Текст книги "The Fires of the Gods"

Автор книги: Ingrid J. Parker

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 21 (всего у книги 22 страниц)

A WOMAN’S HONOR

Akitada stayed only long enough to see his family settled and hire laborers to remove the charred timbers and rebuild the stables and Tora’s small house. The simplicity of their construction and the tips he promised set them to working with speed and enthusiasm.

He changed out of his dirty clothes, bathed, and set off for the Kiyowara mansion in his second-best robe.

Servants, still in mourning, received him. Fuhito was absent. A sense of unease and subdued excitement filled the air. Akitada asked to speak to Lady Kiyowara and her son.

He waited in the same waiting room as the last time. Outside, the day was pleasant. The rain had taken away the dry heat that had oppressed the city for so long. The Kiyowara gardens were green and fresh in the sun, and the water in the little rill ran high and clear over the large round stones.

Akitada was not happy with the outcome of the case. Not only did he not like to see Fuhito and his family suffer further at the hands of arrogant aristocrats like the Kiyowaras, but he was also dissatisfied with both confessions. Fuhito had been too adamant that Tojiro was completely innocent, and Tojiro had confessed much too readily to the killing. In addition, the boy’s description of how he had murdered his father had not rung true. It was as if both were trying to protect the other. Fuhito was quite likely to sacrifice himself for his grandson. Akitada did not know Tojiro very well, but from what he had seen, the youngster had shown both courage and principles. The truth was, he hoped to find that someone else had killed Kiyowara.

His wait was shorter than he had expected. A servant came and took him to the reception room. Lady Kiyowara was with her son, but this time her cousin, Lady Aoi, attended her. This audience was markedly more casual than the last one and differed also in the fact that the young lord now had the seat of honor. His mother sat to his side, and Lady Aoi – still in her beads and amulets and with her hair disheveled – sat farther back.

Akitada bowed to young Katsumi, who seemed to be trying valiantly to appear manly and self-assured, but would not meet Akitada’s eyes. When Akitada had also bowed to his mother, he said, ‘There have been certain developments. Someone has confessed to Lord Kiyowara’s murder. I have come to make my final report.’

The young lord glanced nervously at his mother. She said, ‘That is most satisfactory,’ and clapped her hands for a servant. A sense of relief was almost palpable in the room. A middle-aged man appeared, and she instructed him to bring a money box from her room. Then she told Akitada, ‘I speak for my son and myself when I say that we are grateful to you. I have sent for the rest of your fee. Please proceed with your report.’

Akitada had become uncomfortably aware of Lady Aoi’s piercing stare. Unlike the Kiyowaras, she reminded him of a coiled snake. She seemed to be shouting at him, Don’t! He tried to ignore this and began.

‘From the beginning, it was clear that the murderer or his accomplice belonged to his household.’ Lady Kiyowara frowned, and Akitada said quickly, ‘I’m sorry, My Lady. It was simply impossible for any outsiders to have entered the property in the middle of the day unnoticed by the servants. There was one exception to this, but for the time being, let us eliminate any and all political enemies of the late lord. It is true that Prince Atsunori, the Minister of Central Affairs, stopped by, but he cannot be considered either an enemy or someone who would dirty his fingers with murder.’

Lady Kiyowara started to object, but the servant returned with a small box, identical to the first one Akitada had received. She dismissed him, then said, ‘Go on.’

‘Allow me first to tell you a story from the past.’ Akitada spoke of Fuhito and his young daughter, of the birth of the young woman’s son, and of Lord Kiyowara’s promise to acknowledge the boy. He watched their faces as he spoke. He had expected outrage and denial, but there was none. He found it especially interesting that young Katsumi did not seem in the least surprised.

Lady Kiyowara looked down at her hands and said bitterly, ‘It is no secret that my husband had many women. He may also have many children. What is that to us now?’

The young lord shot her a glance and moved uncomfortably.

Akitada said, ‘It is important because it is Fuhito who confessed to your husband’s murder. He claims that the broken promise to acknowledge his grandson is why he killed your husband.’

Lady Aoi sucked in her breath at the news of Fuhito’s confession, but her cousin only sighed. ‘Poor man. I do not blame him. I am sure he was dreadfully provoked.’

‘I am not done, My Lady, for only a few hours ago, his grandson Tojiro, your son’s half-brother, also confessed to the murder.’

