“Oh, yes, there are bigger villains than I, who are probably committing their evil, treasonous deeds even now. Punish them instead!”

Yoshidō’s hysterical voice echoed through the hills, in vain. Panic sharpened the witness’s senses. He heard the crowd’s simultaneous intake of breath, smelled anticipation mingling with the salty sea breeze. Under the sun’s blind, merciless eye, and over the hammering of his own heart, he heard Yoshidō scream: “No, please, no no no NO!”

The executioner’s sword slashed downward. In a great red fountain of blood, the blade severed Yoshidō’s head, forever ending his protests and accusations.

But the witness’s terror lived on. If matters continued along their present course, the danger would escalate. There would be more violent death, more mortal disgrace … unless he stopped the crimes before someone else did.

1

一

Through the desolate streets of nighttime Edo marched Sano Ichirō, the shōgun’s sōsakan-sama—Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People. A storm had cleared the Nihonbashi merchant district of pedestrians. Rain pelted tile roofs, streamed from eaves and balconies, dripped off the brim of Sano’s wicker hat, and drenched his cloak and trousers. The moist air saturated his lungs with the odors of wet earth and wood. Beside him walked his chief retainer, Hirata, and behind them ten other samurai detectives from the elite corps Sano led. Their sandaled feet splashed along the narrow, muddy road. Spurning shelter and comfort for the sake of their mission, they forged ahead through the downpour.

“This is the place,” Sano said, halting outside a mansion surrounded by a high stone wall. Black mourning drapery hung over the gate; lanterns inside sent a shimmering glow up into the rainy night. Under the balcony of a shop across the street, Sano and his men gathered to review their strategy for the climax of a long investigation.

Since early spring, a rash of bizarre crimes had plagued Edo. Thieves had been stealing corpses from the homes of the deceased and the sites of accidents, or intercepting coffins on the way to funerals. Ignoring class distinctions, they’d seized dead peasants, merchants, and samurai—nine in all. In addition, eight religious pilgrims had been murdered on highways outside town, with abandoned baggage and fresh blood found at the death scenes, but the victims gone. None of the corpses had been recovered. The crimes had terrified travelers and deprived families of the right to honor their dead with proper funerary rituals.