Shanghai Story

by Alexa Kang

  Tonight, this place was also Eden’s last safe refuge.

  “Would you like another drink?” Ava asked from her Victorian daybed as her valet filled the wine glass in her hand.

  “No. I’m fine,” Eden said.

  “You know what they say about Shanghai, my dear. It’s heaven on top of hell.”

  Eden lowered her eyes with a flat smile. “Hell is a hundred times more dangerous with Roland Vaughn roaming around. He’s an evil man. If he gets away with this, he’ll get bolder. Someone needs to stop him. I can’t bear to see more women get raped or killed. Their lives were destroyed.”

  “I know.” Ava sipped her wine. “He needs a taste of his own medicine.” With mischievous eyes, she licked the red wine off her lips.

  On the carpeted floor, Mr. Bernard squeaked as he chased a ball into another room.

  “What about the Nazi?” Ava asked.

  Eden turned her face. “Everyone I know is ready to indict him because they think he’s guilty. I know he’s not. That makes a difference. If I give in to pressure and stand by and watch him go to jail for something he didn’t do, I won’t be any different from the Germans back in Munich who stay silent and do nothing while the Jews get blamed for everything. I’ll never be able to point fingers at them again.”

  “Good.” Ava’s eyes shone with approval. “You can’t let what other people say dictate what you do.” She downed the rest of her drink. “It’s a topsy-turvy world. March to your own rhythm. It’ll all work out in the end.”

  34

  The Truth Revealed

  At the Shanghainese restaurant where Clark had reserved a table at noon, Eden followed the host to a private dining room away from the main floor. It was an unusual choice of venue. He’d said they’d be meeting Officer Zhou. She wondered why they weren’t meeting at the Chinese police station.

  When she walked in, Clark and Zhou had already arrived.

  “Are you ready for some good news?” Clark asked as she sat down.

  “Always,” she said.

  “Good. We’re here to celebrate. We found the person who helped Roland Vaughn dispose of Lillian’s body.”

  Eden’s breath stopped.

  “A rickshaw coolie answered our flyer offering the reward. Zhou personally questioned him.”

  “And? What did he say?” Eden couldn’t wait to know.

  “It appears that Vaughn had driven the body back into the city himself. Around five in the morning, he drove to the Vienna Ballroom. He found one of the rickshaw coolies lined up outside. He told the coolie to meet him in an alley around the corner and offered him five Mexican silver dollars to get rid of the body. That’s not unusual, actually. You know all the dead bodies floating in the Whangpoo around the Bund every morning? Someone had to dump them there. Coolies take up this dirty work when it pays. This one, Xu, had never done anything like this before. He’s only seventeen. He’d been a rickshaw coolie for only two weeks when Vaughn found him.”

  The waitress came in and set down plates of peanuts, pickled cucumbers, and shredded tofu. She then refilled the guests’ tea. Zhou waited until she finished and left before he continued. “The coolie, Xu, went into a panic when he realized what Vaughn was asking him to do. But he was too frightened to refuse, and five Mexican dollars were hard to turn down. They took Lillian’s body from Vaughn’s car into the rickshaw. Vaughn left after that. Xu ran around the streets for a while. He was afraid to tell anyone, and he had no idea where to take the body. Then he came upon the Jing ’An Temple. He decided to dump the body there because he thought the Buddha might forgive him if he left the body there for the Buddha to take her to Heaven. Also, it was still early and no one else would see him.”

  “Are you sure?” Eden asked. “How do you know this Xu wasn’t lying?”

  “I gave him a set of photos of foreign men to look at. He picked out Vaughn’s right away. He said that was the man who paid him to get rid of the body.”

  So that was it, Eden thought. In the end, the answer to the entire mystery rested on a rickshaw coolie who everyone of importance had overlooked.

  “One thing I don’t understand.” Eden turned her teacup. “Why didn’t Vaughn get rid of the body in the suburbs? Why drop it in the city where it’d surely attract more attention?”

