Sano watched Hoshina for a reaction, but the yoriki's face showed only consternation that might indicate either guilty or innocent surprise.

"One of your palace spies must have stolen her clothes for you," Sano continued. "If I look in the police stables, will I find a horse with a recent cut? Did you dip the robes in the horse blood and heat them over a fire to dry them and make the stains look a month old? You and Chamberlain Yanagisawa arranged a false arrest so he could show up later, catch the real killer, and take all the credit."

Hoshina burst out laughing; he slapped his knee. "Pardon my amus.e.m.e.nt, sosakan-sama, but that's the most far-fetched story I've heard in a long time. Surely, the real killer planted the fake evidence to frame Lady Asagao. That seems to me a more logical explanation."

He might be right, Sano realized, and even if not, Hoshina wasn't going to admit to anything. Now that he'd recovered from the shock of seeing Sano, he'd regained his bluffing skills. The longer the interrogation went on, the less Hoshina would give away, and the greater the chance that someone might come and see that Sano was alive.

Sano said, "You didn't stop at withholding information and misguiding me. You and Chamberlain Yanagisawa set me up to be murdered tonight."

The yoriki's face froze in its amiable, concerned expression. His body tensed, and Sano knew what he was thinking. Hoshina could get away with sabotaging the investigation because Yanagisawa had ordered him to do so; he wouldn't suffer any punishment as long as he had Yanagisawa's protection. But conspiracy to murder the shogun's sosakan-sama was a graver charge. Even without proof of the plot, or of Hoshina's involvement in it, Sano could ruin his career just by accusing him publicly. If Sano put him on trial for the crime in a judicial system where most trials ended in a guilty verdict, he would be condemned to death. Yanagisawa would let Hoshina take the whole blame, sacrificing the yoriki to save himself.

This awareness flashed in Hoshina's eyes in an instant. His smile became a grimace; he relaxed his muscles with slow, deliberate effort, but held himself cautiously still, as if he stood at the brink of a deep gorge. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said.

Without warning, he bolted toward the door. Sano lunged after him, but Marume moved faster. The burly detective locked his arms around Hoshina's thighs and brought down the yoriki with a crash. Hoshina kicked and flailed, trying to break free. Marume hung on. Sano wasn't surprised that Hoshina had decided to run. His best hope of avoiding ruin was to find a way to warn Yanagisawa that Sano was alive and knew about the plot.

Hoshina tore loose from Marume's grasp. As he scrambled across the floor, Sano jumped on him. Marume grabbed his ankles. Hoshina had formidable strength, muscles like flexible steel, and fast reflexes. He fought savagely, bludgeoning Sano and Marume with his fists, knees, elbows, and head, but he didn't try to use the swords at his waist: Only escape would save him; killing two bakufu officials would get him in deeper trouble. Sano caught a stunning blow to the jaw, and Marume a kick in the stomach, but they both held on to Hoshina. They stifled cries of pain and exertion, because noise might bring people who would see Sano. Hoshina didn't call for help, probably because he didn't want to explain why he was fighting with his two superiors. The only sounds in the room were harsh gasps, the thump of blows to flesh and bone, scabbards clattering, and the crash of bodies against floor and walls.

Then Marume and Sano pinned Hoshina facedown under them. He heaved and bucked, but when Sano twisted his arm sharply, he went stiff. Marume stripped off his own sash and cut it in half with his sword. He and Sano used the lengths of fabric to bind Hoshina's ankles together and wrists behind him, then knotted the loose ends of the restraints so that Hoshina's knees doubled backward. The yoriki writhed on the floor, muscles straining to break his bonds. Sweat gleamed on his face; blood trickled from his nose. With his hair in wild disarray and his teeth bared, he looked more animal than human.

Sano stood, mopping his own perspiring face on his sleeve. Sore spots on his chest and limbs marked the places where bruises would soon appear. Marume leaned against the wall, his left eye red and swelling.

"You have two choices," Sano told the yoriki. "One: You can stick to your lies. I don't recommend this, because if you do it, I'll destroy you."

Hoshina struggled harder and spat curses at Sano.

