Part 16 (1/2)

oYou've also been mentioned in connection with strange lights that have been seen around Des.h.i.+ma, he said.

The abbot nodded calmly. oI have heard this, certainly. The sailors bring me news of local events. But I have never seen the lights myself. Except on special occasions such as this, I retire immediately after evening rites at sunset, and do not venture outside my quarters until dawn. My attendants can confirm this, if you wish.

oThen you don't know the cause of the lights? Sano said, disappointed. Even if the mysterious lights were indeed connected with Spaen's murder, he had yet to find an explanation for them. And Abbot Liu Yun had just presented an alibi for the night of Spaen's death.

A shadow of impatience crossed the priests impa.s.sive features. oThere are many curious phenomena in this world. In my travels, I have seen crackling lights flash up and down the masts of s.h.i.+ps. I have seen a fireball hurtle from the sky and burn a house. I have seen a whirlwind destroy a town, and a great sinkhole swallow an entire team of oxen. Such phenomena, including the lights in Nagasaki Harbor, are surely manifestations of the spirits. Some men may be able to evoke them. I cannot, for I am no magician.

From the deck of the junk, the crew lowered two small boats into the water. Sailors rowed these up to the pier. The priests carefully placed the golden statue into the first boat. The sailor in the second boat called to the abbot.

oIf you have any further questions, you can find me at the temple, Liu Yun said. oBut now I must accompany the sea G.o.d to the s.h.i.+p so he can bestow his blessings upon it.

With a benevolent smile, he bowed to Sano, then allowed his subordinates to help him into the boat. Accompanied by chanting from the priests on the pier, bursting rockets overhead, and shouts from the waiting sailors, the boats glided toward the junk.

Sano didn't believe Abbot Liu Yun was as indifferent to his brother's death as he claimed. Chinese and j.a.panese cultures weren't completely dissimilar; Confucian family loyalty dominated both, and could seldom be completely erased by religious fervor. That same loyalty could inspire a priest's brethren to supply a false alibi for him. Liu Yun had access to weapons, and transportation available to carry him to and from Des.h.i.+ma by water. The Chinese, inventors of gunpowder, fireworks, and other magic, could surely create mysterious lights. Sano saw salvation in pinning Spaen's murder on a foreign subject. Yet he couldn't arrest Liu Yun on the strength of motive and rumor alone. Might he possibly locate witnesses who could place the abbot near Des.h.i.+ma the night before last?

The offsh.o.r.e commotion grew louder. A conch-sh.e.l.l trumpet blared insistently. Glancing up, Sano noticed that the new noise came from a barge docking at the nearby harbor patrol station. The crew disembarked, their panicky voices carrying across the water. A fearful premonition sent Sano hurrying up the pier. On the promenade, he caught a soldier who ran through the crowds toward town.

oWhat is it? Sano demanded.

oOh, good, it's you, ssakan-sama. Gasping, the man said, oThere's trouble with the Dutch s.h.i.+p. I have terrible news for you!

Chapter 14.

YESTERDAY WE GAVE the Dutch captain your message, and he was furious about the additional delay of the s.h.i.+p's landing, the soldier blurted. oToday he decided he doesn't trust you to conduct a fair murder investigation. He thinks j.a.panese are slaughtering his countrymen on Des.h.i.+ma and intending to punish innocent Dutchmen for the crime. He says that if you don't bring him the head of Jan Spaen's j.a.panese killer and allow the crew ash.o.r.e in two days, he'll blast Nagasaki off the face of the earth!

Speechless with horror, Sano looked out to sea. The Dutch had reacted as he'd feared; his distrust of Captain Oss had proved valid. The ambitious barbarian meant to use Spaen's murder as an excuse for the Netherlands to declare war on j.a.pan, plunder its wealth, and subjugate the citizens. Sano remembered the tales of Dutch conquests. Should he go out to the s.h.i.+p and try to avert the threat? No: The barbarian's ultimatum left him no time for a long trip that might accomplish little anyway.

Hastily collecting his wits, Sano said, oConvey this reply to Captain Oss: ~My investigation indicates that a j.a.panese shot Director Spaen. I shall do everything possible to identify the culprit and deliver him ” or her ”to justice. You have my promise that I will not protect a killer, regardless of nationality.'

