Massacre at Shirakawa Read online

  Massacre

  at Shirakawa

  An Akitada Novel

  I. J. Parker

  2020

  Copyright © 2020 by I. J. Parker.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.

  Published 2020 by I.J.Parker and I·J·P Books

  3229 Morningside Drive, Chesapeake VA 23321

  http://www.ijparker.com

  Cover design by I. J. Parker.

  Cover image by Toshikata Mizuno

  Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and

  incidents are a product of the author’s imagination.

  Massacre at Shirakawa, 1st edition, 2020

  ISBN

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Massacre at Shirakawa (Akitada Mysteries, #20)

  Characters

  1 | The Betrothal

  2 | Tanabata

  3 | Shirakawa

  4 | Secrets

  5 | Witnesses

  6 | Aftermath

  7 | The Evil Men Do

  8 | The Schoolmaster

  9 | Tora Takes Over

  10 | An Unpleasant Encounter

  11 | The Police Investigates

  12 | The Sister

  13 | A Surprise Witness

  14 | The Archer

  15 | A Marriage

  16 | Speaking of a Dead Man

  17 | The Schoolmaster’s Secrets

  18 | Buddha or Devil?

  19 | The Wisdom of Wives

  20 | The Coroner’s Views

  21 | Tora is Frustrated

  22 | Day of the Dead

  23 | Akiko

  24 | The Secret Visitor

  25 | Worries

  26 | Tora’s Anger

  27 | Searching the Truth

  28 | A Strange Household

  29 | Visiting an Old Friend

  30 | The Summons

  31 | Journey into Oblivion

  32 | Consternation

  33 | The Governor

  34 | Waiting

  35 | Bonsai

  36 | The Boy

  37 | Flight

  38 | Tanizaki Fights Back

  39 | Return

  40 | Kobe to the Rescue

  41 | A Deadly Game

  Epilogue

  Historical Note

  About the Author

  Books by I. J. Parker

  Contact Information

  Sign up for I. J. Parker's Mailing List

  Praise for I. J. Parker and the

  Akitada Series

  “Elegant and entertaining . . . Parker has created a wonderful protagonist in Akitada. . . . She puts us at ease in a Japan of one thousand years ago.” The Boston Globe

  “You couldn’t ask for a more gracious introduction to the exotic world of Imperial Japan than the stately historical novels of I. J. Parker.” The New York Times

  “Akitada is as rich a character as Robert Van Gulik’s intriguing detective, Judge Dee.” The Dallas Morning News

  “Readers will be enchanted by Akitada.” Publishers Weekly Starred Review

  “Terrifically imaginative” The Wall Street Journal

  “A brisk and well-plotted mystery with a cast of regulars who become more fully developed with every episode.” Kirkus

  “More than just a mystery novel, (THE CONVICT’S SWORD) is a superb piece of literature set against the backdrop of 11th-cntury Kyoto.” The Japan Times

  “Parker’s research is extensive and she makes great use of the complex manners and relationships of feudal Japan.” Globe and Mail“

  “The fast-moving, surprising plot and colorful writing will enthrall even those unfamiliar with the exotic setting.” Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

  “. . .the author possesses both intimate knowledge of the time period and a fertile imagination as well. Combine that with an intriguing mystery and a fast-moving plot, and you’ve got a historical crime novel that anyone can love.” Chicago Sun-Times

  “Parker’s series deserves a wide readership.” Historical Novel Society

  “The historical research is impressive, the prose crisp, and Parker’s ability to universalize the human condition makes for a satisfying tale.” Booklist

  “Parker masterfully blends action and detection while making the attitudes and customs of the period accessible.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)

  “Readers looking for historical mystery with a twist will find what they’re after in Parker’s latest Sugawara Akitada mystery . . . An intriguing glimpse into an ancient culture.” Booklist

  Characters

  Japanese family names precede proper names

  Main characters:

  Sugawara Akitada nobleman, official

  Sadako his new wife

  Akiko his sister

  Tora, Genba, Saburo his retainers

  Fujiwara Kosehira his friend

  Arihito Kosehira’s son

  Nakatoshi another friend

  Kobe former police superintendent

  Dr. Sugito coroner

  (also: the prime minister, policemen, servants, and soldiers)

  Characters associated with the Shirakawa affair:

  Fujiwara Yorimune brother of prime minister

  Lady Motoko his senior wife

  Hireko their daughter

  Lieutenant Hakeda investigating police officer

  Kanemori a veteran warrior

  Hiraga another veteran

  Jocho a sword smith

  Fujiwara Munesuke governor of Sanuki Province

  Yamada Yasuhito impoverished nobleman

  Characters associated with the case of the schoolmaster’s wife:

  Tanizaki a schoolmaster

  Tomoko his second wife

  Nariko her sister, a prostitute

  Miyagi-san brothel owner

  Yasumasa her son

  Yoichi a homeless boy

  (also: a sergeant, a tailor, an old crone, a maid, and the staff and students of a college)

  1

  The Betrothal

  The killer approached cautiously. He knew he might have to wait till dark. The sun already slanted through the tall cryptomerias, but the open meadow below the rustic buildings was still in bright sunlight. A colorful group had assembled there, their clothes glowing in the setting sun like exotic flowers growing in a green field.

