The Shrine Virgin

by I. J. Parker

  He reappeared almost instantly, being seen out by a man who was most likely the innkeeper. Hozo shook a fist at him and then made himself comfortable, leaning against the inn's wall. Saburo shrank into the shadows between two buildings and waited.

  It was not long before a fat man appeared, looked around, and then went to join Hozo. They spoke briefly, and the fat man passed something to Hozo, then went back inside. Hozo tucked the small bundle inside his brown robe and started walking again.

  Saburo was torn for a moment. Should he find out who the fat man was or follow Hozo? He decided on the latter. The meeting at the inn had raised a number of interesting possibilities in his mind. Could the fat man be Tora's merchant? Could the tough-looking boatmen Hozo had shared a meal with be the boatmen from the merchant's boat? Surely the fat man had passed Hozo money. The parcel had looked a little like a money purse. Or of course it could all be nothing, but given what Saburo knew of Hozo, his former compatriot definitely had been up to no good.

  Hozo strode along purposefully and they soon left the lights of the town's center behind. If Saburo was not much mistaken, Hozo was headed for the coast road that followed the bay southward. He was beginning to wonder what he was getting into when they left the houses behind and came into the open. There was no traffic on the road at this time, just the two of them walking. Hozo was bound to realize he was being followed. Saburo slowed to put more distance between them, but eventually even that was inadequate. He stopped, ready to turn around and go home.

  Then he saw it in the distance: a small point of light, very faint and blinking on and off, as if hidden behind trees that moved in the sea breeze. He strained his eyes but saw nothing. Even Hozo had disappeared from sight.

  Saburo sat down beside the road to rest and wait. The walk had been brisk and he was tired. He was irritated, because Hozo had appeared to be in better shape. Saburo's life had changed drastically since he had entered his master's service. He now spent almost all of his time bent over paperwork. He grimaced. It was time to get some exercise. Perhaps Tora could be prevailed upon to teach him some of his skills with the fighting stick. There had been a time in Saburo's youth when he had been passably good with the naginata, a weapon that was essentially a fighting stick with a sword at its end. It had been a long time ago. And he had never had the strength of the other sohei.

  With a sigh, he got back on his feet and walked toward the blinking light. In time he could make out a black mass of trees. The light was in the center of these. That signaled some human habitation, and soon Saburo saw what looked like a sizable walled and gated compound. He studied this cautiously from a distance, never getting close enough to alert some dog. In the process, he now realized that it was a large estate with several smaller peasant dwellings scattered in the vicinity.

  Saburo had not been in Mikawa long enough to have familiarized himself with its geography or inhabitants, but he marked the place in his mind in order to find out what it was and who it belonged to.

  Of course, Hozo could have kept walking on the coast road, but he did not think so. He thought he had come here, or possibly to one of the smaller buildings.

  In any case, his pursuit had not been a total loss. He now had something to tell Tora, and the tale would reestablish them in their old, comfortable friendship.

  12 junichiro's Talent

  Akitada was still angry and humiliated the next morning when he rose before dawn. He had made the return journey safely but painfully. It had turned out to be a long walk after all. Most of the night, he had tossed and turned, berating himself for his mistake in paying this embarrassing visit.

  It did not help his mood that he was no closer to finding out anything about the princess. In the end, he decided to return to the Bamboo Palace and insist that Lady Tamba produce her. And while he was at it, he intended to ask why Lord Minamoto had called at the palace the day before.

  Perhaps out of pique over his reception by Minamoto, he begun to toy with a notion that the young nobleman was somehow involved in the situation. Giv en the lax discipline at the palace, and the fact that Minamoto was just the sort of young man to break a young woman's heart, he thought the theory was not unreasonable. Proving it and producing the young woman was another matter though.

  As he was leaving, the reception area was empty, but someone had opened the door and swept the path. The sound of' his steps brought Mrs. Inabe bustling from her backroom.

  "Good morning, sir. You're early. Can I fix you a bowl of rice gruel before you leave?"

