I Parker - The Masuda Affair

Seimei scratched softly at the door before coming in with Akitada’s tea.

‘What is this infernal racket?’ his master demanded.

‘Sorry, sir. It’s the new carpenter.’

Akitada brightened. ‘Really?’ He got up and accepted a cup of steaming tea. ‘That was very efficient of you. I’m glad the repairs have begun.’ He drank his tea.

‘It’s not my doing, sir. Tora sent the man yesterday.’ Seimei pursed his lips. ‘He’s quite old, I’m afraid.’

Akitada eyed Seimei, who was well into his seventies and had become frail. If Seimei called the carpenter old, he must be truly ancient and well beyond being useful. Putting his cup down, Akitada raised the shutter and walked outside. He followed the carpentry sounds to his wife’s pavilion. There he found a small wreck of a man with hair that was an astonishing color, somewhere between black and orange. The odd character was ponderously measuring a board, while the shaggy dog watched. The man’s skin was as deeply wrinkled and brown as a walnut shell, and every bone and tendon in his thin arms and legs was visible. He straightened up with a groan and limped to the broken veranda step to fit the board in place. The dog followed and sat, head cocked attentively to observe the operation.

‘Good morning,’ said Akitada.

The carpenter did not hear him, but the dog spun around and charged, barking loudly. Akitada stepped back, but the animal paused only long enough to recognize a recent acquaintance and then jumped. Off balance already, Akitada sat down hard. The dog pushed him down and proceeded to wash his face with an enormous wet tongue.

Akitada shouted at the animal and flung him off. Getting to his feet was another matter. The dog circled with happy barks, ready to pounce again. The carpenter finally noticed. He approached and bowed deeply. The man must be given credit for recognizing authority even under humiliating circumstances, but he was not much help at the moment.

The door of the pavilion opened. ‘Trouble!’ Tamako looked down at the scene. The dog abandoned Akitada and raced to her.

Remembering his wife’s anger the night before, Akitada got up nervously, but she smiled, wished him a good morning, and invited him in.

She still looked delicious, standing there in a pretty gown with that welcoming smile on her face, and he accepted eagerly. Bounding over the broken step and leaping across the hole in the veranda floor, he fetched up practically nose-to-nose with his wife. He caught the scent of orange blossoms, and took her in his arms. If the old carpenter was shocked at such behavior, Akitada did not care. Tamako had forgiven him, and he planned to take his time making love to her.

‘Akitada.’ Tamako’s tone was firm.

‘Yes, my dear?’ He swept her inside the room, dropping the shutter with his free hand behind them. The room was dim, but Akitada saw that his wife’s bedding had not been rolled up yet. Someone moved in the shadows.

‘You can let me go now,’ said Tamako. ‘Really, the veranda was quite safe.’ Akitada released his wife. Tamako went on brightly, ‘Hanae and I had hoped to have a word with you before you left for work. It’s good of you to come so early.’

Hanae again! Akitada felt a surge of resentment against that young woman. His eyes adjusted, and he saw her hovering near the door, looking embarrassed, though why a woman from the quarter should be embarrassed at what passed between men and women was beyond him.

Before he could sort out the situation, Tamako suggested, ‘Let’s sit down and discuss what is to be done about Lord Sadanori.’

Akitada sat down obediently. ‘Done? Nothing can be done.’

Tamako bristled. ‘Nothing? After what he did to Hanae?’

‘Unless I missed something, nothing happened to her.’

‘How can you call the abduction of a respectable young woman from her home for the pleasure of a depraved nobleman nothing?’

Respectable? Tamako had not led so sheltered a life that she did not know what passed in the amusement quarter. Hanae made a small noise of protest, and Akitada said peaceably, ‘I’m sure it must have been very unpleasant, but we don’t have any proof that Sadanori was involved – even if it were wise to charge a man of his stature.’

‘Wise?’ Tamako cried. ‘What has wisdom got to do with it? Shall he continue to prey on defenseless women because everyone is too afraid to oppose him? Will you risk Tora’s ruin by leaving this to him?’

Akitada opened his mouth and closed it again. He wanted to tell his wife that you don’t pull the tiger’s tail, but then he had never been very wise in such situations in the past. He tried reason. ‘Hanae has assured me that she never saw Sadanori. She says she was unconscious.’ A thought struck him, and he looked at Hanae. ‘You’re quite sure that – er – nothing happened to you?’

Hanae blushed. ‘I wasn’t raped,’ she said. ‘Oh, please, you must make Tora believe that nothing happened. I just want to forget the whole business.’

Tamako said, ‘Don’t be so timid, Hanae. My husband can put a stop to that monster. If he didn’t rape you, he probably had just not got around to it yet.’

Akitada considered. Perhaps Hanae would know if she had been raped while she was unconscious. Coroners could usually determine recent intercourse in a dead woman. But Hanae might well cover up certain details because of Tora. He said firmly, ‘There’s no evidence against anyone, let alone Lord Sadanori. The sedan chair could have been sent by another admirer.’

Hanae said stubbornly, ‘It was he who asked me to be a nursemaid. And he sent a woman to arrange for my visit to his wife. That’s the only reason I went with them.’

‘But you have no proof that it was not some other man who wanted your company. The woman could have lied.’ Akitada was more and more convinced that Hanae herself was lying. ‘I was told Lord Sadanori expected you to perform at a party that day. Kohata was asked to fill in for you when you didn’t show up.’

Hanae clenched her small fists. ‘I turned down the job. He knew I wouldn’t perform because my husband objected. He was angry with me. They say he has some strange fancies. Only, I didn’t think he felt that way about me.’ She sighed. ‘Can’t we forget about it? I was very foolish.’

Tamako said, ‘Whatever we decide to do, you cannot go back to your house. It’s too dangerous. Besides, as Tora’s wife you belong here, and this house is big enough for all of us.’

Akitada looked at her in dismay. His wife put an arm around Hanae. ‘Oh, I am so glad that we shall soon have another child in this empty house.’

Akitada thought about the boy in Otsu – the as yet nameless child who had no voice to plead for himself and no one to take him in. Tamako had disregarded his own feelings in favor of Hanae’s unborn child. Poor boy, he would not be welcome here.

Getting to his feet, he said soberly, ‘My wife is quite right, Hanae. Tora’s wife and child belong here. I hope that you will feel comfortable in this house.’ Then he nodded to both of them and left.

Tora returned towards midday. When Akitada heard the news, he went to the courtyard, where he caught Tora swinging Hanae in his arms. They separated hastily when they saw him, and Tora came to greet him.

‘How did you manage it, sir?’ he asked, his face shining with happiness. ‘Where was she?’ He turned to look at Hanae, who hung back a little. ‘Is she all right?’

‘She says so. In fact, as she’ll tell you herself, she escaped on her own and I merely brought her home. What about you?’

The charges against Tora had been withdrawn. He still looked the worse for wear, but a bath and tender care from his wife would soon improve that. Akitada returned to his study, where he went over his accounts again and thought about the Otsu problem. He was ready to write off the exorbitant amount of gold held by the Otsu judge if it bought the child’s freedom. He had, after all, intended to do this in the first place.