The Red Pavilion

Tao shook his head disconsolately.

'I couldn't, Your Honour. I only remember it was rather a tall person, and clad in a red robe. I have tried to verify whether someone wearing such a robe has been seen at the time in or near the Hostel of Eternal Bliss, but in vain.'

'Red. is rarely worn by men,' Judge Dee remarked pensively, 'and decent girls wear a red dress only once, and that is on their wedding day. One would conclude, therefore, that the third person in that room was a courtesan.'

'That's what I thought too, sir! I did my utmost to find out whether Green Jade had sometimes worn a red dress. But nobody had ever seen her wearing red, she preferred green, because of her name -'

Tao fell silent. He pulled at his short moustache, then went on:

'I would have left this island long ago, were it not that I know I shan't be able to find rest anywhere as long as this riddle has not been solved. I also feel that, by continuing the business which my father built up here, I am fulfilling at least part of my filial duty. But I find life here very difficult, sir. Feng is always so kind to me, and his . . .' He suddenly broke off. Giving the judge a quick look, he continued: 'You'll now understand that I can't claim any merit for my literary hobbies; they are only an attempt at escape, sir. An escape from a reality that bewilders, and often frightens me . . .'

He averted his eyes, evidently he kept himself under control with difficulty. In order to change the subject, Judge Dee asked:

'Have you any idea who could have hated the present Queen Flower, Autumn Moon, deeply enough to want to murder her?' Tao shook his head. He answered:

'I take no part in the hectic night life here, sir, and I have met the Queen Flower only at official functions. She impressed me as being a shallow and fickle woman, but nearly all of the courtesans are that way, or have become so because of their unfortunate profession. She was popular, and attended some party or other practically every night. I have heard that, until she was chosen Queen Flower a few months ago, she was rather liberal with her favours. Afterwards, however, she would sleep only with special patrons, distinguished and wealthy persons, and they had to court her assiduously before she consented. None of those affairs developed into a regular liaison, as far as I know, and I never heard that anybody offered to redeem her. I presume that her sharp tongue deterred her clients. The Academician seems to have been the first to offer to buy her out. If someone hated her, the reason must lie in the past. Before she came to the island, at any rate.'

'I see. Well, I won't detain you any longer, Mr Tao. I'll just stay here a while to finish my tea. Please tell Mr Feng that I'll come to his office presently.'

A MEETING IN A GARDEN PAVILION

As soon as Tao was out of earshot, the judge sprang up and looked behind the screen. The slightly built girl standing there uttered a suppressed cry. She glanced wildly about her, then turned to the flight of steps that led down into the shrubbery at the back of the pavilion. Judge Dee grabbed her arm and pulled her back. He asked sternly:

'Who are you, and why were you eavesdropping?'

She bit her lips and looked up angrily at the judge. She had a regular, intelligent face, with large expressive eyes and long, curved eyebrows. She wore her hair combed straight back, gathered in a chignon at her neck. Her black damask robe was of simple style, but it went very well with her slender, shapely figure. The only ornaments she wore were two ear-pendants of green jade, and she carried a long, red scarf round her shoulders. She shook Judge Dee's hand from her arm and burst out:

'That hateful, despicable man Tao! How dare he slander my father! I hate him!'

She stamped her small foot on the floor.

'Calm yourself, Miss Feng!' Judge Dee said curtly. 'Sit down and have a cup of tea.'

'I won't!' she snapped. 'I only want to tell you, once and for all, that my father had nothing to do with the death of that Tao Kwang. Absolutely nothing, do you hear? No matter what that loathsome old toad of a curio-dealer may say. And tell Tao that I never want to see him again, never! And that I love Kia Yu-po, and that I am going to marry him as soon as I can, and without Tao or any other middleman! That's all!'

'Quite a tall order!' the judge said mildly. 'I wager that you gave the Academician a good tongue-lashing!'

She had been turning to go, but now she stood stock still. Fixing the judge with blazing eyes, she asked sharply:

'What do you mean by that?'

'Well,' Judge Dee said soothingly, 'the collision on the river was the fault of the Academician's boatmen, and it delayed your coming home one whole night, didn't it? Seeing that you are not burdened by an excessive amount of shyness, I imagine that you gave him a good piece of your mind.' She tossed her head back and said contemptuously: 'You are completely wrong! Mr Lee apologized like a gentleman, and I accepted his apologies.'

She rushed down the front steps and disappeared among the flowering oleander shrubs.

X

Judge Dee sat down again and slowly emptied his tea cup. Gradually he was getting an interesting insight into the relations of all these people. But it didn't help much in solving any of his problems.

He rose with a sigh and strolled back to the warden's office.

Feng Dai was waiting there for him, together with Ma Joong. Feng conducted them ceremoniously to the palankeen.

When they were being carried away, Ma Joong said:

'That old curio-dealer lied, of course, when he said at the session that he went home straight from the banquet—that we knew already. But the rest of his statement fits more or less, I am sorry to say! Commissioner Hwang told me that he had indeed an appointment with Wen, for this evening, he thought. But now that Wen maintains that it was for last night, Hwang admits that he may have been wrong. So that is Wen. As to Kia Yu-po, his statement was a bit sketchy, so to speak. The old hag in charge of the courtesan's dressing-room didn't have at all the impression that Kia entered there by mistake. For the first thing he asked was whether Autumn Moon and Silver Fairy were there. When she replied that they had left together, he turned round and rushed out without another word. The manager of the inn Kia is staying in—that small hostel next door to ours—told me that he happened to see Kia pass by when he was standing in front of his door, about half an hour or so before midnight that was. He had expected Kia to turn in, but the fellow walked on and entered the alley to the left of the hostel. And that alley leads to the pavilion of the Queen Flower—now deceased. Kia came back home towards midnight, the manager said.'

'Curious story!' Judge Dee remarked. Then he told Ma Joong what Tao Pan-te had said about his father's alleged murder, and his suspicions of Feng Dai. Ma Joong doubtfully shook his large head.

'It'll take some time to sort all that out!' he said.

The judge made no comment. He remained deep in thought the rest of the way.

When they had stepped down from the palankeen in front of the Hostel of Eternal Bliss and were entering the hall, the portly innkeeper came up to Ma Joong and said, rather doubtfully:

'Two eh . . . gentlemen would like to have a word with you, Mr Ma. They are waiting in the kitchen. It's about salted fish, they said.'

For a moment Ma Joong stared at him, dumbfounded. Then he suddenly grinned broadly. He asked the judge:

'May I go and hear what they have to say, sir?'

'By all means. There's a point I want to verify with our host here. Come to the Red Pavilion when you are through.'

While Judge Dee beckoned the innkeeper, a waiter took Ma Joong to the kitchen.