Judge Dee at Work

The spacious reception hall was very bright. The wall-candles had all been lit, and on the desk in the centre stood two large candelabras of wrought silver. Bao, his wife and his daughter, and the old musician, were seated on chairs in front of the desk. Hoo stood between two constables on the left; Lau on the opposite side, also flanked by two constables. The senior scribe and his two assistants sat at a smaller table. The actors and the prisoners studiously ignored each other; all were staring straight ahead. The hall was deadly quiet.

Suddenly the double-doors were pushed open by the headman of the constables. Judge Dee entered, followed by Ma Joong and Chiao Tai. The judge was clad in a plain, dark-grey robe, and wore a small black skull-cap on his head. All bowed deeply as he went to the desk and sat down in the large armchair of carved ebony. His two lieutenants stood on either side of him.

Judge Dee first surveyed the two prisoners, the sullen Hoo and the prim, rather fussy Lau. He thought that his two lieu­tenants had described these two men very accurately. Then he silently studied the three actors. Noticing how wan and tired they looked, he thought of the long and heavy day they had behind them, and he felt some compunction about playing on their emotions, as he intended to do. He sighed, then cleared his throat and spoke in an even tone:

'Before I question the two prisoners, I first want to establish the exact family-relationship that links those present here with the dead boy.' Looking fixedly at Mrs Bao, he went on: 'I am informed, Mrs Bao, that the boy was your illegitimate child. Is that correct?'

'Yes, Your Honour,' she replied in a voice that sounded very tired.

'Why didn't you take the child to you until it was eight years old?'

'Because I hesitated to tell my husband, and because the father had promised to take care of it. At one time I thought I loved the man, sir; because of him I left my husband for more than a year. The man had told me that his wife was mortally ill, and that after her death he would marry me. But after I had found out what a mean person he really was, I broke off relations. I didn't meet him again until, half a year ago, I ran into him when we were performing in the capital. He wanted to renew our rela­tionship, and when I said no, he said in that case there was no reason why he should pay any longer for the boy. Then I told my husband everything.' She gave the actor by her side an affec­tionate look and went on: 'Understanding man as he is, he didn't scold me. He said that the boy was just what he needed to com­plete our troupe, and that he would make a good acrobat out of him. And he did indeed! People look down on our profession, sir, but my husband and I take pride in it. My husband loved the boy as if he were his own son, he ...'

She bit her twitching lips. After a brief pause Judge Dee asked: 'Did you tell your husband who your lover was?'

'No, Your Honour. The man treated me shabbily, but I saw no reason why I should ruin his reputation. Neither do I see a reason for doing so now. And my husband never asked me.'

'I see,' the judge said. The woman's frank statement bore the hallmark of truth. Now he knew who had murdered the boy. And also the motive: the boy had had to be silenced, as Ma Joong had correctly supposed at the very beginning. But thereafter his lieutenant had failed to apply this theory to the facts that had come to light. Tugging at his moustache, the judge reflected rue­fully that although he now knew who had exchanged the swords, there wasn't a shred of evidence. If he didn't act quickly, he would never be able to prove who committed the crime. He must make the criminal confess here and now, before he had time to realize the full implications of Mrs Bao's statement. He curtly told the headman: 'Bring the accused Lau before me!'

When the rice-dealer was standing in front of the desk, Judge Dee addressed him harshly: 'Lau, here in Poo-yang you have carefully built up a reputation as an honest rice-dealer and a man of impeccable morals, but I know all about your activities in Woo-yee. You tried to deceive your own guild, and you kept a mistress there. Hoo Ta-ma supplied additional details. I advise you to answer my questions truthfully! Speak up, do you admit that it was you who had a liaison with Mrs Bao, eight years ago?'

'I do,' Lau replied in an unsteady voice. 'I beg Your Honour to ...'

There was a strangled cry. Miss Bao had risen from her chair. Clenching her hands, she stared at Lau with wide, burning eyes. He stepped back, muttering something. Suddenly she screamed:

'You unspeakable cad! May heaven and hell curse me for foolishly believing your string of lies! Played the same trick on my mother, eh? And to think that because I was a credulous fool, was afraid, afraid that the brat would tell you about my meeting Hoo, I put the wrong sword on top! I'll kill you too, you ...'