"Two: You can cooperate with me, and I'll let you off," Sano continued. "All you have to do is tell me everything you know that relates to the murder of Left Minister Konoe, what Yanagisawa is planning, and where he is. I'll place you under protection so he can't punish you for betraying him."

Hoshina gave Sano a look of contempt. "That's not two choices, but one: certain death!" A strangled laugh burst from him.

Sano knew that a promise of protection against the most powerful man in j.a.pan was of questionable value, and that he might be exacting cooperation at the cost of Hoshina's life, but he couldn't relent. "Choose now," he ordered.

The yoriki heaved sideways, gasping and grunting, in a futile effort to escape. His head tossed; the tendons of his neck bulged. Then, with a shuddering moan, he went limp. He closed his eyes and nodded in defeat, just as Sano had antic.i.p.ated he would. Hoshina was no n.o.ble samurai who would sacrifice himself out of loyalty to Yanagisawa.

"Thank you." Sano exchanged a satisfied glance with Marume. "Now, what information did you withhold from me? What lies did you tell?"

His expression sullen, Hoshina spoke in a quiet monotone, confirming notions Sano had already entertained.

"Tell me about Chamberlain Yanagisawa's plot against me."

Hoshina revealed disturbing details of the plot, but Sano sensed major gaps in his knowledge. "Where is Yanagisawa?" Sano asked.

"I don't know where he is right now; he didn't tell me all his plans for tonight. But I'm supposed to meet him at a villa in the hills in the morning." At Sano's request, Hoshina gave directions.

Sano stood, beckoned Marume to follow him to the back door, and said quietly, "Lock Hoshina up and guard him so he can't run to Yanagisawa or spread the news that I'm not dead. You can send Lady Asagao home and put Hoshina in the special cell here in police headquarters. Order his colleagues not to tell anyone he's there." Sano added, "Tell f.u.kida-san to look after Reiko."

The thought of his wife awakened guilt and longing in Sano. She must have heard the news of his murder by now. He wished he could go to her so that she wouldn't have to suffer needlessly, but the most critical part of his task still lay ahead of him. "I'll be back as soon as possible."

"You're going after Yanagisawa alone?" Marume said, frowning in concern.

"I'll have to risk it," Sano said. "Gathering our troops will take too much time and increase the chances that the Miyako spies will see me and report my resurrection to Yanagisawa."

Sano and Marume bowed to each other, their glances conveying wishes for mutual good luck. Then Sano opened the door and stole away into the night.

After an empty, timeless interval, Reiko stirred awake. The windows framed pale squares of dawn light; her maids lay asleep on a futon beside hers. At first she didn't know where she was. Heavy la.s.situde filled her body; her head throbbed; her eyes burned. She had a vague sense that something awful had happened. Then she remembered. She was in Miyako and Sano was dead. Reiko closed her eyes; more tears leaked through the swollen lids. She wanted to go back to sleep. She wanted to die.

Yet something deep within Reiko would not let her give up so easily.

Her husband had been murdered. This was an intolerable outrage. Now fury cut through Reiko's pain like a blade lancing a wound. She must avenge Sano's death. Until she did, she would neither rest nor succ.u.mb to grief. She hoped more than ever that she was pregnant, because then a part of Sano would survive him. And she could not let their child grow up knowing that its father's murderer had gone free.

Determination gave Reiko strength, and she sat up. Vertigo spun the room around her. Breathing deeply, she waited for the after-effects of the sleeping potion to pa.s.s. She began planning what to do. Before she could avenge Sano's death, she had to solve the murder case in order to learn who had killed him. But serious obstacles loomed ahead of her.

She had no authority to investigate crimes; hence, the Imperial Palace was off-limits to her. She couldn't expect help from Marume and f.u.kida because they were under no obligation to obey her orders. They'd accepted her partic.i.p.ation in Sano's work out of duty to him, but they didn't really approve of her. In fact, they might decide to take the responsibility of solving the case and avenging Sano's death upon themselves and send her home.

Then a plan sprang into Reiko's mind. It involved great potential danger and depended on the cooperation of someone with little reason to cooperate, but there seemed no other way.

Reiko rose on shaky legs. One of the maids awakened, saw her, and said, "Mistress, what are you doing?"

"I'm going out," Reiko said.

