The wounded man bowed deeply before the judge and wanted to take his leave. But Judge Dee, noting his limp and the deadly pallor of his face, said curtly:
“You go with us to the boundary post my man; you need a doctor. I don’t hold with professional gamblers, but I can’t leave you here as you are.”
Late in the afternoon they arrived at the boundary village. Judge Dee ordered Ma Joong to take the wounded man to the local physician. He himself rode on with Chiao Tai to inspect the military guard post on the bridgehead.
The corporal in charge ordered his twelve soldiers to line up. The judge saw that their iron helmets and mail jackets were well polished; the men looked neat and efficient. While the judge was inspecting the armory, the corporal said there was a brisk traffic on the river even though it was but a branch of the Great River, which flowed through the neighboring district of Chiang-pei. He said all was quiet on their side of the river, but that there had been several armed robberies in Chiang-pei. The garrison there had recently been strengthened.
The corporal escorted them to a small hostel. An obsequious manager came out to meet them. While a groom led away the horses, the manager himself assisted the judge in taking off his heavy riding boots. When Judge Dee had been supplied with comfortable straw sandals, he was taken upstairs to a poorly furnished but scrupulously clean room. The manager opened the window, and the judge saw over the rooftops the broad expanse of the river, reflecting the red rays of the setting sun.
A servant brought lighted candles and a basin with hot towels. While the judge was refreshing himself, Ma Joong and Chiao Tai came in. Ma Joong poured a cup of tea for the judge, then said:
“That gambler is a queer fellow, Your Honor! He told me that in his youth he had been a clerk in a silk store, down south. The manager took a liking to his wife and trumped up a charge of theft against him. The constables gave him a beating but he succeeded in escaping. While he was away, the manager took his wife as concubine. When the hue and cry had subsided, he secretly came back and begged his wife to flee with him, but she laughed and said she liked it better where she was. He says that during the ensuing years he roamed all over the Empire. He talks like a doctor of literature and calls himself a commission agent, but I think he is nothing but a ‘guest of rivers and lakes,’ or in plain language, an itinerant swindler!”
“Those fellows always have a tale of woe ready!” Judge Dee remarked. “We’ll never see him again!”
There was a knock on the door. Two coolies entered, carrying four large hampers. One contained three fine large fishes, stewed in ginger sauce, the other a large bowl with rice and salted eggs. A red visiting card proclaimed this to be a present from the corporal. In the two other baskets they found three roasted chickens, three plates with stewed pork and vegetables and a jar with soup. This proved to be the welcome gift of the headman and the village elders. A waiter brought three jars of wine, by courtesy of the manager of the hostel.
When the dishes had been placed on the table, Judge Dee gave the coolies some silver wrapped up in a piece of red paper as return present; then he said to his two assistants:
“Since we are on the road together, I won’t stand on ceremony! Sit down, we’ll dine together.”
Ma Joong and Chiao Tai protested vehemently, but the judge insisted and finally they sat down opposite him. The long ride had given them an excellent appetite; they ate with gusto. Judge Dee was in high spirits. Han’s story had proved to be a lie; he now knew that Han was the criminal and sooner or later he would find a way to get him. He now could dismiss his worries about the White Lotus being revived; all that had been nothing but an invention.
When they were enjoying their after-dinner tea, a waiter brought in a large envelope addressed to Judge Dee. It contained an elegantly phrased and neatly written intimation that a certain Tao Gan begged to be allowed to call on His Excellency the Magistrate. “That’ll be one of the village elders,” Judge Dee said. “Show the gentleman up!”
