Part 10 (2/2)

oWhat did you and your comrades do after the meal?

oI went to my chambers, and a.s.sumed the others went to theirs. It was the usual routine. There was a bad storm, so I stayed in all night.

Even without understanding Dutch, Sano couldn't mistake the barbarian's weary, rehea.r.s.ed tone: DeGraeff must have answered these same questions many times. oDid you see or hear anything unusual outside?

oNothing except the rain and thunder.

oDid you know Director Spaen had left Des.h.i.+ma, or where he was going?

oNo, he didn't tell me, Iis.h.i.+no translated as deGraeff leaned his head on his bony hand.

oHow long had you known Director Spaen? Sano asked, oand what was your relations.h.i.+p with him?

The barbarian spoke, eyes devoid of emotion. oThey met ten years ago, in Batavia, Indonesia, Iis.h.i.+no said. oDeGraeff was a clerk for the East India Company, and Spaen was an a.s.sistant trade director then. They traded European goods for spices, then sold the spices around the world. The company was pleased with their profits. They were promoted and a.s.signed to j.a.pan.

oWere you and Spaen on friendly terms?

DeGraeff's smile bordered on a sneer. Beneath his courtesy, Sano detected a harsh, uncompromising nature, an antipathy toward people in general. oOf course. Otherwise, we wouldn't have asked the company to keep us together when we left Indonesia.

oWhat is ~private trade'? Sano asked.

If this question surprised deGraeff, he didn't show it. His gaze remained steady, his body still. oEast India Company agents often buy and sell goods independently when they go on voyages, financing the ventures themselves. That is private trade.

oYou use your employer's s.h.i.+ps to transport these goods and it's trade networks to distribute them? Free of charge, while competing with the company? To Sano, this sounded highly dubious, if not illegal: oDoesn't this violate it's monopoly on East Indies trade?

oWe must compensate ourselves for the low salaries the company pays us.

Now Sano saw a possible motive for Spaen's murder. oDid you and Director Spaen profit from your private trade?

This time the barbarian paused between Iis.h.i.+no's translation and his own reply, though his expression didn't change. oYes. But I don't see why it concerns you. j.a.pan has no law against Dutch private trade. Your merchants don't care whether they deal with the company or with individuals. And your shogun doesn't care either, as long as he collects his share of the revenue.

oWho inherits Jan Spaen's share of the profits? Already guessing the answer, Sano moved closer to deGraeff.

A flicker of emotion momentarily broke the barbarian's gaze. oI do. I was his partner; he had no family.

Sano stopped as near deGraeff as the man's foul odor would allow. oIs that why you killed him? For the money?

DeGraeff shot out of his chair. oI didn't kill Spaen! Gone was his spurious courtesy; anger flushed his cheeks.

oSit! Sano ordered. Alarmed and frightened, he held his ground against the towering barbarian. oYou admit you broke your country's law for the sake of profit. Why would you stop short of murder?

With a sigh of exasperation, deGraeff sat, crossed his legs, and folded his arms. He looked at the ceiling instead of at Sano or Iis.h.i.+no when he spoke. oJan Spaen had only ten thousand koban to his name. He liked women and gambling. He speculated on ventures that didn't always work out. He was better at spending than saving. I had more to gain by continuing our partners.h.i.+p than by killing Spaen for such a paltry sum. Now, may I please return to my work? The guards tell me the s.h.i.+p has arrived. There's much to be done, and Spaen's death has left it all to me.

Sano didn't consider ten thousand koban paltry; in j.a.pan, it could keep a man in comfort for a lifetime. oHow exactly would you benefit from continuing your partners.h.i.+p? he asked, hiding his fear of another unnerving face-off with a barbarian. oWhy couldn't you use Spaen's money to buy more goods, then carry on alone?

oNeither of us could have accomplished alone what we did as a team. We worked well together.

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