Lady Aoi moved abruptly. Her beads and bangles made a harsh, dry sound. Lady Kiyowara turned and said, ‘There is no need for you to stay, cousin.’

Lady Aoi did not answer. She only shook her head, her eyes burning into Akitada’s with a fierce intensity.

Lady Kiyowara turned back. ‘Well, no doubt the police will straighten it all out,’ she said, pushing the money box towards Akitada. ‘In any case, that finishes our arrangement. Please accept this in appreciation of your work.’

At this point, the young lord exploded. ‘No. We’re not finished, sir. I will not allow you to blame my brother. It was not his fault. My mother has paid you to shift the guilt on him. Well, I’ll pay you twice that amount to clear his name.’

‘Katsumi,’ cried his mother, ‘watch your words. It is not wise to be associated with your father’s killers.’

Akitada admired the boy for his speech, so he only said mildly, ‘I neither shift guilt on an innocent man nor clear a guilty one.’

The youth glared. ‘Then you may as well arrest me too, for I helped him.’

His mother snapped, ‘Nonsense, my son was nowhere near my husband the afternoon he died. Katsumi had gone out to exercise his horse.’

Katsumi ignored her. ‘I’ve known my brother for months. He spoke to me one day and told me who he was. I knew it was true because we look alike. After that, we used to meet often when I went out riding. I taught him how to ride my horse. The day of my father’s death, I let him in through the back gate. It was I who encouraged him to speak to my father, and I also let him take my horse to escape.’

Lady Aoi started swaying back and forth and muttering, ‘Oh, no… Oh, no… Oh, no.’ They all looked at her. She paid no attention and fell to reciting prayers.

Lady Kiyowara was very pale and at a loss for words. Her fan had fallen into her lap. She shook her head in disbelief.

Katsumi faced Akitada with the same defiant sincerity Tojiro had shown when he had confessed. ‘Well? What will you do?’ he demanded.

Akitada sighed. ‘You will have to speak to the police, of course, My Lord. It does you honor that you are standing by your brother. I think he, too, is a young man of principle and courage. It is a pity that the father of two such young men should have been their very opposite.’

Lady Aoi suddenly rose, towering over them like a vengeful deity. ‘Not only men have principle and courage, Lord Sugawara,’ she said, her deep voice vibrating with passion. ‘We women have had to bear the violence of men and their ruthless rape of our bodies. We have borne their ill-begotten children and raised them while their fathers took other women. And yet we have been patient and hoped that our sons would not turn out to be the monsters their fathers were. We, too, have honor.’

Akitada sat transfixed. Here, finally, was the truth. He hardly dared breathe. He had suspected something of the sort all along, though not necessarily of this odd and wild creature. And yet, he thought, who more likely? She was a woman of rank, an astonishing and exotic beauty in spite of her eccentric appearance and her tall stature and deep voice – or perhaps because of them.

Lady Kiyowara looked terrified. She pleaded, ‘Oh, Aoi! Don’t.’

Aoi ignored her. Her eyes did not leave Akitada’s. ‘Kiyowara’s sons may be males, but I will not let them take the blame for this,’ she said. ‘You, Lord Sugawara, were wrong from the start. I came to your house and told you so, but you would not listen. That boy and his grandfather are innocent, because I killed Kiyowara.’

There was a pause. Strangely, no one contradicted Lady Aoi. The young lord had turned to watch her, but Lady Kiyowara sat silent, hanging her head.

Lady Aoi went on: ‘I paid my cousin a visit, and on the second night her husband came to my room and defiled me, a shrine virgin. A man would not hesitate to avenge such a dishonor, but I am a woman and he was my cousin’s husband. Still, I went to speak to the monster when I saw the boy leaving his room in a panic. I took up one of the large stones from the garden stream to defend myself and entered Kiyowara’s study. He was getting to his feet, holding his head. When I charged him with the rape, he laughed and taunted me, saying that I had liked it and come for more. That’s when I raised the stone and struck him. The fool did not think a woman would have the courage or the strength to attack him, so he did little to defend himself, and I kept striking to make sure he was dead. So there you have the truth. I am proud that I did what hundreds of women before me should have done to spare others after them.’

Akitada believed her. He said, ‘Lord Kiyowara committed a very serious offense against you and the gods you serve. I admit it did not occur to me that he would rape a woman of your sacred calling under his own roof.’

