She blinked. “Yes, well, he is one of the major counselors. At present, he serves as Senior Secretary under the Prime Minister. He couldn’t be more influential. I thought that very interesting under the circumstances. Imagine! One of his daughters living in the Takashina mansion under a false name?”
Akitada thought of the very unpleasant interview in the Central Affairs Ministry. So Lady Ogata’s father was indeed the man he had met. He was not certain what this meant, but surely meddling in the death of Lord Soga’s daughter was not the way to gain favors from this man. He said, “That’s rather inconvenient”
His sister’s face fell. She gasped. “Oh. Was he one of the men you reported to?”
“Yes. But they claimed they had no authority in my case.”
“Not true!” Akiko got up and started pacing. “He has the grand minister’s ear. Oh, Akitada, this will not do. We must abandon the murder. It’s much too dangerous under the circumstances. And I had such hopes! How could you let this happen?”
Disappointment emanated like a physical force from her, from the flashing eyes, the clenched hands, the agitated step. Akitada felt the blame. His own shortcomings had once again robbed his sister of a triumph.
He said somewhat sarcastically, “As I said, it’s very inconvenient, especially when I just discovered that the poor woman was murdered.”
She swung around to stare at him. “You’re sure?”
“Oh, yes. The police based their verdict of suicide primarily on the fact that the body was found just above a clothing trunk. They assumed Lady Ogata had pushed the trunk under the beam, climbed up, used a length of silk to hang herself, and then stepped off the trunk.”
“And she didn’t?”
“No. There was no trunk there when the children found her. Someone, possibly the caretaker, rearranged the scene for the police.”
Her eyes narrowed. “And how did you find out?”
“I talked to the children.”
Akiko sank back on her pillow. She was a very graceful creature, Akitada noted. His other sister, Yasuko, had the prettier face, but Akiko always was the one people called beautiful and elegant.
She chewed her lower lip. “It makes no difference,” she finally said. “Let it go. We must think how to extricate you from this mess you got into again.”
“Again?”
She made a face and threw up her hands. “Again! Don’t glower like that. You are quite brilliant in most things, but you have never had the knack of making useful friends. Oh, I know you have a few friends, but they aren’t able to help you. Kosehira’s under a cloud himself, and Kobe has a hard enough time holding on to his position. They want to replace him with one of the Fujiwara youngsters. Only the fact that he controls the capital and makes them relatively safe keeps him in his place. And Nakatoshi? He’s not much more advanced than you are. There is no one to impress on the grand ministers that you have served them well.”
She was well-informed and right. But Akitada also knew that the sort of person who had the power and influence to promote a Sugawara’s interest was not the man he wished to call his friend. He did not like the way things were done and that favors were given to undeserving men because of their birth. He asked, “Is Kobe really in trouble? How can they even consider handing over the post of police chief to a Fujiwara boy simply because he’s old enough to receive a position befitting his rank?”
“They could and they have done it before. See, that’s what I mean. You don’t know what’s going on and you make no effort to learn.” She heaved a deep sigh. “If only Toshikage had more influence, but he isn’t much better than you.”
This went too far. Akitada, in his present mood, accepted blame for his own failures, but he was genuinely fond of his brother-in-law who was a generous and doting husband and the sort of cheerful person who saw only the best in everyone and everything. Akitada snapped, “Enough! I will not have you worry Toshikage with this. Let’s face it. There’s nothing to be done until they send for me. I’ve decided that I will not sit here, waiting. I’m going to look into this murder. If she is indeed Soga’s daughter and this displeases her father, so be it. Keep in mind that he may also be grateful that someone cared enough.”
Her eyes widened at his firmness. “It’s very dangerous,” she muttered.
“Ah, but I have you to help me,” he said slyly. “Surely between us we may steer this search for the killer in such a way that we don’t ruffle the great man’s feathers.”
She giggled. “I’ve seen him. He looks like a stork.”
He smiled. “Or a crane. His daughter called her home the crane pavilion.”
Akiko sat up. “Oh! I wonder.”
“What?”
“There may have been another scandal. The crane dance is part of the gosechi dancers’ performance.”
“Really?”
“Yes. What if Soga Sadako was a gosechi dancer? I bet I can find out.”
The gosechi dances were performed before the emperor by four specially chosen young girls on the second day of the dragon in the eleventh month. The entire court attended, and the young women wore feathered robes as they portrayed the dancing of celestial beings. To be chosen for this performance amounted to an immense honor and opportunity. The gosechi dancers were much sought after as brides of the most powerful and highly placed men. And this matched the story the girl Maeko had told.
Akitada said, “I believe you’re right. If she is indeed the same, her life certainly did not turn out the way her father must have imagined it.”
“Yes.” cried his sister, her eyes shining. She rose. “I’ll go right now to find out.”
And she was gone with a rustle of silken skirts, leaving her brother smiling to himself.
He recalled himself to his situation quickly, however, and sighed. Instead of lighting incense at the family altar, he went outside into the garden that Tamako had loved. The chrysanthemums were almost gone, but the maple blazed in its most brilliant red. He wandered about, imagining her beside him, picturing her face as he told her about the lady of the crane bower and how he had just gotten the better of Akiko by sending her off in search of court gossip. He could almost hear her laughter. Tamako had had a very pretty laugh. He paused and covered his face with his hands.
Oh, how he missed his wife!
21
Arrest
In the daytime, the house of the gangster boss Kanemoto looked harmless, just another small, well-kept place in the middle of a quiet neighborhood. The amusement quarter was also peaceful at this hour. After the night’s carousing, its inhabitants mostly slept or relaxed at nearby bath houses.
Tora saw no sign of life either in front or at the back of the house. Returning to the front after his inspection, he pounded on the door. There was no answer. Finally, a woman next door put her head out to glare at Tora. She shouted, “He’s left.”
Tora responded with an apology and a smile. “I had a message,” he lied, “about some emergency. Do you happen to know what’s going on?”
Her face relaxed, perhaps because even in middle age she appreciated a handsome man smiling at her. “No, but there was a lot of noise late last night with people pounding on his door. And then he was up before dawn, building something in his backyard. And right after that, he left.” She shook her head. “Not like him at all.”
Tora thanked her and walked around back again. He hoped to find some sign of what might have happened to Saburo. As he eyed the back wall of the house and studied marks in the dirt, he heard a sound. His eyes fixed on some wooden boards that had been hastily nailed up, most likely by Kanemoto himself last night. A scratching noise came from behind them.