  The killer stopped his horse and watched for a long time. The celebrants sat here and there on new tatami mats, their edges bound in white and black silk. They had not bothered with curtain screens for the women. It was, after all, a family affair.

  A young woman in peony pink silk sat bent over a koto, deftly touching the strings to produce a familiar tune. Nearby sat a handsome young man in a blue silk gown over white silk trousers. He held the second young woman’s hand and leaned toward her, gazing into her face. She turned her head shyly, to look out over the river at the forests and hills to where the great city lay below. Her elaborate costume was of pale green silk shading to gold. She wore a richly embroidered Chinese jacket of a deep rose color over it. A sprig of flowers was pinned to her long glossy hair.

  Two middle-aged ladies watched them, smiling, whispering to each other. Their robes in deeper jewel colors were no less festive. With them knelt a maid in a short blue ov
erdress and white trousers.

  Behind, some distance away and close to the house, five or six male servants in undyed cotton with blue sashes busied themselves hanging colorful paper lanterns on the veranda and readying torches to light the scene after sunset.

  The killer ignored their presence. The time was now, not later. His eyes fixed longest on another group of five males. They sat in a circle around a large earthenware bowl. Two of the men wore recognizable rank colors, marking them as belonging to the kuge, the highest court rank. The other three were younger. One wore the brilliant red uniform of the imperial guard. They talked and occasionally filled their wine cups from the large bowl and toasted each other. One of the older males, a jolly, plump man, laughed aloud now and then and waved his hands about as he talked. The other sat more stiffly reserved but smiled frequently. The young men chatted with each other familiarly and were obviously friends.

  The killer knew that the occasion of this gathering was the signing of a marriage contract between two great noble houses. He had paused some fifty yards from the group to prepare himself for what he had to do.

  He was fully armed as if for battle. Blood-red silk laced his armor. His battle robe was of black silk with a design of white cranes. He wore both a helmet and a black-lacquered iron face mask One arm and one hand were bare.

  After a moment, he sighed deeply and took up the great bow bound with red-lacquered rattan. He reached over his shoulder for the first of the black and white feathered arrows, then gave his big horse the signal. The animal obeyed and he rode slowly into the clearing, the sounds of his approach muffled by the thick grass, the koto, and male voices and laughter.

  He covered half the distance before they noticed him and pointed. They seemed pleasantly startled. One of the men cried, “Another surprise!” and clapped his hands.

  The warrior raised his bow and placed the long arrow.

  The girl stopped playing the koto and stared.

  The young man in blue prepared to rise to his feet.

  The killer released the arrow. It pierced the neck of one of the older men. Blood spurted briefly and he toppled on his side without a sound.

  The killer reached for another arrow and urged his horse to canter around the group. The second arrow was meant for the young man in blue who had started for the armed man. It missed its target and struck the young woman behind him in the chest. Her gown turned red and she sagged to the ground. One of the older women was next.

  Finally someone screamed. The servants shouted and scrambled about. The young man turned back to his stricken companion.

  And the killer moved on.

  His next arrow struck the second older man and was followed instantly by another that hit a young man in the waist. The young man in blue was again trying to catch up with the killer.

  The mounted warrior ignored him and urged his horse into a gallop as he circled and aimed at his victims one by one, loosing arrows, wheeling, and aiming again.

  In such a manner young warriors practiced their battle skills, circling around a dog tied to a post in the center.

  He was skillful. His arrows found the koto player, who collapsed over her instrument, then the other older woman who screamed briefly. Those who remained started to run for the house. Most fell to his arrows before they reached it.

  The killer then turned his attention to the young man in blue, who still attempted to stop him, even though he was bare-handed and hampered by his full silk trousers. The killer reached for another arrow and found his quiver empty. With a muttered curse, he wheeled away and galloped off into the forest.

  2

  Tanabata

  The seventh day of the seventh month.

  Akitada held his wife’s hand. They were sitting on their veranda overlooking the garden. He pointed at the starry sky, “The milky way,” he said. “I suppose the star lovers are already together, making love.”

  Sadako squeezed his hand and sighed. She was still recovering from the loss of her first child.

  He smiled at her. “Never mind. I shall be as patient as they.”

  Alarmed, she asked, “You will wait a full year?”

  He pulled her close. “I almost lost you. I can wait forever rather than risk another pregnancy.”

  She pushed him away gently. “Nonsense,” she said. “I wanted this child. And I want to try again. I’m no longer young, but I proved that I can still bear children.”

  His heart twisted. She was thirty-six; he was forty-six. They were both too old to be parents again. He shuddered at the thought. His daughter would soon be married and have children of her own. His son was a student at the university and would, in due time, take up a career in the government like his father and grandfather before him. He, too, would take a wife, or several. Grandchildren were quite all right with Akitada. He looked forward to them, but he did not want another child of his own.

