The Cloud Pavilion si-14

by Laura Joh Rowland

  The three men nodded. The proprietor, whose name was Kanroku, said, "We heard about it. Such a terrible shame."

  "I wouldn't wish that on anyone, not even Jirocho," said another man, called Geki. He was in his fifties, with a sardonically humorous face accented by bushy eyebrows.

  "Did you see anything suspicious the day Fumiko was kidnapped?" Hirata said.

  "Not a thing. We didn't even know she was gone until Jirocho sent his men looking for her," Geki answered.

  The third man, named Hachibei, who was old, white-haired, and spry, said, "Neither did anyone else we know. Everybody said it was as if she'd vanished into thin air."

  Just as Chiyo had, Hirata recalled. "What about when she turned up?" he asked.

  "That I did see," Geki said, "being that I'm the one who found her."

  "Tell me what happened," Hirata said.

  "It was an hour or so before dawn. I woke up because I needed to make water. When I was finished, I heard whimpering out there." Geki pointed toward the embankment. "I went to have a look." His humorous face turned somber. "She was lying on the ground. Her clothes were torn and she was bleeding between her legs. I recognized her right away. She used to hang around here a lot."

  "She was always either by herself or with some young toughs from her father's gang," Kanroku the proprietor said. "I thought it was wrong for Jirocho to let her run wild like that."

  "Me, too," old Hachibei said, "but who are we to tell a gang boss what to do?"

  "I always said Fumiko would get in trouble someday, and I was right," the proprietor said wisely.

  "People are saying that she wasn't kidnapped, that she went with a man, and then he got tired of her and dumped her," Geki said. "If it's true, then Jirocho was right to throw her out. I'd have done the same."

  People were eager to blame the victim for the crime, Hirata thought. He asked, "When you found her, did you see anyone else around?"

  "Not until I called for help and people woke up and came outside. Then I sent a servant to tell Jirocho. He came and took her home."

  And then, upon learning she was damaged goods, he'd punished her.

  "Did you hear anything?" Hirata asked.

  Geki shook his head, then stopped as a look of sudden, surprised recollection came over his face. "Wait. I did."

  Hirata felt a stir of excitement. "What?"

  "Wagon wheels clattering," Geki said. "An oxcart."

  Maybe it was the same one that had been sighted in the alley where Sano's cousin had been dumped. "But you didn't see it or the driver?"

  "Not then," Geki said, "but maybe the day before. It could have been the fellow who brought that lumber outside."

  "Who was that?"

  "I don't know his name."

  "Can you describe him?" Hirata said hopefully.

  "He was about twenty-five," Geki said. "He had two missing teeth." He pointed at the two teeth to the right of his own big, yellowish front ones.

  "Yes, that's right," the proprietor said. "I saw him, too. If he's the man that hurt Fumiko, I hope you catch him, the bastard."

  After Major Kumazawa left, Sano felt simultaneously fatigued and riled up, as if he'd been in a fight that had no winner. And so he had. He rolled his shoulders, easing tense muscles. He'd put off his usual business of governing Japan, and he still had a long day of work ahead of him. He received the rest of his callers. By the time everyone was gone, it was late in the evening. Seated at his desk, Sano reviewed the most urgent reports and correspondence until his secretary came to the door and said, "Toda Ikkyu is here."

  "Bring him in."

  Toda entered, knelt, and bowed. He resembled a shadow in his gray clothes, in the dim light, his nondescript face bland.

  "What have you to report, Toda-san?" Sano asked.

  "I spent the day following our friend Yanagisawa."

  "How did you manage that?" Sano's own men had been unable to follow Yanagisawa very long before he shook them off his trail.

  "It's easy when you know the art of stealth," Toda said. Most samurai looked upon stealth as a dark art, unworthy of the Way of the Warrior. But that never bothered Toda, or Yanagisawa. "If he goes inside a building, don't wait for him at the front door; he'll come out the back. Don't expect him to look the same as he did when he went in-he'll have put on a disguise. And you should change your own appearance occasionally, or he'll spot you. You don't need a fancy disguise; a different hat will do."

  "Thank you for the tips," Sano said. "I'll pass them on to my men. Where did Yanagisawa go?"

