyes and sucked in his breath. He had woken someone. There were the sounds of a muttered conversation, then Mrs. Hishiya's sleepy voice cried, "Shoo! Damned cat!" and Tora heard the sound of something heavy being thrown. Then the window slammed shut and silence fell.

  Tora breathed a sigh of relief and softly closed the shutters. He struck a flint with trembling fingers, and lit his lantern.

  He was in a small space, right under the eaves, no more than three mats in size. Four stacked clothes boxes, a roll of bedding, and a lute hanging from a nail proved that he had found the dead girl's room. It was blessedly empty of both the living and the dead. He checked the door and found it locked.

  It did not take long to search the room. There was little in it beyond the contents of the four boxes and a few small knickknacks on a cross beam. The boxes contained the girl's clothing, separated by season of the year. Tora was surprised when he discovered that two of the chests, those for spring and summer, contained not only some plain, serviceable cotton robes but also silks. In the summer chest especially, he found silk under-robes, two bolts of glossy pale blue and peach-colored silk, and a gown in a bright shade of plum blossom red. He put everything back the way he had found it, and turned to the knickknacks. Omaki's everyday comb of plain wood, with a few teeth missing, lay next to a small lacquered one with a design of golden chrysanthemums. There were several fans, most serviceable paper and bamboo, but one was silk, painted with a pair of ducks under a spray of cherry blossoms. A small brocade envelope next to the fans contained visiting cards, black brush strokes on red paper covered with gold dust. Tora looked at these, raised his eyebrows whistling softly, and pushed the envelope inside his robe. He glanced around the room, bowed deeply to the unseen presence of the dead girl, then blew out his light and quietly climbed out and down again.

  Once back in the street, he breathed easier. He could not resist the urge to check on Michiko at her place. Somewhat to his surprise, he found her there waiting for him.

  "So," he snarled, scowling ferociously, "are you finally done pleasuring that bastard from the silk shop?"

  "What? Kurata? Are you mad? I was engaged to play for a party of rice dealers."

  "I saw him touching you. He wanted you all right. And you went with him to his room."

  "I did not. I went along only as far as the back door. There's a shortcut to the restaurant behind the Willow. The rice dealers were waiting there. But I admit Kurata was acting a bit strange tonight. He's never paid any attention to me before. Anyway, I don't like him. He's not a nice man."

  "Then you should've told him off!" Tora grumbled, eyeing her doubtfully.

  Michiko opened her mouth to defend herself, then began to giggle. "Oh, Tora! You're jealous!" Her voice became husky with emotion. "My big tiger! Don't you know I shall never want another man as long as you want me?" she said and slipped into his arms.

  Thirteen. The Princely Monk

  As Kobe had predicted, Hirata's strength seemed to return as soon as the captain left them. He rejected Akitada's offer to take him home, claiming that he had some work to do. "Do not worry," he said, bustling around his office, "I have these bouts of cramping every time something irritating happens. My stomach cannot take aggravation any longer. Fortunately it never lasts very long. Please do not mention the matter to Tamako."

  There was little chance of that! Akitada had no intention of making a nuisance of himself by playing the heartbroken suitor before her. But he watched his old friend worriedly, saying, "I don't like your color. You need a long rest. These foolish tricks of Kobe will continue. Why not go home and stay there for a few days? I can easily meet your students and set them some essay topics."

  But Hirata was adamant. There was nothing wrong with him but a little occasional discomfort, and Kobe had surely done his worst already. Since he knew he was innocent, he would not concern himself further with Oe's murder. That was much the best way.

  So Akitada acquiesced.

  The following day Akitada still stewed about Kobe 's outrageous accusations. But he reminded himself that the police captain was not as stupid as he pretended to be. He had found out much more quickly than had Akitada that the examination results had been tainted, and he had linked the matter immediately to Oe's murder. Left to himself, he would surely uncover the rest of the mystery. No doubt his accusations had been tossed about indiscriminately in an effort to gain more information. The method had worked quite well.

