A Loyal Character Dancer

Chapter 28

Early the next morning, they arrived at Liu’s residence in a suburb of Suzhou.

Inspector Rohn was amazed at its Western-style grandeur. Liu lived in a magnificent mansion behind substantial walls, forming a sharp contrast to the general image of the city. The iron gate was not locked, so they walked in. The lawn looked as well-kept as a golf course. Beside the driveway stood a marble sculpture of a girl, sitting after a bath, bending her head in thought, her long hair cascading like a waterfall over her breasts.

Chief Inspector Chen pressed the bell; a middle-aged woman came to the door.

Catherine took her to be in the late thirties or early forties, judging by the lines at the corners of her eyes, though they did not detract from her fine features. She was dressed in a purple silk tunic and matching pants, over which she had tied a white embroidered apron. She wore her hair in an old-fashioned bun, but she could still be considered attractive.

It was difficult for Catherine to guess the woman’s status in the house. Not a maid, nor the hostess. Liu’s wife was in Shanghai.

Ambiguity also appeared in the way she treated her guests. “Please take a seat. General Manager Liu will be back in half an hour. He’s just called me from his car. Did you telephone him yesterday?”

“Yes, I did. I’m Chen Cao. Catherine is my American friend.”

“Would you like something to drink, tea or coffee?”

“Tea will be fine. Here is my card. Liu and I are both members of the Chinese Writers’ Association.”

What was up his sleeve, Catherine wondered.

Anything was possible from the enigmatic chief inspector. She decided to let him talk, and she would provide a little echo, as an American friend of his might.

“You have a distinct Shanghai accent,” Chen said.

“I was born in Shanghai. I have only come to Suzhou recently.”

“You are Comrade Wen Liping, aren’t you?” Chen stood up, holding out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

The woman stepped back in alarm.

Catherine was stunned.

This was not the Wen in the photo-a broken woman with a listless expression, but a good-looking, cheerful person with alert eyes.

“How do you know my name? Who are you?”

“I am Chief Inspector Chen of the Shanghai Police. This is Catherine Rohn, an inspector in the United States Marshals Service.”

“Did you come here to find me?”

“Yes, we have been looking for you everywhere.”

“I’m here to accompany you to the United States,” Catherine said.

“No, I am sorry. I’m not going,” Wen exclaimed, flustered but determined.

“Don’t worry, Wen. Nothing will happen to you. The American police are going to place you in a witness protection program,” Chen said. “The snake heads will be put in jail. The gangsters will never be able to find you. The safety of your family is guaranteed.”

“Yes, we’ll take care of everything,” Catherine said.

“I do not know anything about such a program,” Wen said in a panic-stricken voice, her hands covering her belly instinctively.

“When you arrive in the United States, our government will help you in a number of ways, providing you with a cash allowance, medical insurance, housing, a car, furniture-”

“How can that possibly be?” Wen cut Catherine short.

“All this is arranged in exchange for your husband’s cooperation, his testimony in court against Jia. It’s a promise made by our government.”

“No. Whatever you promise, I am not going.”

“You have been applying for your passport for months,” Chen said. “Now both the Chinese and American governments are concerned with your situation. So we have not only taken care of the passport, but your visa is ready, too. Why have you changed your mind?”

“Why am I so important?”

“Your husband has insisted on your going to the United States as the condition of his cooperation. So you see, he is concerned for you.”

“Concerned for me?” Wen said. “No, for his son in my belly.”

“If you refuse to go,” Catherine said, “do you know what will happen to your husband?”

“He is working for your government. I’m not.”

“So, now you are staying with another man, a rich upstart, is that it?” Catherine said, “You are condemning your husband to spend his life in prison!”

“Don’t say that, Inspector Rohn,” Chen intervened in a hurry. “Things may be more complicated. Liu-”

“No.”

Lowering her head, Wen sat still, like a plant withered by frost. She spoke, murmuring with trembling lips, “You can say whatever you want about an ill-fated woman like me. But don’t say anything against Liu.”

“Liu’s a good man. We understand,” Chen said. “Inspector Rohn is just anxious about your safety.”

“I have said I will not go, Chief Inspector Chen,” Wen said resolutely. “I will not say anything more.”

Several minutes of awkward silence followed. Wen merely hung her head, in spite of Chen’s repeated effort to renew the conversation. Only once did she look up at the clock on the wall, her eyes brimming with tears.

