oHirata, what are you doing here? he demanded in a loud, furious whisper.

The young retainer bowed, clutching a jitte in one hand. oGomen nasai "forgive me for startling you, he whispered back. oI'm waiting to catch the mysterious lights.

oI told you to stay away from Deshima. Sano jammed his sword back into its sheath. oNow get out of that boat and go home.

oBut ssakan-sama "

A sharp clacking silenced his protest. Sano turned and saw a light between the warehouses. Instantly he was off the dock and in the boat with Hirata, who threw the blanket over them. They lay tense in suffocating darkness while the dock creaked under the watchman's footsteps. Sano inhaled the blanket's musty odor and hoped the watchman wouldn't inspect the boat. He didn't want a scene that might chase away the mysterious lights and suspend the events they signaled, or his actions reported to the authorities.

The watchman's footsteps retreated. Sano sighed in relief, then emerged with Hirata from beneath the blanket.

oI'm not leaving you, Hirata whispered. oI found witnesses who saw Abbot Liu Yun near the harbor the night Director Spaen disappeared. The townspeople say he's a powerful sorcerer who performs magic in the marketplace during festivals. He could be the one who makes the lights. If he's the killer, you mustn't face him alone.

Sano felt a spring of gladness at having new evidence against Liu Yun, who might also have murdered Peony and left the fake suicide note. Yet he couldn't allow Hirata's continued presence in Nagasaki, especially if his own suspicions about the lights proved true. oNo arguments, Hirata-san, he said. oYou leave for Edo tomor...

His voice trailed off as, across the water, lights blinked purple, white, green.

oGet out of here, Hirata! Sano rasped.; oNo!

The lights drifted toward Deshima, growing larger and brighter. Sano resigned himself to Hirata's company. To send him away now might attract the notice of the culprits "or provoke an attack by the archer who'd wounded Sano last night. The lights drew nearer to sh.o.r.e, smoke wafting from them. A breeze carried a harsh, burnt odor toward Sano. Now he saw a dark shape beneath the lights, and behind it, a wake that gleamed in the moonlight.

oA boat? whispered Hirata.

They watched the lights draw up to the Deshima water gates. In the colored flashes, they saw the gates open and dark figures descend the steps to the water.

oThe Dutch? Hirata guessed.

oOr the guards. Sano noticed that the barge he'd seen earlier had vanished.

Then the lights went out. Darkness enfolded the island. Sano cursed. oLet's get over there.

He cut the boat's mooring lines. Hirata stood in the stern, lifted the oar, and began to row. The boat sped across the moon-dappled black water. The wind blew chill and moist, but antic.i.p.ation warmed Sano. He knew with certainty that he was on the path to Jan Spaen's killer. Then the lights reappeared, flashing upon the water south of the island, moving out toward the harbor channel. Hirata matched their speed to the lights' rapid pace. The tall, black forms of anch.o.r.ed ships rose around them, decks unmanned while the foreign crews slept "or hid from the ghosts.

oTake us closer, Sano told Hirata, softly so his voice wouldn't carry across the water.

Panting, Hirata labored to reduce the distance between their boat and the lights. Sano peered ahead. Did he see a boat under the lights, with an oarsman in the stern and a pa.s.senger in the bow? Were they human? Sano shivered involuntarily as his disbelief in ghosts wavered and his faith in his theory weakened.

oMaybe it's Urabe, he whispered, telling Hirata about his interviews with the merchant and Kiyoshi, and his ideas about Peony's murder.

The harbor channel narrowed. They headed seaward between wooded bluffs that sloped up to terraced fields. The lights angled right.

oThey're going ash.o.r.e. Sano's excitement grew. oSpeed up, we'll catch them there.

Hirata turned their boat, but the lights suddenly disappeared, as if extinguished by the night that lay heavily upon the landscape. Only the faint smell of smoke remained.

oRow along the coast, Sano ordered.