  "No, thank you, Mrs. Inabe. I couldn't sleep and decided to take a walk. Do you happen to know where Junichiro lives?"

  "He has a little shed on the river, about hall a mile from Uji Bridge, sir. But it's not much, and I'm sure he'll turn up here soon."

  Akitada thanked her and set out. It was getting light and the first birds were already awake. The morning was pleasantly cool and the exercise drove the fog of dejection from his mind. By the time he saw a derelict-looking wooden structure leaning over the river bank, he was in a better mood. The small building tilted out over the water, and for a moment Akitada thought it was slipping. He sped up and reached the door, or rather a torn curtain covering the entrance.

  "Junichiro?" he called out, feeling a little guilty for waking the dwarf before the sun was up. He need not have worried; the curtain was pulled aside and Junichiro's round head with its spiky red hair appeared. "Is that you, master?" he asked, blinking. "What's up?" He stepped out and peered at Akitada in surprise.

  "Sorry to come so early. I couldn't sleep and wondered if you might like to share my morning rice."

  The little man's lace lit up. "You came to buy me my morning rice?'" he asked, his eyes moistening. "That's very kind, very kind indeed."

  Akitada guessed he had never been treated to a meal in this fashion, and chuckled. "I hate eating alone and I want to talk. Did I wake you?"

  "No, master. I was looking over my drawings before taking; them to town to sell to visitors."

  "Drawings'" Akitacla asked.

  "Come, I'll show you." The dwarf hesitated for a moment, looking from Akitada to the low lintel over his doorway. "Best go around," he said, and hopped down to take a narrow path to the river.

  Akitada followed, intrigued by the dwarf's dwelling and his "drawings", whatever they were. They reached the back of the little shed, and he saw a veranda overhanging the river. Against its simple railings leaned a number of fishing poles. And at the end of the path, a small boat bobbed in the current.

  Junichiro saw him looking and said with a laugh, "I catch a lot of fish."

  He took some steps, up to the veranda. Akitada eyed them dubiously. Since he had not brought a change of clothes, he could no afford a tumble into the Isuzu River.

  "It's strong enough," said Junichiro, again guessing his thoughts. "A carpenter helped me, and he was a fat man. If it supported him, you shouldn't have a worry."

  Akitada climbed up, and there on the boards lay a small pile of paper, weighted down with a rock. Junichiro took off the rock and spread out the sheets. Each of them was a drawing, and they were all different. Some were pictures of deer grazing, some of fish jumping in water, some of ducks flying up from the river. Akitada saw a fox, two doves on a flowering branch, and several drawings of spotted puppies. Junichiro had drawn the outlines with black ink, and then he had used colors to fill in the pictures, preferably bright ones. Each sheet also had a picture of torii, the red-painted gateways to the shrines of the kami.

  Junichiro pointed to one of the torii "That's to show it's from Ise shrine," he said. "The customer gets a pretty picture and a reminder of where he's been, you see."

  "Yes. I see. Very clever. These are very good, Junichiro. Do you sell a lot?"

  "A few. They're only a couple of coppers. Do you really like them?"

  "Yes. Very much. I think they are worth more." Junichiro chewed his lip. "Maybe, but then I won't sell as many. Take onel Anyone you like. There's no charge."
/>   "Thank you, but I shall insist on paying." Akitada spread out the drawings to make his selection. He had rather liked the deer, but there had been a frog with an amusing expression that had reminded him of someone. He searched through the drawings, found the frog and recognized the merchant at his inn. Strange how that man kept popping up. He said with a smile, "He looks like a guest at my inn."

  Junichiro chortled. "Murata. I thought of him when I was drawing the frog. He's not a nice man."

  Akitada had already deduced that Murata had resisted the dwarf s solicitations. Perhaps he had also called him names. "I didn't much like him either. What is he doing staying in The River Palace if he's so wealthy?"

  The dwarf put a finger to his nose. "Maybe he has friends that don't like to be seen going into those other places."

  "Ahl" This fit nicely with Akitada's own observation of Murata talking to the two hoodlums at the harbor. "You mean criminals?"

