Nagaoka was in his study, sitting behind his desk much as the day before, except that he was busy inspecting an object in a wooden box. When he saw Akitada, he rose and invited him to sit. There was something cool and formal about his manner which told Akitada that he was not really welcome.
“I apologize for another unannounced visit,” said Akitada, taking the offered seat, “but there is something I forgot to ask you. I hope I do not intrude?”
Nagaoka sat also and pushed the open box aside. “Not at all, my lord,” he murmured formally. “May I offer you some refreshments?”
Having left without his morning rice, Akitada became aware of feeling ravenously hungry, but in the present chill ambiance he decided against accepting hospitality. “Thank you, no.”
A brief silence fell. Nagaoka apparently had no wish to discuss the murder. Akitada was puzzled and wondered what had brought about the change. He glanced at the box. “Have I interrupted your work?”
“I was merely looking at an antique I may sell. Are you interested in theatrical performances?” He tipped the box toward Akitada, who suppressed a gasp.
His first shocked impression was of a man’s severed head. From the brocade folds surrounding it, a human face glared back at him. Disconcertingly, the disembodied head appeared alive. The forehead was wrinkled in a deep frown, bushy eyebrows nearly meeting above a large hooked nose, and the thick lips were compressed in a scowl. Fathomless black eyes stared angrily at Akitada. The head wore a folded cap resembling formal court hats, but the face was demonic rather than human.
Nagaoka’s dry voice cut through the blur of Akitada’s confusion. “A very fine specimen, don’t you think?” His eyes lingered on the mask with an intent, almost passionate expression.
“Er, yes. Very lifelike. What precisely is it?”
“Oh, a bugaku mask. Quite old. Either Chinese or Korean in origin. It represents one of the Indian characters in a Buddhist play.”
A mask for a dancer! Akitada reached across and lifted it from the box. He saw now that it was the hollow wood carving of the face and top of the head only. The ribbons with which the performer tied it on dangled from its edges. The mask’s cap was really quite different in style from those worn at court, and the large hooked nose was definitely foreign. But the workmanship was masterful and it was painted in lifelike colors. The piercing eyes were holes through which the actor looked during a performance.
Bugaku dances were much admired at court and occasionally put on by great nobles to entertain the emperor and his family. A connection of this mask to the Imperial Treasury was quite possible. To be sure, no mask was mentioned on Toshikage’s list, but perhaps this was a more recent theft.
“Is it valuable?” he asked Nagaoka.
Nagaoka pursed his lips. “It is almost certainly two hundred years old and in excellent condition. Yes. I would think for a collector or someone wishing to make a present to a great man or to a temple it might well be worth twenty rolls of brocade.” He looked down at his hands, adding, “However, I do not expect an offer of that size.”
“How do you come by rare objects like this?”
“Usually someone needs money and unearths something from the family treasure-house. Sometimes, more rarely, it is an import from Korea.”
“And this?”
Nagaoka met his eyes with a hooded glance. “Part of my reputation, my lord, rests on the absolute confidentiality with which I transact business.”
“Of course. But do you not wonder if such a precious object might really belong to the person selling it?”
Nagaoka smiled thinly. “I make certain. Besides, the buyer usually asks about the provenance. It adds to the value of the piece.”
Akitada raised his brows. “What about the confidentiality, then?”
The smile widened a fraction. “It may be said to be confined to six ears only.”
Akitada thought for a moment, then fished Toshikage’s list from his sash. Handing it to Nagaoka, he said, “This does not involve a sale, so I hope the matter will be confined to only you and me. These items have been removed from a collection illegally and may have been offered for sale during the past month. Can you give me any information about such a transaction involving any or all of the items listed?”
Nagaoka stared at him a moment, then read the list. Frowning, he reread it, then looked at Akitada with a strange expression on his face. “You say these things were stolen?”
Akitada shook his head. “They were stolen only if they are being offered for sale. Otherwise they have merely been removed without permission.”
“Ah.” Nagaoka returned the list. His fingers shook slightly. “I am happy to say that I have no news to give you. Indeed, if they have been stolen, then someone has committed a sacrilege of the most serious nature. Such things would not be offered for sale to a reputable dealer like myself. Handling the transaction and being in possession of any one of the objects could mean death or deportation. I would most certainly report any rumors circulating among my colleagues, as I trust would they.”
Akitada nodded. He was only mildly surprised that Nagaoka had recognized the origin of the objects. A man of his experience would certainly know what was contained in the Imperial Treasury. “Thank you. I thought so, but needed confirmation. What about taking the goods out of the capital and selling them in a distant province, or even in Korea?”
Nagaoka thought. “It is possible, but dangerous. You would have to assume in the first case that the thief has a buyer in mind who is already disloyal to His Majesty and is willing to pay a great deal to possess such goods. Such a man needs to be very secure in his position.”
Akitada looked at Nagaoka with new respect. The man was extraordinarily shrewd. Perhaps his profession had taught him a great deal about the secret desires of the powerful. “And in the second instance?” he asked.
“The thief would have to approach one of the foreign traders either here or at the port city of Naniwa. We have not had any trade ships arrive from Korea in over a year and none are expected to leave for there, since there has been a cooling of relations between our countries. This has been very bad for men of my profession, but it almost certainly means that such objects would not be offered to Korean merchants. They could not leave the country and, as I said, possessing them is dangerous.”
“Yes. I think you are quite right. Thank you. Do you yourself travel a great deal in your business?”
“Not often nowadays.”
Silence fell. Akitada wondered how to introduce the subject of the brother, when Nagaoka cleared his throat and said, “It was very kind of you, my lord, to take an interest in my family affairs the other day, but I hope you will not trouble yourself further on my unfortunate brother’s behalf.”
“Oh? You have had reassuring news, then? The police have another suspect, perhaps?”
Nagaoka did not meet his eyes. “Not precisely. Forgive me. I am not at liberty to discuss the case with anyone, but I have hopes the matter will be resolved soon.”
Now what had happened? Akitada hesitated, then asked the question which had troubled him all along. “I don’t suppose there is any question in your mind about the victim’s identity?”
Nagaoka stared at him dumfounded. “Of course not. I recognized my wife immediately.”
So that eliminated Akitada’s suspicion that the corpse was someone else!
Nagaoka looked miserable, but somehow Akitada did not think it was grief which had him so downcast today. Had Kobe threatened him? Or was there another, deeper reason? Had he decided it was too dangerous to have Akitada poke his nose into his family affairs? Either way the message was clear. Akitada was to stay out of the business.