The coastline was irregular, convoluted. Sano and Hirata navigated around partially submerged rock formations and jutting spits of land. Above them, the woods loomed like a windswept, rustling black wall. Waves lapped the sh.o.r.e. Ears alert for any guiding sound, Sano strained his eyes against the darkness.

Nothing.

Then, reaching the point where they'd seen the lights vanish, they came upon a narrow cut in the coastline.

oThe lights must have gone in there. Hirata propelled the boat into the channel. There the darkness was almost complete, with only the faintest moonlight penetrating the overhanging foliage. The boat sc.r.a.ped against the sheer rock walls that lined the channel. The splash of the oars echoed. Not knowing what to expect, Sano gripped his sword, preparing for a clash with ghosts or men, while his heart drummed a quickening rhythm of antic.i.p.ation.

Now the channel curved sharply left and opened into a circular cove. Moonlight illuminated a steep, rock-strewn sh.o.r.e with woods above and the mouth of a cave in the center. From within the cave's recesses, a purple light shone.

Hirata guided the boat to the right of the cave. Sano stepped out and helped his retainer lift the vessel ash.o.r.e. With Hirata close behind, he tiptoed to the cave's opening, sword drawn, and peered inside.

Stone walls and an arched ceiling, purple in the light's eerie, smoky glow, enclosed a short pa.s.sage. The sea filled its bottom; narrow ledges ran just above the waterline. At the rear of the pa.s.sage, the floor slanted upward to form a landing. There sat a boat; the light shone from some sort of fixture on a pole in its bow. Otherwise the cave was empty. The boatman had vanished.

They cautiously sheathed their swords. Motioning Hirata to follow, Sano entered the cave. He crept sideways along the ledge, clinging to the rough surface of the wall. They stepped onto the landing and over to the boat.

The vessel, perhaps fifteen paces long, was heaped with wooden crates. Sano examined the light fixture, a pyramidal metal lantern of strange design, with a door on each face. One door stood open; inside, a metal cup attached to the support pole held a substance that burned a brilliant, blinding purple and emitted black smoke. Sano turned a crank on the side of the lantern and, by a clever system of gears, belts, and levers, the other doors opened and closed in sequence. Through them he saw two more metal cups, which held residues of what he surmised had once burned green and white.

oThe mysterious lights, he said, his voice echoing in the cave. A man-made device "fashioned by Abbot Liu Yun, or by the Dutch?

Hirata pried the lid off a crate inside the boat. oLook at this!

Nestled in layers of cotton batting were ten mechanical clocks like the one in Governor Nagai's office. Sano and Hirata opened the other crates. These held muskets and pistols; ammunition; Chinese porcelainware; Persian silks; Christian crosses and rosaries; bundled spices that filled the cave with the sweet odors of cinnamon and nutmeg.

oSmugglers' loot, Sano said grimly. Just as he'd expected. Jan Spaen had plied his illicit trade in j.a.pan as well as in the Spice Islands, and it had survived his death. oThe lights kept everyone away from Deshima while the smugglers moved the goods out of the warehouse and over here. Dismay seeped like cold water into his heart. oFor an operation of this magnitude to succeed, a lot of people must be involved "the barbarians to supply the loot and the Deshima staff to transfer it; a merchant like Urabe to sell it; the harbor patrol, police force, and Governor Nagai to look the other way. One of the smugglers must have shot me last night, to keep me from catching them.

Sano knew he must expose and disband the smuggling ring, among whom he suspected he would find Spaen's killer. But could he stay alive long enough to do it? Such powerful adversaries wouldn't hesitate to destroy even the shogun's emissary to protect themselves and their operation, which must earn them huge, untaxed profits.

oWhere did the boatman go? Hirata said. oIf he came out of the cave and went up the beach to the woods, we would have seen or heard him "we weren't that far behind.

