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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 that there was an unannounced woman in the room。
'Danvers！' the Colonel called to his adjutant。 'Get a cot in here； on the double I'
The man rushed out and the Colonel was reaching for the woman when she began to fall。 Her eyes fluttered closed and she collapsed into his arms。
'Sir？' Lieutenant McGivers said 'About this …'
'Oh； for pity's sake； man； get me a cold cloth；' the Colonel barked irritably。 'And get Grey in here。'
Grey was the garrison surgeon； a tall angular man with a bushy moustache and sun…reddened skin。 He arrived just as Danvers was manhandling the cot through the doorway。
'Give him a hand； McGivers； there's a good lad；' the Colonel said to the reappearing Lieutenant。 And together they maneuvered the cot into the room。
The Colonel lifted the woman up； noting her fine Asian features under the layers of dirt and dust； and lowered her gently onto the cot。
He let Grey take over then； going back behind his desk； working on the tail end of his problem with one eye cocked across the room until； at length； the surgeon stood up。
'All right； Lieutenant；' the Colonel said wearily； 'get everyone out of here。 We'll reconvene at 0800 hours。' He stood up； passing his long fingers through his hair； and crossed to where Grey stood looking down at his patient。
When they were alone in the room； he said； 'How is she？〃
The surgeon shrugged。 'It's hard to say until she es round and I can run a few more tests。 She's obviously suffering from shock and exposure。 Several good meals will fix her up； I shouldn't wonder。' He wiped his hands on the cloth he had used to clean her。 Look here； Denis； I've a lot of young boys to see。 If you suspect a problem when she es round； have Danvers e and fetch me。 Otherwise； I think you know what she needs as well as I do。'
The Colonel summoned Danvers and sent him to scrounge up some hot soup and any pieces of boiled chicken he could find。 Then he knelt beside the woman； watching the soft pulse along the long column of her neck。
Thus the first thing Cheong saw when she opened her eyes was the close face of the Colonel。 What struck her immediately； she recalled later in recounting the story to Nicholas； were his eyes。 'They were the kindest eyes I had ever seen；〃 she said in her light singsong voice。 'They were the very deepest blue。 I had never before seen blue eyes。 I had been outside the city when the British had first e； prior to the outbreak of the war。
'I often think that it was those blue eyes which so startled me； brought me round。 Suddenly I remembered the long days after Tsuko had been killed as if they were part of a film being run off whole for the first time； the pieces at last had knit together。 I no longer had gauze in front of my eyes and cotton wool stuffed into my head。
'With that； it all began to pass away from me … as if I were recalling events from some other person's life … the dark terrible last days of the war。
That is when I knew that your father was part of my karma； in that first moment I saw him； for I have no remembrance of entering the garrison house； of encountering any British soldiers there before him。'
The Colonel took her home at the day's end； in the midst of the long shimmering emerald and lapis lazuli twilight； with the city choked with swirling dust； Jeeps clattering down the streets and soldiers running quick…time along the sidewalks while the Chinese and the Malays paused in their homeward journeys； standing quite still； resolute and quiescent and eternal in their cotton drawstring shorts and sloping reed sedge hats。
As usual it was teeming； and the Colonel had the Jeep brought round； though he was often fond of walking。 It took him twenty minutes on average to make the journey from the garrison located near Keppel Harbour almost due north through the city to the house he now occupied。 As may be imagined； the mand was not over fond of his making this trek on foot and dius he was perforce obliged to be acpanied by two armed men from his garrison as escort from door to door。 The
Colonel found this