Poets and Murder

'You're much too modest, Lo! Both Shao and Chang are men of fastidious taste, they'd never have accepted your invi­tation to stay with you if they hadn't been impressed by your elegant poetry. When will they arrive?'

They should be there right now, elder brother! Told my housemaster to serve them the noon meal in the main hall, my counsellor deputizing for me as host. I think we'll be there soon.' He drew the window curtain aside. 'Heavens, what is Kao doing there?' Poking his head out of the window, he shouted at the foreman of the palankeen bearers: 'Stop!'

While the palankeen was being lowered to the ground in front of the main gate of the tribunal, Judge Dee saw through the window an uneasy group of people standing close to­gether on the broad steps. The neat man in the black coat and blue gown he recognized as Lo's counsellor, Kao. The lean fellow, wearing a black-bordered brown jacket and trousers and a black-lacquered helmet with a long red tassel, had to be the headman of the constables. The two others seemed ordinary citizens. Three constables stood somewhat apart. They wore the same uniform as their headman, but their helmets lacked the red tassel. They had thin chains round their waists, from which dangled thumbscrews and manacles. Kao came quickly down the stairs and made a low bow in front of the palankeen window. Magistrate Lo asked curtly:

'What's up, Kao?'

'Half an hour ago the steward of Mr Meng the tea-merchant came to report a murder, sir. Mr Soong, the student who is renting the back courtyard of Meng's residence, was found with his throat cut. All his money has been stolen. Seems to have happened very early this morning, sir.'

'A murder on the eve of the festival! Of all the bad luck!’ Lo muttered to Judge Dee. Then he asked Kao with a worried look, 'What about my guests?'

'His Excellency the Academician Shao arrived just after you had left, sir, followed by the Honourable Chang. I showed the gentlemen their quarters, apologizing for Your Honour's absence. Just when they were sitting down to the noon meal, Sexton Loo made his appearance. After the meal the three gentlemen retired for their siesta.'

'Good. That means that I can go at once to inspect the scene of the crime. Plenty of time to welcome my guests after the siesta. Send the headman and a couple of constables ahead on horseback, Kao. Let them see to it that nobody messes things up, eh. Did you warn the coroner?'

'Yes, sir. I also took from our files the papers relating to the victim, and to his landlord, Merchant Meng.' He pulled a sheaf of official documents from his sleeve and handed them respectfully to his chief.

'Good work! You stay here in the tribunal, Kao. See whether any important papers have come in and deal with the routine matters!’ He barked at the foreman of the bearers who had been listening avidly, 'You know Mr Meng's place? Near the East Gate, you say? All right, get a move on!'

As the palankeen was being carried away, Lo laid his hand on Judge Dee's arm and said quickly:

'Hope you don't mind missing your siesta, Dee! Need your help and advice, you know. Couldn't possibly deal with a murder all alone on a full stomach. Should've gone easy on the wine. Had just that one cup too many, I fear!’ He wiped the perspiration from his face and asked again with an anxi­ous look, 'You really don't mind, do you, Dee?'

'Of course not. I'll be glad to do what I can.' The judge stroked his moustache, then added dryly, 'Especially since I'll be on the spot with you, Lo. So that you can't pull the wool over my eyes, as you did on Paradise Island recently!’

'Well, you weren't too communicative either, elder brother! Last year, I mean. When you came to snatch those two nice girls away from here!’ * (* See the novels The Red Pavilion and The Chinese Bell Murders.)

Judge Dee smiled bleakly.

'All right, let's say we're quits! I expect this'll be just a routine case, though. Most murders for robbery are. Let's see exactly who the victim was.'

Lo quickly pushed the sheaf of papers into his colleague's hands. 'You have a look first, elder brother! I'll just shut my eyes for a moment or two. To concentrate my thoughts, you see. It's quite a long way to the East Gate.' He pushed his cap well forward over his eyes and leaned back in the cushions with a contented sigh.

The judge drew open the window curtain on his side to get a better light to read by. Before starting, however, he bestowed a thoughtful look on the flushed face of his colleague. It would be interesting to see how Lo would go about a murder investi­gation. He reflected that a magistrate, not being allowed to leave his own district without express orders from the Prefect, had but rarely an opportunity to see a colleague at work. Besides, Lo was quite an unusual person. He possessed ample private means, and rumour had it that he had accepted the magistracy of Chin-hwa only because it gave him an indepen­dent official position, and opportunity for indulging in his hobbies of wine, women and poetry. Chin-hwa was always a difficult post to fill, because only a magistrate with a large private income could properly keep up the palatial residence, and it was whispered in official circles that it was chiefly for that reason that Lo was maintained in the post. But Judge Dee often suspected that Lo's air of being a bon viveur, with out interest in official duties, was largely assumed and care­fully cultivated, and that in fact he administered his district rather well. And just now he had been favourably impressed by his colleague's decision to proceed to the scene of the crime himself. Many a magistrate would have left the routine examination on the spot to his underlings. The judge un­rolled the documents. On top was a paper giving the official particulars about the murdered student.