  "Let's just say I wouldn't want to meet them on a dark night in the woods."

  Akitada had unearthed a new drawing from the bottom of the pile. Unlike the other images, this one was of a young woman. "Who is this?"

  The dwarf snatched the picture from his hand. "Nobody. I was just doodling."

  "No," said Akitada. You took pains with this one. Is it the murdered girl? It looks a bit like her. Only in the drawing her hair is loose and her face is painted. Did you know her well, Junichiro?"

  But the dwarf would not meet his eyes. He sat looking down at the picture, his round, ugly face a mask of sorrow.

  Akitada waited a moment, then said, "You said she was nice. Junichiro, if you know something, and I think you do, you need to tell the police. If you know who killed her, you may be in danger."

  Junichiro looked up then. His eyes were full of tears. "Thank you, master, for caring about me. She cared about me, too. That's why I said she was nice. But I know nothing. Only, I hope whoever did this to her burns in hell forever."

  "Why is she dressed like this in your picture?"

  "I don't know. I went by her place, and she was putting on these fine clothes, and her face was made up like the faces of the girls working in the brothels. I was afraid she'd started working there and begged her not to do it, but she said she wasn't." He shook his head. "Only she must have been, because now she's dead."

  Akitada found the grazing deer and added them to the frog. He offered to buy the girl's picture, too, but the dwarf would not part with it. He did accept a small piece of silver for the two drawings with many thanks, and then they walked back to town for some rice gruel with pickled plums.

  ==

  A few hours later, Akitada arrived back at the Bamboo Palace. He had rented a horse again because his legs still hurt from the night before. On this occasion, it struck him that Lord Minamoto's hunting lodge was much closer to the palace than to town. He wondered why the young man had not walked.

  Of course, the bigger question was what business he had had there in the first place.

  Akitada was admitted as before. The young guards in their resplendent uniforms cared little about his purpose there. In the guardhouse a game of dice was in progress, and while the gate guards had not joined it, they hovered near the door to watch.

  But next, matters became more difficult. A servant appeared and informed him that Lady Tamba was indisposed and could see no one. Akitada nodded, then stepped around the servant and entered the main hall. The servant ran after him, plucking at his sleeve. They were out of sight of the guards by now and Akitada stopped.

  "Look," he said, "I know you are simply doing your job, but you will not stop me. And you must not pull my sleeve. Understood?"

  The servant shrank back, and Akitada found his way to the pavilion where he had last spoken to Lady Tamba. There he paused at the door. The servant, looking anxious, was at his heels. "Announce me. You may claim that I forced my way in."

  The servant scratched at the door. Lady Tamba's voice, sounding quite strong, asked him to enter. He did and stood aside for Akitada to follow. "The gentleman forced his way in, madam," he said.

  Lady Tamba was not ill. She was partaking of what looked like an ample meal of rice gruel and fruit. With her were her aged mother and a maid.

  Lady Tamba dropped her bowl of gruel. The glutinous white paste spilled across her tray table and the skirt of her gown. The maid cried out and scurried over to clean up the mess.

  "You!" snapped Lady Tamba, pushing the maid aside. "How dare you! I shall complain to His Majesty.

  Get out! You're not welcome here! And you!" She turned her eyes on the shrinking servant. "You will go tell them at the gate that this person shall never be admitted again!" She paused. "And then you're dismissed!"

  The servant muttered something rude and disappeared.

  Akitada suppressed his laughter at the scene. He was here on serious business in spite of this woman's ridiculous behavior.

  He approached with a bow just as the old gentlewoman said, "Stupid girl! You're making things worse!" For a moment, he thought she had addressed the maid, who had difficulties removing the sticky paste from her mistress's gown, but he saw she was looking at her daughter. He said, "Indeed, Lady Tamba, you are making things a good deal worse for yourself. I am here on His Majesty's orders. That means you will cooperate; or find yourself and your family in serious trouble."

  "You hear that?" demanded her mother. "There goes your husband's promotion."