  "To a teahouse in Hatchobori district, for what appeared to be a secret meeting."

  Intrigued, Sano said, "With whom?"

  "Two old ladies."

  Sano had expected to hear that Yanagisawa had met with some daimyo, presumably to enlist their support in another bid for power. "Who were they?"

  "I don't know," Toda said. "They were already secluded inside the teahouse when Yanagisawa and I arrived. And I didn't get a good look at them when they left. He called them 'Lady Setsu' and 'Lady Chocho.' But those are false names. He said as much. I did overhear some of their conversation."

  "And just how did you manage that?"

  Amusement crinkled Toda's eyes. "You don't want to know."

  "What did they talk about?"

  "The possibility of a marriage between someone connected with the ladies and someone connected with Yanagisawa."

  "That doesn't sound like anything out of the ordinary," Sano said, feeling let down. "Yanagisawa does have four sons, including Yoritomo, all single and all of marriageable age."

  "And a daughter. Don't forget Kikuko."

  Sano would never forget Yanagisawa's beautiful but feeble-minded daughter, Kikuko. She'd once almost drowned his son. And her mother-Yanagisawa's deranged wife-had once tried to kill Reiko. When Yanagisawa had been exiled to Hachijo Island, his wife and daughter had gone with him. When he'd escaped, they'd stayed behind, but they'd recently returned and he'd installed them in a mansion in Kamakura. Sano had spies watching them, in case they should come back to Edo and threaten his family again.

  "It stands to reason that Yanagisawa would want to marry off his children," Sano said.

  Toda nodded. "He needs to make politically advantageous matches for them."

  "But why the secrecy?" Sano said.

  "Your guess is as good as mine." Toda shrugged.

  Sano thought about how oddly Yanagisawa had been acting. Maybe he had decided that if he couldn't seize power by military might, he would achieve it through marriage. But with what family? A quick mental review of prominent clans and their eligible sons and daughters didn't provide the answer. There were so many, and no apparent explanation for why marriage negotiations with them should need to be kept under wraps.

  "Continue your surveillance on Yanagisawa," Sano said. "Find out who those women are and who's the prospective bride or groom."

  "Will do." Toda bowed and rose.

  As he left the room, Sano wondered if there was anything Toda had heard or seen but neglected to mention.

  As he mounted his horse outside the teahouse at Shinobazu Pond, the witnesses waved to Hirata from the veranda. He waved back and had started to ride away in search of other witnesses who'd seen the oxcart, when a sudden strange sensation came over him. It was an energy aura so powerful that the damp, drizzly air throbbed and scintillated. Not he, not even his teacher or the other venerable mystic martial artists he knew, had an aura as strong. Filled with awe, he yanked on the reins, brought his horse to a stop. He looked around for the source of the energy.

  The embankment was deserted and dark. The teahouse proprietors had gone inside their buildings, and there was no one in sight. Rain pelted the lotus leaves in the pond. All appeared as peaceful and desolate as before. But Hirata felt alarm raise every hair on his body. Someone he couldn't see was watching him. His hand instinctively flew to his sword. His heart began to race, his own energy gathering in preparation for combat. He'd seldom had ca
use for fear; there were few men in all of Japan that he couldn't beat. But then why did he feel so certain that he was in the presence of danger?

  The impulse to flee vied with the impulse to hunt for the person whose aura threatened him. Before Hirata could succumb to either urge, the aura vanished as suddenly as if some great, cosmic machine had ceased to run. All Hirata heard or felt was the rain. He was alone.

  Down the corridor from Sano's office, Masahiro crouched on the floor, lining up his toy soldiers. He watched the man dressed in gray come out of the office. As the man walked away from Masahiro, he looked over his shoulder and smiled faintly before he vanished around a corner.

  Masahiro told himself that he hadn't meant to listen in on his father's business.

  Well, maybe he had.

  He was curious about what Father did. Someday he would inherit Father's position. Father had said so. He should try to learn as much as he could, shouldn't he? There was nothing dishonest, sneaky, or wrong with that. He wasn't hurting anyone.

