Read Online Black Arrow by I. J. Parker - Free Book Online Page A

brutish Chobei and his men. “Very well. But make it an inspection rather than an investigation.”
     
    ♦
     
    They returned quickly. Hitomaro was grim-faced, and Tora barely suppressed his outrage.
     
    “The inhuman bastards nearly killed them,” he snarled the moment he entered. “There’s no way those poor devils could have done it. I’ll never believe it. You’ve got to investigate, sir. It’s just common decency.”
     
    Akitada looked at Hitomaro.
     
    “Tora is right, sir. If you would take a look at Umehara and Okano, you’d see that they could not possibly be robbers. A mouse would send them scurrying. Those confessions were beaten out of them. We’ve seen their backs.”
     
    Akitada still hesitated. Uncooperative defendants often got a taste of the “green bamboo,” but both Tora and Hitomaro knew that. “Hmm,” he said. “What about the third man? The one with the knife.”
     
    “He looks worse than the others. And he never confessed. They got tired of beating him.”
     
    Tora said, “They’ll kill him, poor brute.”
     
    “Hisamatsu has already released the body for cremation. Tell me again what you found at the inn.”
     
    They did. Tora laid much emphasis on Chobei’s officious behavior and the judge’s lack of interest in the case.
     
    Akitada sighed. “Very well. Bring the prisoners to me one at a time. And tell Hamaya to come in and take notes.”
     
    ♦
     
    The first to arrive was Umehara. He was in his fifties, a skinny fellow with a large runny nose and a continuous shiver. When told that he was before the governor, he crouched on his knees and trembled so badly he could hardly support himself. His eyes were red, either from his cold or from weeping.
     
    Akitada saw that the man was on the point of physical collapse. “Get him a cup of warm wine, Tora,” he said. “Have you had your morning meal, Umehara?”
     
    The prisoner gaped at him. Someone had knocked some of his teeth out recently and his gums still bled a little. Akitada repeated his question and got a shake of the head in answer. “Can you speak?”
     
    “Yes.” It was a croak, like an old man’s, hoarse and quavery. “I don’t think I could swallow food.” He received the brimming cup of wine with trembling hands and drank, then asked timidly, “Is there good news? Have they found the real killer?”
     
    Akitada raised his brows. “No. According to the documents you have confessed to the murder of the innkeeper.”
     
    Tears rose to the man’s eyes. He trembled again. “Will there be more beatings?”
     
    “No, but it does not look good for you.” Akitada watched him sink back dejectedly and added, “I wanted to hear your story myself. From your deposition I see that you arrived in town two days before the murder. What made you choose this particular inn?”
     
    Umehara recited hopelessly, “I always stay at Sato’s. It’s cheap. I sell weaving supplies. In my line of work, you can’t afford to spend your income on high living.” He paused. “But it was different this time.”
     
    “How so?”
     
    “Old Sato was sickly, and his new wife didn’t want to be bothered with commercial travelers. When I got there, she was angry with him for giving me a lower rate. He walked away, and she told me to sleep on the kitchen floor or pay extra.”
     
    “And you slept in the kitchen?”
     
    The man nodded.
     
    “And the murder happened during the night?”
     
    “Not that night. The one after.”
     
    “Very well. What happened the next day?”
     
    “The next morning the wife left. The maid was supposed to take care of her sick master and the guests. The girl had a cold and did as little as possible.”
     
    “Yet you stayed for another night?”
     
    The wine must have given the prisoner some of his strength back because he spoke more easily now. “I didn’t mean to, but I needed a new backpack. I paid a fellow twenty coppers for one. He cheated me. There was a hole in it. But