To their amazement the thin figure of the gambler appeared in the door opening. After his visit to the doctor he had evidently patronized the village shops. He had a bandage over his forehead, but he now presented a very neat appearance. He wore a simple blue robe with a black silk sash, and on his head he carried with perfect confidence a high cap of black gauze such as is favored by elderly gentlemen of leisure. Bowing deeply, he said in an educated voice:
“This insignificant person, named Tao Gan, respectfully greets Your Honor. Words don’t suffice to express-”
“Enough, my man!” Judge Dee said coldly. “Don’t thank me; thank Providence that saved you! Don’t think I have any sympathy for you; the beating you got is probably not more than you deserved! I am convinced that somehow or other you cheated those peasants, but I won’t have lawlessness in my district. That’s the only reason why I protected you!”
“Even so,” the gaunt man said, completely unperturbed by this harsh address, “I hoped to be allowed to offer Your Honor my humble assistance, as a slight mark of my profound gratitude. For I presume that Your Honor is engaged in the investigation of a kidnapping case.”
With difficulty Judge Dee concealed his astonishment.
“What are you talking about, my man?” he asked curtly.
“The exercise of my profession,” Tao Gan replied with a deprecating smile, “necessarily encourages a sharpening of one’s powers of deduction. I happened to overhear Your Honor asking about a country house. But I noticed that Your Honor was unconversant with its appearance and the name of its occupant.”
He slowly wound the long hairs sprouting from his cheek round his forefinger, then continued placidly:
“Kidnapers will bandage the eyes of their victim and take him to a distant place where by dire threats they force him to send a letter to his family, asking them to send a large ransom. After the money has been received, they either kill their victim, or send him home again with his eyes bandaged as before. In the latter case such an unfortunate man may have a vague impression of the direction in which he was taken. But, of course, he doesn’t know what the house looked like, or the name of its owner. Since I thus deduced that a victim of such a dastardly crime had reported to Your Honor’s tribunal, I made bold to offer my advice.”
Again the gaunt man bowed deeply.
Judge Dee said to himself that this was a remarkably astute fellow. He said:
“Let’s for the sake of argument assume that your deduction is correct. What would then be your advice?”
“In the first place,” Tao Gan answered, “I have been all over this district; in this plain there is no such house. On the other hand, I know several of such villas in the mountains north and west of Han-yuan.”
“Now suppose that the victim remembered distinctly that the greater part of the journey went along a level road?” the judge asked. A sly smile spread over Tao Gan’s sardonic face.
“In that case, Your Honor,” he answered, “the house is located inside the city.”
“What a preposterous remark!” Judge Dee exclaimed angrily.
“Not quite, Your Honor,” the other said calmly. “The only thing those rascals need is a house with a fairly large garden and a raised terrace. Having brought their victim in a palanquin inside the compound, they’ll carry him slowly round about there for an hour or so. They are very skillful; they create the impression of passing a mountainous region by climbing up and down the terrace, muttering from time to time: ‘Look out for that ravine!’ or similar remarks. Those crooks have carefully studied that technique, Your Honor, and execute it in a most convincing manner.”
The judge looked thoughtfully at the thin man, slowly caressing his side whiskers. After a while he said:
“An interesting theory! I’ll keep it in mind for future reference. Before you go, listen to my advice. Change your life, my friend; you are clever enough to earn your living in a decent way!” He wanted to dismiss him, but asked suddenly: “By the way, how did you fool those peasants?
I am just curious to know; I shan’t take action against you.”
The thin man smiled faintly. He called the waiter and ordered him:
“Go downstairs and bring His Excellency’s right riding boot!”
When the waiter returned with the boot, Tao Gan, with nimble fingers, removed two dice from its folded rim, and handed them to the judge. He said:
“After I had snatched these loaded dice from the yokel who was going to give them to Your Honor, I presented to you for inspection a pair of normal dice, which I had kept concealed in the palm of my hand. While everybody was looking intently at Your Honor inspecting those dice, I took the liberty of depositing the false ones in Your Honor’s boot, temporarily, I hoped.”
Judge Dee couldn’t help laughing.
