The Chinese Lake Murders

Tenth Chapter

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:

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

A CONVERSATION IN A BUDDHIST CHAPEL

was so fond of sports; but didn't she also take a course with Dr. Djang?"

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 well. 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.