The silence was broken by hurried footsteps outside the door, a key turning in the lock, and a sob from Wen.

In came a middle-aged man. He was dark-haired, slim, austere-looking, perhaps in his early forties. He had an air of prosperous distinction and wore an expensive suit. The only thing that did not fit his image was a gigantic live carp dangling from his hand, about two feet long, its mouth pierced with a piece of wire, still twitching, its tail almost touching the carpet.

“What’s happening here?” he said.

Wen stood up, took the carp to carry it to the kitchen sink, and returned to his side. “They want me to go to the United States. The American officer insists that I leave with her.”

“So you are Mr. Liu Qing?” Catherine handed him her card. “I am Catherine Rohn, Inspector, U.S. Marshals Service. This is Chief Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Bureau.”

“Why should she go with you?” Liu demanded.

“Wen’s husband is there,” Chen said. “At his request, Inspector Rohn has come here to escort her to him. Wen will be put in a witness protection program there. She will be safe. You should persuade her to leave with Inspector Rohn.”

“Witness protection program?”

“Yes, she may not know how the program works,” Chen said. “The program has been arranged for her family’s protection.”

Liu did not respond at once. Instead, he turned to Wen, who met his gaze without saying a word. Liu nodded, as if having read the answer in her eyes.

“Comrade Wen Liping is my guest. Whether she wants to leave or stay, is really up to her to decide,” Liu said. “No one can force her to go anywhere. Not anymore.”

“You have to let her go, Mr. Liu,” Catherine said. “Her husband has made the request to the U.S. government. The Chinese government has agreed to cooperate.”

“I am not preventing her from leaving, absolutely not,” Liu retorted. “Go ahead and ask her.”

“No, nobody is keeping me here,” Wen said. “I want to stay.”

“Have you heard her, Inspector Rohn?” Liu said. “If her husband broke your law, he should be punished. No one has any objection to that, but how can the U.S. government determine a Chinese citizen’s fate against her own will?”

Catherine was not prepared for such hostility from Liu. “She can start a new life in the United States. A better life.”

“Don’t think each and every Chinese wants to crawl to the United States,” Liu snapped.

“I have to inform the Chinese authorities of your attitude. You are obstructing justice,” she said.

“Go ahead. You Americans are always talking about human rights. She has the right to stay where she wants. Gone are the days when you could order Chinese people around. Here is my attorney’s number.” Liu stood up, giving her a card, then gesturing toward the door. “Now please leave, both of you.”

“Chief Inspector Chen, your government has promised full cooperation.” Catherine also rose to her feet. “The local police bureau has to act.”

“Calm down, both of you,” Chen said, turning to Liu. “Inspector Rohn has a point, and you have one, too. It’s understandable that people look at things from their own perspectives. Can we have a talk, just you and I?”

“There’s nothing to talk about, Chief Inspector Chen.” Liu thought for a moment. “How did you find her?”

“Through your poem. ‘The Fingertip Touching.’ I, too, belong to the Writers’ Association.”

“So you are Chen Cao.” Liu said. “I thought the name was familiar, but it does not change anything.”

“Have you heard of Wu Xiaoming’s case?” Chen asked.

“Yes, it was in the headlines last year. That HCC bastard.”

“I was in charge of it. It was a difficult case. I pledged that justice would be served. And I kept my word. As a poet as well as police officer, I give you my word. I will not force you or Wen to do anything. Let’s have a talk, and then you can judge whether she should discuss her options with me.”

“Chief Inspector Chen,” Catherine protested.

“Hasn’t she made herself clear enough?” Liu said. “Why waste any more time?”

“Wen should decide for herself, but it will not be a sound decision unless she has a good grasp of the situation. Otherwise she will make a decision you are both going to regret. Some of the factors involved are serious, I assure you, and neither of you are aware of them. You won’t let her run headlong into danger, will you?”

“Then talk to her,” Liu said.

“Do you think she will listen to me right now?” Chen said. “You are the only one she’ll listen to.”

“Are you going to keep your word, Chief Inspector Chen?”

“Yes, I will write a report to the bureau to explain her decision, whatever it may be.”

Catherine wondered at his approach. The Chinese authorities had never seemed enthusiastic. They had found Wen, but now Chen did not appear very anxious to make her leave China. Why had Chen brought her with him then?

“Fine, let’s talk in my study upstairs,” Liu said to Chen before he turned to Wen Liping. “Don’t worry. Have lunch with the American. No one will force you to do anything.”