The Ronin's Mistress Read Online Free PDF Page B

crimson slush. Many more bodies were scattered about. Sano’s troops exclaimed and muttered. A few retched. Sano frowned at the gashed chests, the bellies oozing entrails, the throats cut. Vacant eyes gazed up at the sky. Sano almost stepped on a severed hand. His stomach lurched, even though he’d seen plenty of carnage in the past. This attack was surely the most brutal, inflicted on men who clearly hadn’t been prepared.
    “This was no battle,” Marume said. “This was a slaughter.”
    “But where is Kira?” Hirata asked.
    They turned to the mansion. It huddled under the weight of the snow on its roof, its façade in shadow, the veranda dark beneath overhanging eaves. Crows and vultures perched on the gables, waiting to feast on the corpses. The house was as quiet as a tomb. Sano and his men followed bloody footprints up the steps and through the door. They didn’t bother taking off their shoes as polite custom required. The corridor they entered was awash in melted snow and more blood. They crept past silent, empty rooms.
    A man rushed from around a corner. He was small and stooped, and he carried a spear. “Don’t come any farther! Get out!” He clumsily thrust his spear at Sano and the other men.
    “Hey, be careful with that thing.” Marume seized the spear. The old man squealed and cowered.
    “We’re not going to hurt you,” Sano said, and introduced himself. He and his troops sheathed their swords.
    The old man gasped, dropped to his knees, and bowed. “ S ō sakan-sama. A thousand apologies. I thought they’d come back.”
    “Who are you?” Sano asked.
    “Gorobei. I’m Lord Kira’s valet.” Grief contorted the old man’s face. “I was.”
    “The shogun sent me to investigate Kira- san ’s murder,” Sano said. “May I speak to his chief retainer?”
    Gorobei sobbed. “He’s dead.”
    “What about his other officials?”
    “They’re either dead, too, or wounded.”
    “Who’s in charge?” Sano said.
    “Nobody,” Gorobei said.
    “Who sent the messenger to Edo Castle?”
    “I did. I also sent for a doctor to take care of the wounded men. They’re in the barracks.”
    “You’ve done well,” Sano said. “Where are the women and children?” He knew Kira had a large family. “Are they all right?”
    “Yes, thank the gods. The gang didn’t touch them. They’re in the private quarters, with the servants.” Gorobei added, “The watchdog was also spared. I found him tied up and muzzled outside.”
    Tokugawa law forbade killing dogs. The shogun had been told by his spiritual advisors that if he protected dogs, then the gods would grant him an heir. It hadn’t worked so far, probably because he had sex with men much more often than women. Sano was amazed by the gang’s combination of violence and respect for the law.
    “Can you take us to Kira?” Sano said.
    Gorobei nodded, choking back tears. He led Sano’s party to the bedchamber. More bloody footprints soiled the tatami around a bed whose quilt was folded back as if the occupant had just risen. Gorobei lifted a scroll painting that hung on the wall, revealing a door.
    “My master had this door built, in case of an emergency.” He preceded Sano through the door, into a courtyard. This contained a shed whose door was ajar, the interior filled with coal and firewood. A tarp lay on the ground. Sano could see the shape of a body underneath. Blood had soaked through the fabric.
    “I didn’t want to leave him here,” Gorobei said, ashamed and regretful. “But I couldn’t move him by myself, and no one else would touch him.”
    “It’s better that you left him until we got here.” Sano was glad to have any clues intact.
    Fukida and Marume peeled back the tarp. Bony feet with bunions appeared; next came withered, veined calves, and a beige kimono with blood spatters that grew bigger as the tarp drew away. The whole upper garment was dyed red. Kira’s arms extended out from his sides, fingers stiff. The corpse ended at