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  “Yes.” Akitada chewed on hislower lip. “I admit that’s a disappointment. The woman is detestable. However,though she may not be responsible for his death, she knows something about theconspiracy and who mutilated the dead man. Let her try to talk her way out ofthat!” He glanced at Tora and Hitomaro, who were hovering nearby. “Sit down,both of you. It’s time for a council of war.”

  When they had gathered around,Akitada said, “Hamaya, Seimei, and I have drawn up the documents appointing mehigh constable. Notices will be posted all over the city. This step will allowme to assume command over the garrison and declare a state of emergency ifnecessary. It may also convince the people that Uesugi power can be broken. I checkedthe law carefully and studied similar cases and believe the action is unusualbut perfectly legal. The circumstances certainly make it necessary. We aretrying to foil a conspiracy against imperial authority in this province.”

  Hitomaro grunted. “That’s wherethat judge fits in, sir. Remember his talk about a new ruler? And Chobei is upto his neck in the plot of the mutilated corpse. I saw his face when we foundthe body at the gate. He’s working for Hisamatsu now, a man who has a wholelibrary of Chinese texts and could have written the note that was pinned to thedead man. And that reminds me.” He reached into his sleeve and pulled out apiece of paper. “I helped myself to a sample when I was in Hisamatsu’s house.”

  Akitada took it and nodded. “Itlooks like the same paper. Have Hamaya compare it later. From what you told meabout Hisamatsu it seems likely he wrote this, but he does not strike me as thesort of man who could organize a conspiracy of the complexity and seriousnessof this one. There is more than a touch of madness here.”

  The possibility of an uprisingagainst the emperor was frightening. Without military support, they, werehelpless to avert it. One thing seemed certain to Akitada: When he failed inhis duties, he did so spectacularly. Freshly assigned to a post which hadseemed an open door to rapid promotion, he was about to lose the province tothe enemy. Unless they fled, they would also lose their lives, of course, butthere was no point in dwelling on that detail.

  Hiding his fears, he said, “Much depends on Captain Takesuke, of course, and on Uesugi himself. And let’s not forget Sunada. I wonder what that rascal’s part is in all of this, and what asmall-time crook like Koichi wanted from him. A pity Kaibara is dead. He wouldhave had answers. Who shot him? And why? His killer may have saved my life, butwhat if that was not his real purpose?” He frowned. “I wish there weren’t somany pieces missing. Do you know what this situation reminds me of? The shellmatching game my sisters used to play. I feel that it’s my play and I don’tknow which piece to turn over.”

  Tora and Hitomaro looked blank,but Oyoshi nodded. “A very good comparison, sir.” He explained, “The shells areplain on the outside but hide pictures on the inside. For each picture there isa matching one in only one other shell. The object is to find the match. Well,sir, we have just matched our first shell by identifying the mutilated corpse.Will you let the other players know?”

  “Yes, perhaps that is thelogical next move. There will be a court hearing later. Tora, go tell Hamaya tomake the arrangements.”

  “But you are wounded,”protested Hitomaro.

  Akitada refrained from pointingout that his shoulder was a small matter compared to their all beingslaughtered by the Uesugi. “Never mind,” he said. “I shall rest till then. I’mperfectly capable of conducting a brief hearing. Tell Kaoru to have Mrs. Satobrought in.”

  Oyoshi poured some tea andadded one of his powders. Stirring, he said, “This should dull the pain alittle and let you rest.”

  Akitada smiled his thanks,swallowed the draft, and closed his eyes as the others stole from the room.

  The crowd in the hall was smaller and more subdued than last time, and they watchedhim intently. Akitada saw them through a haze. What Oyoshi had given him forthe pain unfortunately made him see and hear everyone as if from a greatdistance. He also felt flushed and uncomfortably warm.

  He began the session byannouncing his new status. When the crowd began to buzz, he rapped his batonsharply, calling for the prisoners and the witnesses in the Sato case.

  Kaoru knelt and reported thatMrs. Sato had claimed to be too ill to appear.

  Akitada shifted irritably andwinced. “Arrest her,” he said. The crowd whispered like wind rustling throughdry grasses. He pulled himself together. “We will start with the fishmonger’scase.”

  When two constables dragged inGoto, a new wave of excitement rippled through the onlookers. Goto was inchains but drew courage from them.

  “This person,” he cried when hefaced Akitada, “wishes to complain about the cruel treatment he’s received. I’man honest citizen and pay my taxes, but I was beaten and chained, and thenthrown in jail like a criminal. Me, a poor shopkeeper who’s never been introuble with the law! Meanwhile my brother’s body lies someplace, cut topieces, without a proper burial, and his killer is smiling while I suffer. Isthat justice?”

  The crowd buzzed their support.One of the constables kicked Goto in the back of the legs, shouting, “Kneel!”

  Goto fell to his knees with aloud wail. The crowd became noisy.

  “Silence!” Akitada shouted,rapping his baton again. He felt unaccountably weak and languid. He looked forKaoru and saw that constables moved among the people to control them. Graduallyit became quiet. Akitada turned his attention back to the fishmonger. “Statethe case against this man, Sergeant.”

  Kaoro announced, “This man iscalled Goto and is a fishmonger in this city. He stands accused of having liedto this tribunal and of having falsely accused one Kimura of murder.”

  “What? I never lied …” Goto’s outraged protest died with a kick from his guard.

  Kaoru continued impassively, “Hei dentified a body found outside the tribunal gate three days ago as that of his brother Ogai, a soldier absent without leave from the local garrison.”

  Akitada asked the prisoner, “Do you persist in your identification?”

  Goto cried, “It’s my brother, Iswear it.”

  “Have the maid brought in!”Akitada commanded.

  The maid of the Golden Carp marched past the crowd with a smile of self-assurance. Akitada saw that she wasa sturdy, plain woman with a knowing look on her face. Near the dais she passedTora and stopped with a gasp. Tora kept his eyes carefully fixed on a corner ofthe hall. The maid looked outraged. Putting her hands on her hips, she cried, “Sothis is where you’ve been hiding out, you lying dog! If I’d known that you werea stinking spy for the tribunal, I’d have made you wish you were bedding arabid monkey instead.”

  There was a moment of stunnedsilence, then a ripple of laughter started and crude jokes flew back and forth.Akitada bit his lip and rapped his baton on the boards while Kaoru started forthe girl.

  Tora was crimson. Satisfied with the scene she had created, the maid spat on his boots and walked to thedais.

  There she knelt, bowed deeply,and said, “This humble person is called Kiyo. She works as a maid at the GoldenCarp. She apologizes for having lost her temper with a lying dog.”

  In view of the provocation,Akitada decided to ignore her outburst. “You were shown the corpse of amutilated man,” he said. “Did you recognize him?”

  “Aiih!” she cried. “It was horrible! It turned my stomach what they did to poor Mr. Kato.”

  “Answer the question.”

  “I recognized him. May theBuddha comfort his soul! It was Mr. Kato, one of our guests. He died last week.Someone must’ve stolen the body. They cut off his feet and hands. And shavedhis head. Who’d do a nasty thing like that to a dead man? I hardly knew himexcept for that ear of his. I nursed the poor man till he died. The doctor andmy mistress saw him, too.”

  “Dr. Oyoshi has already identified the body. Where is your mistress?”

  Kiyo spread her hands. “Whoknows? She says she’s sick but she stays away a lot. I bet she’s meeting someman.” She turned to shoot a venomous glance in Tora’s directio
n and shook herfist at him. “She’s a fool.”

  Akitada snapped, “Stop that!Did this Kato die from his illness?”

  “Yes, sir. The night after thedoctor came. The mistress sent for someone to take his body away.”

  Akitada said, “Let the recordshow that the maid Kiyo has identified the body left at the tribunal gate asthat of one Kato, a guest who died of an illness at the Golden Carp.” Turning to Goto, he asked, “What do you say now?”

  The fishmonger was trembling.He prostrated himself, knocking his head on the floor, and cried, “Forgive thisignorant person, your Honor! My brother had disappeared and I… my eyes areweak. Heaven be praised it is not my brother! But the rest was true. Kimura didfight with Ogai, and now Ogai has disappeared.”

  Akitada said, “Bring in theother prisoner.”

  The constables dragged in a burlyman in chains. He was quite ugly, with the straggly beginnings of a beardsurrounding a slack mouth which lacked most of its front teeth. One of his armswas bandaged to a piece of wood.

  The moment he appeared therewas a cry from the crowd. A thin man in a hemp jacket and short pants pushedhis way to the dais and fell on his knees.

  Akitada rapped for order, andwaited impatiently until the constables had made their prisoner kneel next toGoto, whose mouth fell open in surprised horror. The resemblance between thetwo men was apparent.

  Akitada nodded to the thin manand said, “State your name and purpose here.”

  “This insignificant person iscalled Kimura. I’m a plasterer and a neighbor of that lying piece of dung Goto.Goto told everyone I murdered his brother Ogai, but there is Ogai, safe andsound.” Kimura pointed at the ugly fellow with the bandaged arm. “Goto liedbecause I built a dam across the creek that waters the land he stole from us,so now the land’s no good to him. Please, your Honor, tell him to stop makingtrouble for me.”

  Akitada frowned. “I am gladthat you have finally come forward with your complaint. Let it be a lesson toyou next time to have the court settle your disputes. I have reviewed thedocuments of your case since they had some bearing on Goto’s charges. The courtgave the land to your neighbor on the evidence of a bill of sale and taxreceipts for more than ten years. Why do you claim he took your land?”

  “I have no proof, your Honor,”Kimura said sadly, “except that my father did not like Goto and would neverhave sold him the land.”

  “Was it not customary ten yearsago to have a sale witnessed by two neighbors of the owner?”

  Kimura looked blank, but someone in the crowd shouted, “That’s true. They changed the law later.”

  Akitada turned to Goto. “Whydoes your bill of sale not have the signatures of both witnesses?” he asked.

  Goto paled. “A small oversight,”he pleaded.

  “You lie,” said Akitada,nodding to one of the constables who stepped behind the fishmonger with hiswhip.

  Goto shrank from him in horror.“No! Not another beating! I’ll tell the truth. Old man Kimura agreed to thedeal, but he died before he could put his mark on the papers, so I did it forhim. I didn’t know about other witnesses.” He prostrated himself, crying, “Pleasehave mercy. Please forgive an ignorant person.”

  Akitada snapped, “Why shouldthis court believe you? You lied when you falsely identified the body. Who putyou up to that?”

  Goto wiped sweat and tears fromhis face. “Nobody,” he wailed. “I was trying to save my brother’s life. That’swhy I said the dead man was him. So the soldiers would stop looking for him.”

  The crowd had fallen silent,caught up in the proceedings, but now someone in the back shouted, “Don’tlisten to the dirty bastard, Governor. He’s always been a liar.”

  The constables made a show ofglaring at the offender, and Akitada turned to the fishmonger’s brother. “Stateyour name and profession.”

  “Ogai,” the man mutteredsullenly. “I’m a corporal in the provincial guard.”

  “Not much longer,” shouted ajokester from the crowd.

  Akitada frowned at theaudience. He hoped the sweat beading his face was not visible. “I am told,” hesaid to the prisoner, “that you deserted and were discovered hiding in theoutcast village. What part did you play in your brother’s false accusation ofKimura?”

  “None.” Ogai avoided looking atGoto. “I know nothing about that. It was all Goto’s idea. Just like the landdeal. He made me pick a quarrel with Kimura.”

  “You lying bastard!” Goto grabbed for his brother, but a constable struck his hand with the butt of hiswhip.

  Ogai growled, “I’m not gettinganything out of this. You are! You’re the one stole the land. So don’t pin your troubles on me. I’ve got enough of my own.”

  “You do indeed,” said Akitada. “Iam glad you understand the seriousness of your position. You are not only adeserter, but you have proven your bad character by committing a rape in theoutlaw village that offered you protection and hospitality. I have no qualms about turning you over to your captain for military trial.”

  Ogai wailed.

  Akitada ignored him and turnedto his brother. “You, Goto, shall receive fifty lashes and do six months of conscript labor for the government. The disputed land shall be returned to Kimura, the tax payments you made serving in lieu of rent that you owe him. In addition, your own property shall be confiscated and sold. The proceeds will goto Kimura in compensation for the false murder charge. Constables, remove the prisoners.”

  The crowd broke into noisy cheering. Akitada, aware only of a mind-paralyzing tiredness, raised his eyesand lifted his baton to rap for order before closing the hearing when he sawthat Seimei’s startled attention was on the side door nearest him.

  Akitada turned to look, andthere, in the light of a small oil lamp, stood the slender figure of his wife,Tamako, her face tearful and pale with anxiety.