  He'd overheard Father's whole conversation with the man named Toda. Now Masahiro thought about what they'd said. Toda seemed to be a spy. Father had sent him to follow Yanagisawa, the evil enemy who had tried over and over to destroy Father. Masahiro had heard Father and Mother trying to figure out why Yanagisawa wasn't attacking them anymore. Masahiro was interested in the secret meeting with the two old ladies. Why was it important whom Yanagisawa's children married?

  And what did "politically advantageous" mean?

  Masahiro had heard the term spoken around the estate, but the adults never explained. But he understood that Yanagisawa was up to something, and Father thought it was bad. Masahiro wished he could help Father. While he played with his toys, he felt sorry for himself. If only he could grow up quicker!

  A sudden idea lit up his mind like the fireworks that were shot into the sky over the river in the summertime. Masahiro smiled. He knew what he could do!

  Father had said to stay out of the kidnapping investigation, but this should have nothing to do with it. And Masahiro didn't think it would be dangerous. Father and Mother shouldn't mind.

  The door to the office slid open. Before his father stepped out, Masahiro snatched up his soldiers, darted around the corner, and hid. He felt guilty because he suspected that Father wouldn't like him eavesdropping.

  He wouldn't tell Father or Mother what he was going to do. They might say no. It would be a surprise for them. Masahiro was sure they would be pleased.

  16

  The sound of children laughing enlivened the private chambers of Sano's estate. In the main room, Reiko chatted with her friend Midori, who was Hirata's wife, as Akiko played with Midori's little girl and boy. The children turned somersaults across the floor. Servants cleared away the remains of the evening meal.

  "Take it easy," Midori cautioned the children good-naturedly. "You'll get dizzy and throw up."

  Masahiro lay on his stomach beneath the lantern, writing a lesson assigned by his tutor. Reiko peeked over his shoulder. He didn't need her to supervise his homework, but she enjoyed seeing how good his calligraphy was, and how well he expressed his ideas, even at such a young age. She smiled proudly, enjoying the peaceful, cozy evening.

  The rain had stopped, and the open windows let in the cool, damp breeze that blew in from the garden, where crickets chirped and cicadas hummed in rhythm to the drip of water from the trees. Frogs sang in the pond. The garden was radiantly silver with moonlight. Life was good tonight, Reiko thought.

  Sano entered the room. "Papa!" cried Akiko.

  She ran to him, and he lifted her onto his shoulders. Masahiro jumped up and said, "Look at what I just wrote."

  As Sano read and admired Masahiro's composition, Reiko took pleasure in the company of her family. She was glad to see Sano, for she was bursting with questions about his investigation and eager to tell him what she'd learned.

  She was also relieved that he'd come home safely. She still felt a lingering anxiety from the dangerous days when they'd been threatened by war at every turn.

  In walked Hirata. His children clung to his legs, and he trudged under their weight while they rode and cheered. Midori greeted him, smiling and giggly. Reiko knew they'd had marital troubles in the recent past. Hirata had been gone for the better part of five years, pursuing his mystic martial arts studies, Midori had suffered from his absences, and they'd grown apart. They'd since reconciled, and Reiko was happy for them. She wanted to enjoy the peace, however long it lasted.

  "Have you eaten yet?" she asked Sano and Hirata. "Are you hungry?"

  "I forgot to eat, I was so busy," Sano confessed.

  "Same here," Hirata said.

  "Oh, you men," Midori chided. "If it weren't for us, you'd starve to death."

  Reiko ordered the servants to bring food. She made hot tea on the charcoal brazier and served cups to Sano and Hirata.

  "Any luck today?" Sano asked Hirata.

  Midori glanced at Reiko. Both women knew that talk about serious subjects was coming, and they didn't want the children to hear. "It's time for us to go," Midori said.

  Her children groaned and protested. Hirata said, "I'll be home soon and tuck you into bed."

  "Come along," Midori said, and departed with her family.

  The nurse led Akiko away. Masahiro picked up his things and followed without argument. Reiko was surprised. He'd been so interested in the investigation that she'd expected him to beg her and Sano to allow him to stay and hear about it. She hoped he was outgrowing his penchant for detective work.

  "Don't keep me in suspense," she said to Sano and Hirata. "What happened?"

  "I went to see Jirocho," said Hirata.

