The Samurai's Wife Part 30

30.

Sano wanted to rush off and confront Kozeri with Lady Asagao's allegations, but first he went to the imperial guardhouse to check the records of comings and goings at the palace on the dates of the two murders. Afterward he visited Kozeri's family, a n.o.ble clan who lived in the kuge district of the palace. He learned enough to convince him that he'd made a grave mistake that he must redress after the meeting he and Chamberlain Yanagisawa had scheduled to share the results of their inquiries.

By the time he arrived at Nijo Castle, the sun had turned orange over the western hills; gongs signaled the onset of Obon rites. The smoke from altars diffused the light, so that the air seemed filled with scintillating topaz dust. The gate sentry told Sano, "The honorable chamberlain went out early this morning and hasn't yet returned."

Across the street, Sano saw Marume and f.u.kida loitering outside a teahouse. He'd a.s.signed them and some other men to spy on Yanagisawa. Now he hurried over to the detectives. "Yanagisawa's gone," he said.

The pair looked surprised. "We never saw him come out," Marume said.

Sano and the detectives checked with the men a.s.signed to watch the other gates, but none of them had seen Yanagisawa.

"He slipped right past everyone," Sano said in dismay.

Yanagisawa's disappearance was more trouble on top of the problem of Kozeri. Sano didn't want to believe Kozeri had deceived him, although he knew she had. Nor did he want to think about what might happen when he saw Kozeri again. Would he bring a killer to justice, or make matters worse? What in heaven was Yanagisawa up to now?

In the barracks of Nijo Castle, the guard captain told Sano that the chamberlain had been detained.

"Where?" Sano asked. "By whom?"

The captain looked nervous, as if wondering how much to tell Sano. "Uh, I just received news that the honorable chamberlain is at police headquarters. I sent some men to fetch him. He was arrested."

Baffled, Sano said, "Why?"

"I don't know."

Sano and his detectives rode to police headquarters. Around the main room, Yanagisawa's troops stood guard. A score of yoriki and doshin lay prostrated, hands extended. Shoshidai Matsudaira knelt before the clerk's platform, gazing fearfully up at the man standing there. With a shock, Sano recognized Yanagisawa. His clothes were dirty and disheveled. His bruised face wore a fierce scowl.

"This is a gross insult!" he yelled at the shoshidai. "If one of your yoriki hadn't recognized me, I would be in jail now." With scathing fury he chastised the a.s.sembly for treating him like a criminal.

"A thousand apologies," the shoshidai whimpered. "Please forgive my staff's terrible mistake. They will be punished severely. I a.s.sure you this will never happen again."

"See that it doesn't," Yanagisawa said, "or you'll lose your post." He added, "And you'd better find Yoriki Hoshina by morning. Dismissed!"

The police fled. "He's in disguise," f.u.kida marveled. "That's how he got past us. Who would have guessed he'd do that?"

Sano approached Yanagisawa and Shoshidai Matsudaira. "Why were you arrested?" he asked the chamberlain.

At the sight of Sano, anger darkened Yanagisawa's expression; he didn't answer. The Shoshidai said timidly, "For attempting to rob a bank in the merchant district."

"I told you, I wasn't," Yanagisawa said with icy emphasis. "I was walking along, minding my own business, when three thugs attacked me. The police took the word of the merchant who accused me of trying to steal his filthy money."

"Yes, of course," the shoshidai said apologetically.

"What were you doing in that part of town?" Sano said. "Why are you dressed like that?"

"My mishap has nothing to do with the case," Yanagisawa said. "I owe you no explanations."

Sano followed Yanagisawa out of the building. "What was that about finding Yoriki Hoshina?"

A sardonic smile came over Yanagisawa's face as they reached the street and his retainers helped him onto his horse. "Your hostage has escaped."

More trouble! Sano hid his dismay. With Hoshina gone, he had no way to hold Yanagisawa to their deal. He'd better find the yoriki before Yanagisawa did. He and his men mounted their horses and rode down Oike Avenue alongside Yanagisawa. The sun's hazy crimson orb floated above hills obscured by smoke and mist. Ruddy light bathed the crowds. The heavy odor of hot grease from kitchens overlaid the suffocating atmosphere.

