by I. J. Parker
Tora took the drawing. “Didn’t know you’re an artist, too.”
“Let me know what you find out. I’d hate to look like an incompetent fool so early in my new job.”
18
FRAGRANT ORCHID
Tora took the news of Fragrant Orchid’s suicide straight back to the tribunal. An hour later Akitada arrived at Fragrant Orchid’s house accompanied by Lieutenant Maeda, Tora, Saburo, and a scribe belonging to the police headquarters. Two constables walked ahead.
The courtesan had lived in a quiet residential part of the city not far from the center of town. Her house was small and hidden in the back of a lovely garden. Cherry trees bloomed and birds sang. A small fountain splashed water from a bamboo pipe into a basin and thence into a narrow pebbled stream which lost itself among the shrubbery. The air was cool and scented and birds sang in the trees, but the house lay in a deep silence.
One of the constables shouted, “Ho! Open up! Police.”
Akitada grimaced. Onlookers were already gathering in the street outside, trying to get a look, but Lieutenant Maeda seemed untroubled. When nothing happened, Maeda tried the door. It opened easily, and they entered single-file, walking along a flagged corridor to a set of folding doors with carvings of orchids on them. Maeda opened these also. Beyond lay a raised room open to a broad veranda and the back garden.
The space was not large but extremely luxurious. It had clearly belonged to a woman of exquisite taste. The reed shades over the doors to the garden were trimmed in green brocade. Silk cushions in deep purples and reds, some with gold embroidery, lay about. Painted screens and rare speckled bamboo book racks stood against the walls, as did red and black lacquered trunks. Lacquered food trays, porcelain dishes, carved braziers, and elegant paper lanterns proved that Fragrant Orchid had entertained lavishly.
Akitada noted the finely painted screens, several musical instruments, and books, and immediately pictured her in their midst. Here, in this enchanting world, Fragrant Orchid had received her lovers, those lucky men whom she had found attractive enough or who had possessed enough wealth to tempt her.
Akitada might have come here himself, and then perhaps she would not have died. He had no proof this was so, only the nagging feeling he was responsible somehow because he had ignored her invitation.
Maeda walked into the middle of the room and pointed at the floor. “We found her here,” he said. “She collapsed after vomiting. You can still see the stains.” He turned and pointed to a wall. “Over there on the little tray we found a used cup and her folded letter.”
Brought back to the ugly reality of such a death, Akitada asked, “Did your coroner identify the poison?”
“Yes. It was hishima. Common enough among prostitutes who use it in their cosmetics and in larger doses to cause abortions.” Maeda made a face.
“But in this case the dose was very large?”
“Yes. According to Doctor Fujita, it would have killed a horse. Unpleasantly. Violent vomiting and convulsions.”
“What about the letter? Do you still have it?”
Maeda pulled a folded paper from his coat. “I thought you might want to see it, sir.”
Akitada recognized the tiny flecks of gold and the stiff handwriting. His heart contracted at the memory of her beautiful face. The letter was in the form of a poem:
“Unmindful that ships must wait for high tide, I parted from you too soon … oh, for a vermilion boat and a pair of jeweled oars so that I might row across to meet you on the other side.”
The words were beautiful and sad. They spoke of lovers parting in this world and of the hope of meeting after death. Not surprisingly, Maeda and others had taken it for proof that Fragrant Orchid had ended her life because she had lost the man she loved. Akitada thought of Governor Tachibana. Was he the man who had broken her heart? Tachibana had planned to leave Kyushu, and he had been a womanizer; it made sense that his affair with the most beautiful woman in Hakata should have been a passionate one. If he had been murdered, had she known something of his death? Was that what she had been about to tell him?
He decided against the broken heart. The woman he had conversed with had not been grieving over the death of a man she loved. In fact, he did not believe for a moment that she had committed suicide.
“Where did you find this?” he asked.
Maeda pointed to a writing box. “It was inside. On top.”
