Five pieces of jade

CHAPTER 15

By nine-thirty in the morning the adolescent day was already garbed in its Sunday best, as fine a product as southern California could produce. It was warm and bright; the high shining sun promised rebirth to everyone and everything, and the air was rich with sensuous warmth. Like several million others, Virgil Tibbs took pleasure in it; he sat in his venerable dressing gown, a constant companion of his leisure hours, on his davenport with the window behind him wide open. The freshness and peace of the new day filled his apartment with its welcome exhilaration; it declared that everywhere men were brothers and that nothing but good inhabited the world. That was how the day had been bom and if its high ideals were to be defiled, then it would take the weaknesses of the human race to do it.

Unfortunately it was almost a mathematical certainty that somewhere someone had already fouled it up. Some festering domestic quarrel had erupted into violence, a number of automobiles had already been stolen in the small hours of the yet unborn day, perhaps even murder had been done. «And in secret laboratories violently dangerous and illegal drugs were being brewed for profit and the degradation of those unfortunates who would use them. Every morning the whole of humanity was staked to a fresh start, but invariably blew it before the first rays of the sun could inch their way above the horizon.

Which was why policemen came to be in the first place.

Virgil read Peanuts and was amused; happily there was no visible hmit to Charlie Brown's ability to assimilate disasters and survive them unharmed. The sports page announced that the California Angels had acquired a new pitcher who showed unusual promise. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up a modest amount for the week. And savagery and compassion met head on in a story about a Vietnamese child who had had both legs blown off by a Viet Cong land mine; a picture showed him under specialized medical care in an American hospital.

In the local news section there was an extended article about the sudden, almost inundating pressure that had been brought to bear on all of the hospital and treatment facilities that dealt with drug addiction. A fresh supply of Methadone had been flown in, but there was still a drastic shortage of beds and other essential requirements. Three deaths, apparently from overdoses of an unspecified narcotic, were reported; to Tibbs they were murder.

He got up and poured himself some more coffee. It was instant, but it would do.

His phone rang, which probably meant bad news-it usually did. As he had expected, it was the watch desk. "A couple of things, Virg," the duty man reported. "On the operation which we've got going for you-nothing."

*Thanks, and please don't let up now; there may be a little more happening later on."

"We won't: Lieutenant Olsen left those instructions. Also, a Miss Yumechi Nagashima, or something like that, has been calling you. Do you want to talk to her?"

"I'll call her; I've got the number."

"Right. Have a nice day."

He was in no hurry to talk to Yumeko; he had been enjoying his leisure too much. He thought of going to church, but prudence dictated that he stay close to his phone. Things could start breaking at any time.

Then he picked up his phone and dialed-there might be some news. Chin Soo answered, to be followed very quickly by Yumeko on an extension. "We wish you to tell us what to be doing," the girl said. "We are alone now and we are not sure."

At that precise moment the solution to one of the most persistent problems that had been nagging him sprang, like Minerva, full-blown out of his brain. He could have shouted "Eureka!" but he restrained himself. "I'm coming over to see you," he said instead. "I'll be there in forty minutes." With that he hung up and turned to the task of shaving and making himself presentable to go out. The last thing he did before leaving his apartment was to close the window; it might be some time before he would be home again and the painting on his wall, if nothing else, was valuable.

Outside the day was fully as fine as he had expected that it would be. As he unlocked his car he thought of at

least half a dozen things that he would very much like to do on his precious day off. He had long promised himself to visit the new art museum some day. A good workout at the karate dojo would be a sound safeguard against any approaching flabbiness; if he didn't keep in shape Nishiyama would take it out of his hide-literally. He hadn't been to the beach for months-possibly more than twelve of them. And he had yet to ride the Palm Springs tram. He climbed in behind the wheel, fastened his seat belt snugly-because he had seen too many accidents where heads had gone into windshields with gory results and began to drive toward the Wang house, where duty called.

