Reiko recoiled in horror. “How terrible,” she murmured. The sound of Masahiro’s whimpers drifted through the house. Then her expression turned sharply alert as she absorbed the news. “Could a girl as frail as Haru have smashed the skull of a man, strangled a woman, and broken the neck of a boy-all on the same night, yet-then placed all their bodies in the cottage to be burned? Under what circumstances could an orphan girl starve and torture a child? Dr. Ito’s findings strengthen the possibility that the killer is someone other than Haru.”

His wife had a point, Sano realized: The scenario she described did sound implausible. “At this stage it’s too early to eliminate any possibilities,” he said, warning himself against prejudice. He could be wrong about Haru, despite what he’d learned today.

“Well, if we’re looking for other suspects, then Dr. Miwa and Abbess Junketsu-in are good candidates. There’s something very strange about them.” Reiko described the sinister pair. “They both knew Commander Oyama. They were quick to offer alibis, and even quicker to cast suspicion on Haru.”

Reiko told how the abbess and doctor had portrayed Haru as a troublemaker who suffered from spiritual disharmony, lied, fornicated, prowled at night, and had set the fire as revenge against the temple for disciplining her. Sano mentally tallied the information on Haru. To him, it was clear that the negative outweighed the positive.

He said carefully, “Maybe the abbess and doctor are telling the truth about Haru.”

“I don’t trust those two. Someone beat and bruised Haru; maybe they had something to do with it.”

Reiko spoke with certainty, her back against a partition. Sano understood that his disputing her assessment of Haru had only caused her to cleave to the girl. He was troubled to see the case dividing him and his wife.

“You think she’s guilty, don’t you?” Reiko said.

“I won’t decide until all the facts are in,” Sano said, although he could tell that his hedging didn’t convince Reiko. “So far, there’s no evidence to say that anyone except Haru had a motive for the crimes.”

“But there is.” Brightening, Reiko described her meeting with a novice monk.

Sano shook his head in amazed disbelief. “That’s not possible. There’s no law against underground construction at temples as long as it doesn’t extend outside the religious district, but a sect couldn’t hide the kind of work you describe. The bakufu keeps tight control over the clergy. Officials from the Ministry of Temples and Shrines conduct frequent inspections of all temples. They would have discovered the imprisonment and mistreatment of the novices and children and disbanded the sect. And the metsuke watches for any activities that pose a danger to the country.” The Tokugawa intelligence service had spies everywhere. “Those priests who took Pious Truth away said he was mad. That sounds like a good explanation for his story.”

Reiko’s chin lifted. “The fact that the child in the cottage was beaten and starved supports his claims. And his story provided a lead on the dead woman. Is there a better one?”

“No,” Sano admitted. “Hirata checked out a report on a runaway wife from the Suruga Hill district. He just told me that he went there and found her alive and well-she’d returned to her husband. But the search has just begun. Maybe the woman is Pious Truth’s sister; maybe not. We shouldn’t jump to conclusions.”

He placed his hands on Reiko’s shoulders. “Please don’t be so quick to believe some things you hear and disregard others, or to take the side of a suspect.”

Sighing, Reiko nodded, but she replied, “You said yourself that it’s too early to eliminate any possibility. If there’s the slightest chance that Pious Truth is right about the Black Lotus sect, then we have to check into it. That’s why I want to go back to the temple tomorrow, with you, to find Pious Truth and look for the things he described.”

Sano groaned. Women had such a propensity for remembering everything a man said and throwing it back at him! And the discussion had circled back to the issue of how much Reiko should do on the case.

“Whatever investigation needs to be done at the temple, I’ll handle it,” Sano said. He hated to disappoint Reiko, but neither did he want her to endanger herself or steer the case in a dubious direction. “You’ve interviewed Haru. Your work is finished.”

“Haru should hear Junketsu-in’s, Dr. Miwa’s, and Commander Oyama’s son’s statements about her. Her reaction might help us determine who’s telling the truth. Maybe by tomorrow, she’ll have recovered her memory. Maybe she can provide more information about the fire and the two unidentified victims.” Reiko reminded Sano, “I’m the only person she’ll talk to.”

Her arguments were persuasive, Sano acknowledged. Haru, whether guilty or innocent, represented a key to solving the case. He needed Reiko’s help.

“All right,” Sano said. “Go visit Haru again. But I want you to promise me that you’ll restrict your investigation to her and stay away from the Black Lotus Temple.”

Reiko frowned, as if about to object, then said with winsome guile, “I promise-if you’ll promise to personally investigate Pious Truth’s claims.”

Sano feared that the case was turning into a battle of wills. Although he hated to back down, compromise seemed necessary to forestall a war.

“Very well,” he said. “You work with Haru. I’ll look for torture victims, underground tunnels, and evil plots at the Black Lotus Temple.” He added, “I think we’re both in need of relaxation. How about a hot bath before dinner?”

Reiko gave him a strained smile, nodding. As they walked down the corridor together, Sano told himself that the case wouldn’t ruin their family harmony. Everything would be fine.

9

Distant temple bells heralded dawn. Dressed in white kimono and trousers, Reiko stood barefoot in the garden, her hand on the sword at her waist, her face upturned toward a pale sky filmed with drifting gray clouds. The estate lay dark and quiet around her. Moisture veiled the air; dew pearled the grass. Reiko concentrated on the energy spreading from the spiritual center within her abdomen, through her whole body. With a sudden rapid motion, she drew the sword. She lunged and slashed in combat against an imaginary opponent.

At first the sword felt cumbersome and her movements awkward from lack of practice. Soon Reiko was panting and drenched in sweat, but eventually she felt her skill returning. She resolved to train daily, as she had before her pregnancy. The ritual calmed her mind while building her strength. Now she could think objectively about last night’s talk with Sano, and she began to understand why she’d been so eager to refute evidence that raised valid concerns regarding Haru.

Proving that her judgment was sound had become a matter of honor. Though she knew she shouldn’t let personal needs guide her, Reiko still trusted her own instincts and intelligence. Her suspicions about the Black Lotus fed her belief in Haru’s innocence.

Reiko pivoted, ducked an imaginary strike, and lashed her blade against her doubts about her detective abilities. She and Sano would solve the case and deliver the real killer to justice, together.

When Reiko arrived at the Zōjō Temple convent, a nun told her that Haru was in the garden. Reiko left her entourage outside the front door. Carrying a package she’d brought, she walked around the building. The clouds cast a gloomy pall over gravel paths and autumn grasses. The breeze carried the scent of rain; nuns gathered laundry from balconies. Then Reiko heard Haru’s voice-shrill, frightened-and a man’s gruff, threatening one.