Laura Joh Rowland - Sano Ichiro 07 - Pillow Book of Lady Wisteria

by Pillow Book of Lady Wisteria(lit)

  He and Reiko looked up as Hirata appeared in the doorway. "Sumimasen-excuse me, but there's bad news." Visibly distraught, Hirata said, "Magistrate Aoki just convicted Fujio of murdering Lady Wisteria, and Momoko as an accomplice. They've been taken to the execution ground."

  Reiko murmured in dismay. Sano had anticipated Fujio's conviction when he'd heard Magistrate Aoki had convened the trial, but Momoko's took him by surprise.

  "Come in. Sit down and explain," Sano said to Hirata.

  Hirata complied, and Sano marveled that the magistrate had based the verdict on a story he'd invented and couldn't prove. After Hirata had finished, Sano said, "This seems to be the day for bad news," then told Hirata what had happened to him.

  "All three of our suspects are gone." Hirata's face reflected his horror. "That leaves you as the only target for the shogun's wrath."

  Sano perceived cosmic forces shifting and heard the approaching thunder of doom as the onus settled upon him.

  Reiko said, "Maybe Fujio, Momoko, or Treasury Minister Nitta did murder Lord Mitsuyoshi. They're still good suspects and worth investigating even if they're no longer alive."

  "We can still look for proof of their guilt," Hirata said, following up her attempt to look on the bright side.

  "And hope that it exists," Sano said, "because I'm afraid that if we can't find a witness or some solid evidence that points to someone other than me, the only thing that will convince the shogun I'm innocent is the killer's confession. Which would be difficult to get from a dead person."

  His companions nodded in glum agreement. Then Hirata spoke hesitantly: "Police Commissioner Hoshina isn't above falsifying evidence against you. That second pillow book stank of him. He's sure to invent more `proof that you're a traitor."

  Sano pursed his mouth, aware that Hirata meant they should follow Hoshina's example and fabricate evidence against Fujio, Momoko, or the treasury minister to save Sano.

  Understanding flashed in Reiko's eyes. "False incrimination is less harmful to a dead person than to a live one," she said with cautious hope.

  That Hirata and Reiko would even consider such dishonesty meant they were at a loss for what else to do. "It's already occurred to me," Sano admitted. "But I'm not desperate enough to frame someone who might be innocent, whether the person is alive or dead. Especially since there's a whole area of inquiry that we haven't yet explored."

  "What's left?" Reiko said, puzzled.

  "Lord Mitsuyoshi himself," Sano said.

  Hirata frowned. "The shogun forbade you to investigate his background."

  "And I would hate to disobey." At the very thought of defying his lord, Sano tasted nauseating disgrace. "But Mitsuyoshi represents a direct connection to the killer. Investigating him and his associates should produce new clues. And what are the alternatives?

  "We can keep on investigating Fujio, Momoko, and Nitta, and maybe find new evidence on territory we've already covered. We can hope for new suspects to emerge, and Wisteria's lover from Hokkaido to turn up, or Police Commissioner Hoshina to drop dead." Sano watched Reiko and Hirata shake their heads, doubting the likelihood of these events. "We can pray for a miracle."

  "Investigating Lord Mitsuyoshi does seem the most promising course of action," Reiko said.

  "The shogun will punish you for insubordination," Hirata reminded Sano.

  "I'll risk that because he'll put me to death unless I prove my innocence," Sano said.

  "Maybe he'll forgive you when he realizes you're not a traitor," Hirata suggested hopefully.

  The odds against Sano outweighed those in his favor. He said, "Maybe we can solve the case without the shogun finding out I've disobeyed him-and before Hoshina or our other enemies can cause us any more trouble."

  Lady Yanagisawa stood alone in her chamber, waiting for the only guest she'd ever invited to visit her.

  She wrung her cold, perspiring hands and breathed deeply to loosen the knot of anxiety in her stomach. She dreaded receiving a virtual stranger, and the thought of anyone breaching the sanctuary of her room. But the visit must take place here, in the privacy she needed.

