“She fought back,” Sano said, observing the woman’s hands. “Her fingernails are broken and bloody because she clawed her attacker.”
In his mind he saw the blood on the floor and walls, smeared with two sets of handprints and footprints, one large, one small-the victim’s and the killer’s. If this was Wisteria, what responsibility did he bear for her death?
“Note these dark, deep bruises along her back. After she fell, he kicked and trampled her,” Dr. Ito said. “She probably died from the rupture of internal organs.”
“So he beat her to death.”
Sano wished more than ever that he’d bothered to find out what had become of Wisteria after their affair ended, and not just because he might have saved her life. His sense of responsibility extended to what she might have done, as well as what had been done to her.
“The removal of the head was performed after death,” said Dr. Ito, “because otherwise, there would have been copious blood in the room.”
“The dead don’t bleed,” Sano concurred, forcing a matter-of-fact tone even as he saw bits of gore clinging to mosquito net. “After he killed her, he laid her on the bed, then decapitated her.”
“And see how the neck is hacked and ragged at the edges.” The concern in Dr. Ito’s eyes said he guessed that something troubled Sano. “Whoever did this must have been in a violent frenzy of rage.”
From the jail drifted the howls of the prisoners. Sano envisioned Wisteria, her beautiful face contorted in terror, trying to ward off a shadowy attacker. He heard her scream as fists hit her, saw her clutch the wall as she went down under a storm of blows and kicks…
With an effort Sano said, “Now that we know how she died, we just have to figure out if this really is Lady Wisteria, and whether Fujio killed her.”
“Let us first determine whether this woman matches the missing courtesan’s description.” Dr. Ito paused, clearly on the verge of asking Sano what was wrong; but either Sano’s expression stopped him, or courtesy precluded prying. “How old is Wisteria?”
“Twenty-four years,” Sano said. Her age was the one thing she’d told him that he thought he could take as fact.
“This woman was young,” Dr. Ito said, studying the corpse. “Her flesh is smooth and firm. Twenty-four years is a reasonable estimate of her age.”
The similarity in age could be a coincidence, Sano thought; but the spreading hollow in his stomach said otherwise.
“What is Wisteria’s physical size and shape?” Dr. Ito said.
“She’s small.” Sano raised his hand at shoulder height, assailed by a memory of embracing Wisteria. He tried to compare his knowledge of her naked body to the dead woman’s, but the absence of a face, as well as the bruises and the pall of death, made recognition impossible. He swallowed and forced himself to continue: “She’s slim, with narrow hips and small breasts.”
“As is the victim.” Dr. Ito glanced at the part of the woman’s body where Sano had avoided looking and said, “Her pubis is shaved. She was a prostitute.”
So many points of resemblance indicated that the dead woman was Lady Wisteria, even if they weren’t final proof. Sano felt his hope that Wisteria was still alive yield to desolation; he turned away from the body.
“Cover her, Mura-san,” Dr. Ito said quietly.
Whatever lies Wisteria had told or evils she’d committed, she’d been a proud, courageous woman. Sano recalled her aloof behavior the last time he’d seen her. Might she have had a premonition that her remaining time on earth was short?
“Do you think the hokan killed her?” Dr. Ito asked.
“It’s hard to imagine Fujio being capable of such brutality. Hirata went to question him this morning. We’ll see what happens.”
Sano stared grimly out the window as he pondered the consequences that the second murder held for him. His investigation could now continue, because even if the shogun believed that the killer of his heir had already been punished, he would expect Sano to solve the case of the decapitated woman. New inquiries might turn up new evidence to prove who had killed Lord Mitsuyoshi. Yet this prospect caused Sano dread as well as satisfaction.
“Mura-san, please leave us,” Dr. Ito said. The eta complied, and Dr. Ito stood near Sano. “Can I be of further assistance?” he said gently.
The need to confide overcame Sano’s reserve. “I knew her,” he blurted, then told Dr. Ito his secret. “It’s hard to be objective when the victim could be someone who was once my lover,” he admitted. “But if I go on with this investigation, I’ll have to keep my mind open to the possibility that the dead woman is Lady Wisteria“and that Wisteria was a murderer.”
Dr. Ito nodded in somber understanding. “If the treasury minister was innocent, then Wisteria, Fujio, and Momoko are the only suspects left. Wisteria may have stabbed Lord Mitsuyoshi.”
“In other words, my former lover killed my lord’s heir.”
Sano felt sicker than ever. “There’s another problem. My wife doesn’t know any of this. I never told her about Wisteria and me because I thought it wouldn’t matter. But if Reiko keeps on with her inquiries, she may find out that I freed Wisteria and think I haven’t told her because I have something to hide.”
Fraught with anxiety, Sano clenched his hands around the window bars. Never had he expected his minor omission to grow into a major threat to his already shaky marriage. “I wish I’d told her at the start. What should I do now?”
“A tiny pebble rolling down a mountain can start a landslide,” Dr. Ito reminded him. “I suggest you tell your wife as soon as possible, because the longer you wait, the worse your problems may get.”
22
The palanquin carried Reiko out the gate of Edo Castle ’s official quarter. Huddled beneath a quilt, she brooded as she rode along the stone-walled passage leading toward the palace.
Sano’s behavior last night disturbed her, as did the fact that he’d left home this morning before she’d awakened. Perhaps this latest murder was too much for him? She feared for his spirit. And at any moment the shogun might condemn him for interfering with Treasury Minister Nitta’s trial and failing to solve the murder case.
Reiko also worried about Midori, who’d come to the house earlier to announce that she’d received a message from Lord Niu, ordering her to come to him. Midori was now headed to Lord Niu’s estate, while Reiko traveled toward the palace women’s quarters, where her cousin Eri was an official. Eri, the center of Edo Castle ’s female gossip network, could perhaps identify the samurai who’d freed Lady Wisteria. Finding him seemed more important to Reiko than ever. If Wisteria was still alive, he might know where she was. If she was the corpse in the summer house, he might have information relevant to her murder.
The thought of Wisteria caused Reiko more worry about Sano. She’d guessed that he didn’t want her investigating the courtesan’s background. Was there something he didn’t want her to discover?
Suddenly Reiko heard hoofbeats and footsteps approaching. Her palanquin rocked to a standstill as her guards, bearers, and maids halted. Reiko put her head out the window to see who was blocking the passage. She saw a procession of troops and attendants facing her, escorting a large black palanquin. Out of its window popped two heads. One belonged to Lady Yanagisawa, the other to her daughter, Kikuko.
The girl smiled and waved. As Reiko waved back and bowed, Lady Yanagisawa murmured something to her escorts. Her guard captain addressed Reiko’s: “The wife of the Honorable Chamberlain wishes to visit the wife of the sosakan-sama.”
Reiko was surprised that Lady Yanagisawa wanted to see her again so soon. Though reluctant to delay her inquiries, she had no choice except to tell her attendants, “Take me home.”
Inside the reception room of Sano’s estate, Lady Yanagisawa and Kikuko knelt opposite Reiko. Lady Yanagisawa politely declined Reiko’s offer of refreshment.
“We won’t stay long,” she said. Suppressed emotion ruffled her composure, and a blush tinged her flat cheeks. She held in her lap a small bundle wrapped inside a square of dark blue silk printed with white leaves. “I’m sorry to