Lady Kiyowara said bitterly, ‘My husband enjoyed rape. Normal relations were not to his taste. He wanted women who resisted him. I grew afraid of bringing good-looking young women into my service, but I, too, had thought he would respect a shrine virgin.’

Lady Aoi, suddenly quite calm, sat back down. ‘I don’t care what happens to me. It was my karma to kill an evil man.’

‘Nothing will happen to you,’ her cousin cried. ‘The regent won’t permit you to be punished when he hears the story. He will regret having given my husband his wealth and power.’

‘I hope so,’ said Akitada.

If ever a man had needed killing, it was Kiyowara.

THE RUNAWAY

From the Kiyowara residence, Akitada walked to police head-quarters, where he hoped he might still find Kobe. There was no particular rush, since with Lady Aoi there was no fear of flight or other aggression, but he wanted to see if he could get Tojiro released.

Kobe was in, eyes bloodshot and puffy and hands shaking with fatigue.

‘You need sleep,’ said Akitada, who wasn’t exactly feeling rested himself.

Kobe ran a hand over his face as if he meant to wipe away the signs of exhaustion. ‘I intend to go home shortly. That is, unless you bring more work.’

Akitada smiled. ‘I hope not. Or rather, it won’t be pressing. I bring you a third confession.’

Kobe threw up his hands. ‘Why is everybody so eager to take credit for Kiyowara’s death?’

‘His conduct made many enemies. If the oppressed are systematically tormented by the strong, they take pride in their revenge.’

Kobe sighed. ‘I was joking. Who is it this time?’

‘Lady Aoi, Lady Kiyowara’s cousin.’

‘The shrine virgin? But why would she make such a claim? Never mind. She’s said to be slightly mad. Surely you did not believe her?’

‘She is far from mad, and I do believe her. Kiyowara raped her the night before she killed him. A woman like Lady Aoi does not allow her honor to be defiled without avenging herself. She spoke up when she heard of Tojiro’s confession. She saw him leaving Kiyowara’s study and found Kiyowara inside, just getting up from where he had fallen. It seems he only cut the back of his head when Tojiro pushed or hit him. She confronted him with the rape, and Kiyowara taunted her. She says she used a stone from the garden to hit him and that she continued to hit him until he was dead. How does that fit with your coroner’s opinion?’

Kobe nodded slowly. ‘It fits. It fits exactly. He had a minor wound to the back of the head, which was little more than a cut. It bled. Then there were larger, rounded wounds to the front: to his forehead, face, and temple. Some of those bled also. The wounds to the front of his head, according to the doctor, killed him.’ He fell into abstracted thought. ‘This is difficult,’ he muttered. ‘We cannot arrest her. As a shrine virgin, she is under the emperor’s authority.’

‘Well, perhaps you could claim that Kiyowara fell and injured himself. That is at least partially true.’

Kobe frowned. ‘I shall have to report the truth and leave the decision up to His Majesty.’

‘Well, then. Can we let Tojiro go?’

Kobe raised his brows. ‘What about the fire setting?’

‘I’ve begun to have some doubts about that also. What does he say?’

‘He confirmed that the boys worked for Watanabe, but that was all.’ Kobe got to his feet with a groan. ‘Come, let’s go see him now.’

Akitada hesitated. ‘It can wait.’

‘I won’t sleep until this whole business is unraveled.’

They walked across to the jail. At the gate, they found Fuhito peering inside as if his gaze could bring forth his grandson. He was leaning against a pillar and looked terrible. His face was tear-streaked.

Akitada stopped. ‘Major-domo? What are you doing here?’

Fuhito started. ‘Oh. It’s you, sir. They’ve arrested Tojiro and won’t let me see him. I told them that it was I who killed Lord Kiyowara. Please, sir, would you see what you can do?’

Kobe said irritably, ‘It would be helpful if both of you stayed with the truth. Your lie won’t help your grandson.’

Fuhito looked at him, taking in the uniform and the rank insignia. He bowed. ‘Begging your pardon, sir, but my grandson is innocent. The fault is mine alone.’

‘Nonsense. Both of you lied to protect the other. Neither you nor your grandson killed Kiyowara.’

Fuhito turned absolutely white. His knees buckled, and he sat down abruptly in the dirt. Akitada bent to help him up and found that the old man trembled violently.

