was nothing left to come up.”
Perhaps she did feel some guilt, Reiko thought.
“My sickness frightened Kikuko,” said Lady Yanagisawa. “She cried and hugged me and said, ‘Mama, what’s wrong?’ I said I would be all right soon, and she mustn’t worry. I told her that someday I would explain to her what I’d done. Someday she would understand that I’d done it for her as well as myself, so that her father would love us both. I promised her that everything would be wonderful from now on.”
“That’s a promise you won’t get to keep,” Reiko said with a twinge of vindictive joy. Soon Lady Yanagisawa would reap her punishment for all her evils. “You killed Daiemon. You’ll pay for his death with your life.”
And when Sano learned of her treacherous crime, he would think the worst of Lady Yanagisawa. He would never trust anything she said about Reiko and the Dragon King.
Lady Yanagisawa smiled. Her happiness at winning her husband’s favor apparently outweighed both her guilt and her fear of repercussions. “But you can’t prove I killed him. If you publicly accuse me, I’ll deny my confession. I’ll claim that you forced me to say what you wanted me to say. My good character has never been questioned before. No one will believe that I am a murderer.”
Her confidence seemed invincible, but Reiko said, “We’ll see about that.” She turned to the detectives: “Arrest her.”
The detectives moved toward Lady Yanagisawa. Dissonant laughter emanated from her. “Don’t bother,” she said. “My husband will set me free. He won’t allow me to be punished for killing Daiemon.”
“Your husband won’t lift a finger to save you,” Reiko said. “He’d rather let you take the blame for the murder than continue living under suspicion himself. When you’re accused, he’ll say that you acted on your own, and he had nothing to do with Daiemon’s murder. He’ll sacrifice you to protect his own position.”
“No. He would never do that.” Although Lady Yanagisawa emphatically shook her head, sudden fear glinted in her eyes. “He loves me. He said so.”
“You’re a fool to believe him,” Reiko said. “During all these years, he’s neglected you and cared nothing for you. Now, all of a sudden, he loves you?” Reiko raised her voice to a scornful, incredulous pitch. “Doesn’t that strike you as odd?”
“People change,” Lady Yanagisawa said, her manner adamant yet uncertain. The color drained from her cheeks. “He’s just realized how much he cares about me.”
“He realized how useful you could be,” Reiko said. “His enemies are on the attack, he needs all the help he can get, and he knew you’d do anything for him. So he manipulated you into doing his dirty work. What you think is his love for you is nothing but an act. And you fell for it.”
“It’s not an act,” Lady Yanagisawa whispered. A sob broke her voice. “He meant what he said. If you’d heard him-if you’d seen him making love to me-you would know.”
“You should know that sex isn’t the same thing as affection.” Reiko pitied as well as disdained Lady Yanagisawa’s naivete. “Your husband took his pleasure while assuring that you were his devoted slave.”
Tears of angry hatred glittered in Lady Yanagisawa’s eyes. “That’s not true. You’re just jealous because my husband is superior to yours. You hate for anyone to have more than you do.”
“Speak for yourself,” Reiko said. “Your husband won’t even miss you when you’re gone. And what will become of Kikuko after you’re dead? Who will take care of her? Her father will neglect her just as always. She’ll die of grief and loneliness for you.”
Lady Yanagisawa stared, clearly appalled by this grim depiction of Kikuko’s future.
“But maybe you don’t mind sacrificing yourself for love of your husband,” Reiko said. “Maybe you don’t mind that he’ll climb to power over the corpse of your beloved child.”
Horror welled in Lady Yanagisawa’s eyes. Her lips moved in silent, inarticulate protests as her illusions shattered. Reiko watched her absorb the dreadful fact that she’d been duped and the chamberlain couldn’t care less if she and Kikuko paid the price for his triumph. She uttered a brokenhearted moan.
“Don’t let him get away with it,” Reiko said. “He doesn’t deserve your loyalty or love. Come with us.” Standing amid the detectives, Reiko beckoned Lady Yanagisawa. “Tell the world how you were tricked into assassinating Daiemon. Let the chamberlain take his rightful punishment. Then maybe you’ll be allowed to live, and Kikuko won’t lose her mother.”
