The Chinese Lake Murders

Second Chapter

Judge Dee quickly put his beaker down and turned round to her. But she avoided his eyes, and bent over Han's shoulder. He had stopped snoring. Anemone was approaching the table again, carrying in both hands a goblet filled to the rim with wine. Still not looking at the judge, Almond Blossom said quickly:

"I hope Your Honor plays chess, for-" She broke off, for Anemone was now standing in front of their table. Almond Blossom leaned over and took the goblet from her. She brought it to Han's lips, who hastily took a long draught. Then he said, laughing:

"Ho, ho, you forward wench! Do you think I can't hold my own wine beaker any more?" He laid his arm round Almond Blossom's waist, pulled her close and continued: "Now what about you showing His Excellency here some nice dance of hours, eh?"

Almond Blossom smiled and nodded. She expertly extricated herself from Han's embrace, made a low bow and disappeared through the crystal curtain.

Han started on a rather confused account of the various ancient dances the courtesans of Han-yuan could perform. Judge Dee nodded absentmindedly; he was thinking of what Almond Blossom had just told him. All his boredom was gone. So his intuition had been right; there was indeed some evil brewing in this town! After her dance he must try to find immediately an opportunity for talking to her alone. If a courtesan was clever, she could learn many secrets from the conversation of the guests at the banquets she attended.

The orchestra started a seductive melody punctuated by drumbeats. Two courtesans advanced to the center of the room and began to execute a sword dance. Each of them carrying a long sword, they swiftly wove in and out of various fencing positions, clanging the swords together to the accompaniment of the martial tune.

The finale of the drums was drowned in the enthusiastic applause. Judge Dee complimented Han on the performance, but he said disparagingly:

"That was nothing but an exhibition of skill, Your Honor; it has nothing to do with art! Wait till you have seen Almond Blossome dance. Look, here she comes!"

Almond Blossom went to stand in the center of the carpet. She wore only a single robe of thin white silk on her bare body, with wide, trailing sleeves, and round her waist a green sash. Round her shoulders she had a long scarf of green gauze, the ends of which hung down to the floor. Her hair was done up in a high chignon, with a white water lily as unique decoration. She shook her sleeves and gave a sign to the orchestra. The flutes began an eerie, unworldly melody.

She slowly raised her arms above her head; her feet did not move but her hips started to sway to the measure of the music. The thin robe accentuated her youthful figure; the judge thought he had seldom seen such a perfectly molded womanly shape.

"That is the dance of the Cloud Fairy!" Han whispered hoarsely at his ear.

As the castanets began to click, the dancer lowered her arms to the level of her shoulders, took the tips of the scarf between her tapering fingers and, waving her arms, made the thin gauze billow around her, the upper part of her body swaying to and fro. Then zitherns and violins took the melody over in a pulsating rhythm. Now she started to move her knees; the rippling movement spread over her entire body, but she still did not move one inch from her place.

Judge Dee had never seen such a fascinating dance. Her impassive, slightly haughty face with the downcast eyes stressed by contrast the voluptuous writhing of her lithe body that appeared to personify the flame of burning passion. The robe fell away, exposing her perfectly rounded naked breasts.

The judge perceived the intense, sensuous attraction that emanated from this woman. He turned his gaze to the guests. Old Kang Po did not look at the dancer at all; he stared in his wine cup, his thoughts elsewhere. But the eyes of his younger brother were

THE DANCE OF THE CLOUD FAIRY

glued to her every movement; without averting his gaze, he whispered a remark to Guildmaster Wang by his side. Both laughed surreptitiously.

"I don't think those two are talking about dancing!" Han Yung-han remarked dryly. Evidently his intoxication did not mar his powers of observation.

The guildmasters Peng and Soo were looking ecstatically at the dancer. Judge Dee was struck by the curious, tense attitude of Liu Fei-po. He sat perfectly still, his imperious face set, his thin lips compressed under his jet-black mustache. But the judge saw in his burning eyes a strange expression. He thought he could detect a violent hatred in it, but also something of deep despair.

The music grew softer; it changed into a tender, nearly whispering melody. Almond Blossom now walked on tiptoe in a wide circle, whirling round and round all the time so that the long sleeves and the ends of the gauze scarf flew round her. The rhythm accelerated, and quicker she turned round, quicker and quicker till her swift feet did not seem to touch the floor any more; it seemed as if she were floating among the billowing clouds of the green scarf and her fluttering white sleeves.

Suddenly there was a deafening clash of the gong and the music ceased abruptly. The dancer stood still, high on her toes, her arms raised above her head, still as a stone statue. One only saw the heaving of her naked breasts. It was absolutely quiet in the room. Then she lowered her arms, pulled the scarf round her shoulders, and made a bow toward Judge Dee's table. While a thunderous applause burst loose she went quickly to the door and disappeared through the crystal curtain.

"That was indeed a superb performance!" the judge remarked to Han. "That girl could well perform before His Majesty!"

"Exactly what that friend of Liu's said the other day!" Han said. "He was a high official from the capital, and saw her dance at a banquet in the Willow Quarter. He immediately offered her owner to introduce him to the duenna of the Imperial seraglio. But Almond Blossom refuses absolutely to leave Han-yuan, and we of this city are grateful to her for that!"

Judge Dee rose and stood himself in front of his table. Raising his cup, he proposed a toast to the charming courtesans of Han-yuan, which was received with great enthusiasm. Then he went over to Kang Po's table, and began a polite conversation. Han Yung-han had also risen, and had gone to the musicians to compliment their leader.

