The Way Of The Traitor Part 9

Interpreter Iis.h.i.+no chimed in, oShow him the perimeter of the island, and Director Spaen's rooms. Maybe he'll find something you missed.

oI don't take orders from you, Ohira snapped. oAnd how dare you suggest that I'm incompetent?

Hands raised in supplication, Iis.h.i.+no grinned. oMy apologies if I offended you, but I'm only trying to help.

oWell, don't!

The chief's reaction seemed extreme, even considering how unpleasant it must be to work with Iis.h.i.+no on a regular basis. Sano knew he would worsen his already adversarial relations.h.i.+p with Ohira if he took Iis.h.i.+no's side, but he did intend to examine the areas the interpreter had suggested.

oInterpreter Iis.h.i.+no, wait for me at Spaen's quarters, Sano said. oI'll meet you there after Chief Ohira shows me the perimeter.

His attempt to defuse the conflict sent Iis.h.i.+no bustling off toward the main street, but didn't pacify Ohira, who told the guards to close the water gates, then stalked away.

Sano followed. oWould last night's storm have interfered with security on Des.h.i.+ma?

Ohira gazed straight ahead as they followed a path that ran between high fences along the islands outer curve. oI maintain strict control over Des.h.i.+ma. The weather does not interfere with it.

Something must have, Sano thought. He saw no scratches on the fences' smooth, weathered boards, or anything caught on the spikes to suggest that a man had climbed over them. He wondered if Ohira's defensiveness indicated mere resentment of a challenge to his authority, or guilt. What had really happened on Des.h.i.+ma last night?

oWhen and where was Director Spaen last seen? Sano asked as he and Ohira turned the corner and moved down the islands west side.

oAt midnight. When the guards inspected his room, he was there. They locked him in.

Regardless of how Spaen had gotten out of his room, he could have been gone for hours before anyone discovered him missing. oYou must be well acquainted with Director Spaen by now. Have you any idea where he went when he left Des.h.i.+ma?

Halting abruptly, Chief Ohira faced Sano. oI don't fraternize with the Dutch. Fury whitened his nostrils. oI don't break the laws. And if I knew anything about Spaen's murder, I can a.s.sure you I would have said so.

Sano's doubts about Ohira increased. If the chief was as blameless as he claimed, wouldn't he be eager to cooperate with Sano? Stress sometimes affected people in odd ways, yet Sano couldn't trust someone so antagonistic.

oI'll speak to your staff, he said, oand see what they know about last nights events.

An unhealthy sweat glistened on Ohira's face, as if from a febrile illness. oI can a.s.sure you that I've already questioned all the guards, servants, and interpreters. He glared at Sano. oNo one saw, heard, or knows anything. They're all trustworthy; you can believe they're telling the truth.

Sano believed that subordinates often knew things they didn't tell their superiors, but he didn't argue. Ohira couldn't deny him access to Des.h.i.+ma's staff, and the chief knew it. oLet's finish inspecting the perimeter, shall we?

This they did, to no avail, then returned to the main street. oAre you satisfied? Ohira asked, a gleam of righteous vindication in his eyes.

oFor now. I'll examine Director Spaen's quarters next.

oThis way, Ssakan-sama, this way, Iis.h.i.+no called from outside one of the houses. He led them up a flight of stairs to the balcony and slid open the door.

The first thing Sano noticed when he entered the dim chamber was the rancid odor of barbarian. He opened the four shuttered windows "two overlooking the street, two above the rear garden "and noted the intact bars.

oWe already checked those, Chief Ohira said from the doorway, where he stood with his arms folded.

This finding, combined with his observations on the rest of the island, forced Sano to conclude that if Director Spaen had escaped Des.h.i.+ma without leaving a trace, he must have had help from someone on the j.a.panese staff. Had that person killed him, too? Temporarily postponing speculation on this dangerous subject, Sano observed the room's unusual features.

In one corner, a quilt-covered futon sat upon a low wooden platform. So it was true that barbarians didn't sleep on the floor. A long-legged table held a carved ivory pipe and leather tobacco pouch, an oil lamp, a ceramic water jug and basin, and a crumpled rag "evidence that barbarians did bathe occasionally. Sano examined the straight razor, and a comb with yellow hairs caught in it. The mirror above the table reflected with amazing clarity his own surprised face. A flat, round gold case on a chain contained a miniature version of Governor Nagai's clock. Sano opened the cabinet that stood against the opposite wall.

Inside hung dark cloaks, trousers, and surcoats, and white s.h.i.+rts. A rack above held two broad-brimmed black hats. Below stood a pair of s.h.i.+ny black leather shoes. A chest beside the cabinet held black stockings and peculiar white pants, s.h.i.+rts, caps, and robes that Sano guessed were barbarian underwear and nightclothes and, oddly, three short lengths of rope, kinked and frayed as if once knotted.

oWhy are these ropes here? Sano asked his companions. oIs anything missing?

