Saitoh was not a bastard. His parents were of a noble samurai lineage. He was, however, a cold and bitter man who's primary passion in life was law and order. He was perfectly aware that societies needed men like him, hard and dangerous men that were willing to do what had to be done to safeguard the majority.
The murders of Ranma and Misao Makimachi were an affront to his idea of law and order on several levels. There was the fact that they were a young couple just started in life and that Misao had been carrying a child. There was the fact that Misao and Ranma had both occasionally served as agents of the empire. There was the sheer existence of the murder which countermanded the law in and of itself.
But mostly, it was the cowardliness of the murder.
"The evidence," Saitoh said to his operatives. "is clear. And the accounts confirm it."
That was important as eyewitness accounts were still considered more convincing than impersonal evidence, whatever men such as him thought on that manner. He tapped out the burnt ash of his cigarette before continuing.
"Kuno and the Chinese staged several harassment attacks on the Makimachis through underlings," Saitoh said. "Including at least one instance in which Kuonji rescued the Makimachi infants from such an attack, obviously to set them up to trust her for later. This is confirmed by those of the Chinese we've found, who apparently ceased their support of their countrywoman when she killed the soon-to-be mother. I wonder what they thought she intended to do?"
He shrugged off that wondering of the thought patterns of the barbarians. The room silently waited for him to continue, knowing his reptuation for disliking unsolicited questions.
"And then the last attack," he said finally. "On Kuonji's home ground, they didn't want to face the Makimachi's and their retainers."
He had to admit, given that many of the retainers were Onwiban ninja, that that had been an intelligent move.
"The food we found was laced with a heavy sedative," he continued. "Eyewitness accounts and evidence say that Misao Makimachi tried to escape out the backway when the attack began. She was intercepted by Tendo, whom the four had apparently kept in reserve for this final effort."
Saitoh smiled darkly as he turned toward the select group of high-ranking magistrates and police investigators.
"Tendo was not capable of finishing even a drugged and pregnant Makimachi, perhaps she was hampered by a last minute flare of conscience or fear," Saitoh said, shrugging. "I imagine that they expected Tendo to finish with Makimachi in moments and be back to support the others before anybody could be drawn by the noise. Instead, the Chinese had to delay her entry to the fight to save Tendo, slicing the woman's throat from behind, as witnessed by our cloth merchant and family."
"Slowed down, the Chinese was not able to support Kuno as quickly as must have been planned," Saitoh said. "More residents in the area report Kuno being tossed out of the restaurant and followed by a stumbling Ranma. Kuonji through the fatal swing, from behind, outside her restaurant in full view of the public. The murderers then fled."
He paused and blew out a smoke ring before he continued.
"And this is where it gets interesting," Saitoh said. "The Makimachi's were just returned from a family pilgrimage. Makimachi's retainers assumed the children were with the parents, but none of the eyewitnesses report children at the murder scene, nor were any infant bodies found. The Makimachi residence was searched in a cursory manner later, one of the retainers was injured by a woman matching Kuno's description. So, what is the question?"
He gestured out toward his underlings and waited for someone to answer.
"Where are the children?" came the question firmly.
Saitoh nodded firmly and smiled.
"The Makimachi's caught on to part of the game," he said. "They safeguarded their children before returning from this pilgrimage to unstated places where they were gone for long enough that they could have gone anywhere on the main island and returned. Unfortunately, they still trusted Kuonji, and that is where they made their mistake."
"Sir," a brave fellow put forward. Saitoh arched an eye and turned to face him, waiting silently. The fierce expression gave the man pause and he hesitated.
"You have a question, Bannen," Saitoh encouraged sharply, even more impatient with those not ready to follow through than he was with those asking unsolicited questions.
"If they were so concerned," Bannen said, hesitantly. "Why didn't the woman stay behind as well? She was pregnant."
"Her condition was not so advanced that it is not inconceivable that she was not aware of it until it was too late to go back," Saitoh said. "And she was always a little reckless. It doesn't matter to the situation, however. This murder was very public, word of it has carried across the empire, by now, the Makimachi's guardian knows what happened. We know most of who it isn't, but we have yet to discover who."
"The Makimachi's avoided most of their well-known friends and allies," Saitoh said. "So we must go through and seek their less well-known acquaintances. Until we find the Makimachi's guardian."
"Why are we seeking the children?" someone asked.
"We find the children," Saitoh said. "We find the killers."
See other episodes by Thrythlind
(Posted Sun, 13 Jul 2003 17:29)
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