Yumeko greeted him in a blue and white dress that had about it the air of a little girl-one who had grown up and become increasingly feminine in the process. Chin Soo appeared within seconds; he was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and the same trousers that he had had on the night before. Also the same shoes. "I have been working in the jade room," he said.

The house was quite warm. "May I take off my coat?" Tibbs asked.

"As much as you like," Yumeko answered.

That reminded him of something. "You sound like Linda," he said. "The girl whose picture you saw in my apartment She once wanted me to take all of my clothes off."

"That you would do this I believe; that you would speak of it I do not." Her lower lip crept out a little.

Tibbs looked at her for a moment or two. "Do you know what a nudist park is?" he asked.

"That is yes."

"All right: she lives in one. I went there to look into a homicide-on a hot day beside the swimming pool."

"I hope that the water was nice," Chin said.

Virgil lifted his shoulders slightly and let them fall. I was on duty. I didn't go in."

Soo proved his intelligence by changing the subject. *1 have prepared some boxes as you asked. I have made the cushions very soft so that almost any of the jades could be put in one of them and it would look right."

"Good work," Tibbs said. "Did you check the padding?"

Chin looked at him a little coolly. "Of course."

For a moment Virgil became the teacher. "I assumed that you had, but I always check everything twice if I can. That is the only way to be sure." 144

The houseboy bowed. "I have lost face," he acknowledged, "and I deserve to. What are your wishes now?"

"There's some work to be done and I wiU need your help. In the jade room. And I will need Yumeko's permission to handle some of the jades."

"Please to do," she said.

"Thank you-I'll be very careful." He took off his coat and dropped it on a chair. Chin immediately picked it up again and himg it in the hall closet over a wooden hanger. "In that way we do not advertise that you are here," he explained.

Tibbs studied him for a second or two before he spoke. "Let's call it a horse apiece; you're right about that Are you free to help me now?"

"Let us begin." He led the way toward the rear of the house. At the door to the jade room he paused while he produced a clutch of keys and fitted the right one into the door. "These belonged to Mr. Wang," he said. "I hope that it is right for me to use them."

"He trusted you, didn't he?" Virgil let the question stand as an answer. As soon as the lights were turned on he walked into the jade room and looked about As far as he could see by an initial inspection, there was no evidence that anything had been disturbed. He turned. "I'd like to get out all of the boxes, then 111 show you what comes next."

"Yes, sir." The houseboy squatted down and opened the bottom of one of the display cabinets. "I have already checked many of them-that is what I was doing. I can give you some information."

"Please do."

"The forbidden drug, there is not as much of it as I thought The boxes for the older pieces, I mean the pieces that have been here for the longest time, are innocent. Only recent shipments contained it, and even then not all of the boxes, only some."

"How many?"

"I cannot say, sir. I have not examined them all yet."

"Did you mark the ones with the drug?"

"I did not mark them, no sir, but I can tell them."

"How?"

"When I put them back, I stacked those that are ordinary with the pins to the right. The others face the opposite way. It is the way that all of the piles look, so I do not believe that it will be noticed."

Tibbs considered Soo carefully for a few moments. "I told you that I like to double-check things," he said. "I asked you before if you had had training and you denied it. Would you like to reconsider your answer?"

"At the present time I wish only to be instructed by you what you wish me to do," Chin replied.

At that moment Yumeko appeared in the doorway. She looked a question mark at Tibbs, but said nothing. "Come in," he invited. '*This is a good time to talk to both of you."

He took hold of the edges of the table that stood in the middle of the room and issued his instructions. "First of all, if anyone-and I don't care who it is-asks you about the jade collection, neither of you knows too much about it-is that clear?"

He received two silent nods in reply.

"Furthermore, if the question arises, you will say that I have advised you to pack the jades away in a safe place for the time being. That is, as soon as convenient after Mr. Wu has had a chance to examine the collection. And Mr. Nakamura."

"Is Mr. Nakamura a reliable person?" Chin asked.

