Shanghai Story

by Alexa Kang

  “I’m also a reporter for the China Press. If you don’t mind, I’d like to hear your side of the story.”

  Johann sneered. “Why? So you can defame me and spread lies about me?”

  “No. I only want to know the truth. Did you rape and kill Lillian?”

  His face wrinkled in disgust. “No. I didn’t rape and kill that Jewish pig.”

  Eden swallowed and held her anger. It took all her self-restraint to stay civil to someone who exhibited so much animosity toward her and her own people, not to mention his utter lack of compassion for a victim who’d already been brutally killed.

  “If what you say is true, then I may be able to help absolve you.”

  Johann checked her from the head down. His eyes filled with disdain. “Are you a Jew too?”

  “Yes.” She looked him back in the eye.

  “Then I don’t need your help.” He kicked his heel against the floor and pushed his chair back away from her.

  “All right. But I have reason to believe you might not be the murderer. I want to find the truth and bring her killer to justice. She deserves that. I’m doing this for her. Not you. And if you’re in fact innocent, you can work with me and set yourself free.”

  “Work with you?” Johann snorted. “I will not do anything to benefit that Jewish pig. I wouldn’t even be here right now if it weren’t for her. Even in death, that bitch has to bring me trouble.” He jolted up from his seat. “I hope she rots in hell.” He turned and demanded the guard to take him away. Disinterested, the guard opened the door and led him away.

  Alone in the room, Eden found herself shaking. Of all the people in the world, why did they have to arrest a Nazi? He was the last person she’d care to help.

  She took a moment to center herself, then left to return to the China Press office.

  At her desk in front of the typewriter, Eden searched deep within to find a reason to defend Johann Hauser. Yes, there was another suspect out there, but did she have to cast doubt on Hauser’s guilt? She could very well let him suffer until she found the truth. For all she knew, he might in fact be the killer.

  By tomorrow, all the newspapers in Shanghai would be running stories accusing him of murdering Lillian. The Shanghailanders had been on the edge since this crime occurred. They needed reassurance that the perpetrator had been caught and life was back to normal. The fact that Johann was a Nazi made it that much easier for people to make up their minds. Everyone would be all too eager to believe he was the person behind Lillian’s death.

  Eden recalled the time when the Shanghai police arrested her, when the devious fraudsters falsely accused her of pushing a little girl into the traffic. She’d felt so helpless. She had no control over what would happen to her. Her entire life was at the mercy of people who did not give a damn about her.

  Johann Hauser might be going through the same thing. Beneath his hateful exterior, all he was now was a person who had lost control of his life for something he might not have done.

  She put her fingers on the keyboard and began to type.

  Johann Hauser, a lance corporal of the Wehrmacht army, was arrested today for the brutal rape and murder of Lillian Berman. Miss Berman’s body was discovered in front of the Jing ’An Temple the morning of October 12. According to SMP Commissioner Burt O’Reilly, Hauser was seen in an altercation at Cafe Louis with Miss Berman the day before her death. The Commissioner believes Hauser had sought revenge against Miss Berman later and committed the murder.

  The fact that Miss Berman and Hauser were seen arguing in public is not in dispute. However, is it enough to support an allegation that Hauser in fact raped and killed Miss Berman? So far, the SMP has given no other evidence to show that Hauser had come into contact with Miss Berman after they had both left Cafe Louis. No inquiries have been made as to Miss Berman’s whereabouts the evening of her death . . .

  “What is this?” Zelik threw the draft of Eden’s article on top of his desk. “The police finally caught a suspect. A Nazi one at that. And all you talked about was how the SMP was incompetent?”

  Eden rushed up and sat down in the chair across from him. “I think Hauser might not be the killer. We have to investigate further.”

  Zelik stared at her as though she had lost her mind.

  “The account the Police Commissioner gave about what happened at Cafe Louis is wrong. I know. I was there myself.” Eden leaned forward. “The SMP is using Hauser to make a case against Hitler. The whole thing is getting out of hand.”