  “I wondered about that myself,” Zhou said. “I suspect he didn’t want to risk the body being discovered near him. His villa is close to the Sassoons’, as well as some other prominent foreigners in Shanghai who own homes in the area. A white woman’s body being discovered near the Sassoon villa would cause an even bigger scandal. The Sassoons would never let it rest until they had cleared themselves of any implications. In the city, crime is so rampant, he could hide a dead body in plain sight. Vaughn probably figured the foreign authorities would never be able to trace it back to a Chinese coolie out of the thousands of migrant coolies here. If Vaughn had found a more seasoned coolie than Xu who knew better where to get rid of the remains, Miss Berman’s body might never even have been found.”

  Eden gazed at Clark. His face affirmed what she had just heard. She reflected in what Zhou had told them. All this time, she’d been distraught over the fact that no one was seeing the truth of Lillian’s death. But it could’ve been worse. Lillian could’ve simply vanished, and none of them could’ve even begun to guess what had happened to her.

  “Another thing, the coolie said Vaughn was quite nervous himself when he came to him. My guess is, he hadn’t planned on killing her. After she died, he hatched up a quick plan to get rid of her. Murderous criminals frighten people, but in truth, they often make mistakes. People get sloppy when they’re guilty.”

  Eden nodded. The waitress was now bringing in the main courses, but no one had touched any of the food.

  “So we have the evidence we need now, right?” Eden asked after the waitress walked away.

  Clark eyed Zhou. “There is one small wrinkle.”

  “What’s that?”

  “The coolie said he won’t talk to the SMP police unless we can guarantee they won’t prosecute him,” Zhou said. “He’s terrified. He was at the scene when the SMP discovered the body that morning. He’s afraid the laowai police might say he killed her. He won’t testify unless the SMP guarantees they won’t incriminate him.”

  “All right,” Eden said. “I’ll talk to SMP. I have the full story now. Let’s see what they say. If they refuse, I’ll write another article. This time with all the facts. It’ll weaken their case if they ignore it. Maybe the German consulate will pick it up and we’ll go from there.”

  “In that case, let’s eat.” Clark picked up a piece of chicken and put it on her plate. Zhou, too, took up his chopsticks and dug into the fried Mandarin fish.

  When this was all over, she’d have to treat them both to dinner for helping her all along.

  Eden wasted no time after lunch in bringing all the information she’d discovered to the SMP. They had to believe her now, didn’t they? Even if not, she’d found enough evidence that they would at least have to inquire into Roland Vaughn.

  When she arrived at the SMP Central Station, Inspector Bonham was in a heated meeting with a representative of the German consulate. Their arguments could be heard from the station’s meeting room even with the door closed.

  “Johann Hauser is a Wehrmacht soldier. If he committed a crime, he is to be investigated and prosecuted by the German court.”

  “You want to fly him back to Berlin for a trial?” Inspector Bonham shouted. “What a joke? What do you take us for? Fools?”

  “You have no jurisdiction. A German soldier will not be tried by a British court.”

  “This case is absolutely within our jurisdiction. The murder was discovered in our concession territory. We’ve got all the evidence here.”

  Hearing their back and forth, Eden smirked. Amazing. First, no one would take the case. Now, everyone wanted to claim jurisdiction over the case.

  “We do not accept this,” the German shouted b
ack. “We will challenge this on the highest level beyond the Shanghai Municipal Council. The German government will not stand for this.”

  The meeting room’s door yanked open. A grim-faced German man in a suit, followed by a Wehrmacht military attaché, stomped out and left.

  Standing by the door of the meeting room, Bonham watched them depart with a smug smile on his face.

  Eden stood up. “Inspector Bonham, may I please speak with you?”

  “Miss Levine?” Bonham asked, surprised to see her. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

  “I’ve got new information to show you. Information about the Lillian Berman murder case.”

  “You do?” He broke into a smile. “So do we. Come on in.” He invited her into the meeting room.

  Warily, Eden went forward. What did he mean that he had information too? She entered the room. A Chinese man in a cheap white shirt sat at the table, jiggling a matchbox in his calloused hands.

