The Cloud Pavilion

22

When Sano emerged from Edo Jail with Reiko, he heard screaming and weeping. Jirocho was planted outside the gate with Fumiko on the ground before him, her arms wrapped around his legs. "Papa, please don't be mad at me," she cried as she sobbed.

"Let go, you dirty little animal!" Jirocho shouted, trying to kick her away.

Chiyo stood near them, watching, her hands clasped under her chin. Beside her, Major Kumazawa said, "Let's go."

His face was stiff with disgust at the scene that Jirocho and Fumiko were making. But Chiyo didn't move. At the bridge waited Sano's troops, Jirocho's gangsters, and the palanquins and bearers that had brought the women to the jail. Prison guards peered out of the watch towers.

"Papa, why don't you love me anymore?" Fumiko wailed. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

"You couldn't identify the bastard," Jirocho said, his face purple with ugly rage. "Are you trying to protect him? Or have you had so many men that you can't remember what they look like?" He seized Fumiko by her hair, pulled her head up, and slapped her face. "Whore!"

"Stop that!" Sano commanded.

As he strode toward Jirocho, the gangster pried Fumiko's arms off his legs. "Papa, forgive me, I want to go home with you," she pleaded.

Jirocho beckoned his men. As they all stalked off, Jirocho threw Sano a baleful glance. Fumiko lay curled on the ground and wept. Even though Sano was furious at Jirocho for punishing the girl, he felt responsible for her suffering. If Sano had caught the culprit, maybe Jirocho would have been willing to reconcile with his daughter. A familiar guilt, heavy and sickening as a physical illness, plagued Sano. Another of his investigations hadn't produced quick enough results, and people had suffered.

Chiyo gently lifted Fumiko to her feet, held her, and murmured soothing words. "You can come home with me. Would you like that?"

Fumiko sobbed brokenheartedly, but she nodded. Major Kumazawa exclaimed, "She's not setting foot in my house!"

Chiyo responded with an obstinacy that matched his. "Yes she is, Father." For the first time Sano saw a family resemblance between them. Chiyo helped Fumiko into the palanquin. The bearers carried the women away.

"I'm glad Fumiko has someplace safe to live," Reiko said. "But it must be awful for her to realize that her father isn't going to take her back."

Sano thought of Akiko and couldn't understand how a man could treat his daughter in such fashion, but he'd never walked in Jirocho's shoes. "Maybe Fumiko and Chiyo will be good for each other," he said hopefully. One had lost her parent, the other her children. They might find solace together.

Major Kumazawa glared after the palanquin, then at Sano. "I don't like how your investigation is proceeding."

Sano didn't like how his uncle was speaking to him, and if Major Kumazawa were anyone else, Sano would put him in his place without hesitation. Yet Major Kumazawa was the father of a crime victim, and Sano felt guilty because he hadn't done better by his family.

"I warned you," Sano said. "No promises."

"You never warned me that my daughter would be dragged to Edo Jail to look at naked men. That's unheard of."

"One can't predict what will need to be done during an investigation," Sano said. "Having Chiyo view the suspects was the only way to determine whether I had her kidnapper."

"Well, it didn't work, did it?"

"I explained to you and Chiyo, beforehand, that either of those men could be guilty or not. And she wanted to come."

"And now I have to give room and board to a gangster's brat." Major Kumazawa laughed, a sour, rasping chuckle. "Asking you for help was a mistake. I should have known better than to expect anything good from a son of your mother."

The outright insult stung Sano and drew a gasp from Reiko. He heard Marume and Fukida grumble under their breath. His forbearance toward Major Kumazawa snapped.

"I should have known better than to help a man who's so small-minded that he values pride and convention above his own family." Sano tasted rage, hot as a fire in his throat. "My mother is fortunate that you cast her out. And so am I."

Major Kumazawa started as if Sano had hit him. His features swelled bloodred with fury as he absorbed the implication that Sano had risen higher than anyone brought up in the bosom of the clan. "How dare you-"

"I dare," Sano said, reminding his uncle that he was chamberlain, the shogun's second-in-command. He had another sudden flash of memory. He'd seen his uncle this angry before, on that long-ago occasion at the Kumazawa house. But he couldn't remember why Major Kumazawa had been angry then. "I suggest you improve your attitude toward me. Otherwise, you might find yourself serving the regime in a much lower capacity, far from Edo. Or maybe not serving at all."

Now the blood drained from Major Kumazawa's face: He understood that Sano had threatened to demote him or banish him from the regime to live in disgrace as a rnin unless he showed Sano due respect. Without a word, he turned, mounted his horse, and galloped across the bridge so fast that his troops had to hurry to catch up.

Sano's sense of victory was minimal; he felt as much depleted by the quarrel as angry at his uncle for goading him into showing off his power. Their relationship was going downhill as fast as his investigation was.

Reiko, Marume and Fukida, and Sano's other troops tactfully pretended that nothing had happened. No one spoke until Hirata came out of the jail.

"What do you want to do with the prisoners?" Hirata asked Sano. "Keep them locked up?"

Sano thought a moment, then said, "No. Let them go."

"Let them go?" Reiko regarded him with disbelief. "Even though Chiyo and Fumiko couldn't identify the suspects, don't you think those men are guilty? I do."

"Let them go, but have them watched," Sano clarified. "Do you have any detectives who are good at secret surveillance?"

"Yes," Hirata said. "I'll get them over here."

"If our suspects are guilty, maybe we can catch them in the act of another kidnapping," Sano said.

