The Willow Pattern

'Hand this to a captain of the guard at once, and tell him to effect the arrest with four men. Hoo may put up resistance, but I want him alive, and with a whole skin, mind you!’

The orderly saluted smartly. Rushing out, he nearly collided with the senior scribe, who told the judge:

'A Mr Fang asks for an audience, my lord. He belongs to the, ah ... Special Services of the municipality.'

Tao Gan bent over to the judge and whispered:

'He is the chief of the section charged with the super­vision of brothels and gambling houses, sir. Good man, I hear.'

'Show him in!' Judge Dee ordered.

A small, wiry man entered, clad in a simple blue gown and wearing a round skullcap. At first sight one would take him for a shopkeeper, but one glance at his face belied that impression. Deep lines divided it as it were into segments. The left eye opened and shut continually through a tic of the drooping eyelid, the other had a cold, unwavering stare. He reminded the judge forcibly of a lizard. He made to kneel, but the judge said impatiently:

'Skip the formalities, and state your business!’

'My office received orders to make a search for a dancer called Porphyry, my lord,' the small man began quietly. 'Since brothels and gambling houses do little business in this emergency, I decided to take the matter in hand per­sonally, and devoted all night to it. I had a talk with the secretary of the Brothel-keepers' Guild and with some of its leading members, while my secret agents questioned the stool pigeons we maintain all over the licensed quarters. The result may be summed up as follows. In the first place, it is out of the question that the girl is an apprentice. Appren­tices are allowed to work outside the quarter only when accompanying a full-fledged courtesan, to assist her changing dress, serve wine to the guests, and to sing or play a musical instrument. They are not allowed to dance in public before they have passed their examination, and certainly not lascivious dances performed in the nude; for that is the privilege of a special class of courtesans, who receive an extra allowance. Second, the name Porphyry does not appear on any official or unofficial list. Third, none of the brothels or houses of assignation has received during the past two weeks any order from the late Mr Yee, despite the fact that before that he had been a most regular customer.'

Fixing the judge with his one unblinking eye, the small man resumed:

'My conclusion is, my lord, that the said girl and the man acting as her tout are imposters. The secretary of the gild was highly incensed at this fraud. He passed the word around and put up a reward at once. I expect they will be found very soon.' It was difficult to know whether he winked with his left eye or whether it was just the tic when he concluded in his dry voice: 'The gild council and its members don't take kindly to poaching on their pre­serve.'

'Thank you,' the judge said. 'This is most useful infor­mation.' He wanted to dismiss the lizard-like man, but Tao Gan bent over and whispered something in his ear. After some hesitation, the judge cleared his throat and asked:

'You are accustomed to handle confidential matters, aren't you, Mr Fang?'

'That's why I could keep my post for twenty years, my lord,' the small man replied with a thin smile.

'The fact is,' Judge Dee resumed, 'that I would like you to gather, with the utmost discretion, data about the ante­cedents of Mrs Mei, the widow of my valued friend Merchant Mei. It has been suggested that originally she was a courtesan.'

'It so happens, my lord, that I can supply that information right away. The little I have, that is. No, she was not a real courtesan. An apprentice, rather. She was registered under the professional name of Sapphire. In a brothel of the old city, thirteen years ago.'

'Did Mr Mei redeem her?'

'He did not, my lord. She just went to live with him.' Seeing that Judge Dee raised his eyebrows, he continued hurriedly: 'I am very sorry, my lord, but this is one of the very few cases within my jurisdiction which I could never solve satisfactorily. I found myself up against two barriers which are particularly difficult to surmount. In the first place, the brothel she worked in belonged to the "old world" — and I have standing orders to leave that milieu alone as long as no crimes are committed there. Moreover, the brothel burned down shortly after, and the keeper and most of the inmates perished in the flames. She was bought out, but I could not discover by whom. Second, the man she went to subsequently was Merchant Mei. Although he was a pro­gressive member of the old set, he would yet become remarkably reticent when their particular problems were brought up. On top of that, he was the wealthiest merchant of the capital, not the kind of person to brook snooping into his private life. That's why I remember the case so well, my lord. Because it is one of the very few that remain open in my books.'

'I don't doubt that,' the judge said. 'I have full confidence in your ability, Mr Fang. Let me know at once when the pseudo-courtesan Porphyry has been traced.'

When the door had closed behind Fang, Judge Dee exclaimed angrily:

'Hoo told us a pack of lies! If I hadn't that ear-pendant, I would believe that the dancer and her companion never existed except in the imagination of Hoo and the maid. I am all the more glad that I issued that warrant for Hoo's arrest, for ...' He looked round at the orderly and asked, annoyed: 'What is it now?'