Judge Dee at Work

Chiao Tai nodded. He liked Bao's open, intelligent face. He turned back to the others and said to Lau, 'You'd better take the actors back to their quarters, Mr Lau. Tell them that the magis­trate is expected back here later tonight, and he'll investigate this foul murder at once. Tomorrow they'll have to attend the session of the tribunal, for the formalities. Then the boy's body will be handed back to them for burial.'

'Can I come too, Mr Chiao? Bao is a nice fellow; I'd like to do all I can to help him in this awful predicament.'

'You'll have to be there anyway!’ Ma Joong said dryly. 'You are an important witness.'

He and Chiao Tai rose and said a few comforting words to the stricken family. When Lau had taken them and the greybeard downstairs, the two friends sat down again at the window table. Silently they emptied their wine beakers. While Ma Joong was refilling them he said, 'Well, I hope that's everything. Tonight we'll put it all before the judge. It'll be a hard nut to crack, I'd say. Even for him!'

He gave his friend a thoughtful look, but Chiao Tai made no comment. He idly watched the waiter who had come upstairs with a large oil lamp. When the waiter had gone, Chiao Tai banged his beaker down and said bitterly, 'What a dirty murder! Tricking a father into killing his own son, and before his mother's eyes! You know what? We've got to get the mean bastard who did it! Here and now!’

'I agree,' Ma Joong said slowly, 'but a murder is no small mat­ter. I am not so sure that our judge would like us meddling in the investigation. One wrong move might spoil everything, you know!’

'If we do only what the judge would have ordered anyway, I don't see that we can do much harm.'

Ma Joong nodded. Then he said briskly: 'All right, I am with you! Here's luck!’ Having emptied his cup, he added with a wry smile, 'This is a chance to prove our mettle! When those worthy citizens talk to us here, butter wouldn't melt in their mouths. But behind our backs they say we are just a couple of vulgar bullies, all brawn and no brain!'

'Up to a point,' Chiao Tai said judiciously, 'they are right. We are not men of letters, after all. That's why I wouldn't dream of tackling a case involving the gentry, for instance. But this murder is just the thing for us, for all concerned are the kind of people we are familiar with.'

'Let's plan out the investigation, then!' Ma Joong growled. He refilled their beakers.

'Our judge always starts by talking about motive and opportunity,' Chiao Tai began. 'In this case, the motive is as plain as a pikestaff. Since nobody could have had anything against that poor boy, the murderer must have hated Bao. Like poison.'

'Right. And since Bao is here in Poo-yang for the first time, our suspects are narrowed down to the people who have been in close contact with him and his troupe these last few days.'

'There still is the possibility that Bao met an old enemy here,' Chiao Tai objected.

'In that case Bao would have told us about him at once,' Ma Joong said. He thought hard for a while. 'I am not too sure that nobody could have had anything against the boy, you know. Youngsters like that have a knack of turning up in the most un­expected places; he could have seen or heard something he shouldn't have. Someone wanted to close the boy's mouth, and the sword-trick was a godsend.'

'Yes,' Chiao Tai admitted. 'Heavens, there are too many possi­bilities!' He sipped his wine, then frowned and put his beaker down. 'This stuff tastes funny!' he remarked astonished.

'It's the same we had before, but it doesn't taste right to me either! Tell you what, brother! Wine is only good when you are happy and carefree! You can't do real drinking with problems weighing on your mind!'

'That's why our judge is always sipping tea then, the poor sap!’ Chiao Tai scowled at the wine jar, then grabbed it and put it down on the floor, under the table. Folding his muscular arms in his sleeves, he resumed: 'As to opportunity, both Lau and Hoo were standing close to the rack, so either of them could have exchanged the swords. What about their motives?'

Ma Joong rubbed his chin. After a while he answered, 'As regards Hoo, I can think of only one. Or two, rather. Meaning Mrs Bao and her daughter. Heavens, I wouldn't mind having a go at those wenches myself! Think of the acrobatic tricks they can do! Suppose Hoo wanted either of them or both, and Bao said hands-off, and Hoo took this badly?'

'Possible. If Hoo is a degenerate, mean type of scoundrel, he might take revenge on Bao in a dirty way like this. But what about Lau?'

'Out of the question! Lau is the old-fashioned, prim type. If he engaged in extramural amorous games, he'd sneak off to some discreet brothel. He wouldn't dare start something with an actress.'

'I agree that Hoo is our best chance,' Chiao Tai said. 'I'll go along now and have a talk with him. Then I'll look up Lau too, just for the sake of completeness, so to speak. You had better go to the temple, brother, and get to know more about the general background. Our judge will want to know everything about the Bao family, I expect.'