I. Parker - Death on an Autumn River

Akitada cast up his eyes. “I might have known you’d end up in Eguchi. We tracked you to the Kawajiri hostel, but thought you’d gone on board a ship. Tell me, did your investigation into the girl’s death produce better results than the ones into piracy?”

Sadenari fidgeted. “Yes, sir. But I really went to find the pirates.”

Akitada grunted his disbelief. “What about the girl?”

“I took a job in Eguchi. In the restaurant where we ate, remember? I thought since they fired the old waiter, I might have a chance, and I needed the money. Besides, pirates might just show up there.”

Akitada grimaced. “Get on with it.”

“The restaurant delivers food to the River Mansion when there’s a party. I’m quite strong, and there was a lot of food to carry. The betto Kakuan sent the others away but asked me to stay and help. I was glad, because I thought it was the place where the poor girl had been murdered, but I didn’t find out anything that night, and in the end I had to walk back to Eguchi by myself. Only, the next day, Kakuan came to the restaurant and offered me money to work at the mansion. Much more money than that skinflint paid me. And that’s how you came to find me there.” He stopped with a happy smile.

“What is it that you found out about the dead girl?”

“Well, sir, her name was Akogi!” He paused to gauge the effect of this, but Akitada only nodded.

“She was with one of the courtesans who attended a party of noblemen from the capital. They say a guest asked to buy her out, but something happened, and it came to nothing.”

“So?”

“That’s all I know for sure, but whatever happened was just before we found her. So they must have killed her.”

“They?”

“Well, someone objected to the buy-out. That will be easy enough to find out.”

“Has it occurred to you that the girl could also have committed suicide out of disappointment?”

Sadenari’s face fell, but he looked stubborn. “Well, that’s all I could learn before you came.”

Akitada snapped, “Surely that’s not all. I gather, your duties at the mansion were much more personal than mere household chores.”

A flush rose to Sadenari’s hairline. “Wh-what do you mean, sir?”

“Apparently the first female you slept with is old enough to be your grandmother.”

Sadenari looked shocked, then angry. “What? Oh no, sir. It wasn’t like that. Her ladyship was very kind to me, that’s all. And besides, I had occasion before . . . I mean, I’m an adult. Begging your pardon, sir, but I don’t see where such questions have anything to do with my work at the ministry.”

Akitada ran a hand over his face. “Forget it.” The infernal youth was right. This was not the time to deal with moral lessons. He would unravel Sadenari’s infractions when his head was clearer. He listened. The wind seemed to have died down a little. “Go to sleep,” he said. “I’ll decide what to do with you tomorrow.”

*

They returned to Naniwa by the first boat. The sky was clear again, but everywhere the storm had left broken limbs, roof tiles, and shutters strewn across roads and waterways.

Sadenari was subdued. Akitada had not mentioned his sexual exploits again. It would have been hypocritical to do so. His own behavior had been questionable, and Sadenari had witnessed it. Besides it was too late to offer the youth guidance in romantic matters, even if he had felt obligated to do so. The relief that the youth was alive overshadowed the frustrations he had caused. He confined himself to a reminder that Sadenari should have known all was not well when he had received no answers to his letters. His continued absence suggested that he had not wanted to lose his freedom to do as he wished.

In Naniwa, they returned to the hostel, Sadenari to get his things and return to the capital, and Akitada to await Tora.

“I will report to the minister by separate post,” he told Sadenari when he was ready to leave.

Sadenari looked stricken. He was not being trusted to carry what must be a negative report about his activities. Akitada hardened his heart. He was about to be rid of the troublesome Sadenari, and in a short while he would meet Tora. They would manage the case together, now that he knew Nakahara was at the heart of the conspiracy.

Tora did not return. Akitada spent the rest of the day, writing his various reports and thinking about what he had learned in Eguchi.

Early the next day, he headed for the trade office, phrasing his charges against Nakahara in his mind. He would extract a confession from the man, and the rest should be easy.

But when he approached the gate, a familiar thin and disreputable figure detached itself from one of the pillars and came loping toward him.

The lopsided face seemed more twisted than ever and the bad eye rolled horribly in its socket. He folded his thin frame into a deep bow. “I’ve been praying to find you, sir.”

“Later,” said Akitada, side-stepping him. “I’m in a hurry.”

But the ugly man followed and caught hold of his sleeve. “Please. It’s about Tora.”

Akitada stopped. “What about Tora?”

“The pirates got him. Night before last. Just before the storm broke.”

An icy hand squeezed Akitada’s insides. “They got him? Is he dead?”

The ugly man made a jerky movement. “No. Not dead. At least . . . no, I think they took him away unconscious. I don’t think they meant to kill him. But they put him on a ship and left.”

Akitada seized the fellow by the shoulders and shook him. “Who? Where?”

“In Kawajiri. Pirates. The ship was at anchor in the outer harbor. It left as soon as Tora was aboard. I’ve been asking questions, and then came here to look for you.”

No point in seeing Nakahara now. Akitada turned back. “Come, you’d better tell me all you know. I’ll buy you a cup of wine.”

The ugly man’s face twisted. “Not wine. A bowl of food would be very welcome. I haven’t had time to eat.”

A short time later, Akitada watched once more as the ugly man gobbled his food. His own stomach clenched with nausea. He was impatient, but the man deserved to eat. And Tora must still be alive. At least he hoped so. There had been the storm.

Finally, the ugly man put down his bowl. “Thank you. I was getting faint. My stamina isn’t what it used to be, and I’ve been on the move ever since last night, at first finding out what happened, and then trying to find you.”

“Start at the beginning.”

The ugly man either smiled or grimaced. “When you decided you didn’t trust me, I kept an eye on things on my own. Then you left for the capital, and I thought you weren’t coming back. When I caught sight of your assistant talking to the postmaster, I followed him.” Again that lopsided grin. “A capable man. He nearly caught me twice. In Kawajiri, he disguised himself as a laborer and went to the Hostel of the Flying Cranes. He spent the night there.”

Akitada nodded. “He was seeking information about the pirates.”

“Ah. Kunimitsu works for them. I decided to sleep in a shed in back of the hostel. That’s where I overheard Kunimitsu talking to one of the pirates. A big brute called Tojo. Tojo was up to something and Kunimitsu pointed out where your assistant was sleeping.”

Akitada nodded. “I’ve met Kunimitsu. So he’s a rascal?”

“Oh, yes. When they went away, I tried to warn Tora, but he didn’t trust me. A few hours later, some men and a woman came. The woman started screaming. Tora ran out and they jumped him and knocked him out. I followed them to the harbor, saw him put on the ship, and the ship set sail.”

The tale was concise and disastrous. “Go on. You said you asked questions.”