“Were the gates open last night?” he asked the guards.

Chief Ohira answered. “No. They’re opened only when the Dutch ship’s crew and cargo are ferried to or from Deshima. And I can assure you that the gates, and every part of the island, are under constant watch.”

“Including last night?”

“Including last night.”

Sano examined the steps, but saw no footprints or other signs that anyone had recently descended them. “Does the island have a drainage system?” he asked.

Chief Ohira tilted an exasperated glance skyward. “Underground pipes empty into the harbor below the sea. They’re narrow and crooked; nothing except water can pass through.” Obviously anxious to finish the tour, he said, “What do you want to see next?”

Interpreter Iishino chimed in, “Show him the perimeter of the island, and Director Spaen’s rooms. Maybe he’ll find something you missed.”

“I don’t take orders from you,” Ohira snapped. “And how dare you suggest that I’m incompetent?”

Hands raised in supplication, Iishino grinned. “My apologies if I offended you, but I’m only trying to help.”

“Well, don’t!”

The chief’s reaction seemed extreme, even considering how unpleasant it must be to work with Iishino on a regular basis. Sano knew he would worsen his already adversarial relationship with Ohira if he took Iishino’s side, but he did intend to examine the areas the interpreter had suggested.

“Interpreter Iishino, wait for me at Spaen’s quarters,” Sano said. “I’ll meet you there after Chief Ohira shows me the perimeter.”

His attempt to defuse the conflict sent Iishino bustling off toward the main street, but didn’t pacify Ohira, who told the guards to close the water gates, then stalked away.

Sano followed. “Would last night’s storm have interfered with security on Deshima?”

Ohira gazed straight ahead as they followed a path that ran between high fences along the island’s outer curve. “I maintain strict control over Deshima. The weather does not interfere with it.”

Something must have, Sano thought. He saw no scratches on the fences’ smooth, weathered boards, or anything caught on the spikes to suggest that a man had climbed over them. He wondered if Ohira’s defensiveness indicated mere resentment of a challenge to his authority, or guilt. What had really happened on Deshima last night?

“When and where was Director Spaen last seen?” Sano asked as he and Ohira turned the corner and moved down the island’s west side.

“At midnight. When the guards inspected his room, he was there. They locked him in.”

Regardless of how Spaen had gotten out of his room, he could have been gone for hours before anyone discovered him missing. “You must be well acquainted with Director Spaen by now. Have you any idea where he went when he left Deshima?”