“Without boasting,” Tao Gan continued earnestly, “I can say that my knowledge of the tricks and ruses of the underworld is equaled by few in the Empire. I am thoroughly familiar with forging documents and seals, drawing up ambiguous contracts and false declarations, picking all kinds of ordinary and secret locks on doors, windows and strongboxes, while I am also an expert on hidden passages, secret trap doors and such-like contrivances. Moreover, I know what people are saying at a distance by watching their lips, I-”
“Halt!” Judge Dee interrupted him quickly. “Do you mean to say that the last item of your imposing catalogue is really true?”
“Certainly, Your Honor! I may add only that it is easier to practice lip reading on women and children than on, for instance, old men with heavy beards and mustaches.”
The judge made no comment. In this manner the words of the courtesan could have been intercepted by others in the room besides Han Yung-han. When he looked up, Tao Gan said in a low voice:
“I have already told your lieutenant the unfortunate occurrence which made me a bitter man. After that galling experience I completely lost faith in my fellow men. For nearly thirty years I have been roaming over the Empire, taking delight in swindling and cheating whom I could. But I swear that I have never inflicted grave bodily harm on anyone; neither did I ever cause irreparable loss. Today, Your Honor’s kindness has given me a new outlook on life; I want to give up my career as a guest of rivers and lakes. My various abilities, while necessary for the exercise of my profession, can, I presume, also be employed in the detection of crime and the apprehension of miscreants. I therefore place before Your Honor my humble request that I be allowed to serve in Your Honor’s tribunal. I have no family-I broke with them long ago when they sided with my wife. Further, I have saved some money. Thus the only reward I hope for is an opportunity to make myself useful and receive Your Honor’s instruction.”
Judge Dee looked hard at this curious person. He thought he could detect in that cynical face the signs of genuine emotion. Also, this man had already supplied him with two important pieces of information, and he possessed a store of special knowledge and experience none of his other assistants had. Under suitable supervision he might indeed prove a useful addition to his personal staff. At last he spoke.
“You’ll realize, Tao Gan, that I can’t give you a definite answer here and now. Since, however, I do believe that you are in earnest, I shall allow you to work as a volunteer in my tribunal for a few weeks or so. Then I shall decide whether or not I can accept your proposal.”
Tao Gan knelt and touched his forehead to the floor three times, to express his gratitude.
“These men,” Judge Dee went on, “are my two lieutenants. You’ll assist them to the best of your ability, and they on their part will instruct you in the affairs of the tribunal.”
Tao Gan made his bow in front of each. Chiao Tai looked the gaunt man up and down with a noncommittal expression, but Ma Joong clapped him on his bony shoulder and exclaimed, highly pleased:
“Come along downstairs, brother! You can teach me a few of your gambling tricks!”
Chiao Tai snuffed all but one candle; then he wished the judge a good night, and followed the two others downstairs.
After he had gone, Judge Dee remained sitting at the table. For a long time he idly observed the swarm of gnats buzzing around the candle flame, deep in thought.
Now that Tao Gan had shown that Han’s story could be true, even though they had not been able to locate the house he was abducted to, he had again to consider the possibility that the White Lotus Society was indeed weaving its evil web of treachery and corruption over the Empire. Han-yuan was a small, isolated town, but it occupied a strategic position, being very close to the hub of the realm, the Imperial capital. Thus it was a most suitable location for the headquarters of a conspiracy against the Throne. That was-, then, the explanation of the oppressive atmosphere of hidden evil that he had felt by intuition soon after his arrival.
Since, as he now knew, any guest in the dining room on the flower boat could have read the dancer’s words from her lips, any one of them could have been a member of the White Lotus and decided to murder her. Han Yung-han could be innocent, or he could be their leader! And so could Liu Fei-po! Liu’s great wealth, his frequent travels, his resentment against the government-all these factors seemed to point to him as a likely suspect. Heavens, the entire company present at the banquet could have conspired together to murder the courtesan! He angrily shook his head; the awful threat of the White Lotus was having an effect already: it prevented him from thinking logically. He must reconsider once more all the facts, beginning from the beginning… .
