Laura Rowland - The Assassin's Touch

Masahiro came running toward him down the corridor, arms outstretched, calling, “Papa! Papa!”

Sano picked up his son and held him close. He rested his face against Masahiro’s soft hair and breathed his fresh, sweet scent. Would this be the last time? Sano’s heart ached as he said, “Where’s Mama?”

“Mama go out,” Masahiro said.

“She did?” Sano was disturbed that Reiko was out after dark in these troubled times, and surprised that after the attack on him last night, she would go about her business as though nothing had happened. Shouldn’t she be here waiting for him?

He heard quick, light footsteps coming along the passage, and Reiko appeared. She wore a drab cloak over plain garments. Her face looked tired and unhappy, but it brightened when she saw him and Masahiro.

“I’m so glad you’re home,” she said. Masahiro reached for her, and she took him from Sano. “I was afraid you wouldn’t come back.”

“Where have you been?” Sano demanded.

Reiko’s smile faded at his sharp tone. “I went to tell my father that I’d finished my investigation.”

Sano was amazed, and hurt, that she’d thought this errand was so important she’d left the house; he might have missed seeing her before he had to resume his hunt for the assassin. She could have sent a messenger. “You waited until this late at night?”

“Well, no.” Reiko hesitated, then said carefully, “I went this morning. But then my father told me that there had been a fire at the jail, and Yugao had escaped. I thought I’d better try to find her. That’s what I’ve been doing all day.”

“Wait. Do you mean that you got further involved in this business of the outcast criminal? After you told me you were finished with her?”

“I know that’s what I told you. But I had to look for her,” Reiko said, defensive. “It’s my fault that she ran away. I couldn’t just sit and do nothing.”

Even though her explanation was reasonable, Sano’s hurt flared into anger because she’d disregarded his wishes. “You know what a difficult position I’m in,” he shouted. “I can’t believe you’re so selfish and obstinate!”

Anger sparked in Reiko’s eyes. “Don’t shout at me. You’re the one who’s selfish and obstinate. You’d rather have me let a murderess go free than try my best to catch her, just because you’re afraid of Police Commissioner Hoshina. Where’s your samurai courage? I’m beginning to think you lost it when you became chamberlain!”

Her words had enough merit to stab Sano to the heart. “How dare you insult me?” he said, his voice rising louder with his fury. “For four years, you’ve given me problems and more problems. I wish I’d never married you!”

Reiko stared at him, speechless and blank-faced with shock, as if he’d hit her. Then her face crumpled. Tears spilled down her cheeks. She hugged Masahiro, who wailed, upset by the quarrel. Sano’s rage dissolved into horror that he’d spoken so cruelly to Reiko.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice low with shame. He realized that the constant activity, little sleep, fear, and desperation had made him explode at Reiko. “I didn’t mean it.”

She bounced Masahiro, trying to comfort him, while she awkwardly wiped her tears on her sleeve. “Neither did I,” she said in a broken whisper. “Please forgive me.”

Sano put his arms around her, and she leaned against him. He felt her body quake as she wept. “I’ll forgive you if you forgive me.”

“I shouldn’t have said such a terrible thing to you,” she said between sobs. “I’m so frightened and upset and worried, but that’s no excuse.”

“I’ve spent all day running from one place to another, trying to catch the assassin and failing, but that’s no excuse either,” Sano said. “Let’s call ourselves even.”

If he had only one more day to live, he didn’t want them to waste it on ripping each other to shreds. Reiko nodded; her eyes brimmed with love, remorse, and apprehension. Together they put Masahiro to bed, then went to their chamber. Sano collapsed on the bed that the servants had laid out. His body and mind ached with fatigue. He tried not to think about the long night’s work ahead of him, nor to imagine how it would feel if death struck him down tomorrow and what would happen to his family.

Reiko knelt beside him. “I’ll stop looking for Yugao. That will be one fewer problem for you to worry about.”

“No.” Sano couldn’t accept her peace offering. “I’ve changed my mind. I think you should keep looking.” She needed something to distract her from their worries. “It’s the right thing to do.” There was a bright side to every dark situation, Sano realized. If he died tomorrow, Hoshina’s scheming couldn’t hurt him.

“Are you sure?”

He heard hope in Reiko’s voice and saw disbelief in her eyes. “Yes.” Although he had his hands too full with his own investigation to care much about hers, Sano wanted to make amends to Reiko. “How did your search go today?” he said, pretending interest.

She smiled, thankful. “I found Yugao’s childhood friend Tama.” As Reiko related what Tama had said about the family history that she believed had led Yugao to murder, Sano tried to listen, but his fatigue overwhelmed him; he dozed. “Tama told me of a place where Yugao might have gone. It’s an inn called the Jade Pavilion.”

A faint chord chimed in Sano’s memory. He snapped awake. Why did that name seem familiar?

“I came home to see if I could borrow some of your troops to go there with me and help me capture Yugao, if she’s there,” Reiko continued.

Sano bolted upright because he knew where he’d seen the Jade Pavilion mentioned. He fumbled under his sash and brought out the list that General Isogai had given him.

“Is something wrong?” Reiko said, puzzled. “What are you doing?”

Excitement coursed through Sano as he ran his finger down the characters on the paper. “I think the killer is one of Yanagisawa’s elite troops. Seven of them are still at large.” The words “Jade Pavilion” leapt out at him. “This is a list of places they’ve been known to frequent in the past. Here’s the inn where you think Yugao is.”

He and Reiko stared at the list, then at each other, in amazement that their separate investigations had suddenly meshed. Reiko’s expression sharpened. “Yugao had a lover. He was a samurai. They used to meet at the inn. Do you think…?”

“No. He can’t be the Ghost,” Sano said even as his heart began to race. That Reiko had stumbled onto a link to the assassin was too much to hope for.

“Why not?” Eagerness lit Reiko’s eyes. “Tama described him as a dangerous man. She saw him almost kill somebody who bumped into him by accident. Doesn’t that sound like the kind of person who could be your assassin?”

Sano cautioned himself against wishful thinking. “That description could fit hundreds of samurai. There’s no reason to believe he and Yugao are connected. How would a hinin woman and an officer from Yanagisawa’s elite squadron have become lovers? How would they have even met?”

“Yugao wasn’t always an outcast. She met her man at a teahouse near Ryōgoku Hirokoji, where her father once owned a carnival.” Reiko studied the list. “The teahouse isn’t named here, but the army doesn’t know everything. It still could have been a place frequented by Yanagisawa’s troops.”

“It could,” Sano said, letting Reiko persuade him despite the lack of evidence. “What else did you find out about this mystery man? His name, I hope?”

“He called himself ‘Jin.’ He talked in a whisper. It sounded like a cat hissing.” Reiko added, “Yugao had relations with many men. The Ghost could have been the one that Tama says she fell in love with.”