“Allow me to keep this a while, Lieutenant,” he said to Maeda. “Something about this note puzzles me.”
Before Maeda could answer, they heard running footsteps in the garden and turned.
“Go away!” The little girl who had given him the note from Fragrant Orchid rushed down a path and into the room. Her eyes were filled with tears and her pretty face flushed. Behind her huffed an older woman in the clothes of a servant. When she saw them, she stopped timidly on the garden path.
Not so the little one. She dashed up the steps into the room.
“Go away!” she cried again, her small fists clenched as she stamped her foot. “This is her house. You mustn’t be here. It’s wrong to touch her things and stare at them.” She burst into loud sobs.
Tora went to her. “Sorry, little one,” he said soothingly, bending down and putting an arm around her shoulders. “We’ve come to make sure the poor dead lady is not forgotten. Who are you?”
She stared at him, sniffling and sobbing, and mumbled, “Umeko. I live here.”
Akitada said, “I think she is Fragrant Orchid’s protégée. I met her after the banquet.”
The girl turned her head to look at him and nodded. “Why didn’t you come?” she asked accusingly.
“I’m very sorry.”
“She was so worried. She kept saying, ‘I hope he comes.’”
Tora straightened up and looked at Akitada. For once, he was not grinning.
Akitada took it hard. Here was the proof. She had indeed wanted to tell him something, something she knew to be dangerous. She had hoped she would be safe by telling him about it. Instead, the risk she had taken at the banquet had brought a killer to her house.
Umeko still looked at him with eyes swimming in tears. He said softly, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know it was important.” With unforgivable conceit he had thought Fragrant Orchid had been flirting with him, had thought him a desirable lover.
Umeko nodded with a small sob. She dabbed at her eyes with a sleeve of the gorgeous small gown she wore.
“You must have loved her,” Akitada said, feeling inadequate.
She nodded again.
“We’ll find out what she was afraid of,” Maeda promised. “With your help. Were you here the day she died?”
A head shake.
“So you don’t know if anyone visited her?”
Another shake. “She sent me and Keiko to the dance master when the man came.”
“Keiko is her maid?”
She nodded and pointed to the woman outside.
Maeda called, “Come up here, Keiko.”
The woman approached and knelt. She had a plain face. Her hair was partially gray and twisted into a knot on her neck.
Maeda said, “So your mistress sent you and the little girl away because she was entertaining a customer that day?”
Keiko giggled. “Not a customer. No more customers after the governor.”
“Then who came that day?”
“Nobody. “
“So you weren’t here when Fragrant Orchid took the poison?”
“No, Lieutenant.” She made him a bow and stared at Akitada and his companions.
“This is his Excellency, the governor, and the two men with him are his officers. You mustn’t be afraid. We’re trying to find out why your mistress killed herself. Was she sad?”
The maid shook her head. “She was in a temper. She got in a temper when his honor Tachibana left.”
“A temper?” Akitada raised his brows. “I because the governor left?”
The maid nodded. “She lik
ed him. My lady did not have many men come into her bed.”
Akitada’s glance went to Umeko. It was an improper conversation in front of a child her age, but Umeko was a courtesan in training. No doubt she was wise beyond her years in the ways of men and women together.
Maeda must have thought the same, because he began to question the maid Keiko about Fragrant Orchid’s suitors. He asked about her affair with the ex-governor, and the men before and since. There were few names. Keiko explained that Fragrant Orchid’s rank among the courtesans meant she could pick and choose who she slept with. She chose rarely, but whoever it was paid well.
Akitada did not recognize any of the names. Maeda did, however. Two of the men were local nobles, while two others served in high-ranking positions at Dazaifu. None had visited since her affair with Governor Tachibana. Fragrant Orchid had apparently been celibate since.
Maeda and his men searched Fragrant Orchid’s house without finding anything helpful. Akitada trailed along. Only the main room and the garden could be called luxurious. The other rooms, and there were few, were at best utilitarian. Fragrant Orchid had spent her money where it would do most good. It also explained why she had kept no servants except the maid and Umeko.
