Akitada asked the prisoner, “Do you persist in your identification?”
Goto cried, “It’s my brother, Iswear it.”
“Have the maid brought in!”Akitada commanded.
The maid of the Golden Carp marched past the crowd with a smile of self-assurance. Akitada saw that she wasa sturdy, plain woman with a knowing look on her face. Near the dais she passedTora and stopped with a gasp. Tora kept his eyes carefully fixed on a corner ofthe hall. The maid looked outraged. Putting her hands on her hips, she cried, “Sothis is where you’ve been hiding out, you lying dog! If I’d known that you werea stinking spy for the tribunal, I’d have made you wish you were bedding arabid monkey instead.”
There was a moment of stunnedsilence, then a ripple of laughter started and crude jokes flew back and forth.Akitada bit his lip and rapped his baton on the boards while Kaoru started forthe girl.
Tora was crimson. Satisfied with the scene she had created, the maid spat on his boots and walked to thedais.
There she knelt, bowed deeply,and said, “This humble person is called Kiyo. She works as a maid at the GoldenCarp. She apologizes for having lost her temper with a lying dog.”
In view of the provocation,Akitada decided to ignore her outburst. “You were shown the corpse of amutilated man,” he said. “Did you recognize him?”
“Aiih!” she cried. “It was horrible! It turned my stomach what they did to poor Mr. Kato.”
“Answer the question.”
“I recognized him. May theBuddha comfort his soul! It was Mr. Kato, one of our guests. He died last week.Someone must’ve stolen the body. They cut off his feet and hands. And shavedhis head. Who’d do a nasty thing like that to a dead man? I hardly knew himexcept for that ear of his. I nursed the poor man till he died. The doctor andmy mistress saw him, too.”
“Dr. Oyoshi has already identified the body. Where is your mistress?”
Kiyo spread her hands. “Whoknows? She says she’s sick but she stays away a lot. I bet she’s meeting someman.” She turned to shoot a venomous glance in Tora’s direction and shook herfist at him. “She’s a fool.”
Akitada snapped, “Stop that!Did this Kato die from his illness?”
“Yes, sir. The night after thedoctor came. The mistress sent for someone to take his body away.”
Akitada said, “Let the recordshow that the maid Kiyo has identified the body left at the tribunal gate asthat of one Kato, a guest who died of an illness at the Golden Carp.” Turning to Goto, he asked, “What do you say now?”
The fishmonger was trembling.He prostrated himself, knocking his head on the floor, and cried, “Forgive thisignorant person, your Honor! My brother had disappeared and I… my eyes areweak. Heaven be praised it is not my brother! But the rest was true. Kimura didfight with Ogai, and now Ogai has disappeared.”
Akitada said, “Bring in theother prisoner.”
The constables dragged in a burlyman in chains. He was quite ugly, with the straggly beginnings of a beardsurrounding a slack mouth which lacked most of its front teeth. One of his armswas bandaged to a piece of wood.
The moment he appeared therewas a cry from the crowd. A thin man in a hemp jacket and short pants pushedhis way to the dais and fell on his knees.
Akitada rapped for order, andwaited impatiently until the constables had made their prisoner kneel next toGoto, whose mouth fell open in surprised horror. The resemblance between thetwo men was apparent.
Akitada nodded to the thin manand said, “State your name and purpose here.”
“This insignificant person iscalled Kimura. I’m a plasterer and a neighbor of that lying piece of dung Goto.Goto told everyone I murdered his brother Ogai, but there is Ogai, safe andsound.” Kimura pointed at the ugly fellow with the bandaged arm. “Goto liedbecause I built a dam across the creek that waters the land he stole from us,so now the land’s no good to him. Please, your Honor, tell him to stop makingtrouble for me.”
Akitada frowned. “I am gladthat you have finally come forward with your complaint. Let it be a lesson toyou next time to have the court settle your disputes. I have reviewed thedocuments of your case since they had some bearing on Goto’s charges. The courtgave the land to your neighbor on the evidence of a bill of sale and taxreceipts for more than ten years. Why do you claim he took your land?”
“I have no proof, your Honor,”Kimura said sadly, “except that my father did not like Goto and would neverhave sold him the land.”
“Was it not customary ten yearsago to have a sale witnessed by two neighbors of the owner?”
Kimura looked blank, but someone in the crowd shouted, “That’s true. They changed the law later.”
Akitada turned to Goto. “Whydoes your bill of sale not have the signatures of both witnesses?” he asked.
Goto paled. “A small oversight,”he pleaded.
“You lie,” said Akitada,nodding to one of the constables who stepped behind the fishmonger with hiswhip.
Goto shrank from him in horror.“No! Not another beating! I’ll tell the truth. Old man Kimura agreed to thedeal, but he died before he could put his mark on the papers, so I did it forhim. I didn’t know about other witnesses.” He prostrated himself, crying, “Pleasehave mercy. Please forgive an ignorant person.”
Akitada snapped, “Why shouldthis court believe you? You lied when you falsely identified the body. Who putyou up to that?”
Goto wiped sweat and tears fromhis face. “Nobody,” he wailed. “I was trying to save my brother’s life. That’swhy I said the dead man was him. So the soldiers would stop looking for him.”
The crowd had fallen silent,caught up in the proceedings, but now someone in the back shouted, “Don’tlisten to the dirty bastard, Governor. He’s always been a liar.”
The constables made a show ofglaring at the offender, and Akitada turned to the fishmonger’s brother. “Stateyour name and profession.”
“Ogai,” the man mutteredsullenly. “I’m a corporal in the provincial guard.”
“Not much longer,” shouted ajokester from the crowd.
Akitada frowned at theaudience. He hoped the sweat beading his face was not visible. “I am told,” hesaid to the prisoner, “that you deserted and were discovered hiding in theoutcast village. What part did you play in your brother’s false accusation ofKimura?”
“None.” Ogai avoided looking atGoto. “I know nothing about that. It was all Goto’s idea. Just like the landdeal. He made me pick a quarrel with Kimura.”
“You lying bastard!” Goto grabbed for his brother, but a constable struck his hand with the butt of hiswhip.
Ogai growled, “I’m not gettinganything out of this. You are! You’re the one stole the land. So don’t pin your troubles on me. I’ve got enough of my own.”
“You do indeed,” said Akitada. “Iam glad you understand the seriousness of your position. You are not only adeserter, but you have proven your bad character by committing a rape in theoutlaw village that offered you protection and hospitality. I have no qualms about turning you over to your captain for military trial.”
Ogai wailed.
Akitada ignored him and turnedto his brother. “You, Goto, shall receive fifty lashes and do six months of conscript labor for the government. The disputed land shall be returned to Kimura, the tax payments you made serving in lieu of rent that you owe him. In addition, your own property shall be confiscated and sold. The proceeds will goto Kimura in compensation for the false murder charge. Constables, remove the prisoners.”
The crowd broke into noisy cheering. Akitada, aware only of a mind-paralyzing tiredness, raised his eyesand lifted his baton to rap for order before closing the hearing when he sawthat Seimei’s startled attention was on the side door nearest him.
Akitada turned to look, andthere, in the light of a small oil lamp, stood the slender figure of his wife,Tamako, her face tearful and pale with anxiety.
FIFTEEN
THE WRESTLING MATCH