The Hell Screen (9 page)

“The gentleman insisted, sir.” The servant’s tone was aggrieved.

Akitada stepped fully into the room. “I am Sugawara Akitada,” he introduced himself formally, closing the door on the servant’s curiosity.

After a moment’s hesitation, Nagaoka took in his rank and came to his feet with a deep bow. He was almost as tall as Akitada, but narrow-shouldered and much thinner. “How may I serve you, my lord?”

“I came here for information about antiques,” said Akitada, seating himself, “but find instead that I may be of some use to you in your present difficulty.” At least he hoped he might. “Just now I met my old friend Superintendent Kobe outside your gate. He told me of the recent tragedy. You have my deepest sympathy on your loss.”

Nagaoka still stood, looking down at him with a dazed expression. His face contracted suddenly. “My brother ...” he said, his voice catching. “My younger brother has been arrested for murder. If you can help, I would be...” Tears suddenly spilled from his eyes. He broke off, put a shaking hand to his face, and collapsed on his cushion. “Oh, there is no help,” he sobbed. “I don’t know what to do.”

The fact that Nagaoka seemed to grieve, not for his wife who had been the victim, but for the brother who had murdered her, struck Akitada as strange. When Nagaoka finally stopped weeping and dabbed his face with a piece of tissue, Akitada said, “May I ask where the murder took place?”

Nagaoka raised reddened eyes to his. “In the Eastern Mountain Temple. They were on a pilgrimage.”

Akitada had expected it. The complexities of fate always had a way of catching him. The rains which had brought him to the Eastern Mountain Temple for the night of the murder, the old abbot’s rambling talk, the hell screen, and his frightful dreams of screaming souls had all inescapably led him to this moment in Nagaoka’s house. He felt a shiver of dread run down his spine.

He asked Nagaoka, “Why do you believe that your brother is innocent?”

Nagaoka cried, “Because I know him like myself. He is incapable of such a crime. Kojiro is the most gentle of men. Since he remembers nothing of the night and does not know how he got into my wife’s room, he should not have confessed to something he did not do.”

Akitada reflected that a loss of memory hardly constituted innocence, even if it was genuine, but he only said, “Perhaps you had better tell me his story.”

But now Nagaoka balked. “Forgive me,” he said, “but why is it that you are interested in my family troubles?”

“Not at all. I happened to spend the night at the temple and may have seen or heard something which could be of use to you and the authorities. Besides, I am fascinated by complicated legal problems and have had some luck in discovering the truth on past occasions. In fact, that is how Superintendent Kobe and I met several years ago. He was a captain then, and I served in the Ministry of Justice. I am sure he will vouch for me.” Akitada had some doubts about this, but his curiosity about the Nagaoka murder was thoroughly aroused. “Suppose you start by telling me a little about your wife and your brother.”

Nagaoka had listened with growing amazement. Now he nodded. “Yes, yes. Let me see. My brother is much younger than I, and more strongly built. He has an intelligent, cheerful look about him. Everyone takes to him right away.”

Akitada nodded. “It sounds like a young man I saw when I first arrived at the temple gate. The lady with him was veiled.”

“My wife was wearing a pale silk robe embroidered with flowers and grasses. She, too, is ... was young.”

“Quite right. They had arrived just before I did. I am afraid we did not exchange many words.”

“What a coincidence!” Nagaoka said, shaking his head. “That gown ... I had just given it to her. She died in it. When I saw her, her face was ... disfigured, but she was very beautiful.” He shuddered. “It is most kind of you to offer help. My brother and I...” His voice broke. “We are very close, and my being the elder... our father died young, and I have always felt like a father to Kojiro. This has all been most dreadful and I blame myself terribly.”

“For what?” Akitada asked, surprised, then added, “I don’t wish to pry into personal matters, but I would have expected you to be deeply grieved and shocked by the loss of your young wife. Instead you seem to be mostly troubled by your brother’s arrest.”

The antiquarian said bleakly, “Of course I am shocked by her death, but it is my brother who is alive, and he needs my help now. Besides ...” He sighed deeply. “Our marriage had become a burden to both of us. Nobuko did not love me. I think she fell in love with my brother. It was to be expected. She was only twenty-five, and I am fifty. Look at me! I am an old man, a dull fellow who deals in old things. My brother is fifteen years my junior. He writes poetry and plucks the zither in the moonlight outside his room. What young woman could resist?”

Being happily married to Tamako, Akitada could not imagine what another husband might feel when his wife sought love from his own brother. It occurred to him that Nagaoka had a strong motive for murder himself. In spite of his explanations, the man’s reactions were all wrong. A husband betrayed by both wife and brother should have been furiously, even murderously angry. But this man sounded apologetic about his wife’s faithlessness and frantic over his brother’s arrest.

Nagaoka took up his story again. “I should never have married again. At least not someone young enough to be my daughter.” He moved his thin hands helplessly. “Nobuko was very lively when she lived in her father’s home. She liked to dance and sing, and they always had young people around. I had hoped that children might fill her life, but we did not have any. I found out soon that she was unhappy with me, and so I started staying away. I claimed that my work kept me busy, but the truth is I could not bear to see her so unhappy. She only cheered up when my brother came, and I was glad.” He broke off and stared miserably at one of the scrolls on the wall.

