The Hell Screen (41 page)

As he walked, he thought of a third reason. His hungry imagination conjured up the memory of Miss Plumblossom eating. A woman with such an appetite might offer a leftover morsel to a starving man.

Miss Plumblossom was indeed just finishing her meal. Seated on her thronelike chair, she eyed the tray held by the scarred maid regretfully and dabbed her lips. “Take the rest away, my dear. That was quite delicious, but Mr. Oishi is waiting for his wrestling lesson and too much food makes me sluggish.”

The doorkeeper being absent, Tora had slipped in unnoticed. Mr. Oishi, a very large, blubbery figure already stripped to his loincloth, was waiting anxiously for his lesson, and the maid walked away with the tray.

Seeing his meal disappearing, Tora shouted, “Wait!” Six astonished eyes turned toward him. Then disaster struck. The maid shrieked and dropped the food. Tora cursed, rushed up, and was met by Miss Plumblossom’s heel placed squarely and violently in his groin, which was still sore from the kick by the dwarf. Miss Plumblossom packed quite a different force from the tiny old man. Tora shrieked and fell backward, writhing with pain. Almost instantly a crushing weight landed on his body, choking off his second scream. He mercifully lost consciousness.

* * * *

Akitada was in Kobe’s office reporting Nagaoka’s disappearance when a sergeant walked in to announce that the “slasher” had been captured.

Kobe rose excitedly. “Well, I hope it’s good news this time!” he cried. “We’ve tried to catch that monster for months now.”

Akitada was not pleased by the interruption but asked politely, “A dangerous criminal?”

“So far he’s only preyed on prostitutes and loose women in the quarter of the untouchables, but you never know. Six dead that we know of.” He turned to the sergeant, who stood waiting. “How did you catch him? In the act, I hope?”

The sergeant looked embarrassed. “Er, sort of,” he mumbled. “Actually...”

“What? Speak up, man! It could mean special recognition for one of our guys.”

“Er,” stammered the sergeant, “it wasn’t one of our men that caught him, sir. It was a female.”

Kobe stared. “A female? You mean one of the whores fought back? Good for her!”

“Not really, sir. It was Miss Plumblossom.”

“The idiot attacked Miss Plumblossom?”

Akitada chuckled. Kobe looked at him suspiciously. “You know her?”

“Only from what my men told me. If it is the same woman, she is a character, a former acrobat who runs a training hall.”

Kobe nodded glumly. “The same. Not the easiest person in the world to deal with. She’s forever complaining about us. Well, I suppose I had better face the dragon. Do you want to come?”

Akitada hesitated. “Can we discuss the Nagaoka case on the way?”

“Nothing to discuss, but if you must.”

Akitada bit his lip. “In that case, I will come. If Kojiro does not know where his brother has gone, there may be trouble.”

“The man’s not accountable to his brother. Besides, I warned him away.”

They walked out of the administrative hall of the prison and crossed the courtyard, where a contingent of constables was practicing with weighted steel chains and
jitte,
iron prongs designed to deflect swords.

“Nagaoka has been gone too long,” Akitada urged. “And he carried money.”

Kobe considered it. “I suppose Nagaoka could be behind the murder. If so, he has by now disappeared into the mountains.”

“Will you let me help you find him?”

Kobe stopped and looked at Akitada. “Where would you go? What do you know?”

“Nothing I have not told you. But there are obvious places to ask questions. The servant said he was dressed for a journey. Boots, quilted robe, a bag, and possibly a short sword.”

“Let me think about it.”

They resumed their rapid pace and were approaching the eastern market. In spite of the cold weather, crowds of shoppers were coming and going, casting curious or nervous glances at the red-coated police constables who were preceding the two officials.

“A sword, eh?” Kobe pondered. “He didn’t strike me as the type.”

“If he carried all the money he got from selling his possessions, he would take a weapon. The roads are not safe.”

“No. But where would you look?”

“His brother’s farm is an hour’s ride from the capital. So is the home of his late wife.”

“Hmm. I don’t see the point of going there.” Kobe turned to his sergeant to discuss the case of the slasher and ignored Akitada until they arrived at Miss Plumblossom’s establishment.

Inside, Akitada looked around curiously. The place reminded him of another training hall, in faraway Kazusa province, though this one was far larger and better equipped. But the memory brought sadness and he put it from his mind. The proprietress awaited them seated in a chair on the dais at the end of the hall, in the company of a very fat young man and a young woman who hid behind a fan.

Since chairs were by no means common—in fact, not even the emperor used such a piece of furniture—Akitada stared in surprise. If it had not been for the elaborate coils of shiny black hair trimmed with red ribbons and the chalk-white face with heavy “moth” eyebrows painted somewhere high above the kohl-rimmed eyes, he would have taken Miss Plumblossom for a fat abbot of a Buddhist monastery.

“Well, if it isn’t the superintendent himself!” fluted the lady in the chair. “How very gratifying!”

“How do you do, Miss Plumblossom,” said Kobe, stiff-faced. “Now, where is this man you suspect of being the slasher?”

The painted eyebrows rose another inch. “Tsk. Tsk. Superintendent. Is that mannerly? Surely there is no need to be so abrupt, seeing that I have saved the police months, maybe years of trouble, by catching the monster.”

“Madam,” snapped Kobe, “I have little time to waste. Let me see the fellow now. We have absolutely no proof that you have the right man.”