  Her chief attendant appeared in the doorway. "There's a girl here to see you."

  Lady Yanagisawa's heart lurched as she fought the urge to run and hide. "Bring her here," she said.

  Determination fostered courage. She'd already taken a step against Reiko, but the consequences were too uncertain. If Lady Yanagisawa expected to sway the balance of fortune in her favor, she must persevere, despite her regret over her malice toward her friend.

  Reiko's nursemaid O-hana entered the room. She wore a fashionable red kimono printed with a design of snow on black tree branches. Avid curiosity shone through her modest demeanor, belied her hesitant step.

  "Welcome," Lady Yanagisawa murmured. She clasped her trembling hands under her sleeves, intimidated by O-hana's bold, pretty face.

  O-hana knelt and bowed. "It's a privilege for this insignificant person to be summoned to your presence, Honorable Lady." Her voice brimmed with eagerness to ingratiate herself with her hostess. "A million thanks for inviting me."

  Lady Yanagisawa had recognized O-hana as a good prospective accomplice the moment she'd laid eyes on the girl at Reiko's house; yet she needed another chance to judge O-hana's character. Kneeling opposite her guest, Lady Yanagisawa forced herself to look at O-hana. The girl's eyes sparkled with a verve and cunning that repelled, yet gratified Lady Yanagisawa.

  "May I offer you some refreshment?" Lady Yanagisawa asked.

  While they waited for a servant to bring tea and food, O-hana said, "Your chamber is nicer than Lady Reiko's." Her sharp gaze took in the gilded murals, the shelf of antique porcelain ware, the lacquer tables, cabinets, and chests inlaid with gold and mother-of-pearl. "And this estate is much bigger than the sosakan-sama's."

  She liked expensive things and aspired to a higher station than her job as a nursemaid, Lady Yanagisawa noted with satisfaction. Whatever loyalty O-hana had to her mistress would likely matter less to her than the chance for a connection with someone who could give her things that Reiko couldn't.

  "Please enjoy my home during your time here," Lady Yanagisawa said, her self-confidence rising.

  "You're so kind. Many thanks." Smiling vividly, O-hana said, "When I got your message, I couldn't imagine what you could want with me."

  It wasn't her place to turn the conversation toward the reason for the invitation. O-hana was a little too forward for her own good, but that suited Lady Yanagisawa. Her aims would benefit from the girl's bold initiative.

  "We shall discuss that soon enough," Lady Yanagisawa said.

  The refreshments arrived. Too tense to eat, Lady Yanagisawa watched O-hana consume trout roe served in an orange rind, sashimi, shrimp stuffed with quail eggs, roasted gingko nuts, and sweet cakes. The nursemaid ate very fast, as if the food might be snatched from her before she got enough. Lady Yanagisawa liked O-hana's insecurity as well as her greed.

  "That was delicious," O-hana said, licking her lips. "How I regret that I, a poor nursemaid, am not in a position to give you something in return."

  Lady Yanagisawa smiled. Her shyness ebbed as she felt herself gaining mastery over the girl. "You could tell me about yourself," she said.

  O-hana's eyebrows rose in surprise that a lady of high rank should care to know about a servant, but she gladly complied. "My father is a clerk at the Hinokiya Drapery Store. One of the sosakan-sama's soldiers is a customer. He befriended my father and arranged for me to be a nurse to Masahiro-chan. I didn't really want to be a servant because I'd rather get married. But the work isn't too hard, and I love Edo Castle. Here I get to meet better kinds of men than I can meet at home. I'm hoping I'll find a husband who can give me a nice house and pretty clothes and I won't have to earn my own living anymore."

  And if she snared a Tokugawa samurai retainer, she would move far up the social scale. Lady Yanagisawa was glad to find that O-hana wanted something so ordinary and easily granted. "I c
an arrange that," Lady Yanagisawa said.

  "What?" O-hana said, startled.

  "A good match for you, with a Tokugawa samurai." Lady Yanagisawa's money and her husband's position would be enough to entice someone to marry a pretty commoner.

