The Emperor's Pearl
- Автор: ван Гулик Роберт Ханс
- Серия: Judge Dee #9
- Язык: английский
- Жанр: Другие детективы
Электронная книга - «The Emperor's Pearl». Краткое содержание книги:
In The Emperor’s Pearl, the judge discovers that these two deaths are connected by an ancient tragedy involving a near-legendary treasure stolen from the Imperial Harem one hundred years earlier. The terrifying figure of the White Lady, a river goddess enshrined on a bloodstained altar, looms in the background of the investigation. Clues are few and elusive, but under the expert hand of Robert van Gulik, this mythic jigsaw puzzle assembles itself into a taut mystery.
“If you have not yet discovered Judge Dee and his faithful Sgt. Hoong, I envy you that initial pleasure which comes from the discovery of a great detective story. For the magistrate of Poo-yang belongs in that select group of fictional detectives headed by the renowned Sherlock Holmes.”—Robert Kirsch, Los AngelesTimes
“The title of this book and the book itself have much in common. Each is a jewel, a rare and precious find.”—AtlantaTimes
As he saw Judge Dee's questioning look, Mr Kwang continued with the same bland expression:
'Last night Dr Pien kindly took me to a wine-house in Marble Bridge Village where he was entertaining the crews and, thereafter, down the Canal to the locality of the finish. Then Dr Pien had to busy himself about the races. While I was walking around aimlessly on the river-bank, a passerby pointed out Your Honour's barge to me, and I made bold to go on board. For I have many business relations in Poo-yang, and I felt I ought to pay my respects to its magistrate. There was no one on the lower deck to announce me, and when I went up I saw Your Honour and his ladies standing at the railing, enjoying the scenery. Not wishing to intrude on what evidently was a family gathering, I withdrew. I met the steward on the lower deck, and told him not to bother. I feel, however, that I ought to mention this, in order to prove that I am not lacking in —'
'Quite. Very kind of you Mr Kwang.' Judge Dee gave him a steady look. So this was the mysterious visitor his steward had spoken about. He asked: ' Did your colleague, Mr Sun, accompany you? '
'No sir. Since he was indisposed, he retired early to his cabin. As to me, I saw the finish of the races, then hired a horse and rode back to Marble Bridge. None of my boatmen had returned yet, the dissolute loafers, so I made myself a cup of tea and retired also.'
'All right, thank you, Mr Kwang. Now tell me, why did you have the pavilion over there repaired?'
Mr Kwang raised his thin eyebrows in polite astonishment.
'Repaired? Dismantled you mean for sure, sir!'
Judge Dee went past him and up the steps, followed by Sergeant Hoong and Kwang. Standing just inside the door, he surveyed the room with an incredulous stare. Large patches of the plaster had been torn from the walls, showing the red bricks underneath. Part of the ceiling had been taken down, floor-tiles removed, even the bamboo legs of the couch had been split open.
'What's going on here?' an astonished voice spoke up behind them.
Judge Dee turned round. He said sourly:
'Unauthorized persons have made mischief here, Dr Pien. We are just taking stock of the damage.'
'I was under the impression, doctor,' Kwang addressed him coldly, 'that you had agreed in writing to keep an eye on my property.'
'I sent a man up here only a month ago, Mr Kwang,' Dr Pien replied with a vexed expression. 'He reported that everything was in order. And he knew this place inside out. It was Tong Mai, the son of the former owner. I can't understand this at all, I —'
'I'll be back presently,' Judge Dee interrupted. He motioned the sergeant to follow him.
As they were crossing the garden the judge said in a low voice:
'The murderer came back very early this morning, just when the militia had left. He must have believed the story about the Emperor's pearl, and came to look for it. Let's see whether he visited the main building too.' He angrily slapped at a few bluebottles that buzzed round his head.
A quick tour through the deserted halls proved that nothing had been disturbed there. The judge saw only his own footprints on the dust-covered floor. When they were walking back to the pavilion the sergeant remarked:
'The pavilion was searched completely. That would seem to indicate that the murderer did not find what he came for.'
