The Lacquer Screen

XIII

Pan had chosen a small restaurant on one of the city's many hills. From the balcony they had a magnificent view over the moonlit town.

There was fresh river fish stewed in ginger sauce, roasted snipes, smoked ham, quail-egg soup and other local speciali­ties which tasted so good that Judge Dee felt somewhat ashamed when he thought of Chiao Tai, who, at that moment, would be gobbling the plain bean-flour gruel of the Phoenix Inn.

During the meal Pan gave a lucid summing up of the facts of Ko Chih-yuan's case. Then the judge told him about Leng Chien's malversations, about Kun-shan's stealing the notebook, and about the two hundred gold pieces which Ko kept in his safe. He vaguely hinted that it had been Kun-shan who had blackmailed the banker, but that he, the judge, had made Kun-shan hand the two drafts to him.

Then he asked:

'Does the tribunal have a file on Kun-shan?'

'No, Your Honour. I have never even heard his name! It's truly astounding! You have learned in two days more about this city than I have in all my years here.'

'I have been lucky. By the way, I heard that Mrs Ko is much younger than her husband was. Could you tell me when Ko married her, and whether there are other wives or concubines?'

'Ko originally had three wives,' Pan replied, 'but his First and Third Lady died a few years after their marriages. His Second Lady passed away one year ago. Since Ko was already over sixty then, and since his sons had grown up and his daughters had married, everybody thought that he would take a concubine to look after him, and leave it at that. However, one day he visited a small silk shop that used to purchase its stock from his firm. The owner, a certain Hsieh, had died, and his widow was trying to continue the business, but had got into debt. Old Ko fell violently in love with her, and insisted on marrying her. At first people made jokes about it, but Mrs Ko proved herself an excellent wife. She managed the household well, and when Ko began to suffer from his stomach attacks she didn't leave his bedside. So in the end everybody agreed that Ko had acted very wisely.'

'Were there ever rumours about her being unfaithful to him?' Judge Dee asked.

'Never!' Pan replied immediately. 'She has an excellent reputation. That's why I didn't dare to suggest that she be heard as witness in the tribunal. I questioned her myself in the hall of their mansion, directly after the tragedy. In the accustomed way, of course, she sitting behind a screen, and attended upon by her maidservant.'

Judge Dee thought he would like to meet Mrs Ko. Pan's praise did not tally at all with Chiao Tai's adventure. He said:

'I would like to see the scene of the tragedy. We have the entire evening before us, so let's go and pay a visit to the Ko residence. You can say that I am an official, temporarily attached to the tribunal.'

Pan nodded. He said:

'I too would like to have a second look there, especially at the bedroom. We can do that without inconveniencing Mrs Ko, for I heard that she has had their common bedroom locked, and has moved to a boudoir in an outhouse of the left wing.'

Judge Dee paid the waiter. He then suggested that they hire a sedan chair, but Pan said he could manage to walk downhill with his limp. A leisurely stroll brought them to the Ko mansion downtown.

It had a high gatehouse, and thick pillars of granite flanked the red-lacquered door, lavishly decorated with brass bosses. The steward received them in the main hall, tastefully fur­nished with antique chairs and tables of massive ebony. After he had offered the guests tea and fruit, he went to inform his mistress of their request. He came back with several keys. Mrs Ko had raised no objection.

The steward had a lighted lampion brought. He led them through a maze of dark corridors and courts to a small walled-in bamboo garden. At the back was a low building which, the steward explained, old Mr Ko had chosen for his private quarters since it had a broad terrace overlooking the garden and the river.

He unlocked the solid door and went in first in order to light the candle on the centre table. 'If more light is needed,' he said, 'I shall light the large oil lamp.'

Judge Dee quickly surveyed the bare, sparsely furnished room. The atmosphere was stuffy. Apparently the door and the window had not been opened in the last two days. He walked over to the narrow door in the wall opposite. The steward unlocked it for him and he descended three steps into a short passageway. When he opened the door at its end, he saw a broad marble terrace and beyond that the garden, shelving away to the river-bank. The garden pavilion where Ko had his last dinner stood more to the left, its green-glazed roof-tiles glistening in the moonlight.

