Island of Exiles (15 page)

“Never mind,” said Akitada. “The judge will have the whole story out of both of you with a good flogging. And then, you dog, it will be the mines for a skinny fellow like you.” It was an inspired threat.

“No! Not the mines. I’ll talk, but not the mines.” Prostrating himself before them, Shiro knocked his head on the ground.

“Let’s hear the whole story, then,” demanded Akitada.

“We’ve been wondering how an ordinary thief could pull such a trick, but as you had clay handy and a clay oven hot enough to bake it and melt a bit of silver, that part is clear as water. How did you get involved?”

“Tosan made me do it because I owed him money.” Yamada said disgustedly, “I should have fired that crook a long time ago.”

At this the man calmed down a little-thinking perhaps that he had two sympathetic listeners-and poured out his story.

Leaving aside the fact that he cast himself as the helpless victim of Tosan, the mastermind, it had a strong element of truth. As neighbors, Tosan and Shiro had spent their evenings together, drinking as they watched Shiro’s wife making her pottery. Tosan complained about his work, his low wages, and his master’s unfair reprimands, while Shiro blamed his misfortunes on ill luck. Tosan often described the stored wealth in glowing terms to Shiro, and the two men would discuss the pleasures that could be had with just one bar of silver. Once Tosan picked up some fresh clay to shape into an approximation of a silver bar. That moment the idea was born. Shiro shaped the clay, glazed and baked it, wrapped it in a few sheets of silver foil, and thus produced two replicas of silver bars which met with Tosan’s approval. The next day, Shiro deposited the bars and took away two strings of a thousand cash each. They split the proceeds that very night. Soon after, Yamada dismissed Tosan for laziness.

On Tosan’s instruction, Shiro had given a false name and place of residence, but as the entry was in Tosan’s handwriting, the ex-clerk decided that a bit of arson might serve to destroy the evidence and also be a nice revenge, since Yamada would have to replace the ledgers or suffer severe reprimands himself.

Shiro claimed his part in this had merely been to carry the ladder Tosan used to break the high window panel and toss the torch down on the ledgers.

At this opportune moment, two constables arrived with Tosan. He was a fat man with the red, puffy face of a habitual drinker, and he took in the situation at a glance.

Yamada greeted him with a shout of fury. “You miserable dog! Not enough that you spent half your time here drunk out of your head or asleep; you had the ingratitude to reward my trust and patience by stealing and setting fire to the Valuables Office.”

“What?” cried Tosan. “Who told lies about me?” He looked at the old drunk, who grinned back impudently. “Him? A beggar? He’s a piece of dung who makes up stories to get wine.” He turned to Shiro, who still knelt weeping in front of Yamada’s desk. “Or him? He’s owed me money for months and is probably trying to weasel out of paying me.”

For a moment, Yamada looked dangerously close to having a fit. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before finding his voice. “We’ll see who speaks the truth,” he finally said, his eyes flashing. “You are both under arrest. And the charge is plotting to overthrow His Majesty’s government. You, Tosan, have misused your official position to steal goods placed into the government’s safekeeping for the express purpose of stirring up popular unrest against the emperor.” Akitada’s jaw dropped. The charge was as ridiculous as it was brilliant. Treason on a penal colony warranted the death penalty. The clerk knew it, too. He uttered a strangled croak and fainted.

Yamada stood beside Akitada outside the Valuables Office when they took away their two thieves. “Thank heaven it’s over,” he said with a deep sigh of relief. “I had given up all hope, but now all is well. And I even have my silver back.”

“Well, yes,” said Akitada, “though you might express your appreciation to the drunk. He did identify the thief.”

That night, Tosan and Shiro signed their confessions, and Masako came to Akitada for the third time.

Her eyes shone as she slipped under Akitada’s blanket.

“Thank you, Taketsuna,” she whispered, reaching for him.

“Father could never have done it without your help.” Akitada put her hands from his body and sat up. “No, Masako,” he said, “not tonight or any other night. You are beautiful and you know quite well that I find you most desirable, but I cannot take you to wife. What has happened between us was a mistake, my mistake, which I regret deeply. I’m already married, and there can be no formal relationship between us. Because I value your father’s good opinion, I will not make love to you again.”

