Authors: Laura Joh Rowland
“First we’ll fetch reinforcements,” she said.
24
On a dingy street in the Honjo lumber district, Sano and Detectives Marume and Fukida mounted their horses outside a teahouse. Red lanterns hung on its eaves glowed in the misty twilight; their reflections in the puddles left by the rain looked like spilled blood. Sano watched his guards march the elderly proprietor, two maids, and three drunken customers out of the teahouse. They all looked frightened and confused because he’d interrogated and arrested them, which he’d already done with everyone he’d found at five other places on the list that General Isogai had given him.
“I can’t believe any of those people is the Ghost,” said Detective Marume.
“Neither can I,” said Fukida. “They’re not the sort that would know the secrets of
dim-mak
, or that you’d expect to find on Yanagisawa’s elite squadron.”
Sano had to agree. Frustration gnawed at him because he’d spent an entire day on this hunt, and the people he’d netted during the other raids appeared just as unlikely to be the assassin. But he said, “We figure that the Ghost travels in disguise. I’m not taking any chances that I’ll catch him and he’ll trick me into letting him go.” He told the guards, “Put them in Edo Jail with the people we arrested earlier.”
“Shall we try the next place on the list?” Fukida said.
Sano glanced at the overcast sky, which was rapidly darkening. At this rate, he would never catch the assassin by tomorrow night. He might die before he could stop the Ghost’s reign of terror and fulfill his duty. His nerves jittered with a constant, obsessive impulse to check his body for the fingerprint-shaped bruise, the harbinger of death. He couldn’t afford to waste a moment. Yet if he had little more than a day to live, he didn’t want to spend it chasing a phantom through wet, desolate streets when he couldn’t even be certain that the Ghost was one of Yanagisawa’s seven fugitive elite troops. Sano experienced an overwhelming need to see Reiko and Masahiro. The time until tomorrow might be the last he had with them.
“We’ll stop at home first,” he said.
When they arrived at Edo Castle, night had immersed the city. Torches outside the gate flared and smoked in the mist. Smoke from a fire somewhere drifted over the deserted promenade. Sano and his men rode through passages deserted except for the checkpoint sentries. The castle was a fortification under siege by an invisible enemy, where most everyone in it cowered behind locked doors and legions of bodyguards. At his compound, Sano left his detectives at their barracks and went straight to his private chambers.
Masahiro came running toward him down the corridor, arms outstretched, calling, “Papa! Papa!”
Sano picked up his son and held him close. He rested his face against Masahiro’s soft hair and breathed his fresh, sweet scent. Would this be the last time? Sano’s heart ached as he said, “Where’s Mama?”
“Mama go out,” Masahiro said.
“She did?” Sano was disturbed that Reiko was out after dark in these troubled times, and surprised that after the attack on him last night, she would go about her business as though nothing had happened. Shouldn’t she be here waiting for him?
He heard quick, light footsteps coming along the passage, and Reiko appeared. She wore a drab cloak over plain garments. Her face looked tired and unhappy, but it brightened when she saw him and Masahiro.
“I’m so glad you’re home,” she said. Masahiro reached for her, and she took him from Sano. “I was afraid you wouldn’t come back.”
“Where have you been?” Sano demanded.
Reiko’s smile faded at his sharp tone. “I went to tell my father that I’d finished my investigation.”
Sano was amazed, and hurt, that she’d thought this errand was so important she’d left the house; he might have missed seeing her before he had to resume his hunt for the assassin. She could have sent a messenger. “You waited until this late at night?”
“Well, no.” Reiko hesitated, then said carefully, “I went this morning. But then my father told me that there had been a fire at the jail, and Yugao had escaped. I thought I’d better try to find her. That’s what I’ve been doing all day.”
“Wait. Do you mean that you got further involved in this business of the outcast criminal? After you told me you were finished with her?”
“I know that’s what I told you. But I had to look for her,” Reiko said, defensive. “It’s my fault that she ran away. I couldn’t just sit and do nothing.”
Even though her explanation was reasonable, Sano’s hurt flared into anger because she’d disregarded his wishes. “You know what a difficult position I’m in,” he shouted. “I can’t believe you’re so selfish and obstinate!”
Anger sparked in Reiko’s eyes. “Don’t shout at me. You’re the one who’s selfish and obstinate. You’d rather have me let a murderess go free than try my best to catch her, just because you’re afraid of Police Commissioner Hoshina. Where’s your samurai courage? I’m beginning to think you lost it when you became chamberlain!”
Her words had enough merit to stab Sano to the heart. “How dare you insult me?” he said, his voice rising louder with his fury. “For four years, you’ve given me problems and more problems. I wish I’d never married you!”
Reiko stared at him, speechless and blank-faced with shock, as if he’d hit her. Then her face crumpled. Tears spilled down her cheeks. She hugged Masahiro, who wailed, upset by the quarrel. Sano’s rage dissolved into horror that he’d spoken so cruelly to Reiko.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice low with shame. He realized that the constant activity, little sleep, fear, and desperation had made him explode at Reiko. “I didn’t mean it.”
She bounced Masahiro, trying to comfort him, while she awkwardly wiped her tears on her sleeve. “Neither did I,” she said in a broken whisper. “Please forgive me.”
Sano put his arms around her, and she leaned against him. He felt her body quake as she wept. “I’ll forgive you if you forgive me.”
“I shouldn’t have said such a terrible thing to you,” she said between sobs. “I’m so frightened and upset and worried, but that’s no excuse.”
“I’ve spent all day running from one place to another, trying to catch the assassin and failing, but that’s no excuse either,” Sano said. “Let’s call ourselves even.”
If he had only one more day to live, he didn’t want them to waste it on ripping each other to shreds. Reiko nodded; her eyes brimmed with love, remorse, and apprehension. Together they put Masahiro to bed, then went to their chamber. Sano collapsed on the bed that the servants had laid out. His body and mind ached with fatigue. He tried not to think about the long night’s work ahead of him, nor to imagine how it would feel if death struck him down tomorrow and what would happen to his family.
Reiko knelt beside him. “I’ll stop looking for Yugao. That will be one fewer problem for you to worry about.”
“No.” Sano couldn’t accept her peace offering. “I’ve changed my mind. I think you should keep looking.” She needed something to distract her from their worries. “It’s the right thing to do.” There was a bright side to every dark situation, Sano realized. If he died tomorrow, Hoshina’s scheming couldn’t hurt him.
“Are you sure?”
He heard hope in Reiko’s voice and saw disbelief in her eyes. “Yes.” Although he had his hands too full with his own investigation to care much about hers, Sano wanted to make amends to Reiko. “How did your search go today?” he said, pretending interest.
She smiled, thankful. “I found Yugao’s childhood friend Tama.” As Reiko related what Tama had said about the family history that she believed had led Yugao to murder, Sano tried to listen, but his fatigue overwhelmed him; he dozed. “Tama told me of a place where Yugao might have gone. It’s an inn called the Jade Pavilion.”
A faint chord chimed in Sano’s memory. He snapped awake. Why did that name seem familiar?
“I came home to see if I could borrow some of your troops to go there with me and help me capture Yugao, if she’s there,” Reiko continued.
Sano bolted upright because he knew where he’d seen the Jade Pavilion mentioned. He fumbled under his sash and brought out the list that General Isogai had given him.
“Is something wrong?” Reiko said, puzzled. “What are you doing?”
Excitement coursed through Sano as he ran his finger down the characters on the paper. “I think the killer is one of Yanagisawa’s elite troops. Seven of them are still at large.” The words “Jade Pavilion” leapt out at him. “This is a list of places they’ve been known to frequent in the past. Here’s the inn where you think Yugao is.”
He and Reiko stared at the list, then at each other, in amazement that their separate investigations had suddenly meshed. Reiko’s expression sharpened. “Yugao had a lover. He was a samurai. They used to meet at the inn. Do you think… ?”
“No. He can’t be the Ghost,” Sano said even as his heart began to race. That Reiko had stumbled onto a link to the assassin was too much to hope for.
“Why not?” Eagerness lit Reiko’s eyes. “Tama described him as a dangerous man. She saw him almost kill somebody who bumped into him by accident. Doesn’t that sound like the kind of person who could be your assassin?”
Sano cautioned himself against wishful thinking. “That description could fit hundreds of samurai. There’s no reason to believe he and Yugao are connected. How would a
hinin
woman and an officer from Yanagisawa’s elite squadron have become lovers? How would they have even met?”
