The Phantom of the Temple

'An Imperial Treasurer is supposed to know how to guard the government gold entrusted to him,' he re­marked indifferently. 'That's what he's paid for! Yes, I remember the case. Wasn't the fellow summarily dis­missed from the service?'

'He was,' Judge Dee replied. 'The thief was not found and the gold never recovered. Yet the case was investi­gated with painstaking care.' He laid his hand on the dossier in front of him and went on: 'This is a very instructive record, Ma Joong, well worth a close study. The magistrate first interrogated the captain and the soldiers of the Treasurer's escort. He reasoned that, since such large transports of gold are a closely guarded official secret, and since only the Treasurer himself was supposed to know the purpose of his mission, the thief must have been an insider. Another fact also pointed in that direc­tion. The Treasurer's luggage consisted of three leather boxes, of exactly the same size, shape and colour, the lids of all three being secured by identical padlocks. The only distinguishing mark was that one side of the box con­taining the gold was slightly cracked. Now, only that box was opened. The two other boxes, which contained the Treasurer's clothes and other personal effects, were not tampered with at all. That's why the magistrate be­gan by suspecting the Treasurer's suite.'

'On the other hand,' Sergeant Hoong observed, 'the thief replaced the gold by lead. Evidently because he hoped that the Treasurer would discover the loss only when he opened the box much later, after his arrival in barbarian territory. This clearly points to an outsider. All insiders know the official rule that a carrier of govern­ment gold has to verify it is intact every night before he goes to bed, and every morning as soon as he has got up.'

Judge Dee nodded.

'Quite true. However, my predecessor considered the lead as a clever touch, added by the thief to suggest that the theft had been committed by an outsider.'

Ma Joong had risen and walked over to the window. Having searched the empty courtyard with his eyes, he said with a frown:

'I wonder what that lazy headman is doing! He should be taking his constables through their morning drill!' Seeing Judge Dee's annoyed look, he went on quickly, 'Sorry, sir! But now that Chiao Tai and Tao Gan have left for the capital to discuss the reduction of our garri­son, I have to watch the constables and guards all by myself.' He sat down again and asked, eager to show his interest, 'Didn't the thief leave any clues?'

'None,' the judge replied curtly. 'The guest room occu­pied by the Treasurer in our tribunal here has only one door and one window, as you know. The door was guarded all night long by four soldiers, sitting in the corridor out­side. The thief gained entrance by the window. He tore one of the paper panes, pushed his hand through, and somehow or other picked the lock that secured the cross­bar.'

Sergeant Hoong had pulled the thick dossier over to him and was leafing through it. He looked up and said, shaking his head, 'Yes, the magistrate took all the measures indicated. When it had been established that the Treasurer's suite was beyond suspicion, he had all the professional thieves in the city rounded up, and also all the receivers of stolen goods. Moreover, he—'

'He made one mistake, Hoong,' Judge Dee interrupted. 'Namely that he limited his investigation to this district of Lan-fang.'

'Why shouldn't he?' Ma Joong asked. 'The theft was committed right here, wasn't it?'

The judge sat up straight.

'It was indeed. But it must have been prepared else­where, before the Treasurer arrived here in Lan-fang. Therefore I would have begun by instituting thorough inquiries in Tong-kang, our neighbouring district, over on the other side of the mountains. The Treasurer stayed there overnight as well. Someone must have learned somehow or other that he was carrying a small fortune, and that it was kept in the box marked by the cracked leather. That precious information travelled ahead of the Treasurer to Lan-fang. Call our senior scribe, Ma Joong!’

Sergeant Hoong looked doubtful. Tugging at his thin goatee, he said, 'By the same reasoning, sir, the thief might have learned the secret in any place along the road from the capital. Or even before the Treasurer left, in the capital itself!’

'No, Hoong, there's definite proof that it must have been in Tong-kang that the secret leaked out. The Trea­surer says in his official statement recorded here that the side of the gold-box got cracked just before he reached Tong-kang. Presumably because of the excessive weight of the gold.'

Ma Joong brought a lean, elderly man in. The scribe bowed and wished the judge a good morning. Then he waited respectfully for the judge to address him.

'I am gathering data on the theft of the Treasurer's gold,' Judge Dee told him. 'I want you to make a trip to Tong-kang, his last halting-place before he reached Lan-fang. You'll report to the local tribunal, and try to find there someone who remembers the Treasurer's visit. I Want to know whether the Treasurer received any visitors on the night he stayed there, whether a local woman companion was provided for him, whether he received any messages; in short, everything.' He selected an official blank from among the papers on his desk and jotted down a few lines of introduction addressed to his col­league in Tong-kang. When he had stamped the docu­ment with the large red seal of the tribunal, he handed it to the scribe. 'You'll leave at once. While the grooms are preparing your horse, read this dossier. Try to be back here the day after tomorrow.'