Making this speech had been extraordinarily hard. He had lain awake wondering what to say to her. Having spent every moment since their first encounter in self-recriminations, he had added self-disgust after he succumbed to his desire for her a second time. A third time would, by custom, formalize their relationship, and he could not bring himself to take that step.

But he did not like hurting her and watched her face anxiously, expecting a torrent of grief and arguments.

But Masako neither wept nor argued. She said calmly, “I did not expect you to marry me. But I thought we might be lovers.

I like to pay my debts.”

He flinched a little. “You owe me nothing. You and your father have offered me hospitality and I have done little enough in return. I am in your debt.”

“As you wish.” She got up then and bent for her discarded undergown. Turning away a little, she slipped it back on. The flickering candlelight made the thin silk transparent, and in her modesty she was more seductive than she had been when she had pressed her warm naked body to his. “When you leave us, will you remember me?” she asked without looking at him.

He felt ashamed. “I will never forget you, Masako,” he said and caught her hand to his cheek. “I am half in love with you.” She smiled a little then, and left.

The following morning, after Osawa approved Yamada’s books, Akitada departed on his journey to find Prince Okisada’s killer.

Akitada welcomed the journey. Masako had slipped too deeply under his skin, and he was torn by feelings of shame and guilt.

And then there was the fact that he had put his assignment from his mind in order to satisfy his curiosity about the girl and her father. It was high time he did what he had come to do and went home to his family.

The day began inauspiciously in Yutaka’s office. The governor had sent the
shijo
on an errand so that he and Akitada would have a private moment to discuss the upcoming journey.

“I know that you want to meet Kumo for yourself. Osawa always calls at his manor to go over the tax rolls with him and discuss the upcoming harvest and the mine production. After that you will travel on to Minato. Osawa has a letter from me to Professor Sakamoto, just a pretext to get you into his house. The return journey is to take you through Tsukahara. The prince’s manor is there and Taira still lives in it. Okisada also had many friends among the Buddhist clergy at the Konponji Temple nearby. The temple happens to be the district tax collector. You will probably find the monk Shunsei there. If word has reached Kumo, he may approach you first, but if he does not, then you will no doubt find a way to talk to him.” That was perhaps overly optimistic, but Akitada thanked him and asked, “Can you provide me with some signed paper in case I have to overrule your good Inspector Osawa?” Mutobe’s face fell. “Oh, dear. Yes, of course. I should have thought of that. Better not tell him anything yet, right? Osawa is all right, really. A bit lazy, but he’s unmarried and can travel whenever I need him. Besides, he is my only inspector and known to Kumo and Sakamoto and the others.” He helped himself to Yutaka’s ink, brush, and paper and dashed off a short letter, then gave it to Akitada, who read it and nodded. Mutobe took his seal from his sleeve, inked it with red ink, and impressed it next to his signature. Then he handed the folded note to Akitada, who was trying to tuck it away with his other papers when he made a disturbing discovery.

He was wearing his own clothes again, having packed his blue cotton clerk’s robe in his saddlebag. When he touched his neck where the fabric was doubled over and stitched into the stiff collar, he felt the papers inside, but the seam he had opened to pass the imperial document to Mutobe the day they met had been resewn. Masako must have discovered the loose stitches when she had cleaned his robe. Surely she had found the papers.

He felt beads of perspiration on his brow.

“What is the matter?” asked the governor, seeing his face.

“Nothing. Just wondering where to put this,” Akitada said, holding up the governor’s note. He quickly tucked it in his sash as footsteps approached and Yutaka entered with Osawa and one of the scribes, the big fellow called Genzo.

They knelt and bowed, the scribe looking sullen and giving Akitada a hate-filled look. Of the two who had been punished by Yutaka for the vicious beating they had given him, he was the one who had continued to bear Akitada a powerful grudge.

“Ah, yes, Yutaka,” said Mutobe. “Is this the man who is to go along?”

“Yes, Your Excellency. His name is Genzo.” Akitada was dismayed but could hardly object.

The governor continued, “I realize you cannot easily spare both Taketsuna and him, but it will only be for a few days, four at the most. They will take horses to make better speed. I have sent instructions to the stables to have them ready in two hours.”

