“Never mind. We are finished,” said Akitada, and added to the two soldiers who had jerked the limp figure of the monk into a kneeling posture again, “Take him away.”

Ayako helped her sister up. Bowing slightly toward the dais, she said, “If you have no further need of us, we will leave. My sister is not very strong.”

Akitada did not know what to say to her, but Motosuke told her, “You have performed a great service for this province and nation, both of you. We shall not forget what we owe you.”

Ayako inclined her head a fraction. “Thank you, Excellency, but that is quite unnecessary. Our family has always honored its obligations to this country.” Without another glance at Akitada, she led her sister from the room.

Akitada sat, lost in silent misery.

Motosuke cleared his throat. “Well?” he asked. “Is there anything else?”

“No. That is all.”

* * * *

TWENTY-ONE

SNOWFLAKES

L

eaden clouds hung low over the tribunal compound. Already a few snow flurries teased the snarling clay dragons guarding the curved eaves of the governor’s residence and danced around Akitada as he dodged the many carts and porters who were loading Motosuke’s household goods for the journey to the capital.

Outside the gate, Akitada turned left and walked to the prefecture. Tucking his chin into his collar against the wet flakes, he considered sadly how differently his great adventure had turned out from what he had hoped. Only a few weeks ago he had looked forward to the journey here, to meeting people in the provinces, to learning much and achieving more. All of these things had happened, but the price had been human lives. Far from bringing him pleasure and satisfaction, his assignment had left him humbled and distraught. He had lost a priceless thing: faith in himself. All that was left was the sense of duty his parents and teachers had instilled in him, and duty to his emperor and to his family overruled any private desires and was, in and of itself, sufficient reason to carry on. The prospect was a bleak one.

Duty had brought Akitada out on his last day in the city. The prefecture, his first stop, was much smaller than the provincial headquarters, consisting only of a modest administration hall, a jail, and barracks for the constables. He found Akinobu bent over a desk piled high with documents. The new prefect greeted Akitada with a tired smile.

“I am sorry that I cannot offer Your Excellency tea,” he said. “I doubt our budget permits such a thing in any case. But perhaps a cup of wine?”

“No, thank you. I have had some of the governor’s excellent tea. Besides, I am not exactly accustomed to luxuries myself. My assignment, along with its honorifics, ends as yours begins. My heartfelt congratulations on your appointment as prefect.”

Akinobu grimaced. “To tell you the truth, I’m merely the clerk in charge, and the work is very similar to my duties for the governor.” He nodded at the towering stacks of documents on his desk.

“Surely the present crisis is abnormal,” Akitada said. Then he sighed. “At the moment I feel that I have brought nothing but trouble to this province.”

“No, Your Excellency. Our trouble has found you. We are very grateful for your help. I intend to pay a formal farewell visit before your departure tomorrow morning.”

“Please call me Akitada. And there is no need for a special visit. You must know how grateful I am for your assistance. I have the highest regard for your ability.” The two men smiled and bowed to each other. Akitada continued, “But there is another reason for my coming. I want to speak to one of your prisoners, the man called Scarface.”

Akinobu raised his brows. “Is he connected to the tax case?”

“No. A different matter altogether. You are holding him in the murder of the prostitute Jasmin. I suspect him of having killed two other women.”

“Here? He only arrived on the fifth day of this month.”

“No. These are two murders of young women in the capital and in Fujisawa.”

“But...” Akinobu hesitated, then asked, “Forgive me, but why are you only now sharing this information?”

“I did not know until this morning. Or rather I did not understand what I knew until then. And I’m still merely guessing at the details. I need to speak with the man to confirm my suspicions.”

“I’m afraid you don’t know Scarface very well. He has steadfastly denied all charges against him. In the murder of the woman Jasmin he accuses his associate, a half-wit, of committing the crime.”

Akitada nodded “Yes, he almost fooled me with that. But considering the murder of the prostitute in Fujisawa and his motive in Jasmin’s case, I now believe it was Scarface who killed Jasmin. On the day of the murder, she told him that she was leaving him for another man. I believe he slashed her throat, then turned the corpse over to his mentally unbalanced follower for some additional mutilation. The second man has a fixation with blood and knives and is dangerous on his own account, but he did not kill the woman.”

Akinobu said, “I suspected as much. What are these other murders you suspect Scarface of?”

“I believe that during the night of the Chrysanthemum festival he killed a young noblewoman in Heian Kyo for her jewelry.” Akitada took the blue flower ornament from his sash and laid it on Akinobu’s desk. “This is part of it. The woman Jasmin sold it to a local peddler, who, in turn, sold it to me the day I arrived here.”

“Extraordinary!” Akinobu leaned forward to pick up the small object. He looked at it, then at Akitada. “I always thought such jewelry was worn only by the imperial women,” he said. Akitada met his eyes and held out his hand without answering. Akinobu returned the flower ornament and reached for a document roll. “He left Heian Kyo on the tenth day of the leaf-turning month and spent the next two months traveling east along the Tokaido highway.”

Akitada nodded. “The dates fit. He must have left the capital immediately after the killing. By the beginning of this month he was in Fujisawa. The Fujisawa victim was also a prostitute who had her throat slashed. We were passing through Fujisawa at the time, and my servant Tora was mistakenly arrested for the murder because his face was badly bruised and cut.”

“Ah!” Akinobu sat forward. “Then there were witnesses?”

“Yes. In both cases. In Fujisawa, the murderer was seen by other women in the brothel. In the capital, he was observed by a vagrant. In both instances the witnesses described a man with horribly scarred features.”

“You must be right.” Akinobu rose. “Let me warn you, though, Scarface has been interrogated without confessing to any of the charges against him.”