The Chinese Lake Murders

by Robert Van Gulik

  Han hesitated. He thought a moment, then replied:

  “I really don’t know, Your Honor! He was wearing thick hunting gloves. There was absolutely nothing by which I would be able to identify him; his green robe was hanging loosely around him, so that his body was just a formless shape, and the hood muffled his voice. Where was I: now? Oh, yes. He cut my protest short, saying: ‘This is a warning, Han Yung-han! The other night a dancer told you something she shouldn’t have told. You know what happened to her. It was very wise of you that you didn’t tell the magistrate, Han, very wise! The White Lotus is powerful, as proved by our execution of your paramour Almond Blossom!’ “

  Han felt the bruise on his temple with his fingertips. Willow Down hurried over to him, but he shook his head and continued in a plaintive voice:

  “I hadn’t the faintest idea what the man was talking about, Your Honor! The dancer my paramour, forsooth! And you know yourself that during the banquet she had hardly spoken to me at all! Well, I said angrily that he was talking nonsense. He laughed; I can tell you it sounded horrible from behind the mask. He said, ‘Don’t lie, Han! It’s no use! Shall I tell you exactly what she said to you? Listen! She said: “I must see you later. A dangerous conspiracy is plotted in this town!’” When I looked at him, dumbfounded by that nonsense, he went on with a nasty sneer: ‘You have nothing to say to that, eh, Han? The White Lotus knows everything! And we are also all-powerful, as you found out tonight. Obey my command, Han, and forget what she said, all of it, and for good!’ He gave a sign to someone who must have been standing behind my chair and went on: ‘Help that lecher to forget, and not too gently, mind you!’ I received a fearful blow on my head, and I lost consciousness.” Han heaved a deep sigh, then concluded:

  “When I came to, I was lying in front of the back door of my house here. Fortunately, there was no one about. I scrambled up, and succeeded in reaching my small study here. I had my daughter called, and told her to go to Your Honor at once. But nobody must know that I reported this, Your Honor! My life is at stake! And I am convinced that the White Lotus has its spies everywhere-even inside the tribunal!”

  He leaned back against the pillows, and closed his eyes.

  Judge Dee pensively caressed his side whiskers. Then he asked:

  “What did that room look like?”

  Han opened his eyes. He frowned and seemed to think deeply. After a while he replied:

  “I could see only the section that was in front of me, I have the impression that it was a small, hexagonal room. I would have thought it was a garden pavilion, but the air was much too close for that. The only other piece of furniture besides the square table was a black-lacquered cabinet against the wall, behind the chair of the hooded man. I also seem to remember that the walls were covered with faded green hangings.”

  “Have you any idea,” Judge Dee asked again, “in what direction your kidnapers took you?”

  “Only some vague impression,” Han answered. “At first I was so confused by the attack on me that I didn’t pay much attention, but I am sure that generally we kept to an easterly direction. I think we descended a slope; thereafter, the last three-quarters of our way we went over level ground.”

  Judge Dee rose. The wound in his side was throbbing; he was eager to go home.

  “I appreciate it that you reported this matter so promptly to me,” he said. “I am inclined to believe that somebody played a prank on you. Do you have some enemy who could have indulged in this ill-timed and wholly irresponsible practical joke?”

  “I have no enemies!” Han exclaimed indignantly. “And a prank? Let me assure you that the fellow was in dead earnest!”

  “I was thinking of a practical joke,” Judge Dee said calmly, “because I have come to the conclusion that after all it probably was one of the oarsmen who murdered the courtesan. I noticed among them one rascal who seemed very ill at ease when I heard him. I think I’d better question him in the tribunal with legal severities.”

  Han’s face lit up.

  “Didn’t I say so at once, Your Honor?” he exclaimed triumphantly. “At the very first moment when we heard about the murder, my friends and I knew that the criminal would be found among those oarsmen! Yes, now I come to think of it I feel inclined to agree that my kidnapping was only a trick. I’ll try to think who could have done me that ill turn!”

  “I also shall institute a few inquiries,” the judge said. “Very discreetly, of course. I shall keep you informed.”

