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assaulted her nostrils and she gagged。 Her eyes began to blur。
'What …' She gagged again； swallowed hard。 'What is that thing？'
'I'm not sure；' he said slowly。 'It's too big for a bat； at least in this part of the country； and it's not a flying squirrel。'
The phone began to ring and Justine jumped。 Her hands gripped her arms。 'I've got goose…flesh；' she said。 Nicholas remained where he was； staring down at the black thing that had crashed through the window。 'Blinded by the light；' he said。
Justine went to the far wall and picked up the phone but he seemed oblivious as she spoke for several moments。 She had to e back and touch him on the arm。 'Vincent wants to speak to you；' she said。
He looked at her then； tearing his eyes away。 'All right。' His voice seemed thick； his droughts far away。 'Don't go near it；'
he warned as he went to the phone。 'What is it？' he said abruptly。
'I tried you at your place；' Vincent said。 'When there was no answer； I took a chance。' Nicholas said nothing。 'Look； I know what time it is。' His voice rattled against Nicholas's ear； an odd note settled in it。 'It's happened again。 Florum just brought in another body。 They're photographing it now。' The wind howling in through the broken window seemed chill to Nicholas。 He waited； sweat breaking out on his body。 He looked at the mess on the floor： the black…furred corpse； the red blood； seeping still as if seeking something or someone。 'Nick； the body has been cut obliquely from shoulder…blade to hip joint as neatly as … It was one cut。 Do you understand？'
Tokyo Suburbs
Singapore； Summer 1945
Tokyo Suburbs； Winter 1951
There was a Shinto temple amid the lushest forest Nicholas had ever seen； a mere three hundred metres from the extreme eastern edge of his father's land。 Then it was another hundred and fifty or so to the house； a large； delicate； precisely orchestrated structure of traditional Japanese design。 The front was L…shaped； preceded； as one came upon it； by an exquisite formal garden which； needless to say； required tireless attention and as much love as a small child。
The irony of the location would e later when； on the far side of the long rolling knoll to the west； they would construct an ultramodern eight…lane superhighway to aid the bustling traffic to and from the heart of Tokyo。
The last traces of Japan's military might had been ground to metal powder； its imperial daimyo tried and serving time as war criminals。 The Emperor remained but everywhere uniformed Americans basked in what they often laughingly referred to as 'the atomic sunshine*。
Yet Nicholas's history lessons were to begin in another country。
On February 15； 1942； his father told him when he was ten； the British garrison had surrendered Singapore to the attacking Japanese。 They held the city for three and a half years until September 1945； when the British reoccupied it。 There his father had met his mother； a kind of refugee in the war…torn city。 She had been married to a Japanese garrison mander and seeing him blown to bits during the last days of that humid trembling summer perhaps unhinged her for a time。
The first of the British forces were already infiltrating the outskirts of the city and the mander had moved his garrison east to outflank them but； overextending his position； had found himself outflanked。 Caught in a murderous crossfire； he had cut down six English soldiers with his katana before the rest had sense enough to step back and loft the volley of grenades。 There was nothing left of him； not even bones。
Years later； in an old battered shop selling ukiyo…e prints in a tiny Tokyo side street； Nicholas had e across a certain print entitled The End of the Samurai。 It depicted a dismayed warrior's death； his great katana flung from his hands by a blast of gunpowder。 In that print Nicholas saw； perhaps； the redemption of his mother's first husband； recognizing the historical imperative of that enemy。
His mother had always been a totally apolitical woman。 She had married out of love； hardly out of convenience。 But with the eventual defeat of the Japanese in Singapore； with the death of her husband； she found that her entire world had exploded into a wilderness that frightened her。 This she found utterly consternating。 Life； she firmly believed； was for the living。 One mourned one's losses and moved onwards。 Karma。 She believed in that above all else。 Not a predestiny … she was no fatalist as many Westerners might mistakenly dub her。 She knew rather； merely how to bow before the inevitabilities of life。 As the death of her husband。
But this was a time of momentous changes and； like a beautiful flower caught up in an inexplicable maelstrom； she felt adrift in the riot of chattering gunfire and mortar explosions。
She met Nicholas's father； ironically enough； in the very office where her dead husband had carried on the mand of his defeated garrison。 She had wandered in there as if it were some Buddhist temple； sacrosanct from the flames of war that rose all about her。 Perhaps she had e there because it was one of the only places left in Singapore now that was at all familiar to her。 Oddly enough； the thought of fleeing the city never entered her mind。 Rather； she wandered the lethal city with little regard to her personal safety。
So much of the city had changed that she was confused； no longer certain where the business district was or where her old apartment had once stood。 Piles of rubble were everywhere and the streets were flooded with a tide of children； surging and calling； as if in the aftermath of war's bleak nightmare they had been released from some hideous bondage。 It recalled to her the happiness she had felt at New Year's festivals when she had been a girl … liberated for a time from the cares and restrictions of the world。 And this； too； confounded her。
Thus for many days she had walked the steaming streets； whirling into dark doorways instinctively as she heard the heavy tramping of the approaching soldiers … she was beyond differentiating one side from another。 Miraculously； she avoided serious misadventure。
Karma； she would say later。 She survived at the sufferance and the pity of those Chinese folk who spied her and fed her almost as if she were a baby； spooning the thin rice soup between her slack lips； wiping her； chin every so often； for she could not perform even this simple act herself。 She relieved herself in the gutters and forgot what it was like to take a bath。 Those times when she came across running water； as in the fountains still intact which she stumbled across by chance； she thrust her fingers into the spray； staring at it as if it were something she had never seen before。 When it rained； she stood still and stared upwards at the billowing clouds； seeking； perhaps； a glimpse of God。
The morning she staggered into the garrison office； Nicholas's father was in the middle of an administrative crisis。 Not only were his troops obliged to mop up the last outlying pockets of Japanese opposition but now orders had e down urging him to see to it that his men policed the metropolitan area in an attempt to quell the increasingly violent outbreaks between the Chinese and the Malays who lived constantly in an uneasy half…peace。 That left perhaps an hour and a half each day for his men to sleep； it was clearly a situation he could not tolerate and he was in the process of seeking some conciliatory alternative to actively disobeying a direct order。 He had； in fact； been sitting in this same wooden slatted chair … the one that had； for the last three years； been the sole property of the dead Japanese garrison mander … since the morning of the previous day。
Except for several hurried trips to the washroom to relieve himself； Colonel Denis Linnear had been right where he was when the dazed woman wandered into his sanctum sanctorum。 How she had managed to slip past the three sets of guards he was never able to ascertain to his satisfaction。 Yet that particular point only manifested itself to him much later。 At the time； he was concerned only with her appearance and； as he jumped up from behind his littered desk； his aides seemed more startled by his movements than by the fact