“Yugao wasn’t always an outcast. She met her man at a teahouse near Ryōgoku Hirokoji, where her father once owned a carnival.” Reiko studied the list. “The teahouse isn’t named here, but the army doesn’t know everything. It still could have been a place frequented by Yanagisawa’s troops.”
“It could,” Sano said, letting Reiko persuade him despite the lack of evidence. “What else did you find out about this mystery man? His name, I hope?”
“He called himself ‘Jin.’ He talked in a whisper. It sounded like a cat hissing.” Reiko added, “Yugao had relations with many men. The Ghost could have been the one that Tama says she fell in love with.”
“At any rate, the Jade Pavilion is worth checking.” Sano rose from the bed. “It might as well be the next place I look for the Ghost.”
Reiko accompanied Sano to the door. “I just knew there was a reason I had to keep on with my investigation,” she said, sparkling with excitement. “If it leads you to the Ghost, I hope that will make up for the trouble it’s caused you.”
“If I capture him at the Jade Pavilion,” Sano said, “I’ll never stand in the way of anything you want to do ever again.”
He half expected Reiko to ask to go with him, but she didn’t. She must know that if the Ghost was there, he would say it was too dangerous for her and she would be in the way; and she didn’t want another argument even though she’d turned up what seemed to be the vital clue. She only said, “I can’t wait to know what happens!”
“You’ll be the first to know.”
They embraced in ardent farewell. Reiko said, “If Yugao is there—”
“We’ll capture her for you,” Sano said as he strode outside toward the barracks to fetch Detectives Marume, Fukida, and a small army of troops. He felt energized by hope; his fatigue evaporated into the mist. He could even believe that he might live beyond tomorrow.
25
A wavering flame burned in a lamp inside a room whose shutters were closed tight against the world. Thunder rumbled; rain spattered on the roof outside. On a mattress spread on the floor, Yugao and her lover lay naked together. He was on his back, his lean, muscular body straight and rigid. She embraced him, her breasts pressed against his side, her leg flung over his, her hair fanned over them. Their bare flesh shone golden in the lamplight. Yugao tenderly caressed his face. Adoration welled in her heart as her fingers trailed over the knife-edged bones of his brow, cheeks, and jaw. Her touch worshipped his mouth, so firm and stern. He was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen, her samurai hero.
During her days in jail, and the years in the
hinin
settlement, she’d prayed that she would see him again. The memory of him had sustained her through all her hardships. Now she gazed yearningly into his eyes. Their darkness and depth made her dizzy, as though she were falling into them. But they looked through her, beyond her. She felt distant from him even while touching him, for he kept his spirit hidden in some faraway place. He hardly seemed to notice she was here.
A familiar loneliness saddened Yugao. Anxious to provoke some response from him, some sign that he cared for her, she pressed her mouth to the scars that etched his chest, souvenirs of countless swordfights. She teased his nipples with her tongue and felt them harden. As she moved her mouth downward, he stirred. She fondled his manhood, which swelled and curved upward; he breathed a sigh of pleasure. Desire for him quickened in Yugao, flushing her skin, tingling in her breasts, flooding her loins with heat. But when she took him into her mouth, he roughly pushed her away. He sat up and grabbed the short sword he kept by the bed. He held the blade upright in front of her face.
“Make love to it,” he ordered.
His voice was a hiss that reminded Yugao of ice sizzling on fire, of a snake readying to strike.
His throat had been injured in combat
and that was why he couldn’t talk except in a whisper. Yugao had heard the story from his comrades, in the teahouse where they’d met; he never told her anything personal about himself. Now his stare commanded her to do his bidding. The steel blade flickered with reflections of the lamp’s flame, as though it were alive. Yugao knew this ritual, which they’d enacted many times. He didn’t like her to touch him, and he avoided touching her as much as possible. Always he preferred that she pay her attentions to his weapon rather than his body during sex. She was afraid to ask why because he might get angry, but she must obey him, as she always had.
She knelt and ran her fingers up and down the cold, smooth blade. Her face, pitiful with her need for his approval, was mirrored in the shiny steel. Arousal smoldered in his eyes while he watched. His chest heaved as his breathing grew fast and shallow. Her own desire raged like flames inside her. She leaned over, extended her tongue, and slowly licked the blade from bottom to top, along its flat side. Then she licked down the razor-sharp edge. Yugao trembled with fear of cutting herself, but she saw his manhood rise erect. His enjoyment was hers. She moaned with the thrill of it.