The Assassin's Touch

by Laura Joh Rowland

  There was someone in the room with him and Reiko.

  He lay perfectly still, feigning sleep, dreading to move. He smelled a faint, unfamiliar human scent and heard breaths that didn’t come from him or Reiko. His skin felt the barely perceptible air currents in the still room. They eddied around a solid shape that loomed behind his back. Living warmth radiated from it. His mind formed a shadowy image of a man bent over him. He knew, without reason or doubt, that the intruder’s intent was evil.

  These thoughts and sensations occurred during a mere instant after Sano awakened. In one swift movement, he rolled onto his back, grabbed the sword that he kept by his bedside, and slashed. The intruder leapt away just in time to avoid his blade. He heard a crash as the intruder fell to the floor, then frantic scuffling sounds as the man rushed across the chamber. Reiko bolted upright beside Sano.

  “What’s that noise?” she exclaimed.

  Sano was already flying out of bed, sword raised in his hand, his night robes tangling around his legs. “There’s an intruder in the house!” he shouted. “Call the guards!”

  He blocked the door. The intruder charged at the sliding partition that formed one side of the room. He hurtled straight through it. Paper tore; lattice splintered. He tumbled into the corridor outside. Sano heard Reiko calling for help. He leapt through the jagged hole the intruder had made. The exterior doors on the opposite side of the corridor had been left open to admit fresh air. Sano stumbled onto the veranda that overlooked the garden. The darkness was so thick beneath its many trees that Sano could see nothing. But swift footsteps crunched on gravel paths and bushes rustled.

  Two guards, carrying lanterns, appeared beside Sano. He pointed in the direction of the sound of the fleeing intruder. “Over there!”

  The guards plunged down the steps with Sano close behind them. They panned their lanterns across the garden. Beyond the boulders and flowerbeds, Sano spied movement in the darkness near a distant wing of the mansion. “There he goes!”

  He and his men raced forward, but lost sight and sound of the intruder. Then Sano heard scuffling noises that climbed above ground level. He looked up as he ran, and he saw a dark lump form on the slanted eave of the building.

  “He’s on the roof!” Sano cried.

  The lump transformed into a man-sized shape and sped out of view as Sano reached the building. The guards dropped their lanterns, climbed the veranda rail, shimmied up the pillars, and scrambled onto the roof. Sano tucked his sword under his sash and followed them. The roof spread vast before him like a sea of tiles that connected the house’s many wings, its rounded ripples frozen and agleam in the moonlight. He saw the intruder skimming, fast and surefooted, over the peaks and gables. As his men gave chase, they skidded, stumbled, and fell. Sano lumbered after them. The rough edges of the tiles gouged his bare feet. The intruder crested a rooftop far in the distance.

  Ahead of Sano, a guard tower rose from the wall that surrounded the compound. Sentries leaned from the windows, holding out lanterns to see what the commotion was. Sano pointed and shouted to them, “There’s an intruder on the roof! Shoot him!”

  The sentries fired arrows out the windows. The night filled with the whizzing sound of arrows and the clatters as they struck the tiles. Sano frantically scanned the roofs, but he could see no sign of the intruder. The guards joined him, breathless and panting.

  “He’s gone,” one said. “He must have jumped onto the wall and out of the compound,” said another. “At least he didn’t hurt anyone, did he?” said the first, who was the captain of Sano’s night patrol.

  A thought pierced Sano as he recalled awakening in the darkness with the intruder near him. Cold, pure dread trickled into his heart. “I want the intruder caught. Go to the Edo Castle defense commander. Tell him I want every guard out searching right now.”

  “We’ll catch him,” the night patrol captain assured Sano as he hurried off to obey. “He can’t get out of the castle.”

  But a night-long search, conducted by thousands of troops who explored every corner of Edo Castle, failed to net the intruder. Sano, who’d waited in the guard command station, trudged home at dawn. Reiko met him at the door of the mansion. Her look of bright anticipation faded as she read Sano’s face.

  “He escaped?” she said.