  Akitada ate his morning rice and then paid the customary visit to his mother, whose manner showed that he had not been forgiven yet. After the usual polite inquiries, he returned to his room where he found Tora chatting with Seimei, who was laying out Akitada's formal gown and cap.

  "Good heavens, man," said Akitada when he saw Tora's tired, bloodshot eyes. "I don't believe you slept last night either. Must you celebrate quite so enthusiastically?"

  "Sorry, sir."Tora grinned. "I'll try to catch a nap today. It was all in a good cause. I hear you got another gruesome murder to solve. There must be a demon loose at the university."

  "Captain Kobe is handling the matter, and I have been discouraged from meddling. I am working on Nagai's case. What did you find out?"

  Tora reported first on the kite-flying adventure. "He's a bright little kid and very quick to learn," he said in a surprised tone. "I'd never have believed one of those pampered nobles can run like the wind."

  Akitada smiled. "Boys of his class have a good deal of training in sports. They are taught to ride, shoot arrows, use a sword and play football. What about the girl Omaki?"

  Tora gave a detailed account of his conversations with the little maidservant and with the umbrella maker's wife. His description of the latter's lifestyle and dubious charms was so lurid that Seimei looked scandalized and Akitada snapped, "Enough! Stick to the facts! It seems to me that she is not likely to be guilty herself, because she could have killed her stepdaughter more conveniently at home. And her single-minded interest in getting paid makes her an unreliable witness. Try to speak to her husband instead."

  Tora looked relieved. "Phew! Thank heaven; she's not my type. Well, afterwards I went on to the Big Willow and talked to the auntie there. She knew Omaki had been seeing Rabbit and also that she'd been taking lessons from that lute teacher. She told me the child was Sato's, but just then one of the entertainers, a Madame Sakaki, walked in and got all upset. Come to think of it, the same woman was acting kind of strange the night before when I was asking questions about Omaki and Sato."

  "Really? What does this Madame Sakaki look like?"

  "Oh, she's a good looker for all she's not that young any more. In her thirties, I'd say. Kind of slim, but not too slim, if you know what I mean. Nice hair, in a bun. Michiko says she's a fine musician, and the auntie seems to like her. Keeps her on because she's married with children and some aged parents to support. After that I had to leave because that swine of a silk merchant came, and all the women rushed to greet him like he was the emperor himself. He has money to spend and so they all made up to him, especially since he'd stayed away a few days. Rumor is he's so henpecked at home that his wife beats him when she catches him chasing skirts. I hope so. Serves the coward right!"

  Akitada was getting impatient. "Could we just have the pertinent facts about the murdered girl without your description of the life of prostitution?"

  Seimei snorted.

  "Well,"Tora reminded him, "you sent me there yourself. I was just trying to find out stuff for you. Maybe you should go there yourself and get the whole picture. Anyway, I went back to the umbrella maker's. They'd all gone to bed and I climbed into the dead girl's room." Tora described what he had found and produced the brocade card case with a flourish.

  Akitada was pleased. "This looks like the same brocade as the sash she was strangled with," he said. "Too fine and expensive a fabric to be anything but a gift from a wealthy man."

  "I know," nodded Tora. "That bastard Kur
ata threw me out of his shop when I tried to buy some for a friend of mine. Seems riffraff like myself can't touch stuff like that."

  Akitada raised his brows. "The man was rude. Ignore him." He opened the case and shook out the crimson cards. "Quite good writing," he muttered.

  "I couldn't read it," said Tora, who was watching him eagerly. "They look like some of those fancy visiting cards you carry about. I thought they might be her lover's. Can you make out the name?"

  Akitada chuckled and, passing the cards to Seimei, said, "I am sorry to disappoint you. I expect you thought you had found the murderer's cards. Actually the girl Omaki used these to advertise her skills as a lute player. She refers to herself as the 'Willow Tree Warbler' and says that she can be reached in the wine house by that name."

