Free The Emperor's Woman by I. J. Parker

become identified with the brothel business.
    Saburo thought about the money chest, emptied of its treasures and left unlocked. It still held the contracts, probably worth a good deal if sold to other brothel owners. Worth a great deal more to the women who were forced to sell their bodies every night.
    His experiences with harlots had been painful. Most had refused him; the rest had collected the fee, submitted with a shudder, and run from the room.
    But there was Genba.
    He had no way of getting into the lower part of the building. No doubt, the greedy pair who had just left had made sure all the doors were secured.
    But on second thought, it was worth checking. He went downstairs, taking fewer precautions than before, but moving with his customary stealth.
    He made a circuit of all the doors and found them all securely locked. Only the side door closest to the kitchen had a loose hinge that might be loosened further. He considered, then set to work. His other errand could wait.
    With the help of one of his clever tools, he managed to loosen the hinge until he could lift the door up and prop it open. No one was likely to pass through the courtyard at this hour and notice the farthest door standing slightly ajar, and he would be quick, get back out, and reattach the panel.
    It was pitch dark inside, but Saburo moved by instinct and touch in the direction of the room where he had watched Tokuzo’s mother and brother. The smells in this part of the house were of sake . Here the guests were rendered drunk enough that the whores could march them upstairs. His nose eventually identified the smell of fresh candle wax and led him to the right room. Feeling for the sliding door, he found it and pushed it open. Yes, this must be it. He might have risked looking for a lamp and lighting it, but memory took him to the money chest, and touch found the papers in its bottom. He scooped them out and shoved them inside his shirt, then made his way back to the door he had left open.
    But something had changed. There was a smell he had not noticed before. He paused and sniffed. Sweat and scented oil, he decided. Odd!
    He could make out the narrow rectangle of the door. In spite of the clouded sky, the outside was lighter than the thick blackness of this hallway. It struck him that he had left it nearly closed.
    Listening, he took a cautious step forward and brushed up against fabric. When he reached out a hand to feel what it was, he touched a face.
    The next moment, the paler rectangle of the world outside disappeared, and pain exploded in his head.

The Trouble with Women
    I n the morning Akitada found Genba waiting outside his study. He was in a cheerful mood because he had just left Tamako’s rooms, where he had played with the children again. Genba’s face promised that would not last.
    “Come in, Genba,” he said, opening the door. “Is something wrong?”
    “Yes, sir.” Genba stopped in the middle of Akitada’s study, clenching and unclenching his huge hands and looking about helplessly.
    “Well, sit down.” Akitada missed his customary morning tea and the bowl of gruel. Apparently, Saburo was late. He seated himself and watched as Genba lowered his heavy frame to sit, then rearranged his body to kneel instead and touch his forehead to the floor. “Don’t do that,” Akitada said. “We’ve never been formal with each other.”
    Genba nodded and looked at his master. To Akitada’s surprise, tears, the big man’s eyes were moist. Becoming seriously concerned, Akitada pressed him now. “Come on, speak up, man! You’re beginning to worry me.”
    Genba gulped. “Sorry, sir. Saburo’s gone!”
    Akitada raised his brows. “Saburo? What do you mean?”
    “He wasn’t there when I woke this morning. He’s gone. I looked everywhere. It’s all my fault.”
    “How so?”
    “A man called Tokuzo was murdered yesterday, and the police tried to arrest me. Tora talked them out of it. I think Saburo must’ve gone there last