Old Mr. Kang Po had evidently drunk too much; red spots had appeared on his lean face, and his brow was covered with perspiration. But he managed to give coherent answers to Judge Dee's questions about business conditions in Han-yuan. After a while his younger brother said with a smile:

"Fortunately, my brother has now cheered up a bit! The last days he has been worrying all the time over a perfectly safe business transaction!"

"Safe?" the elder Kang said angrily. "You call a loan to that person Wan I-fan a safe transaction?"

"They say that in order to make good profits you must be prepared to take risks!" Judge Dee said soothingly.

"Wan I-fan is a scoundrel!" Kang Po muttered.

"Only fools believe the gossip of the street!" Kang Choong said sharply.

"I… I refuse to be called names by my own brother!" old Kang Po stuttered furiously.

"Your brother has the duty to tell you the truth!" Kang Choong retorted.

"Ho, ho!" a deep voice spoke up by Judge Dee's side. "Enough of your wrangling! What will His Excellency think of us!"

It was Liu Fei-po. He carried a wine jar in his hand, and quickly filled the cups of the two brothers. They meekly drank a toast to each other. Judge Dee asked Liu Fei-po the last news about the illness of Councilor Liang. "Mr. Han told me," he added, "that you live next door to the Councilor, and that you see him often."

"Not lately," Liu replied. "Half a year ago, yes; then His Excellency would often ask me to join him when he was walking in his garden, as our grounds are connected by a small gate. But he has grown very absentminded; his conversation became more and more confused; often he didn't even seem to recognize me. I haven't seen him for several months now. It's a sad case, Your Honor! The decline of a great mind."

The guildmasters Peng and Wang now joined the group. Han Yung-han brought a wine jar and insisted on pouring out a cup for each of them himself. Judge Dee had a talk with the guild-masters, then returned to his table. Han was sitting there already, making jokes with Anemone. As the judge sat down he asked:

"Where is Almond Blossom?"

"Oh, she'll be here presently!" Han replied indifferently. "Those girls always take an awful time over their powder and rouge!"

Judge Dee quickly surveyed the room. All the guests had resumed their places, and were starting on the intermediary course, a dish of stuffed fish. The four courtesans were pouring out new wine, but Almond Blossom was nowhere to be seen. Judge Dee said curtly to Anemone:

"Go to the dressing room and tell Almond Blossom that we are waiting."

"Ha!" Han exclaimed. "It is a great honor for Han-yuan that the rustic charms of our girls should captivate Your Honor's favor!"

Judge Dee politely joined the general laughter.

Anemone came back and said:

"It's very strange; our mother says that Almond Blossom left the dressing room quite a while ago. I have looked into all the rooms, but I can't find her!"

The judge muttered an excuse to Han, rose and left the room by the door on his right. He walked aft on the starboard side.

In the stern a gay party was in progress. Sergeant Hoong, Ma Joong and Chiao Tai were sitting on a bench against the cabin, each with a wine jug between his knees and a cup in his hand. Half a dozen servants were sitting in a half-circle opposite them, listening intently to Ma Joong. The burly fellow hit his fist on his knee, and concluded: "And just at that moment the bedstead collapsed!"

They burst out in uproarious laughter. Judge Dee tapped Hoong on his shoulder. He looked up, and quickly nudged his two friends. They jumped up and followed the judge to the starboard deck.

There Judge Dee told them that a dancer had disappeared and that he feared she might have met with an accident. "Did any of you see a girl pass?" he asked.

Sergeant Hoong shook his head.

"No, Your Honor," he answered. "The three of us sat facing the stern, in front of the trap door that leads down into the kitchen and the hold. We only saw the waiters coming and going; there was no woman."

Two waiters carrying soup bowls came down the deck on their way to the dining room. They said they hadn't seen the dancer after she had left the room to change. "And we hadn't much chance to either," the elder one added, "for the rule is that we use starboard only. The ladies have their dressing room on the port side, and that's also where the main cabin is. We aren't supposed to go to that side unless we are called."

Judge Dee nodded. He went back aft, followed by his three assistants. The servants were talking with the helmsman; they knew that something was afoot.

The judge crossed the stern to the port side. The door of the main cabin was ajar. He looked inside. Against the side wall stood a broad couch of carved rosewood, covered with a brocade quilt. Against the back wall he saw a high table, with two burning candles, in stands of worked silver. There was an elegant toilet table of rosewood on the left, and two tabourets. But no one was there.

Judge Dee hurriedly went on, and looked through the gauze curtain that covered the window of the adjoining cabin. This evidently was the dressing room of the courtesans. A portly lady clad in black silk was dozing in an armchair and a maidservant was folding up colored robes.

The last window, that of the sitting room, was open. There was no one there.

"Did Your Honor look on the upper deck?" Chiao Tai asked.

The judge shook his head. He quickly went to the companion-way and ascended the steep ladder. Probably Almond Blossom had gone up there for a breath of fresh air. But one glance sufficed to show that the upper deck was completely deserted. He went down again and remained standing in the companionway, pensively stroking his beard. Anemone had already looked in the cabins on starboard. The dancer had disappeared.

"Go and have a look in all the other cabins," he ordered his three lieutenants, "and also in the bathroom!"

He walked back to the portside deck and went to stand by the railing, next to the gangway. Folding his arms in his wide sleeves, he looked out over the dark water. There was not a breath of air stirring; it was hot and oppressive. The feast in the dining room was still in full swing; he could hear the murmur of voices and a few bars of music.

He looked down over the railing at the reflection of the colored lamps. Suddenly he stiffened. Just under the surface of the water below a pale face was looking up at him with still, wide eyes.