“Which barbarian helped Spaen import goods illegally?” Sano asked. “DeGraeff?” Or Dr. Huygens, whispered his inner voice, which he ignored. “Who on your staff helped moved the goods off the island? Who piloted the lantern boat? Who killed Jan Spaen?”

Slowly Ohira turned. The opposing forces of honesty and fear warred on his face. Sano spoke quietly, nudging the balance to his own advantage. “Only the truth can salvage Kiyoshi’s honor.”

At the sound of his son’s name, the indecision in Ohira’s eyes froze to solid, impenetrable resolve. “You lost your authority in Nagasaki when you broke the law,” he said coldly, “and I am under no obligation to answer to you.” His mental armor shimmered almost visibly.

Sano’s doubts about Ohira’s guilt wavered. “You relaxed security on Deshima,” he accused. “You ordered the guards to remove goods from the warehouse, open the water gates, and let the lantern boat approach. The police and harbor patrol are your accomplices. The townspeople didn’t interfere; they’re afraid of the mysterious lights because of the ghost stories you spread. You let barbarians leave Deshima because they insisted on accompanying the goods and collecting payment from the customers.”

The audacity of the scheme awoke fresh outrage in Sano. He suddenly remembered the overheard conversation between Governor Nagai and Ohira on his first day in Nagasaki, and the chief saying, “This never would have happened if …” Meaning “Spaen wouldn’t have disappeared if you hadn’t ordered the smuggling”? Was crime the basis for the alliance Sano had sensed within Nagasaki’s administration?

“And then you incriminated me to save your own corrupt skins,” he finished bitterly.

“You destroy my son, and now you dare insult my honor?” Ohira’s eyes burned in their reddened sockets as he choked out the words. “I’ve devoted my life to upholding the law. I would never break it, and I’ll tell you why.”

“The summer I was ten, I had three best comrades. One day we formed a scheme to dive for pearls, then trade them to the Chinese merchants for fireworks. Even though this is illegal, there was little risk involved. Security is weak around the Chinese settlement, and deals are often made over the walls.”

“As it happened, my grandmother died and I couldn’t leave home, so my friends went without me.” Memory darkened Ohira’s face. “One drowned while diving for the pearls. The other two, who were brothers, sold the pearls to the Chinese. The next night they burned to death when their house caught fire. Only I, who had no part in the scheme, was spared. I took this as a sign from the gods that it should thereafter be my vocation to obey the law and deter others from doing wrong. And I can assure you that I’ve fulfilled my vocation. Anyone who says otherwise will pay in blood!”