The Way Of The Traitor Part 8

Two more officers arrived, carrying a litter covered with a white cloth. oTake the body to Des.h.i.+ma, Governor Nagai ordered them. To Sano, he explained, oThe law forbids the barbarians to administer Christian rites to their dead, but they are allowed to keep a funeral vigil and prepare the body for burial.

Placing Director Spaen's stiff form on the litter, the officers draped it with the cloth and bore it toward Des.h.i.+ma. oGo home! Nothing more to see! they shouted at the townspeople. Sano was glad that the evidence would be preserved for a while, though he didn't know exactly what to do with it. How he longed for Dr. Ito's scientific expertise and wise counsel! Because Governor Nagai's circ.u.mspect remark had warned him of the perilous dilemma he might face.

oChief Ohira, Sano said, oplease confine the barbarians to separate rooms on Des.h.i.+ma. He wasn't ready to eliminate the staff as suspects, or overlook the possibility that Spaen had met his death at the hands of a stranger after escaping; but the Dutch were logical suspects. oDon't let them see Director Spaen's corpse, or tell them he's dead. I'll interview them right away, with Interpreter Iis.h.i.+no's help.

Ohira nodded distractedly, his eyes still on Kiyos.h.i.+.

To the harbor patrol officers, Sano said, oTake this message to the Dutch s.h.i.+p: ~I regret to inform you that your missing comrade has been found murdered.' He added an explanation of the circ.u.mstances of Spaen's death, then continued, o ~I am in charge of the investigation. Until I find out who killed Spaen and why, we must act on the a.s.sumption that the murderer poses a danger to all your people. Therefore, your landing must be delayed until the murderer is caught and punished. With apologies, Ssakan Sano Ichir.'

Sano feared that his plan would anger the Dutch captain, yet he couldn't do otherwise. The addition of hundreds more barbarians to Des.h.i.+ma would complicate his work, possibly destroying evidence and creating unrest. He wished he could deliver the news in person and placate Captain Oss, but he couldn't waste time on another trip offsh.o.r.e; he must concentrate on the search for the killer.

The troops resumed their patrols. Governor Nagai, Kiyos.h.i.+, and Yoriki Ota bade Sano farewell, then departed. Sano trudged up the beach toward Des.h.i.+ma with Hirata and the two guards, while Chief Ohira and Interpreter Iis.h.i.+no walked ahead. The wind seemed colder, the ocean's roar an ominous portent as Sano pondered the conflict that he feared would compromise his investigation.

Prudence and diplomacy required him to place the blame for the murder on a barbarian. If he didn't, he risked bringing war to his country "and charges of treason upon himself for pa.s.sing over foreign suspects to condemn a fellow j.a.panese. Sano thought of the Dutch, imprisoned on Des.h.i.+ma, with ample time and leisure to foster mutual hatred. By incriminating one of them, he could save himself from death and disgrace.

But would he also be letting the real murderer escape punishment for the crime?

Chapter 6.

sumimasen "excuse me, Hirata said, trudging beside Sano up a flight of stone stairs leading from the beach to the waterfront promenade, a wide road built upon a stone embankment along Nagasaki Harbor. After a moments hesitation, he blurted, oCatching a murderer in a strange city is going to be hard. You have to let me help!

Sano had expected the ardent young retainer to renew his plea for a role in the investigation: For some personal, unspoken reason, he carried samurai loyalty and dedication to the extreme. Sensing that this wasn't all Hirata had intended to say, he waited. They pa.s.sed warehouses and shops, patrolling troops, and fishermen carrying buckets of squid and octopuses before Hirata spoke again.

oI've had lots of detective experience, Hirata hurried on. Faint creases appeared on his forehead, as they always did when he was most serious, giving Sano a glimpse of how he would look as an older man. oI can identify suspects, and interrogate them, and check alibis, and "

oHirata! Sano's raised voice silenced the young man. Then he said, oI don't dispute your ability. But this case is dangerous. If I go down, I won't take you with me.

oBut it's my duty to go wherever you go, Hirata argued. oI " He paused, then took a deep breath. oJust now, when I was in town, I found out that there's something strange going on around Des.h.i.+ma. The townspeople have seen mysterious lights nearby, in the harbor. And there's a Chinese priest who hates the Dutch. He practices magic, and may be involved in Director Spaen's disappearance, or death.