He remained standing on the terrace for a while, enjoying the beautiful scene. Then he went back into the house. He noticed that the terrace door was rather low, but that only a man much taller than he would hit his head against it. When he stepped up into the bedroom again, he saw a tall woman clad in white standing against the wall on the left. She was a handsome lady of about thirty, with a regular, oval face. The loose mourning-robe could not entirely conceal her well-proportioned figure. As he saw her standing there, looking very distinguished with her downcast eyes, Judge Dee said to himself that Chiao Tai had good taste, the rascal! Better than his friend and colleague Ma Joong, who had a rather unfortunate proclivity for noisy, vulgar women. He made a deep bow, and Mrs Ko responded by inclining her head.

Counsellor Pan respectfully introduced Judge Dee as Mr Shen, temporarily assigned to the tribunal on special duty. Mrs Ko raised her large, luminous eyes and gave the judge an appraising look. She turned to the steward and told him he could go. Then she motioned to the judge and Pan to sit down in the two chairs in front of the broad, low window next to the door through which they had entered. She her­self remained standing, stiffly erect. As he sat down Judge Dee now noticed in the shadows next to her, a demure young maidservant. Playing with her fan of white silk, Mrs Ko addressed Pan in a cold, formal voice:

'Since you took the trouble to come here for an investi­gation, I thought it my duty to see personally that every­thing is being done to facilitate your work.'

Pan started on an elaborate apology, but Judge Dee inter­rupted him:

'We are deeply grateful, madam,' he said politely. 'I fully realize how painful this visit to the scene of the tragedy must be for you. I would not have caused you this distress were it not for my earnest desire to have all the formalities connected with your husband's demise over and done with as soon as possible. I sincerely hope, therefore, that you will forgive this intrusion.'

Mrs Ko made no response, she confined herself to gravely inclining her head. The judge reflected that, for a former shopkeeper's wife, she had indeed quickly acquired the man­ners of a well-born lady. He continued briskly:

'Now, let me orientate myself!' He casually looked at the large bedstead with plain blue curtains, drawn closed, that stood against the wall opposite Mrs Ko. Behind her he saw the usual pile of clothes-boxes of red-lacquered leather. The whitewashed walls and the stone-flagged floor were bare. He remarked in a conversational tone:

'This room seems to contain very little furniture, madam. I suppose there was more when your husband was still alive? A dressing-table, perhaps, and a few scroll pictures on the walls . . .'

'My husband,' Mrs Ko interrupted him coldly, 'was a man of frugal taste. Despite his great wealth he was averse to all luxury, and lived in an austere manner.'

Judge Dee bowed.

'That, madam, is eloquent proof of his noble character. Now, let me see, what points did I wish to verify?' His eye fell again on the clothes-boxes, and he continued: 'Look, there are only three of those boxes, marked Autumn, Winter and Spring. Now where would the fourth be, containing the summer garments?'

'I had it removed to be repaired,' Mrs Ko replied in a tired voice.

'I see,' Judge Dee said. 'It just struck me that one is missing, one is so accustomed to seeing a set of four. Now, madam, I would like you to tell me, as well as you can remember, what happened here on that fatal night. I have, of course, seen the court records, but . . .'

Suddenly Mrs Ko hit out at something with her fan. She snapped at the maid:

'How many times have I told you already that I don't want those horrid creatures in the house? Quick, hit it . . . there it goes!'

Judge Dee was astonished by this sudden vehemence. Pan Yoo-te said soothingly: 'There are only one or two, madam, shall I . . .'

Mrs Ko did not hear him. She followed intently the maid's frantic attempts to catch the fly, slapping at it with her handkerchief.

'Why don't you hit it? ' Mrs Ko burst out impatiently. 'There it is . . . quick now!'