"I consider him so. The people who employ him certainly are."

"We are to admit him, then?"

"If and when he calls-yes. Now the next thing: because you do not know too much about the collection, you wiU have to do considerable sorting of the boxes to find the right one for each carving."

"I am beginning to understand," the houseboy said, "but please go on."

"I intend to. I want you to get the boxes out-^I'll help you-and line them up in front of the cabinets so that the positions of the boxes correspond to the jades on display. You are preparing to pack the collection away for safe keeping."

"But any visitor would know immediately which box is for which jade," Chin observed. "It is a brilliant idea."

"Just once I am going to allow myself this luxury," Tibbs responded. "Elementary."

"It is not so good, I thmk," Yumeko said.

Tibbs was mildly annoyed. "Why?"

"If it comes somebody who is wishing only the boxes, it wUl be too easy for them to just take them all. Then you discover nothing."

After a short pause Chin spoke. "In China we used to drown the surplus of female babies shortly after birth. It saved much inconvenience later on."

Yumeko clasped her hands and lowered her head. "Please pardon intrusion," she said.

"She's giving you the Oriental put-on," Chin declared.

"I know-but she's right. So we check the boxes for contents and then stack them back-but in order inside the cabinets." Virgil squatted down and looked inside several of the sections. "That ought to make it hard enough to prevent a mass grab for them all."

"We have work to do," Chin said. "Yumeko can prepare us food."

"That isn't necessary."

"It is good for her, let her do it. We have plenty."

"Perhaps later."

It was slow and tedious work; the supply of boxes seemed almost endless and each one had to be investigated carefully. Those which were innocent had to be put back in good order, a task that Chin assumed while Virgil patiently probed each of the blue boxes and a few that were covered in a bright type of brocade. Yumeko offered her help, but for well-considered reasons of his own Tibbs did not desire any more assistance. When at last the final box had been checked and an accurate tally was possible, twenty-eight caches of the fearful narcotic had been found-enough to add up to something more than a hundred pounds in weight.

That should have been a good enough day's work for anyone, but unfortunately much more still lay ahead. Declining the offer of a meal, Tibbs left the house with the promise that he would be back again before seven.

Before he did anything else he drove straight home, stripped off his clothes, and showered thoroughly just to banish from his mind the idea that any of the damning drug could possibly be on his person. After that, and feeling much more like himself again, he dressed in a quiet dark suit, slipped his gun into its holster, and allowed himself to anticipate the idea of a good dinner.

To get one he drove to one of the best restaurants Pasadena had to offer and allowed himself to be guided to a quiet comer table which suited his mood perfectly. There he let the atmosphere soothe his spirit while he ate prime rib and reflected on the better things of life that everyone should be allowed to enjoy, even if only at intervals. When he had finished his coffee and a sense of well-being surrounded him, he paid his check, reclaimed his car from the attendant, and then headed back to where the painful call of duty awaited him. He was not looking forward to the evening.

Halfway to his destination he stopped at a phone booth and called in to the duty sergeant. "If things work out there may be a little more action at the Wang place tonight," he reported. "You might let the guys on the stakeout know."

"Will do. Any instructions?"

"You might pass the word that if I turn on the porch light, that will mean that I need help. I'll check it after I go in to be sure it's in order. If I can't do that, then I'll try to throw something out a window. The house has heavy drapes that are almost always closed, so that may not work out. Who's going to be there?"

"Out front, Sanderson and Gamer. In back, Thistle and Hamois."

"Outstanding. Pass the word that if there's any doubt, they can play it by ear, but not to get jumpy. I'm after proof of guilt."

"Understood; I'll pass it on. Nakamura wants to know if you need him tonight; he's home and available."

"I'll call him on the land line if I do; I have the number."

"Fine. Good hunting, Virg."

"Thanks. Ten four."