  "The gangster?" Reiko had heard about him from her father, Magistrate Ueda, in whose court Jirocho had appeared more than once. "How is he involved in the kidnapping?"

  "There were two other women kidnapped before Chiyo," Hirata explained. "One is Jirocho's daughter."

  "Is her case related to Chiyo's?" Sano asked.

  "I don't know. Jirocho wasn't very cooperative. He wouldn't tell me anything." Hirata described his conversation with the gangster boss. "He wants to handle the case himself."

  Concern showed on Sano's face. "So does Major Kumazawa. I talked to him today. He's not happy with my investigating two other crimes that we don't know for sure are related."

  Reiko was offended that Sano's uncle would criticize Sano's work. To ask a favor after all these years of family estrangement, then object to how it was carried out! But Reiko kept silent. She didn't want to fan the fire that was obviously heating up between Major Kumazawa and her husband.

  "Did you have any better luck with Fumiko?" Sano asked.

  "Even worse." Hirata reported that her father had thrown the girl out and she was living in the marketplace.

  "That's awful!" Reiko exclaimed. All day she'd felt bad for Chiyo. Now she deplored that a young girl's life had been destroyed. Which was crueler, the rapist or society?

  "When I tried to talk to her, she tried to stab me, and then ran away." Hirata sounded rueful. "But I did turn up a witness-the man who found her by Shinobazu Pond. He heard an oxcart."

  Sano nodded, gratified. "Maybe it was the same one that transported Chiyo."

  "Speaking of oxcarts," Detective Marume said as he strode into the room with Fukida, "we went to the stables. The man in charge says there weren't any oxcarts assigned to work in Asakusa on the day we found Chiyo there-or on the day she was kidnapped."

  "Whoever drove that oxcart, he wasn't there on legitimate business," Fukida said.

  "We spent the rest of the day trying to track down drivers who hadn't been where they were supposed to be," Marume said. "But-" He turned up his empty palms.

  "Maybe we can narrow down the search," Sano said. "Hirata-san, did you get a description of the driver who was seen near Shinobazu Pond?"

  "No. The witness didn't see him. But he said it could be someone who'd been working in the vicinity-a fellow
about twenty-five years old, with two teeth missing."

  Sano frowned as he drank tea and pondered.

  "But that's good news, isn't it?" Reiko said. "Now you have an idea of whom to look for."

  "The problem is, I got a description of a suspect, too," Sano said, "and mine doesn't match Hirata-san's." He told of his trip to Zj Temple district. Reiko was aghast to learn that the third victim had been an elderly nun. "My suspect is a big, muscular man in his thirties, with a shaved head, an unshaven face, and a scab on his cheekbone. The novice who saw him outside the convent didn't mention any missing teeth."

  "We could have two or three different criminals," Hirata agreed. "What did the nun say?"

  "Nothing, unfortunately." Sano explained that she was apparently so distraught that all she did was pray.

  At least Chiyo still had her wits, Reiko thought. But that was a mixed blessing. Chiyo couldn't escape her misery by withdrawing into religion.

  Sano asked Reiko, "Did you learn anything from Chiyo?"

  Reiko felt his hope. "I'm sorry I have so little to report." She told them about the man at the shrine who'd called to Chiyo for help. "But Chiyo doesn't remember actually seeing the man. She does remember what he did to her." Reiko described the bites on Chiyo's breasts, how the man had suckled on her and called her "dearest mother, beloved mother," and the threats he'd made against Chiyo and her baby.

  Sano shook his head in horror and disbelief. "Chiyo didn't see him while all that was happening?"

  "No. I think he wore a mask." Reiko explained about the demonic face and the clouds Chiyo had seen, or imagined.

  "It sounds like she was drugged," Sano said.

  "That's what I thought," Reiko said.

  "When the mind is disturbed, it can play tricks on itself, with or without drugs," Hirata suggested.

  "By the way, Chiyo is still at her father's house. Her husband has cast her off," Reiko explained.

  Sano looked disturbed but not surprised. "As if she hasn't suffered enough already." Setting down his tea bowl, he added, "We've covered a lot of ground, but we only have an oxcart that might or might not be involved, and descriptions of two suspects who might or might not be the culprits in any of the kidnappings."