After a moment, Akitada said, “Forgive me, but are you suggesting that your wife took your brother as a lover because she was bored?”

Nagaoka looked shocked. “Of course not. They were not lovers, though I would not have objected. But Kojiro would never betray me ... unless ...” He flushed, then said firmly, “My brother would never knowingly do anything to hurt me, any more than I would hurt him.”

“Knowingly? People don’t commit adultery unknowingly.”

Nagaoka looked away. “I do not believe it.”

Akitada, having caught the small note of doubt, coaxed gently, “But there is something?”

Nagaoka cried, “I don’t know the full truth...Neither does he! Apparently Kojiro had been drinking heavily. When he drinks he often does not remember the next day where he has been or with whom. The constables from the pleasure quarter used to bring him home senseless. It was a great worry to me, because I was afraid that his drinking would ruin him.” He sighed. “And now it has.”

“Did your brother live here?”

“No, he stayed here only for his visits. He owns a place in the country. I helped him buy it with money from our father’s estate. He has worked hard on that land and also managed Prince Atsuakira’s estate nearby.” Nagaoka clenched his hands. “Oh, what will the prince think! And why did this have to happen now?”

“What do you mean, ‘now’?”

“Kojiro had stopped drinking. He had not touched wine in over a month.” Nagaoka looked at Akitada beseechingly. “Please understand that Kojiro’s behavior at the temple was a complete surprise. His previous drinking had been because of a romantic disappointment, and he’d got over that.”

Akitada had his doubts. A man who had spent his leisure time drinking himself into a stupor in the pleasure quarter was not above drinking in a temple and assaulting his sister-in-law. But he said only, “How did he come to be at the temple with your wife?”

“It was Nobuko’s idea to worship there. She wished to make a donation and say some special prayers because she had heard that women had conceived after reciting a particular passage from one of the sutras. I thought it was all nonsense, but she... Well, I could hardly stop her. But I did not want to go myself, and Kojiro offered to be her escort.”

“I see. And how does your brother explain the condition he was found in?”

“He cannot. He swears he only drank some tea, but...”

“You suspect he is lying?”

Nagaoka fidgeted. “No, of course not, but I don’t know how to explain it. He was found reeking of wine and there was a nearly empty pitcher of some cheap wine in the room.”

Akitada nodded. “Go on. What else does he say?”

“Kojiro remembers feeling tired and sick and says he went to lie down in his room. That is the last he remembers, until the monks broke open the door of my wife’s room and found him with her... dead.”

“Then why has he confessed to the crime?”

Nagaoka clenched his hands in helpless frustration. “Because he cannot remember what happened all those other times, he thinks he must have killed her in some sort of fit. I tried to convince him to withdraw his confession. To let the police investigate further.” He grimaced. “But the superintendent came today to tell me the case was closed and not to meddle anymore, that I’d just make things worse for Kojiro. He said the evidence is so solid against him that they must get a confession, and would use force to get it. Can they really do that?”

“Probably. Confessions are encouraged with bamboo whips.”

Nagaoka cried, “But my brother is no common criminal. He is a respectable landowner. Can’t you make them wait? There must be some explanation why Kojiro was in her room. Someone may have seen something that night.”

They were interrupted by the servant. “Will you take your rice now,” he asked, “or shall I let the fire go out in the kitchen?”

Nagaoka looked at him uncomprehendingly, then said, “Rice? Is it time to eat?”

“An hour past,” said the servant, casting a resentful glance at Akitada.

“Oh, dear.” Nagaoka looked helplessly at Akitada and suddenly remembered his manners. “Forgive me, my lord. I am afraid I lost all sense of time. Will you honor me with your company for the noon rice?”

Akitada had more questions, but they could wait. He must speak to Kobe as soon as possible. The longer he delayed, the angrier Kobe would be, and he would need the superintendent’s help if he was to help Nagaoka. Rising, he thanked Nagaoka, assuring him that he would do his best on his brother’s behalf.

Nagaoka also stood up. He looked relieved, but whether he was glad to be rid of Akitada or counted on his help was not clear. Bowing deeply, he said, “My brother and I are deeply obliged to you.”

* * * *

Police headquarters occupied a city block on Konoe Avenue not far from the Imperial City. Akitada passed through the heavy, bronze-studded gate into the usual bustle in the broad courtyard. He walked to the main administration building and asked a young constable for Kobe. By great good luck, the superintendent was still there. Akitada found him in one of the eave chambers, deep in conversation with one of the jail guards. Kobe greeted Akitada with raised brows.

“Can I speak to you privately?” Akitada asked with a glance at the guard.

Kobe led him to another office, waving the occupant out. “Well?” he asked brusquely when they were alone.

“It is about the Nagaoka case.”

Kobe began to glower.

“I had no intention of meddling—I swear it—but something you said made me wonder if I might not be involved anyway.

“How so?” snapped Kobe. He had raised his voice, causing Akitada to glance nervously at the door. “What do you mean, ‘involved’? You just got back. How could you have anything to do with a local case? If this is another one of your tricks, you are wasting your time.”

“Oh, come, now,” said Akitada reasonably. “You were glad enough of my meddling the last time we worked together. I thought we had become friends.”

Kobe relented a little and lowered his voice. “Well, it looks bad when you stick your nose into police business. For one thing, it makes us look incompetent. And now that you are a private person of some standing in the government, there might be talk about undue influence.”