character references could help him convict Haru. If she was cruel to children, she might have killed the little boy found in the fire. More mixed feelings plagued Sano. He was eager to solve the case, yet disturbed to think of himself and Reiko compiling evidence for and against Haru like warlords stocking arsenals for a battle. Although he didn’t relish the idea of losing, he wondered if Reiko was right about the Black Lotus in one respect.
It appeared that Haru had offended many people here. Maybe they were seeking revenge, as she’d claimed, by implicating her in murder and arson.
The boys had returned with the ball. One of them said, “It’s no use telling the nuns or priests how Haru treats us. They won’t stop her.”
“Why not?” Sano said.
“Haru is High Priest Anraku’s favorite. She can do whatever she wants.”
Sano saw that he must speak with Anraku. The high priest had been secluded in prayer rituals during his previous visits to the temple, and he’d willingly postponed an interview because he’d considered Anraku neither a witness nor a suspect, but now it was imperative that he question the high priest about Haru.
“I’m trying to find out who set the fire,” Sano said to the children. “Do you know anything that might help me?”
The boys shook their heads. Glances passed between the two girls. “Haru did it,” said the pretty one.
Children often made up stories and repeated things they’d heard, Sano knew; as a father, he felt a certain responsibility toward these children who had no parents. He sent the boys off to play ball, then asked the girls, “What are your names?”
“Yukiko,” said the pretty one.
“Hanako,” said the round-faced one.
“Yukiko-chan and Hanako-chan, it’s wrong to accuse someone unless you have facts to prove your accusation,” Sano said. “Do you think Haru set the fire just because other people say so?”
Again the girls looked at each other. Hanako said, “Um, the night before the fire, we went to bed in the dormitory, but instead of going to sleep, we watched Haru.”
“She sneaks out at night all the time,” said Yukiko. “We wanted to follow her and see where she went.”
“We thought that if we could catch her doing something really bad, we could, um, report her,” Hanako said. “High Priest Anraku would find out that she’s no good and expel her.”
Sano was startled by the vindictive cunning of these innocent-looking girls, and his expression must have revealed disapproval, because Yukiko said hastily, “Oh, we wouldn’t really have reported Haru. We were just going to tell her that we would unless she stopped hurting us.”
Their childish blackmail scheme disconcerted Sano even more. How early they’d learned the ways of the world! “What happened?” he asked.
“When the temple bell rang at midnight, Haru got out of bed and left the dormitory,” Yukiko said. “We went after her.”
“She tiptoed through the precinct,” Hanako said. “She kept looking around like she was, um, afraid to be seen.”
“We followed her down the path,” Yukiko said, “then Hanako got scared.”
Hanako said defensively, “I knew that if Haru saw us, she would be angry. She would, um, be even meaner to us. So I made Yukiko go back to the dormitory with me.”
“Then you didn’t see what Haru did?” Sano said.
“No,” Yukiko said, “but we followed her as far as the garden outside that cottage that burned down.”
“She acted sneaky, like she was doing something wrong,” Hanako said. “She must have set the fire.”
Maybe Haru had gone to the cottage to meet Commander Oyama, Sano thought. If so, what had happened between them? How did the murdered woman and boy fit into this scenario?
“Did you see anyone else near the cottage?” Sano asked.
“No, master,” said Yukiko.
“Did you hear any unusual noises?”
The girls shook their heads. If they were telling the truth-and Sano saw no indications otherwise-then this was confirmation of Abbess Junketsu-in’s claim that Haru had sneaked out of the dormitory that night.
“What did you do then?” Sano said.
“We, um, went back to bed.”
Still, the girls couldn’t account for the later missing hours in Haru’s life. Sano thanked them, then toured the temple, inspecting the buildings and grounds. He found no doorways to underground passages. On a path he met a pilgrim carrying a pack on his back and a walking staff in his hand. The face under his wicker hat belonged to Detective Kanryu. He bowed to Sano, showing no sign of recognition, shook his head slightly, then walked on. Sano interpreted this signal to mean that his surveillance team hadn’t yet discovered anything amiss in the temple.
At the abbot’s residence, an attendant told Sano that High Priest Anraku was engaged in meditation. Sano was annoyed at being put off, but he didn’t want to disrupt the temple routine and offend the shogun’s religious sensibilities, so he scheduled an appointment with Anraku for tomorrow afternoon. Then he walked to the hall that served as headquarters for his investigation. There, three of his detectives were questioning Black Lotus members.
“Any luck?” Sano asked them between interviews.
“We’ve questioned about half the sect,” said a detective. “So far, there’s nothing to indicate that any of Commander Oyama’s family or known enemies were here at the time of the fire. And there doesn’t appear to be anyone with cause or opportunity to have committed the crimes.”
Except Haru, Sano thought grimly. He joined his detectives in interviewing nuns and priests, aware that until he found evidence against someone else, Haru remained his only suspect, and he would somehow have to detach Reiko from her.
14
He who denounces those who embrace the Law of the Black Lotus
Will not be believed,
For he speaks not the real truth.
– FROM THE BLACK LOTUS SUTRA
The shogun’s mother, his two hundred concubines, and their attendants lived in a secluded area of the palace known as the Large Interior. Reiko entered by its private gate. Walking through a garden green and fresh from the rain, she came upon a group of young women dressed in bright kimonos, gathering asters and reeds in the late- afternoon sunshine. Among the women Reiko spied Midori, who smiled and hurried to greet her.
“Hello, Reiko-san,” Midori said. “What brings you here?”
“I need to see His Excellency’s mother,” Reiko said.
“Then I must warn you that Lady Keisho-in is in one of her moods. We’ve had a terrible time keeping her entertained. Now she’s sent us out to pick flowers for her to arrange.” Midori sighed at the plight of herself and the other ladies-in-waiting. “Maybe a visit from you will improve her temper.”
Reiko and Midori walked toward the building, a wing of the palace with a gabled tile roof over plaster and timber walls. Midori said hesitantly, “Have you seen Hirata-san today?”
“Yes, as I was leaving the house this morning,” Reiko said.
“Did he…” Midori looked down at the flower basket in her hands. “Did he say anything about me?”
“We didn’t speak at all,” Reiko said, sparing her friend the knowledge that Hirata never mentioned Midori anymore. Reiko had noticed Hirata’s lack of attention to her friend, and Midori’s growing despondency. She knew Midori was in love with Hirata, but although she and Sano had cherished hopes of a match between them, social considerations and Hirata’s indifference made the possibility of their marriage remote.
“I don’t know what to do!” Midori cried. Tears spilled down her cheeks. “How can I make him like me again?”