"But you need rest. You must come back to bed. Please-"

Reiko silenced the maid with a glance that threatened unspeakable punishment to anyone who tried to stop her. "I'm going out," she repeated. "Help me wash and dress."

16.

Sano crouched in the underbrush beneath tall cedars, gazing up a steep dirt road at a mansion that stood behind a plank fence in the hills north of Miyako. Dew drenched his trousers. Early morning mist drifted over the woods, diffused the daylight spreading across the sky, and obscured his view of the city. A shrill chorus of birds rose in the treetops.

From a distance, the house appeared unoccupied. The second-story windows visible above the fence were shuttered, and during the hour since Sano had arrived, he'd observed the property from all angles without seeing any sign of activity. However, the gate bore the spiral crest that Yoriki Hoshina had described while giving directions to the mansion, and Sano could feel Chamberlain Yanagisawa's nearness like a warning tingle in his spirit. Now he moved cautiously uphill through the woods.

The closest other houses lay far above and below on the hillside, and the main road pa.s.sed to the east; Sano knew because he'd already scouted the area and discovered that Yanagisawa had chosen an isolated place for his secret activities. Sano paused at the edge of the level clearing where the mansion stood. The fence was some fifteen paces away. Through the cracks between the planks Sano saw a human shape move past: a patrolling guard. After a short interval a larger figure pa.s.sed. Sano timed the guards' routine by counting silently as he watched them circle around again. Feeling the strain of an eventful, sleepless night and the long ride from the city, he mustered his flagging energy.

He waited for the right moment, then sped over to the fence. He climbed it and balanced on top. With a quick glance, he took in the scene below: a garden of shrubs, boulders, and gra.s.s outside a rustic house with latticed windows and half-timbered walls. He heard footsteps on the gravel path that bordered the garden. Here came a samurai whom he recognized as one of Yanagisawa's bodyguards. Sano jumped down in front of him. The guard grunted in surprise. When he reached for his sword, Sano struck him hard in the face. The guard reeled backward, crashed to the ground, and lay still.

More footsteps signaled the approach of the second guard. Sano ducked behind a boulder. He watched the man come upon his comrade's body and squat to examine it. Sano sprang out and kicked the second guard on the chin, knocking him unconscious. He used the guards' sashes to bind their hands and feet, then crammed their socks into their mouths as gags. His pulse racing, he checked the grounds for more guards. He prayed that he wouldn't have to kill anyone. Although violence was a samurai's natural domain and an inevitable part of Sano's work, every death he caused haunted him.

There were no other guards outside the house. Sano slipped quietly in the back door. Tiptoeing along dim corridors, he peered into the kitchen, reception room, and study, all furnished with the simple elegance of a wealthy samurai's summer home, all unoccupied. In the front entryway he found a third guard seated against the wall, asleep. Sano stole up to the guard, grasped his neck, and pressed on the main blood vessels. With a jerk and a whimper, the guard pa.s.sed from sleep to unconsciousness. Sano quickly tied and gagged the guard. He crept up the stairs.

On the second floor, he found another corridor. Near the end was an open door from which light spilled. Sano drew his sword. As he moved closer, he heard violent coughing. He stood to one side of the door and peered through it into a bedchamber. The light of a hanging lantern glowed on gilt murals and lacquered furniture. On a futon in the center, Chamberlain Yanagisawa crouched on knees and elbows, retching into a basin. He wore a white silk under-kimono. His complexion was a ghastly shade of gray, his expression agonized. Again and again he retched, producing merely a thin drool that ran down his chin. At last he fell back on the bed, gasping.

Sano entered the room, nonplussed because he'd never seen Yanagisawa in less than perfect health and had expected to find the chamberlain either asleep or celebrating the downfall of his rival. What was wrong with him?

At the sound of Sano's footsteps, Yanagisawa turned his head. He saw Sano. "You," he said in a tone of terrified disbelief. Pushing himself upright, he shouted, "Guards!"

To Sano's relief, no one came. "All your men are incapacitated at the moment," he said, advancing on Yanagisawa. For once, the balance of power was weighted on his side. The knowledge elated Sano. "It's just you and me."