  “You want me to publish an article that might acquit a Nazi?”

  “If he’s innocent, yes.”

  Zelik laughed in disbelief. “You know, if the situation was reversed, the Nazis wouldn’t hesitate to prosecute us. Can you imagine if a Jewish boy was accused of raping and murdering a German girl? They wouldn’t give a damn whether he’s guilty or innocent. They’d throw him to the dogs.”

  “Then all the more reason we need to give Hauser a fair chance. Otherwise, we’re no better than the Nazis. We have to show we’re better than that.”

  “I don’t know in this case.” Zelik sighed and shook his head.

  “We have to find out who is the real killer. For Lillian. If we don’t, nobody else will.”

  A pigeon flew up from the ledge of his window. Zelik gazed out. His frown deepened as he watched the view darken outside as a cloud drifted over the sun.

  Eden peered into his face. “We all look up to you because you defend the truth. You always say, the more egregious the allegation, the more we need to be able to stand by what we say. The truth matters. It’s what our paper stands on. If we make the allegation that Hauser killed Lillian, then we have to be a hundred percent sure the allegation should stand.”

  Zelik took off his glasses and rubbed his forehead between his brows.

  “I’ve got leads. Like I told you, Lillian met a dentist named Roland Vaughn for dinner that night. I’m sure of that. Vaughn had arranged meetings with girls the same way he did with Lillian many times. I’m going to talk to one of those girls this afternoon. Her name is June Phillips. Please, give me a chance.”

  “All right,” Zelik relented. “You better be right.”

  Quietly, Eden pumped her fist. She hoped she was right too.

  30

  Quest for the Truth

  In the afternoon, Eden rode the tram to the apartment on Bubbling Well Road where June Phillips lived. She thought June would live in a building with full concierge service, as most Shanghailanders did. After all, an address on Bubbling Well Road conveyed status. What Eden found was a five-story walk-up situated in between newer residential towers. Its occupants were mainly local Chinese. No doorman stopped her when she entered, and she proceeded to the third floor to the unit which the Phillips called home. The apartment’s door badly needed a new coat of paint.

  Looking at this place, the rumors that June’s father had lost all his money in the London stock market seemed true. And June Phillips had to solicit students to teach English lessons to make money for herself or her family.

  A young woman answered the doorbell. Eden recognized her golden ringlets right away, although today, she hadn’t fixed her hair. Her curls hung limp and greasy on her shoulders. “Miss Phillips?”

  “Yes?” June Phillips hesitated and held the door half open.

  “My name is Eden Levine. I’m a reporter with the China Press. May I please have a word with you?”

  June opened the door wider. “What about?”

  “Do you know a man by the name of Roland Vaughn?”

  At the mention of his name, June’s face turned ghastly white. “No!” She pushed the door shut.

  “Wait! Miss Phillips, please!” Eden pushed the door to stop her from slamming it shut. “If you know him, I really, really need to talk to you.”

  “I don’t know him. I’ve never heard of him. Go away.”

  “Yes, you do. I saw you with him one time at Cafe Louis. Whatever trouble you may be in, if you would only
let me speak to you, I may be able to help.”

  Biting her lips, June loosened her arms. “You can’t help me. I have nothing to say to you.”

  Eden checked the hallway on her left and her right, making sure no one was around. She hunched her shoulders and whispered, “Do you know about the girl who was killed and discovered in front of the Jing ’An Temple? It’s been all over the news these past few weeks. I think Roland Vaughn might be her killer. I don’t know what your relationship is with him, but if he did kill her, then you may be in danger too.”

  June’s eyes widened with fear. Meekly, she opened the door and let Eden in. Eden closed the door behind her. In the apartment, Eden got a good look at June. The girl looked so frail. She was a shadow of the pretty, proud young woman Eden had seen at Cafe Louis a few months ago.

  “Would you like some tea?” June asked.

