Poets and Murder

'I quite understand, Lo. It is indeed a bit of a shock when you have to consider those three illustrious persons as murder suspects. As to the sexton, he wrote a beautiful scroll for you, at the dinner table. I had it stuck up on the wall screen. Well, let's forget all about great talent and exalted position, and consider our three men just as ordinary suspects in a murder case. We know all three had the opportunity. The next ques­tion is that of motive. The first thing is to make inquiries about the dancer in the Sapphire Bower. All of your three guests seem to have been in Chin-hwa for a day or two already, which means that they may have met Small Phoenix before she was introduced to them this afternoon. How did she meet them, by the way?'

'Oh, when I was going upstairs with Shao and Chang to show them the banquet room, Yoo-lan and the dancer were just coming down, and I introduced her. Afterwards I saw from the balcony that Small Phoenix ran into Sexton Loo, in front of my fox shrine. He's staying in the small room be­hind the shrine, you know.'

'I see. Well, when you're back from the Sapphire Bower, we must try to find in the archives which dossier Soong had been studying there. For ...'

'Holy heaven! The murdered student! Two murders to solve! Wait, what did my housemaster tell me again about Soong's landlord? Oh yes, his chaps nosed about in that quarter, but the tea-merchant is a popular man there. Not a breath of scandal or shady dealings. I think his eagerness to foist his theory of the vagrant ruffian on us was just an attempt to show off his cleverness. Most people love to act the amateur detective, you know!'

'Yes, we may count Meng out. I had been toying with the idea that Soong might have had a secret love-affair with Meng's daughter. She's a good-looking young girl, and her maid told me she could hear in her room the sentimental tunes Soong played on his flute at night. If Meng had learned about the liaison ... However, now we know that it was Saffron Soong was fond of, and that he wanted to buy the silver trinkets for her. And Soong mentioned his landlord to Saffron, without saying a word about suspecting him of hav­ing murdered his father, so we have absolutely nothing against the tea-merchant.' He smoothed his long black beard. 'To come back to Small Phoenix. We were going to ask her for a description of Saffron's father. You might inquire in the Sapphire Bower whether the dancer ever mentioned there that the guardian of the Black Fox Shrine was an illegitimate child, and that her father was still about here in Chin-hwa. Let's draw up a programme for tomorrow, Lo. First, your visit to the Sapphire Bower. Second, a search in your old archives, for the eighteen-year-old case that interested the murdered student. Third ...'

'You'll have to take care of the Sapphire Bower for me, Dee! I promised my wife and children that I would take my guests to view the Moon Altar they built in the fourth court­yard, and I am supposed to do that tomorrow morning. If my old mother feels well enough, she'll be there too.'

'All right, I'll visit the Sapphire Bower directly after break­fast. Please send a letter of introduction over to my quarters, Lo, for the lady in charge there. Then I'll join all of you to see the Moon Altar, and as soon as possible afterwards the two of us can go to the chancery and consult the archives together. As to my third point, I'll have to see to that alone. Namely, go to the Black Fox Shrine, and persuade Saffron to leave that horrible place. You have a secluded corner here where she can stay, I suppose?' When his colleague nodded, the judge went on slowly, 'It won't be easy to wean her away from her foxes and that ghastly lover of hers, but I hope I'll be able to handle her. Talking about Saffron, Lo, I must tell you that Sexton Loo was staying in a temple very near the wasteland. And he has a weird theory that some human beings have a special affinity with foxes.' He tugged at his moustache. 'It's a pity I didn't ask Saffron whether her father was thin or heavy.'

'Nonsense, Dee!' Lo said impatiently. 'Saffron told you that, according to the dancer, the man was good-looking!’

Judge Dee nodded approvingly. Despite his absent-minded airs, his colleague was a very good listener.

'She did indeed, Lo. But Small Phoenix may have said that just to please the poor girl. I shall go after luncheon to the ruined temple to get her so that I have the whole afternoon for that delicate job. Unless, of course, the Prefect should summon me.'

'Heaven forbid!’ Magistrate Lo shouted, aghast. 'Can't tell you how grateful I am, Dee! You have given me a ray of hope!’

A very thin ray only, unfortunately. What time were you thinking of starting the banquet on the Emerald Cliff, by the way? The place lies outside the city, I suppose?'

'It does. Our most famous scenic spot, elder brother! High up on the nearest mountain range, about half an hour by litter from the west city gate. At the Mid-autumn Festival one's supposed to ascend a high place, as you know! There's a pavilion there, on the edge of a century-old pine forest. You'll love it, Dee! The servants'll go ahead in the afternoon, to prepare everything. We'll have to leave here about six, so that we'll be there in time to admire the sunset.' He got up. 'It's past midnight, and I am dog-tired, Dee. I think we'd better be off to bed. I'll just nip upstairs for a moment, though, to have a look at the scroll Sexton Loo wrote for me.'