“Horses?” gasped Osawa, then bowed immediately. “I beg your pardon, Excellency, but I did not expect . . . a great honor, of course . . . but I usually travel on foot. Perhaps a sedan chair?

Surely good bearers can move as quickly as a horse. And the two young men can run alongside.”

The big scribe’s jaw dropped.

“No,” said the governor brusquely, getting to his feet. “You will make all the speed you can. Oh. I am dispensing with a guard. Taketsuna has given his word not to escape.” He departed, leaving consternation behind.

Osawa stared at Akitada as if he were measuring his potential for unexpected violence.

“I can’t ride,” the scribe announced. “You’ll have to take Minoru instead.”

Osawa looked down his nose at him. “If you are referring to the other scribe in the archives, I am told he is nearly illiterate and it takes him forever to copy a page.”

“Well, then just take the prisoner. Master Yutaka always brags about how fast and elegant his brushstrokes are.”

“I need you both,” snapped Osawa. “He is to act as my secretary and you’ll do the copying. You are both under my orders now and will do as you are told.” He looked hard at Akitada, who bowed.

The problems multiplied at the stables. The horses were lively and pranced about the stable yard, making it hard for the grooms to control them.

Osawa saw this with an expression of horror. “These horses are half wild,” he protested. “We want something tamer.” The head groom shook his head. “Governor’s orders.” Akitada took the bridle of the calmest horse and led it to Osawa. “Please take this one, Inspector,” he said with a bow. “He has a soft mouth and will be manageable.” He turned to the scribe. Although Genzo was big-boned and heavy, he cringed from the horses. “And you, of course, will want the black?” The black was so big that two grooms hung on to his bridle.

Genzo shot Akitada a venomous look. “You take him,” he said. “I have no desire to kill myself.”

“As you wish.” Akitada swung himself into the saddle, taking pleasure in being on horseback again, while Genzo had to be helped onto the third horse and instantly fell back down. “Are there any mules?” Akitada asked the grinning head groom.

A sturdy mule was substituted for the horse, and Genzo managed to get in its saddle. They rode out of the stable yard accompanied by half-suppressed laughter from the grooms, passing the prison and Yamada’s house without seeing either father or daughter.

And so they left Mano and headed inland. The narrow road wound northeast through a wide plain of rice paddies stretching into the distance. On both sides wooded mountains rose, and ahead lay Mount Kimpoku, a dark cone against the blue sky. It marked the other side of Sadoshima and overlooked Lake Kamo and Minato.

The two horses and the mule trotted along smoothly. Lush green rice paddies promised a good harvest, a soft wind rustled through the pines lining the way, and small birds twittered in the branches. The sky was clear except for a few cloudlets, and the sun had not yet brought the midday heat. Now and then a hawk circled above, looking for field mice or a careless dove.

It would have been altogether pleasant, except for Akitada’s assignment and his companions’ ill humor. The former he could do nothing about; the latter he tried to ignore. Osawa was becoming used to his horse and did not do too badly, but he clearly disliked riding and was in a foul humor, which he took out on Genzo. The scribe kept slipping off his mule, causing delays while Akitada dismounted to help him back in the saddle. Genzo maintained a sullen silence under the barrage of ridicule and reproof heaped upon him by Osawa, and Akitada’s assistance made his antagonism worse instead of better.

They reached the hamlet of Hatano by midday and stopped at a small temple. In the grove of cedars surrounding the temple hall, they ate a light repast of cold rice wrapped in oak leaves and drank water from a well bubbling among mossy rocks.

Osawa, still in a bad mood, maintained distance between himself and his helpers, choosing to sit on a large rock near the well while making Akitada and Genzo squat on the ground next to their mounts.

Akitada was glad not to have to engage in chitchat with either of his companions. As soon as feasible, he left to relieve himself and inspected the collar of his robe by unpicking some threads. Both the imperial documents that commanded him to investigate Prince Okisada’s death and Governor Mutobe’s safe conduct were still there and in good condition. But he cursed himself for his carelessness; he should have foreseen his robe might need cleaning, though he had not expected to bleed quite so copiously over it. Masako must have washed out the bloodstains. But had she removed the documents first and later reinserted them and sewn up the collar?