  What was a common Chinese man doing in a meeting between Bonham and the Germans officials?

  “Have a seat, Miss Levine,” Bonham said. “You sure have been making my life difficult. I keep having to answer to the powers that be because of your articles. What do you want this time?”

  “I came to tell you I’ve got witnesses who can attest to the real killer.”

  “Too late.” Bonham leaned back with his hands clasped behind his head. “We’ve got a witness and solid evidence to back up our case.” He glanced at the Chinese man at the table. “Meet Mr. Meng.”

  Puzzled, Eden looked at both of them. The Chinese man deflected her with a conceited smile while Bonham opened a folder on his desk. He took out a clear plastic bag. Inside was an opal necklace. One that Eden had seen before.

  “This necklace belonged to Miss Berman. She was wearing it the day she died. It was a birthday present from her parents.”

  “I know that,” Eden said. But how did it end up here?

  “You know that? Good! Because it was found in the pocket of Johann Hauser’s uniform by the man who provides his laundry service.” He pointed at Meng. “Her parents confirmed the evidence. It even has Miss Berman’s initials engraved on the back.”

  “That’s impossible!” Eden said. “This is a ruse. Roland Vaughn did this. That’s it. He bribed this man to lie.” She pointed at Meng.

  “I don’t lie.” Meng snorted.

  “Miss Levine, enough,” Bonham said with a red face. “You’ve been making unfounded allegations against Mr. Vaughn for weeks in your newspaper. He’s kind enough to not come after you for defamation. I’ve looked into Mr. Vaughn. I even brought him in for questioning, thanks to you. The Commissioner made me do it to make sure we don’t appear to be biased. Mr. Vaughn is an upright, respected member of our community. He could not have done this.”

  “If you would only listen to me,” Eden said. “I’ve talked to multiple witnesses. The concierge at the Metropole Hotel said he gave Lillian a note from Vaughn that night. I found the taxi driver who drove her to Vaughn’s villa too. And I’ve found the rickshaw coolie who helped Vaughn dispose of the body. The one who put the corpse in front of the Jing ’An Temple.”

  “You talked to someone who handled the corpse?” Bonham’s face turned serious. “How did you find him?”

  “Someone helped me post a reward. The coolie answered and came forward.”

  “A reward.” Bonham drew back. “Can you bring him here?”

  “Yes, I can. But you have to promise he won’t be prosecuted.”

  Bonham rolled his head, then opened his hand. “How am I supposed to believe the man then? How would I know he’s not lying? First, he came up with the story to claim the reward. And then, if he’s telling the truth, he is shielded from anything he might have done. You want me to trust the word of this unreliable witness when we have solid proof from Mr. Meng right here?” He raised his hand toward the laundry man. “Mr. Meng came on his own accord. No reward, and no demand for immunity.”

  Meng gave her a victorious look. Eden glowered back. She didn’t believe it. Not one bit. Meng got paid. Vaughn had to have paid him. There was no other explanation for this. Who else could’ve kept Lillian’s necklace?

  What made Vaughn think of setting up Meng to come forward? Could it be that her articles were making Vaughn nervous? Did he pay Meng to give false evidence and testimony to thwart any potential accusations against him?

  A dizzy spell swept over her. She held her hand to her forehead. Her articles didn’t change the outcome. All she had done was tip off Roland Vaughn.

  “Miss Levine,” Bonham said, “your perseverance is impressive. I almost admire you for your tenacity the way you won’t give up on what you believe. But it’s over. You have no stronger evidence than what we have against Johann Hauser. Tomorrow, Hauser will be transferred to a prison in Chapei to await trial. You need to step aside now and let us do our job.”

  Eden gazed at Bonham and Meng’s cold faces. Losing all hope, she stood up. “Thank you for your time,” she muttered and left the police station.

  With a heavy heart, Eden returned to her office. There was only one thing left to do. If the SMP would not bring the hideous crime committed by Roland Vaughn to light in court, she’d have to bring it to the public. People needed to know all the horrible things he’d done.

