Tamako saw his expression and stopped brushing. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Or rather, I’m worried that I may have done a cruel thing.”
Yasuko fixed him with bright, inquisitive eyes. “What did you do, honored father?”
Tamako said quickly, “It may not be any of your business, Yasuko. Run along. I’m done with your hair.”
Yasuko got up, but she was curious and not at all afraid of her father. She said, “I want to know what my honored father did. If he was cruel, then I hope I never do such a thing. But my father would never do a cruel thing, so I don’t understand.” She gave her father a melting smile. “Please allow me to stay and learn.”
Tamako cried, “Yasuko!” She looked shocked, as if her child were some sort of changeling.
Yasuko gnawed her lip, gave her father a teary look, then bowed, and turned to go.
“No, wait,” Akitada said, secretly amused by the act. “You’re quite right, Yasuko, though Master Kung Fu would be shocked at your manner. He did not consider women and children capable of understanding and disapproved of their voicing such opinions.”
Tamako flushed. “The old sages had some very old-fashioned notions about women,” she said tartly.
Akitada suppressed a smile. He had known his comment would break the impasse between Tamako’s disapproval and Yasuko’s curiosity. But he was not at all sure that a seven-year-old would understand his dilemma.
“I’ve had to dismiss Saburo for theft,” he said bluntly and waited for reactions.
Tamako cried, “For theft? Are you sure?”
Yasuko asked, “What did he take?”
Akitada explained. He directed his account to Tamako, but Yasuko listened avidly.
Tamako, dismayed, just shook her head.
Yasuko protested. “He was helping Genba. That’s a good thing, isn’t it? Don’t you want us to help others?”
“Yes, but we mustn’t do it by breaking the law.” Akitada knew that would puzzle his daughter. She would think of it as breaking a rule, while the law was a complex and profound concept. To the child, Genba was part of their family. He added lamely, “We mustn’t do so by hurting someone else. And stealing hurts someone else.”
Yasuko looked stubborn. “But the man he stole from was a bad man. You said so yourself. He beat Genba’s girlfriend. That’s breaking the law, isn’t it? Shouldn’t we stop bad men from beating women?”
Akitada sighed and looked at his wife. “Yes, Yasuko. But that is why we have laws, and we must let the police take care of such matters and not have everybody make their own rules.”
His daughter pondered this with a frown, then nodded. Brightening, she ran to the door. “I’ll talk to Saburo and explain it,” she cried and was gone.
Akitada chuckled weakly.
Tamako was still frowning. “You’ll have to see what you can do for him.”
He stiffened. “I cannot recommend a thief.”
She looked at him. “You’ll find a way.”
Akitada stared at his wife blankly, then got up to leave. “I don’t know how, but I’ll think about it,” he muttered, a little resentfully.
He went in search of Saburo, though he had no idea how to soften the dismissal. Maybe something would come to him. When he got to the room Saburo and Genba shared in the stables, he found it empty. The neat blue robe and black sash Saburo had worn in his service lay neatly folded on his bedding roll.
As he walked back to the house, he met Tora, who held Yasuko’s hand. Tora’s normally smiling face looked grim.
“You dismissed Saburo, sir?” he asked, anxious eyes searching his master’s face..
“Yes. He stole the contracts. I cannot employ a thief.”
Yasuko cried, “I explained it to Tora, Father, but he doesn’t understand.”
Tora said bitterly, “All he did was try to help Genba and his girl. And you know damned well how Tokuzo’s been treating her and the others.”
Shocked by this attack and Tora’s language, Akitada glanced at his daughter. She looked back at him, unsmiling. With some difficulty, he controlled his anger.
“Tora, I will not have you use that tone or language. Especially not in front of my daughter!”
Tora flushed. “Sorry.” He bent to Yasuko. “Leave it to me, sweetheart,” he said. “Don’t you worry, Tora will take care of Saburo. All right?”
She nodded. But she gave her father a look so filled with doubt that he was struck to the core. His own child had turned against him.
Tora was unaware of the bitter resentment that was building in Akitada’s heart. “Saburo didn’t steal the contracts,” he said in a calmer voice. “Someone else took them from Saburo after attacking him. There’s your thief.”
That might be true, but Saburo had been the first thief. Akitada said nothing and stepped past Tora to head for his study.
Tora followed uninvited. They sat down, and Akitada glowered at Tora. Apparently he was still unaware of how deeply he had offended. They had all turned against him. What ill fortune had marked this day for his entire family to oppose him as if he were an ogre? Controlling his anger with difficulty, he said, “Kobe was here. He accused me of covering up for a murderer. You know I’m engaged in a very important case concerning Lord Kosehira and the prince. I relied on Kobe’s help in that matter. The last thing I needed was for my people to get into trouble over conditions in a brothel.”
Tora raised his chin. “Genba’s important, too. And so is Saburo. What will he do now? He has no work or money. Nobody will hire him.”
“I’ve paid him his wages. How can he not have any money?”
“He gave his savings to Genba to buy out Ohiro.”
Akitada chewed his lip. They were all set on proving him in the wrong. Even Tamako had not been supportive. “What am I to tell Kobe?” he demanded.
“It seems to me,” said Tora, “that you ought to find the bastard who attacked Saburo. I bet it’s the same man Genba ran into in that alley outside Tokuzo’s place. There’s your killer. That’s the man Kobe wants.”
Akitada stared at him. “Someone tangled with Genba before the murder? Why didn’t anyone tell me about this?”
“Because you make snide remarks when we mention the Willow Quarter.”
“Tell me now.”
Tora recounted the tale of the polite stranger who had dropped an assassin’s needle Saburo was very eager to own, and that was taken from him the very next night along with the contracts.
Akitada followed the tale with frowning concentration. “Great heavens! Spies and assassins seem to roam the streets of the capital these days. What have we come to?” After a moment, he got up. “I’ll speak to Kobe again and look in on Genba. You go back to the quarter and start asking questions about that mysterious stranger. But be careful.”
Tora grinned with relief. “I’m on my way, sir.”
Genba Takes the Blame
Akitada was turned away at Kobe’s headquarters. The word was that the superintendent was not there. Since it was the middle of the day, and Akitada knew Kobe to be assiduous in his duties, he had the uncomfortable feeling it was a lie. Kobe probably had decided he wanted no further dealings with Akitada.
Only once before had Akitada been forced to humiliate himself in order to conciliate the superintendent. He had been much younger then. Now such a step was utterly unpalatable.
In a gloomy mood, he went on to the jail and asked to see Genba. Here at least the news of his offense had not arrived yet. Kiyonobu, the supervisor, knew him as Kobe’s friend and a frequent visitor in the past. Besides, he had been expecting him.
The man bowed deeply. “My Lord, I regret very much this unpleasantness. Genba and the young woman have been given every consideration. Surely you’ll have them released in no time. Perhaps even now?”