Murder in Canton

XVII

Judge Dee remained deep in thought throughout the journey to the palace. His silence seemed to perturb Mr Yau still further. He shot the judge an uneasy glance now and then, but could not summon sufficient courage to address him.

Arriving at the palace, the judge took him straight to the hall he used as his private study. Yau was visibly impressed by its grand dimensions. Judge Dee sat down behind his large desk, and motioned Yau to take the chair opposite him. After the major-domo had served tea and disappeared again, the judge slowly emptied his cup, fixing Yau with a sombre stare all the while. As he put down his teacup, he asked suddenly:

'How did you come to know the blind cricket seller?'

Yau gave him a startled glance.

'Well, in the ordinary way, sir! Met her in the market. Cricket-fighting is rather a hobby of mine, you see. I noticed at once that she knew a tremendous lot about the subject. She used to come to my residence every time she had found a particularly good fighter. But recently I decided that it was more er ... expedient to have her come to my er ... private address.'

'I see. Where does she live?'

'I never asked her, sir! Didn't need to, either. As I just said, she would come when...'

'I know. What is her name?'

'Her personal name is Lan-lee, so she said, sir. I don't know her family name.'

'Do you mean to tell me,' Judge Dee asked coldly, 'that you know nothing about your mistresses beyond their personal name?'

'She isn't my mistress, sir!' Yau cried out, indignant. He thought for a few moments, then went on in an apologetic tone, 'I admit that I have toyed with the idea, once or twice. She's a remarkably cultured girl, sir. She's good-looking too, and since her blindness makes her different, I... er...'

'Quite,' Judge Dee said dryly. 'It so happens that she is con­nected with a crime that was recently committed here.' He cut short Yau's excited questions with a raised hand. 'I am having her traced, for she is also involved in Mrs Pao's murder. As soon as she has been arrested, I shall check your statement, Mr Yau. Now you'll write down the names and full particulars of the girls in your private establishment. In this case you know a little more than just their personal names, I suppose?'

'Certainly, sir!’ Yau answered obsequiously. He selected a writ­ing-brush.

'Good. I'll be back presently.'

Judge Dee rose and went outside. In the anteroom he ordered the majordomo:

'Tell my four agents to follow Mr Yau when he leaves the palace. If he should go to a private house of assignment near the Flowery Pagoda, they must come and warn me at once. If he goes and meets a blind girl, they must arrest the two of them and bring them here. Wherever he goes, he is to be watched. The men must come and report to me as soon as they have any news.'

He went back inside, glanced through what Yau had written, then told him he could go. The portly merchant left, looking greatly relieved.

Judge Dee sighed. He called the majordomo, and told him to serve the evening rice.

When Chiao Tai and Tao Gan entered the hall, they found the judge standing in front of the window where there was a slight breeze. After his two assistants had greeted him, he sat down behind his desk and said in a matter of fact voice:

'As I explained already to Prefect Pao, his wife was murdered by mistake. The intended victim was the blind girl.' Ignoring Tao Gan's astonished exclamation, he quickly told them what he had learned in Yau's love-nest. The blind girl,' he went on, 'is appar­ently conducting an investigation all on her own. As I said before, she must have been present when the Censor died. But she does not know where exactly it happened. She suspects that it was in a house of assignment in the neighbourhood of the Flowery Pagoda, hence her questioning of Yau's procuress. Her associates dis­covered that she was on their trail, and decided to silence her. The assassin they employed must have been a Tanka, for again a scarf was used, weighted with a silver coin. As to Mr Yau Tai-kai, we shall soon know whether he spoke the truth about his relations with the blind girl, for I had him followed when he left here before dinner. He is an uncommonly shrewd customer, but I be­lieve I frightened him sufficiently to try to contact some accom­plice of his at once. Yau knows that we want to trace the blind girl, so if he is guilty he may make a second attempt on her life. I realize that she is trying to help us, but the issues at stake are too grave to let our concern for the girl — about whom we know next to nothing — interfere with our investigation.' He paused and pulled pensively at his moustache. As regards the murderous attack on you, Chiao Tai, I can't understand how Mansur could have known that you would be going back to Nee's house. I ordered you to do so on the spur of the moment. Even if those two Arabs had followed when you left here, how could they have had time to report to Mansur, receive his instructions, then go back to Captain Nee's house? And what was the motive? We know that Mansur hates Nee, but the attack was evidently aimed in the first place at you. And murder seems a rather drastic method of settling one's private feuds. I fear that there's much more behind it than meets the eye.' He gave Chiao Tai a searching look. 'I must say that those twins are plucky girls. Since you owe them your life, Chiao Tai, you'd better pay them a visit to thank them, and give them a suitable present.'

Chiao Tai looked embarrassed. He muttered something about consulting Captain Nee first, then went on hastily:

'If you have no other work for us tonight, sir, Tao Gan and I might have a look around for Mansur. I have a lump on my head as big as an egg; I'd love to get my hands on that sneaky bastard! At the same time we might try to locate the blind girl. It's true that the constables are looking for them too, but I have a very personal reason for getting Mansur, and brother Tao knows exactly what the girl looks like.'

'All right. But whether you achieve anything or not, both of you come back here before turning in. I am still hoping that the secret letter from the Grand Council will arrive tonight, and its contents may necessitate immediate action.'

The two friends bowed and took their leave.

When they were standing outside in the street waiting for an empty litter, Chiao Tai said:

'We'll just have to trust to luck in our search for Mansur. It's no use having a second look in the Arab quarter: they know me there by now, we don't speak their blasted language, and anyway I don't think he would hide there. We might board the Arab ships in port, and make a search for him there. Got any ideas about where to look for the girl?'

'Well, she's got to hide not only from the constables, but also from her own people, who are out to kill her. That means inns or lodging-houses are out. I think she'd hide in a deserted house. Since she told me that she's thoroughly familiar with the market quarter, we might start there. We could narrow that down further by finding out which spots in that neighbourhood are known to be frequented by crickets, for those are the places she knows best, of course.'

'Good,' Chiao Tai said. 'Let's go to the market first.' He hailed a passing litter, but it was occupied. Fingering his small moustache, he went on, 'You had a long talk with that wench, brother Tao. You don't know a thing about women, but you can give me at least a general idea of what kind of girl she is, I suppose.'

'The kind that makes trouble,' Tao Gan replied crossly, 'for everybody including herself. The silly kind — too silly to be allowed to walk around on two legs! Believes everybody is just too kind, everybody means well, really — so help me! Heaven pre­serve me from that goody-goody type! Look what she's doing now, getting herself in heaven knows what trouble by hobnob­bing with the Censor's murderers! Probably believes they poisoned the Censor as a kind afterthought, as the only per­manent cure for his hangover. For heaven's sake! Sends me a croaking little cricket instead of coming to me herself and telling me what it's all about. If we find her,' he added venomously, 'I'll have her clapped in jail at once, just to keep her from getting herself into more trouble!'

'Quite some speech, brother Tao!’ Chiao Tai said dryly. 'Ha, here comes a litter!'