"Have you found the outlaws and weapons?" Sano asked Yanagisawa.

"Not yet." Yanagisawa's voice was tinged with defensive annoyance.

Disappointed at this news, Sano told Yanagisawa that Lady Asagao had retracted her father's alibi.

"So Right Minister Ichijo is looking to be a likely culprit, then?" An enigmatic smile played over Yanagisawa's mouth. "Interesting."

"That doesn't mean the other suspects are out of the picture," Sano said. The thought of Kozeri festered in his mind like a wound. "Lady Jokyoden refused to tell me where she was during Aisu's murder, and we still haven't connected Ichijo to the conspiracy."

"Not yet, anyway." Slapping the reins, Yanagisawa sped ahead of Sano.

"He wasn't just innocently minding his own business when he got arrested," f.u.kida scoffed.

"And he knows something he's not telling us," Marume said. Sano nodded in dismal agreement, thinking that he should have put Yanagisawa out of business when he'd had the chance. He gave Marume and f.u.kida new orders to deal with the problem, and then report back to him as soon as possible.

"Where will you be?" f.u.kida asked.

Now it was Sano's turn for evasion, because he hated to lose face by admitting his mistake with Kozeri. "If you need to reach me, leave a message at Nijo Manor," he said, then rode away.

Sano had intended to head straight to Kodai Temple, but Reiko would be eager for news. He rode to Nijo Manor, where he found Reiko in their room, at the table, nibbling at a dinner of rice b.a.l.l.s, grilled fish, and greens, and sipping tea. Sano knelt opposite his wife. Her polite bow reflected the uneasiness that had shadowed their parting that morning. "The outlaws and weapons haven't been found yet," Sano said.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Eyes downcast, Reiko gestured toward her meal. "Do you want this? I don't seem to he very hungry."

"No thank you; I'm not hungry either."

Reiko glanced at his swords, which he hadn't removed as he usually did when he came home. "Are you leaving again soon?"

"Yes," Sano said. Nervousness accelerated his heartbeat.

"Where are you going?"

"To see Kozeri." The name tasted like poison.

"Again?" Now Reiko lifted a troubled gaze to his face. "May I ask what for?"

"Lady Asagao claims that Kozeri was in the palace when Left Minister Konoe died," Sano said. "The imperial records don't show that she entered the compound on that date, but they do show that she was there when Aisu was murdered. She'd gone to see her family. According to them, she arrived in the evening, spent the night in their house in the kuge district, and left the next morning. It was her first visit since she entered the convent fifteen years ago.

"Lady Asagao also said to ask Kozeri how her first husband died. Her family told me she'd been married to Left Minister Konoe's secretary, a young courtier named Ryozen-the man who was murdered by Konoe." Too late, Sano had connected Kozeri with the crime that had put Konoe under the bakufu's power. "In view of these new facts, I need to question her again."

Reiko's expression turned quizzical. "I a.s.sumed you'd already questioned Kozeri's family to double-check her story about her marriage to the left minister. But even if not, wasn't the information on her first husband in the metsuke dossiers that Chamberlain Yanagisawa sent you?"

To his disgrace, Sano had been convinced enough of Kozeri's innocence that he hadn't bothered to read her dossier.

"You've already interviewed Kozeri twice," Reiko said, "and you've only just found out that she had the opportunity to kill Aisu, and possibly Konoe? Didn't you ask her where she was when they died?"

"No," Sano admitted, hot with embarra.s.sment even though he had a good reason for his negligence. "Whenever I was with Kozeri, I got a peculiar, dazed sensation in my mind, and a feeling that there was something important I was forgetting to ask her. Now I know why. The nuns at Kodai Temple practice shugendo. Kozeri focused her mental energy on my mind and prevented me from asking her where she was during the murders."

To his consternation, Sano saw disbelief on Reiko's face. She said, "Kozeri used magical powers to manipulate you? Can that be possible?"

"If the power of kiai exists, then why not the power to control the mind?" Sano said.

