The Willow Pattern
- Автор: ван Гулик Роберт Ханс
- Серия: Judge Dee #11
- Год: 101
- Язык: английский
- Жанр: Другие детективы
Электронная книга - «The Willow Pattern». Краткое содержание книги:
As Judge Dee copes with the administration of the plague-ridden Imperial Capital, he must also bring his skills to bear on the mystery of two seemingly unconnected murders that could mean the extinction of the city's oldest, most aristocratic families.
'Trying to make a crime too perfect is a mistake of many murderers, Tao Gan. They will try to lead investigators astray by adding superfluous details, not realizing that it's exactly those that arouse suspicion. In this case the candle, the slipper, and the blood on the newel were quite superfluous. As you pointed out very correctly when we were standing in the hall, Tao Gan, the fall from those steep stairs would have proved fatal to an old man like Mei anyway. Anybody who would find him at the foot of the stairs with a crushed skull, would have accepted it as death by accident. It was the superfluous clues that did for them.' He nodded pensively and continued: 'Doctor Lew made that mistake twice, as a matter of fact. The second time was when I talked with him alone in the Yee mansion, after Mrs Yee's suicide. I then asked Lew whether Mrs Mei was an ex-courtesan. Mr Fang had told me already that she had indeed been a courtesan, and I asked Lew only in order to make him talk about her, so as to find out more about their relationship. For I then had only a very vague feeling that there was something wrong with Mr Mei's accident. Lew could just have replied that he did not know anything about Mrs Mei's antecedents — which would have left me exactly where I was. When, however, he emphatically denied that she was an ex-courtesan, and told me a cock and bull story about her belonging to an old and distinguished family, and having married old Mei against her father's will, I understood that he knew everything about her real past. His telling me a perfectly superfluous string of lies suggested that he wanted to protect her against being suspected of the crime that comes to mind first in the case of a married ex-courtesan, namely, that of adultery. Thus Lew's lies gave substance to my vague doubts, and I started to ...' He broke off and looked round.
The door had burst open and Ma Joong came rushing inside.
'Bluewhite is in the Chancery, sir! She says she absolutely must speak to you.'
Judge Dee darted a quick glance at his excited lieutenant.
'I would certainly like to make her acquaintance,' he said calmly. 'However, there's no time now. We must proceed to the tribunal at once. We are late, and Chiao Tai is waiting for us there.'
'She said it's terribly important, sir!' Ma Joong protested.
'Tell her to wait, then. Come along!'
The judge descended the stairs, followed by his two lieutenants. While passing the chancery on the ground floor, Ma Joong slipped inside.
He rejoined Judge Dee and Tao Gan when they were about to ascend the sedan chair, in front of the gatehouse.
'I told her to wait, sir,' he reported with a crestfallen look. 'She seemed very angry. And she refused to tell me what it was all about.'
'She is a very independent young woman,' Judge Dee said and climbed into the sedan chair. When they were being carried away, he asked:
'What about those scavengers, Ma Joong?'
His tall lieutenant clasped his hand to his forehead.
'I clean forgot to tell you!’ he exclaimed, annoyed at himself. All went well, sir. Our men arrested about sixty of them. It turned out that there were only two ringleaders, an ex-chief of a robber band and a renegade Taoist priest. They had been planning to organize a popular uprising, under the guise of a religious, anti-government movement. They wanted to take over the old city, plunder to their heart's delight, then clear out with the loot. The two ringleaders will be beheaded tonight. The others we let go, after a dressing-down they'll remember for a long time to come! To my great regret, sir, I have to report that Doctor Lew did not know about the plot. Guess why he frequented the scoundrels, sir! Just because he wanted them to inform him if they came upon a corpse that showed unusual symptoms of the sickness! I can't make out the bastard at all!'
'I had Lew arrested one hour ago.' the judge told him. Then he gave Ma Joong an account of what he had discovered in the Mei residence. When he had finished, he looked anxiously up at the sky. Shaking his head dubiously, he said:
'I still think the clouds are less stationary than before. And the air is even more humid than at noon. I still haven't given up hope that the rain will come, at last.'
They descended from the chair in front of the high gate of the military tribunal. Since martial law had been declared in the capital, all criminal cases had to be dealt with here instead of in the Municipal Tribunal or in Judge Dee's own High Court. The guards presented arms and a captain in full dress led the judge to the reception room. Chiao Tai came to meet them.
After he had invited the judge to be seated at the simple tea table, Chiao Tai presented to him the captain who would look after the court procedure. While the judge was sipping his tea, the captain explained all the details respectfully. By and large the procedure was the same as that followed in a civilian court, but greatly simplified. It was about eleven when Chiao Tai and Ma Joong led the judge and Tao Gan to the court.
The large hall was lit by torches, military fashion. Against the back wall stood rows of long halberds, peaks and spears, and in front of them was a raised platform with the bench: a high table covered by a piece of scarlet cloth. To the left and right stood a dozen military police with drawn swords. In the comer two orderlies were seated face to face at a small table littered with rolls of blank paper and writing instruments. They would act as scribes, noting down the proceedings verbatim.
Chiao Tai took the judge up to the platform, and pulled out the high armchair behind the bench. The judge seated himself, and Chiao Tai stood himself at Judge Dee's right side, Ma Joong on his left. Tao Gan sat down on the stool at the end of the bench.
Chiao Tai barked an order at the captain. He advanced in front of the bench, saluted and announced:
'Everything is ready, sir!'
Judge Dee took the gavel.
As Emergency Governor of the Imperial capital, I herewith declare the session open.' He rapped the gavel. 'This court shall deal with the murder of Mr Mei Liang, a merchant of this city. I shall first hear the accused, Doctor Lew. Have him led before me, Captain!'
The captain gave an order to the military police. Two soldiers marched off through the arched door opening on the left.
Judge Dee inspected the forms that lay before him. They were blanks made especially for the emergency. Since each sheet bore already the impression of the large red Imperial seal countersigned by the Prime Minister, each leaf was carefully numbered. Ordinarily every capital sentence pronounced in the empire had to be submitted to the Grand Council, then to the Emperor himself for the final approval. Now, however, the emergency rules allowed summary justice.
The two soldiers led Doctor Lew before the bench. After he had knelt, the judge spoke:
'Doctor Lew, you have delivered false testimony twice. First when you stated that Mr Mei had died at or about ten o'clock in the evening, and the second time when you stated that Mrs Mei had not been a courtesan, but belonged to a distinguished family. Why did you make those statements, knowing full well that they were false? You stand accused oн being concerned in the murder of Mr Mei, and I advise you to tell the truth and nothing but the truth.' Doctor Lew raised his head. He was pale, but his voice was firm when he replied:
This person denies emphatically having been concerned in the murder of Mr Mei, but he confesses that he did give your lordship wrong information. I was foolish enough to believe the fancy tale Mrs Mei foisted on me. I was fully aware of the fact that she had been a courtesan, but I believed that she was an honest woman regardless, and genuinely in love with her husband, and——' The judge rapped his gavel.
'I want an orderly statement. You have said that on the night in question you had dinner with Mr Mei, and that Mrs Mei attended upon you both. Begin from there!'
'After I had taken leave of Mr Mei, I went indeed to the housemaster's room, my lord. After I had given him the medicine, however, I decided there was nothing to worry about, and I went home.'