"The spirits speak to me about themselves and their wishes. I can't interrogate them about matters that don't concern them." Joju remained courteous, but impatience tinged his voice.
"Never mind the spirits, then," Sano said. "You can help me in another way."
"How is that?"
"You can tell me about your relations with two oxcart drivers named Jinshichi and Gombei."
Joju looked confused, perturbed. Sano thought he'd finally hit his target, but then Joju said, "They transport supplies for the temple. Are they responsible for the crimes you mentioned?"
"They're suspects." Sano wondered whether Joju's business with the drivers was as innocent as the priest claimed. If not, Joju might have denied knowing them. But he also might have realized that people had seen him with them and it was better not to lie. "Can you tell me where they are?"
"I'm afraid not. I haven't seen them in perhaps a month. If they turn up here, I'll be sure to let you know."
He walked toward the door, drawing Sano and the detectives with him, anxious for them to leave. Maybe Sano had hit him close to home after all.
"They're not the only suspects," Sano said. "Your name also came up in the course of my investigation."
"My name?" Joju's expression altered. Sano saw shock, and an emotion harder to interpret. "You can't believe that I kidnapped those two women."
"Three women," Sano said. "There was another-a nun from a convent near this very temple." Was that fear in Joju's eyes? "No, I don't believe you kidnapped them. I believe Jinshichi and Gombei did. They procure women for clients with special tastes. Are you one of those clients?"
"Of course not." Joju's expression shifted into outrage mingled with disdain. "When I became a priest, I vowed never to harm anyone. I also took a vow of celibacy."
"Vows can be broken."
"Not mine." Joju radiated sanctimoniousness. "The work I do requires me to be pure in mind, body, and soul. If I had committed those crimes, the spirits wouldn't speak to me."
Marume laughed. "That was one of the more original proofs of innocence we've ever been offered."
"It's not good enough. Let's see if you can come up with something based in this world." Sano asked the priest where he'd been during the periods when the women were missing.
"I can't recall exactly," Joju said, "but I was probably praying, conducting exorcisms, and fulfilling my other duties at the temple from sunrise to sundown."
"And after sundown?" Sano said.
"I sleep."
"Can anyone vouch for you?"
"The monks, the servants, and the other priests here. The people for whom I conducted exorcisms. I may have called on some government officials."
"I'll need a list of everyone," Sano said.
"I'll gladly provide it. I'll also provide you a list of good character references." Joju said with a sly smile, "The shogun will be at the top of that list. Are you aware that His Excellency is my patron?"
"I am." Sano knew the shogun was enthusiastic about religion in general and mysticism in particular. But now Sano realized that the shogun's patronage of Joju threatened to complicate his investigation.
The shogun was often more loyal to his favorite priests than to his top retainers. In a conflict between Sano and Joju, whose side would he take?
Joju uttered his boisterous laugh. "Then I needn't warn you to think before you persecute me."
32
Sano returned to Edo Castle after dark, when the night watch patrol guards roamed the passages with torches that smoldered and hissed in the moist evening air. Thunder murmured. As Sano and his entourage dismounted at his gate, Hirata rode up. One look at his friend's face warned Sano that things hadn't gone well for Hirata either.
In his office, Sano poured sake for himself and Hirata. "Any news?" Sano asked.
"My men and I spent the day looking for the oxcart drivers, but we haven't found them yet," Hirata said.
That was bad enough, but Sano could tell it wasn't the worst problem Hirata had to report. "What happened with Ogita?"
"He says he's not guilty. He has alibis." Hirata described his interview with the rice broker.
"We expected as much," Sano said. "Did you check those alibis?"
Hirata hesitated, then said, "No."
"Why not?" Sano asked, surprised.
"Ogita has three of your top allies deeply in debt to him. He said he would call in their debts unless I left him alone."
This was a serious threat with potentially dire political consequences, but Sano insisted, "I won't be stopped by blackmail."
"I knew you would say that," Hirata said, "but as your chief retainer, I must advise you to be careful with Ogita. Besides, maybe he's innocent. I propose that we concentrate on the other suspects first."
"That may be a problem, too," Sano said, and told Hirata about his encounters with the other suspects. "Nanbu is still barricaded inside the kennel with his dogs and refusing to talk. And unless I leave Joju alone, I could find myself in trouble with the shogun."
"That is a problem," Hirata agreed. "I must remind you that your ultimate duty is to the shogun, not your cousin or your uncle. Think of what His Excellency will do if you displease him."
Sano didn't have to think. The shogun had threatened him and his family with death often enough. "There must be a way to do right by the shogun and finish this investigation."
"Until we figure it out, we have three suspects we can't touch," Hirata said.
"I did do some discreet inquiries," Sano said. After a long day of meetings at the palace, he'd spent hours tracing Nanbu's and Joju's movements. "I didn't find any evidence to prove that Nanbu and Joju aren't the upstanding citizens they claim to be." Already exhausted, Sano sensed that the day's story of bad luck wasn't over yet. "Have you any more news?"
Hirata bowed his head. "The other day, while I was at Ueno Pond…"
He described how a mysterious stranger had begun stalking him, had later invaded his estate, and had shown up while he'd been interviewing Ogita. As he confessed that he'd killed Ogita's servant, Sano listened in dismay, and not only because of the innocent life destroyed.
"Whoever's stalking you, he has the power to manipulate people against their will, to make them do things they ordinarily wouldn't," Sano said. "You're in extreme danger."
"That doesn't make up for what I did." Hirata's stoic expression didn't hide his misery. "And I can't promise that it won't happen again." He said reluctantly, "I must ask you to take me off the investigation."
As much as Sano hated to lose Hirata's help-or to see him suffering because he couldn't fulfill his duty to his master-he knew Hirata was right. "Very well." And he must take additional steps to protect Hirata and the public. "I'm also relieving you of your other investigations and duties until you've found out who's after you and dealt with the situation. Your detectives can handle your work. If the shogun asks about you, I'll tell him you're ill."
Hirata looked stricken, but he bowed in agreement. "May I be excused?"
Sano nodded.
After Hirata had left, Sano went to look for his family. Perhaps Reiko had news of Chiyo. Perhaps the children could cheer Sano up. He found Akiko asleep in bed, but Masahiro was lying on his stomach in the parlor and drawing pictures.
"Is that a cow?" Sano asked.
"No, Father, it's a cat!" Masahiro said. "Can't you tell?"
"Yes, I was just joking," Sano said. "It's a better cat than I could ever draw. What else have you been doing today?"
As Masahiro chattered about his schoolwork, Sano's mind wandered to the investigation. Then Masahiro said, "Father, what's divorce?"
"That's when a husband and wife stop being married," Sano said absently.
"What's incest?"
Sano's attention snapped back to his son. "Where did you hear that word?"
"Oh, I don't know, someplace." Masahiro scribbled on his drawing pad.
"Well, you'd better ask your mother," Sano said, not eager to tackle sensitive subjects.