you want with our lieutenant? Is anything wrong?”

“No, no.” Tora chuckled. “On the contrary. He’s applied for

promotion and transfer to the capital and it looks like it’ll be

approved. I’m to clear up a few details before they act on it. To

tell you the truth, I’m a bit behind schedule already and need to

grab the next boat back to the mainland.”

Ikugoro’s eyes had grown round. Belatedly he came to at-

tention and tried to salute.

Tora snatched his arm down. “Don’t be a fool. I’m incog-

nito, of course.”

“Oh, sorry, sir. It’s just . . . the surprise. Lieutenant Wada never mentioned to me that he wanted to leave.”

“No. He wouldn’t. It’s one of the rules. He’d be disqualified

if he let it get out that he planned to leave. You can see why.”

Ikugoro nodded slowly. “Right. All hell would break loose.

But . . .” He frowned. “You say his promotion is pretty certain?

And then he’ll leave here? And someone else will come to take

his place?”

Tora could see that such a change and its impact on him

troubled the sergeant deeply. He leaned closer. “You’re his num-

ber two man,” he whispered. “Most likely you’d be the one.”

I s l a n d o f E x i l e s

315

Ikugoro’s small eyes widened again. Casting a nervous

glance toward his companions, he said, “We’ll talk over there in

the corner, sir. I’ll just tell my men it’s private business.”

When he returned, Ikugoro ordered the best wine in the

house and paid for it. “The lieutenant was supposed to stop by

tonight,” he said, “but something must’ve come up.” He winked

and touched his crotch.

Tora emptied his cup, smacking his lips. “A ladies’ man, eh?

He’ll be glad to get back to the big city, then. I bet he’s running out of fresh fare by now.”

Ikugoro laughed. “The lieutenant’s got plenty of money. He

buys what he wants.” He leaned across to refill Tora’s cup. “So

tell me, sir, how likely is it that I’ll get his job?”

“Provided I get my information and his application is ap-

proved, it depends on him.”

“It does?”

“Will he speak up for you? You know, praise your brains,

hard work, organizational skills, devotion to law enforcement,

and honesty?” Ikugoro’s face lengthened. “If he puts in a really

good word, it’ll save the government sending a new man all the

way from the capital.”

Ikugoro pondered this; then his face lit up. “Hah,” he

laughed. “It’s done, then. He’d better write all that if he knows

what’s good for him.”

“How do you mean?”

But Ikugoro apparently decided it was wiser not to mention

certain details of their relationship that made him sure Wada

would oblige. Instead he said, “Suppose my men and I start

looking for him and send him to you? Where are you staying?”

Thinking quickly, Tora gave the name of an inn they had

passed earlier. It was in a quiet part of town. He thought he could lie in wait for Wada and jump him when he came hotfoot to

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check out the news. He added, “Don’t mention that I told

you about his application. Just say an inspector from the capital

wants to discuss his reassignment.” They parted on friendly

terms, and Tora rejoined Turtle outside. He found him in agi-

tated conversation with his eldest nephew.

“What are you doing out on the streets this time of night?”

Tora asked the boy.

“Mom sent me. I’ve been looking for you for hours. She says

to come home right away. Little Flower’s in some sort of trouble.”

Tora cursed roundly. “Go tell your mother I haven’t got time

to go chasing all over town because of some stupid woman.”

Turtle looked shocked. He said, “Oyoshi won’t like it. She’s

taken to that girl. We’d better go see what happened. It’s not far.”

Tora gritted his teeth, but gave in. He hoped Ikugoro would

not find Wada right away.

They found Oyoshi pacing up and down by a cold hearth to

keep herself warm in the frigid drafts that whistled through the

cracks. “There you are,” she cried when she saw Tora. “Where

have you been? I’ve been going out of my mind with worry. It’s

been hours. He’s probably killed her by now.”

“What did she do?” asked Tora, glowering.

Oyoshi wrung her hands. “Oh, the stupid girl. But it’s all

your fault. Men!”

Tora clenched his fists to keep from strangling her. Turtle

gave him a worried glance and told his sister, “The officer is an

honored guest in your house, sister. You should not speak to

him this way.”

Oyoshi flushed and bowed. “Oh, sorry. It’s the worry. Please

forgive what I said, sir. It was very improper. Especially when

you have been so generous.”

“Forget it and get on with the story,” Tora ground out.

“After you and my brother left, Little Flower came to me, all

dressed up for work. She said she was going to the Golden

I s l a n d o f E x i l e s

317

Phoenix to meet that bastard Wada and to tell you so you could

catch him. Oh, dear. It was such a long time ago. You must go

immediately. The fool! She wanted to help you.”

Tora turned on his heel and headed out the door, his face

grim and his hand on the hilt of his sword. “Come on,” he flung

over his shoulder to Turtle. But on the street, he came to a halt.

“No. Go back in and get my things,” he said. Digging in his sash,

he passed a handful of money to Turtle. “Then run to the post

station outside town and hire three horses. Bring the horses to

the shrine behind the Golden Phoenix and wait for me.”

A party was in full swing at the Golden Phoenix. Lights

blazed in the main house, ribald songs and shrill laughter of

women came from inside, and a drunk vomited into the gutter

near the entrance. Tora, grateful that his clothes were dark,

slipped past him into the garden. Someone had thoughtfully lit

an oil lamp in a stone lantern marking the path to the cottage.

It was occupied. Dim lights glimmered behind the closed

shutters.

Taking off his boots, Tora climbed the steps in his bare

feet, testing each before he put his weight on it. Outside the

door he paused and listened. At first he thought nothing had

happened yet, but then he heard a soft moan, followed by a

male murmur and a rich chuckle that sent chills down his spine.

He stretched out his hand to fling open the door, when com-

mon sense reminded him that a woman’s moan might denote

pleasure as well as pain, and that someone else might have

rented the cottage after all. He could hardly burst in on a pair of strangers without causing trouble.

He crept toward the nearest shuttered window, crouched

down, and peered through a chink. A narrow field of vision

showed only the naked leg and bare buttock of a man standing

upright. Just beyond the muscular leg was another, paler, and

more slender leg of a woman. But the legs might belong to anyone.

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There was another moan. What were they doing? Making

love standing up? Why not? He had done it himself.

Tora was about to rise a little to look for another chink when

he saw a thin red line creeping down the woman’s leg. A second

joined it before he realized that what he saw was blood.

He freed his sword and was at the door in an instant. It was

locked. With a roar of rage and frustration, he stepped back and

threw himself at it. The wood splintered and gave with a crash,

and Tora burst into the room.

He took in the scene at a glance. Wada, also with a short

sword in his hand, pulled away from Little Flower, who was