  “As if by magic.” The dread that had multiplied in Sano during the long night possessed him like an evil spirit. If he spoke of it, the self-control he’d maintained in front of his men would shatter and he would break down. He hurried past Reiko into the house. “I don’t know how he did it, but he could be anywhere in the city by now.”

  “Who do you think he is?” Reiko said, following Sano.

  “I can’t put a name to him,” Sano said as he strode along the corridors to their private chambers, “but who else would sneak up on and attack a high official of Lord Matsudaira’s new regime?”

  “The assassin who killed the metsuke chief and those other men?” Reiko said, breathless with surprise as well as from keeping up with Sano. “Do you think he came here to kill you?”

  “I know it.” Even now Sano felt the assassin’s deadly intent like a poison in his blood. He prayed that the memory was all the assassin had left with him.

  “Does that mean he’s someone within the regime?”

  “Maybe. It would explain how he got into the castle.”

  “Why are you walking so fast?” Reiko said as they rushed past servants who hovered in the corridor. Sano burst into their bedchamber. “Light all the lanterns,” he told Reiko.

  “Why? What’s wrong?” she said, clearly baffled.

  “For once in your life, just do what I say without arguing!” Sano shouted.

  Reiko’s mouth fell open in shock, but she obeyed. The lanterns filled the room with hot, smoky light. Sano flung open the cabinet, took out a mirror, and peered at his tense, haunted face. He discarded the mirror and stripped naked. He extended his arms, turning them as he inspected every minute detail of his skin from shoulders to fingertips. He examined his torso, legs, and feet.

  “What are you doing?” Reiko said.

  Sano turned his back to her and demanded, “Do you see a mark on me?”

  “A mark?” She ran her hands over him. “No,” she said, sounding even more perplexed. “What—”

  But of course it was too soon for the telltale bruise to develop. As Sano faced Reiko, he saw horrified enlightenment in her eyes. Her hand clasped her throat.

  “Merciful gods,” she whispered. “Did he touch you?”

  They stared at each other, both paralyzed by fear that he would be the sixth victim of dim-make.

  “I don’t know,” Sano said, “but I think he did. I think that’s what woke me up.”

  “No!” Reiko clutched Sano’s hands, frantic to deny it. “You must be mistaken. You don’t feel anything bad happening inside, do you?”

  Sano shook his head. “But I don’t suppose the others did, either.” In his mind he saw the intruder bending over him while he lay asleep in bed, stealthily reaching out a hand toward him. His whole body prickled with the sensation of the fatal touch. Was this imagination or reality? “They didn’t know anything was wrong with them, until...”

  Breathless and frantic, Reiko said, “I’m calling a physician!”

  “It’s no use. If I’ve been given a death-touch, the damage is done. Medical treatment can’t save me.”

  Tears shone in Reiko’s eyes. “What are we going to do?”

  That fate could be altered so suddenly for the worse, in a mere instant, amazed Sano. If the killer had indeed touched him, he could be doomed even before Lord Matsudaira punished him for failing to catch the assassin or Hoshina brought him down. The thought of his life cut short, of leaving his beloved wife and son, appalled him. He had scant comfort to offer Reiko.

  “There’s nothing we can do now,” he said, “except wait two days and see what happens.”

  Chapter 22

  Adense morning mist shrouded Edo
, blurring the distinction between earth and sky. Invisible boats floated on the rivers and canals. The voices of people crossing the bridges were links in chains of sound that spanned the water.

  In the slum that bordered Edo Jail, four square blocks lay in ruins. Wisps of smoke still rose from the burned timbers, blackened and fallen roof tiles, and ash heaps where once many houses had stood. Desolate residents picked through the debris, trying to salvage their possessions. But the jail loomed intact beyond the wreckage. Across the bridge and in through its gate filed the prisoners who had been released when the fire had started yesterday. They’d voluntarily returned to finish serving their sentences or awaiting their trials. Two jailers, stationed with the guards at the gate, counted heads and checked names off a list.

  When the last prisoner had walked inside, one jailer said, “This is a surprise. Usually they all come back. This time we’re missing one.”