  Lady Tamba blinked. She glanced at her mother, then at Akitada. "Very well," she said irritably. "I didn't mean to be rude. It was the shock. You see the commotion you've caused by your sudden arrival." She gestured to her gown and the kneeling maid. I must change. Then I'll speak to you."

  Akitada bowed. "I shall wait outside," he said politely, wondering if she intended to flee the palace altogether to avoid the interview. He decided against it. Her mother was a sensible woman and would not permit it.

  Outside her pavilion he leaned on the railing and looked out over the garden. It resembled many gardens of great houses he had visited. An artificial strean meandered among mossy banks, while shrubs and trees forned small groves, and paths appeared and disappeared among them. Summer was nearly over and there were few flowers left, but the scent of pines and cryptomerias perfumed the air. As he enjoyed the view and the fresh air that would become too warm for comfort later in the day, a young woman appeared on the path that skirted the pavilion. She saw him and stopped in consternation. She was a pretty creature and, by her attire, a young noblewoman rather than a maid. They regarded each other, and she raised a dainty hand to her mouth and giggled. He smiled back. She made a charming picture in her pink and pale green silks and reminded him of Yukiko, filling hint with sudden longing for his wife.

  He said, "Good morning, my lady. You are a delightful apparition in your Beautiful garden."

  Her eyes twinkling, she made him a very small how. "Forgive the intrusion, please. It's very embarrassing, but I didn't know that Lady Tamba had ... an admirer."

  Well, perhaps it was a strange situation to find a man outside Lady Tainba's pavilion so early in the morning. It could make people assume that he was the lady's lover, departing after a night in her arms. The notion made him laugh.

  She giggled again and came a little closer. "I'm Ayako," she said, "and you?"

  "Lady Ayako, it isn't seemly for you to demand the name of a man who is a total stranger. In fact, you shouldn't be here at all talking to me. What would Her Highness say?"

  She had stopped below him and was looking up. "She would order you to give your name." She cocked her head. "What business do you have with Lady Tamba?"

  Though she was pretty, Akitada began to find her behavior extremely forward. It was probably another example of the reprehensible laxness that characterized the princess's household.

  "I thought you already knew my business," he said lightly.

  "Nonsense. You're far too young and good-looking to have fallen for the old bat."

  "Flat
tery, Lady Ayako? Surely that's beneath you." "I think you came to see the princess. Am I right?" Before he could answer, the door of the pavilion opened and the maid appeared, her arms full of stained silk and empty gruel bowls. Lady Ayako ducked into the shrubbery, and the maid said, "Lady Tachibana said you may go in now, sir."

  So Lady Tamba's mother was a Tachibana-like His Majesty's secretary. It explained a good deal.

  13 Lady Tamba's Confession

  He saw immediately that the situation had changed. Lady Tamba's face was streaked with tears. Her fan, held in shaking fingers, could not hide the ravages they had left behind. Her mother sat beside her, looking grim-faced. No one else was present.

  Akitada approached warily and cleared his throat. The only result of this was more tearful agitation from Lady Tamba and a sound like "pshaw," from the mother.

  "Have you changed your mind, Lady Tamba?" Akitada asked.

  This produced a shaking of the head. Lady Tamba's mother pursed her lips and poked her daughter in the side. "Tell him," she commanded.

  "I can't, Mother," wailed lady Tamba.

  "You must. You've been very foolish, but it's all over now. Tell him."

  "I ... I ... was not quite truthful," murmured the daughter, hiding behind her fan.

  "In what way, madam?" Akitada asked coldly. "About Princess Takahime. She's not ill."

  "I see. Then I must speak to her."

  "You can't" She wailed, "Oh, Amida, how could this happen?"

  Afraid of what he was about to hear, Akitada asked, "What happened?"

  The old lady made another sound of disgust "She means the princess isn't here. She's gone."

  Finally here was the truth, but it offered only confirmation of disaster. "Where has she gone and why?" Akitada demanded.

  "The silly girl thinks she's fallen in love," snapped the old one.