It was a vow that endangered his own life, but which he hoped might placate the captain, especially since he now had even more reason to prevent the crew's landing. Until he either proved that the Des.h.i.+ma guards were not involved in Spaen's murder or identified and dismissed the guilty parties, he couldn't trust them to maintain security. He must keep the Dutch s.h.i.+p away.

oTell Captain Oss that I will come to him in two days, with the head of Spaen's killer. Until then, I respectfully request his patience.

oYes, ssakan-sama. The soldier bowed.

oI'll inform Governor Nagai about what's happened, Sano said. Retrieving his horse, he rode into town. Fatigue weighted his limbs; the old wound in his arm ached, as did his head when he thought of all he must do in the next two days: Force the truth out of Chief Ohira and the Des.h.i.+ma guards; pursue the murder's Christian angle; and follow up on his interviews with Peony, Urabe, Kiyos.h.i.+, and Abbot Liu Yun, whose stories he needed witnesses to confirm or disprove. All this, with the threat of war hovering over him. And he must discipline Hirata, whose help he desperately needed but could not accept.

The sun's fiery disk dropped below the horizon; the sky darkened from bruise-red to black. As Sano pa.s.sed tumbledown houses and dark alleys, a sense of danger p.r.i.c.kled his skin. At three hours till midnight, Nagasaki's early rising fisherfolk had long ago retired. The only lights came from lanterns above neighborhood gates. The only pedestrians Sano saw were raffish-looking peasants and samurai. Wary of bandits and outlaws, he kept his hand ready to draw his sword. He forced his tired mind to stay alert and his horse to trot faster.

The road ascended the hills. At the top of an incline, Sano looked back to see how far he'd come. In the sky above the harbor floated a lopsided ivory moon whose radiance s.h.i.+mmered on the black water and defined the silhouettes of anch.o.r.ed s.h.i.+ps. Darkness cloaked the waterfront, interrupted only by weak lights at the harbor patrol station and Des.h.i.+ma guardhouse. As Sano scanned the scene, his heartbeat suddenly accelerated.

Far out on the water, toward the eastern cliffs, a green light flashed rapidly five times. Then a flas.h.i.+ng purple light took its place, followed by bursts of brilliant white. While Sano watched, the lights repeated their sequence, moving steadily toward Des.h.i.+ma.

Sano turned his horse and hurtled downhill. His meeting with Governor Nagai would have to wait. Here was a chance to investigate Nagasaki's mysterious lights, and determine their role, if any, in Jan Spaen's murder.

The twisting road led him on a roundabout path to the harbor. Sano looked across the water and saw the lights flas.h.i.+ng from a point halfway to Des.h.i.+ma. He pa.s.sed unguarded gates whose keepers must have fled in fear. Pedestrians had vanished. The night seemed unnaturally hushed, as if holding its breath until the danger pa.s.sed. Sano reached the waterfront and found it deserted. Were the harbor police also hiding from the ghosts? A slither of dread crept into Sano's bones. As a veteran of the shogun's unsuccessful hunts for ghosts, he had good reason to doubt any existed, but now his ingrained superst.i.tion prevailed. To dispel fear, Sano sought a rational explanation for what he'd seen.

If the lights were a man-made device meant to scare people away from the harbor, then they'd certainly succeeded. Even if they were a natural phenomenon, as Abbot Liu Yun had suggested, any crime ” including murder ”could take place under their cover.

Sano rode down the promenade to the harbor patrol station, which stood dark and silent. oh.e.l.lo! Is anyone there? he called.

No answer. Sano abandoned the idea of alerting the authorities and getting help catching the lights. Slapping the reins, he sped down the promenade. Several hundred paces ahead, two sentries stood outside the Des.h.i.+ma guardhouse. Facing inland, they seemed unaware of the lights. Sano looked across the open firebreak and over the harbor to his right. The lights flashed brighter now, drawing nearer the island's water gates. He urged his horse to go faster.

A sharp hissing sound came from his left. Something whizzed past his face and landed with a clatter not far away. Sano ducked. His horse faltered, skidding to a stop. Heart hammering, Sano cautiously looked around. He'd recognized the sound immediately, from past attempts on his life. He didn't need to see the arrow to know someone had shot at him.

In the direction from which the arrow had come, shops and houses crowded close to the promenades inland side. Amid the rooftops and firewatch towers, Sano saw a shadow move. Then he looked seaward. The lights floated up to the Des.h.i.+ma water gates. Black smoke drifted from them. Excitement leapt in Sano's throat. Instead of taking cover, he rode toward Des.h.i.+ma.