Lady Yanagisawa breathed in painful, accelerating wheezes, then began to shake her head and stamp her feet. She wailed and tore at her hair. Her eyes rolled, wildly seeking some remedy for her anguish or target for her wrath. They lit on Reiko.
“This is all your fault.” Her voice emerged in a growl from between gnashing teeth. “You always have to get your own way, and you don’t care whom you hurt.” She glared at Reiko through the tangle of her hair. Hatred ignited in her eyes. “You always win. But not this time.”
With an ear-spitting screech, she flew at Reiko, her hands outstretched and curled into claws. Reiko leaped away, and the detectives moved to stop Lady Yanagisawa, but she was too fast. She grabbed Reiko’s neck. Her momentum knocked them both to the floor. As they crashed together, Reiko screamed. Lady Yanagisawa squeezed her throat. Reiko tried to pry away Lady Yanagisawa’s hands, but they seemed made of iron. Reiko coughed, gasping for breath. Lady Yanagisawa’s face, twisted with rage and madness, loomed above hers. Continuous shrieks and yowls burst from Lady Yanagisawa. Hot, acrid breath flamed Reiko’s face. She heard the detectives shouting as they fought to pull the woman off her. They raised Lady Yanagisawa, but she held tight. Reiko felt herself lifted up from the floor by Lady Yanagisawa. She kicked Lady Yanagisawa and clawed her wrists, all the while choking and gagging. Panic surged through Reiko. Dark blotches spread across her vision. The thunderous pounding of her heartbeat drowned out all other sounds.
Suddenly Lady Yanagisawa’s hold broke. Reiko collapsed onto the floor, gulping air, moaning with relief; she clutched her sore, bruised throat. As her vision cleared, she saw the detectives holding Lady Yanagisawa, who screamed curses as she thrashed in their grip. But the pounding in Reiko’s ears continued, and she realized that her heart wasn’t the cause.
“What’s that sound?” she said.
The detectives listened. Lady Yanagisawa fell silent; she ceased to struggle. The pounding stopped. Running footsteps outside signaled a horde entering the estate. Men’s voices arose in furious shouts amid the clash of steel blades. The noise resounded through the mansion. Into the reception room marched a brigade of samurai troops clad in armor, brandishing swords. Reiko staggered to her feet. She saw the Matsudaira clan crest on the troops’ armor, and astonished comprehension filled her.
The Matsudaira faction had invaded Chamberlain Yanagisawa’s domain. The pounding she’d heard was a battering ram, breaking down the gates.
The invaders faced off against the detectives. Their hostile stares took in Reiko and Lady Yanagisawa. The leader of the Matsudaira troops demanded, “Who are you?”
A detective explained that he and his comrades were the sosakan-sama’s retainers. He identified the women, then said, “What’s going on?”
“Chamberlain Yanagisawa’s army has retreated from the battle,” the leader said. “Most of his allies have defected to our side. And Lord Matsudaira has convinced the shogun to throw the chamberlain out of the court. We’re here to capture him.”
A wail of horror arose from Lady Yanagisawa. Reiko could hardly believe that the corrupt, wily chamberlain had finally fallen from power. But now she heard blades ringing, loud crashes, and screams of agony as his guards tried in vain to defend him and his territory against the invaders. Down the corridor, past the reception room’s doorway, filed Matsudaira troops, leading Yanagisawa’s officials. Then came the chamberlain himself. Two of his rival’s soldiers held his arms. His posture was proud, his expression fierce; he gazed straight ahead. Behind him stumbled Kikuko, escorted by another soldier. She saw Lady Yanagisawa and cried, “Mama, Mama!”
“No!” shrieked Lady Yanagisawa.
She broke away from Sano’s detectives. Weeping, she flung herself toward her child and husband as they disappeared from view. The leader of the Matsudaira troops seized her. He said, “We have orders to take the chamberlain’s whole family. Come along quietly now.”
Dazed by too many emotions to comprehend, Reiko watched her enemy borne away from her.
The detectives led a meek Koheiji offstage beyond the backdrop. The curtain fell. Outside it, the audience booed louder while exiting the theater. Hirata, walking alongside Sano as they followed the captive actor,
