Akitada brought out the journal and opened it to the last page. He passed it to Okura and went to sit down himself. "I have been puzzled by this entry. Perhaps you would like to explain?"
Okura read and sighed. Putting the journal into his sleeve, he rose. "My dear fellow," he said silkily. "Surely you don't think I will stand still for more blackmail? No, no! You must not even think it. I paid dearly for first place. Oe struck a very sharp bargain, but I paid off. Is it my fault that the greedy fellow would not share and could not handle that radical, Ishikawa? What a slimy bunch all of you professors are."
"I am afraid you must return the journal. It is evidence against you in Oe's murder."
Okura raised thin brows to stare down at Akitada. "Don't be silly! This is nothing. It does not mention names. To be sure, if one were curious, one might guess. But the whole thing is so easily explained away as a simple matter of rewarding one's favorite professor. And who would dare question me now on such charges?"
"You have committed two murders, and there would have been three if Nishioka's rats had not got to the poisoned walnuts first. Not even your exalted new relatives can get you out of those charges."
Okura's bland face became a closed mask. His head cocked sideways, he regarded the seated Akitada for a moment. Then he returned to his cushion and sat down. "You know," he said in an almost conversational tone, "I have always had a good deal of admiration for you. When you came here and asked questions, I confess, you made me uneasy. With good reason, as it turned out, for Oe panicked. I gather you know about the examination?"
Akitada nodded.
"Ah. That was clever of you. It is really too bad that we find ourselves on opposite sides in this matter. I could have used you."
Akitada said nothing.
"But perhaps our differences may be overcome? I dare say you have considered your position and what a man like myself can do for you? Oe practically twisted my arm to let him help me cheat. His problem was that he got greedy. He expected that I was good for a fat income for life. When I refused to pay more, he had the gall to threaten me publicly by reading that insulting poem at the contest in the Divine Spring Garden. I was outraged!"
"So you followed him and killed him?"
"That was not precisely my first intention. One does not like to dirty one's hands in person. As soon as possible after he left, I went to our usual meeting place, expecting him to be waiting for me. You can imagine my surprise when I found him tied to the statue of Confucius and too drunk to care. All I had to do was put him out of his misery." Okura's hand crept to his sash. He chuckled at the memory. "Oh, yes. It was me. No harm admitting it here just between the two of us. It was truly amusing how the police suspected all of you fellows and Ishikawa, when I was the one. And you must admit I did the university a service. Where would the country be with crooked professors like him? Think of the scandal I saved you all from."
"Did you act for the same altruistic reasons when you set fire to Hirata's study?" Akitada asked, trying to keep his anger from showing.
"What else? Oh, Hirata was not as open about it as Oe had been. He dithered on and on about his conscience bothering him and about how he wanted to make things right for the parents of the fellow who killed himself. He proposed that I resign my first place so it could be awarded posthumously to the other student. Now I ask you: what kind of a fool did he think me? What good is first place to a dead man? No money goes with it, no rank, no position. No, no! I saw right through that. He would have accepted a hefty sum from me, pretending, of course, that he would pay it to the parents. Hah! I fobbed him off, told him to wait till I had secured my rank, and then I'd resign." Okura giggled at the thought, and Akitada suddenly wondered if he was quite sane.
Suppressing his rising horror, he asked, "But you went that night and set the fire?"
"That was a really clever move. All the talk about lack of rain and the danger of fires gave me the idea. I went that very night, carrying a small flask of lamp oil with me. The gate was only latched. Hirata has always been a trusting fool. I walked in and made my way to his study. Most of us were invited to his house when we were students. And there he was, fast asleep, sitting amongst his books and papers. And not a servant in sight! I am constantly amazed at the squalid lives you professors lead in private. No wonder you sink to blackmail. Anyway, Ipoured the oil over the veranda just outside his door and used my candle to light it. It blazed up magnificently and almost instantly caught the straw mats on fire, and then the papers joined the merry blaze. He woke, of course. Briefly." Okura rubbed his pudgy hands together and smiled. "Houses burn down all the time. No one will ever connect me with that."
Akitada shuddered. He had no words, but his eyes never left Okura's face and he saw that the horrible smirk of satisfaction gave place to a slight frown.
"I was not so clever with Nishioka, it seems. I wondered about that when there was no news. So the nosy little weasel escaped? Tsk, tsk!" Okura grimaced. "Every one of us knew of Nishioka's weakness for walnuts. He used to munch them while he was teaching. Disgusting! Well, never mind! They'll blame it on the walnut vendor."
If only Kobe were here! Akitada asked, "And what do you plan to do about me, or Ishikawa?"
Okura chuckled. "Ishikawa is no longer a problem. I made sure he would run if he found his cell unlocked and the guard elsewhere. Money has its uses. He'll be caught again shortly, and then nothing he says to implicate anyone else will be believed. I fully expect him to be found guilty of Oe's murder. But you…" Okura fingered his mustache and studied Akitada with small bright eyes. "You are something of an inconvenience, I admit. Actually you really have no evidence, you know, and when it comes to your word against mine, I am very much afraid, my dear Sugawara, that you don't have a leg to stand on. However, as I mentioned before, I am presently engaged in some rather delicate negotiations. You could do some damage there. I am therefore prepared to make you an offer for your silence about this"- he tapped the journal in his sleeve-"and other matters. Shall we say two hundred pieces of gold, a manor with six farms and the guarantee of two promotions within the next two years?"
Akitada almost laughed out loud. The bribe was enormous, particularly for someone in his modest circumstances, but he had expected something more dramatic, like an attempt on his life. This meek offer of hush money was disappointingly anticlimactic.
"Certainly not," he said, getting to his feet. "I am afraid that you won't be in a position to keep such a bargain, because I shall take you to the police myself and lay murder charges against you. You will return the journal to me now." He extended his hand.
Okura looked up at him. "I did not take you for such a fool," he said. "Of course I shall not accompany you to the police. Neither shall I return the journal. And please remember whom you address!"
Akitada made a grab for Okura's sleeve, but the little man twisted aside deftly and jumped to his feet. "How dare you?" he squeaked.
Akitada was becoming irritated. "Listen, Okura, you are not leaving here except to walk to police headquarters. Don't make me tie you up!" He took a step towards his visitor.
"Don't touch me!" shrieked Okura, retreating. "I'll make you pay for that! Don't touch me, I say! I am under the protection of the emperor himself, and you will be very sorry tomorrow."
"Nonsense!" Akitada snapped. "You are a nobody. Your background does not justify your boasting and as soon as the world finds out that you bought first place honors, you are through. That is why you had to kill Oe and Hirata. I'm afraid it's all over!" Feeling rather silly, he made another lunge for Okura who dashed away, shrieking for help.