In a niche in the cave wall stood an oil lamp. Sano lit it from the lantern's purple light and walked toward the back of the cave. He halted abruptly, looking down. A dark substance stained the cave's floor. Sano knelt and saw streaks, as if someone had tried to scrub the floor clean, but the rock had absorbed the color. He sniffed the substance and detected a faint, metallic sourness.

oBlood, he said. oDirector Spaen was shot and stabbed here. That's why there was no evidence of his murder on Deshima, and why the divers couldn't find the weapons.

Now the barbarians rejoined the array of suspects. If Spaen had come here, so might have a.s.sistant Director deGraeff or Dr. Huygens. The smugglers' cache proved that they did, after all, have access to guns. Sano's spirit quailed as he saw the investigation circle right back to where he'd started. He would have to reinterrogate the Dutch later. When he rose to continue his examination of the cave, he saw that Hirata had vanished.

oHere, ssakan-sama, Hirata called, emerging from a crevice hidden behind a protruding rock formation.

Sano held the lamp to the crevice and saw an ascending pa.s.sageway.

The lamp's flame wavered in a cool draft. oA tunnel. The smugglers must use it to carry the loot away. They have a head start on us, but maybe we can still catch them.

But before he and Hirata could enter the tunnel, they heard sounds outside the mouth of the cave: the rustle and snap of tree branches, then footsteps clattering over the rocky sh.o.r.e.

Chapter 20.

SANO PUT DOWN the lamp and crept along the ledge to the cave's mouth, Hirata behind him. The footsteps outside drew closer. Now Sano could hear the intruder's harsh, rapid breaths. A hand groped at the wall of the cave; a sandaled toe probed for the ledge. When the intruder's leg came into view, Sano grabbed it and yanked hard.

With a startled cry, the intruder thudded to the ground outside the cave. Sano lunged out and threw himself on the intruder, who shrieked and flailed. In a tangle of thrashing limbs, they rolled over the rocks. Sano banged his head and caught a blow to his jaw. His opponent struck his wounded shoulder, and he gasped. But the man was smaller and lighter than he. Sano grabbed the man's right wrist before he could draw his sword and quickly pinned him to the ground, faceup in the moonlight. Surprise shot through Sano as he saw handsome, youthful features, distorted with terror.

oKiyoshi? he said. Was Chief Ohira's son a smuggler "or Jan Spaen's killer?

In the woods above them, branches crackled; voices rumbled. oMore smugglers, Hirata said. oIll catch them. He scaled the rocks and disappeared into the dark forest.

Kiyoshi struggled. Sano kept a knee planted on his stomach and his hands immobilized. oWho sent you? Who are you working for? What do you know about the smuggling?

The boys chest heaved with panicky breaths. oPlease, let me go, he begged. oI have to stop "I have to warn "I mean, I don't know anything.

Sano thrust his weight against Kiyoshi. oWho killed Jan Spaen? Was it you?

oNo, no!

Bright light swept over them, and the sound of running footsteps echoed in the night. Sano tensed; Kiyoshi moaned.

oThere they are! male voices shouted.

Down a path from the forest tramped a band of samurai. The four leaders held flaming torches; their helmets bore the Nagasaki harbor patrol insignia. Then came two doshin armed with jitte, accompanied by a.s.sistants who carried clubs, spears, and ropes. Last strode Yoriki Ota. Quickly they surrounded Sano and Kiyoshi.

oSo. Kiyoshi. And Ssakan Sano. Ota glared down at them, his face ruddy in the torchlight. To his men, he said, oArrest them.

Dazed, Sano released Kiyoshi and stood, raising an arm to shield himself from the torches and weapons pointed at him. Kiyoshi curled up, hands over his face, weeping. oWhat's the meaning of this? Sano demanded, pulling away from the doshin who grabbed him. oWhy are you arresting me? What are the charges?

oSmuggling foreign goods, Ota said. oTake their weapons and tie their hands, he told the doshin, then turned to the harbor patrol officers. oSearch the cave.

Sano struggled against the doshin and a.s.sistants, but they overpowered him, stripping off his swords and binding his hands behind his back. oI'm not a smuggler, he protested in vehement outrage. oI followed the lights here from Deshima, and found the cave. I caught Kiyoshi outside. I've done nothing illegal!