Judge Dee nodded. He again hit out at a swarm of bluebottles. 'Confound those insects! Look, Hoong, it was here, on top of this wall, that I saw that small tortoise.' Putting his hands on the low wall he went on: 'It was crawling along under a —'
Suddenly he broke off. He leaned forward over the wall and looked down on the other side. Hoong joined him. He uttered a smothered oath.
The body of a man dressed in a blue jacket and trousers was lying among the weeds in the shallow ditch at the foot of the wall. Uncounted bluebottles were crawling over the top of his skull, which was a mass of clotted blood.
The judge turned round and rushed inside the pavilion. Dr Pien and Mr Kwang stood in a corner, deep in conversation. Judge Dee stepped up to them and asked Kwang casually:
'How long had you been here when I arrived, Mr Kwang?'
THE JUDGE AND HOONG MAKE A DISCOVERY
'I came here only a few moments before Your Honour,' Kwang answered. 'I hadn't even inspected the main building. I came first to the garden here, to have a look at the Mandrake Grove beyond the wall, because —'
'Come along, both of you!' barked the judge.
As soon as Kwang had looked over the wall he turned away, retched and was violently sick.
'That's Sia Kwang, sir!' Dr Pien exclaimed. 'You can see the scar on his left cheek!'
Judge Dee tucked up his robe, climbed on the wall and let himself down on the other side. Dr Pien and Sergeant Hoong scrambled over the wall after him.
Squatting by the dead man's side, the judge scrutinized the bloodstained hair. Then he looked round among the weeds in the ditch. He picked up a brick and handed it to Hoong, saying:
'The top of his skull was bashed in from behind with this brick. You can still see the blood, on its side here.' Rising, he added: ' Help me to search the shrubbery, there may be other clues.'
'This looks like a carpenter's tool box, sir!' the sergeant exclaimed. He showed the judge the scarred, oblong box he had found under a shrub. On a sign from Judge Dee Hoong undid the leather straps. The box contained two saw-blades, a hammer, and a few chisels.
'Take that along too,' the judge said. And, to Dr Pien: 'Help me to take off his jacket!'
After they had stripped the dead man's muscular torso they saw that a rag was wound tightly round the left upper-arm. Dr Pien loosened it and examined the deep cut.
'The wound was inflicted very recently, sir,' he remarked. 'With a thin, sharp knife, I'd say. The body is still warm, he must have been killed only half an hour ago or so!' Judge Dee said nothing. He searched the sleeves, but they were empty. Neither was anything tucked among the folds of the sash round the man's waist, not even a handkerchief.
The judge said curtly:
'We are through here. Our coroner shall do the rest.'
X
When the three men had climbed back into the garden again, Judge Dee cut short Kwang Min's excited questions and said to Hoong:
'Ride to the market and fetch the village headman and a dozen or so local militia.'
He began to pace the garden, from time to time angrily shaking his sleeves. Dr Pien took Mr Kwang aside and started a whispered conversation.
Sergeant Hoong came back in a remarkably short time. He brought a flustered headman and a group of frightened-looking youngsters, armed with long bamboo sticks.
Judge Dee ordered the village headman to have the corpse put on a stretcher and brought to the tribunal. His men were to stay and guard the house till the constables would come to take over. Seeing their unhappy faces, he snapped at them:
'It's broad daylight now, isn't it? There's nothing to be afraid of!' He added to Pien and Kwang: 'We'll return to the village together. You two may borrow horses from the militia here.'
When the cavalcade had arrived in Marble Bridge Village, Judge Dee told Mr Kwang to take them to his junk.
It proved to be quite a big barge that took up most of the space afforded by the quay beyond the bridge. Four haggard-looking boatmen were unrolling the sail of bamboo-matting. The judge told Kwang and the two others to wait on the jetty, and walked over the narrow plank that served as gangway to the ship. Standing on the foredeck he shouted for the captain. After a long wait a tousled head rose up from the hatch. The captain stepped on deck, hitched up his trousers and stared at the judge with bleary, bloodshot eyes. Evidently he and his crew had a rather heavy night behind them.