I Parker - The Masuda Affair

Akitada had not intended this. Shaking his head at the misunderstanding, he sat down abruptly on one of the steps. It creaked alarmingly, and when he looked, he saw that a large crack had opened up. This reminded him of the condition of his home. ‘I’m afraid the next earthquake will bring the roof down around our ears,’ he muttered. ‘I’ve been neglectful of my responsibilities.’

Genba tried to cheer him up. ‘The house is very solid, sir. The carpenter comes every day, and with three of us working together, we’ll have all the problems fixed in no time.’

But Akitada knew better. For one thing there was no money. He had no idea how long he could pay the ancient carpenter. For another, his neglect extended to his family as well as his home. It was a miracle Tora had stayed with him all these years – that any of them had stayed. He looked at Genba, a huge man, a former wrestler gone to seed. His short, bristly hair was grizzled, and the massive body had turned soft and flabby. When he and Hitomaro had first joined Akitada’s family, they had both been strong young men. Hitomaro had given his life for him, and Genba, in his own way, was still doing so. Genba had never married and had served him quietly, never making demands, never complaining about his lost chances in the ring. Akitada had begun to treat him as a fixture, almost with the same disrespect that Yori used to show him. Genba had been there to be made use of. They had taken his devotion for granted, and Akitada had even begrudged him the food that was Genba’s only weakness.

‘I’m sorry, Genba,’ Akitada said now. ‘I’m truly sorry about many things. I haven’t been myself lately. Tora need not have given the dog away, just confined him somewhere.’

Genba’s anxious face brightened. ‘I’ll tell him. He’ll be very happy, sir.’

Akitada sighed. ‘Are you happy here, Genba?’

Panic appeared in Genba’s face. ‘Why do you ask, sir? Have I done something wrong?’

‘No.’ Akitada rose to put a hand on Genba’s shoulder. ‘No, my old friend. Not you. The fault is mine. I beg your forgiveness. You must tell me next time I’m unreasonable or… cruel.’

‘Oh, I could never do that… I mean you never… You could never be cruel, sir. As for being a bit distracted, well, we know you don’t mean it.’ He broke off helplessly.

Akitada embraced him. ‘Thank you,’ he said, very moved. ‘And thank you for watching over all of us while I… was busy elsewhere and Tora had his own problems. I don’t know what I would have done if it hadn’t been for you and Seimei.’

Genba blinked rapidly and muttered, ‘It was nothing, sir.’

‘Did Tora by any chance tell you about a murder he discovered this morning?’

‘No. He’d just got back from talking to the police and was depressed and very anxious to see you.’

‘I was in a hurry and thought it was about the dog. Tell Tora to bring the dog back and then come to report to me.’

But Akitada waited in vain for Tora to return. Eventually, he spread his bedding in his room and went to sleep there.

In the morning, he got up and looked immediately for Tora. He found him sitting on the bottom step of the stairs, his shoulders slumped and his head in his hands. There was no sign of the dog.

‘Where’s Trouble?’ Akitada asked. ‘Didn’t Genba tell you to bring him back?’

Tora rose and turned. It was obvious that he had not slept. ‘I tried, sir,’ he said. ‘I went back last night, but he’s gone. They took him away. I shouldn’t have left him there. I could tell they’d mistreat him. But they had children, and I thought Trouble would like that. Someone to play with. He’s just never had that before. I think that’s what made him the way he was. There wasn’t a bad bone in that dog’s body. He was bored.’

Tora sounded near to tears, and Akitada felt very guilty. ‘I’m sorry, Tora. I suppose Genba mentioned that I didn’t mean it. Do you know where these people took the dog?’

Tora shook his head. ‘I didn’t ask. They’re travelers. Vagrants. The whole family works at temple fairs. The kids tumble and beg a few coppers from the pilgrims. The husband and wife are jugglers and musicians. The husband thought he could train Trouble to do tricks.’

‘Dear Heaven.’ Akitada pictured that clumsy, big, unattractive animal trying to dance on a ball or jump through flying hoops. ‘What gave him that idea?’

Tora looked shamefaced. ‘Me. I was getting pretty desperate by then, so I talked him up a bit. Funny thing was, as I was talking, Trouble had that intelligent expression he gets sometimes. But you’re right. He’ll never learn any tricks. They’ll beat him first, and then maybe they’ll kill him. He gave me such a look when I walked away’

Akitada remembered how it had felt walking away from the boy in Otsu and did not know what to say. Tora had a beaten manner about him that he did not like. When they had fallen out over Hanae, he had been angry and defiant. Now he just looked hopeless.

As they stood together in front of the house, neither knew what to say. Genba watched them from the stable door, and the old carpenter shuffled past, carrying some boards and making them a creaking bow. Akitada almost suggested getting another dog, but bit it off in time.

Tora said, ‘Trouble was a lot like me. Couldn’t do anything right, but he was loyal.’

More guilt.

Akitada muttered, ‘Don’t blame yourself. It was my fault. All of it was my fault.’ He paused. ‘What happened with that maid?’

‘That’s another thing I couldn’t do right. The bastard murdered Little Abbess before I could talk to her. Beat her head in just like the doctor’s.’

‘Who is Little Abbess?’

‘Peony’s maid. She sells old clothes now. Sold, I mean.’ He sighed.

Akitada frowned. ‘So you got no information?’

‘I talked to her a little the day before. She told me some things, but she was very close-mouthed about others. That’s why I went back before reporting to you in Otsu. Only by then that bastard Ishikawa or the monk had got to her. She might still be alive if I hadn’t gone chasing after Ishikawa.’

‘What monk? You had better tell me the whole story from the beginning.’ Akitada sat down on the steps.

Tora told him.

Akitada asked, ‘What did the maid say about the child’s father?’

‘She wouldn’t say if it was Sadanori or young Masuda. A customer came in, and I left to look for Ishikawa.’

Akitada had Tora repeat the conversation between Sadanori and Ishikawa twice. It puzzled him also. ‘Sadanori’s anger must be due to Ishikawa’s blackmail,’ he said, ‘but it isn’t clear if Sadanori ordered the murders or Ishikawa acted on his own and afterwards held the crimes over Sadanori’s head. What is the monk’s part in all this?’

‘I wish I knew. Every time I turned around I saw one of those begging monks. Maybe it was just one guy. Anybody could hide under one of those basket hats.’

Akitada frowned, remembering the monk in the warden’s office in Otsu. He had identified the boy as belonging to the Mimuras. And had there not been an itinerant monk outside the doctor’s house on the day of the murder? ‘Where did you see all these monks?’

‘The first one was outside Sadanori’s residence. I told him it was a stupid place to beg. He wanted to know if I worked there. Then, at the shrine market, he was talking to the fan seller right after Ishikawa. I caught up with the bastard in the capital-’

‘Wait. How do you know it was the same man every time?’

‘I don’t. But they were all about the same size and height. Anyway, his basket hat came off then and he was a stranger. I let him get away. But then, there he was again the next day, right outside Little Abbess’s place. Right after her murder.’