29
Tora looked wet, filthy, and battered, his face bruised and covered with stubble, his ragged clothes torn, and his legs and feet bare. Beside him was another man, a big, shaggy-haired and shaggy-bearded fellow. Saburo hovered by their side.
When Tora saw Akitada, he gave a happy shout and they embraced.
“I’ve never been so glad to see anyone,” Akitada said, holding him. Tora used only his right arm to return the hug. “What’s the matter? Are you hurt?’
Tora still had his irresistible grin. “Just a little. We’ve been to war, both of us.” He turned. “This is Shigeno. Show ‘em your chest, Shigeno.”
The big man lifted a ragged and blood-stained shirt. The crowd gasped at the many stab wounds and slashes. Shigeno sat down quickly.
“We’ve sent for a doctor,” Saburo supplied.
“Coming!” cried a voice from the door. “Let me through.” A very short monk appeared with his medicine case. He nodded to Maeda and looked the two patients over before crouching beside the big man and taking his shirt off. Shaking his head, he said, “Amida! I need to sew you up,” and produced a long, dark needle and some silk from his case.
Shigeno grew a shade paler.
Akitada asked Tora, “How badly hurt are you?”
Tora grinned. “Only one small cut that’s stopped bleeding. I want to get that bastard Okata. He’s the one set his thugs on me and bundled me off on a convict ship. Him and Hiroshi.” Tora put a hand on Shigeno’s shoulder. “But we showed them, didn’t we, brother?”
The big man nodded.
“Hiroshi?” Akitada asked.
“Oh, yes. And he killed both his stepmother and Yoko. Seems Yoko confronted him with being at the Mitsui place the night she was stabbed. Hiroshi hated her and thought she’d stolen gold from his father.”
“It explains a lot, sir,” Maeda said.
“I told you, Maeda. You should’ve listened.” Tora returned to his story. “Anyway, I woke up in the hold, but Shigeno and I and two convicts, we got out and we fought them all, guards and sailors both. They got distracted and wrecked their ship on Ikishima. We escaped, all but one of us, found a fisherman and hired him to bring us back. I owe him fifty pieces of silver, sir.” Tora paused to give Akitada an apologetic grin.
“I can hardly believe it,” remarked Akitada, shaking his head. “You fought them? Why didn’t you identify yourself to the person in charge of the transport?”
“I tried to, but they just laughed. I have a notion the policeman and the guards work for Okata.”
“Ah.” Akitada glanced at Maeda. “You’d better look into this.”
Maeda nodded. He looked stunned.
Akitada spoke to the fisherman and his wife and paid them the promised sum. The couple seemed to regard their visit as a great adventure and the astonishing reward as a miraculous event. They kept bowing and muttering thanks.
When Tora and Shigeno were able to answer more questions, Maeda, ever the policeman, started with, “You told us three convicts escaped. What happened to the other two?”
“One died, I think,” said Tora. “The other didn’t trust the authorities and took off.”
Maeda glowered. “No surprise.”
Shigeno began to look very uneasy, and Akitada asked him, “But you decided to put your faith in us? Or did Tora make more promises?”
The big convict flushed. “It’s true that Tora said you’d fix things but, frankly, I didn’t believe he could do anything for me. I decided to take the risk of making my case to you.”
Akitada raised his brows. The man was educated, not your run-of-mill convict. “What were you sentenced for?”
“Murder. Of a prefect, I was told,” Maeda snapped.
Saburo gasped. “You killed a prefect? That’s hardly an insignificant crime.”
Tora frowned at him. “Just wait till you hear his story. The prefect was a crook who had Shigeno’s father killed so he could steal their gold mine.”
“Gold mine?” Akitada stared at Shigeno.
“Well, someone found either gold or silver on our mountain,” explained Shigeno. “Not sure if there’s a lot of it. We never had a chance to look.”
“But you killed a prefect?” Akitada shook his head. “There are better methods of settling land disputes.”
Tora pointed out, “If Okata can be a crooked police chief, then Shigeno’s prefect can be a murderer or worse.”
It was true; not all officials were honest. And this was Kyushu. Akitada said, “You’re right. Very well, we’ll look into it. Meanwhile Shigeno will be my guest at the tribunal. I want his word he won’t run.”
Shigeno smiled. “You have it, your Excellency. And thank you.”
“Has Maeda told you, Tora? A lot has happened since you disappeared.”
Tora nodded. “They found my clothes in the abandoned well where Yoko’s body had been. That bastard Hiroshi! He was there, working me over. And Okata was, too. I recognized his voice. He’s the one set it up for getting dismissed. I expect Hiroshi took me to the ship on his cart. He had to get rid of my clothes. Much too official-looking on a convict. Too bad he’s dead. I was looking forward to meeting him again.”
Maeda asked, “Are you sure he admitted killing both of them?”
“Yes. He was pretty cool about it, too. Killed his father’s wife for stealing from his father. My guess is he found the gold coins, and she refused to give them to him. Hiroshi had gambling debts that went away after her death. As for Yoko, she apparently saw him at the house the night of the murder and asked him about it.”
Maeda shook his head. “Yoko was the type to confront Hiroshi. She’d mention seeing him even if she didn’t think it important.”
“Poor Yoko.”
Akitada cleared his throat. “As it turned out, the well seems to have been a popular burial place. My predecessor was also down there.”
“Maybe Hiroshi had a hand in that, too. And to think you’d never have known any of this if it hadn’t been for me.” Tora grinned.
“We found Yoko before you disappeared,” Maeda objected.
Akitada added, “We certainly can’t pin the governor’s murder on Hiroshi, busy fellow though he was. It’s not the sort of crime he would commit. But at least we can be certain of his killing his stepmother and Yoko.”
Tora nodded. “The boy Kichiro said Hiroshi got very angry when he saw him looking over the fence. That must have been right after Yoko was killed. I expect Hiroshi go rid of whatever was in that hole. Best do some more digging, Maeda.”
Maeda made a face. “Well, I’m glad you left me something to do.”
“If you like, I’ll help you.”
You’re going to bed,” said Akitada. “Both of you, since Shigeno has agreed to be our guest.”
They returned to the tribunal, where their arrival caused gratifying pleasure. Akitada cut all questions short with a brief statement, and Saburo saw to it that Tora and his new friend had baths, food, and a rest.
In the tribunal office, Akitada asked Mori, “Did the report to the assistant governor general get off?”
“Yes, sir.”
Akitada next filled Mori in on some of the other news. The secretary was dumfounded. “Lord Tachibana was murdered?”
“Yes, Mori. Right after he left here. Do you recall the day?”
“Yes, your Excellency.” The old clerk showed little grief. He merely shook his head in amazement. “His Excellency was irritable. He didn’t look forward to going home. Most of the officials sent from the capital hate Kyushu, but Lord Tachibana made friends here and bought many beautiful things. Of course, there was the matter of the recall.”
“Yes, indeed. If you recall what the governor was wearing, you’d better report to Lieutenant Maeda. It will help identify the body.”
“Yes, sir.” Mori sighed. “It’s hard to believe. Merchant Feng made a lot of money from him and must have hated to see him leave.”
“I don’t doubt it in the least.”