He looked at the clouded, darkening sky. The guards lit lanterns inside the turrets of the jail. Flames and smoke diffused in the moist air. Sano said to Reiko, "I'll take you home. We've had enough for one day."

Sano and Reiko arrived at their estate as the temple bells tolled the late hour of the boar. Stone lanterns glowed along the path to the mansion. The misty air vibrated with the sound of crickets and frogs in the garden, dogs barking and castle patrol guards calling to one another in the distance, and water trickling. Sano, Marume, Fukida, and the troops dismounted from their horses; Reiko climbed out of her palanquin. Sano's secretary called from the doorway, "Honorable Chamberlain, Toda Ikkyu is waiting to see you."

"Maybe our luck is about to change," Sano said.

He and Reiko went to the reception room. There, Toda knelt in the light from a metal filigree lantern suspended from the ceiling. Toda said, "I know this is a bit late for a call, but I thought it best not to wait."

"Have you brought some information?" Sano asked.

"Yes. I've also brought something that belongs to you."

Toda pointed to the corner, where Masahiro sat in the shadows. His expression combined chagrin and fright. His shoulders were hunched up to his ears, as if in expectation of a blow.

Reiko exclaimed, "Masahiro! Are you all right? Where have you been?"

"You'd better explain," Sano told Toda.

"I was spying on Yanagisawa today. Imagine my surprise when I caught your son doing the same thing."

Sano felt shock drop his mouth. Reiko gasped.

Toda smiled. "I doubted that you would approve. So I brought him home."

Sano strode over to Masahiro and crouched in front of him. "Is this true?"

Masahiro hung his head. "Yes, Father."

"You went outside the castle?" Reiko was aghast. "By yourself?" When Masahiro nodded sheepishly, she said, "You know you're not supposed to do that!"

Sano cut to the more serious issue. "Why on earth were you spying on Yanagisawa?"

Masahiro cringed from Sano's anger. "You wanted to know what he's doing. I wanted to help."

Sano could only shake his head, his mouth open but empty of words. Although he was furious at Masahiro for breaking a rule intended to keep him safe, and for taking such a risk, Sano couldn't bear to scold Masahiro. His son's wish to do him a good deed moved Sano almost to tears.

Reiko grabbed Masahiro by the front of his kimono and shook him so hard that his head bobbled. "How could you be so foolish? You know how dangerous Yanagisawa is!"

"He didn't even see me," Masahiro defended himself.

"Indeed he didn't," Toda said, amused. "Your son's disguise was pretty good."

"But what if he had?" Reiko demanded.

"Yanagisawa is the kind of man who assumes that anyone following him is an assassin," Sano told Masahiro. "If he'd seen you, he'd have killed you first and asked questions later. And that would have made your mother very, very unhappy."

"It certainly would have," Reiko said, "although right now I'm ready to kill you myself."

Masahiro sagged in capitulation and shame. "I'm sorry." Then he brightened and said, "I followed Yanagisawa and Yoritomo all the way to the river. I saw them meet three ladies."

"Oh?" Sano said, his interest caught even though he knew Masahiro was trying to barter information for forgiveness. "What did they do?"

"Don't encourage him," Reiko protested.

"Yanagisawa talked to the two old ladies," Masahiro answered eagerly. "Yoritomo went for a walk with the younger one. But I couldn't hear what they said."

"That's enough," Sano said. "Masahiro, you are never to spy on Yanagisawa or anybody else ever again. Do you understand?"

Masahiro sighed. "Yes, Father."

"Go to your room," Sano said. "You'll stay there until you realize what a reckless thing you did and I decide you can be trusted again."

As Masahiro rose to obey, Fukida and Marume appeared at the door. Sano said, "Organize a watch on my son. Make sure he doesn't leave his room."

"Why?" Marume asked. "Masahiro, have you been a bad boy?"

"I'm sure he'll tell you all about it," Reiko said as the detectives followed the glum, defeated Masahiro out of the reception chamber.

"I hope that will teach him a lesson," Toda said. "If it does, it might add a few years to his life."

Sano didn't want to discuss Masahiro's future with Toda. "Thank you for bringing him home," he said, then changed the subject. "Did you see the three ladies?"

"I did."

"Who were they?" Sano asked.

"I don't know," Toda said. "I've never seen them before."

"What were they doing with Yanagisawa and Yoritomo?"

"Sorry, I can't answer that question, either. They chose a place that had few people and lots of open space. I couldn't get close enough to eavesdrop. But it looked like a miai."

"It's reasonable that Yanagisawa would decide his son should marry," Reiko said to Sano. "Yoritomo is more than of age. Maybe the meeting had nothing to do with political schemes." She sounded more hopeful than convinced.

"Maybe not, but then why should Yanagisawa keep Yoritomo's marriage prospects under wraps? I'd have expected him to put out the word that he was looking for a wife for his son and send a go-between to solicit offers from important families. No-there's something fishy about that miai."

Sano turned to Toda. "Continue your surveillance on Yanagisawa. Find out who those ladies are and what Yanagisawa is trying to accomplish."

"I'll do my best," Toda said, then bowed and departed.

Alone with his wife, in the quiet of their home, Sano suddenly realized how exhausted he was from the day's endeavors and disappointments. Masahiro's escapade on top of everything else was entirely too much. Sano was also ravenous with hunger.

"Let's eat," he said, "then go to bed."

"That sounds wonderful," Reiko said. "Tomorrow should be a better day," Sano said. "We'll get another chance to catch the kidnapper. And what else could possibly go wrong?"

Morning thunder awakened Edo. Storm clouds obliterated