The candle started to splutter. The judge got up with a sigh. He took off his upper robe and cap, and stretched himself out on the wooden couch.
Thirteenth Chapter
SERGEANT HOONG IS SUSPECTED OF IMPROPER INTENTIONS; A FALSE PRIEST IS CAUGHT TOGETHER WITH HIS ACOLYTE
THE FOLLOWING MORNING, at dawn, Judge Dee and his three companions left the boundary village. A brisk ride took them back to the city before noon.
The judge went straight to his own quarters, took a hot bath and put on a summer dress of thin blue cotton. Then he went to his private office, and introduced Tao Gan to Sergeant Hoong. Then Ma Joong and Chiao Tai also came in. All seated themselves on tabourets in front of Judge Dee’s desk. He noticed that Tao Gan behaved himself with the modesty expected of a newcomer, yet without undue humility. This strange man could evidently adapt himself to any situation.
Judge Dee told Hoong they had found no country house, but that Tao Gan’s theory opened new possibilities. Then he ordered the Sergeant to report.
Hoong took a sheet with notes from his sleeve and began:
“We have in the archives only a few routine documents concerning Guildmaster Wang: registrations of his children, tax declarations, etc. But our senior scribe knows him fairly well. He told me that Wang is very wealthy; he owns the two largest gold and jewelry shops in town. Although he is admittedly fond of wine and women, he is considered a sound businessman and is trusted by everyone. He seems to have had some financial setbacks of late; he had to postpone payments of some large amounts due to dealers who supply his gold stock, but since they know that before long he’ll recoup his losses, they don’t worry in the least.
“Soo also has a good reputation. People regretted, however, that he fell in love so deeply with the courtesan Almond Blossom, who would have none of him. Soo was very depressed about that. It is generally said that it’s all for the best that she died; people hope that Soo, when he has got over his grief, will marry a decent, steady woman.”
The sergeant consulted his notes and continued:
“Then I strolled to the street where Wan I-fan lives. He is not very popular; people think he is an underhanded fellow who loves to drive a hard bargain. He is a kind of handyman of Liu Fei-po, and occasionally collects small debts for him. Of course, I didn’t want to ask in the shops about Wan’s daughter, so as not to compromise her. But when I saw on the street corner an old crone selling combs, rouge and face powder I struck up a conversation with her. Those women frequent the women’s quarters and always know all that goes on th
ere. I asked her whether she knew Wan’s daughter.”
The sergeant gave the judge a self-conscious look, then went on diffidently:
“The old woman said at once: ‘You are still very enterprising for your age, aren’t you, sir? Well, she asks two strings of coppers for the evenings and four for the whole night, but the gentlemen are always very satisfied.’ I explained to her that I was a matchmaker, acting on behalf of a grocer in the west quarter, and that the people there had mentioned Miss Wan. ‘Those of the west quarter never know what they are talking about!’ the procuress said contemptuously. ‘Everybody here knows that after her mother’s death, Miss Wan started to live freely. Wan tried to sell her to a professor, but that fellow knew better! Now she earns her own money, and her father turns a blind eye to it. He is as stingy as they make them, and he’s mighty glad he needn’t provide for her!’ “
“That means that the impudent rascal has lied in court!” Judge Dee exclaimed angrily. “He’ll hear about this! Well, how did it fare at Councilor Liang’s?”
“Liang Fen seems an intelligent youngster,” Hoong replied. “I have been working with him more than two hours on the accounts. Everything points indeed to the conclusion that the Councilor is selling out his estates at considerable loss in order to obtain quickly a large amount of gold. But we couldn’t trace what he is doing with all that money. I can well imagine that the secretary is worried.”
Tao Gan, who had been listening intently, now observed:
“They say that figures don’t lie, Your Honor, but nothing is farther from the truth. It all depends on the way they are handled! Perhaps the nephew manipulated the books in order to conceal his own malversations!”
The Chinese Lake Murders Page 13