  Han seemed pleased. He said with a smile to his daughter:

  “The doorman will be asleep already; lead His Excellency to the main gate, my girl! It isn’t seemly for our magistrate to leave our house as a thief by the back door!”

  He folded his pudgy hands and reclined on the pillows with a deep sigh.

  Tenth Chapter

  A CHARMING GUIDE SHOWS SOME RELICS OF THE PAST; A CONFIDENTIAL CONVERSATION UNDER BUDDHA’S EYES

  WILLOW DOWN BECKONED Judge Dee. He followed her outside into a pitch-dark corridor.

  “I don’t dare to take a candle,” she whispered. “My father’s women sleep nearby. But I’ll guide you!”

  He felt her small hand groping for his. As she pulled him along, her silk dress swished against his jacket and he noticed that she used a delicate perfume of orchids. He thought it a quite unusual situation.

  When they came out on a large, paved courtyard, Willow Down let go of his hand. Here there was sufficient moonlight to see by. The judge noticed on the right a door that stood ajar. A ray of light came through it; the heavy scent of Indian incense hung in the air. He stood still and whispered:

  “Can we pass there without somebody noticing us?”

  “Oh, yes!” the girl replied. “That is our Buddhist chapel, built by my great-grandfather. He was a devout Buddhist, and left strict instructions that day and night a lamp should be kept burning near the altar, and that the door should never be closed. There’s nobody there. Won’t you have a look inside?”

  Judge Dee readily agreed, although he felt very tired. He knew he must not miss this opportunity for learning more about the author of the mysterious chess problem.

  More than half of the space inside the small chapel was taken up by a high square altar of brick built against the back wall. In the front of the altar was a plaque of green jade, more than four feet square, with an engraved inscription. On the altar stood a magnificent gilded statue of the Buddha, sitting cross-legged on a lotus throne. In the semidarkness high up under the ceiling the judge could faintly discern the serene, smiling face. The walls of the chapel were painted with scenes from the Buddha’s life; on the floor in front of the altar lay a round prayer An-cushion. The oil lamp stood on a stand of worked iron.

  “This chapel,” Willow Down said with evident pride, “was built under the personal supervision of my ancestor. He was such a wise and good man, Your Honor! He has become a kind of a legend in our family. He never would take part in the literary examinations; he preferred to live in retirement here, and to devote himself to his manifold interests. The people here therefore called him Hermit Han!”

  Judge Dee saw her enthusiasm with pleasure. So few young women now had an understanding for family traditions. He said:

  “I seem to remember that Hermit Han was also a great chess player. Are your father or you also fond of the game?”

  “No, Your Honor,” the girl answered. “We like to play card games and dominoes. Chess takes up too much time, you know, and only two persons can play at it. Does Your Honor see that inscription? Hermit Han was so clever with his hands-a real expert in engraving-and he himself carved that inscription!”

  The judge stepped closer to the altar. He read the text aloud:

  “Thus spoke the Enlightened One: If ye wish to follow Me, ye must promulgate the Supreme Truth to all beings to make them understand My Message that all pain and sorrow that depress them are essentially non-existent. For these words express the Supreme Truth. Thus ye shall, by saving all others, a
lso yourselves enter this Gate of Nirvana, and find peace ever-lasting.”

  He nodded and said:

  “Hermit Han executed this work beautifully, and the text he chose expresses a lofty thought. I myself am a staunch follower of our great Master, Confucius, but I readily admit that also the Budhist creed has many admirable points.”

  Willow Down looked reverently at the jade plaque. She said:

  “Of course it was impossible to find one piece of jade that size. Therefore Hermit Han carved every word separately in a small square piece of jade, and later those were joined together like a kind of mosaic. He really was an extraordinary man, Your Honor! He possessed enormous riches, but after his sudden death the treasury where he had stored his gold bars proved to be empty. It is assumed that during his lifetime he secretly gave away all that gold to various charitable organizations. Our family didn’t need it anyway, for he had much valuable landed property, which is still owned by us. The proceeds thereof are more than sufficient for our needs.”