The chamberlain gulped as if he might get sick again, but he lurched to his feet and faced Sano with courage rooted in arrogance. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"I've come to talk about your sabotage of my investigation into Left Minister Konoe's murder," Sano said. "You thought you could solve the case yourself, impress the shogun, and destroy me at the same time, didn't you?"

Yanagisawa ignored the question; he seemed not to have heard it. He said, "How did you find me?"

"Yoriki Hoshina gave me directions," Sano said.

"Hoshina? He told you I was in Miyako?" The disbelief in Yanagisawa's voice was even more p.r.o.nounced than when Sano had appeared before him. "He sent you here?" The chamberlain shook his head in vehement denial. "No. He couldn't have."

"He did." Confusion halted Sano a few steps away from Yanagisawa. Something was wrong with this conversation. Why was Yanagisawa more disconcerted to learn how he'd been discovered than surprised to see Sano alive? "Didn't you receive a report of my murder at the Imperial Palace?"

Yanagisawa took a step toward Sano, moving carefully, as if in pain, his expression unfathomable. "Where is Hoshina?"

"In a safe place," Sano said, increasingly perplexed. Yanagisawa must have been waiting tor the news. Surely one of his agents would have rushed it to him. "I put Hoshina under protection after I convinced him to tell me about your plot against me."

A ragged laugh issued from Yanagisawa. Again he shook his head, but this time at some private, bitter joke. He didn't even try to deny the existence of a plot. As Sano tried to make sense of the chamberlain's reaction, various aspects of the situation that hadn't seemed directly related came together for him. Aisu's presence in the palace, Yanagisawa's illness, and the scheme his enemy had previously used added up to a startling picture.

"You were there with Aisu, weren't you?" Sano said, dazzled by enlightenment. "You forged the message from the emperor that brought me to the palace. You and Aisu lay in wait, planning to arrest the killer and take credit for solving the murder case after I was dead-the same trick you tried when I ambushed the Lion. But something went wrong. The killer attacked you and Aisu instead of me. It was you two that I heard crying out right before the spirit cry. Somehow you escaped, and the only harm you suffered is sickness from the after-effects of exposure to the force of kiai."

Clutching his stomach, the chamberlain winced. He dropped to his knees on the futon. His eyes, with their dark, liquid irises and blood-veined whites, watched Sano intently. Sano was disturbed to realize how close his own scheme had come to failing. Yanagisawa might have sent someone to track him down and stop him before he got this far. "You weren't surprised to see me alive," Sano said, "because even though you heard about my death, you knew the truth-that Aisu was the killer's victim, not I. You must have been waiting for Hoshina to come so you could plan what to do next." Yet an important question remained. "How did you set up my murder?"

Yanagisawa suddenly lunged toward the head of the bed beneath him. He thrust his hand under the futon. Sano leapt forward and jabbed the point of his sword against Yanagisawa's throat. The chamberlain cried out in alarm. His hand jerked up, holding a dagger that he'd obviously meant to hurl at Sano. He fell on his side, straining away from the sword.

"Drop the dagger," Sano ordered, his heart hammering in delayed panic. "Drop it, or I'll kill you!"

Fear shone in Yanagisawa's eyes. He lay rigid, knees drawn up, awkwardly supporting his body on his left hand, the dagger extended in his right hand. But his mouth twisted in an insolent smile.

"You won't kill me," he said in a breathy, corrosive voice. "You hate to kill, and you think it's because you're so n.o.ble, so benevolent, that taking a life is beneath you." He uttered a derisive snort of laughter. "But I know the truth. You're not only an incompetent detective who fell into the trap I set for you, you're a coward. You're afraid of what will happen if you kill the shogun's second-in-command. You're incapable of looking me in the eye and cutting my throat!"

Indeed, Sano had spoken his threat merely to frighten Yanagisawa into obedience; he'd had no real intention of killing. But a sudden fury swept over him. That Yanagisawa should insult his professional ability and his honor! For more than two years, Sano had endured the chamberlain's physical and verbal attacks. He'd stifled the urge to retaliate because of his duty to respect the shogun's second-in-command, and because Yanagisawa had the power to destroy his family. Yet now, in the heat of rage that had built to a critical point, he knew he could kill Yanagisawa and not care about the consequences. What he thought about Yanagisawa, but had never spoken before, exploded from him.