  “No, thank you.” Eden sat down on the couch. The girl did not look like she was in any shape to make tea or do anything else. She looked as shabby as the interior of her apartment. All the furniture looked used, with chips and scuff marks on the dark wood. The single white light on the ceiling did nothing to cast away the dreary dimness of the room. Its glow only drew attention to the faint cracks and scratches on the wall. The radio broadcast of Chinese opera could be heard from the home next door.

  June sat down on the sofa seat next to Eden. Her hands trembled. “You think Roland killed that girl?”

  “I suspect it. The night before she was killed, she went to the concierge at the Metropole to pick up a message Vaughn had left for her. It was supposed to be a note to tell her where to meet him for dinner. I understand that Vaughn had once left a message for you the same way too. Can you tell me what happened? Did he take you to dinner? And if so, where did you go?”

  June covered her face with her hands. “Nobody can know about this.” She dropped her hands on her lap and looked up. “If I tell you, can you promise me you won’t ever tell anyone? My father already lost everything. All I’ve got left is my name. Without that, I’m ruined. I’m so scared.”

  Eden put her hand on June’s. Her heart broke looking at the poor girl. “I promise. I’m here to find out about Lillian’s death, but I would never, ever jeopardize you in any way.”

  “Roland has a villa in the western suburbs outside of the city. It’s not too far away from the Sassoon villa. Roland’s house was much smaller than the Sassoons’, of course, but it’s still a very charming little place.”

  “Go on.” Eden squeezed her hand.

  “He left me a note telling me his personal chef had prepared a special candlelight dinner for us. Orange soufflé was his specialty. He also said he would hire a classical quartet to play music while we eat. It sounded so romantic.”

  “And then?”

  “He told me to take a taxi to a dairy shop near his villa. In the envelope he left for me at the Metropole, he included another note in Chinese with the dairy shop’s address. There were other shops around it, but I couldn’t read their Chinese signs.”

  Eden slid her eyes sideways. That rat! He made sure the girls didn’t know where they were going.

  “At the dairy shop, another taxi was waiting for me. The taxi driver didn’t speak English. He handed me a note that said “orange soufflé,” so I knew Roland had sent him, and I got into the car with the driver. I didn’t know where he was taking me, but I did recognize the Sassoon villa on the way.”

  Smart, Eden thought. Vaughn left nothing to trace back to him. All the girls went to him alone, and no one could confirm the identities or addresses involved. “What happened after that?”

  “I got to his villa. We started the evening with some wine. Something started to feel wrong. There were no servants. I asked him about his chef. At first, he said the chef was still cooking. I asked him where the quartet was. He said they weren’t coming after all. He said we’d have to make our own music.” At this point. June’s voice choked and her eyes welled up. Eden’s heart fell. She could imagine what came next.

  “He said he had a gramophone. He wanted to show me his album collection. By then, I was getting nervous, but I thought if I continued to be nice to him, everything would be fine. He took me to a room. At first, I thought it was his study, but it turned out to be a surgical room. There was a surgical bed in the middle. He did have a gramophone in there, and albums too. He put one on. Rossini. He started telling me he’d always wanted to be a surgeon, but the medical schools wouldn’t accept him, so he had to resort to being a dentist. He asked me to play a game. To pretend I was a surgical patient. By then, I was really scared. I tried to run, but he grabbed hold of me. He said if I played along, I wouldn’t get hurt. I was paralyzed. Everything after that is all blurred. He took me to the surgical bed and he raped me, and all I could do was concentrate on the music and try not to think about what was happening to me.” June’s voice slurred as tears rained down her cheeks.

  Stunned, Eden put her arm around June. She couldn’t think of a thing to say to comfort her.

  Eventually, June’s crying subsided. “When it was over, he made me get dressed. The taxi driver who took me there was waiting outside. He drove me back into the city and dropped me off in front of the Vienna Ballroom. I got myself another taxi from there and came straight home.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Eden gave June a handkerchief. Inside, she felt livid. The monster! How could he do this to a girl like June? And Lillian. Did he do the same thing to Lillian too? The thought alone enraged her.