The judge had been watching her with intense interest. Suddenly he rose. He took the candle and made to light the large oil lamp that stood next to it.

'Don't light that lamp!' Mrs Ko snapped.

'Why not, madam?' Judge Dee asked meekly. 'I only wanted to help you to see whether there are more flies.' He lifted the candle and looked up at the ceiling.

'It's not respectful to have too many lights in a room of the dead!' Mrs Ko remarked coldly. But the judge did not hear her. He had been looking fixedly at the ceiling. He said slowly:

'Now, isn't it curious, madam, that there are so many flies in this room? Especially since it has been closed for two days. Look, they seem a bit drowsy up there, but the light will cheer them up!'

Ignoring Mrs Ko's protests, he quickly lit the four wicks of the oil lamp. Lifting it above his head he scrutinized the ceiling. Mrs Ko came forward and followed his gaze. She had grown pale and she was breathing heavily.

'Are you unwell, madam?' the maid inquired anxiously. But her mistress paid no attention to her. She shrank back as a swarm of flies came down and started to buzz around the lamp.

'See,' Judge Dee said to Pan, 'they are flying lower now, the light has lost its attraction for them!'

The old counsellor stared at him dumbfounded. He looked as if he thought that the magistrate had taken leave of his senses.

The judge had walked over to the bedstead. Stooping he examined the floor. As he righted himself, he exclaimed, half to Pan and half to Mrs Ko:

'Isn't that strange! They assemble here along the fringe of the bed curtain!'

He lifted the curtain and peered under the bed.

'Ah!' he said. 'I see. It's the floor they are interested in. Or rather, I suppose, something under the floor.'

He heard a suppressed cry behind him. He swung round and saw Mrs Ko fall to the floor. She had fainted. The maid quickly went to her and knelt by her side. The judge walked over to her, and looked down at her prone body for a while. Pan Yoo-te muttered worriedly: 'She has had a heart attack, we must . . .'

'Nonsense!' Judge Dee snapped at him. And, to the maid: 'Leave her alone! Come here, and help me to push the bedstead over to the other side. If you could also lend a hand, Pan — it's rather heavy, I fear.'

But the floor was so smooth that they succeeded in moving the bedstead over to the window without much difficulty. Judge Dee knelt down and examined the stone flags. He took a toothpick from his lapel and probed in the grooves. Then he stood up. He said to Pan: 'Some of these slabs have been taken up recently!' Turning to the maid, he barked: 'Run along and bring me a kitchen knife and a shovel. And don't start gossiping with the other servants! Come back here immediately, do you hear?'

After the frightened maid had scurried away, Judge Dee looked gravely at Pan and said: 'A devilish scheme!'

'Yes, sir!' Pan replied. His dazed look showed that he had not the faintest idea what the judge was talking about.

JUDGE DEE AND PAN YOO-TE IN MR KO'S BEDROOM

However, Judge Dee did not notice that. He was staring at the floor, slowly stroking his beard.

When the maid came back the judge went down on his knees and, with the kitchen knife, prised loose two slabs. The earth underneath was moist. He took the shovel and removed other slabs, piling them up by his side. He found six loose slabs, which together formed a rectangle of about five by three feet. Judge Dee rolled back his long sleeves, then began to shovel the loose earth away.

'You can't do such work, sir!' old Pan shouted aghast. 'Let me call a few servants!'

'Shut up!' snapped the judge. His shovel had struck something soft. As he went on, he noticed a nauseating smell coming up out of the hole. A piece of red leather became visible.

'There we have our missing clothes-box, Pan!' he exclaimed. He turned to the maid, who was squatting by the side of her mistress, trying to revive her. He shouted at her: 'Run to the gate! Tell the doorkeeper that Counsellor Pan orders him to go immediately to the tribunal and tell them that the counsellor wants the headman to come here right away with four constables and the matron of the jail. And, on your way back here, bring me a bundle of burning incense-sticks from the house altar! Get going!'