‘Is it true?’ he asked, clutching at Akitada’s hands. ‘It is not a trick?’

‘It’s not a trick.’

Fuhito staggered up. ‘But who? And how?’

Kobe looked at Akitada and shook his head slightly.

Akitada said, ‘When Tojiro struck his father, he fell and hit his head. He was unconscious, and the boy panicked. I think, later, your grandson decided that you must have gone to finish the job. Both of you thought the other was the murderer.’

‘I believed him.’ Fuhito ran a trembling hand over his face, wiping away the tears. ‘And I found the body.’

‘Someone else went in to speak to Lord Kiyowara after Tojiro left.’

Fuhito frowned. ‘But– ‘ He stopped when he saw Kobe’s face.

Akitada said, ‘I think you’d better tell him.’

Kobe glowered at Fuhito. ‘If you tell anyone, I’ll have you and your grandson thrown in jail for lying.’

Fuhito raised both hands. ‘I don’t want to know, sir.’

Akitada said, ‘You will have to know or you’ll think a terrible injustice was done. Lady Aoi confessed to killing Lord Kiyowara because he raped her.’

Fuhito’s hands still shook a little and he tucked them under his arms. ‘Oh,’ he said. ‘Oh, I see.’ He shook his head. ‘Terrible. What will happen to Tojiro?’

Kobe said, ‘There is still the matter of your grandson setting fires. We were about to ask him about that. You can come along.’

A guard unlocked Tojiro’s cell. They found him sitting with his elbows on his knees on some old straw mats. Nearby stood a slop bucket. The boy was chained to the wall.

When he saw them, and his grandfather with them, he got to his feet. ‘I’m sorry for what I’ve done, Grandfather,’ he said quickly. ‘Please do not concern yourself.’

Fuhito sobbed as he went to take the boy in his arms. ‘Hush, Tojiro,’ he said. ‘You did not kill your father. And neither did I.’

Tojiro looked astonished and checked with Akitada and Kobe. Akitada nodded, but Kobe said, ‘You have been cleared of the murder charge, but there are many other things still to be explained.’ He glanced at the stinking slop bucket. ‘In my office. Guard, take his chains off.’

They gathered in Kobe’s office, along with a clerk to take notes. Fuhito could not stop weeping, but he did so silently, wiping his face surreptitiously with his sleeve.

Kobe began the questioning. ‘What is your true name?’

‘Kiyowara Tojiro.’

Akitada produced the amulet in its silk bag and tossed it to Tojiro. ‘This is yours. Given to you by Abbot Shokan. What happened to your religious name?’

Tojiro flushed. He did not touch the amulet. ‘I took back my own name. I’m not cut out to be a monk.’

Kobe snapped, ‘That’s pretty obvious, considering you went straight from the monastery to a life of crime.’

Tojiro shook his head. ‘I never committed a crime.’

‘What about the people you associated with? Koichi and his family are involved in the protection racket. And those youths you ran around with did worse than that. They have tortured and killed people.’

Tojiro shot his grandfather an uneasy glance. ‘Seiji and Ako gave me a place to stay after I ran away. And Koichi and Haru were good to me. I didn’t know at first that Takeo was… Well, that he could be violent and that he was a thief. Koichi only collects payment for services. That’s no crime.’

Kobe snorted. ‘What happens when a client doesn’t pay?’

Tojiro said uncertainly, ‘Nothing. He doesn’t get protection.’

‘And then he finds out just how badly he needs it, right?’

Tojiro looked away. ‘It wasn’t Koichi who set the fires. That was Takeo. Koichi punished him when he found out, and Takeo left home. Koichi was very angry.’ He paused. ‘After Takeo left, Koichi asked me to find out what he was up to.’

Kobe expressed his disbelief with another snort of derision.

Akitada asked, ‘Was it on one of those occasions that you ran into Tora and robbed him?’

Fuhito sucked in his breath sharply. ‘Tojiro?’ he asked. ‘Did you do that?’

Tojiro cried, ‘No, Grandfather. It wasn’t like that. I’d been following Takeo and his friends. I saw them set that fire, and they saw me. I didn’t want them to catch me. That’s when I ran into someone and we both fell down. I was picking up his coins to give them back, but he grabbed me before I could do so. Then the others came and I ran.’

Fuhito growled, ‘What happened to the coins?’

