Death of a Doll Maker Read Online Free PDF

have the money to move an entire household by ship to a distant island and back when his term expired.
    Four years!
    “Whom will you take?’ she had asked tonelessly.
    How could he deprive her of the protection Tora, Genba, and Saburo provided? Besides, both Tora and Genba had their own families now.
    “Perhaps I’d better go alone.”
    “No,” she had said quickly, turning. “How would it look? You must take Tora and Saburo at least. And perhaps you can get some youngster to be your page.”
    “I don’t know. How will you manage with just Genba?”
    “I shall manage. When you’re not here, we live very simply and rarely have guests. Besides there’s your sister. Their household is quite large. They will surely spare me some servants if I need them.”
    “Yes. That’s good. She’ll be by your side when the child is born.” He had turned away from her because grief had seized him for a moment, grief that he would not see the newborn, or worse, that he would lose Tamako.
    Even here and now, on the hard floor in this godforsaken tribunal, his eyes filled with tears and he wept at his loss, real and imaginary.
    Tamako had put her hand on his arm. “My poor husband,” she had said half-teasingly. “I’m making this very hard for you. We must be patient about the things we cannot change, and good may come of this in time. Have faith in yourself and in me.”
    Overcome with love, he had held her for a moment, then left to talk to the others.
    And so the matter was settled, and their lives had changed forever.

4
    THE DOLL MAKERS
    A kitada slept quite well in the end and woke refreshed. It was another clear spring day. The doors to the outside opened onto a small graveled courtyard. From the narrow veranda, he could see over the tribunal roofs to mountains where the dark green of evergreens mingled with the fresh, bright foliage of new leaves.
    His new post no longer seemed quite so discouraging. He was filled with a great energy to get to the bottom of the mystery and set things in order. He would be as good a governor as he could be.
    Both Tora and Saburo were gone, and he went looking for them. Tora stood in front of the residence, talking with a messenger. He sounded angry, and the messenger threw up his hands, jumped on his horse and rode off. Tora cursed loudly and volubly after him. In the light of the sunny morning, Akitada was amused.
    “What’s the matter, Tora?” he called out.
    Tora turned, his white teeth flashing in his handsome face. “Oh, good morning, sir,” he shouted back. “Just a cursed messenger from that police chief in Hakata. Really, someone needs to teach those yokels who has the authority here.”
    “Ssh! Not so loud. No need to make enemies before we get started.”
    Tora loped over. “This reminds me of Echigo, sir. They don’t want us here.”
    “Hmm.”
    Tora had a point. Echigo had been the province where governors had taken to their heels in a shower of arrows dispatched by the local warlord. Akitada had arrived as a young vice governor and faced incredible difficulties. There like here, he had been without funds, living quarters, staff, or cooperation. But he was older now and more experienced. Besides this was Kyushu. There were no warlords here. He explained this to Tora, then asked, “What did the messenger want?”
    “Okata can’t be bothered to find the thieves who stripped this place. It seems he’s got a murder to investigate.” Tora’s voice dripped with sarcasm.
    “Really? Hmm. While I’m paying my respects to the Assistant Governor General, you ride into Hakata and give the police chief a hand with his murder. I bet you’ll get some cooperation from him then.”
    *
    Tora left Saburo in charge and took one of the horses they had come on. In Hakata, he asked directions to police headquarters. He found them to be nearly the size of the provincial tribunal, well staffed, and busy. The constables eyed him suspiciously when he asked for Captain Okata.
    “Not