The Emperor's Pearl

The woman turned round and pointed to a tall, gnarled pine tree.

'Remember this tree,' she said. 'On your way back you turn to the left here, and keep to the left.'

She took a footpath, overgrown with weeds. She seemed to be completely familiar with it, but the judge had diffi­culty in keeping up with her without stumbling on the uneven ground. To gain time for a brief rest he asked:

'Why was this property deserted?'

'Because they thought it was haunted. It borders on the Mandrake Grove, and you heard what that fool of a barber said. Are you a coward?'

'Not more than most.'

'Good. Keep quiet then, we are nearly there.'

After what seemed to him an interminable walk she stood still. She laid her hand on his arm and pointed ahead. The treetops were farther apart there; he saw in the bleak moon­light a gatehouse of weatherbeaten bricks. On either side was a high wall. She went up the three steps that led to a heavy double door of mouldering wood, pushed it open and whispered:

'Many thanks and goodbye!'

She slipped inside.

Judge Dee turned round and walked away. But as soon as he was behind the trees again he halted. He put the lantern on the ground, tucked the slips of his long robe under his belt and rolled up his sleeves. Then he took up the lantern again and made for the gatehouse. He would locate the meeting-place of the mysterious pair, and find a corner of vantage from where he could watch them. If it were indeed a straightforward business deal he would leave at once. But, should there be any cause for suspicion, he would make his presence known, reveal his identity, and demand a full explanation.

As soon as he had gone inside, however, he realized that his task would not be as easy as he had imagined, for the country house was not built according to the usual plan. Instead of coming out on an open front courtyard, he found himself in a kind of dark tunnel. Not wanting to light the lantern, he felt his way along the moss-covered stone wall, making for the faint light that shimmered ahead.

Having passed through the tunnel, he came out on a large, neglected yard. Weeds grew among the broken stone paving. On the other side loomed the dark mass of the main building, its partly caved-in rooftops outlined against the moonlit sky. He crossed the yard, then stopped. He thought he had heard a vague noise on his right, where a narrow door opening seemed to lead to the east wing. He quickly passed through it and listened. Voices were coming from a square pavilion raised on a base about four feet high, on the other side of a small, walled-in garden, overgrown with weeds. The walls and roof of the pavilion were in a better state of repair than the rest of the compound. The door was tightly closed, and the single window shuttered. The voices came through the open transom over the entrance. Judge Dee quickly studied the situation. The outer wall on his left was only four feet high, beyond it rose the tall trees of the dark forest. The wall on his right was higher. He thought that if he climbed on top he would be able to hear and see what was going on inside through the open transom.

He selected a spot where the crumbling bricks offered a fairly easy ascent. But, when he was crouching on top of the wall, the moon was clouded over and everything became pitch dark. He crept towards the pavilion as quickly as he dared. He heard the woman say:

'I won't tell you anything until I know why you are here.'

There was an oath, then the sounds of a scuffle. The woman cried:

'Keep your hands off, I tell you!'

At that moment part of the wall gave way under Judge Dee's weight. While he steadied himself with difficulty, a mass of bricks crashed down into the rubble below. As he was groping among the broken bricks for a hold to let him­self down, he suddenly heard the woman scream. Then there was the sound of a door being opened, and of hurried foot­steps. He let himself drop among the shrubs at the foot of the wall and shouted:

'Stay where you are, my men have surrounded the house!'

It was the best he could think of, but it was evidently not good enough. As he scrambled up he heard the sound of breaking branches far ahead, near the gatehouse. The fugi­tive was escaping into the wood.

The judge looked at the pavilion. Through the half-open door he could see part of the interior, lit by a single candle. The woman in black was lying on the floor.

He stumbled through the weeds and rushed up the stone steps. He halted in the door opening. She was lying on her back, the hilt of a dagger sticking up from her breast. He quickly squatted down by her side and intently studied the still face. She was dead.

'She paid me to protect her, and I let her be murdered!' he muttered angrily.

Apparently she had tried to defend herself, for a long thin knife was clasped in her right hand. The blade was stained with blood, and a trail of red drops led across the floor to the door.

He put his hand into her sleeve. The package with the gold bars was gone. There were only two handkerchiefs, and a receipted bill made out to 'The Amber Lady, the Hon'ble Kou Yuan-liang's mansion'. Judge Dee looked again at the still, pale face. He remembered having heard people say that Kou's First Lady had been suffering for years from an in­curable disease and that Kou had taken unto him a beautiful young woman and installed her as his Second Lady. This must be she. That fool of a Kou had sent her here all alone to purchase some valuable antique for his collection! But it had been a trap, to steal the gold.