“Ah! But I have. Identified by his victim, Superintendent. When he was about to attack her again.”

Kobe glanced at the young woman with the averted face. “If I recall, last time I spoke with her, your maid said she could not describe her attacker. She said it was too dark and she passed out. How, then, can she be sure now?”

“She knew him, all right. The monster grabbed her again. The other night, right outside my establishment. Out in the alley. Meant to kill her this time, no doubt, to keep her from identifying him. We would have caught him then, but it was dark and he got away.”

Kobe muttered something that sounded like a curse. Miss Plumblossom’s eyebrows climbed again and she pursed her red lips disapprovingly.

“If he got away,” Kobe said with forced patience, “how is it that you have him now?”

“Hah! The fool made another attempt in broad daylight, thinking he hadn’t been recognized. Walked right in here, bold as brass. Poor Yukiyo happened to be with me.” Miss Plumblossom put a pudgy hand on the head of the young woman, who seemed to shrink into herself. “Yukiyo’s eyes almost popped out, she dropped the dishes and screamed so loud the tiles rattled on the roof. That’s when the animal rushed forward to wring her neck, but I kicked him in the jewels. Appropriate, don’t you think?”

Kobe grimaced. “Ouch!”

“Well, of course that brought him to his knees. Then Mr. Oishi here, who was waiting for his wrestling lesson, jumped on top of him, and flattened him out proper. We tied him up and threw him in the back room. I doubt he’ll give you any trouble, but you’ll have to carry him back.”

“All right, let’s have a look at him!” Kobe’s impatience carried him in the direction of the door behind the dais, but Miss Plumblossom stopped him.

“A moment, Superintendent!” she cried, rising majestically from her chair.

He paused, and she preceded him to the door. Willy-nilly the superintendent of the capital police and a highly entertained Akitada followed a mere female, famed acrobat though she was. The constables and Mr. Oishi pressed after them.

Because Miss Plumblossom’s bulk and the broad shoulders of Kobe blocked Akitada’s view of the captured criminal, his first inkling that something was amiss was Kobe’s indrawn breath and the words, “But that’s ...” before he stepped aside for Akitada to see the bound man on the floor. The shock of recognition propelled Akitada forward. Pushing both Kobe and Miss Plumblossom rudely aside, he fell down on his knees beside Tora.

Tora was conscious, his face white and glistening with perspiration. “Thank heaven, sir,” he whispered. “Take me home.”

Akitada touched Tora’s face and found it ice-cold. He used a sleeve to dab gently at the beads of sweat. “Yes, of course.” He looked up at Kobe. “I want him untied. Tora was working for me. I trust you remember him?” When Kobe nodded, he went on, “The women have made a terrible mistake. Tora may be badly injured and needs a doctor immediately—if there is a decent one available in this neighborhood. And then perhaps an oxcart to take him home. I will pay the costs.” He turned back to Tora and, tugging at the knots in the rope which tied his hands, asked, “How badly are you hurt, do you think?”

“Don’t know. My ribs. Can’t breathe well.” Tora paused, took a careful breath, and added, “That fiend of a woman kicked me in the groin. The second kick today.” He closed his eyes. A tear escaped and slowly trickled down the side of his face. Akitada, sick with worry, tossed aside the rope and dabbed Tora’s face again.

Kobe finished untying Tora’s feet and then confronted a very nervous Miss Plumblossom. “Well, it looks like you put your foot in it properly this time, madam,” he growled. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

Miss Plumblossom stammered, “B-but he
was
attacking Yukiyo right in front of us. We saw him. Didn’t we, Mr. Oishi?”

“Well,” said Mr. Oishi, with a voice surprisingly high for a man of his bulk, “he was certainly walking fast. When you kicked him, I naturally assumed he meant you harm. Else why would you do such a thing?”

“Quite right.” Miss Plumblossom nodded. “I was provoked into a defensive action. The law permits me to protect myself and members of my family. I know my rights, because I had a learned man read my license to me.”

“Get the doctor!” Akitada was on his feet, glaring at her, furious at the delay. “He is in pain and may have suffered permanent damage. We can unravel the tale later.”

Miss Plumblossom flushed and offered timidly, “I have some knowledge of treating injuries. I’ll take a look at him.”

“No!” Tora gasped, wild-eyed. “Keep the fiend away from me! Get Seimei!”

Akitada laid a soothing hand on Tora’s wrist. “Seimei is too far away. You need some help now, and then we’ll take you home.” Turning back to Miss Plumblossom, he demanded, “Who is the best doctor hereabouts? Quick, woman, before I lose my temper completely and lay charges for your arrest! You are clearly a menace who should never have been licensed in the first place.”

Miss Plumblossom shrank back before his flashing eyes. “The Temple of the Twelve Divine Generals is just around the corner. One of the monks there practices healing. But he’s getting old—”

Akitada told one of the constables, “Get the man!” The constable looked at Kobe, who nodded.

“Tell him to bring ice!” cried Miss Plumblossom after him, adding for Akitada’s benefit, “To bring down the swelling of the jewels.”

Tora groaned and turned his face away. Akitada knelt back down by his side. “My poor fellow. I am so sorry. I suppose you were looking for that girl. Gold, was it?”

Tora nodded.

“I should not have spoken to you the way I did yesterday. Please accept my apologies.”