  Reiko stared out the window of her palanquin as it carried her out of Edo Castle, but she barely noticed the sights or sounds. Fear that her husband would die inhabited her mind like a malignant presence, crowding out the world around her. The sob caught in her throat grew larger by the moment. The idea of losing Sano, of living without him, was beyond unbearable.

  When he’d told her the terrible possibility that the assassin had given him the touch of death, Reiko had wanted to cling tight to him, to anchor him to her and to life. She’d been alarmed when he’d said he had to go out.

  “Where?” she’d asked. “Why?”

  “To continue my hunt for the assassin,” he’d said.

  “Now?”

  Calm detachment had replaced his terror. “As soon as I’ve washed, dressed, and eaten.” He headed toward the bath chamber.

  “Must you?” Reiko said, hurrying after him. She didn’t want to let him out of her sight.

  “I still have a job to do,” Sano said.

  “But if you have only two days to live, we should spend them together,” Reiko protested.

  In the bath chamber, Sano poured a bucket of water over his body and scrubbed himself. “Lord Matsudaira and the shogun wouldn’t accept that excuse. They’ve given me orders to catch the killer, and I must obey.”

  Reiko experienced a sudden furious hatred for Bushido, which gave his superiors the right to treat him like a slave. Never before had the samurai code of honor seemed so cruel. “If there’s one time when you should disobey orders, this is it. Tell Lord Matsudaira and the shogun that you’ve already sacrificed your life for them, and they should go catch the killer themselves.” Beside herself with desperation, Reiko pleaded, “Stay home, with me and Masahiro.”

  “I wish I could.” Sano climbed into the sunken bathtub, rinsed his body, climbed out, and dried himself on the towel Reiko handed him. “But I have more reason than before to bring the assassin to justice.” He chuckled. “Not every murder victim gets a chance to take revenge on his killer before he dies. This is a unique opportunity I have here.”

  “How can you laugh at a time like this?” Reiko demanded.

  “Either I laugh or I cry,” Sano said. “And remember, it’s possible that the assassin didn’t touch me. If that’s the case, we’ll both be laughing about this pretty soon. We’ll be embarrassed that we made such a fuss.”

  But Reiko saw that Sano didn’t believe it; nor could she. “Please don’t go,” she said as she followed him to the bedchamber.

  He threw on his clothes. “I have only a short time to catch the assassin and prevent more deaths. And I will, if it’s the last thing I do.”

  Neither of them voiced the fear that it might be. Sano turned to Reiko and held her close. “Besides, if I don’t, I’ll just worry and be miserable. That’s not how you want me to spend the last two days of my life, is it?” He said gently, “I’ll come back soon. I promise.”

  Reiko had let him go, because even though she was hurt that he wouldn’t stay with her, she didn’t want to deny Sano the chance to spend his precious time as he chose. She’d decided that she should go about her own business rather than fret about a fate that she was helpless to change.

  Now her procession halted in the fog outside Magistrate Ueda’s estate. She stepped from her palanquin and hurried in the gate, through the courtyard, which was empty at this early hour. She entered the mansion, where she found her father seated at his desk in his office. A messenger knelt before him. Magistrate Ueda was reading a scroll that the messenger had apparently just brought. He frowned, wrote a quick note, and handed it to the messenger, who bowed and left. Magistrate Ueda looked up at Reiko.

  “You’re here early, Daughter,” he said. His frown relaxed into a smile that faded as he saw Reiko’s face. “What’s wrong?”

  “The assassin broke into our house last night, and he— while my husband was asleep—”

  She couldn’t go on because the sob in her throat choked her. She saw comprehension and horror in Magistrate Ueda’s look. He started to rise, his arms extended as if to gather her into them. She lifted a hand to stop him, for any sympathy would be her undoing.

  “We don’t know that anything happened,” she said, her voice tight with self-control. “Sano feels just fine.” Reiko forced a laugh. “We’re probably worrying for nothing.”

  “I’m sure that’s the case.” Magistrate Ueda’s expression was grave despite his reassuring tone.

  “But that’s not why I’m here,” Reiko said, hastily changing the subject. “I’ve come to tell you that I’m finished with my investigation.” At least Sano needn’t worry that it would cause him more trouble. “You needn’t put off Yugao’s conviction.”