  Seimei returned the cards. "Very improper for a female, and of that particular class," he said with a sniff. "Such cards are to be used only by gentlemen of rank."

  Tora picked up one of the cards and stared at it. "She wrote these?"

  Akitada shook his head. "Hardly. The writing is in a scholar's hand and in Chinese. But I must say it was very enterprising of her. Evidently she expected to play only in the best houses. I expect young Nagai wrote them. The strange thing is that they were useless. She lost her job and she got rid of Nagai. I don't suppose you picked up any rumors about marriage?"

  Tora shook his head. "Not likely. According to the little maid, the stepmother called Omaki a slut."

  Akitada pulled his earlobe pensively. "Why is it that she should have given up her career, her job and a marriage offer from poor Nagai without seeming in the least troubled about what was to become of her?"

  Tora nodded. "Me and the auntie wondered about that too. Michiko said Omaki looked really cheerful about something before she died."

  "I think," said Akitada, "we must look for the father of Omaki's unborn child. The pleasure quarter is the most promising place. And I apologize for snapping at you. You have done very well. Next time you go there, find out if any of the customers showed a special interest in the girl."

  Tora jumped up eagerly.

  "Wait!" said Akitada. "There is another matter, and it is more urgent. Do you remember the beggar Captain Kobe arrested for the murder?"Tora nodded. "He has been released, and I am worried about his safety. We must find him and bring him here. They might know where he is at the municipal hall for the eastern city. He visits there."

  When Tora had left, Akitada said to Seimei, "I am sorry I complained about a lack of excitement in my life! Suddenly I am involved in three murders without having the least notion of how to proceed in any of them."

  Seimei was holding out Akitada's gown for him to slip on. "Three murders? There have been only two: the girl and Professor Oe."

  Akitada took off his house robe and put his arms into the sleeves of the formal gown. "You forget Prince Yoakira," he said, tying the sash.

  Seimei looked unhappy. "I do wish you'd forget about Prince Yoakira," he muttered. "It is too dangerous. And I see no reason why you can't leave the other two cases to the police."

  "At the risk of sounding like one of my more irritating colleagues," Akitada said, "it is a question of the killer's personality. Kobe is simply not interested. I doubt he fully understands what led to Oe's murder. In any case, Nagai has asked for my help and has no one else to speak up for him, so I shall do my best."

  Seimei handed his master the hat of stiffened black gauze. "Remember," he warned darkly, "it is said that if you chase two hares, you will lose both."

  ***

  At the university, normal activity had resumed in spite of the murder. Hirata was back in his classroom, looking more like himself. Akitada spent the morning teaching, not an easy task because of continuous whispers among the students. He finally dismissed his last class of the morning, hoping to stretch his legs by going home for his midday rice, but when he was putting his books away, he became aware that one of his pupils was still sitting quietly in his place.

  "Sadamu?" Akitada felt tentative about using the boy's given name. He was somewhat hazy about the proper protocol under the present circumstances.

  But the boy did not seem to mind and bowed.

  "Was there something you wished to say?"

  "Yes, sir. I wished to thank you for lending me your man. It was extremely obliging. I found him very skillful with kites, and he provided excellent entertainment."

  Akitada suppressed a smile at the boy's formal manner. "I am very happy to hear it. Tora has spoken equally highly of you."

  The boy's face brightened. "Did he really? I should like to hire him if you can spare him. I expect to get my allowance soon, and he will be very well paid."

  Akitada was momentarily taken aback. "You surprise me," he said. "You will have to speak to Tora about this. He is free to choose his own master."

  "Yes. I understood him to say that he had come to you only recently or I would not make the offer. He told me how you met." The boy gave Akitada a surreptitious glance and added, "He seems very loyal."

  "Tora has many excellent qualities."

  "But loyalty is a most important quality in a servant, don't you agree?"

  "That and affection."

  This thought appeared to be new to the little lord. He pondered it and then nodded. "Such emotions place a master under an obligation," he said. "The obligation to protect his people."