Keiko was a country woman and not particularly quick-witted. Umeko had to translate some of Akitada’s and Maeda’s questions. The maid had no idea why they were being asked, nor was she very upset by her mistress’s death.
“What will happen to you and Umeko now?” Akitada asked, feeling vaguely responsible for them.
The maid chuckled. “We go away. To another lady.”
In the end, they left with more questions than answers.
Outside, Maeda said to Akitada. “I think you suspect she was murdered, sir, and perhaps it is so, but would you explain to me what makes you think so?”
Akitada considered how much he should tell Maeda. He thought it best not to publicize the disappearance and probable murder of Lord Tachibana yet, but in the end, he decided to trust the man. He could not manage this search on his own. He said, “After the mayor’s banquet, Fragrant Orchid sent me a note because she had something to tell me. I ignored it, thinking it merely a device to increase business.”
Maeda blinked but he kept a straight face. “Fragrant Orchid had no need of new business,” he said. “She was quite a wealthy woman. You think she knew she was in danger?”
“Yes, but I didn’t know that. There’s another matter. Lord Tachibana never arrived back in the capital.”
Maeda’s eyebrows shot up. “Great gods!” he muttered. “Don’t tell me. More trouble, and this time it’s big.”
Akitada nodded. “Since Fragrant Orchid had been the ex-governor’s lover, and since Umeko said her mistress was very worried, I thought perhaps her death was convenient for someone.”
Maeda said nothing for a moment. Then he nodded. “If something has happened to Lord Tachibana, the people responsible would do anything to protect themselves. Now and in the future. They will be dangerous. If Fragrant Orchid was murdered, this proves it.”
Akitada looked at him uncertainly.
Maeda flushed and added quickly, “I’m not sure how to proceed. I don’t know who is involved in this.” He paused and added, “I’m afraid nothing is as it seems in Hakata.”
Akitada weighed the policeman’s words. “Yes. I suspect you are right. We must find out who this silent killer is, and how he operates. We can guess what made him kill Fragrant Orchid, but why did they attack Lord Tachibana, if that’s what happened? It’s a very serious crime to lay hands on a government official of his rank.” He frowned. “Do you always have so many murders here?”
Maeda looked puzzled. “So many murders?”
“Tora kept me informed about the Mitsui case and the neighbor woman’s murder. He seems to think the man Hiroshi killed her and his step mother. Fragrant Orchid died around the same time.”
“We know who killed Mrs. Mitsui, but we’ll take another look at Hiroshi if you insist.” He sighed. “Do you believe they are all related, sir? That seems unlikely.”
“I don’t know, Lieutenant. I’m just trying to understand how much crime there is in this province. Or rather, in Hakata.”
“Murders are somewhat rare here in the city, sir. But the harbor area is rough. There are many knife fights. We’ve had a few bodies wash up in the harbor or a sailor knifed in a drunken brawl. Still, I cannot believe …” He broke off and bit his lip.
“I wondered if my arrival has perhaps stirred up a nest of vipers.”
Maeda flushed. “Surely not, your Excellency. It’s probably just coincidence. There is no connection between the three women, and I don’t see what a doll maker can possibly have to do with the tribunal.”
Akitada sighed. “Well, investigate Fragrant Orchid’s death as murder. I have a notion that she sent Umeko and the maid away on purpose because she was meeting her killer. Perhaps he had offered to buy her silence. Otherwise I doubt she would have admitted him. My people and I will look into the ex-governor’s disappearance. Something is bound to turn up, and we may see the connection in time.”
Akitada dismissed his escort and turned to Saburo. “I want you to return to the tribunal now. Tonight you’ll grow your beard again and find out about the man with the missing fingers. I want to know what he does at the harbor. But be careful. Tora and I will call on Merchant Feng and then check ship departures with the harbor office. Report to me in the morning.”
