“This is unjust,” she cried,waving an accusing arm at Akitada’s office and herself. “I’ve got a living toearn. I can’t be spending all day sitting around the tribunal when I’ve alreadytold everything over and over again. People say there’ll never be an end toinjustice now.”
That phrase rang a bell. Thewidow Sato had used it, too. “It is of no concern to this court what you orothers may think,” Akitada said coldly. “Your duty is to cooperate in the investigation of a crime. But I have no time to explain this to you. Answer quickly! Who sent the inn’s stable boy away the day before Sato’s murder?”
For a moment she clamped herlips together stubbornly. Then she muttered, “The mistress, I suppose. Or maybethe master. What difference does it make?”
“Just answer the questions,”warned Tora, raising his fist.
Akitada asked, “Did the Satos treat their servants well?”
She looked at him blankly. “They were all right.”
“That’s not what you told me,”Tora said. “You called the wife a bitch and said she had lovers and treated you like dirt.”
“I did not,” the girl snapped.
Before Tora could contradict her, Akitada said quickly, “Very well. You may go for now, but there may bemore questions tomorrow.”
She got up and walked out with a sniff.
“She’s lying,” Tora said,outraged.
“Yes. Let’s hope Hitomaro has something to report. I am beginning to share your opinion of the girl.”
Seimei shook a finger at Tora. “Thatwoman is a she-devil. Let it be a lesson to you not to run after every skirtyou see. Not all pockmarks are dimples, you know.”
Tora muttered something underhis breath and left.
When Hitomaro walked in alittle later he was accompanied by a middle-aged female with sharp features andquick eyes. She twitched a silk scarf on her head into place and gave Akitadaan ingratiating smile.
“This is Mrs. Omeya, sir.”Hitomaro’s voice was clipped, his face expressionless. “She stopped the maidKiyo outside the tribunal and engaged her in conversation.” He paused and swallowed. “I happen to know Mrs. Omeya. She runs a house of assignation behind the Fox Shrine.”
Akitada gave him a sharp look,but Hitomaro would not meet his eyes.
The woman raised a protest. “A house of assignation? No! The honorable lieutenant is making a mistake.” She knelt and bowed several times, bobbing up and down before Akitada. “I’m a poor widow,” she said, “and the house, which my late husband left me, is my only source of income. I rent rooms to respectable single women. One of them has, it appears, fallen in love with this handsome officer and somehow caused him to make such a mistake. I assure your Excellency that I was not aware of improprieties between them till recently, and that I will not permit his visits any longer.”
Akitada saw panic on Hitomaro’sface. He bit his lip and asked the woman, “Why did you stop the maid Kiyo onthe street?”
“The girl works for anacquaintance of mine. I merely passed the time of day.”
Akitada raised his eyebrows but did not comment. He told Hitomaro to take Mrs.’ Omeya away and make her comfortable and to bring Tora and Kaoru back with him.
Hitomaro saluted.
When he returned with Tora andtheir new sergeant, Akitada sent Hitomaro to find Judge Hisamatsu and bring himin for questioning. He hoped that the errand would keep him away untilnightfall.
“Our trap worked,” Akitadainformed the other two when Hitomaro had left. “Hitomaro brought in a Mrs.Omeya who keeps a house of assignation. It’s behind the Fox Shrine and I haveno doubt that you will find our elusive widow installed there. Go and arresther.”
“Sir,” said Tora, “isn’t thatwhere Hito’s … ?” He faltered unhappily.
Akitada compressed his lips. Hesaid pointedly, “Hitomaro has left for another assignment. Be quick about this.I intend to wrap up the Sato case during this afternoon’s session.”
The reports from Takata werethat all was quiet, but Akitada had new worries to add to his fears of anotherUesugi attack. When he entered the tribunal hall, he glanced nervously about.The session was well attended, and this time the crowd was respectful andorderly. Again, Hitomaro was absent, but this time Akitada had sent him on anerrand because he wanted him out of the way. But Tora stood by and Kaoruawaited his signal. Akitada rapped his baton and started proceedings.
