Laura Rowland - The Iris Fan

“Maybe some other martial artist is able to kill with a touch, but Hirata is the one who’s in league with a ghost that wants to make Lord Ienobu the next shogun.”

“How would killing the boy accomplish that?”

“I think Dengoro really did see or hear something when the shogun was stabbed. Something that implicates Lord Ienobu and that he would have remembered eventually.”

Reiko followed Sano’s logic. “If he’d talked about it, the shogun might have heard and believed it and put Lord Ienobu to death.”

“Hirata killed the boy to protect Lord Ienobu.” Sano knelt, sharing a rare moment of rapport with Reiko as they saw the cold-blooded murder of an innocent child added to their friend’s list of misdeeds.

Reiko cautiously broached the subject they both would rather avoid. “What else might Hirata have done?” She was finally willing to admit that Hirata had turned bad.

His discovery that Hirata was involved in the case forced Sano to view it in a new light. “I think he planted the evidence against Tomoe and Lord Yoshimune. Putting the blame for the stabbing on them would get Lord Ienobu off the hook.”

“It would get Lady Nobuko off, too.” Reiko frowned at the thought of her enemy benefiting from Hirata’s crime. “Do you think…?” She hesitated, reluctant to voice the next logical question. “Could it be Hirata who tried to kill the shogun?”

The awful possibility had occurred to Sano. Perhaps everything he’d thought he’d learned during his investigation was wrong; perhaps Hirata-not Lord Ienobu-was responsible for the stabbing. “I don’t know.”

“Do you think Hirata would draw the line at murdering his lord?”

“I think that if Hirata had wanted to kill the shogun, he wouldn’t have failed. Then again, he wouldn’t have wanted anyone to know it was him. Maybe he tried to make it look as if the shogun was stabbed by someone who didn’t know how.” Sano was still reluctant to believe Hirata had stooped so low and Lord Ienobu was innocent.

“We thought Lady Nobuko, Madam Chizuru, and Tomoe were the only suspects. Hirata is a new one we almost missed. What else might we not be seeing?”

“I have to find out, even if it means starting the investigation over.” Sano looked ahead to a formidable challenge at the worst conceivable time. “I’ll start with Hirata.”

Hostility crept back into Reiko’s expression. “This is bad for Midori and the children.”

Her sympathies clearly still lay with them. Sano felt the fragile rapport between him and Reiko disintegrate as he said, “If Hirata is guilty of the assassination attempt on the shogun as well as Dengoro’s murder, then I have to bring him to justice. I’ve already let him slide for too long.” Whatever Hirata had done since Sano had learned about his treasonous activities was, in effect, Sano’s fault. “But if he’s innocent, I must clear his name.”

“How can you investigate anything? Didn’t you say the war is starting tomorrow?”

“I don’t have much time, but I have to try. The shogun ordered me to find out who’s responsible for stabbing him.” Sano believed that investigating Hirata would lead him to the truth, whatever it was. “It could be his last order to me.”

The demands of Bushido had never seemed so urgent-or so onerous. Thus far the truth Sano had thought would save the day had only made things worse for his family and Hirata’s. But Sano could no more ignore his duty than live without air to breathe.

“What are you going to do?” Reiko lay down in bed and turned away from Sano.

Sano imagined how angry she would be if she knew he’d turned down the final deal with Lord Ienobu, the one offered when he’d gone to fetch Ienobu back to Edo Castle. “Yanagisawa won’t like it, but I feel another wild-goose chase coming on.”

The morning mist in the air condensed into drizzle as Taeko stood alone on the veranda of the guest quarters. Her eyes were red and swollen, her cheeks puffy under the white makeup she’d put on to hide the scratches she’d gouged on them last night. She shivered despite her heavy cloak, but she couldn’t go back inside the house, where she would have to face her family. If they showed her any sympathy, she would start crying again, and she didn’t want to cry. She knew Masahiro would come to her, and she had to be strong enough to do what must be done.

The door behind her opened, and she heard his steps. Her body tensed. She glanced sideways at him, and his smile stabbed her heart.

“No chaperone today,” Masahiro said. “We’re in luck.” He put his arm around her. She flung it off. “Hey, what’s the matter?” He sounded puzzled, hurt.

She drew a deep, shaky breath. “I’ve been thinking.” Her voice came out barely audible. She cleared her throat. “I’ve been thinking … it’s best if we don’t see each other anymore.”

“What?” Fear tinged the shock in Masahiro’s voice. “Why?”

Risking another glance, Taeko saw guilt on his face: He knew he’d broken his promise and didn’t want her to guess. Anger steadied Taeko. “You’re married,” she said coldly.

“But we already decided you’re going to be my concubine.”

He thought she would live with him and he could go back and forth between her and Kikuko! She would have to listen to them making love all the time, and she would know he wanted Kikuko more than her. “I’ve changed my mind.” Her voice wobbled.

“Why?” Masahiro grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. She twisted, avoiding his gaze, afraid she would cry. “All of a sudden, you don’t love me anymore?”

Taeko wanted to say yes, she’d come to her senses, it was no good prolonging a relationship that their families disapproved of. Instead she blurted the truth. “If I can’t have you to myself, I don’t want you at all.”

“But you do have me. Kikuko is my wife in name only.”

Tears burned Taeko’s sore, swollen eyes. “How can you say that?” She hadn’t meant for Masahiro to know she’d watched him and Kikuko-she was ashamed of it-but she couldn’t help herself. “After last night?”

He stiffened. “Nothing happened last night.” His voice was brusque. “I promised I wouldn’t touch her, and I didn’t.”

He thought he could lie to her and get away with it! Taeko smelled soap and fresh wintergreen hair oil on him; he’d been careful to bathe away the smell of sex. Furious, she exploded at him. “You broke your promise! You made love to Kikuko!”

“That’s not true! Why don’t you believe me?”

“I was watching you through the window. You were playing dogs!”

Masahiro blenched with shock and horror, then flushed with anger. “You spied on me? How could you do such a sneaky thing?”

That he would try to put her in the wrong! “It’s a good thing I did! Because now I know what you are.” Taeko sobbed. “You’re a liar and a cheater!”

He exhaled, rubbed his mouth, and groaned. Now he looked wounded, appalled by his own actions, sick with shame and regret. “I’m sorry.” His voice cracked. “Please forgive me.” He reached for Taeko.

She remembered his hands holding Kikuko while he plunged in and out of her. She slapped them away. “Don’t touch me!”

“It was only sex,” Masahiro hurried to say. “It doesn’t mean anything. I don’t care about her. It’s you I love.”

Taeko was crying so hard, she could barely speak. “You forgot about me last night!”

“I made a mistake. I won’t do it again.”

“The next time she wiggles her bottom at you, you’ll say no?”

“… I will!”

His lack of conviction stabbed such pain through her heart that Taeko moaned. “Do you think I’m stupid enough to believe you? Well, I’m not!”