A second arrow soared just over his head. Sano rejected the idea of calling the Des.h.i.+ma guards. The archer might be someone who didn't want him near Des.h.i.+ma while the lights were there; someone a.s.sociated with the staff, and perhaps involved in Jan Spaen's murder. Sano turned his mount in the opposite direction. He squinted at the rooftops, trying to locate the archer, but failed. After traversing a considerable distance without attracting more missiles, he hoped the a.s.sa.s.sin thought he'd changed his mind about going to Des.h.i.+ma. Yet when he doubled back toward the island, another arrow almost clipped his foot. Sano glanced over his shoulder and saw the mysterious lights flas.h.i.+ng purple, green, and white at the Des.h.i.+ma water gates. He veered left, up a street leading inland through a neighborhood of closely s.p.a.ced houses. He paused to look around.

The street was deserted. Jutting balconies obstructed the moonlight. Sano stiffened at a rhythmic tapping sound. Footsteps on a tile roof overhead? He relaxed when he saw a loose shutter flapping in the wind, but his extra sense detected a threatening presence. Staying in the shadows beneath the balconies, Sano continued inland, as if going home. He braced himself for another onslaught of arrows. None came. He scanned the surrounding rooftops and saw no one. Encouraged, he turned right, following a road that paralleled the waterfront.

Instantly an arrow hummed over his shoulder and hit the wall of a nearby building. The a.s.sa.s.sin had guessed his purpose, but Sano refused to turn back. The mysterious lights must be on Des.h.i.+ma now. He had to catch them and determine their cause.

Now Sano could hear footsteps pounding above him as he rode. He saw the archer, clad in black, long bow in hand, kneel on a roof and take aim. The arrow struck his right shoulder with a bone-shuddering impact. Tumbling off his horse, Sano landed hard on his hip. He cried out as horrible pain flashed down his arm and into his chest. He felt along the shaft to the head embedded at an angle just below the outer edge of his collarbone. Warm blood flowed over his hands. He didn't dare yank out the arrow for fear the bleeding would increase. Vigorous activity would worsen the damage. Yet he couldn't stay here for another, fatal shot.

Sano lurched to his feet. Then he heard the archers steps, fleeing across the rooftops. A sudden fury gripped Sano. oCome back here! he yelled, reaching for his sword.

The movement sent fresh agony shooting through his shoulder. In his condition, he would never catch his a.s.sailant. Without prompt medical care, the injury could prove permanently disabling, if not deadly. He hated to abandon his pursuit of the mysterious lights, but he had to get home, now.

Wincing, Sano remounted his horse, clasped a hand over his injury, then began the long, slow ascent through the hushed streets, wondering who had shot him ”and why the person had left without finis.h.i.+ng him off. He suspected an a.s.sa.s.sin sent by Chamberlain Yanagisawa, the rival responsible for past attempts on his life. How he hated the bakufu for allowing such crimes! But it could have been Jan Spaen's murderer, because he was getting too close to the truth. Or someone else who didn't want him to discover the secret of the mysterious lights.

REACHING HIS MANSION exhausted, weak, and soaked with sweat and blood, Sano collapsed outside the gate. The two guards stationed there helped him into the house.

oSsakan-sama! Hirata came running to greet him in the corridor, accompanied by a manservant with bulging eyes and a puckered mouth. oWhat happened to you?

oShot. At the harbor, Sano gasped out as the guards carried him to his bedchamber. oGet a doctor.

The fish-faced servant spoke up cheerfully. oNo need for a doctor, master. Old Carp, at your service. Better at healing than anyone else in Nagasaki, if I may be so bold to admit. A moment, please.

He shuffled off toward the kitchen. In the bedchamber, Hirata lit lamps and spread a futon on the floor. Gratefully Sano lay down on it. The pain was now a throbbing ache that consumed the upper right part of his body. He closed his eyes, fighting the fear that he'd lose the use of his sword arm.

Hirata knelt beside him. oGomen nasai ”I'm sorry, but I have to remove your clothes. I'll try not to hurt you.

With a sharp knife, he cut through Sano's cloak and kimonos. Sano winced when he saw all the blood on them. After Hirata peeled away the last layer of cloth, Sano nearly fainted at the sight of the arrow, protruding from the wound from which more blood oozed.

oTell me what happened. Hirata's voice sounded as though it came from very far away.

Sano explained how he'd come to be shot, and his theories about why. The act of speaking helped him retain his grip on consciousness.

Hirata frowned as he gathered up Sano's ruined garments. oThe Des.h.i.+ma guards practice archery. I saw them outside the guardhouse yesterday. Could one of them have shot you?

oIt's possible, if they're the ones behind Spaen's murder or whatever is happening on Des.h.i.+ma.

Sano's strength was spent. All he wanted was to have his wound treated, then rest before telling Governor Nagai about Captain Oss's ultimatum. Yet he couldn't put off dealing with Hirata's insubordination.