“Bring in the prisoner,Sergeant!” he called out.
An anticipatory hush fell. WhenKaoru reappeared, leading the widow Sato by a chain which tied her wristsbehind her back, whispers passed through the crowd. Mrs. Sato looked pale andwild, her silk gown torn and her long black hair disheveled, but she was, ifanything, more beautiful than before. When she reached the dais, she stumbledand began to weep loudly.
Akitada had decided to handlethe woman with the greatest care. He relied heavily, and perhaps unreasonably,on her wish to appear cooperative. “Untie the prisoner!” he ordered.
Kaoru obeyed and announced in aloud voice, “The widow Sato, wanted for questioning in the murder of her husband. She was found hiding in a house of assignation behind the Fox Shrine.The owner of the premises was not home.”
“No, oh, no,” wailed the widow,dropping to her knees and wringing her hands, “I wasn’t hiding. I’m not afugitive. I was a prisoner held against my will by that evil woman. I havesuffered unspeakable things there.”
What now? An excited buzz wentthrough the crowd. Those in front pressed forward to see and hear better. Akitadafrowned. “Explain yourself!”
The widow sat back on her feeta nd dabbed at her face with a torn sleeve. “Forgive this poor, foolish female,sir,” she said, giving him a pitiable glance before lowering her lashes: “I’m ashamed to come before you like this-dishonored, dirty, unclean, foul.” She suddenly slipped her gown off her shoulders, revealing white breasts covered with bloody scratches. “Look!” she cried. The crowd pressed forward.
Though common sense told himthat this was another act and the scratches were most likely self-inflicted,Akitada recoiled.
Kaoru stepped forward and smacked her sharply across the face with the back of his hand. She gasped and collapsed sobbing. The crowd muttered.
Akitada, feeling his ears burn with embarrassment, growled, “Make yourself decent. You are in a tribunal. You will either speak calmly and keep your clothes on or be removed for another flogging.”
She sat and pulled up her gown.“Forgive me, your Excellency,” she murmured. “I am not myself. First my poor husband is murdered, and then that demon Omeya let her accomplice torture me.Knowing well that I was alone and without protection, she lured me into herbrothel by offering me free music lessons. I thought they would ease my griefand accepted. I studied the lute with her, always in the daytime, until one daya man accosted me as I was leaving.” She looked around the room as if sheexpected to see him there. “Mrs. Omeya suggested a meeting, but I refused.Then, three days ago, after a lesson, she offered me a cup of wine. I acceptedout of courtesy.” She shuddered a little. “The wine must have been druggedbecause, when I woke up, I was lying naked on the floor, and the man who hadaccosted me was raping me.” She covered her face with her sleeve and burst intofresh tears.
Akitada saw the avid faces ofthe crowd and rapped his baton. He knew now that she was blackmailing him, but he was helpless to prevent it.
She raised her head andcontinued in a trembling voice, “After that night I was locked up. The same manreturned again and again and she forced me to submit to him for unspeakable andpainful acts. If I refused, they beat me or held a candle to my face or feettill I screamed and submitted. He enjoyed hurting me. Each time he came, theold woman greeted him and took money from him. When I called her a devil, shelaughed in my face, saying, ‘Better be polite, or worse things will happen toyou.’“ She bowed. “That is my story, your Excellency. I suffered the truetorments of hell until your men released me. I ask for justice.”
Akitada did not speak immediately. Whatever he had expected, it was not this. The woman was fiendishly clever. Since her charge must be investigated, another public hearing would have to be called. On that occasion, Akitada had no doubt, she would manage to identify Hitomaro as the man who had raped and tortured her.This would, in turn, cause the maid Kiyo to come forward and bring rape charges against Tora. Thus the two women would effectively discredit not only his staff and administration, but his investigation into her late husband’s murder and,by extension, his authority in this province.