Laura Rowland - The Assassin's Touch

“You’re here early, Daughter,” he said. His frown relaxed into a smile that faded as he saw Reiko’s face. “What’s wrong?”

“The assassin broke into our house last night, and he-while my husband was asleep-”

She couldn’t go on because the sob in her throat choked her. She saw comprehension and horror in Magistrate Ueda’s look. He started to rise, his arms extended as if to gather her into them. She lifted a hand to stop him, for any sympathy would be her undoing.

“We don’t know that anything happened,” she said, her voice tight with self-control. “Sano feels just fine.” Reiko forced a laugh. “We’re probably worrying for nothing.”

“I’m sure that’s the case.” Magistrate Ueda’s expression was grave despite his reassuring tone.

“But that’s not why I’m here,” Reiko said, hastily changing the subject. “I’ve come to tell you that I’m finished with my investigation.” At least Sano needn’t worry that it would cause him more trouble. “You needn’t put off Yugao’s conviction.”

Magistrate Ueda expelled his breath and shook his head. “I’m afraid I’ll have to anyway.”

“Why? What happened?”

“That messenger who was just here brought me some disturbing news. Yesterday there was a fire near Edo Jail. The prisoners were released. They all came back this morning, except for Yugao.”

Shock hit Reiko so hard that she almost forgot her problems. “Yugao is gone?”

Magistrate Ueda nodded. “She took advantage of the fire and escaped.”

Horrified, Reiko dropped to her knees. Yugao was violent and deranged, she might very well kill again. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that Yugao ran away. It’s a miracle that all prisoners don’t run when they’re let out for a fire,” she said.

“Perhaps not. Most of those sentenced to death are so broken in spirit that they accept their fate meekly. And they know that if they do run, they’ll be hunted down and tortured. Besides, all the prisoners know they can’t go back to where they came from; their neighborhood officials or police informants would turn them in. The petty criminals would rather face their punishment. Life on the run is harsh. Fugitives must resort to begging or prostitution or starve to death.”

“This is my fault,” said Reiko. “If I hadn’t been so determined to know why Yugao killed her family-if I hadn’t insisted on taking the time to find out-she would have been executed before that fire.”

“Don’t blame yourself,” Magistrate Ueda said. “It was my decision for you to investigate the murders, and neither of us could have foreseen the fire. In hindsight, I should have accepted Yugao’s confession and immediately sentenced her to death. The responsibility for her escape is mine.”

Guilt sickened Reiko nonetheless. “What are we going to do?”

“I’ve sent orders to the police to search for her.”

“But how can they find one person among the million in this city?” Reiko said, filled with despair. “Edo has so many places where a fugitive could hide. And the police are so busy hunting outlaw rebels, they won’t look very hard for Yugao.”

“True, but what else is to be done?”

Reiko rose. “I’m going to look for Yugao myself.”

Magistrate Ueda’s expression was sympathetic yet dubious. “It will be even harder for you than for the police. They at least have many officers, civilian assistants, and neighborhood officials they can set after Yugao, while you’re just one woman.”

“Yes,” Reiko said, “but at least I’ll be active instead of waiting for her to be found. And people who’ve seen her may be more willing to talk to me than to the police.”

“If you insist on searching, then I wish you luck,” Magistrate Ueda said. “I must admit that if you should find Yugao, you’ll be doing me a valuable service. That a murderess is on the loose because I delayed her execution is a black mark on my record. If she’s not captured, I could lose my post.”

Reiko didn’t want to hurt Sano-especially now, when his very life was threatened; nor did she want to hurt their marriage. Yet she couldn’t let her father suffer, any more than she could let a murderess go free. Her intuition told her that learning the motive behind Yugao’s crime was more important than ever. And looking for Yugao would distract her from her fear that Sano was going to die.

“I’ll find her, Father,” said Reiko. “I promise.”

Sano’s first stop was the administrative quarter of Edo Castle. He and Detectives Marume and Fukida dismounted outside Hirata’s gate, where the sentries greeted them. The mist was oppressive, the streets oddly deserted except for a few servants and patrol soldiers. As they walked through the courtyard to the mansion where he’d once lived, Sano felt a pang of nostalgia so intense that it hurt.

He remembered times when he’d come home to this place exhausted, discouraged, and in fear for his life and honor. Through them all he’d been sustained by the physical strength of his body. Even when it had been injured, he’d known he would recover. He’d taken his good health for granted and never really believed he could die, even though he’d often looked death in the face. Those times seemed idyllic in retrospect. Now mortality haunted Sano. He imagined an explosion in his head as a blood vessel ruptured, and his life extinguished like a snuffed candle flame. If indeed the assassin had touched him, all his wisdom, political power, and wealth couldn’t save him. Sano fought the urge to run as fast as he could in a vain attempt to escape the deadly force planted inside his own body. He must concentrate on catching the assassin. He must save other lives even if he was marked for death.

Hirata met him outside the mansion. Last night Sano had sent a message telling Hirata about the assassin’s attack, and Hirata looked devastated by the news. “Sano-san. I-” Emotion choked off whatever he’d meant to say. He dropped to his knees before Sano and bowed his head.

Sano was moved that Hirata could grieve for him even though he’d been the cause of Hirata’s terrible injury. He said in a falsely cheerful voice, “Get up, Hirata-san. I’m not dead yet. Save your mourning for my funeral. We have work to do.”

Hirata rose, visibly braced by Sano’s attitude. “Do you still want me to track down the priest and the water-seller and whoever might have been stalking Colonel Ibe?”

“Yes,” Sano said. “And we’ll proceed with the other plans we made yesterday.”

“Marume and I have already organized the hunt for the priest Ozuno,” said Fukida.

“I’ll do everything in my power to catch the assassin,” Hirata declared. “This is personal now.”

“If you avenge your master’s murder before he’s dead, you’ll win yourself a place in history,” Sano said.

Hirata and the detectives laughed dutifully at the joke. Sano felt the strain of keeping up their spirits as well as his own. “Let’s look on the bright side. Every misfortune brings unexpected benefits. What happened last night has provided new clues that I’m about to follow up on.”

The Tokugawa Army’s central headquarters was located within Edo Castle, in a turret that rose up from a wall high on the hill. The turret was a tall, square structure faced with white plaster. Tiled roofs protruded above each of its three stories. General Isogai, supreme commander of the military forces, had an office at the top. Sano and Detectives Marume and Fukida reached the turret via a covered corridor that ran along the wall. As they walked, they glanced through the barred windows, into the passages under them. Sano was surprised to see only the patrol guards and checkpoint sentries. The officials who usually thronged the passages were absent.