Laura Rowland - The Iris Fan

Masahiro stalked off, his expression stormy, without a word. Marume opened his mouth. Sano said ruefully, “Don’t say it. I know.”

“I still think you should have let it go,” Masahiro said.

“I still stand by my decision,” Sano said.

“It was wrong! You threw away our chance to get rid of him for good!”

Reiko heard them arguing as they came in the door. Masahiro sounded defiant, so unlike when he’d been a little boy, when he’d worshiped the father he’d thought could do no wrong. She hurried to meet them in the passage. Masahiro looked furious, Sano exhausted. She said, “Are you arguing about Yoshisato?”

“So you know he’s alive,” Sano said.

“You said to tell her. I told her,” Masahiro said.

“How can it be? Don’t keep me wondering,” Reiko begged. When Sano explained about the anonymous letter, she was stunned and furious. “Why didn’t you tell me this morning?”

“You wanted me to quit investigating Yoshisato’s murder. I knew you’d be upset.”

“Didn’t you think I would be upset when I found out you kept another secret from me?”

Sano rubbed his tired face. “I’m sorry. I thought the letter was another false tip. Seeing Yoshisato was the biggest shock of my life.”

“So you brought him to the castle,” Masahiro said with disgust. “You gave the shogun back his ‘son’ and Yanagisawa back his chance to rule Japan. Whose side are you on, anyway?”

“Don’t speak to your father in that tone of voice!” But Reiko herself didn’t like what Sano had done. “Why did you bring Yoshisato to the shogun?”

Vexed at both his wife and son, Sano flung up his hands. “What was I supposed to do? Tell Yoshisato, ‘Go back to being dead,’ and walk away?”

“You should have killed him,” Masahiro said. “He’s a fraud. He deserves to die.”

“Masahiro!” He was right, but Reiko was disturbed by Masahiro’s readiness to shed blood.

“I don’t murder people for my own convenience,” Sano said in a low, tight voice.

“Then you should have let me,” Masahiro said.

Although glad that she and Masahiro were in agreement that Yoshisato’s return was a bad thing, Reiko didn’t like her son taking sides against his father. It was sad as well as a violation of filial piety, and another rift within their family.

“I’ve finally found out the truth about Yoshisato’s ‘murder.’” Sano explained that Lord Ienobu had had Yoshisato kidnapped and held hostage and Yoshisato had escaped and had become a gangster boss. Reiko listened in amazement. “So it wasn’t what I expected-still, I had to tell the shogun. He thinks Yoshisato is his child. If your child that you thought was dead was really alive, wouldn’t you deserve to be told?”

Reiko felt as if he’d slapped her. Her eyes filled with tears, and she turned away to hide them. If only her baby could be resurrected; if only someone would come and tell her he was alive! That Sano would make his point with such an insensitive remark! It showed that he didn’t care about the baby or her feelings and he didn’t love her anymore.

He started to say something, but she wouldn’t let him rub in the fact that he’d won this round of the argument. She spoke lightly, so as not to give him the satisfaction of knowing how much his insensitivity hurt. “There is a bright side to Yoshisato coming back. He’s trouble for Lord Ienobu.”

“Not enough trouble,” Masahiro said. “He’s knocked Lord Ienobu out of line for the succession-again. The shogun has renamed Yoshisato as his heir.” He shot a bitter glance at Sano. “But Father has kindly given Lord Ienobu a helping hand.”

Reiko was disturbed to realize that Yoshisato wasn’t the only bone of contention. “What else happened?”

“Madam Chizuru told Father that she stabbed the shogun,” Masahiro said. “She said Lord Ienobu told her to kill him. She voluntarily confessed.”

Stunned again, Reiko sank to her knees on the cold floor. “So the crime is solved, just like that? Lord Ienobu is guilty and he’ll be put to death?” She couldn’t believe the investigation was finished so soon and Sano’s risks had finally paid off.

“Not just like that.” Sarcasm permeated Masahiro’s voice. “Father convinced the shogun to give Lord Ienobu a stay of execution.”

“ Why? ” Reiko spread her hands as she stared up at Sano. “Have you lost your mind?”

A breath gusted from Sano as he crouched opposite her. “Madam Chizuru’s confession stank like rotten fish. She doesn’t know that the shogun was stabbed four times or that the fan has irises painted on it. Those are details the attacker would know.”

“It doesn’t matter!” Masahiro shouted. “She said she stabbed him! She fingered Lord Ienobu. That’s exactly what we wanted!” He said to Reiko, “We’d have had him, except Father wouldn’t let it go!”

Now Reiko understood the full meaning of the argument she’d overheard: Sano had disputed the confession rather than allow Madam Chizuru-and Lord Ienobu-take the consequences. That was just like Sano, but Reiko was shocked nonetheless. “You’ve been trying to defeat Lord Ienobu for four years, and now-” She remembered what she’d heard Masahiro say. “You had a chance to get rid of him forever, and you threw it away!”

Sano hastened to defend himself. “It was only fair. Someone put Madam Chizuru up to incriminating Lord Ienobu. I’m certain.”

“ He hasn’t been fair to us! ” Masahiro said. “Why should you be fair to him?”

“It comes down to honor,” Sano said. “I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t give Ienobu the same chance I would give anybody that I thought had been framed.”

It always came down to honor with Sano. The argument Reiko could never win reared its armor-plated head again. She rose to it anyway. “Lord Ienobu is guilty of conspiring to murder the shogun’s daughter. What difference does it make if he’s been framed this time? Why defend him when he’s already a criminal and a traitor?”

Masahiro eagerly followed her line of reasoning. “Lord Ienobu deserves to die.” He crouched beside Sano and hollered into his ear as if he were deaf. “By defending him, you’re standing in the way of justice!”

“Justice for whom?” Sano demanded, wincing at the noise. “So I wasn’t able to deliver Ienobu to justice for murdering Tsuruhime or Yoshisato. I tried, I failed, I’m sorry. But the issue now is justice for the shogun. If Ienobu and Madam Chizuru are put to death, and they aren’t really guilty, then the real culprit will go free. Is that what you want?”

Reiko and Masahiro fell silent. Sano said to Reiko, “You learned justice in your father’s court. You’ve been helping me fight for it since the day we married. Are you turning your back on all that now?” He addressed Masahiro. “When you were little, you wanted to help me defeat bad people and protect innocent ones. And now you don’t?” He knelt, his knees hitting the floor with a thump. “Maybe I’ve lost my mind, but the two of you seem to have lost your principles!”

Reiko glanced at Masahiro. He looked as defeated as she felt. They both knew Sano’s accusation was valid, but it didn’t make her any less angry about what Sano had done. It also did nothing to restore their family harmony. Sano looked more regretful than glad about his victory over them, but he said, “I think Yanagisawa is responsible for Madam Chizuru’s confession.”

“You haven’t proven it,” Masahiro said.

Frustrated yet unwilling to concede, Sano said, “Yanagisawa and Yoshisato stand to gain the most from Lord Ienobu’s downfall.” As if a sudden thought had occurred to him, he asked Reiko, “What did Lady Nobuko have to say?”