I Parker - The Masuda Affair

Shortly after his midday meal, Tora and Hanae came to see him.

They entered shyly and expressed their thanks for accepting Hanae into the Sugawara family. Hanae looked very ill at ease and kept glancing at Tora as if she had to remind herself that this was what he wished to do.

Akitada was pleasant, said the right things, and then added, ‘My wife will make the proper living arrangements for you.’

The Sugawara property was not in good repair, but it was large. One whole wing, once occupied by the late dowager, stood empty. Akitada had given it a cursory inspection; he still disliked being reminded of his stepmother. Now he remembered another matter. ‘That carpenter you hired, Tora. Isn’t he a very old man?’

Tora looked uneasy. ‘He’s a good carpenter. Sadanori’s overseer fired him for being slow, but he’s experienced and I thought…’ He faltered.

‘Yes. Quite. Well, set him to work on giving you two a dry abode.’

‘I can do that myself, sir. No need to take him from other chores.’

‘I shall need you for something else.’

‘Now?’ asked Tora, astonished.

‘Have you forgotten the child in Otsu?’

‘Sorry, sir. Stupid of me. What will you do about those charges against you?’

‘Against you, too, don’t forget.’

Tora grinned. ‘If yours are dismissed, mine will be too. Anyway, all we really have to do is prove that the boy doesn’t belong to the Mimuras.’

‘How?’

‘We’ll find his real parents.’

‘If the courtesan Peony was not his mother, and apparently she was not, then I have not the slightest idea where to begin to look.’

Hanae interrupted, ‘I beg your pardon. Is that the same Peony you asked me about, Tora?’

Tora said, ‘Yes. Did you find out anything?’

‘It may be nothing, but when I asked the old hag where I was, she said I was in Peony’s house. And then she gave me that drugged wine.’

Peony again.

This time Akitada had to face the problem of the drowned courtesan. He had made only a token effort to trace her. Never mind that the child had recognized a cat, and that the cat had led him directly to the dead woman’s house and a toy sword in the garden. He had stopped looking for the boy’s family because what he had really wanted was the boy.

Without strings.

He looked at Tora and Hanae, sitting hand in hand across from him. Tora’s bruised face shone with happiness, but Hanae still looked nervous. It occurred to Akitada that she did not trust him any more than he trusted her. Perhaps it was enough that she made Tora happy, though marriage was no guarantee that all would be well between them. He sighed. Who was he to judge their chances?

He said gravely, ‘Thank you, Hanae. We have been trying to trace a young woman by that name, a courtesan of the first class who lived in Otsu under the protection of a nobleman.’

She nodded. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t have a chance to find out more.’

Tora squeezed her hand and said, ‘You see what it means, sir? That bastard Sadanori used to keep Peony in that house. When she ran off to be with her lover, he followed and killed her. Hanae thinks that he only cares for women who don’t want him. He’ll do anything to have them. Maybe that includes killing them.’

‘A tempting theory, but our Peony lived in Otsu for years after she left the capital.’ Akitada looked at Hanae. ‘Did you reject Lord Sadanori’s advances, Hanae?’

She shot Tora a glance. ‘He made no advances, sir.’

Tora frowned. ‘You told me he wanted you.’

Hanae said with dignity, ‘Not that way. At least I did not think so.’

‘Well, that was stupid,’ exploded Tora. ‘Look what happened.’

She lowered her eyes. ‘Yes, Tora. I see that now. I’m very sorry.’

Akitada asked, ‘What do you think, Hanae?’

Hanae raised her eyes. ‘It’s possible, sir. He gets angry when he can’t have his way.’

‘We must have a look at the house where you were held. Do you think you could find it again?’

‘I doubt it, but I can try.’

Akitada remembered Tamako’s anger with him the previous day. ‘Please describe what you remember. Start at the beginning,’ he said.

‘The sedan chair stopped outside our house about mid morning two days ago. One of the bearers came to the door and said they had been sent for me. I thought it was for the interview.’

‘Describe the sedan chair and the bearers.’

‘It was ordinary, the kind you hire, and the bearer was the usual type. I explained that my husband was taking me, but he said they had instructions and couldn’t wait. I left a message with my neighbor and got in.’

‘You said you could not see where you were going, but did you get a sense of direction?’

‘I know we went westward to start with and then turned north. But after that there were so many turns that I got confused. I knew it was going to be a very long trip and started dozing.’

Akitada said, ‘Could they have circled the same block ten times to confuse you and make you think they were going to Uji?’

‘Yes.’

‘Close your eyes, and think for a moment about what you heard, or smelled.’ Hanae closed her eyes. ‘We passed the market, one of the markets. I smelled fried rice cakes and heard hawkers crying their wares. And later I heard the great temple bells, but they were faint.’ She sighed and looked at Akitada. ‘That’s all, I’m afraid. The rest was silence or just the noise of other people walking or riding.’

Akitada sighed. ‘Now when you finally halted, you left the sedan chair. What did you see?’

‘We were inside a small courtyard. The house had a thatched roof. There were two tall pine trees and a high fence. I couldn’t see anything outside the courtyard.’ She thought. ‘There were more trees, not pines, and another roof on one side of the courtyard. And I saw a well and a shed or bath house. The gravel had been raked recently.’ She looked at Akitada anxiously. ‘Does that help? I don’t know what the house looks like from the street.’

‘You’re doing well. What sort of fence and gate was it?’

‘Boards and woven bamboo segments. Nothing elegant. The gate was just a single one, but as tall as the fence and made of solid wood. You could not see in or out.’

‘And the house was a gentleman’s private home?’

‘Yes, but small. I got the feeling it was close to other houses on a street. It’s not anything I really know, though. I was becoming very worried by then because it didn’t seem the sort of place I expected.’

Hanae was either a very good liar or her story was true. If it was true… Well, Akitada had been wrong about people before. On the whole, he wanted to believe her for Tora’s sake and for the sake of their friendship. He said, ‘You must have been very frightened. Did anyone come out to greet you?’

‘No. The bearers put me down at the door and told me to go inside. I thought of leaving, but they barred my way and so I did as I was told. The old woman was waiting inside for me. She called me by name and was so friendly that I was relieved. She said there had been a change in plans and she was to talk to me instead – to save me the long journey to Uji. I’m afraid I wanted to believe her. And then she served me wine.’

There were some large problems with Hanae’s tale, but Akitada said, ‘A very clever plot and, but for your determination, it would have succeeded.’

Some of the tension left Hanae. She blushed a little at the compliment.

‘You never saw anyone except the two bearers and the old woman?’

‘That’s all. It was night when I left. I wish I’d taken a good look around, but I was afraid they’d catch me.’ She paused. ‘I thought I heard the cry of a crane once or twice.’