The Emperor's Pearl

'Anyway, it explains why in our present case the murderer made that mistake. Was compelled to make it, I should say perhaps — since he risked stirring up forces that are better let well alone. The murder of Tong Mai may have pleased the White Goddess, it may have reminded her of the ancient human sacrifices, when the veins of a young man were cut on the altar before her, and his blood sprinkled over her marble statue. But the murder of the Amber Lady, a woman like herself, and hard by her sacred grove—that seems a reckless taunting of forces we know very little about, really.' He paused, shrugged his shoulders and went on: 'However this may be, I have proof that the murderer made a mistake that can be explained only by a very strange lapse of memory. He is an extremely clever man, but he had apparently completely forgotten that on the scene of the crime he ...'

'Which crime?' Mr Kou asked hoarsely. He quickly looked at the two others, then stammered to the judge: 'Please excuse my . . . my interruption. But ... I mean to say, there were four murders, were there not?'

'There were indeed,' Judge Dee said dryly.

A distant roll of thunder was heard outside.

'You mustn't let this awful weather get hold of you, Mr. Kou,' Kwang Min remarked. It was meant to be reassuring, but his voice sounded unnaturally high in the still room.

'I think I saw the door move, sir!' a worried voice sud­denly spoke up. 'Shall I have a look?'

It was Sergeant Hoong. He had left his corner and was coming up behind the three men at the table.

For a moment the judge did not know what to do. For a special reason he had not told the sergeant that his plan included the possibility of a secret listener. Apparently Hoong had seen the intruder leaving, and had got the wrong impression that he was coming inside. But the judge could take no chances. If the man were still in the room, he must not know that the judge was aware of his presence, else all had been in vain. He said sharply to the sergeant:

'Must have been a trick of the light, Hoong! Go back to your place and don't interrupt me!' He thought he heard the sergeant's cotton robe rustle as he went back to his corner. No, it wasn't Hoong's clothes! The sound came from behind him, he now heard it quite distinctly. It was a slithering sound, as if of silk. Someone was coming up behind him. He quickly searched the faces of the three men opposite, but realized at the same time that they could not see beyond him. His own face was just inside the light circle, the rest must be only a mass of black shadows to them. He would have to be quick.

'Well,' he resumed, 'for the moment I won't dwell on that curious oversight of the murderer. I shall mention another fact that is even more important. The murderer employed as henchman the vagrant student Sia Kwang, and Sia talked too much when in his cups. I have traced a vaga­bond who used to drink with Sia. That man said that Sia's principal employed also another helper. But of a quite differ­ent type. He . . .'

Again Judge Dee heard the slithering sound, now quite near. His muscles grew tense. He had counted on the danger coming from the right, where he could half see an attacker and defend himself. But now someone was breathing directly behind him.

The three men had noticed the sudden change that had come over Judge Dee's face. Pien brought out in a strangled voice: 'What's the matter, sir? Why —'

A loud thunderclap made him give a violent start.

It flashed through Judge Dee's mind that he had better jump up now and grab the intruder who was standing behind him. But no, that person's mere presence was no proof of his guilt. He could say that he had not wanted to disturb the conference, and that he therefore . . . Some­thing was stirring in his sleeve. No, he had to go on as planned. Perspiration was streaming down his face but he did not notice it. He spoke in a voice he hardly recognized as his own:

'That third man was a well-known citizen. Yet he was not only concerned in the murder of Tong Mai, he was also directly responsible for the strangling of the old procuress. She was strangled from behind, her weak, white hand clutched in vain at the silk cutting her throat. She died a violent death, only a few hours ago. If her ghost walks among us now, it . . .'

Suddenly he uttered a suppressed cry. Sitting up in his chair, he stared with wide eyes over the heads of the three men opposite and shouted at the sergeant the pre-arranged question:

'Who is standing there behind you, Hoong?'

Dr Pien turned round in his chair abruptly, Kou and Kwang looked behind them with choked curses. Sergeant Hoong had jumped up, now he came running towards them, wildly waving his arms. Judge Dee quickly took a bulky object from his left sleeve. Placing it on the table's edge he exclaimed, horrified:

'Look! Help me, for Heaven's sake!'

As the three men turned to him again, Hoong stood him­self close behind them, groping in his sleeve. At the same time Kou and Pien let out a scream of terror. Kwang moved his lips spasmodically, but no sound came forth. All three stared aghast at the white hand that seemed to be clutching at the table's edge. The red stone on the forefinger shone with a wicked gleam as the hand slowly crawled towards the candle. It was a severed hand, the wrist ended in a red, ragged stump. It changed its course, now it began making for the three men.