“Does Yanagisawa-san know about your plans for a coalition?” Sano asked.
“Not yet.”
“He’ll never go along with it, especially if it includes me.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll handle him.”
Sano almost believed Yoshisato could. “Do you believe you’re the shogun’s son?”
“The shogun has named me as his heir,” Yoshisato said as they circled, attacked, counterattacked, and retreated. “That’s proof enough for me.”
“Well, I say you’re not,” Sano said. “You shouldn’t inherit the regime. I can’t ally with a fraud.”
“Why not accept the fact that I’ll be your lord someday and work with me instead of fighting me?”
They were both breathless now, from sparring verbally as well as physically. Sano admitted to himself that Yoshisato’s proposition was tempting. A peaceful partnership with the next shogun, a better government, and security for his family-these weren’t advantages to be easily rejected.
“Will you at least promise to consider it?” Yoshisato asked.
He sounded as young as Masahiro. His face was alight with hope, zeal, and pleading. Sano couldn’t say no. “I promise,” Sano said.
Yoshisato’s smile expressed relief and gratitude. “That’s all I ask.”
They backed away from each other, ending their combat in a draw, and bowed. The audience’s cheers faded into discontented, puzzled murmurs: There wouldn’t be blood spilled tonight. Sano and Yoshisato bowed to the shogun, who squinted at them. Everyone sensed that something unusual had happened, even if they didn’t know what.
Sano had come to interrogate a murder suspect and wound up liking Yoshisato, his enemy’s pawn.
19
“I can’t stand this anymore!” Midori cried, pacing the parlor floor. “What if Taeko never comes home?”
“She will,” Reiko said soothingly. She knelt at the table and removed the lids from the dishes on their dinner trays. “Just be patient.”
“But maybe she’s been kidnapped!” Midori mopped her tear-drenched face with a handkerchief. “Or maybe she’s lying dead somewhere!”
“Don’t even think that!” Reiko, too, had begun losing hope that Taeko would be found safe after an entire night and day. Now another night was upon them. “You should eat. Look-it’s your favorite, grilled oysters.”
“I can’t. If only Taeko would come back, I’ll never scold her again. She can paint all day if she wants!”
Sano came into the room. The women looked up eagerly. He said, “Has there been any news of Taeko?”
Her hopes dashed, Midori buried her face in her hands and sobbed.
“No,” Reiko said unhappily. “The search parties are still looking.”
“I can’t find her, either,” Masahiro said, entering the room. “And I went all around Lord Tsunanori’s estate.”
“Why on earth would she be there?” Reiko asked.
“She followed me yesterday, when I went to investigate the murder.”
“You didn’t tell us,” Sano said.
“You should have!” Midori cried. “What was she doing there?”
“I know.” Chastened, Masahiro said, “She wanted to help me with the investigation. I said no. I thought she went home. I didn’t know she was missing until this morning.”
Midori uttered a sound of woeful disgust. “She never would have left the castle if not for you. You’re a bad influence on her. And you shouldn’t have left her in the city by herself!”
“I’m sorry,” Masahiro said, clearly hurt by the rebuke and upset because Taeko’s disappearance was at least partially his fault. “I’ve been looking for her all over Nihonbashi.”
“You went into Nihonbashi by yourself?” Reiko exclaimed. “You know I don’t like you doing that unless you have to deliver messages. It’s too dangerous since the earthquake. All we need is another missing child.”
“I’m not a child,” Masahiro protested.
“You’ve acted like one,” Reiko said. “You have to learn to be more responsible.”
Then she remembered that Masahiro was only twelve. She and Sano tended to treat him like an adult and expected too much from him. No matter how precocious he was, his mind wasn’t finished growing.
Detective Marume’s voice said, “Cheer up, everybody. Here’s something you lost.”
Reiko, Sano, Masahiro, and Midori looked toward the doorway. There stood Marume with Taeko. She wore a dirty blue cotton kimono and white head kerchief. Her face was streaked with grime.
“Taeko!” Midori ran to her daughter. Her joy quickly passed. She grabbed Taeko’s shoulders. “You naughty girl! I’ve been worried sick about you!”
* * *
Tired, hungry, and shaken by her adventures, Taeko said in a small voice, “I’m sorry, Mama.”
“Where did you find her?” Sano asked Marume.
“She just walked in the gate. I’ll leave her to you.” Marume departed.
Midori patted her hands over Taeko, checking for broken bones or other damage. “What’s this you’re wearing? What happened to your own clothes? Where have you been?”
“Why did you run away from me yesterday?” Masahiro demanded. “Why didn’t you come home? Now I’m in trouble because I didn’t take care of you!”
Taeko looked at him through tears that welled in her eyes. He was mad at her, just as she’d been afraid he would be. It was too much.
“Don’t scold her,” Reiko said, taking pity on her. “Let’s just be glad she’s safe.”
Midori knelt before Taeko, hugged her tight, and wept. “Thank the gods!”
Taeko wanted to lean against her mother and forget everything that had happened, but she had to tell it. “I was inside Lord Tsunanori’s estate.”
“Inside?” Masahiro said. “What were you doing there?”
“Working.” Takeo described how she’d gotten a job in the laundry.
Midori released her. “Why would you do such a thing?”
“I had to look for a witness.” Taeko said to Masahiro, “Because I made you lose yours. I wanted to find you another one.”
Masahiro groaned. “That was so stupid!”
“No, it wasn’t.” Hurt by his criticism and driven to defend herself, she said, “I found a witness. Her name is Emi. She’s a maid. She told me something about Lady Tsuruhime.”
Her mother and Reiko looked surprised. “What was it?” Sano and Masahiro asked together.
“Don’t encourage her!” Midori snapped. “She’ll think she can get away with doing whatever she likes.”
“I need to know,” Sano said in a stern voice. “This investigation is important to our families. If Taeko has learned something that could help it, she must be allowed to tell us.” Midori reluctantly nodded. Sano said to Taeko, “Go ahead.”
Shy yet pleased to be taken seriously by him, Taeko said, “Lady Tsuruhime sent Emi to buy something at a pharmacy shop. It was supposed to be a secret. But Lady Tsuruhime got sick and died before Emi could give it to her. So she gave it to me.” Taeko reached inside her kimono and pulled out the cloth pouch. “Here it is.”
“This could be an important clue,” Reiko said, taking the pouch from Taeko. She opened the drawstring and displayed the dried leaves, flowers, wood chips, and root fragments inside.
“We need to find out what they are,” Sano said. “Masahiro, go get a physician.”
Masahiro gave Taeko a dirty look as he left. He hadn’t forgiven her. Instead he seemed upset because she’d found the clue and he hadn’t.
“I’m going to give you a bath, then feed you, then put you to bed,” Midori said, and pushed Taeko out of the room.
* * *
Reiko and Sano looked at each other, stunned by the turn of events. All that Reiko could immediately think of to say was, “Are you hungry?”
Sano began eating the dinner Midori hadn’t touched. “I had a skirmish with Yanagisawa. He knows about the murder investigation.”
“Oh, no.” A knot of fear tightened around the baby inside Reiko.
After eating in silence for a moment, Sano said, “The good news is, we don’t need to hide the investigation from him any longer. Which meant that I was able to question Yoshisato.”