The other police had seized Kiyoshi, who offered no resistance. He sagged between two captors, head bent. The sound of his sobs filled the cove.

oThe real smugglers must have run away when they heard me coming, Sano said. oIf we hurry, perhaps we can catch them. Now let me go!

From inside the cave, an officer called, oWe found it, Ota-san.

The yoriki smirked at Sano. oHow can you deny your guilt when we've caught you here, with the loot and your partner in crime? He jerked his chin toward the weeping Kiyoshi, then grimaced in disgust. oFighting over the profits. Shameful behavior for samurai!

oI've already explained, Sano insisted furiously, as a knot of fear tightened in his stomach. Were these men the smugglers? Had they come to pick up the loot, realized their operation had been discovered, and decided to protect themselves by incriminating him? oUntie me at once! he ordered. oWhy are you here, anyway?

Yoriki Ota said impatiently, oWe received an anonymous message saying that smugglers were using this cave. So where's your a.s.sistant?

Sano's heart clenched. Hirata! If only he'd obeyed orders, or Sano had sent him back to Edo. oI don't know, Sano lied. Merciful G.o.ds, this was a setup, and what would happen to them?

A doshin said, oHirata got away from the man who was watching him this afternoon. I bet he's out here somewhere.

The harbor patrol officers emerged from the cave. oBring out the loot, Ota ordered two of them. oThe rest of you go and find the ssakan-sama's a.s.sistant. The officers climbed the rocks and headed into the woods, torches lighting the way. Yoriki Ota said to the doshin, oWe'll take our prisoners to Governor Nagai.

oYou're making a big mistake, Sano shouted with desperate bravado as the police hauled him away. oYou'll pay for this!

Yoriki Ota snickered. oWe'll see about that.

THEY TRAVELED BACK to town in an oxcart that Sano guessed had been brought by the police to transport the smuggled goods. At Governor Nagai's mansion, guards locked Sano and Kiyoshi in separate chambers until, hours later, the summons came. The guards untied Sano's hands and escorted him into the audience hall, where Governor Nagai, dressed in formal black robes, occupied the dais. At either side of him, aides sat behind desks that held the brushes, paper, and seals used for recording official proceedings. In a row in front of the dais, at Governor Nagai's right, knelt Yoriki Ota, Interpreter Iishino, and Chief Ohira. Facing them were three samurai Sano didn't recognize. Lanterns cast a menacing ocher pall over the a.s.sembly's grave faces.

oWhat is this? Sano demanded as the guards pushed him to his knees. Hearing a scuffle behind him, he turned and saw more guards drag a trembling, white-faced Kiyoshi into the room. They dumped the youth beside him. oWhat's going on?

No one looked directly at him. Governor Nagai kept his eyes on his desk as he said, oWe are here to review your transgressions against the law, including your attempt at smuggling.

So it was a trial, and for what other alleged offenses? oSomeone did smuggle foreign goods from Deshima, Sano said, forcing himself to stay calm despite the alarm that compressed his lungs, obut it wasn't me. I've already explained to Yoriki Ota that I followed the flashing lights to the cove and found the boat.

Nagai's thick lips formed a brief, skeptical moue; his hooded eyes avoided Sano's. oYes. Well. We shall see what your partner has to say. Kiyoshi?

The youth slumped wretchedly, shoulders hunched to his ears, his face almost touching his knees. In a barely audible mutter, he said, oThe ssakan-sama came to the watchtower when I was on duty yesterday. He ordered me to steal goods from the Deshima warehouse and bring them to the water gates. He said he would kill me if I refused.

