The Emperor's Pearl
- Автор: ван Гулик Роберт Ханс
- Серия: Judge Dee #9
- Язык: английский
- Жанр: Другие детективы
Электронная книга - «The Emperor's Pearl». Краткое содержание книги:
In The Emperor’s Pearl, the judge discovers that these two deaths are connected by an ancient tragedy involving a near-legendary treasure stolen from the Imperial Harem one hundred years earlier. The terrifying figure of the White Lady, a river goddess enshrined on a bloodstained altar, looms in the background of the investigation. Clues are few and elusive, but under the expert hand of Robert van Gulik, this mythic jigsaw puzzle assembles itself into a taut mystery.
“If you have not yet discovered Judge Dee and his faithful Sgt. Hoong, I envy you that initial pleasure which comes from the discovery of a great detective story. For the magistrate of Poo-yang belongs in that select group of fictional detectives headed by the renowned Sherlock Holmes.”—Robert Kirsch, Los AngelesTimes
“The title of this book and the book itself have much in common. Each is a jewel, a rare and precious find.”—AtlantaTimes
Judge Dee fell silent. He listened for a while to the roll of thunder. It seemed to be quite near, this time.
'Why did Kwang visit your barge last night, sir?' the sergeant asked.
'I have been asking myself that same question, Hoong! The explanation must be that Kwang wanted to establish the fact that he was there during the boat race, and didn't return to Marble Bridge till late in the night. The boatmen were drunk and Sun ill, so it would be difficult to trace Kwang's movements. However that may be, Kwang purloins the domino, hands it to Sia, then hurries back to Marble Bridge. Later in the night he meets Sia there, and Sia informs him that all has gone wrong: that he had to kill the Amber Lady, and got only the gold because my arrival prevented him from making a search for the pearl. Kwang regrets the lost hours with Amber, but — and this is perhaps even more important to him — he has gained ten gold bars. Then we get the same story as before: Kwang persuades Sia to go to the deserted house this morning, disguised as a carpenter, in order to make a thorough search for the pearl. Kwang has a good reason for his own presence there, namely his appointment with Dr Pien. After Sia has searched the pavilion, Kwang kills him. The last phase, the murder of the old procuress, is the same as I outlined in my theories regarding Kou and Pien. That's all.'
Judge Dee wiped off his face with a new towel, and Sergeant Hoong followed his example. It was stifling hot in the small office. After a while Hoong remarked:
'A small point in Kwang's favour is his becoming so violently sick at seeing Sia's dead body. That's not so easy to feign.'
The judge shrugged.
'Kwang politely turned his back on us, and our attention was concentrated on our gruesome discovery. Kwang may have rammed his finger into his throat, for all we know!'
There was a knock on the door, and the headman came in. He began with a contented smile:
'I had to wait a long time, sir, but I got Mr Kwang! The captain of the junk told me that Mr Kwang and Mr Sun had gone into town directly after the noon rice, to do some shopping. Mr Sun came back alone, he said that Mr Kwang had some business on the waterfront. I went there at once, traced him to a small pharmacy, and collared him there. He is waiting now in the guard room.'
'Good! Where is Dr Pien?'
'The doctor is having a cup of tea with the coroner, sir, in the chancery. He has dictated his report on the assault. I have here also Mr Yang's written statement. Mr Yang has gone back to his shop.'
The judge glanced through the two papers. He handed them to the sergeant and asked the headman:
'Did your men catch that footpad?'
The headman's face fell.
'No, Your Honour. They questioned lots of people in Halfmoon Street, and searched all likely places. But they found no trace of the ruffian.'
He gave the judge an anxious look expecting a sharp rebuke. But Judge Dee did not scold him, he silently tugged at his side-whiskers. Then he spoke:
'Tell Mr Kwang that I shan't see him now, because I want Mr Kou and Dr Pien to be present when we have our talk. I want to keep that discussion quite informal, therefore I have decided to hold it in Mr Kou's house. That is much better than here in the tribunal. You can now take Mr Kwang and Dr Pien to Mr Kou's residence, in a closed palankeen. Tell Mr Kou that I want to hold our meeting in his library. That is a quiet room in a secluded section of his mansion, the same where Mr Kou received me last night. You may inform Mr Kou that I myself shall proceed there as soon as I have dealt with a few routine matters here. Have you got all that?' As the headman bowed obsequiously, the judge went on: 'After you have delivered Mr Kwang and Dr Pien to Mr Kou's house, you come back here at once for further instructions.'
When the headman had left, Sergeant Hoong asked eagerly:
'Does Your Honour expect that if those three are cross-examined together, the guilty one will betray himself?'
'That's what I am hoping, at least ! I have an errand for you now, Hoong. I need a wooden hand.'
'A wooden hand, sir?'
'Yes. Go to Mr Yang's curio-shop and ask him whether he can help us. He'll certainly have some spare hands of Buddhist statues lying about. As a rule those are carved from a separate piece of wood, and added to the statue only after the body has been completed. I want a left hand, life-size or larger. I want him to paint that hand white, Hoong, and to put on the forefinger a brass ring with some cheap red stone. You will explain to Mr Yang that I need that hand as an exhibit, during a meeting with Dr Pien and Mr Kwang which I am going to hold in Mr Kou's library tonight.'
A flash of lightning lit up the paper window, followed almost at once by a deafening thunderclap. Judge Dee resumed quickly:
'You had better take a sedan-chair, Hoong, in case the rain should start. When you are back I shall explain what I am planning to do. Get going now, time presses!'
XVI
Dusk had fallen when the perspiring chair coolies put Judge Dee's large official palankeen down in the front courtyard. Six enormous lanterns of oiled paper hung from the eaves of the surrounding buildings, each bearing in large red letters the legend: 'Kou's Residence'. Their light shone on Kou Yuan-liang's anxious face as he came running towards the palankeen, accompanied by his house steward. The two men had been standing in the courtyard for a long time, waiting for the magistrate's arrival.
Judge Dee descended from the palankeen, followed by Sergeant Hoong. Mr Kou made his deepest obeisance. The judge nodded, then addressed him affably:
'I am sorry that urgent official business detained me in the tribunal, Mr Kou! Mr Kwang and Dr Pien have arrived already, I suppose?'
'Indeed, Your Honour. We were getting worried, sir; we feared that the storm might start while Your Honour was still on the way here.' As there was a flash of lightning, followed by a low rumble, he added quickly: 'This way, please!' and hurriedly conducted them inside.
He took Judge Dee and the sergeant through the winding corridor to his library in the back of the compound.
When the judge stepped inside he saw with satisfaction that the library was exactly as he remembered it from the previous evening. The large, sparsely furnished room was lit by six tall candelabras, arranged in three pairs between the four windows in the back wall. To the left of the door stood a large cabinet with a fine display of antique porcelain and foreign glass. The wall on the right was taken up entirely by high racks, loaded with books and manuscript rolls. A thick-piled blue carpet covered the floor. In the centre stood a heavy square table of polished ebony, and four chairs of the same material. Dr Pien and Mr Kwang were sitting at the round tea-table in the farthest corner, by the window on the right.
They rose hastily and came to meet the judge, Dr Pien supporting himself on a bamboo stick. Judge Dee was glad to see that the long wait in the hot, close room had evidently upset the two men. Their faces were haggard in the candlelight and their thin summer robes clung to their wet shoulders. He called out jovially: