“True,” Sano said. “I came by to inspect the state of the metsuke. ” His other purpose, he couldn’t allow Toda to guess.
“Half of our agents died during the earthquake, I regret to say. Twelve are still missing. As for our informants, we’re still trying to track them down.” The metsuke had employed hundreds of informants. “But we’ve located most of the people we like to watch, those that survived.” He gestured toward the walls, which were covered with charts that listed the names and whereabouts of high government officials, the daimyo, the wealthiest merchants, the most powerful gangsters, and the clergy at the important temples. “If we notice any unusual activity, I’ll let you know.”
Sano felt guilty because he knew about a threat to the regime and he couldn’t alert the metsuke. “By the way, I just spoke with Minister Ogyu from the Confucian academy. Do you know him?”
“We’ve met a few times.” Toda’s visible eye gleamed with curiosity. “Do I smell an investigation?”
“No, I just wondered what you think of him.” Sano recalled the conversation he’d witnessed, Ogyu giving the shogun advice. “Is he trustworthy enough to be around the shogun?”
“As trustworthy as anyone else.” Toda studied Sano as if wondering whether to trust him. “But he’s hard to get to know. His manner is too smooth. One slips off him before one can penetrate beneath the surface. Even when he drinks at banquets, he never loses his self-control and starts blabbing like other men do.”
“Have you investigated him?”
“Of course. His reputation is clean. There’s never been a hint of scandal associated with him or his family. We officially pronounced him harmless, although I can’t guarantee that he’s as pure as the Buddha.”
“Why not?” Sano asked.
“No one is.” Toda exuded cynicism. “The problem with investigating Ogyu was a lack of sources.”
“What about his parents?”
“Both dead. And he hasn’t any brothers or sisters or close relatives. Or any friends who know him very well.”
“How about the scholars and teachers at the Yushima Seid o?”
“They said he never talked to them about anything except Confucianism or business concerning the school.”
“Have you cultivated informers inside his household? His retainers and servants?”
“We’ve tried. They’re remarkably closemouthed. They won’t betray him for money, or sex, either.” Toda sounded amazed by such loyalty, which he must have found to be rare.
“Such extreme privacy suggests that Ogyu has something to hide,” Sano said.
“Good luck finding out what it is.”
“I also ran into Priest Ryuko,” Sano said. “He’s very bad-tempered these days. Could he be a security problem?”
“He’s running scared,” Toda said. “Lady Keisho-in is a target of rumors about the astronomer’s pronouncement. Ryuko knows that if she goes down, so will he.”
That fear, plus the trauma caused by the earthquake, could drive any man to distraction, but Sano thought something more was afoot with Priest Ryuko. “But he has a close relationship with the shogun. Wouldn’t that continue even after Lady Keisho-in dies?”
“Doubtful. He hasn’t made himself very popular with government officials. Many of them blame him for the dog protection laws.”
The dog protection laws had been instituted when the shogun had first become concerned about his inability to father an heir. Priest Ryuko had advised Lady Keisho-in that an heir would be born only after the shogun made a law proclaiming that dogs should be protected, and killing or hurting one was a crime punishable by death. Lady Keisho-in had helped Priest Ryuko convince the shogun. So far no heir had appeared, and dogs bred unchecked, running rampant through Edo, fouling the streets, attacking citizens. People who’d defended themselves and hurt a dog in the process had been executed. The government shelter for stray dogs cost a fortune to maintain. It had been destroyed by the earthquake, and rebuilding it and feeding the dogs was a drain on scarce resources.
“No one is allowed to complain about the law, but they’re free to dislike Priest Ryuko.” Toda gave Sano a speculative look, trying to gauge the state of relations between Sano and the priest. Sano kept quiet. “If Lady Keisho-in dies, Ryuko will lose his temple and his stipend. He could end up an itinerant priest, begging alms along the highway.” Toda smiled with sly relish. “No wonder he’s scared.”
“Could there be another reason?” Sano asked.
Toda looked alert. “Do you know something I don’t?”
“No, I’m just conjecturing. What’s Ryuko’s financial situation?”
“We’ve heard he’s been spending more than usual.” Toda’s eye watched Sano, bright and curious. “He’s recently taken out big loans from several moneylenders. We haven’t been able to figure out why-he hasn’t built new houses, he doesn’t gamble or go to Yoshiwara or any of the usual things-but he’s deeply in debt.”
Here was evidence that Priest Ryuko, despite his denials, had been paying blackmail to Madam Usugumo. Sano was glad to think he was getting closer to solving the crime, yet he felt disturbed. Ryuko was still a formidable adversary. “How about Minister Ogyu? Has he recently increased his spending?”
“Not that we’re aware of. He hasn’t any debts. But his wife comes from a very wealthy clan, and her dowry was huge.” Toda added, “That’s another reason Ogyu is hard to know: Wealth buys privacy. His retainers handle his finances. He doesn’t employ merchant bankers, who give us the occasional tip.”
Sano felt as if Ogyu were a locked door that he was pounding on. “If you hear anything about him or Priest Ryuko, will you let me know?”
“My pleasure.” Toda sounded sincere, but Sano knew better than to trust him entirely. Toda served everyone and didn’t play favorites. That was how he survived political upheavals. In the past he’d withheld important information from Sano and helped Sano’s enemies. The only reason Sano consulted him was that Toda gave him more dirt than anyone else could.
“And don’t mention this conversation to them,” Sano said. “That’s an order.”
“I’m a paragon of discretion.” Toda smiled and put a finger to his lips.
Sano also knew that Toda wasn’t above defying an order from him or any other government official. Toda was duty-bound only to the shogun, whose regime he was employed to preserve. Betrayal was a risk Sano took every time he consulted Toda.
“I must say it seems odd that you mention Priest Ryuko and Minister Ogyu in the same breath. They move in different circles.” Toda’s one-eyed gaze probed Sano. “One would guess that they’re both suspects in a crime you’re investigating. But, of course, you don’t investigate crimes anymore.”
“Of course,” Sano said evenly. That Toda would see through his subterfuge was another risk he’d taken.
“If you were investigating them, I would offer you some friendly advice,” Toda said. “Beware of Priest Ryuko. When you corner a frightened dog, it bites.”
Having left Tahara, Deguchi, and Kitano behind in the forest clearing, Hirata rode at breakneck speed to the edge of town. There he slowed down and looked backward. He didn’t see them following him, but he felt the faint pulse of their aura. They were too close no matter how much distance he put between them and himself. Riding, he felt light-headed from the trance and the potion. He had an obsessive desire to roll up his sleeve and see if the words on his arm had faded. He checked ten times before he reached the main gate of Edo Castle. Each time, the words were still there.
He decided to go home first, because he dreaded seeing Sano. Tahara’s threat accompanied him like a cold shadow licking his heart. When he dismounted from his horse inside his ruined estate, Midori peeked out of the storehouse.
“Thank the gods you’re back! I was so worried about you! Are you all right?” Without waiting for an answer, she said, “Sano- san is here.”
Now Hirata would have to face Sano before he’d had time to think of what to say. “Could you and the children go somewhere, so we can talk in private?”