Judge Dee wiped the perspiration from his forehead. Pan had been looking unhappily at the prone figure of Mrs Ko. Now he asked diffidently:

'Shouldn't we make her more comfortable, sir? She ...'

'No,' the judge said curtly. 'The cool floor is the best means of making her come to again. She knew very well that the corpse of her husband was buried under the floor here. She is the accomplice of a murderer.'

'But her husband jumped or fell into the river, sir. I myself saw him!'

'His body was never found, was it? I tell you that Ko Chih-yuan was murdered here in this room, when he came to take his medicine.'

'Who came rushing out of the house, then?'

'The murderer!' Judge Dee replied. Leaning with his arms on the shovel, he went on: 'It was a very clever scheme. When the murderer had buried Ko under the floor here, he put on Ko's robe and cap, and smeared his face with blood. Then he rushed out on the terrace and into the gar­den. All of you expected Ko to come out of the bedroom, and you saw the familiar robe and cap, and were alarmed by his shouting and the blood on his face. No wonder none of you realized it wasn't Ko. He first made for the pavilion, but he took good care not to come too near. Half-way he changed his direction, ran to the river-bank and jumped into the water. I suppose he let himself drift downstream till he saw a deserted spot on the bank, and climbed out. He threw the cap into the river, as a false clue.'

Pan nodded slowly.

'Yes,' he said, 'now I understand! But who could have been that man? Perhaps Kun-shan?'

'Kun-shan is indeed our most likely suspect,' Judge Dee replied. 'He must have stolen the banker's notebook after he had killed Ko. Kun-shan doesn't look very strong, but maybe he is a good swimmer.'

'He probably got that blood on his face by a self-inflicted wound,' Pan remarked.

'Or used Ko's blood. Here's the maid. Now we'll verify how Ko was killed. Take that burning incense from her, will you, and hold it close to my face!'

As Pan did so, the judge pulled up his neckcloth over his mouth and nose, and began shovelling the earth away from the lid of the red box. When the upper part of the box was free he knelt and ripped off the strip of oil-plaster that was pasted around the four sides of the lid. He righted himself and lifted the lid with the point of the shovel.

A foul smell came up. Pan quickly covered his nose with his sleeve and waved the incense so that they were enveloped in its blue cloud. The body of a frail man, clad only in an undergarment, was lying doubled up in the box. The grey head was bare, and the hilt of a knife protruded from under his left shoulder-blade. The judge turned the head a little with the point of the shovel, so that part of the wrinkled face became visible.

'Is it Ko Chih-yuan?' he asked.

When Pan nodded, his face contorted in speechless horror, the judge closed the box. He threw the shovel on the floor, then went over to the window and pushed it wide open. He set his cap right and wiped the sweat from his face.

'When your men get here,' he said to Pan, 'let them dig out the clothes-box and bring it to the tribunal as it is, with the corpse inside. Also order a closed palankeen. The matron will sit inside with Mrs Ko, and convey her to the tribunal to be locked up in a cell. Report everything to Magistrate Teng, and tell him that I am on my way to try to find and apprehend Kun-shan. If he isn't the murderer, he can at any rate give us valuable information. The magistrate had been planning to leave tomorrow morning for the Prefecture on urgent business, but after these new developments I think he'd better hear Mrs Ko first, during the morning session. If I succeed in catching Kun-shan, I trust we'll be able to close this case during that session, and then proceed to Pien-foo. I'll be off now. When you are back at the tribunal you'd better draw up a report concerning our dis­covery of the body. Tomorrow I'll sign it, as a witness.'

He took leave of Pan Yoo-te and told the maid to conduct him to the gate.

In the street it was still hot, but he thought that anything was better than the foul atmosphere in the room he had just left. A strenuous uphill walk took him to the centre of the town. He felt hot and tired when he entered the alley of the Phoenix Inn.

Sounds of singing and laughter were coming through the window. The judge was pleased that everyone was still up and about, for now he could ask them for more information about Kun-shan. The waiter opened the door, looking more sour than ever. Apparently he had a dislike for late hours.