Once more he parked his car well away from his destination and continued on foot. The stage was set now; there was httle more that he could do except to wait and see if his careful web-spinning was going to produce any results. This was no simple case of murder, if there was any such thing, and the comphcations which confronted him made matters several times more difficult He comforted himself with the thought that he could but try, and then rang the doorbell.

Yumeko admitted him. As soon as he was inside she looked up at him as though she was about to say something, but remained silent. Her appearance suggested an idea and he pondered it for a moment. "Would you like to get out of here this evening?" he asked. "It might be a good idea if you were out of the way. I can arrange a comfortable place for you to stay."

She shook her head. "I want to be here. I am female, I know, but I do not wish to be absent"

"All right, but I want you to keep entirely out of the way, upstairs in your room. Don't turn on any lights and keep absolutely still-no matter what happens. Is that clear?"

"That is yes."

"Good." He looked at her sternly. "If you interfere in any way, Yumeko, it will be very serious-do you understand that?"

"I understand."

"You'd better. Now go on up, take off your shoes, and lie down. That's the best thing. And if you hear any noises down here, don't get any sudden ideas or go to the bathroom."

"I wiU be still."

"That's fine." He turned to Chin Soo, who was close by. "You can be excused if you like-this is a police matter."

The houseboy spoke calmly. "No thank you, sir. It is also my responsibihty and I wish to be here."

"Very well, but you will remain quiet."

"My shadow, sir, will make more noise than I will."

"I hope so. Now get this; you are to do nothing, nothing whatever, unless you see me move first-is that clear?"

"Very clear, Mr. Tibbs."

"I trust that we may have some company before the night is over. But I am most anxious to see what takes place before we do a thing. This house is supposed to be empty."

"One question, sir: if I see that you are taking some action, then may I have a piece of it?"

Virgil did not want to commit himself on a firm answer to that. "Exercise judgment," he directed. "Too much help can be as dangerous as too httle at some times."

"I understand. May I suggest, sir, that you remove your shoes."

"I intend to."

"I beg your pardon."

"Forget it; now listen." Carefully he spelled out his orders to the houseboy; when they had been delivered he required that they be repeated back. As he was listening, he measured his own physique and trainiug against the lithe figure of Chin Soo. He accepted fully the statement that the young man before him was highly skilled in Gung Fu and with his buHd he could be extremely fast. He did not expect that he would be coming to grips with the younger man, but he was leaving nothing to chance. He had his gun, of course, but he was disinclined to use it except as a last resort. Accurate and effective aim under emergency conditions was always difficult and dangerous-innocent people could get hurt-or worse. And it was not up to him to administer justice with a bullet unless he literally had no choice. Of course if someone else fired first, or tried to, that was different; he certainly had the right to protect himself, and the community.

When he had finished with his briefing he checked the porch light and made sure that it was functioning properly.

If Chin Soo understood the purpose of that maneuver he gave no indication; he stood by quietly waiting. Yumeko had gone and there was no sound from upstairs.

In the dining room, which was set off on the right side of the house, there was a mother-of-pearl inlaid Chinese screen. Tibbs carefully placed a small chair behind it and then adjusted the position until he could sit comfortably and still peer out through the narrow vertical slot formed by two adjacent panels. The position was a good one since it allowed him to see a portion of the small entrance foyer and, at a fairly sharp angle the other way, the door of the jade room.

When he had finished Chin touched his arm. *'I also have a place," he said. He led the way to the door of the study which was ajar. "I will wait behind here. I do not think anyone will want to come into this room."

Tibbs weighed that and decided that the gamble was a good one. "I don't think anyone will either. In any event, I'll be on hand."

"I am not concerned, sir. It is fortunate that from here I will be able to see where you are."

Virgil stepped behind the door and checked through the crack on the hinged side. The view was adequate and the line of sight covered the comer of the dining room where he would be. He would have much preferred to have had a police officer stationed inside the house with him, but there was an excellent reason why he had chosen Chin Soo instead. Furthermore, he was satisfied that the houseboy had not figured that point out yet, despite the fact that he had demonstrated a definite ingenuity. It would be much better if he did not know.

