Death of a Doll Maker

15

When Tora returned to Hakata the day after his master’s visit to Dazaifu, he found Maeda in his office, looking stunned.

“My congratulations, Chief,” he said with a grin.

Maeda focused. “Was this your doing? No, surely not. It takes more than a clever wag from the capital to remove Okata from his chosen post.”

Tora said modestly, “As provincial inspector, it was my duty to report on conditions in Hakata. My master’s the one does the hiring and firing.”

Maeda shook his head. “Well, I thank him for his confidence, but he knows nothing about me. Surely this is not the way things should be done?”

Tora raised an eyebrow. “You disapprove?”

“Well, no. Yes, I do. He cannot have known what he was doing. Besides, this won’t work. Dazaifu makes those appointments.”

“Oh, it has already worked. My master got back from there yesterday. You’re confirmed.”

Maeda gulped. “I don’t believe it.”

Tora folded his arms across his chest and frowned. “I’ve heard better acknowledgments for favors of this magnitude.”

Maeda blushed, then chuckled. “Sorry, Tora. Of course I do appreciate your good words, and I’ll thank the governor in person. But this is pretty unheard of.”

“Oh, you’re on probation. And my master says he’s been warned Okata will try to make trouble.”

“Yes, it’s likely.” Maeda grimaced. “Well, to work then. There’s news about the Mitsui case.”

“Yes?”

“The old man was found hanged in his cell yesterday. He was about to be transferred to Tsushima. Apparently he couldn’t face it. His son had paid him a visit earlier, and all seemed quiet. The guards paid ignored him or slept, as the case may be. I’ll deal with them later.”

Tora thought about it. “It means the case really is closed,” he said.

“Oh yes. It was closed after the judge pronounced his verdict, but now we don’t even have reason to clear a possibly innocent man. The crazy thing is I feel bad about it, confession or not.”

“Well, as has been pointed out: why would an innocent man confess?”

“I wish I knew.”

They sat in silence, contemplating the vagaries of the investigation which had brought them together.

Finally Tora sighed. “What now? Any news of Yoko?”

“No. We posted notices. I have too much to do today to start talking to people again. Her husband was here this morning. The man’s frantic. I tried to tell him she might have gone off with a friend, but he swore she had no friends. Women friends, he said.” Maeda gave a snort. “Not surprising, really. Women don’t care for other women who are on the prowl for their men. I finally told the poor fool what her neighbors had been saying. He got angry and stormed out.”

“I think I’ll look in on Mrs. Kimura and the kids. Maybe she’s heard something.”

“Be my guest.”

Tora grinned. “Speaking of guests, now that you’re in receipt of a lieutenant’s salary, you can pay for the next meal at the Golden Dragon.”

Maeda burst into laughter. “Just say when.”

Tora stopped to buy some sweets from a vendor and then walked to Mrs. Kimura’s house.

He noted that Mitsui’s house was inhabited again. Laundry was draped over the rickety fence, and a large number of very grimy children were throwing stones at a mangy dog tied to a fence post. Tora waded in, slapped the boy who had just scored a painful hit, threatened the rest of the children with the same if they tormented any more animals, and untied the dog. The animal sped away, its tail between its legs. The children raised an outcry, and a fat and dirty woman came to the door, cursed Tora, and handed out a few more slaps.

Hiroshi had moved in his family.

Tora shook his head and went next door into a very different world.

He could hear them singing as he walked through the bamboo gate, the children’s voices high and clear, and old Mrs. Kimura’s slightly cracked but spirited. He smiled to himself and thought their visit to Kyushu had not been completely wasted. Of course, most of the credit for rescuing the children went to Saburo.

They greeted him with shy smiles. He held up the paper with the sweets. “I brought you something,” he said, “but I see you’ve already eaten, so I think I’ll keep these for myself.”

“Oh, no!” cried Kichiro. “We’re quite hungry. Aren’t we, Naoko?”

“Hush, Kichiro. We’re not hungry. Auntie has cooked a very good gruel for us.” She paused, her eyes on the sweets. “But we might manage a sweet.”

Tora and Mrs. Kimura laughed, and he passed his present over.

The children made him deep bows and ran outside into the garden, their cheeks bulging with the treats.

“Has something happened?” the old lady asked, eyeing Tora shrewdly.

He flashed her his big smile. “I came for the pleasure of seeing you, Mrs. Kimura.”

“Nonsense. I could see it in your face.”

Tora sobered. “As it happens, there is some news. Did you know Okata has been relieved of his post and Maeda appointed chief in his stead?”

“Oh!” she cried, clapping her hands. “That’s wonderful news! Thank you, Tora. You’ve made me very happy.” She paused. “But there’s something else?”

Tora nodded. “Your neighbor killed himself in jail.”

Her face fell. “Poor Mitsui, though he wasn’t a very nice man. His sentence was too much to bear, I suppose. That good-for-nothing son of his has already moved his family into his parents’ house. He looks very smug and goes out drinking every night. His wife fights with her neighbors, and the children are little savages. I’m still amazed that his father doted on the boy. He wasn’t a very nice child either.”

“I’m not surprised. They had a falling out before the murder, though. I think the old man must’ve berated him for gambling and losing his job. “

They went out on the veranda. Kichiro was spreading some paste on twigs with a piece of wood. He already had four or five small branches laid out along the edge of the veranda.

“What are you doing?” Tora asked.

The boy looked up. “It’s glue I made from bean paste. I put the branches into trees or shrubs. The birds get stuck on them, and I catch them. I only keep the ones that sing.”

Mrs. Kimura said softly, “It seems quite cruel. But children don’t think about such things. He tells me he learned this from a man in the market. I confess I like all those birds singing in my garden.”

Tora looked at the cages hanging from tree branches and the house eaves and listened. The birds sounded quite happy. They were singing their little hearts out. Or maybe they were mourning the loss of their freedom. He asked the boy, “How do you know where the best birds are?”

Kinchiro grinned. “I watch them. Two days ago I heard a warbler in the big cedar in the alley behind us. I was looking up into the tree, when a man digging his garden got mad and screamed at me.”

Tora smiled. “Every craft has its troubles.” He turned to Mrs. Kimura, “Any more thoughts about Yoko leaving?”

“So you haven’t found her?”

“Not yet. Maeda is posting notices. If she sees one or hears about them, she’ll show up. Or maybe her boyfriend will.”

She shook her head. “Yoko can’t read or write. And what makes you think a market porter can?”

Tora sighed. “Why is it people just disappear here? It’s weird.”

“Who else disappeared?”

“The last governor seems to have vanished.”

As he explained that the governor’s ship had not touched land since he had left, her eyes grew round. “How strange! I think I saw him the day he left Hakata. He was with two other men on horseback. It was getting dark, but one of them is quite distinctive looking with his elegant mustache and beard and those eyebrows like two small roofs above his eyes.”

Tora smiled. “Roofs?”

She moistened a finger with her tongue and drew a pair of slanting lines meeting at an apex on the boards they sat on.

“So you could see his face?”

“Just for a moment before they turned the corner.”

Given the way Lord Tachibana had left things for them, Tora did not really care. “Well, I expect he’ll turn up eventually unless the fish ate him. I’d better be on my way. Do you need money?” He saw her expression and added quickly, “What with the extra mouths to feed.”

“Thank you, but we manage quite well,” she said primly. “In fact, the children are a big help to me and I’m growing fond of them. I shall ask them to stay. I have no one else to care for.”