Necklace and Calabash

Lang retained his impassive mien, but the judge noticed that the accountant's face was filled with a sickly pallor. He resumed:

'It would be a pleasure to denounce you to the authorities, Lang. But a truce is a truce, and my people stick to their word. Provided, of course, that we share. Half of eighty-four makes forty-two. Please correct me if my figures are wrong, will you?'

Lang slowly tugged at his goatee, fixing his two bodyguards with a baleful look. The two big men made frantic gestures of denial. The accountant hastily retreated behind his master's chair. For a long while it was very silent in the large room. At last Lang said:

'Your people are good, very good. I'll have to overhaul my own organization. Thoroughly. Yes, your figures are correct — it was agreed that on neutral territory we should share and share alike. I didn't let your boss know, however, because the whole thing fell through. I haven't got the pearls.'

Judge Dee rose abruptly.

'Last night's attempt to kill me proves you are lying, Lang. My orders are that, should you refuse our reasonable request, I am to inform you that the truce is ended. Which I do here and now. Good-bye!’

He went to the door. When he had put his hand on the knob Lang suddenly called out: 'Come back and sit down! I'll explain the situation.'

The judge came back to the desk but he didn't take the chair offered. He said in a surly voice:

'First of all I want you to apologize for trying to have me murdered, Lang!’

'I apologize for the fact that you were inconvenienced in a go­down that belongs to me, and I shall have the matter looked into at once. That satisfactory?'

'It's better than nothing.' Judge Dee sat down again. Lang leaned back in his chair.

'I made a mistake, shouldn't have accepted the job. But you know our expenses nowadays! I have to pay the directors of my gambling establishments a fortune in salaries, and yet the scoun­drels are cheating on the proceeds. And how can you run decent brothels when even farm-girls are in short supply? We have to pay as much for a peasant girl as for a trained courtesan! Unless we get some real good floods or a long drought and crop failure, I am going to lose on that branch. As to taxes, let me tell you that ...'

'Don't!' Judge Dee interrupted. 'Tell me about pearls!'

'Well, I just wanted to explain to you that, things being what they are at present, ten gold bars is a round sum not to be sneezed at. And there were ten gold bars for me in that affair, and prac­tically no risk or expense.' Lang heaved a deep sigh. 'This is what happened. Last week a silk broker comes to see me — Hao he calls himself. Brings a letter of introduction from one of my men in the capital. Hao says he has a contact who has formulated a plan to steal a valuable necklace from the Water Palace here. The thing has eighty-four pearls of the best quality, he says, but they'll have to be sold one by one, of course. If I know of someone who's familiar with the river and the area around the palace, and get him to do the job, Hao's contact'll pay me ten gold bars. I think at once of the cashier here, who knows every inch of the river, but I say nothing doing. Ten gold bars is a lot of money, but stealing from the palace is too much of a risk. Then, however, Hao explains all the arrangements made. My accountant'll repeat them — he has a phenomenal memory. (It's the only good point he's got, the fathead!) Speak up, you! Say your lesson!'

The bullet-headed man closed his eyes. Clasping his hands, he rattled off:

'The man is to leave town by boat one hour before midnight, row to the fourth cove on the right bank, leave the boat there and take the path behind the second row of pine trees. Formerly used by the palace patrols, it leads all along the river bank to the north-west corner of the palace moat. About two feet under the surface there's an old sluice door; swim along it to the corner of the north-west watch-tower. Just above water level a ledge about a foot wide runs all along the north wall. "Walk along it till you arrive at the last water-gate. Above it is a buttress that supports a covered balcony. There are many cracks among the bricks; the wall can easily be scaled. Enter the pavilion by the side-window. The pavilion is connected with a bedroom by an open, moon-shaped doorway. The necklace'll be lying either on the dressing-table just inside that moon-door, or on the tea-table oppo­site. Remain outside the moon-door and make sure the people are asleep. Then step inside, take the necklace, and go back the same way. No need to worry about the archers on the ramparts — they'll be busy elsewhere.'

The thin man opened his eyes and smiled smugly. Lang resumed:

'Since Hao's contact was evidently a man who knew what he was talking about, I thought I might as well see whether I could rope in the cashier. I knew he needed money. I invited him for a friendly gambling-bout, let him win at first, then lose heavily. When I told him about the planned theft, as a favour, he agreed at once. So I told Hao it was all right. If Tai Min was caught, I would, of course, disclaim all knowledge of the scheme, and point out that the boy had been tempted because he had lost all his money at the gambling-table.'