Tibbs had been on stakeout many times, often when it had been possible to move around a bit, sometimes when, as now, he had had to remain quiet and still. Before he took up his position he removed his shoes and put them where they were well out of sight. With a short, silent prayer that Yumeko would remain as quiet as she was at the moment, and that Chin Soo would not somehow blow the show, he sat down behind the screen and composed himself. Presently the houseboy moved almost like a disembodied spirit into the study and positioned himself behind the door. Virgil had not suggested a chair for him: if he wanted one he would get it. He tested his own once more to be sure that it did not creak when he stood up, hitched his trousers up a little to make himself more comfortable, and then began his vigil.

Hopefully, it would not be an extended one this time; if someone was coming, it should not be too long.

Twice during the following hour he was forced to bestir himself a little to relieve muscle cramps in his body, but he saw no indications that Chin had felt a similar need. One thing at least was going well-the girl upstairs was entirely quiet and there was a reasonable chance that she would remain that way.

At eleven minutes after nine he caught the sounds of someone approaching the house. Very shortly after that the doorbell rang, loud and clear through the still house. For one unnerving moment Tibbs was fearful that Chin Soo would be stupid enough to answer it, then he remembered the intelligence that the houseboy had shown and the careful instructions that he had given to him. When the bell rang a second time he waited and listened: it could be an innocent caller who, having come as far as the front door, was not going to go away without ringing despite the darkness of the house.

A good minute after the second ring there was a small series of scraping noises from the front door. They lasted for only a few seconds, then despite the darkness, the door could be seen opening inward. At that moment, Virgil felt a quick sense of satisfaction; he had a clear and provable case of breaking and entering if nothing else, which solved one immediate problem. He had plenty of reliable witnesses, since the two agents on stakeout covering the front of the house would have been certain to have observed the entry.

More by sound than by anything he determined that two persons were entering the house, presumably both males. He almost prayed that they were not casual burglars, then he knew immediately that that could not be the case. Most forced entries were made from the rear, through a window or some similar means. No, these were men who had confidence in themselves and who had a definite purpose in mind.

In a few seconds the door was shut from the inside, and the darkness was close to complete once more. There was nothing but silence for almost too long a time, then a voice spoke and the pencil beam of a pocket flashlight came to life. It darted about experimentally, checking that the draperies remained tightly closed, then turned toward the back of the house. Another voice came, this one clearer, and for the second time within a two-minute interval Tibbs felt a sharp stab of satisfaction. The language was not English. It could easily have been Chinese; if so Chin would un-

derstand what was being said. Which was the reason why he had used the houseboy in preference to a trained and completely reliable officer.

The thin light began to move toward the rear of the house, accompanied by audible footsteps despite the carpeting. The next quick worry was that the intruders would check out the den; against that possibility Virgil rose silently to his feet and loosened his gun in its holster. He had no intention of firing it as of that moment, but it might have to be displayed, and with convincing speed. He intended to give himself all of the odds that he could.

A long breath flowed silently out of his lungs when the tiny beam of light picked out the door of the jade room and then shortened as the man holding the thin battery case came closer. The door was locked, but Tibbs had satisfied himself early in the afternoon that anyone who knew his business would find that no challenge. His theory in that regard proved right; while one man held the light the second, still invisible in the shadows, worked with a thin strip of plastic against the jam. It took him hardly ten seconds to have the door open.

At that point a decision was necessary; since he could not see inside the jade room from where he was, Virgil very much wanted to move to a location where he could. But the risk was considerable; a very slight noise could give him away and it followed that if he stood where he could see in, it would be possible for the traveling light to pick him out at almost any time. There was only one sensible answer: to stay where he was and to depend on his ears for evidence as to what was going on.