This was interesting, possibly relevant information. But the news of Hirata's inquiries. .h.i.t Sano like a fist to the stomach. oYou had your orders, he said with an anger born of concern for his retainer. oYou were supposed to amuse yourself, not conduct interviews, as if on my authority.

Humiliation suffused Hirata's face, but he spoke up bravely: oI just walked around and talked to people. I didn't disobey.

oYou defied the spirit of my order, and you know it. The irony of the situation almost made Sano laugh. That he, who'd often disregarded orders for the sake of his own convictions, should now reprimand another man for the same offense! In many ways, they were two of a kind: honor-bound, enamored of the danger and challenge of detective work "and stubborn to the core. oNow, either you obey or I send you back to Edo.

Hirata's eyes widened in alarm. oYou wouldn't.

They reached the Des.h.i.+ma guardhouse, a long building with plank walls, tile roof, and barred windows, situated in a gravel-strewn yard at the mainland foot of the bridge to the island. Interpreter Iis.h.i.+no waited outside; Chief Ohira must have already entered. oI will, if that's what it takes. Sano hardened his voice and heart. He couldn't let selfish desire for Hirata's companions.h.i.+p weaken his resolve. oNow go home and stay there.

oPLEASE GIVE ME your pouch, ssakan-sama. Then stand with your legs and arms spread.

In the Des.h.i.+ma guardhouse, Sano untied the drawstring pouch from his sash, handed it over, and stood as requested. The guard placed the pouch in a cabinet for safekeeping. On a spiked board he hung Sano's wooden nameplate "the pa.s.s, issued earlier by Governor Nagai, that allowed him entry to Des.h.i.+ma. Another guard searched Sano's body for items that a traitor might pa.s.s to the Dutch: money, weapons, secret messages. More guards subjected Interpreter Iis.h.i.+no to the same procedure, because no one, not even a high-ranking Nagasaki official, was above suspicion.

The guards searching hands reached Sano's sash. Sano willed himself not to tense when the guard touched the spot where he kept Dr. Ito's letter to the Dutch physician. Hopefully the thin, soft rice paper was indistinguishable from the cloth folds of the sash. With feigned nonchalance, Sano gazed around the guardhouse. On the walls hung ropes, iron shackles, and wooden staffs for restraining and disciplining Dutch escapees "or for conveying j.a.panese trespa.s.sers and traitors to the execution ground.

He suppressed a sigh of relief when the guard said, oYou may proceed to Des.h.i.+ma.

Accompanied by Interpreter Iis.h.i.+no and two escorts, Sano left the guardhouse. A stone bridge arched over the sea, whose color had deepened to turquoise under the late afternoon sun. More guards, posted at intervals, bowed as Sano crossed. Ahead, the island's high, spiked wooden fence rose from vertical algae-covered foundations. The fan curve of Des.h.i.+ma seemed to beckon Sano toward all the perils beneath the thatched rooftops and swaying pines.

oSsakan-sama, I've worked with barbarians for nine years, nine years. Interpreter Iis.h.i.+no bustled along beside Sano. oAnything you want to know about them, just ask me.

Sano slowed his pace. He'd longed to see Des.h.i.+ma and the Dutch, yet he felt extremely unequal to the challenge of interrogating the barbarians. The confrontation on the s.h.i.+p had shaken his confidence in his personal strength and his country's, and he regretted the naA_vetAc that had made him believe himself capable of this investigation in which he must succeed "or lose his honor, and his life.

