‘Think about it. All sorts of things can be done if people think they are done by the gods. The police don’t trouble themselves with arresting the kami.’ He leaned forward to refill their cups. ‘Oh, no! The kami are quite safe.’ He fell into another bout of laughter.

‘Pretending to be a god would be a sacrilege,’ Tora pointed out, but he wondered if Jirokichi was the sort of man who would dishonor the gods. And that brought up another thought. ‘Is that what’s going on with all those fires, do you think?’ he asked Watanabe. ‘You know, someone’s setting them and blaming it on the gods?’

Watanabe was shocked by the notion. He stopped laughing. ‘Of course not. Much too dangerous. And what’s in it for him?’

The wine had warmed Tora’s belly. He was wasting time with Watanabe. Emptying his cup, he got up. ‘Well, I’m glad I bumped into you, but it’s time I was off. My wife’s not as understanding as yours.’

Watanabe’s grin was strained. ‘Thanks for the wine, Tora. And good luck finding your thief.’

As Tora walked away from the Fragrant Peach, he passed the alley next to the building. A closely entwined couple leaned against the wall. The young waitress had her pink robe pulled up to her waist and a pale thigh clasped around a young male in a blue and white robe. His hips moved energetically against her.

Tora was amused. When he was young, he had known such uncomfortable but exhilarating moments himself, but these days he had something better waiting for him at home.

THE DEAF MUTES

There was another fire overnight. The home of a minor official burned down. The news was a painful reminder of Tora’s lack of progress. His mood was not improved when he learned that his master had been angry with him for going to the Kiyowara house. He postponed the tongue-lashing as long as possible.

When he finally reported at the main house, Seimei greeted him with a smile. ‘Good news, Tora,’ he said. ‘The master has a new assignment and has been paid. With such an auspicious turn of events, we sent for the yin-yang master right away to cast the child’s fortune. And what do you think he said?’

Tora waited expectantly. Maybe things would be all right after all.

Seimei rubbed his gnarled hands. ‘He declared the child would be blessed with health, wealth, and happiness. And when the master presented him with an additional gift, he said that fate would elevate the unborn even past the father’s rank and position. Past his father’s rank! What do you say to that?’

Tora blinked. ‘He’ll be greater than his father?’

‘Yes. Such excellent news!’ Seimei chuckled. ‘Well, the master said this would not be hard to achieve since he was without rank and position at the moment, and that he trusted his son would fare better. But I could tell that he was very happy.’

Tora’s spirits lifted. He found his master bent over his accounts and looking very pleased. ‘I hear there’s good news, sir,’ Tora offered, intent on keeping things cheerful.

His master looked up and smiled. ‘Ah, Tora. I’d hoped to see you sooner, but you must’ve been busy with that fine son of yours.’

Tora let him think so. ‘Seimei says you’ve had a great fortune cast for yours.’

His master looked a little embarrassed. ‘Well, it’s customary – not that I put much faith in it. It seemed a good idea now that we have a little money. Did Seimei tell you? I’ve been employed by Lady Kiyowara to find her husband’s murderer.’ He put on a stern expression. ‘As it turned out, your information about the son was useful, but don’t take matters in your own hands again. It may cause me a great deal of trouble with the censors.’

Tora made a show of hanging his head. ‘Sorry, sir. I wasn’t thinking.’

‘Well, don’t do it again. Now please report.’

A chastened Tora told everything he had observed and been told outside the Kiyowara gate. When he was done, he asked, ‘So, do you think the son killed the father?’

‘Too soon to know. It may be more complicated than a quarrel between father and son. The son cannot have been very surprised by his father’s decision. I suspect the young man was merely frustrated and expressed himself by shouting. The young frequently lose their temper. I did myself once.’

‘He could have done it.’ Tora felt cheated of his contribution. ‘Maybe there was more to it than the military service. Maybe that was just the last straw.’

‘Perhaps. We’ll see. What about your own case?’

Tora reported what had happened in the western city.

When he finished, his master frowned. ‘You’ll have to be careful in those low dives. There has been gang activity in the city, and those hoodlums that robbed you may work for one. Remember, that peculiar thief knows where you live. That means that he also knows what you do and who I am.’

‘Amida!’ Tora slapped his forehead. ‘What a fool I am! I should’ve thought of that. I bet the nasty little bastard is in it up to his skinny neck and has warned his gang by now. Sorry, sir. What do you want me to do?’

‘Well, leaving you the gold suggests that he’s not without honor. He may or may not belong to a gang, but it seems more important than ever to find him. A clever thief like that may well overhear secrets as he creeps into people’s houses. I don’t like this business with the fires. Just be careful in the future.’

Tora left, thinking about the situation. He would go back to the Fragrant Peach when he was done with his chores. After a light snack, he put on clean but nondescript cotton clothing of the sort worn by coach drivers, stable hands, or mounted messengers. Next he sought out Seimei for help with a note for the elusive Jirokichi. Since he could not run the thief to ground, he hoped the note would make him come to him.

Seimei balked a little when he saw the threat. He said, ‘You may be Tora the Tiger, but remember that a cornered rat attacks the cat.’

That made Tora smile. ‘You still have a way with words, old man,’ he said. ‘I’ll remember it. The master’s already told me to be careful. I’m carrying a knife. I have a family to consider.’

Seimei shook his head, but he wrote out the message for Tora.

When Tora stopped to leave the note at Hoshina’s wine shop in the Western Market, Jirokichi was not there, but Hoshina came from the back with a tray. She saw Tora and glared briefly before she went to serve her customers. When she came to greet him, she was all smiles and seductive wiggles again.

Tora growled, ‘Forget it, girl. I’m wise to your tricks. Here, give this to your boyfriend.’

She took the note, unfolded it, and stared at it blankly. Tora saw she could not read and snapped, ‘It says I have to speak to him. It’s a matter of life or death.’ He let that sink in, then added, ‘His!’ and walked out.

The sun was low, and the fading golden light turned the market buildings and flimsy stands into an unearthly scene – like one he had once seen in his lady’s picture book. Towards the north, dark clouds were gathering. Perhaps another thunderstorm would clear the mugginess from the air. A stray dog wagged its tail at him and went to investigate the refuse beside the fish stall. He gobbled something, then lifted his leg on the rest. Somewhere, temple bells called to evening prayers.

It turned dark quickly, and Tora lost his way. The streets were deserted at this hour. He’d meant to return to the Fragrant Peach to learn something about the activities of local gangs, but after wandering aimlessly through unfamiliar sections of run-down homes and empty fields for what seemed like hours, he found himself among warehouses and storage yards. There were no lights, and the new moon was no help. He turned down a long passage between tall fences and the backs of blind buildings because of a glimmer of light in the distance. The darkness was dense. He stumbled into holes and over discarded debris, cursing and rubbing a bruised knee, but kept moving forward towards the small gleam up ahead.