  She looked at him searchingly. “Akitada?”

  He said, “I love you. I think I have never loved anyone as much. I want nothing else in my life.”

  Her eyes filled with tears and she crept into his arms. “Then I shall be content,” she whispered. “Oh, my heart is so full.”

  They would have sat longer, and then they would have gone to bed to lie in each other’s arms like the star lovers in the Tanabata legend, and Akitada would have put desire from his mind and settled for tenderness. But this was not to be.

  Noise from beyond the garden wall had been growing steadily until it seemed unlike anything that might be explained by drunken revelry on a festival night. Then rapid footsteps sounded from the corridor and Tora called out, “Sir?”

  “Something must have happened,” Akitada said to his wife and got to his feet. “Come in, Tora.”

  Tora was still fully dressed. It crossed Akitada’s mind that a younger Tora would have been in the city at this time, celebrating with friends. They were getting old.

  But Tora looked excited and seemed suddenly years younger. He smiled at Sadako, who had come to join her husband, and said, “Sorry, Lady Sadako . . . and sir.”

  Akitada frowned. “Never mind. Is something wrong?”

  “Yes, sir. Something must have happened. Horses have passed from the direction of the palace. They were going fast. People are saying they’ve gone to meet the enemy.”

  “What enemy? Are those damned monks at it again?”

  “I don’t know, sir. It must be them.”

  They stood staring at each other, remembering, when heavier footsteps approached and Genba walked in. He looked embarrassed and also started, “Sorry sir, my lady—”

  Akitada cut him off. “What is it, Genba?”

  “A messenger from Lord Kosehira’s house, sir. It sounds serious.”

  Akitada touched his wife’s shoulder. “Don’t wait for me, Sadako. Go to bed.”

  She looked nervous but nodded, and he went to talk to the messenger.

  He found Kosehira’s old retainer, Hirono. The white-haired man was accompanied by one of the Fujiwara servants. Both looked upset. The old man said quickly, “The second lady sent us, sir. Something’s happened. In the mountains, sir. It can’t be good. Ah, may Amida have mercy!”:

  “Calm down, Hirono. Is there any danger to Lord Kosehira’s family?”

  The old man wrung his hands. “Yes sir, yes sir. His lordship and the young lord and the first lady went to a party there. At Lord Yorimune’s villa.” He paused, then added, “In the mountains, sir. In Rakuto. It’s by the Shirakawa River.”

  Akitada nodded. “I know it.” He was still dumbfounded. Rakuto was the name for the north-eastern area of the foothills east of the Kamo River. It was a place where retired emperors and high-ranking nobles had built summer palaces, villas, or modest homes. It was cooler there than in the stifling summer heat that hung over the capital.

  It was not the location of the trouble that puzzled him, though Rakuto was fairly unlikely for an attack by hostile armed monks. It was the fact that Kosehira had taken his fi
rst lady there. Women stayed home, as a rule.

  Hirono had fallen silent and was looking at him pleadingly. Akitada asked, “Er, he went to see Lord Yorimune?”

  “Yes, sir, to sign the contracts.” When Akitada still looked blank, Hirono added, “For the marriage between our young lord and Lord Yorimune’s daughter.”

  “Oh.” Akitada was appalled. Had they drifted so far apart that Kosehira had not even told him of this? He searched his memory. “So Arihito’s taking a wife?”

  Hirono and the servant nodded.

  “I didn’t know. But what happened?”

  “We don’t know. The second lady heard there was an attack and that people are dead. She wants you to go find out what’s wrong.”

  Akitada tried to interpret these details. An attack? By the monks? But why attack a family gathering, even if it involved one of the great ministers? It must be something else. A band of robbers perhaps. Though they were rarely this violent and brazen. In any case, it was not a request he could ignore. He said, “Thank you, Hirono. Tora and I will leave immediately. Tell Lady, um, tell the second lady not to worry. It may be a false alarm.”

  Hirono bowed and left with his companion.

  Tora asked quickly, “Full armor, sir?”

  “No. Light. I cannot quite believe they’re fighting a battle. I’ll meet you outside.”

  He returned to their room and told Sadako what he knew while he flung open his clothing trunk and rummaged for his half armor. This alarmed her.

  “You won’t be fighting?” she cried. “You must be careful. Please, Akitada, do not get hurt. I couldn’t bear it.”

  It was not the time to lecture his wife on her husband’s duties. He put on the half armor over his hunting jacket and the narrow trousers and smiled at her. “I shall be careful, my love. Don’t worry. It may be nothing.” He patted the armor. “This is being careful. And I shall take my sword.”

  She murmured, “Oh, Akitada!”

  He put on his boots, then went to kiss her. “I must hurry.”

  Tora was holding the two horses. Genba, with a torch, stood beside him. He looked shocked. “Take good care, sir,” he said. “Both of you. We’ll be waiting.”