Aghast at this unexpected treachery, Sano leapt to his feet and grabbed the young samurai's collar. oThat's a lie! Kiyoshi, you know I never did any such thing. Why "

oSilence! thundered Governor Nagai. The guards pulled Sano away from the boy and pushed him back onto the floor. oContinue, Kiyoshi.

oI told the Deshima guards that my father wanted them to stay away from the warehouse. I got the goods and carried them to the water gates. Kiyoshi's voice quavered; his tremors shook the floor. He did not look at Sano or the a.s.sembly. Chief Ohira's face was a rigid mask that concealed all emotion. The aides wrote diligently. oThe ssakan-sama ordered me to help him and his a.s.sistant load the goods into a boat. Kiyoshi seemed reluctant, but determined, to speak. oHe made me row to the cove. When I tried to run away, he attacked me. Then the police came.

Sano couldn't believe what he was hearing. oI was trying to catch the smugglers. I thought Kiyoshi was one of them.

Ignoring Sano, Nagai addressed Yoriki Ota. oHas Hirata been found yet?

oNo, Honorable Governor.

oSend out the troops, Nagai told one of his aides. oHe must be punished for his part in the crime.

The aide bowed and departed. oWe've committed no crime! Sano argued vehemently, more worried for Hirata's sake than his own. When the troops caught Hirata, they might kill him. After all Sano's efforts to protect the young retainer! oThe smuggling has been going on since before we came to Nagasaki. Jan Spaen was killed in the cave. The boat we used to follow the lights is still on the "

At last Nagai met his gaze. oAny more such outbursts can only make matters worse for you, he said coldly. To Kiyoshi, he said, oBecause you were forced to break the law, I shan't punish your family for your crime, as would be the usual penalty for smuggling. Chief Ohira's eyes closed briefly; otherwise his expression didn't change, and he made no move to defend his son. oBut you must pay for allowing yourself to be coerced. You shall be held in Nagasaki Jail until your execution.

Supported by two guards, the weeping youth stumbled from the hall. Comprehension fed Sano's anger. Kiyoshi was not evil, just very young and frightened. Surely he'd incriminated himself and Sano to protect someone else. But who? His father, Chief Ohira, his teacher, Interpreter Iishino, or his patron, Governor Nagai "the men to whom he owed his greatest duty and loyalty? Which of them had he wanted to owarn ? Sano studied the faces of the a.s.sembly; all remained closed, giving nothing away.

oNow we shall hear the testimony of the other witnesses, Governor Nagai said.

In turn, they spoke. oI followed the ssakan-sama on his inquiries in town, said one of the strange samurai. oHe interrogated the merchant Urabe and the courtesan Peony, as if he was looking to punish a j.a.panese for the barbarian's murder, instead of the Dutch.

oI followed the ssakan-sama to Nagasaki Jail, where he had a private conversation with a prisoner, who converted him to Christianity, stated the next stranger.

The last stranger said, oI observed a meeting between the ssakan-sama and Abbot Liu Yun. The ssakan-sama offered Liu Yun money to import Chinese troops into j.a.pan.

Sano grudgingly admired the agents' efficiency even as their lies condemned him. The paunchy guard had been a decoy, meant to distract him from the real spies. And he'd fallen for the trick. Such stupidity!

Yet the most d.a.m.ning testimony came from Interpreter Iishino and Chief Ohira. oI translated conversations between the ssakan-sama and the Dutch ship captain, Iishino said. oThe food sent aboard by the ssakan-sama was payment for weapons he agreed to purchase from the barbarians, the barbarians. Iishino slid Sano a grin that was at once apologetic and sly. oAnd I listened outside the door during his private interview with Dr. Huygens. The ssakan-sama proposed an alliance between himself and the Dutch. If they would help him become shogun, he would grant them unlimited trading privileges with j.a.pan.

In a remote, toneless voice, Chief Ohira said, oI observed how the ssakan-sama favors the Dutch. He treats them with unnecessary mercy and seems generally infatuated with them. I can a.s.sure you that I did my best to discourage such fraternization, but he defied my efforts.

oNow that we have heard the evidence against you, Ssakan Sano, Governor Nagai said, oyou may speak in your own defense, or confess to your crimes and commit seppuku to preserve your honor.