Lord Matsudaira said when Sano reported the news of Colonel Ibe’s death. He leveled a triumphant glance at the shogun and Yoritomo seated on the dais above him, and the two elders kneeling nearby. “Do you believe me now?” “Yes. You were right,” Ihara conceded. Displeasure wrinkled his simian features. Kato nodded with reluctance that his mask-like face couldn’t hide. Sano, seated beside Hirata on the floor near the shogun’s right, observed the dismayed glance that passed between the two elders: They were worried because the latest murder had given more credence to Lord Matsudaira’s theory that there was a plot against his regime. Lord Matsudaira glared at Sano. “You were supposed to catch the killer.” His eyes flicked toward the elders, hinting that Sano should have implicated them in the plot. “But instead you tell me that the killer has struck again. How dare you let me down after I put my faith in you?”
