Necklace and Calabash
- Автор: ван Гулик Роберт Ханс
- Серия: Judge Dee #15
- Язык: английский
- Жанр: Другие детективы
Электронная книга - «Necklace and Calabash». Краткое содержание книги:
Due to its proximity to the Water Palace, the summer residence of the Emperor's favorite daughter, Riverton lies within a Special Area administered by the military. To Judge Dee, returning to his district of Poo-yang, the peaceful town promises a few days' fishing and relaxation. But it is not to be. A chance meeting with a Taoist recluse, a gruesome body fished out of the river, strange guests at the Kingfisher Inn, a princess in distress--before long the judge is facing one of the most intricate and baffling mysteries of his career.
The last remark unaccountably annoyed the judge. He asked the first question that came to mind:
'Since the cashier admired your aunt so much, her eloping with another man greatly distressed him, I suppose?'
'No, he wasn't sad at all.' She pensively patted her hair. 'Rather strange, if you come to think of it.'
Judge Dee raised his eyebrows.
'Are you quite sure? Those prolonged, purely sentimental attachments often affect a man more deeply than a brief, passionate affair.'
Absolutely. Once I even caught him humming a song while he was doing the accounts.'
The judge picked up a morsel of salted vegetable, and slowly chewed it. Mrs Wei had effectively hoodwinked her young niece. The cashier had been her lover, of course. She had gone alone to the village across the mountains marked in red on the map found on Tai Min's dead body. They had agreed that the cashier would follow after a few weeks. But highwaymen had attacked him on the way and murdered him. Now his mistress must be waiting for him in Ten Miles Village, in vain. He would give these facts to Captain Siew, to be passed on to the magistrate in the neighbouring district. Everybody assumed that Tai had been murdered by robbers, but it might be much more complicated than that. 'Eh, what did you say?'
'I asked whether you were here to see a patient, sir.'
'No, I am just on a holiday. Planned to do some fishing. You must tell me where to go some time.'
'I'll do better than that! I can take you up river myself in our boat. Today I must help the maids, but tomorrow morning I'll be free.'
'That's awfully kind of you. Let's see how the weather turns out. By the way, what's your name?'
'I am called Fern, sir.'
'Well, Fern, I mustn't keep you from your duties. Thanks very much!’
He ate his dinner with gusto. When he had finished, he slowly drank a cup of strong tea, then leaned back in his chair, in a pleasant, relaxed mood. In the room below someone was playing a moon-guitar. The lilting melody, faintly heard, stressed the silence of the rest of the inn. The judge listened for a while to the melody that seemed vaguely familiar. When the music stopped he sat up.
He decided that his worries about Captain Siew and his motives must be ascribed to the fact that he was tired after the long ride through the forest. Why shouldn't the captain be genuinely interested in an outsider's views on the local situation? And as to the elaborate arrangement of his alias, well, he knew that secret service people always took delight in such details. He would be just as thorough himself now! With a smile he got up and went to the wall-table. Opening the lacquered box that contained writing material, he selected a sheet of good red paper, folded it, and tore it into six oblong pieces. He moistened the writing-brush and inscribed each of the improvised visiting-cards in large letters with his new name 'Doctor Liang Mou'. Having put those in his sleeve, he picked up his sword and his calabash and went downstairs. He felt like taking a look at the town.
In the hall Mr Wei was standing at the counter, talking in undertones with the clerk. The innkeeper quickly came to meet the judge. After having made a low bow he said in his hoarse voice:
'I am Wei Cheng, the owner of this inn, Doctor. There was a messenger here for you just now, sir. Since he didn't give his name, I told him to wait outside. I was just going to send my clerk up to tell you.'
Judge Dee smiled inwardly. This had to be a message from Captain Siew. He found his boots standing amongst the other footwear by the door, stepped into them and went out. Dressed in a black jacket and wide black trousers a tall man with crossed arms was leaning against a pillar. Both his jacket and his round cap had red borders.
