After a fruitless search for witnesses to Peony’s murder, Sano returned home at twilight, walking his horse because his sore shoulder could no longer bear the constant jolts of riding. A glowing apricot of a sun spread soft, pink radiance upon a teal blue ocean rent with waves like slits in wrinkled silk. Over the city, a long violet cloud mass advanced westward, resembling a mounted army with banners waving: the legion of night. However, Sano couldn’t afford the time to admire the beauty of this imperiled place. This was the end of the first day of the two that the Dutch captain had given him to solve Jan Spaen’s murder. He needed more medicine and a fresh bandage for his wound, a bath, and a meal before testing his theory about Deshima.

As he entered his street, he performed an automatic security check—and saw the paunchy guard strolling behind him. Uneasily he wondered whether the man had followed him all day. He must be more careful of spies tonight.

“Hirata?” Sano called down the corridor of his mansion.

Old Carp came to meet him. “Young master is out,” he said. When Sano asked where Hirata had gone and when he’d be back, Old Carp replied, “He didn’t say, sōsakan-sama.”

It was just as well, Sano decided while he ate a hasty meal, bathed, had his wound attended to, and donned clean clothes. He wanted to know whether Hirata had broken Abbot Liu Yun’s alibi for the night of Spaen’s disappearance, and to assign him the task of checking on Liu Yun’s and Urabe’s whereabouts at the time of Peony’s murder. But tonight he intended to discover the truth about the mysterious lights. He didn’t need Hirata’s interference.

As Sano started down the street toward the harbor, the skin on his back tingled. Someone was following him—someone more adept than the paunchy guard he’d easily spotted earlier. Sano returned to his mansion and found Old Carp in the kitchen. “I need your help,” Sano said.

A short while later, he watched from an upstairs window while bearers set down a palanquin outside the gate. Old Carp, wearing Sano’s cloak stamped with the Tokugawa crest, a spare set of swords, and a wide-brimmed hat that covered his face, climbed into the palanquin. The bearers carried it off toward the hills. A shadowy figure slipped out of an alley and followed. Sano smiled. He left the house and headed for the harbor.