Reiko regarded him with doubt. "It seems more likely that you didn't ask her important questions because you decided she's innocent. How could you favor a suspect and criticize me for trusting Lady Jokyoden?"

This was dangerous territory. Sano had to steer the conversation away from the subject of what else had blinded him to Kozeri's deception. He said, "Speaking of Lady Jokyoden, she and Left Minister Konoe were once lovers."

"Oh? That's interesting." Caution veiled Reiko's gaze. "How did you find out?"

"From Lady Jokyoden herself." Sano described his interview with the emperor's mother, then bent an accusing look upon Reiko. "She said you knew. Why didn't you tell me?"

Reiko sat up straight, lifted her chin, and said, "She asked me to keep it a secret. I agreed because I thought that her relationship with Konoe was less important than what she gave me. Without Lady Jokyoden's help, we would never have discovered the conspiracy. I think my reason for trusting her is more credible than yours for favoring Kozeri." Suspicion narrowed Reiko's eyes. "Is Kozeri beautiful?"

The atmosphere in the room stretched tight as sails filled with storm winds. Sano forced a laugh. "Kozeri is a nun. Her head is shaved, and she's not young."

"That isn't what I asked, but never mind-I can see the answer on your face." Reiko stood, regarding Sano with sickened comprehension. "It was your personal feeling for Kozeri, not magic, that made you forget to ask her for an alibi before you decided she was innocent." Reiko backed away from him, appalled.

Sano heard the hurt beneath the anger in her voice. Rising, he hurried over to Reiko, reaching for her clenched hands.

"It's not what you think," he said, stifling the guilty memory of caressing Kozeri. "Nothing happened."

Reiko clasped her hands behind her so he couldn't touch them. "How stupid do you think I am?" she cried.

Abruptly, she turned away from Sano. Her shoulders trembled; he heard her ragged breathing. Her pain stabbed his heart. Standing before the painted mural of mountain landscapes, she was so beautiful and proud. Sano experienced a surge of desire for her, which further complicated his emotions. How could he want anyone but Reiko? How could he regain her trust?

He said, "Kozeri interfered with my thoughts. That's all." The lie p.r.i.c.ked his conscience. "It's you I love, and no one else."

"I don't believe you," Reiko said in a high, broken voice.

"You don't believe me because you haven't met Kozeri."

"No," said Reiko, "I haven't." Turning, she faced Sano, her tearful gaze hard, like a pond freezing into ice. "But it's time I did meet her."

Horrified at the thought, Sano said quickly, "That's not a good idea. If Kozeri is the killer, she's dangerous. She might hurt you. I already have the information about her relationship with Left Minister Konoe and his last visit to her. I only have to ask where she was during the murders. There's no need for you to..."

The contempt in Reiko's eyes halted his excuses. "But there is," she said. "No matter whether Kozeri deceived you by magic or by feminine wiles, she's done it twice, and she could do it again. I'll have better luck getting answers from her."

Sano saw two choices, equally unacceptable. He could give Reiko her way and risk the chance that Kozeri would tell her about the episode by the river. Or he could refuse, jeopardize the investigation, and destroy his marriage. With dread and resignation, Sano understood that he had no choice at all.

"All right," he said. "We'll go to Kodai Temple tomorrow morning."

"Not tomorrow," Reiko said grimly. "I want to go now."

Reiko in her palanquin, Sano on horseback, and their guards traveled along crowded streets bright with Obon lanterns. At Kodai Temple, they discovered that Kozeri wasn't at the convent because the nuns had gone to perform Obon dances at Gion Shrine. They journeyed there in silence. Since leaving Nijo Manor, Reiko had exchanged not a single word with Sano; her rage and pain were so intense that she could hardly bear to look at him. She couldn't believe that nothing had happened between him and Kozeri. She hated her jealousy; she hated Sano for causing it.

A sudden, heart-stopping thought struck her. In all the recent excitement, she'd forgotten to track her female cycle. Now Reiko calculated that her monthly bleeding should have started yesterday. It still hadn't. Missing twice in a row made pregnancy more certain. She became aware of a new fullness, a slight swelling, in her abdomen. She stared through the window of her palanquin at Sano riding beside her.