He heard the bottom sections of the jade cabinets being opened; when he had identified the sound beyond any question he measured once more the angle of the jade room doorway and reminded himself of the exact location of the fight switch outside. He balanced on the balls of his feet, ready, but stiU waiting until one more thing could be established.

He heard brief conversation from inside the jade room and once more concluded that the language was Chinese, but he would have to rely on Chin Soo for a translation of what he had heard.

Then came anouther sound, one which he knew well as a result of his afternoon's activities-the sliding out of the jade boxes from their hiding place. That did it; ghost-quiet in his stocking feet he moved out from behind the screen, and remaining close to the waU where he could not be seen from within the jade room, he worked his way to a position to one side of the open doorway. With the tips of his fingers he located the light switch, that accomplished he reached inside his coat and very quietly drew out his handgun. He already had a case and he had it in spades, but it was stni not enough to satisfy him. He knew what he wanted and at slight additional risk he was confident he could get it.

The sounds, which were much closer now, told him that the men inside the jade room were working smoothly and rapidly; since they were reported to be professionals, they would understand the importance of minimum exposure. An inquisitive neighbor might have seen them go in and it was barely possible that that same person could have made a call to the police. It was highly unlikely unless the house was also known to be empty, but the risk was there nonetheless and no one but a rank amateur would take any more of a chance than was absolutely necessary.

Abruptly Virgil heard and identified a new sound: someone was picking up boxes and was about to come out. There was a slight pause while his companion, who held the light, apparently took one or two himself, then the moment for action was at hand.

Once more, despite the gun in his hand, Tibbs found the light switch and rested his hand lightly against the wall. As he took a final quick look across the room he was surprised to see that Chin Soo was also pressed against the wall on the opposite side of the doorway; he had not heard the slightest sound of movement from that direction.

The first man came out of the door, the small light outlining him and the stack of boxes he was carrying. Tibbs drew a deep breath, held it and waited a second or two more: until the second man was also out of the jade room. Then he moved his Httle finger downward on the switch and, flooded the room with light.

"Freeze!" he barked, and held his gun squarely aimed at the first of the two men.

Almost instantly the other man whipped his arm around and hurled the box in his right hand directly at Tibbs' face. Virgil ducked barely in time; one sharp comer of the box still caught him on the cheek and gashed the skin. For the better part of a second and a half he was off balance and impotent.

At that same moment he saw the body of Chin Soo already in the air; he had thrown himself up and sideways, feet toward the intruder who was still moving from his

throw. From a horizontal position almost five feet in the air Chin kicked out with stunning force: the edge of his shoeless foot hit the side of the jaw so hard that the man's head was snapped around almost ninety degrees. His knees unlocked as his body became a nerveless mass of flesh and bone.

The man in front was almost as fast; he dropped the boxes he had been cariying and thrust his hand inside his coat. From his crouched position Virgil sprang forward and drove his shoulder into the man's armpit. He saw the quick sight of an emerging gun as he seized the wrist and barred the arm across his shoulder, then bent his body forward with all the power he could command. It carried his opponent up and across his back like a giant swing; the man's feet hit the ceiling as he went over, then his body crashed onto the floor with an impact that made the room shake. As soon as he hit, Virgil cocked his right leg and rammed a downward thrust kick which drove the sole of his foot into the man's abdomen, forcing the breath from his body. It was not a lethal blow, but it rendered the man helpless until he could recover enough to pump a fresh supply of air back into his lungs. Meanwhile Virgil bent down and quite calmly picked up the gun with which the intruder had been armed.

Chin Soo spoke behind him. "I was coming to help," he said, "but you did not require it."

"You did your bit," Tibbs answered. He was aware at that moment that he had dropped his own gun; he started to reach for it, but Chin picked it up and handed it to him. "Ill watch them," he added. "Turn on the porch light, please."

Chin turned toward the door. "I believe your friends are already here," he stated; within a few seconds he was back with Sanderson and Gamer close behind him.