  Bringing all the notes she’d compiled about the case, she knocked on Zelik’s door. “I met with the SMP this morning,” she told Zelik.

  “I know.” Zelik turned around in his chair, his face more solemn than she’d ever seen. “Inspector Bonham called me.”

  “He’s got it all wrong.” Eden rushed up to the seat across from Zelik’s desk. She opened her file. “See, I’ve got all the information—”

  “Eden,” Zelik interrupted her. “This can’t go on anymore.”

  “His witness is lying.”

  “That’s your theory. You have no way to prove that.” He sighed and took off his glasses. “The SMP’s case is now solid. We’re moving on.”

  “You won’t let me at least alert the public to what Roland Vaughn did?”

  “No. I’m sorry. I’ve decided to let you go.”

  “What?” Was this real? Zelik was giving up on her? “Why? Why am I being terminated? Do you doubt me too?”

  “Whether I believe you or doubt you no longer matters. Any more accusations against Roland Vaughn won’t achieve anything. My priority now is the safety of my staff. We’ve received a bomb threat.”

  A bomb threat?

  “Your continual defense of the Nazi has riled a lot of people. I stood by you for as long as I could. If it weren’t for the bomb threat, I’d keep you on. If you could’ve convinced the SMP to change course, the anger against you would’ve subsided. As it is now, I have no choice but to do something drastic to show we’re with the victim.”

  Stunned, Eden dropped her hands.

  “I’m sorry. You have to understand the difficult position I’m in.”

  Fighting back tears, she stood up and put her file on Zelik’s desk. “Do what you have to.” She headed toward the door. “You’re making a mistake,” she said and walked out.

  35

  Rescuing Johann

  Telling Officer Zhou and Clark what had happened was one of the hardest things Eden ever had to do. They’d both done so much to try to help her. Zhou had put in the time and called in favors on her behalf. Clark had put up large sums of money. It was more than disheartening to have to tell them that all their efforts were fruitless.

  In Clark’s office, Eden recounted everything that had occurred at the SMP and the China Press.

  “So now, I don’t even have a job.” She finished her tea and put down the teacup.

  Clark gazed at her. He listened quietly without interjecting a word.

  “I’m sorry to hear it didn’t work out,” Zhou said. “Justice is hard to come by in Shanghai. It’s too bad about the German soldier. When he’s transferred to the prison in Chapei, he’ll be in for a shock, I�
��m sure.”

  “Why do you say that?” Eden asked.

  “Miss Levine, Chinese prison is hell. You might find fifteen, twenty prisoners in one small room. No bath or shower and there are insects and lice. The place is dark and rodent-infested. They put a bucket in there for use as a toilet. The bucket won’t be cleaned for days. Of course, the prisoners are never given enough food. People get sick and die. It’s a horrible place. Even animals are treated better.”

  Eden thought of how Hauser looked the last time she saw him. His entire body had deteriorated after staying at the SMP’s temporary holding cell. How would he survive the Chinese prison?

  “They might treat him a little better because he’s a foreigner,” Zhou said. “It’s highly unusual for foreigners to be arrested and imprisoned. That’s why the SMP and French police don’t even have their own jails. When there are a few odd foreigners to be locked up, they send them to us. They’ll likely keep him well and healthy enough until the trial. After that, he’ll probably never see daylight again.”

  Hauser would rot away in a Chinese prison.

  He was a Nazi. Perhaps that was exactly what he deserved.

  The last time she spoke to him, she’d naively suggested she could help him. Little did she know then how powerless they both were. When he walked out of the meeting room, his fate was already sealed.

  She could still remember the hopeless look on his face when the police guard closed the door.

  Not only hopeless, but also sympathetic.

  I’m sorry about what happened to your friend. No one deserves to be killed like that. Not even a Jew.

  “Officer Zhou,” she said, “is there anything you can do to save him? Anything at all?”

  Clark flashed a glance at Zhou.