  Akitada was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the direction the conversation seemed to be taking. Was the boy reminding him that he was too poor to afford a man like Tora?

  But young Lord Minamoto went on in a voice that suddenly shook with passion. "When my grandfather died, that obligation passed to me. How am I to carry out my duty to my people when I am kept a prisoner here without a single retainer or even servant at my command? Not so much as someone to bring me my clothes or my food?" Clenching impotent fists, he cried, "How will I protect my people?"

  Akitada sat speechless at this outburst. After a moment spent looking into the boy's agonized eyes, he said hesitantly, "Surely your people do not expect you to take on this burden until you are older. Meanwhile others will take care of your family business for you. And personal servants or armed retainers are not really permitted here in the university."

  The boy jumped up angrily. "You don't understand! My rightful place has been taken by Sakanoue. He is the one who keeps me here. It was not my grandfather's wish that things should be this way. I had private tutors. Heaven only knows what that evil man is doing to my people… and my sister." He swung around towards the nearest wall and pounded his fists against the boards in helpless rage.

  Akitada waited until the boy calmed down and was standing still, his chin on his chest and his arms hanging limply at his sides. "Do you have any proof," he asked quietly, "that Lord Sakanoue is not carrying out your grandfather's wishes?"

  The boy turned around, his eyes blazing through tears. "I need no proof. I have my grandfather's word for it! My grandfather hated him. He called him an upstart and suspected him of stealing from us. He warned me never to give him any power."

  Akitada sighed. "Lord Sakanoue has been appointed your guardian," he reminded the boy. "In order to change his guardianship, you will need to go to court against him, proving his unfitness- and since your grandfather is not here to testify, it will be your word against his."

  Silence fell between them. The boy sat back down, biting his lip. After a moment he said, "Tora says that you solve crimes no one else can solve. I want you to solve my grandfather's murder. Can you do that?"

  It seemed to Akitada that he had waited for this moment since the first time he had heard of the peculiar circumstances of the prince's death. Forcing himself to conceal his surge of excitement, he said quietly, "I don't know. Perhaps you had better tell me what happened."

  "Then you agree that it was murder?"

  "It is more likely a murder than a miracle."

  The boy's eyes shone with relief and excitement. "What do you want
to know?"

  "Everything you remember about the time before and after your grandfather's disappearance. I gather you suspect Lord Sakanoue. Perhaps you had better start with him."

  "Yes." The boy straightened his shoulders. "Sakanoue was our bailiff. His father before him held the same position and his father's father. It was hereditary. My ancestors and my grandfather had always trusted the Sakanoue family, and they, in turn, were well rewarded. But when Sakanoue started to buy land while reporting shortages in our rice crops, my grandfather became suspicious and called him to the capital with the accounts. I know this, because my grandfather told me about it. That was when he warned me against him. My grandfather was quite angry, but I think Sakanoue talked his way out of the shortages, for my grandfather was going to send him back to the country. Then, the day before my grandfather died, they had a terrible argument. It concerned my sister."

  Akitada interrupted, "How do you know this? Were you present?"

  The boy shook his head and stared at the clenched fists in his lap. He swallowed and said, "I had my own quarters in my grandfather's house. That afternoon I was in the garden. I could see servants rushing about. Then my grandfather came from his rooms and ran along the open gallery to my sister's pavilion. I could tell he was very angry, so I stood and waited, and he came right back, shouting for someone to get Sakanoue. "The boy paused and looked at Akitada defiantly. "I went to listen on the veranda outside my grandfather's room. He was shouting at Sakanoue, but I could not make out the words. Then Sakanoue came out, and he looked… like a devil would look, I think."

  "I see. What about your sister? Did you have a chance to speak to her?"

  "No. I have not seen my sister for more than a month. I do not know if she is alive. Sakanoue claims she has married him." The boy almost choked on the words.

  "Yes. That is what people say. Now you had better tell me what happened next. Why did your grandfather travel to the mountain temple when there was trouble in his family?"