Tojiro looked down at his clenched hands. ‘They caught me on the next street and took the money away from me. I let them think that I’d been stealing so they’d believe I’d become one of them.’ He looked up at Akitada. ‘I’ll return the money. All of it. Tell your man I’ll find work and pay it all back.’

Fuhito pleaded, ‘He’s not a bad boy. He’s just fallen into bad company, and that is my fault. Could you accept his promise and mine that the money will be returned?’

Akitada nodded. ‘But that doesn’t clear him in the matter of the arson.’

Tojiro cried, ‘I told you. I was only watching them. Koichi was worried about Takeo.’

Kobe pursed his lips. ‘As your grandfather said, you kept bad company. Why should we believe you? Running away from a monastery is one thing, but most boys would go home to their parents and not join a gang of criminals.’

Fuhito covered his face. ‘I abandoned him,’ he sobbed. ‘I told him I would not take him back, that he had to return to Seikan-ji and be a man. That his future depended on it.’

Kobe greeted that with a doubtful, ‘Hmmm.’

Akitada asked, ‘Why could you not stay at Seikan-ji as your grandfather had asked you to? You were treated well and got a good education, didn’t you?’

Tojiro glanced at his weeping grandfather, then at Akitada. ‘You wouldn’t understand,’ he said dully. ‘I had to get away. I cannot be a monk. Nobody liked me. Every day they told me I must prepare myself to give up the world, that the world is nothingness and corruption and misery. But I knew better.’

Akitada suppressed a smile. When he was Tojiro’s age he, too, had run away. He had run from an authoritarian father and a cold and hostile mother to find affection elsewhere. He said, ‘Abbot Shokan expressed a great fondness for you,’ letting Tojiro interpret his words.

Tojiro moved his shoulders uncomfortably. ‘He was all right,’ he conceded. ‘Only, that made everyone else hate me the more.’

Akitada and Kobe made eye contact. Akitada willed the superintendent to be generous, and after a moment, Kobe said, ‘Will you help us bring the guilty to justice?’

Fear flashed in Tojiro’s eyes. ‘I’ll give you the names of Takeo and his friends, but I’m not getting Koichi and Haru in trouble.’

‘Takeo is dead, and we already have Koichi and his daughter. We need the other boys.’

Tojiro jumped up. ‘You’ve arrested Koichi and Haru? They haven’t done anything. I told you. Koichi only collects fees for a man who’s served in the eastern armies. His name is Sergeant Umako. Sergeant Umako keeps small merchants safe from criminals, and they pay him a small fee every month. Besides, he and Haru own the Fragrant Peach in the western city. It’s Takeo who’s been trouble, not his family.’

Akitada and Kobe exchanged looks again. Kobe smiled. ‘Koichi and his two deaf mute friends work an illegal racket. If those merchants don’t pay their fees, someone burns down their houses.’

‘No. You’re wrong.’ Tojiro clenched his hands and looked from one to the other. ‘I know better. They’re not criminals. I told you I’ve been staying with Seiji and Ako. Ako’s married to Seiji.’

Fuhito sighed deeply. ‘Because I told my grandson that I would not take him back the next time he ran away, he went to my daughter’s former maid, Ako. I did not know she was married.’

Tojiro said, ‘They were kind to me. You just don’t know how hard it is for people like them. They’re good people.’

‘Hmmm,’ muttered Kobe, looking from the distraught boy to his distraught grandfather. ‘Whatever they are, I think we’ll turn you over to your grandfather for the time being. Just don’t run away again or I’ll see to it that you go to trial.’

Fuhito threw himself on his knees before Kobe. ‘You may take my life if Tojiro escapes or does any mischief whatsoever. Tojiro, show your gratitude!’

Tojiro, looking a little confused, knelt and bowed.

Akitada cleared his throat. ‘Good, that settles that. Can I rely on your visiting the abbot together to explain the situation and apologize?’

Tojiro nodded, and Fuhito said, ‘Yes, of course. It is all my fault anyway. I am very sorry that His Reverence has been troubled.’

Akitada thought of Fuhito’s old mother, and of the empty house in its beautiful garden. Three lives had been salvaged. Of course, their future was by no means clear. But there was hope that the friendship between the two sons of the late Kiyowara might bridge the gulf their father had created, and perhaps the new lord would make use of Fuhito’s learning and help his brother rise in the world.