  Judge Dee looked at her with interest. She was really a most attractive young woman; her finely chiseled, sensitive face had a natural distinction. He said:

  “Since you are so keen on historical subjects, I suppose you knew Moon Fairy, the daughter of Mr. Liu Fei-po? Her father told me that she also was of a studious turn of mind.”

  “Yes,” Willow Down said softly, “I knew her very well indeed. She often came to visit me in our women’s quarters here. She felt lonely because of the frequent travels of her father. She was such a strong, enterprising girl, Your Honor! She was good in hunting and riding; she ought to have been a boy. And her father always encouraged her; he was so fond of his daughter. I really can’t understand what brought about her death, and she still so young!”

  “I am doing my best to discover that,” Judge Dee replied. “And you can help me by telling me more about her. You say that she was so fond of sports; but didn’t she also take a course with Dr. Djang?”

  A CONVERSATION IN A BUDDHIST CHAPEL

  The girl smiled a little.

  “Well,” she answered, “I suppose there’s no harm in telling you; everybody in the women’s quarters knows it! Moon Fairy’s interest in literature dated from the day she met Candidate Djang! He made rather an impression on her, you see, and therefore she persuaded her father to let her join that course, so that she could see Candidate Djang more often. Those two were really very fond of each other. And now both are-”

  She shook her head disconsolately. The judge waited awhile, then resumed:

  “What did Moon Fairy really look like? You’ll have heard that her dead body has disappeared.”

  “Oh, she was handsome!” Willow Down exclaimed. “And not so thin as I; she was a robust girl. She resembled that poor dancer Almond Blossom, you know.”

  “Did you know that courtesan?” Judge Dee asked, astonished.

  “No,” Willow Down replied, “I never spoke to her. But father often had her called here to the house to entertain his guests in the large hall, and I peeped through the window whenever I could because she danced so well. Almond Blossom had the same oval face, with those curved eyebrows, as Moon Fairy, and the same beautiful figure. They could have been sisters! Only the eyes of the dancer were quite different. They frightened me a little, Your Honor! I used to stand in the dark corridor outside; I am sure that she couldn’t see me. And yet she often looked me straight in my eyes when she danced past the windows; she had an uncanny, piercing stare. The poor girl, what a life she had! Always to be obliged to show yourself to all those men … And now she has come to her end in such a grisly manner. Does Your Honor think that the lake had … anything to do with it?”

  “I don’t think so,” the judge answered. “I suppose that her death has been a great blow for Guildmaster Soo; he seemed to be quite fond of her.”

  “Soo only worshiped her from a distance, Your Honor!” the girl said with a smile. “He has been coming to our house as long as I can remember. He is terribly shy, and always horribly embarrassed by his colossal strength. Once he inadvertently crushed one of father’s fine antique teacups in his fist! He still hasn’t married. He stands in deadly fear of women! Guildmaster Wang-now that is quite a different man! They say he is very fond of female company. But I’d better stop. Your Honor will think me a fearful gossip! I must not detain Your Honor any longer.”

  “On the contrary!” Judge Dee said quickly. “This conversation is most instructive. I always like to learn as much as possible about the background of all persons connected with a criminal case. We have not talked yet about Liu Fei-po. Do you think he could tell me more about the dead courtesan?”

  “I hardly think so, Your Honor. He must, of course, have known her because she regularly danced at banquets. But Mr. Liu is such a serious, silent man; he hasn’t the slightest interest in frivolous amusements. Before Mr. Liu started building his summer villa here in Han-yuan, he stayed in our house for a week or so. I noticed that when there was a party, he just sat there with a rather bored air. Except for his business, he is interested only in old books and manuscripts; they say that he has a magnificent collection of those in his house in the capital. And, of course, his daughter! He would brighten up as soon as my father inquired after her. It was a link between those two, you see, because father also has only me. Moon Fairy’s death has been a shattering blow to poor Mr. Liu; father says he has become a changed man… .”

  She went to the lampstand and refilled the oil from an earthenware jar standing below it. Judge Dee looked pensively at her delicate profile and the graceful movements of her slender hands. Evidently she was very close to her father-but Han would have taken good care to conceal his evil mind from her. After Han’s story, the judge suspected him of murder and a sly attempt at intimidation. He suppressed a regretful sigh, then asked:

  “In order to complete our list, have you ever met the old Councilor Liang or his nephew?”