  O-hana looked amazed by her good fortune, yet puzzled. "You would do that for me?" She touched her chest. Then suspicion sharpened her eyes: She wasn't a fool; she knew favors didn't come free. "Why?"

  "Because there's something I want you to do for me," Lady Yanagisawa said. Her heart began to pound with her urgent need to engage O-hana's cooperation and her fear that she would fail.

  "What is it?" Though her voice was cautious, O-hana leaned forward, as if to jump at her heart's desire.

  "First I want you to tell me everything Lady Reiko does. Second. I can't tell you just yet," Lady Yanagisawa said.

  "You want me to do something to Lady Reiko?" O-hana wilted; her face took on a queasy expression. "I wouldn't want to hurt her." The girl was ambitious, but not evil, Lady Yanagisawa realized. "And I don't want to get in trouble."

  She had an instinct for self-preservation that was stronger than any affection she felt for Reiko. This discovery heartened Lady Yanagisawa. She understood that O-hana might be persuaded if she knew she would escape blame.

  "I promise you won't have to lay a hand on Lady Reiko, and you won't get in trouble," Lady Yanagisawa said. "Let us strike a bargain. In the near future I shall give you instructions about what to do. You shall follow them. Afterward, I shall arrange your marriage to a rich, handsome Tokugawa samurai, and you shall want for nothing."

  O-hana hesitated, obviously weighing the reward against the unknown dangers. At last she shook her head in regret. "I can't decide until I know what you want of me."

  Dismay spread cold tendrils through Lady Yanagisawa, but she had planned for the possibility that O-hana would balk. She said, "Do you see that green box on the shelf of porcelain ware?" O-hana looked, then nodded. "Go see what's inside."

  O-hana rose, walked to the shelf, and removed the lid from the little box. She took out a square packet of red paper. Her lips parted as she felt the heavy gold coins in the packet.

  "I offer this gift as a token of my good faith," Lady Yanagisawa said. "Agree to my proposition, and it's yours."

  O-hana stood immobile, the packet resting on her open palm. She stared at it as if trying to discern whether she held her dearest dream or a poisonous snake that would bite her. Lady Yanagisawa watched, her breath caught by anxiety. What if O-hana refused? Would she tell Reiko about the proposition? If so, what would happen, and how could Lady Yanagisawa achieve her aim without O-hana?

  Guile and avarice, distrust and fear played across the girl's features like wind shifting sandals. "I. need to think," she said.

  "Then think about how my husband is the most powerful man in Japan," Lady Yanagisawa said, her quiet, flat voice disguising her emotions. "People who offend him or his kin pay dearly. Many are assassinated or executed. Some disappear and are never seen again. No one knows what becomes of them. But I could arrange for you to find out."

  The nursemaid lifted her gaze to Lady Yanagisawa. Her eyes glittered with terror and need. Then a sigh of capitulation deflated her. Nodding, she slowly closed her fingers over the packet of coins.

  Lady Yanagisawa experienced such an overwhelming sense of triumph that she nearly swooned. She also quaked with sudden apprehension because she'd taken her second step in her campaign against Reiko, and victory would cost her Reiko's friendship. The loss encroached upon her mind like a cloud bringing darkness and desolation.

  But she addressed her new accomplice with calm authority: "Go now. I will send someone to hear your reports on Lady Reiko's doings. And you will receive my instructions soon."

  28

  Lord Mitsuyoshi's family lived in a special enclave of Edo Castle, reserved for important Tokugawa clan members. Here, Sano and two detectives strode along flagstone lanes through landscaped forest that separated mansions surrounded by gardens and stone walls. The enclave, deserted except for sentries in gatehouses, seemed remote from the city's turbulent life. Gray clouds spread rapidly across the sky, but Sano breathed hope from the fresh, pine-scented air. Perhaps the solution to his problems awaited him inside the mansion belonging to Lord: Matsudaira, father of Mitsuyoshi.

  After introducing himself to the gate sentries, he said, "Please tell Lord Matsudaira that I must speak with him."