'I am Doctor Liang. What can I do for you?'
'A sick person wants to consult you, Doctor,' the other replied curtly. 'Over there in the palankeen.'
Reflecting that the captain's message must be very secret indeed, the judge followed the man to the large, black-curtained palankeen a little farther down the street. The six bearers squatting with their backs against the wall rose at once. They wore the same dress as their foreman. Judge Dee drew the door-curtain aside. Then he stood stock still. He found himself face to face with a young woman. She wore a long black mantle with a black hood that set off the pallor of her comely but haughty face.
'I ... I must inform you that I don't deal with women's diseases,' he muttered. 'Therefore I advise you to consult ...'
'Step inside and I'll explain,' she cut him short. She moved over to make room for him. As soon as the judge had sat down on the narrow bench, the door-curtain was drawn close from the outside. The bearers lifted the shafts on their shoulders and went off at a quick trot.
IV
'What does this nonsense mean?' Judge Dee asked coldly.
'It means that my mother wants to see you,' the girl snapped. 'Her name is Hydrangea; she is the Chief Lady-in-waiting of Her Highness.'
'Is your mother ill?'
'Wait till we are out in the forest.'
The judge decided to wait till he knew more about her mysterious errand before putting this forward young lady in her place. The bearers were slackening their pace. Now it was very still outside.
After about a quarter of an hour, the girl suddenly pulled the window-curtain open. They were moving along a forest road, lined by tall pine trees. The girl took off the hood with a careless gesture. Her hair was done up in a simple but elegant coiffure, with a gold filigreed comb in front. Her small, slightly uptilted nose gave her face a pert expression. Turning to the judge, she said in the same peremptory voice:
'I must tell you here and now that I don't know what all this is about! I am just following instructions. So you needn't bother me with questions.' She groped under the bench and came up with a flat box of red-lacquered pigskin, the sort that doctors use to carry their prescriptions. Putting it on her lap, she resumed, 'In this box you'll find a package of prescription blanks, a dozen of your name-cards, and ...'
'I have prepared cards myself, thank you,' Judge Dee said curtly.
'Never mind. There are also some plasters and six folders containing a quite innocent powder. Have you ever been to the town of Wan-hsiang, eighty miles upriver?'
'I passed through there once.'
'Good. Behind the Temple of the War God lives the Honourable Kuo, retired secretary of the Palace Archives. He knew you from the capital, and he summoned you last week because he is suffering from asthma. Now you are on your way back to the capital. Can you remember all that?'
'I'll try,' the judge replied dryly.
'The Honourable Kuo wrote to my mother that you would be passing through here, so she had you called for a consultation. She suffers from asthma too, and yesterday she had a bad attack.' She darted a quick look at him and asked, annoyed, 'Why do you carry a sword? It'll make a bad impression. Put it under the bench!’
Judge Dee slowly unstrapped the sword. He knew that outsiders were not allowed to enter any palace armed.
After they had been carried along through the silent forest for some time, the road broadened. They passed under a double-arched stone portal of massive structure, then crossed a broad marble bridge with elaborately carved balustrades. On the other side of the moat loomed the high double-gate of the Water Palace. The girl pulled the window-curtain close. The judge heard shouted commands, and the palankeen stopped abruptly. The foreman of the bearers exchanged a few whispered words with the sentries; then they were carried up a flight of stairs. The grating sounds of bolts being drawn and chains released indicated that the gate was being thrown open. More shouted orders, and the palankeen was carried ahead for some distance, then lowered to the ground. The door- and window-curtains on both sides of the palankeen were drawn aside at the same moment. The glaring light that fell inside temporarily blinded Judge Dee's eyes. When he opened them he was looking at the face of a sergeant of the guard, close by the window. Behind him stood six guardsmen in their gilt armour, drawn swords in their hands. The sergeant told the girl curtly: