Rashomon Gate – A Mystery of Ancient Japan

by Ingrid J Parker

  "Thank you for the encouraging words," said Akitada stiffly, "but I suspect you blame it on Ishikawa because of his physical strength and the fact that he seems to have run off."

  Nishioka chuckled. "That too. But there is a more important reason. Remember that the killer not only tied his victim to Master Kung, but took off his undergarments. Why?"

  "A gesture of defiance?"

  "More than that. An arrogant thumbing of the nose at the entire university and what it stands for. Ono is quite incapable of such a thing, not when this institution is his whole life and he hoped to be promoted to senior professor. Ishikawa, on the other hand, was always making cynical comments. It is exactly like him to flaunt his disdain for the establishment and for Oe as its representative in that fashion."

  Akitada said stubbornly, "You may be right about that, but it hardly proves he killed him."

  "Oh, well," said Nishioka, "it is enough to send the police after him. As for me, I've had my eye on someone else… which should prove amusing while we await Ishikawa's arrest." His eye fell on their bowls, his own empty and Akitada's abandoned long ago, and he recalled belatedly his duties as host. "You did not enjoy your food," he said. "Never mind. I have saved the best for last."

  He jumped up and ran inside to rummage among his books. "Ah. Here they are!" he cried, coming back with a small wooden box which he carried tenderly in both hands. He lifted the lid and held it out to Akitada with a proud smile. The box was completely empty. They realized the fact simultaneously. Nishioka gaped at the box. "What…? I cannot imagine…" He shook the box and held it upside down in the irrational hope that the contents would materialize after all. "They are gone!" he said in a stunned tone. "I could have sworn the box was half full last night. Well, it can't be helped. I was going to offer you some of my special walnuts to round out the meal. I know an old woman who makes them to perfection. It's a special recipe; she roasts them after they've been boiled in saltwater. They are my one weakness." He closed the box and tossed it carelessly back into his room. "I'll have to get a new supply and then you shall taste them."

  Akitada expressed polite gratification.

  Nishioka nodded. "Anyway, I intend to lay my deductions before Kobe this afternoon. It will take his mind off that silly gossip about the bets. Would you like to come along?"

  Akitada shook his head and rose. "I have another class and a meeting," he said vaguely. Thanking Nishioka for his lunch, he walked back lost in thought.

  Nishioka's summation of the case had not been without interest after all. Though Akitada had not agreed with Nishioka's interpretation, his own suspicion did not fit the facts too well either. However he certainly believed with Nishioka that Ishikawa was involved and had to be found.

  When Akitada entered his classroom, he found a neatly tied package on his desk. It was addressed to him in Seimei's hand, and Akitada undid it eagerly. Inside was the list of merchants who had supplied goods for the poetry contest and a thick stack of papers concerned with the extensive Minamoto properties. A brief note by Seimei prefaced the latter. Young Sadamu was the principal heir. Seimei had not found any evidence of malfeasance, but many of the recent financial transactions bore the mark and seal of Sakanoue. Akitada put the Minamoto papers aside for later study and picked up the list of merchants.

  Running his finger down the list, he found the name he had expected to see.

  Seventeen. The Brocade Sash

  During the afternoon lessons, Akitada's mind kept drifting off to the three cases. Having seen Seimei's list, he was now anxious to get Tora's report to confirm the identity of Omaki's killer. Moreover, Nishioka's passionate pursuit of clues in Oe's murder caused in him a vague uneasiness which he could not explain, though he went over their conversation again and again. And every time he glanced at the bowed heads of his students, laboring mightily over a short essay, his eyes went to the little lord and he thought of the Yoakira puzzle. Why had Sakanoue ridden a strange horse?

  When the big bell sounded the end of classes, the boys greeted its deep voice as eagerly as he. He watched them as they scrambled up, sketched their bows and rushed from the room.

  Akitada straightened their desks and then his own papers. He was about to start home when Tora walked in.

  "I was beginning to get worried," Akitada said, looking him over anxiously. "Are you feeling all right? And did you get the names of the merchants?"

  Tora flopped down. "Yes, on both accounts," he said. "I gave your message to one of the constables at the gate and took off, figuring that they'd keep me there if I told the captain what happened in Rashomon. I don't trust those bastards. They would've wanted to know all about Hitomaro, the Monk and the other two. And you know I gave my word not to turn them in."

  "Yes." Akitada frowned. "Are you afraid those hoodlums will come after you?"

  "Them?" Tora looked shocked. "Never! They're all right. No, it's your law-abiding keepers of peace and order that scare the wits out of me. When they don't get the answers they want, they take it out of your hide."

  Remembering the whippings the beggar Umakai had suffered, Akitada shuddered. "Surely not in your case," he said. "I would not permit it."

  Tora guffawed. "And what could you do after they got through with me? Kobe 'd tell you he was sorry his men made a mistake and got carried away a bit. Then he'd let you take me home for Seimei to put his salves on my raw backside. No thanks, I'm keeping my distance."

  A brief silence fell. Akitada knew too well that the law practically obligated the police to use force during interrogations. Kobe was less cruel than most of his calling, but he prided himself on his effectiveness. He had ordered the bamboo to be used in questioning the senile beggar, and he would hardly hesitate to do the same with a young healthy fellow like Tora.

  Tora took up his story again. "Anyway, after calling on the police, I went to the wine shop Hitomaro mentioned. Hitomaro and the Monk were sitting around looking hungry. I ordered some food and wine, and we had a nice little chat. I really like those guys. Especially Hitomaro. I figure he must be an ex-soldier like me. Or maybe even an officer, seeing he's got some class and book learning." Tora frowned. "Wonder what would make an officer quit the army. I asked him about that, but he got sort of cold and distant. Told me it was none of my business what they did."

  Akitada said, "That was hardly polite when you were paying for their food and drink. I thought you'd have better sense. Clearly they are criminals hiding some unsavory activities. I wish you would stay away from them in the future."

  Tora shook his head stubbornly. "No, sir, you're wrong about that. They're my kind of people. Hitomaro is a very superior sort of person and Monk, well, he's really kindhearted. I grant you, what Hitomaro said made me wonder if Monk was really a monk, but I'd rather he weren't. You should see him, sir! He's got some huge muscles in his shoulders and arms. The old woman who runs the place needed to shift a stack of rice sacks. The Monk picked them up four at a time and carried them under each arm like they were puppies. She says he's always real helpful like that."

  "Well, I suspect they are fugitives. But enough of that. What about the merchants near the canal?"

  Tora took a crumpled piece of paper from his sleeve, flattened it out and laid it on Akitada's desk. "I went to the warden for this. He's the same guy that pulled poor old Umakai from the canal and certified it as an accidental drowning. At first the lazy bastard refused to help me, but I told him it was official business and we were checking into his handling of the drowning victim. He folded like a wet paper fan. Couldn't write the information down fast enough."

  "You did not tell him you were with the police, did you?"

  "Of course not. Ministry of Justice."

  Akitada choked down a laugh and reached for the paper. The warden had drawn a rough diagram of the streets, the canal, and the rectangular business properties backing up to the canal. Each rectangle was marked with its owner's name. Fortunately the warden's writing was better than Tora's. Akitada's finger we
nt to one of the larger rectangles. "Look!"

  Tora peered and blinked; his reading skills were still very elementary. "I can't quite make it out."

  "Kurata."

  "Kurata? Holy Kwannon! Can it be? Oh!" Tora straightened up and hit his head with a fist. "I'm so stupid!" he cried. "I was in his shop myself! And I never recognized the place from the canal side. You mean it was him?"

  Akitada nodded.

  "He's the one that choked Omaki to death with her own sash?"

  Akitada nodded again.

  "The bastard! I suppose he took the sash away so nobody would trace it to his shop?"

  "I believe so."

  "But he gave it to Umakai. Why'd he do that? He's not the type who'd spare a thin copper for a starving man."

  "He had to get rid of it quickly and made the fatal mistake of thinking that giving it to a beggar was the most efficient way of doing that."

  Tora's face broke into a broad grin. "Blessed be the name of the Buddha! It served the devil right!" Then his eyes widened. "And what's more," he cried, "it was me that told you about him in the first place."

  Akitada laughed. "It was indeed, Tora. I would have got nowhere without you. Come, mark the spot where the warden pulled the body from the canal, and then we'll take your information to Kobe."

  Tora reached for his master's brush, licked it, and then touched it to a bit of drying ink. He carefully put an X in the canal behind Kurata's shop, and they smiled at each other with satisfaction.

  The captain was pacing up and down in his office when Akitada and Tora were shown in. His eyes passed over Akitada and went to Tora. "Are you the one who left the message about the beggar's body? Where the devil have you been?" he snarled.

  Tora looked to Akitada who raised his brows and said, "He has been running an errand for me."

  Kobe glared. "And I suppose you've come to gloat."

  "Not at all. But I did wonder if you had any news."

  "We dug him up. The coroner says it was murder. Someone strangled him, just like the girl. He was already dead when he was dumped into the canal. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

  "It is what I expected to hear," Akitada corrected him. "I am sorry it happened, but at least it helped Tora solve both murders."

  Kobe stared at Tora and then back at Akitada. "You're joking. He solved the murders?"

  "Why not?" They locked eyes. Kobe looked down first, and Akitada continued, "Since I was busy at the university, Tora has been working on the investigation. He has talked with Omaki's parents and her fellow entertainers in the Willow Quarter. Yesterday he went into the city to look for Umakai. He found him too late, but the old man did not die in vain. His murder finally proved who killed Omaki."

  Kobe 's fists clenched. "I'd like to know why your servant did not come here to report? If he found out anything about the girl's associates, he should have told us. Today we spent hours looking for him to ask him how he found the body."

  Akitada said firmly, "As I said, I sent him for more information and he has just returned. We came as soon as we had anything useful to report. Now will you pay attention or are we going to waste more time?"

  Kobe glared and growled, "What new information?"

  Akitada spread out the warden's map on the desk and pointed to Tora's mark. "I believe this is where the beggar's body was recovered by the warden of the quarter?"

  Kobe leaned over to look and nodded. "Yes. Just about there. Why?"

  "Note the name of the adjoining property owner." Akitada placed Seimei's list of merchants next to the map. "And then take a look at this! These are the merchants who delivered goods for the poetry contest to the park the afternoon the girl Omaki died. The same name appears again."

  Kobe picked up the list and scanned it. "Kurata." He glanced at the map. "You think one of his employees did it?"

  "No. We think that Kurata killed the girl because she was expecting his child and demanded marriage, and that he killed the beggar Umakai because he could identify Kurata as the man who gave him Omaki's brocade sash."

  Kobe laughed out loud. "Impossible! Kurata owns the best silk shop in the capital. Big merchants like him send their shop assistants and porters with the stuff. He'd hardly have carried it himself."

  "I believe he went himself and even carried some of the silk cushions. It was an important order. Besides he had made a deadly appointment with the girl, and the porter's role was a good disguise."

  "You are guessing."

  "No. It is the only solution that fits all the facts. Omaki knew all about the park closing, but entered anyway. The guard saw her arriving, but forgot all about her because later he was kept busy admitting deliveries. You asked him about other visitors, and he only mentioned Tora and me. It never occurred to the man to include the deliveries. As far as he was concerned, they had legitimate business there. It follows that Omaki must have made an appointment with someone who was making a delivery."

  Kobe thought about it and nodded. "I suppose that's possible."

  Akitada continued, "When Tora visited the dead girl's family, he ascertained that she not only owned the costly brocade sash with which the murderer strangled her- a nasty touch, that- but also other gifts from his shop."

  Kobe glanced at Tora. "But a man like that? A respected citizen? How would he meet someone like her?"

  "Oh, he's a regular at the Willow," volunteered Tora. "The auntie there knows all about him. The Willow is the restaurant where Omaki played the lute."

  Kobe stared at Tora, then turned back to Akitada. "So what if he did get her pregnant? Why didn't he buy her off? He's said to be wealthy."

  Tora said, "Because his old lady frowns on his skirt chasing. And it's really her business."

  "What?" Kobe started pacing again. "I suppose it could have happened that way," he muttered after a few moments. He went back to study the map and nodded. "So Umakai did see the killer after all," he said. "Why didn't the old fool tell us? He'd be alive today."

  Akitada said, "He did."

  Kobe straightened up and looked at Akitada. "He did not. All he gabbled about was Jizo. You heard him yourself."

  "Precisely. The statues of the god Jizo traditionally wear red caps, because mothers make them as gifts when they are asking the god to protect their sons. Bearers also cover their heads with a piece of cloth when they carry heavy loads on their shoulders and heads. I think you will find that Kurata's people have red caps."

  Kobe looked furious. "Have you known this all along?"

  "No. But I believed that Umakai had seen something. I tried to find a connection between the Jizo story and the murderer. The deliveries to the park reminded me of the fact that bearers commonly wear some sort of cap. After that it was easy to guess what must have happened."

  Kobe bit his lip. He grunted. "So you think the old man really recognized Kurata? Do you think he went to blackmail him?"

  "No, I think Umakai must have glanced into Kurata's shop and recognized a manifestation of Jizo. I doubt he realized what he was up against. He probably told Kurata how he lost his gift. Perhaps he asked for another brocade sash. Of course Kurata could not let him live after that."

  Kobe stared at Akitada for a long time. Then he cursed and sat down abruptly, putting his head in his hands and muttering, to Akitada's surprise, "So that heartless bastard killed an old man who thought he was Jizo! Damn it! It fits, and I should have seen it!" He jumped up again and pointed an accusing finger at Akitada. "But you and your servant should have reported sooner what you knew! If you had not been trying to be clever, we could have questioned Kurata days ago."

  Akitada, stung by the accusation, said angrily, "Frankly, after you had failed to beat the truth out of Umakai, I had little faith in your methods."

  Kobe flushed. "My methods are the only ones that get confessions," he shouted, "and without a confession the guilty go free. You had better leave the real work to the police in the future!"

  Akitada retaliated with, "I cannot imagine that you are gettin
g much help from honest citizens with that attitude."

  Kobe glowered. "We manage," he snapped. "As for Kurata, we could check the man's whereabouts on the two days, and maybe we'd get results. But my way is to confront him now. A coward like that will confess soon enough, and if your servant is right about the wife, she'll be eager to help convict him when she hears the story."

  "Good," said Akitada through clenched teeth. "Then we will leave the matter in your capable hands and be on our way."

  But Kobe was not listening. The suggestion of a smile twitched at the corners of his lips. "We got the bastard," he said. "It's poetic justice really. We could never have convinced a judge using Umakai's testimony about the god Jizo giving him a brocade sash."

  "Perhaps not," Akitada said over his shoulder as he was heading for the door. "But it is too bad he had to pay with his life to lead us to the killer."

  "Not even you could have solved the case otherwise," Kobe said with a snort. His anger was gone, and he looked excited. "Where are you going? Let's go arrest the bastard!"

  Akitada stopped. "You want us to go with you? Is that really necessary?"

  Kobe had already taken his bow and quiver from the hook on the wall and flung them over his shoulder. "Probably not," he said with a grin, "but I want you to see how I work." Before Akitada could protest, he had flung open the door and was shouting out the names of five police constables who came up at a run, red-faced and adjusting their robes and paraphernalia.

  "Fall in behind!" Kobe ordered, running a sharp eye over them. "We're on our way to Kurata's silk shop for an arrest." Turning to Akitada and Tora, he waved a peremptory hand for them to join him and then strode out.

  Akitada sighed and said to Tora, "I suppose we had better go."

  In spite of the evening heat which produced a general lassitude among the people in the streets, Kobe walked at such a pace that Akitada and Tora stayed a few strides behind. Their group attracted curious stares. Since Akitada and Tora were trying to keep up with Kobe and were themselves followed by five trotting constables, they looked like a pair of criminals being conducted to their well-deserved punishment. Akitada's upper class clothing caused particular interest, and by the time they reached Kurata's establishment, they had a following of about fifty people of all ages and types.