CHAPTER FIVE

THE SHACKLES OF LIFE

Of course the lieutenant’s eyes lit up at this damning piece of evidence against Tora. Pressed by Akitada, she remained adamant, saying that she had been worried about her lodger and had put her ear to the door when she realized that Tomoe was arguing with a man. The lieutenant shot Akitada a triumphant glance and asked, “How can you be sure it was the same man who killed her?”

She was. Not only had she recognized the voice, but she had seen him leave right afterward.

Akitada did not for a moment believe that she had spied on Tomoe out of concern for her safety, but rather because she suspected that her husband was with the lodger. He regarded husband and wife thoughtfully and asked, “Had there been any other visitors? Or perhaps strangers who seemed interested in Tomoe?”

The mason glanced at his wife.

“Pah,” she said, “a woman like that always has men. Trash! I’m too busy to watch.”

Akitada took this to mean that they had not actually seen or heard other visitors, but suspected that there had been some. He said, “Tomoe complained of someone following her home from the market. Do you know anything about that?”

They shook their heads, and that ended the visit.

Outside, the constable attempted to give a belated impression of alertness. Akitada badly wanted to see Tora, but a new day was beginning and he was due in the ministry. He thanked Ihara.

The lieutenant bowed. “I’m in your debt for finding this, sir.” He held up the cosmetics box.

“Not at all. You would have found it yourself.” Since Akitada regretted leaving it with Ihara, he added, “Take good care of it. It may turn out to be important.”

He walked back alone to the Greater Palace, watching the sky clouding over even as the sun rose with a spectacular display of fiery hues. Perhaps some rain would cool down the unseasonably hot and dry weather. The smoky orange color of the clouds looked like a bank of smoldering fires, as if a major conflagration were under way in the city. He felt an involuntary chill, a sense of impending disaster.

When Akitada passed through the main gate of the Greater Palace, he worried about Tora in his miserable cell. Had they “interrogated” him already during the night? It was likely. Even if they had not, they would not wait much longer before taking the bamboo canes to Tora’s back or using other forms of torture to force an admission of guilt from him. And Tora was not about to confess to something he had not done.

Akitada decided he would report at the ministry and then go immediately to the prison. As he joined the stream of government officials, many like himself in robes and hats with rank insignia, he became nervous about his appearance, adjusting his hat and brushing at the wrinkles in his gown and full silk trousers. He had dressed too hurriedly after the night’s summons and had not had time to shave. No doubt Soga would hold this against him.

The morning was gloomy, becoming increasingly cloudy. The rising sun had no chance and the ministry compound lay in the shadow of large pines so that lights still glimmered inside. Akitada climbed the staircase and entered the main hall. He expected to see Nakatoshi at this early hour, but for once Sakae was also waiting. Even more puzzling was Sakae’s enthusiastic greeting. The junior clerk practically rubbed his hands as he announced that he would have his report ready by the time Minister Soga arrived.

“Very good,” said Akitada approvingly and turned to Nakatoshi. “So the minister is definitely coming?”

“Yes, sir. I expect him in an hour or so.”

Akitada thought. “An hour? Good. I have a brief call to make.” He turned on his heel to head down the steps again.

The Western Prison was outside the Greater Palace, but only a few blocks from the ministry. Because of his official robe and rank, the constables at the prison gate passed him through to the prison supervisor, where he identified himself and his errand. This official was also cooperative and Akitada was taken to Tora’s cell.

Tora was chained. He was also bruised about the face, and smears of dried blood covered his clothes and hands. When he saw Akitada, he rose awkwardly from a pile of dirty straw, rattling his chains, and tried a weak smile. “Sorry, sir. Didn’t mean to make trouble for you.”

“Never mind that. Are you hurt? Have you been beaten?”

“A little. It was after hours when I was brought in, and they didn’t put their hearts into it.” He looked at his hands and clothes. “The blood’s not mine.”

Akitada scowled at the guard. “This man is one of my retainers,” he snapped. “Nobody is to lay a hand on him again, do you hear!”

The guard looked blank. “Yes, your honor. I shall tell them what you said.”

But the screams which came from the courtyard behind the cells were not reassuring. Tora’s eyes flickered uneasily.

“You may also tell them that Tora will be transferred today,” Akitada said. He glanced at the dirty floor. “This place is filthy. Take us to one of the offices.”

The man pondered. He was clearly torn between his duty to keep the prisoner chained in his cell and Akitada’s rank. After reflection, he apparently decided the present threat had precedence over potential future repercussions. He unchained Tora and took them to a small, empty room which contained nothing but a desk and a few shelves of documents. The floor was wooden and reasonably clean. Akitada sat down and Tora followed suit.

The guard remained standing, an iron rod used to subdue unruly prisoners in his meaty hand. He listened nervously toward the corridor. “You won’t be long, your honor?” he asked.

Akitada ignored him. He said to Tora, “I went to the blind woman’s place, but her body had already been removed. Tell me how you found her.”

Tora grimaced. “I was worried, so I went back to talk some sense into her. Not wanting to bother her landlord and that shrew of a wife, I went through the back.”

“In the dark? How is it that you know your way about people’s service yards in the dark?”

Tora flushed. “I’ve been there before. Her landlady has a vicious tongue, and I didn’t want her to see me.”

“Well, she saw you at some point and took you for one of her lodger’s clients.”

Tora just shook his head tiredly. “She’s wrong. That’s what I mean about her tongue. Anyway, I got to Tomoe’s door and scratched. I didn’t want to make much noise, and she keeps it latched on the inside. I got her to get a new latch. Well, it wasn’t latched last night. The door moved when I touched it. I thought she’d left it open in case I stopped by, but then I could smell the blood.” Tora shuddered. “I went in. Couldn’t see a thing, so I had to feel my way about. I slipped on something wet. Blood, I think. And then I stepped on the knife. Well, I knew it was a knife as soon as I picked it up. And right after that I touched her. I was bent over, feeling for her face to see if she was still alive, when all hell broke loose. People rushed in with lights. They knocked me down and held me. Constables from the warden’s office. And her landlord. And I think her landlady, too. Maybe their kids. The whole room was full of people talking and shouting. After that I couldn’t get a really good look at Tomoe.”

“Yes, I see. Well, just tell me what you could see.”

Tora gulped. “She was near the door. The door to the main house. There was a lot of blood. I could see blood on the walls. And on the door. And on the knife I was holding. It was covered with blood.” He extended his stained hands for Akitada to see. “They pried it from my hand right away. I guess it’s the knife that killed her. It took me a minute to realize they thought I had done it. After that I was trying to explain why I was there so they’d take the chains off me. It was no good. They figured I did it all right. I’m sorry. It’s not much help, is it?”