Black Lotus

19

Shinagawa was a village south of Edo, and the second of fifty-three post stations along the Tōkaidō highway. The palanquin ride from the Zōjō district brought Reiko there by afternoon. Between Edo Bay and the wooded rise of Palace Hill, the highway ran past teahouses filled with citizens greeting travelers or seeing them off on journeys. More travelers browsed shops, gathered at the stables, and lined up for inspection at the station office. Hawkers called customers to inns. Now Reiko peered through the palanquin’s window at passing samurai from nearby daimyo residences, and the many monks who came to Shinagawa for illicit amusements. Looking down a side street, she saw banners stamped with the Tokugawa crest protruding from a large crowd gathered between rows of connected houses with thatched roofs.

“Stop over there,” she called to her bearers.

They obeyed. Reiko alighted from the palanquin. The mist had cleared, but the sky was overcast and the air cool; a damp wind wafted charcoal smoke and the smell of horse manure from the highway. Reiko and her guards walked toward the banners. The crowd included laborers, housewives carrying babies, and curious children. Men’s serious voices emanated from the center.

When the guards cleared her way through the crowd, Reiko saw Minister Fugatami, his samurai entourage, and a group of aged male commoners dressed in dark robes, standing around a well, a square wooden structure fitted with a pulley and bucket. Fugatami acknowledged Reiko’s arrival with a slight nod. His sharp features were grim as he returned his attention to his companions.

“This is one of three wells that we believe were poisoned by the Black Lotus during the past year,” said one of the commoners, a dignified, white-haired man. Reiko supposed that he and his comrades were village elders and he was their senior, giving Minister Fugatami a report on incidents involving the sect. He lowered the bucket into the well and drew it up, full. “The water has a peculiar odor.”

Fugatami sniffed the water and grimaced. “Indeed. “ He dipped a hand into the bucket, examined the liquid that ran off his fingers, then said to his attendants,”Note that the water also has an oily texture and faint greenish hue.”

“People have complained of the odd taste,” said the elder. “Fifty-three have become ill with diarrhea after drinking. Fortunately, none have died, and we’ve sealed the bad wells, but we’re worried about possible future incidents.”

Angry rumbles of agreement arose from the spectators; a baby cried. The elders silenced the crowd with stern looks.

“Why do you think the Black Lotus is responsible?” asked Fugatami as his attendants wrote down the data.

“There was never any problem with wells until Black Lotus priests and nuns began frequenting Shinagawa in large numbers. Neighborhood watchmen have seen them loitering at night near the wells that were later found to be bad.”

Alarm and elation stirred in Reiko. Mass poisoning was a serious new addition to the list of accusations against the Black Lotus. However, it might induce Sano to investigate the sect.

“There have also been four reported instances of a pungent smoke drifting through the streets,” said the senior elder. “Breathing the smoke causes chest pain, coughing, and shortness of breath. The last instance was three months ago, and a shopkeeper saw two Black Lotus nuns running away just as the smoke began.”

“Was the source of the smoke identified?” Minister Fugatami asked. “Yes. Please come this way.”

With the senior elder leading, Minister Fugatami, his entourage, and the crowd headed down the street to a tiny Shinto shrine. Reiko and her guards squeezed through the torii gate. Inside stood a primitive altar that held candles, incense sticks, offerings of food, and a gong to summon the deity.

“A pile of burning rags was found there,” the senior elder said, pointing to a spot beside the fence. “They reeked of the odor. The watchman who found them was almost overcome by the fumes.”

Even as she regretted the townspeople’s suffering, Reiko welcomed more evidence of the sect’s evil nature.

“There were no deaths?” Fugatami said.

“No,” said the senior elder,”but we fear that death will occur if these incidents continue. Four families were stricken with stomach pains and vomiting earlier this month, after visits from Black Lotus priests. It seems that the priests are spreading disease.”

Or poisoning the food and drink of people who allow sect members into their homes, Reiko thought.

“The most serious incident was an explosion,” said the senior elder.

The crowd accompanied him across a bridge over the Meguro River to a neighborhood in a poor section of town. There, amid teahouses and shops, Reiko saw a pile of charred beams, planks, roof tiles, and burnt debris where a building had once stood. A bitter, sulfurous odor lingered around the site.

“The Black Lotus sect owned that building,” the senior elder said. “They held prayer sessions and recruited followers there. Six nights ago, the building exploded with a huge boom, then caught fire. Luckily, there was no one inside or nearby, and the fire brigade put out the fire before it could spread.”

“Did you examine the ruins?” Minister Fugatami asked.

“Yes. We found empty jars and some iron chests that had been blown apart, but we don’t know what caused the explosion.”

The sect must have used the building as a storage site for poison and headquarters for their activities in Shinagawa, but Reiko didn’t understand why they’d destroyed their own property.

“Someone could have been killed or badly injured,” said the senior elder. “Also, the number of kidnappings connected with the Black Lotus has increased-there have been nine this past month. Things are getting worse, but when we went to the temple to talk about the incidents, the sect denied any involvement. Honorable Minister, we beg you to help us protect our people.”

The other elders echoed his plea. Minister Fugatami said, ”You’ve done well by bringing the matter to my attention. I promise to do everything in my power to determine what is going on and put a stop to any wrongdoing by the Black Lotus. Now I must return to Edo.”

As the crowd dispersed, the elders expressed their appreciation to Fugatami. The minister looked toward Reiko and nodded to her. She and her guards walked back to her palanquin. She sat inside and waited. Soon Fugatami appeared at the window.

He greeted her formally, then said, ”I regret that the sōsakan-sama was unable to be here.”

“My husband regrets that his business kept him away,” Reiko fibbed politely,”but I thank you for permitting me to observe your investigation for him.”

“What I’ve seen and heard today, added to your monk’s story about the Black Lotus, should be enough to persuade my superiors to outlaw the sect,” Minister Fugatami said with satisfaction. “Even those who are followers cannot justify protecting an organization associated with so many crimes.”

Reiko hated to disappoint him, but she had to bring him up to date on developments since they’d spoken yesterday. “My husband has inspected the Black Lotus Temple. He wasn’t able to locate the novice monk-according to the sect, Pious Truth doesn’t exist. Nor could my husband find any sign of prisoners, torture, or underground chambers.”

“Indeed. “ Fugatami’s expression turned grave. “I suppose that the Black Lotus has permanently silenced the monk.”

“You think they killed him for talking to me?” Suddenly the air seemed to turn colder; an eerie lull of quiet interrupted the shouts and laughter from inns and teahouses on the main road.

“I do,” Fugatami said grimly. “And without an inside witness, my case against the sect weakens. However, there’s still hope if I can enlist your husband as an ally. I will be presenting a complete report on the Black Lotus to the Council of Elders tomorrow afternoon. Will you convey to the sōsakan-sama my invitation to join us? I should be grateful if you could persuade him to support me tomorrow when I ask the Council of Elders to close down the sect and dismantle the temple.”

“I’ll do my best,” Reiko promised, without much faith in her ability to persuade Sano to do anything just now. Still, if Pious Truth was alive and in danger, she must try to rescue him; if the sect had killed him, she must avenge his death. She hoped that dismantling the temple might uncover evidence that would help Haru, for she hated to think she was defending a murderer, even in a crusade against other murderers. And Reiko could not rid herself of a stubborn, visceral inclination to believe in Haru’s innocence.

“These incidents and their increasing frequency attest that the evil within the Black Lotus is growing stronger and the sect is progressing toward trouble of major proportions,” Minister Fugatami said. “I do not know what it might be, but I fear that Shinagawa is only the beginning.”