19
THE CHINESE MERCHANT
Akitada was convinced that the ex-governor was also dead and that Fragrant Orchid’s murder proved this. Much as he blamed himself for the courtesan’s death, it was clear she had played a dangerous game. What she had known had almost certainly cost that beautiful woman her life.
He wondered briefly if they had been overheard at the banquet. Certainly the mayor had been close enough, and possibly also Feng and Hayashi. But anyone in the room, anyone with a guilty conscience, could have suspected Fragrant Orchid might talk. Moreover, a spy might have been placed among the waiters, musicians, or the other women. There had been no need to overhear anything at all. Later, the girl Umeko had approached him with the note from her mistress, signaling an assignation. Fragrant Orchid had become a marked woman.
They must find the killer, or killers, or perhaps become the next victims.
After parting from Maeda and his men, he walked with Tora to Feng’s store. There they were greeted by the same pale young salesman who had waited on Akitada before. He made them several very deep bows, but in spite of this show of respect, he was not pleased to see Akitada. In fact, he looked positively nervous.
Ignoring the man’s fears, Akitada said, “I’m the governor and have come to speak to your master. He offered to show me some of his treasures.”
The young man blinked. “He’s not here, your Excellency. It’s early. He usually arrives toward evening.” He bowed again.
“Where is he at this hour?”
“A-at home, your Excellency. I think.”
“And where is his home?”
Panic flashed across the pimply face. “I … he may not be there. P-perhaps if you were to return later? Or I could give him a message?”
Tora stepped forward. “Look here, you little weasel,” he snapped, “answer his Excellency’s question and be quick about it.”
The young man stammered some directions, and they left.
Feng’s home was built of plaster in the Chinese style and had a blue-tiled roof. It was a large compound with outbuildings, perhaps stables or more likely warehouses. The man clearly had money and standing in his community.
The gate was heavily carved with Chinese symbols for good luck and Feng’s name. It opened readily enough to their knocking. A servant, wearing Chinese clothes, bowed them in politely. Akitada tried his Chinese, asking if his master were home. The man either did not speak the language or was mute. He shook his head but beckoned them on.
Puzzled, Akitada a
nd Tora followed him toward a two-story house across a neat paved courtyard which was enclosed by one-story buildings on either side, giving the whole complex the look of some huge bird of prey with its wings extended, hovering to embrace and devour them. The black-lacquered double doors in the center of the main house opened like a maw.
The house was not raised above ground, like Japanese houses of the better class. Only a stone step led to the doors. The walls to either side and above had ornately carved grilles over the windows.
Ignoring the feeling of being swallowed alive, Akitada walked through the black doors with Tora at his heels. In the dark interior, corridors branched away, leading to dimly lit spaces trimmed with painted and gilded lacquer carvings. The air was heavy with some alien incense.
When the silent servant stopped and gestured, they entered a mid-sized room with one window set high in the wall. Its carved grille let in very little daylight. Several chairs made from some heavy, dark wood stood about, with small, long-legged lacquer tables next to them.
Akitada shook off his unease and went to sit down in a chair facing the door. Tora came to stand protectively behind him.
“This gives me the shivers, sir,” he muttered. “Who would want to live in a place like a tomb?”
A door opened, and Merchant Feng came in on soft soles. He had a smile on his round, smooth face with its small mustache and chin beard and wore a black silk robe, slit at the sides, with pale green trousers underneath. The robe’s sleeves were narrow and ended at his wrists, revealing fleshy hands and fingers with many rings on them. On his feet he wore embroidered slippers.
Akitada took all this in and raised his eyes to the man’s face again. Feng’s smile was fixed. It was unpleasant, even when accompanied by a most servile bow, and the exclamation, “A signal honor, my Lord! I’m deeply moved by your gracious visit to my undeserving home. Forgive me, if I’m completely overcome. I had hoped to have a suitable entertainment prepared when your lordship deigned to pay me a visit.”