"We have some customers," Virgil announced dryly. "Take them in and book them for breaking and entering, armed robbery, and resisting arrest. They may not understand English, so take Mr. Soo here with you to act as interpreter."

The two police agents expertly applied handcuffs to their prisoners and reUeved the second of them of a gun concealed under his left armpit. They waited patiently until their charges were once more able to get onto their own feet, then Gamer took the first one by the arm. "Will you please come with me, sir," he said, and steered him toward the door.

Chin turned. "I do not desire to leave," he declared. 154

"I understand," Tibbs said, "but please do. I'll look after things here for a little while."

Still Soo hesitated. "The one who comes next will be the most dangerous, I think. And your face is bleeding,"

"I am fully prepared," Virgil answered. "You will be needed to translate. Those two must have their rights explained to them."

Chin scoffed, but remained silent on that point. "Very well," he conceded, and followed Sanderson, who was already out of the front door.

It was quiet then in the house. Yumeko gave no evidence of her presence upstairs, although she could not have failed to have heard the noise and the smashing impact when the man Tibbs had thrown had hit the floor. At least she knew how to obey orders.

Calmly Virgil picked up the boxes and in two trips restored them to their approximate positions in the jade room. Then he picked up the tiny flashlight that one of the men had dropped and tested it. It still worked very weU within its limitations, which suited him perfectly. He snapped off the light, then went to the front door and made sure that it was stiU unlocked. After that, with the aid of the miniature light he went into the jade room and closed the door behind him. Between two of the display cabinets there was a single chair; he pulled it out and placed it against the far waU where he would have free movement, but still be out of a direct line from the door. He sat down with a sense of gratitude for a few minutes of semicomfort and respite, but he did not aUow himself to be deluded into a false sense of security. He could not afford it. He had enough now on the two Chinese strong-arm types to take them out of the picture for a considerable time and after that they would probably face deportation. But that did not by any means complete his case. So he sat quietly in the darkness and waited, surrounded as he knew by an invisible wonderland of some of the most exquisite art objects to be found in the world- and something better than a hundred pounds of one of the most deadly addictive drugs known to man. The contrast was not lost on him, and as he thought he reflected on the fact that the attempted theft had been aimed at the crys-aUine evU and not at the almost inhumanly beautiful and intricate jades that represented a fortune in themselves.

He sat for more than three quarters of an hour, alone with his thoughts, wondering why things shaped themselves the way that they did, until he heard a slight sound. A

single person had entered the front door, but this time the carpeting muffled any indications of further movements. Virgil sat very still, his hands in his lap, his breathing steady and even. He remained that way when the door to the jade room opened and someone came invisibly inside, and he was ready when without warning the room lights came on. He could not help squinting because he had been in the dark for so long, but otherwise his composure was unruffled.

"Good evening, Mr. Harvey," he said.

He had to admire the way in which the stock trader accepted the shock. He hardly turned a hair. "Good evening, Mr. Tibbs. What brings you here at this hour?"

"I was waiting for you, sir."

"I see. My coming here xminvited is a legal infraction, of course."

"Yes, it is."

For a second Harvey weakened enough to draw a very deep breath and then let it out slowly. "I am a gambler, Mr. Tibbs," he said finally. "I gambled that you had been fully satisfied."

Virgil remained seated, and said nothing.

The seconds passed through the room in slow precision as neither man changed his position, or spoke. Then, finally, Harvey broke the silence. "Why did you wait here for me like this?"

"Because I needed proof. I was quite confident that you would gamble."

"Are you placing me under arrest?"

"Yes, I am."

"On what charge?"

"For the moment, breaking and entering."

"All right," Harvey said. "I see no need to prolong the agony. Can we go now?"

Tibbs rose to his feet. "Before we do, I would like to ask you just one question."

"Yes?"

Virgil looked at the rich red carpeting for a moment and then up again. "I would like to know why you drove that jade stone knife into Wang Fu-sen's chest, when you thought that he was already dead."