They reached the iron-banded gate. At the guards' knock, it swung open. Inside stood Des.h.i.+ma Chief Officer Ohira, flanked by two more guards.

oSsakan-sama. Chief Ohira bowed. oWelcome to Des.h.i.+ma. The stiff greeting conveyed no warmth, and Ohira looked even more miserable than he had at Governor Nagai's mansion earlier. The bones of his face seemed sharper, the cheeks more sunken, the pouches beneath his eyes darker. Oddly, the murder seemed to have exacted an even greater physical toll from him than Director Spaen's disappearance had. After all, the security threat to j.a.pan had ended with the barbarian's death, as should the threat of punishment for Ohira and his staff. oI await your orders.

To buy himself time, Sano said, oBefore I see the barbarians, I'll inspect the island. Perhaps he could find clues as to how Director Spaen had escaped, and who had killed him.

Ohira ushered Sano and Iis.h.i.+no through the gate. A short pa.s.sage, bordered by high fences, led to Des.h.i.+ma's main street. Entering the world he'd often imagined, Sano found it disappointingly small, yet still intriguing. The street curved along the island's lengthwise axis, between two-story wooden cottages. On the ground floors of these, sliding doors faced the road; above, barred windows formed orderly rows beyond covered balconies. A sentry stood at each door; others patrolled the street or perched on the roofs. Chief Ohira had indeed made sure that no more barbarians escaped.

oThese buildings have all been searched? Sano asked.

oOf course. Annoyance tightened Ohira's features. oI can a.s.sure you that no corner was overlooked during the hunt for Director Spaen, and I would have reported any evidence of foul play. This incident wasn't caused by negligence on my part, and if the killer isn't caught, it won't be my fault.

oI'm not accusing you, Sano hastened to say, surprised at the chiefs defensiveness. oIf I've given you that impression, I apologize. But I'd like to look inside the houses and see everything for myself.

Resentment smoldered in Ohira's bloodshot eyes, but he nodded. At his command, the sentries opened doors, showing Sano large storerooms with shuttered windows, all empty except for one, which contained crates and bundles.

oThose came on last year's s.h.i.+p, but were not sold then, Interpreter Iis.h.i.+no explained, head bobbing. oThe law says they must be stored until the next s.h.i.+p arrives, then offered for sale again along with the new goods.

Sano examined the warehouses and the vacant rooms upstairs, but found nothing remarkable. Under Chief Ohira's glowering gaze, he proceeded to the streets east end. There stood a guardhouse with more sentries inside. At its doorway Sano saw buckets and ladders " firefighting equipment "and a short, cylindrical structure faced with stones.

oA cistern? he guessed, moving closer to inspect the barbarian's possible escape route.

oFresh water comes to Des.h.i.+ma through bamboo pipes, from the river. Chief Ohira tapped the cistern's wooden lid. oThis is kept nailed down, except when the servants fetch water.

oIs there another access to Des.h.i.+ma besides the bridge?

oYes. The water gates.

Ohira led the way to the island's opposite end, past another guardhouse, and into a large corner compound where more sentries paced. This contained a house with a prominent entry porch and latticed balcony; two cottages; a long one-story building; and two small, square ones with plaster walls, ironclad doors, and tile roofs. Grudgingly Ohira named each buildings function: oMy office. The interpreters' office; the governors deputies' office. The store where the barbarians sell their goods to j.a.panese merchants. Fireproof warehouses.

At his orders, two guards opened a wide double gate in the fence. Sano saw stone steps leading down to the sea, and, perhaps twenty paces beyond, the signs warning s.h.i.+ps away from Des.h.i.+ma.

oWere the gates open last night? he asked the guards.

Chief Ohira answered. oNo. They're opened only when the Dutch s.h.i.+p's crew and cargo are ferried to or from Des.h.i.+ma. And I can a.s.sure you that the gates, and every part of the island, are under constant watch.

oIncluding last night?

oIncluding last night.

Sano examined the steps, but saw no footprints or other signs that anyone had recently descended them. oDoes the island have a drainage system? he asked.

Chief Ohira tilted an exasperated glance skyward. oUnderground pipes empty into the harbor below the sea. They're narrow and crooked; nothing except water can pa.s.s through. Obviously anxious to finish the tour, he said, oWhat do you want to see next?