  FIFTEEN

  THE WRESTLING MATCH

  Tora and Hitomaro were sitting in their quarters, their noses in their morning rice bowls, shoveling the steaming food down with the help of chopsticks, when thefirst eerie sound reached their ears from across the tribunal compound. Bothlowered their bowls simultaneously and looked at each other. And both startedto laugh.

  “That infernal flute!” cried Hitomaro, shaking his head. “It’s worse than ever.”

  Tora set down his bowl and slapped his knees in glee. “It means he’s feeling better. I was worried. There’sthat nasty cut. And then his fretting about the little boy. That has beeneating away at him like a hungry rat at a rice cake.”

  Hitomaro snorted. “Consideringour other troubles, what’s so special about the child?”

  Tora looked at him in feigned surprise. “I don’t mean to offend you, Hito,” he said, “but any moron can seeour master is fond of children. You shouldn’t have told him the boy wasprobably dead. That was not a kind thing to do to him.”

  Hitomaro flushed. “So that’swhy he got so angry.” A particularly discordant note sounded from the mainhall, and he flinched.

  “Well,” said Tora magnanimously, “we all make mistakes. The main thing is that his wife has taken him in hand. I knew he’d be all right when she looked for him at the hearing yesterday. Did you see his face?”

  Hitomaro smiled. “He was embarrassed. Who wants to be checked up on by his wife? Imagine, he never toldher about being wounded. She had to find out from Hamaya. I bet she had a few things to say to him.”

  “Nothing like a good argument with a pretty wife to give a husband ideas about settling the matter withoutwords,” Tora said with a grin.

  In the distance, the flute started over with the same exercise. They sat and listened to its wailing and shrieking for a moment, then shook their heads and burst out laughing.

  “Especially,” chortled Tora, “aman who’s really fond of children.”

  The door opened and Akitada’selderly secretary came in. “And what is so funny?” Seimei asked, seatinghimself.

  “Seimei, my wise old bird,”Tora greeted him. “Glad to see you up and around aga
in. Why didn’t you manageto lose that infernal flute?”

  Seimei gave Tora a cold look.

  “Welcome,” said Hitomaro with abow. “We are honored by your visit.”

  Seimei smiled graciously and bowed back. “Thank you, Hitomaro. It’s a pleasure to see you well.”

  “So how’s the master today?”Tora asked, undaunted. “Did his lady’s special touch put things right with him?”He winked broadly at Hitomaro.

  Seimei shuddered. “There is nomedicine against your foolishness, Tora. As Master Kung Fu said, ‘Rotten woodcannot be carved, nor a wall of dried dung troweled.’”

  Hitomaro grinned. “What did hislady say about the master’s injury?”

  “When she found out, she couldn’twait for the end of the hearing. She came to see him for herself.” Seimei shookhis head. “So impulsive!”

  “I like spirit in a woman,”observed Tora. “What a day! First the master solves the case of that mutilatedbody and locates a missing deserter when a whole garrison of soldiers could notfind the bastard, and then the master’s wife makes him send everyone home soshe can take care of him. He went like a kitten, too. And now listen to him.”He laughed again.

  Across the yard the flute performed a series of elaborate but jarring trills before rising to a climactic shriek and falling silent. They held their breaths, but all remained quiet.Seimei said in a tone of reproof, “You should have looked after your masterbetter, Tora. It’s lucky only the master and I knew she was there.”

  Tora flushed and hung his head.

  Seimei was pleased with this reaction and added for good measure, “He was extremely feverish. It was all he could do to walk to his room.”

  “Oh, come on,” said Hitomarowith a glance at Tora. “You know how he is when he thinks it’s his duty.”

  Seimei sniffed. “Her ladyshipmade him comfortable and sent for Dr. Oyoshi. The doctor’s face still looks very bad, but I must say I was glad to make his acquaintance. A very knowledgeable man. His medicine eased my cough right away. We consulted together and made up a special tea from some of my herbs for the master-it was ginseng and mint, with a touch of gardenia and a pinch each of willow bark andcinnamon, so soothing to a weakened constitution-and added an interestingpowder the doctor brought with him. The medicine soon produced a sound sleep,and the master awoke this morning feeling much better. This is what I came totell you. Also that he wants both of you in his office now.”