"Kozeri seems to spend as much time away from the convent as in it," Reiko said. "Apparently, religious vows don't restrict her movements or ban her from the Imperial Palace."

"Apparently not," was all Sano said, though she knew she'd stung him by implying that he shouldn't have a.s.sumed a nun lacked freedom of movement or access to the crime scene. Yet her spite shamed her more than it relieved her anger.

Night had fallen, but the moist, smoky air reflected the lights of the city; the sky glowed an eerie purple. Gion's teahouses glittered with parties. Boisterous drunks thronged alleys lined with "dog screens," bamboo barriers that kept stray dogs and rowdy pedestrians away from the buildings. Sano and Reiko left their guards outside the shrine and walked through the torii gate. Bright lanterns hung from trees above the gay, noisy crowds that milled among refreshment stalls; gongs chimed incessantly. Reiko heard drumbeats, which she and Sano followed to a courtyard outside the shrine's main building.

A line of women dressed in billowing white robes glided, swayed, and gestured with slow, ritualistic motions. In the light of lanterns strung across the courtyard, their shaved heads shone like pale moons. A rapt audience watched the nuns, who turned in unison, clapped, and formed a circle. Male dancers wearing loincloths and straw hats surrounded them. As the two groups moved in opposite directions, a melancholy song rose from the spectators.

"Which one is she?" Reiko said with deliberate calm.

Sano pointed. "That's Kozeri between the two elderly nuns." He added, "Please take care."

Behind his stoic expression, Reiko read his fear of what she might learn from Kozeri-and what she might do. "Wait here," she said.

She marched up to the dancers, watching Kozeri. The nun's figure was shapely and graceful. Her heavy-lidded eyes were somnolent as she dipped and undulated; her full lips curved in a serene smile. As Sano had said, Kozeri wasn't young, but she looked ageless rather than old. Her shaved head only accentuated her beauty. Reiko had always taken her own beauty for granted, but hatred and jealousy overcame her.

"Kozeri-san!" she shouted.

The nun turned. When she saw Reiko, a perplexed frown replaced her smile: She obviously wondered why a stranger should address her in such a peremptory tone.

"I want to speak with you," Reiko said, following Kozeri as the circle of dancers revolved.

Uncertainty clouded Kozeri's face, but she stepped out of the circle, joined Reiko, and bowed. "Yes, Honorable Lady?"

Her soft, breathy voice hinted at the allure she held for men. "I'm the wife of the shogun's sosakan-sama," Reiko announced with all the imperious pride of her cla.s.s.

"Oh." Kozeri looked dismayed. "I didn't know he was married. I didn't know he had brought his wife to Miyako."

Of course Sano wouldn't have told her, Reiko reflected bitterly. "I help my husband with his work," she said. "We're investigating the murder of the left minister together, and I want to ask you some questions." Needing to show Kozeri that she and Sano had a close, special relationship, she didn't hide her purpose behind the false pretense that this was a social call. "Come with me."

Kozeri hesitated, then said, "Very well."

As Reiko led Kozeri through the crowds, she saw Sano frowning and waving at her from across the courtyard, signaling her to stay. Reiko ignored him. She and Kozeri walked to a deserted garden behind the building. A lantern over the doorway shone through pine trees, casting a network of shadows across the gra.s.s. The chirp of crickets m.u.f.fled the distant drumming and singing. Reiko and Kozeri faced each other. Kozeri folded her arms protectively across her bosom as she waited for Reiko to speak. Reiko was trembling inside, sick with a terrible curiosity.

What did he say to you? she wanted to ask. What did you do together?

Yet she did not, because she dreaded the answers. Instead she said, "Why didn't you tell my husband that you were in the palace during the murder three nights ago?"

Kozeri's face mirrored dismay at Reiko's belligerence. "I was just visiting my family. It didn't seem important."

"I don't believe that's your only reason," Reiko said coldly.

Kozeri darted a longing glance toward the lights of the courtyard. Then she sighed and looked at the ground. "I was afraid he would think I was the killer."

"Are you?"

"No!" Kozeri stared at Reiko, aghast.