  “I haven’t told anyone about any of this.” June wiped her face with the handkerchief. “Even my father doesn’t know. He thinks the Shanghai climate doesn’t agree with me. My mother’s passed away. Next month, I’m returning to London. I’ll be living with my aunt. Please remember you promised you wouldn’t tell a soul about this.”

  “I won’t,” Eden said. How could she? The poor girl had gone through enough.

  June exhaled. “Do you think he’ll try to kill me too?”

  Eden wished she could say no for sure. “June, I promise you, I’ll do everything I can to help you. After what you’d told me, he very well could have raped and killed my friend Lillian. Roland Vaughn needs to be put in prison. Forever. I’ll do everything I can to see to that.”

  June dismissed her with a bitter smile. “It doesn’t matter anymore. All I want is to leave this behind and forget about it, as long as he doesn’t kill me.”

  Eden didn’t know what else to say. Seeing June completely broken this way was almost as bad as seeing Lillian dead.

  Back at her office, Eden began to write her next article. On her desk, a stack of competing newspapers blasted their own headlines about the case. Johann Hauser’s trial hadn’t begun, but already, he was guilty as sin. Reporters had dug up everything they could about him. Half-truths and lies, it didn’t matter. One claimed he had a secret fetish for Jewish women. Another alleged he raped Lillian out of hate. Even the German paper Ostasiasticher Lloyd, reported him as guilty, although they blamed it on Lillian, claiming she’d somehow seduced him into committing the crime. The article warned German men to stay away from Jewish women.

  Eden thought of June and placed her fingers on the keyboard.

  Is the SMP Rushing to Judgment?

  She stopped to think. How could she expose Vaughn without exposing June?

  While the authorities are ready to put Johann Hauser away even before his trial begins, another potential suspect has emerged, whom the SMP might have overlooked. The night before her death, Lillian Berman had accepted an invitation to dine with Roland Vaughn, a dentist from Manchester who arrived in Shanghai eight months ago. What happened that night when Miss Berman met with Roland Vaughn? To date, the SMP has made no inquiry as to the whereabouts of either Miss Berman or Mr. Vaughn the evening of October 4. There has been no account of the time line of events that led up to Miss Berman’s murder. Shouldn’t the authorities at least question how Miss Berman found her way to Johann Hauser after her engagement
with Mr. Vaughn? A case which garnered so much attention, both in Shanghai and abroad, demands clarity. As of now, the SMP’s efforts to find the truth leaves much to desire.

  Why did Roland Vaughn kill Lillian? That was the question Eden kept churning in her mind when she went to the Sichuan restaurant to meet her friends for dinner after she left her office. More and more, she was convinced Vaughn had done to Lillian the same thing he’d done to June. Since the Metropole concierge had said Vaughn often left messages for girls there, she suspected Vaughn had done this to many other girls before them too.

  Even so, she had known of no case of a girl being brutally murdered this way, and certainly not during the time when Vaughn had been in Shanghai. If he had raped people, there was no indication that he’d ever killed them. Why kill Lillian?

  She couldn’t wait to run her theory by her friends. Of course, she wouldn’t tell them anything about June. She could only tell them Lillian had met Roland Vaughn for dinner the night she died, and Vaughn had used this scheme to lure girls to his private villa where he had raped them. Maybe together, they could figure out the reason why Lillian was killed.

  Everyone had been so saddened by Lillian’s death. Now they could work together to try to catch the man who killed her.

  She ought to call Officer Zhou too. Maybe he could arrange for her to get a copy of the coroner’s report. Better yet, he could get the coroner to talk to her and tell her everything she wanted to know. There could be clues that had been overlooked on Lillian’s body.

  The hostess at the restaurant brought her to their table. Yuri, Miriam, and Igor had already arrived.

  “Sorry I’m late.” Eden took her seat. “I had to wrap up an article I was writing. I have so much to tell you. I’ve been working non-stop on Lillian’s case. You won’t believe what I found out.”

  Miriam put down the menu she was holding. “Eden, we’d like to talk to you about your articles too.”