everything back and close it!” Toraobeyed while Akitada resumed his reclining position against the wall, coughingweakly as Kaibara ran in with a flask and cup.
Akitada drank, croaked “Thankyou,” and allowed himself to be helped to his feet again. “Sorry,” he muttered,wiping his brow. “It must have been the way I breathed in when I looked out.What a nuisance!”
The doctor asked Kaibara, “Doyou happen to know what Lord Maro’s symptoms were before he died? I ask out ofprofessional interest.”
“I don’t know. I expect it washis age. His mind went years ago, and he would not permit anyone, not even hisson, near him. Only Hideo served him. This past summer his speech failed andfinally his body followed.” Kaibara paused and added piously, “The Buddha callsextraordinary men to him.”
Akitada was listening with halfan ear. He studied the room, its floor, walls, ceiling, windows, and door,without seeing anything out of the ordinary. Except for the crookedly fastenedblind, the room was almost too neat. Someone had taken pains to clean up afterthe old lord’s death. He was eyeing the thick tatami mats when Kaibara askedimpatiently, “Where to next, Excellency?”
Reluctantly Akitada abandonedhis train of thought. “Oh, the servants, I think. Hideo’s closest associatesand anyone who might have been near the north pavilion the night of Lord Maro’sdeath.” He cast another glance about and followed the others out.
Kaibara ordered the manor’sdomestic staff to assemble in one of the courtyards.
“Bow to his Excellency, thegovernor,” he told them. They fell to their knees. “He wishes to ask you somequestions about poor Hideo’s …”
Akitada interrupted him. “Thankyou. This will do very well. We won’t need to detain you any longer.”
Kaibara opened his mouth but,meeting Akitada’s eyes, he thought better of it, bowed, and departed.
Akitada scanned the gatheringof young and old manservants and maids, guards, cooks, and runners. Some lookedpuzzled, others hostile. He addressed them in an informal manner.
“As you may already know, yourfellow servant Hideo was found dead below the north pavilion. He must havefallen during the night Lord Maro died. I am here to find out how it happened.He served here all his life, and you all knew him. Some of you may have beenhis friends. Some may have seen him on the night of his death. And some of youmay simply have seen or heard something unusual that night. They are the ones Iwould like to speak to. The rest of you may return to your work.”
There was a buzz of excitement,and then the courtyard emptied quickly. Only four people remained: three maidsand one old man. The old man looked painfully shy and was wringing his hands nervously.Two of the women were middle-aged and haggard, staring back stupidly, butwithout fear. Akitada thought they almost looked pleased to be questioned. Thethird maid was a stocky young girl with plain broad features, bright blackeyes, and red cheeks. She was nervous, biting her lip and glancing over hershoulder as if she expected someone.
Proper protocol had to befollowed, so Akitada addressed the male first. “What is your name?”
“This person is calledKoreburo, your Excellency,” the ancient quavered, bobbing several bows.
“Well, Koreburo, what do youknow about this affair?”
“By the great Buddha,Excellency, I swear I know nothing. I’ve done nothing.” His gnarled handsknotted and unknotted, and he breathed, “Amida.”
Seeing that the man was inarticulatewith awe or fear, Akitada gentled his voice. “Calm yourself. You have nothingto fear from me.”
Koreburo took a breath andnodded.
“I see your hair has turnedwhite in the service of your master. You must be of an age with Hideo.”
“Ah,” cried the old man,sitting up a little, and raising a hand, fingers extended. “I’m five yearsolder and have served two years longer.” He waved two fingers of his other handat Akitada. “Hideo always said that he worked twice as hard, so he had reallyserved one hundred years to my fifty. But it isn’t so, Excellency. Hideo was agreat liar sometimes.”
Akitada smiled. “Only lifelongfriends talk that way to each other.”
The old man nodded, his eyessuddenly brimming with tears. “That’s the truth. We played
“Koreburo,” cried one of theolder women softly. “Remember what Master Kaibara said!”
The old man shot her anirritated glance. “Yes, yes. I’m not to talk of unimportant things, but thismight be important. Because, Excellency, the night the master died, Hideo didnot come. I waited a long time and wondered. His lordship was getting worse,and Hideo had said the end was near. And so it was, wasn’t it?”
“Yes,” said Akitada. He wasintrigued by the maid’s warning. Evidently Kaibara had anticipated his visitand cautioned the servants. He wondered what he had told them, but decided notto press the old man. “Thank you, Koreburo,” he said. “If you remember anythingelse, you must come to the tribunal.”
He turned next to the woman whohad spoken, though he expected little from her or her companion. But precedencehad to be followed here, too. “And who are you?” he asked.
“This person is called Chiyo,your Excellency.” She bowed and pointed to her companion, “Mika and me, we weresweeping the corridor and we saw Hideo. He was running from the old master’sroom and then a little while later he was running back. That’s all we saw ofhim that night, your Excellency.”
“When was that?”
The two women exchanged puzzledglances. “I can’t say, your Excellency,” the first one stammered. “It wasgetting dark outside.”
The second woman nodded. “Thebanquet was half over. They were taking in the pickled salmon and plums. Weleft then to lay out Lord Makio’s bedding.”
“Did Hideo speak to either ofyou as he passed?”
They shook their heads, and thesecond one said, “He looked so worried, I don’t think he saw us. It wasn’t hisusual time to leave his master. Maybe he was sent for.”
“No, Mika,” chided the otherone. “Don’t be stupid. We’d been cleaning the end of that corridor. If somebody’dgone to fetch Hideo, we would’ve seen him. Nobody went down that corridorexcept Hideo.”
Akitada looked at herattentively. “And later?”
They exchanged glances again. “Wewere in Lord Makio’s room then,” said the first woman.
“But,” cried Mika, “the doorwas open. I heard footsteps, and then I saw Master Kaibara going past.” She paused. “But I did wonder about the paper.”
“Mika!” said her companionreproachfully. “Don’t talk about unimportant things. Only about Hideo.”
“Sorry.” Mika put both handsover her mouth.
“Let her speak,” said Akitada.
“It’s stupid, really,”stammered Mika. “I thought Hideo must have the runs. He had a sleeve full ofpaper and he was running back to the gallery and that leads to the latrines.”
There was a stunned silence,and Mika put her hands over her face.
“You are very observant.”Akitada remembered his own visit to the convenience that night. He had not seenthe unfortunate Hideo, but that meant nothing. “If that is all, then perhapsthis young woman has something to add?”
The red-cheeked girl castanother glance over her shoulder, then bowed and said quickly, almost as if shefeared being interrupted, “This humble person is called Sumi and has served atTakata for five years. I look after the children when their parents are busywith their duties. Hideo’s grandson Toneo has been in my charge since hisparents died four years ago. The morning after Lord Maro died, very early, atdawn, Toneo came to my room and woke me. He said his grandfather had not sleptin his bed and he couldn’t find him. I got up, and we went to look for him.There was much confusion because the old lord had died during the night, butHideo was nowhere and nobody had seen him. Finally in the afternoon we went toMaster Kaibara. Master Kaibara said Hideo had been so sad that he had gone tothe mountains to pray for the old lord’s soul.”
Akitada had hoped for more thanthis. “Thank you,” he said. “I met Hideo’s grandson at the funeral. The boytold me about it.”
“Oh,” she cried. “I didn’t knowif Toneo was telling the truth. He said the governor himself would help himfind