  Magistrate Ueda expelled his breath and shook his head. “I’m afraid I’ll have to anyway.”

  “Why? What happened?”

  “That messenger who was just here brought me some disturbing news. Yesterday there was a fire near Edo Jail. The prisoners were released. They all came back this morning, except for Yugao.”

  Shock hit Reiko so hard that she almost forgot her problems. “Yugao is gone?” Magistrate Ueda nodded. “She took advantage of the fire and escaped.”

  Horrified, Reiko dropped to her knees. Yugao was violent and deranged, she might very well kill again. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that Yugao ran away. It’s a miracle that all prisoners don’t run when they’re let out for a fire,” she said.

  “Perhaps not. Most of those sentenced to death are so broken in spirit that they accept their fate meekly. And they know that if they do run, they’ll be hunted down and tortured. Besides, all the prisoners know they can’t go back to where they came from; their neighborhood officials or police informants would turn them in. The petty criminals would rather face their punishment. Life on the run is harsh. Fugitives must resort to begging or prostitution or starve to death.”

  “This is my fault,” said Reiko. “If I hadn’t been so determined to know why Yugao killed her family—if I hadn’t insisted on taking the time to find out—she would have been executed before that fire.”

  “Don’t blame yourself,” Magistrate Ueda said. “It was my decision for you to investigate the murders, and neither of us could have foreseen the fire. In hindsight, I should have accepted Yugao’s confession and immediately sentenced her to death. The responsibility for her escape is mine.”

  Guilt sickened Reiko nonetheless. “What are we going to do?”

  “I’ve sent orders to the police to search for her.”

  “But how can they find one person among the million in this city?” Reiko said, filled with despair. “Edo has so many places where a fugitive could hide. And the police are so busy hunting outlaw rebels, they won’t look very hard for Yugao.”

  “True, but what else is to be done?”

  Reiko rose. “I’m going to look for Yugao myself.”

  Magistrate Ueda’s expression was sympathetic yet dubious. “It will be even harder for you than for the police. They at least have many officers, civilian assistants, and neighborhood officials they
can set after Yugao, while you’re just one woman.”

  “Yes,” Reiko said, “but at least I’ll be active instead of waiting for her to be found. And people who’ve seen her may be more willing to talk to me than to the police.”

  “If you insist on searching, then I wish you luck,” Magistrate Ueda said. “I must admit that if you should find Yugao, you’ll be doing me a valuable service. That a murderess is on the loose because I delayed her execution is a black mark on my record. If she’s not captured, I could lose my post.”

  Reiko didn’t want to hurt Sano—especially now, when his very life was threatened; nor did she want to hurt their marriage. Yet she couldn’t let her father suffer, any more than she could let a murderess go free. Her intuition told her that learning the motive behind Yugao’s crime was more important than ever. And looking for Yugao would distract her from her fear that Sano was going to die.

  “I’ll find her, Father,” said Reiko. “I promise.”

  Sano’s first stop was the administrative quarter of Edo Castle. He and Detectives Marume and Fukida dismounted outside Hirata’s gate, where the sentries greeted them. The mist was oppressive, the streets oddly deserted except for a few servants and patrol soldiers. As they walked through the courtyard to the mansion where he’d once lived, Sano felt a pang of nostalgia so intense that it hurt.

  He remembered times when he’d come home to this place exhausted, discouraged, and in fear for his life and honor. Through them all he’d been sustained by the physical strength of his body. Even when it had been injured, he’d known he would recover. He’d taken his good health for granted and never really believed he could die, even though he’d often looked death in the face. Those times seemed idyllic in retrospect. Now mortality haunted Sano. He imagined an explosion in his head as a blood vessel ruptured, and his life extinguished like a snuffed candle flame. If indeed the assassin had touched him, all his wisdom, political power, and wealth couldn’t save him. Sano fought the urge to run as fast as he could in a vain attempt to escape the deadly force planted inside his own body. He must concentrate on catching the assassin. He must save other lives even if he was marked for death.