"You call me incompetent?" he shouted. "You, who couldn't find the Lion by yourself, and certainly wouldn't have accomplished anything on this investigation without help from Yoriki Hoshina and me!"

Yanagisawa gaped in amazement at Sano's outburst. "How dare you speak to me this way?" Anger flushed his pale complexion. "Have you forgotten who I am?"

"You've forgotten that you're at my mercy," Sano retorted, jabbing his sword fiercely at Yanagisawa, who gasped and scuttled backward, still gripping the dagger. Sano advanced until he had Yanagisawa pinned against the wall. "If you think I'm a coward, there's no bigger coward in the world than you! You send flunkies to a.s.sa.s.sinate me because you're afraid to do it yourself. You stab your enemies in the back because you haven't the courage to challenge them face to face!"

"Shut up!" Yanagisawa commanded.

Sano was shaking with righteous anger, exhilarated by the release of pent-up fury. "Your way is to stab and hide, but I can make sure you won't live to do so ever again. Now drop the dagger, you corrupt, evil, back-stabbing, and cowardly disgrace to Bushido!"

Bloodl.u.s.t obliterated prudence. Sano's vision narrowed until all he could see was the hateful face of his enemy. His muscles tensed, ready to drive the sword deep into Yanagisawa's throat. Yanagisawa must have felt the increased pressure on the blade and realized what a state Sano was in, because horror replaced the insolence in his gaze. As they stared at each other, the moment stretched into a deadly s.p.a.ce in time where the worst could happen.

Yanagisawa opened his hand and let the dagger fall.

The clatter it made hitting the floor was like a chunk of ice dropped into a hot porcelain bowl. The cold impact of reason shattered the murderous rage in Sano. The savage pleasure of holding Yanagisawa's life in his hands vanished. He kicked away the dagger and eased his grip on his sword. What if he had killed the chamberlain?

Across his mind flashed images of himself standing over the b.l.o.o.d.y corpse of his enemy; his trial for murder; himself, Reiko, their entire families, and all their close a.s.sociates marching to the public execution ground to die for his crime of high treason against the Tokugawa regime. Sano was horrified to know himself capable of an insanity where even honor mattered less than satisfying his anger.

He saw the same knowledge, and new respect, mirrored on Yanagisawa's face. Sano realized that Yanagisawa had never really feared him before, had always relied on the self-discipline that had kept him from striking back. But this incident had destroyed Yanagisawa's belief that he could attack Sano without serious consequences.

"That's better," Sano said. His voice had returned to its normal calm pitch, but in the wake of his rage, a heady sense of power remained. "Now tell me how you set up my murder."

Yanagisawa glanced down at the blade that still impinged on his throat. "Would you mind if I sat up first?" His tone had a courteous entreaty with which he'd never before addressed Sano.

When Sano withdrew the sword just far enough so it was no longer touching him, Yanagisawa expelled a long, tremulous breath and gingerly eased himself upright. Sweat trickled in rivulets down his face. He said, "The night of the shoshidai's banquet, Hoshina told me that Lady Asagao had admitted hating Left Minister Konoe and lied about where she was during his murder. I antic.i.p.ated that you would search her chambers for evidence, so I had Hoshina get some robes of the type she wears, stain them with horse blood, and plant them there.

"The next morning, Hoshina held a secret interview with Lady Asagao. He informed her that you would be coming to talk to her, and he conveyed my orders that when you did, she should confess to the murder. He told her the story she should tell, and said she must convince you that she was guilty. She didn't want to do it, but Hoshina gave her my promise that if she cooperated, she would be pardoned later. If not-or if she told anyone what he'd said-she would be executed."

Now Sano understood why Asagao had behaved so oddly, produced such a logical yet dubious confession, and seemed as terrified as determined to persuade him that she'd killed Konoe. Asagao had lied not to protect Emperor Tomohito and the Imperial Court, but to protect herself from the punishment with which Hoshina had threatened her.

