CHAPTER 29

As they left the Yutoku-za, Hiro glanced across the street and through the gate of Chugenji. An elderly woman bowed before the shrine, in fervent prayer. Hanging lanterns illuminated her face and shoulders, rendering her features clearly visible.

Hiro spoke in Portuguese. “See the woman standing by the shrine?”

Father Mateo turned. “I do not know her.”

“Neither do I,” Hiro said in the Jesuit’s language. “I merely find it interesting that we can distinguish her features at this distance and after dark.”

“You think the . . . man who took the gold . . . might have seen the victim praying.” Father Mateo took care to use words that Yuji would not recognize.

Hiro nodded. “And that might have made the girl a target.”

The teahouse sat just half a block from the Yutoku-za. Its narrow, unassuming entrance featured an indigo noren painted with simple characters: “TEA” on one panel, “SAKE” on the other. Wooden slats covered the single window that faced the street, and the flickering light seeping out through the noren suggested a dim interior.

Hiro paused in the doorway and removed his sandals. The teahouse smelled of grilling fish, the tang of sake, and the overly grassy scent of decent, but not high-quality, tea. To his relief, he didn’t notice the stench of urine and stale food so common in lower-end establishments.

He looked at Yuji and nodded consent. With a bow, the actor led the way inside.

Past the narrow entry, the teahouse opened into a nine-mat room with wood-paneled walls and medium-grade tatami on the floor. A sliding door in the opposite wall led off to an unseen room beyond.

A pair of braziers flickered in the corners, filling the room with gentle light.

The mats on the floor gave off a feeble scent of drying grass, suggesting age, but Hiro saw no visible stains or crumbs of food.

The door across from the entrance opened, revealing an aging man in a striped kimono and pleated trousers.

“Good evening, Yuji.” He bowed, with the extra-welcoming smile that shopkeepers offered the first guests of the evening. “May I bring tea and food for your party?”

Yuji nodded. “Thank you.”

The teahouse owner bowed again and disappeared back through the door as Yuji led Hiro and Father Mateo to the corner with the best view of the entry. The actor knelt with his back to the wall and faced the entrance.

Hiro’s opinion of Yuji, not high to begin with, dropped even further.

“Do not reprimand him,” Father Mateo murmured in Portuguese, with a gesture to the brazier as if discussing the decor.

Hiro forced a smile. “He should have offered you that seat.”

“We want his cooperation.” The Jesuit knelt to Yuji’s right, with his back to the entrance.

Hiro knelt to the actor’s left and angled his body to watch the entry as well as the sliding door at the back of the room.

Father Mateo switched to Japanese. “This is a pleasant teahouse. Thank you for showing it to us.”

Yuji nodded. “Of course. The honor is mine.”

The teahouse owner returned with a tray that carried a steaming teapot, a trio of cups, and several plates of food. He set the tray before Yuji, bowed, and disappeared back through the sliding door.

The steam that rose from the teapot smelled too sharply grassy for Hiro’s taste, but he hadn’t expected a delicate tea in a business of this stature. Fortunately, the cups seemed clean, and the snacks looked good enough to excuse the less-than-average tea.

One of the plates held fried tofu, the second, thin-sliced fish, and the third, a pile of umeboshi. Hiro suppressed a smile. Father Mateo hated pickled plums. The priest had never acquired a taste for the salty, sour treat.

“May I pour you tea?” Yuji reached for the pot. “Please help yourselves to the delicacies.”

Hiro accepted a cup of tea and selected a pickled plum. He liked them, and the flavor would take the edge off the bitter drink.

After filling the teacups, Yuji said, “Thank you for agreeing to speak with me away from the house.”

Hiro nodded but did not answer.

Father Mateo had already started to drink his tea, so Yuji continued, “I admit, it surprised me to see you, since the yoriki forbade an investigation of Emi’s death.” He shook his head. “Regrettable, but also understandable, under the circumstances.”

“Which circumstances are those?” Hiro asked.

“May I speak freely?” Yuji asked. “Without consideration of social status?”

Father Mateo lowered his teacup. “No one objects to honesty.” He glanced at Hiro. “And no one will punish you for it.”

Yuji nodded. “Thank you, sir. The circumstances of which I speak relate to Emi’s behavior before her death. Women who act improperly often come to violent ends. Her death, though unfortunate, did result from her own inappropriate choices. No one else should have to bear the blame.”

“How, precisely, do ‘improper’ choices justify a woman’s death?” Father Mateo’s voice held a warning edge.

Hiro cleared his throat and switched to Portuguese. “Need I remind you of your recommendation not to provoke the suspect?”

Father Mateo frowned but nodded.

Hiro turned to Yuji. “The priest does not understand what you meant by ‘inappropriate choices.’”

“A woman who spoils her virtue has no value,” Yuji said. “A girl who meets men by the river deserves her fate.”

“Did Emi engage in such behavior?” Father Mateo asked.

“My mother said she spoke with you this morning.” Yuji selected a slice of fish. “Regrettably, I know nothing more than she has shared already.”

“We would like to hear it from you,” Hiro said.

“With respect, I cannot see why it matters, since there will be no investigation.” Yuji wore the arrogant expression of a man who believed he had made a critical point.

“We seek to return a valuable item found at the scene of Emi’s death.” Hiro helped himself to another plum. “The girl’s behavior may offer a clue to the object’s owner.”

Yuji lowered his teacup. “What kind of object?”

“Are you missing something of value?” Hiro asked.

“Of course not.” Yuji leaned back as if offended. “I merely wanted to know.”

“Unless the item belongs to you, its nature does not concern you,” Hiro said. “Now, tell us what you know of Emi and the men she met by the river.”

He duplicated Yuji’s use of the plural—men—even though Chou had mentioned only one.