  Suddenly Willow Down blushed.

  “No,” she replied quickly. “Father has paid the Councilor a courtesy visit, but he never came to our house. Of course, he didn’t need to, seeing that he is such a high-ranking official… .”

  “I was told,” Judge Dee remarked, “that his nephew is a dissolute young fellow.”

  “That’s a wicked slander!” Willow Down exclaimed angrily. “Liang Fen is a very serious young man; he works regularly in the library of the Temple!”

  Judge Dee gave her a searching look.

  “How do you know that?” he asked quickly.

  “Oh,” the girl said, “I sometimes go with my mother for a walk in the Temple garden, and I saw Mr. Liang there.”

  Judge Dee nodded.

  “Well, Miss Han,” he said, “I am very grateful for all this most useful information.”

  He turned to the door, but Willow Down quickly stepped up to him and said softly:

  “I do hope that Your Honor will find those awful people who maltreated father. I can’t believe it was a prank. Father is a bit stiff and formal, Your Honor, but he really is such a good man. He never thinks ill of anybody! I am so worried about him; he must have some enemy without himself even suspecting it. They are out to harm him, Your Honor!”

  “You can rest assured that the problem has my full attention,” Judge Dee said.

  Willow Down gave him a grateful look. She said:

  “I want to give Your Honor something as a small souvenir of this visit to Hermit Han’s chapel. But you must not tell father about it, because it should really be given to members of our family only!”

  She went quickly to the altar, and took a roll of paper from a recess beside it. She peeled off one sheet, and presented it to the judge with a deep bow. It was a carefully-traced copy of the inscription on the altar.

  Judge Dee folded the sheet up and put it in his sleeve. He said gravely:

  “I feel greatly honored by this gift!”

  He saw with pleasure that she still wore the two roses, which became her very wel
l. The girl led him through a long, winding corridor to the gatehouse. She unlocked the heavy door; the judge bowed silently and stepped out into the deserted street.

  Eleventh Chapter

  MA JOONG HAS SOME DISAPPOINTING EXPERIENCES; JUDGE DEE LEAVES TOWN TO INSPECT HIS DISTRICT

  THE NEXT MORNING, just after dawn, when two servants went to Judge Dee’s private office to sweep the floor, they found him fast asleep on the couch. They quickly withdrew, and warned the clerk who came to prepare the morning tea.

  An hour later Judge Dee woke up. Sitting on the edge of the couch, he lifted a corner of the plaster and inspected his side. He saw that the wound was healing well. Rising stiffly, he made a perfunctory toilet, then sat down behind the desk and clapped his hands. When the clerk appeared he told him to serve breakfast, and call his three lieutenants.

  The sergeant, Ma Joong and Chiao Tai sat down on tabourets. While the judge was eating his rice, Hoong reported that he had just come back from a visit to the tea merchant. Koong had told him that he and Dr. Djang had been so distressed about the finding of Candidate Djang’s belt that they hadn’t thought of asking the fisherman who discovered it for his name. It wouldn’t be easy to locate the man.

  Then Ma Joong reported that nothing worth mentioning had happened during the night in the Djang mansion. That morning he and Chiao Tai had left there, leaving two constables in charge.

  Judge Dee laid down his chopsticks. Sipping his tea, he told them about his adventure in the noodle restaurant. When he had finished, Ma Joong exclaimed, disappointment on his face:

  “Why didn’t Your Honor take me along on that trip?”

  “No, Ma Joong,” the judge said, “I by myself attracted too much attention! And you’ll meet Mao Loo anyway, for I want you to get him here, so that I can verify whether he met his cousin the night he was murdered, and whether he knows something about Moon Fairy’s death. Go now to that Inn of the Red Carp, Ma Joong, and ask the head of the beggars where you can find Mao Loo. Arrest him and bring him here. At the same time you can give the gray-beard these two silver pieces; the fellow did me a good turn. Say that he gets that money from the tribunal as a bonus, because it came to my knowledge that he maintains a strict discipline among the beggars.”