"You manipulated me into making a false arrest," Sano said with a grudging admiration for Yanagisawa's cleverness. "Hoshina pressured Left Minister Konoe's attendants into confirming the affair and the ladies-in-waiting into retracting Asagao's alibi. You planned to make your official appearance in Miyako after I was dead, take over the investigation, and catch the real killer. You picked Asagao for bait because she's so unlikely a suspect that I would look stupid for arresting her, although the law gave me no choice. You couldn't be satisfied with my death; you wanted to destroy my reputation, too."

"Yes," the chamberlain conceded reluctantly, "Lady Asagao suited my purpose. But I didn't choose her for herself alone. I had to give the real murderer a reason to kill you."

The connection between Lady Asagao's arrest and the killer's attack now became apparent to Sano. "Hoshina didn't tell me that Right Minister Ichijo is a suspect because you believe he's the killer and you wanted to keep him to yourself. Lady Asagao is his daughter; her position as the emperor's chief consort gives Ichijo special influence over the Imperial Court, which he would lose if anything happened to her. You thought the arrest would make Ichijo desperate enough to try to save Asagao from execution by killing me, which would spare you the trouble."

The chamberlain said, "When Hoshina sent you the forged message, he also sent anonymous ones to Right Minister Ichijo, Emperor Tomohito, Lady Jokyoden, and Prince Momozono, telling them you were coming to the palace."

Of course, the devious Yanagisawa wouldn't stake his success on a gamble that Ichijo was indeed the killer, Sano thought; he'd hedged his bet by alerting the other suspects. Sano could think of reasons some of them might wish to eliminate the man in charge of the murder investigation.

"Those messages also specified the route that the palace guards would follow while escorting you through the imperial enclosure," Yanagisawa continued. "I went there early with Aisu and my bodyguards to catch Ichijo in the act of murder and arrest him. When we were heading toward the spot where the guards were supposed to abandon you, I felt a strange vibration in the air. We saw an eerie light and heard loud breathing. I felt someone following us, and I was suddenly terrified. So were my men. I ordered everyone to stay together, but my bodyguards ran off. I followed Aisu to the imperial kitchens. And then..."

The muscles of Yanagisawa's throat contracted; he shuddered. "Merciful G.o.ds, that scream. It knocked me flat. I couldn't move, couldn't do anything except lie there howling in pain while the terrible noise went on and on." The chamberlain took a deep breath, then said, "Finally it stopped. My ears were ringing; I was trembling and sore and nauseated. I got up and found Aisu lying nearby. He was dead. Then the vibration started again. It was very faint, coming from between the buildings. The killer was there; I could feel him. He was getting ready to scream again and kill me."

Sano hadn't felt any vibration after the spirit cry, probably because he'd been too far away. Suddenly Yanagisawa began to laugh. Hysteria tinged his merriment.

"What's so funny?" Sano said, wondering if the spirit cry had demented Yanagisawa's mind.

"It's ironic. Do you know what saved me?"

Mystified, Sano shook his head.

"You." Yanagisawa pointed at Sano. "I heard you and your detectives talking. The vibration suddenly stopped. I saw a movement in the shadows, and I couldn't feel the killer anymore. You scared him away." Now Yanagisawa's humor faded into the glumness of defeat. "You, of all people, saved my life."

Pity diluted Sano's animosity toward the chamberlain. To be rescued by the foe whose death he'd plotted-what a blow to his pride! "Did you see the killer?"

"No," Yanagisawa said. All the resistance had left him. He looked pale, sick, and broken. Perhaps he mourned the loss of Aisu. Or was something else bothering him?

"You referred to the killer as 'him,' " Sano continued. "Does that mean you think it was a man?"

Yanagisawa shook his head. "At the time, I thought of him-or her-as 'it.' " He added, "I caught up with my bodyguards outside the palace gate. We rode straight here. I asked them if they'd gotten a look at the killer. They said no.

"Unfortunately, the only other witness is dead," Sano said. "But it's unlikely that more than one person has the power of kiai, so it was probably the same killer as in Left Minister Konoe's murder. The attack on you has cleared Lady Asagao and narrowed the field to four suspects. I can determine where each of them was last night."

"How wonderful that my terrible experience was so helpful to your investigation," Yanagisawa said with a touch of his old sarcasm. Then an aggrieved expression came over his features. "Why would the murderer want to kill me?"