Laura Rowland - The Assassin's Touch

“So I was right.” Gratification swelled Lord Matsudaira’s countenance. “I knew it.”

“Who are you talking about?” the shogun said.

“Ejima, chief of the metsuke.” Lord Matsudaira barely hid his impatience. “He died this morning.”

“Ahh, yes,” the shogun said with an air of dim recollection.

“I thought Ejima took a fall at the racetrack,” said one of the elders. He was Kato Kinhide, who had a broad, leathery face with slit-like eyes and mouth. The other was Ihara Eigoro. They’d opposed Lord Matsudaira and supported Yanagisawa during the faction war. They, and some of their allies, had survived the purge by latching onto Yoritomo, who was alone at court and depended on his father’s friends for protection. But Sano knew that the protection worked both ways: Yoritomo’s influence with the shogun protected Kato, Ihara, and their clique from Lord Matsudaira. He was their foothold in the regime, the promise of another chance at gaining control over it.

“The fall didn’t kill Ejima,” Sano said.

“Then what did?” Ihara said. Short and hunched, he had a vaguely simian cast. He and Kato resented Sano because he’d declined to take their side during the faction war, and now worked closely with Lord Matsudaira. They envied him for rising above them in rank.

“Ejima was a victim of dim-mak,” answered Sano.

“The death-touch?” Lord Matsudaira stared in amazement, as did the elders and Yoritomo. The shogun merely looked confused. The music and dancing continued while the boys joked and laughed together.

“That’s difficult to believe,” Kato said, always ready to deride Sano and raise doubts about his judgment. “Dim-mak is a lost art.”

“What evidence do you have?” Ihara said.

“When Ejima’s body was prepared for the funeral, a bruise was observed on his head. It had the shape and markings of a fingerprint.” This was the story Sano had invented to cover up the illegal dissection. “According to the martial arts literature, this is a sure sign of the death-touch.”

“Books are hardly adequate confirmation,” Kato scoffed.

“One can find something in them to support any argument whatsoever,” Ihara said, backing up his comrade.

Sano understood why they were so anxious to dispute that Ejima’s death was murder. “Nonetheless, I stand by my opinion. But let us defer to His Excellency to settle the issue.”

The shogun looked pleased to be consulted, yet daunted. He turned to Lord Matsudaira.

“Chamberlain Sano is the expert on crime,” Lord Matsudaira said. “If he says it was dim-mak, that should suffice.”

Sano also understood that Lord Matsudaira was so eager to confirm that Ejima was murdered that he would accept an unusual method whether or not he believed in it.

“Well, ahh, then so be it,” the shogun said, clearly glad that Lord Matsudaira had spared him the need to think. “The, ahh, official cause of the death is as Chamberlain Sano says.”

Lord Matsudaira nodded in approval. Kato and Ihara tried to hide their displeasure, and Sano his relief that his ploy had worked and the autopsy remained a secret. He wondered how long his luck would hold.

Yoritomo flashed a congratulatory smile at Sano. During the past six months they’d become friends, despite the fact that Sano had once been Yoritomo’s father’s enemy. Sano had taken pity on Yoritomo, and had found him to be a decent, thoughtful young man who deserved better than a life as the shogun’s sexual plaything and a pawn of his father’s cronies, especially since his status as heir to the regime was by no means certain. That Yanagisawa had produced such a fine son amazed Sano, who had acquired yet another responsibility-as mentor to his former enemy’s child.

“What about the three other recent deaths?” Lord Matsudaira asked Sano. “Were they also caused by dim-mak?”

Kato interrupted, “Do you mean the supervisor of court ceremony, the highway commissioner, and the treasury minister?”

“I do,” said Lord Matsudaira.

“All those deaths can’t possibly be murder,” Ihara protested.

Sano observed Ihara and Kato growing nervous at the turn the discussion had taken.

“We’ll see about that,” Lord Matsudaira said in an ominous tone. “Chamberlain Sano?”

“Whether Supervisor Ono, Commissioner Sasamura, or Treasury Minister Moriwaki were murdered hasn’t been determined yet.” Sano earned a grunt of disappointment from Lord Matsudaira, and relieved looks from the elders.

“I’ll investigate their deaths tomorrow,” Hirata spoke up.

“At least someone recognizes the need to investigate before jumping to conclusions,” Kato said under his breath.

Lord Matsudaira asked Sano, “Have you any idea who killed Ejima?”

“Not yet. Tomorrow I’ll begin looking for suspects.”

“Maybe you needn’t look very far.” Lord Matsudaira fixed an insinuating gaze on the elders.

They tried to hide their consternation. “Even if you believe that someone in this day and age has mastered the technique of dim-mak, you can’t think it’s anyone in the regime,” Ihara said. Sano knew that he and Kato had feared all along that Lord Matsudaira would accuse them of killing his officials in order to undermine him.

“Anyone who doesn’t have the skill or the nerve to commit murder could have hired an assassin who does,” Lord Matsudaira said.

“The same goes for anyone who accuses others,” Kato retorted. “Some men are not above committing crimes in order to strike at their enemies.”

Lord Matsudaira’s gaze turned wary because Kato had fired his accusation back at him.

“Maybe we should examine Chamberlain Sano’s own motive for designating the deaths as murders and conducting an investigation.” Ihara eyed Sano.

The shogun frowned in baffled annoyance as he divided his attention among the music, the dancing, and the conversation. Yoritomo looked unhappy because Sano had come under attack. Sano knew that Kato and Ihara feared his friendship with Yoritomo, which undermined their own influence over the young man. Without Yoritomo, and his connection with the shogun, they would be exposed targets for Lord Matsudaira. Better for them to strike at Sano even though he’d tried to make peace with them.

“My sole aim is to discover the truth,” Sano said.

“The truth as it suits you and Lord Matsudaira,” Kato said with a grimace of disdain, then addressed the shogun: “Your Excellency, the murders-if such they are-should be investigated by someone who has no personal stake in the outcome and can be objective. I propose to lead a committee to get to the real truth of the matter.”

“You have at least as much at stake as anyone else,” Lord Matsudaira said scornfully.

“A committee is a fine idea,” said Ihara. “I’ll be on it.”

Sano wondered if they wanted to take over the investigation because they feared that he would expose them as murderers, or try to frame them if they weren’t guilty. Sano couldn’t let them sweep one crime, and possibly four, under the tatami, or frame Lord Matsudaira and take him down in the process. It was time to pull rank.

“I’m glad to hear that you’re so willing to investigate Chief Ejima’s murder,” Sano said to Kato and Ihara. “I always welcome such dedication from my subordinates.” The elders were technically subordinate to him, even though their age and seniority gave them special standing. “If I need your help, I’ll ask for it. Until then, you will restrict your role to advising His Excellency in your usual capacity.”

Rage at this putdown clenched Kato’s and Ihara’s jaws, but they couldn’t openly defy a direct order.

“You’ve always been satisfied with Chamberlain Sano’s service,” Lord Matsudaira told the shogun. “He’s the man best qualified to investigate. Let him continue.”