From the doorway, Ohira made an irritated sound. Interpreter Iis.h.i.+no shrugged and said, oBarbarians have strange customs. He pawed through Director Spaen's apparel. oAll here except for one suit of clothes, which he must have been wearing when he left.

So Jan Spaen had either planned a short absence, or had preferred to travel light. oWhat's in there? Sano asked, indicating a door in the room's interior wall.

Iis.h.i.+no opened it and the windows in the adjoining chamber. oDirector Spaen's office.

To Sano, accustomed to the bare austerity of j.a.panese rooms, the office seemed very full and cluttered. Papers littered a high desk; goose feathers with ink-stained tips served as writing implements. Ledgers stood piled around an open iron chest. Sano lifted the stiff leather cover of one volume and saw columns of scrawl. He examined the long-necked stringed musical instrument that leaned against the wall, and the high wooden seat whose back looked like a section of a ladder. He studied the strange objects on the windowsill, the materials mounted on the wall above the desk "and realized that, knowing little of Dutch culture, he could scarcely hope to glean information about Jan Spaen's character and motives from his possessions.

oTell me what these things are, Sano said to Iis.h.i.+no. Chief Ohira had walked to the window, where he gazed down at the garden.

oThis is Director Spaen's lute, Iis.h.i.+no said, tapping the musical instrument. oHe played very well, and sang and danced, too. When he went to Edo to pay homage to the shogun, His Excellency was very impressed with his talent, very impressed.

Hurrying to the windowsill, Iis.h.i.+no held up a stack of cards with a colored picture of a female barbarian on one side and strange symbols on the other; two long, curved, pointed teeth; and a leathery conical object.

oDutch playing cards "Director Spaen liked to gamble "tiger fangs, from India, and a rhinoceros horn from Africa. He was a great hunter. The interpreter's eyes misted with regretful admiration. He pointed at the wall above the desk. oMaps of the world, the whole world, with all the trade routes marked. These pins show the places Director Spaen had been. Iis.h.i.+no touched each one. oj.a.pan, China, Taiwan, Korea, India, Indonesia, Africa, and all over Europe.

The maps were beautifully rendered in colored inks, with foreign script designating nations and cities. Sano, never having seen a map of the entire world before, felt a stab of surprise at how tiny j.a.pan looked. How insignificant the Tokugawa empire must seem to the barbarians!

oThis is Piet Hein, Iis.h.i.+no said, tapping a black-and-white drawing of a mustached barbarian. oHe captured the Spanish silver fleet. Director Spaen admired him very much, very much. He said Hein inspired him to join the East India Company and fight his own battles for wealth. And this is a painting of a teahouse in Leyden, Director Spaen's home city.

Surrounded by a gilt frame, the miniature painting depicted a group of laughing male barbarians who toasted one another, played cards and musical instruments, or fondled huge-bosomed female barbarians, while dogs and fowl scampered underfoot. The work seemed vulgar and overcolored compared to j.a.panese prints, but the realism was stunning. One could almost step into the scene.

oIs anything missing from this room? Sano asked.

oNot that I can tell.

oWhat do these papers say? Preferring to interpret evidence himself, Sano hated the ignorance that left him dependent on another man's knowledge.

Iis.h.i.+no riffled the papers on the desk. oThese are Director Spaen's calculations of profits on the sale of Dutch goods. He had to bring the accounts up to date before leaving j.a.pan on the s.h.i.+p that just arrived. Another trader will take his place on Des.h.i.+ma, along with a new staff. None of the Dutch are allowed to stay more than two years, two years. Otherwise, they might get too friendly with j.a.panese citizens.

oThe most recent sale of goods was a year ago, when the last s.h.i.+p came, wasn't it? At Iis.h.i.+no's nod, Sano asked, oThen why did Director Spaen wait so long to prepare the accounts?

For some reason, this seemed to bother Iis.h.i.+no, who dropped his gaze and sidled away from Sano. Chief Ohira spoke from the window. oThe barbarians are not as diligent as the j.a.panese, ssakan-sama. I can a.s.sure you that Spaen's procrastination was not unusual behavior for a lazy Dutchman, and can hardly have any bearing on his death. Sarcasm edged Ohira's voice. oHave you seen enough yet?

Sano could have pointed out that traveling around the world and making a fortune in international trade belied Dutch laziness. Iis.h.i.+no's and Ohira's responses to an innocuous question intrigued him. But he had yet to discover how this trader, musician, gambler, warrior, and hunter had escaped, where he'd gone, or who had killed him. There were no weapons, blood, signs of a struggle, or any other evidence of murder in these rooms or any other place he'd so far inspected on Des.h.i.+ma.

oI'll see the barbarians now, Sano told Ohira, unable to put it off any longer.

Chapter 7.

INTERPRETER IIs.h.i.+NO AND Chief Ohira led Sano down the main street of Des.h.i.+ma, under mellow sunlight that had warmed the air with the deepening afternoon. oWhat are the names of the two barbarians presently on the island? Sano asked.

oa.s.sistant Trade Director Maarten deGraeff, Chief Ohira said, oand Nicolaes Huygens, s.h.i.+p surgeon.