  The sentries conveyed his request, and so quickly obtained permission for Sano to enter that he dared believe Lord Matsudaira hadn't yet heard what had happened to him or become prejudiced against him. An attendant escorted him and his men into an audience chamber, where they found guards stationed along the walls and Lord Matsudaira standing on the dais.

  "Why have you come here?" Lord Matsudaira demanded.

  He had the shogun's aristocratic features, but set in a broader, more intelligent face; his robust physique wore black ceremonial robes. Hands balled on his hips, surrounded by his troops like a general in a military encampment, he glared at Sano, who realized with dismay that his host already knew he'd been branded the murderer of Mitsuyoshi.

  Bowing quickly, Sano said, "Before I explain, please allow me to offer you my condolences for the loss of your son."

  Lord Matsudaira dropped his hands and tilted his head, staring as though he couldn't believe what he'd heard. "I'll not accept false sympathy from the man who killed him." His voice was harsh with indignation.

  "Please understand that you've been misinformed," Sano said, as his men clustered defensively around him. "I did not kill Mitsuyoshi-san."

  "So you say," Lord Matsudaira retorted. "The word around the castle is that you did. Do you think I don't know you've been accused by the shogun?" Disgust and hatred twisted his face as he took a step toward Sano. "I also know about the book that describes your plot against my son and His Excellency. Police Commissioner Hoshina told me this morning."

  Hoshina had been quick to spread the news, turn public opinion against him, and prevent him from getting Mitsuyoshi's family to aid his investigation, Sano thought. "The book is a fraud," he said. "The accusation was initiated by Hoshina. It's no secret that he's out for my blood."

  Lord Matsudaira waved his hand in a gesture that dismissed Sano's explanation as a poor excuse. "The shogun, chamberlain, elders, and police commissioner all believe you're a killer and traitor. That's proof enough for me."

  "The shogun hasn't yet decided I'm guilty, in spite of the book and Hoshina's slander," Sano said. "His Excellency has allowed me to continue investigating the crime and prove my innocence."

  "Your clever tongue has saved you from execution," Lord Matsudaira said disdainfully. "But I'll use all my influence and power to ensure that you die." Moving to the edge of the dais, he raised his left fist at Sano and rested his right on the hilt of his sword. Then a sob choked him. His belligerent posture crumpled; he averted his face.

  Sano thought of Lord Matsudaira's reputation as a kind master to the citizens on the Tokugawa lands he managed, and perceived that he genuinely mourned Mitsuyoshi, not just the loss of political advantage he'd enjoyed as father to the shogun's heir. Sano pitied this grieving, misguided man.

  "It would be better to use your power and influence to discover the truth about your son's death," he said. "I've come to enlist your help in exposing the real killer."

  Lord Matsudaira's head snapped around; fury glittered through his tears. "You've come to stage a show of innocence and gloat over the misery you've caused this clan! I'll not help you save yourself." He leapt off the dais, advanced on Sano until they were a mere step apart, then thrust his face so close that Sano could see the red veins in his blazing eyes. "The only reason I let you in was so I can tell you in person that you, who have destroyed my son and betrayed our lord, are the most disgraceful creature on this earth!"

  The insult struck Sano like blows to his spirit, and he retreated backward even as he said, "Please h
ear me out. In most murder cases, the victim was killed by someone close to him. Things he did, or trouble in his relations with people, can have led to the crime, and-"

  "You would blame my son for his own murder?" Lord Matsudaira interrupted in outrage. "You're an even worse villain than the courtesan's pillow book portrays you. I'm ashamed that I ever thought you were an honorable samurai!"

  "I'm not blaming Lord Mitsuyoshi," Sano hastened to say. "The fault belongs entirely to his killer. All I meant was that the key to solving a murder case usually lies in the victim's background."

  Lord Matsudaira shook his head, scorning Sano.

  "Your son must have had an enemy," Sano persisted. "You knew him all his life, and you must know what his activities were, whom he associated with, the places he frequented." Sano extended a hand and infused his voice with all the persuasiveness in him. "Please help me identify the enemy who killed him."