by M J Lee
‘They were from the second wife. Mr Lee married first when he was fifteen. But it didn’t work out. She didn’t produce any grandchildren, his parents forced him to remarry.’
‘It was the second wife that was killed three nights ago?’
‘The second wife and the children, Nu Nu and David.’
She pronounced the second name strangely. Strachan had to ask her twice what she meant.
‘Where is the first wife?’
‘Still in the old house on Canton Road. She stayed there after Mr Lee decided he didn’t want to be with her any more. He preferred living with the second wife and the children.’
‘So you moved here?’
‘Somebody has to take care of the young ones.’ She stopped for a moment and her eyes began to cloud with tears as she realised what she had said.
‘Ask her to continue, Strachan.’
She wiped her face with the back of her sleeve. ‘I miss the old neighbourhood. The soybean seller was just down the alley and everything was close. But Mr Lee said he got a good deal on this new house and we moved here a month ago. It’s not the same. No shops nearby and it’s such a long walk to get good soybean milk for the children. But she didn’t care. Said it was “modern”. Not like the first wife at all. The second one had lots of strange ideas.’
‘What happened to the first wife?’
‘As I said, she stayed in the old house. She used to see Mr Lee sometimes. The meetings weren’t good, ending with both of them shouting at each other. Arguing about money. Always about money.’
‘Why?’
‘She wanted more than he gave her. She even came here.’
‘When was that?’
‘About a week before the...’
‘Evening?’ said Danilov. Strachan translated the word. The maid sniffed loudly and began to sob.
‘...the evening. They had another fight. This time, the second wife joined in. Terrible things she said.’
‘Like what?’
‘She was screaming so loud I could hear everything. She called her a barren, shrivelled hag. Well, the first wife didn’t like that. She shouted and screamed. There was a loud crash. She had thrown a flower pot at Mr Lee. Anyway, after that, the door slammed and I came downstairs. Mr Lee was upset and angry. I’d never seen him like that before. He ordered me never to admit the first wife into the house again.’
‘What happened next?’
‘She came again three days later. I did as I was told and said that nobody was at home. She was angry and said she would go to where Mr Lee worked.’
‘Did she?’
‘I don’t know. Mr Lee didn’t tell me.’
Inspector Danilov thought for a moment, putting a finger to his lips as he did so as if asking someone to keep quiet. ‘Let’s turn to the night of the...incident. Can you tell us what happened?’
The maid was silent, looking down at her feet for a long time before inhaling and starting to speak. Strachan asked her to speak up and translated again.
‘I was in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner. The second wife was always so particular about being clean. I’d finished and went upstairs to put some bedding in the closet on the first floor.’
‘That must have been the linen you spotted, sir,’ interjected Strachan.
Danilov waved his hand as if it were of no consequence he was the one who had noticed the door was open and newly ironed bed sheets on the floor. ‘Carry on. What happened that night?’
‘Well, I was in the closet, putting the clean bedsheets on the shelf. She liked her clean bedsheets did the second wife. They were getting ready to go out...’
‘Did they often go out in the evening?’
‘Quite a lot. They both liked to go to the tea houses to listen to opera. I think Mei Lan Fang was singing that night. They didn’t want to miss him.’
‘So they were getting ready?’
‘There was a knock on the door. But before I could go down to answer it, David said he would get it.’
‘Who’s David?’
‘The boy. A lovely young boy. Will grow up to be a real ladies’ man that one.’ As she realised what she had said, her eyes filled with tears. Strachan started to hand her a handkerchief but was stopped by Inspector Danilov and he gave her one of his, laundered by his daughter.
‘Please continue, Madam.’
The maid shook her shoulders and sniffed loudly, before continuing in a soft voice. ‘It went quiet and I heard a shout from the second wife and her steps running up the stairs. I thought she was calling to me, so I dropped the bedsheets. Before I could leave the closet, there was a loud bang. I rushed out into the hallway and saw a man in the hall. Strange smelling smoke filled the staircase. Like the smell at Chinese New Year after the firecrackers have exploded. I saw the second wife lying on the landing below me. She wasn’t moving, just stretched out on the landing. I heard two men’s voices, they were shouting to each other. But I didn’t understand what they were saying.’
‘Why?’
‘It wasn’t Chinese.’
‘What happened then?’
‘I was going to run down and check on the second wife, but there were footsteps on the stairs. They were coming up to me. I saw a hand holding a gun. Black it was, and dark, and the end of the gun was smoking.’
‘What did you do?’
‘I rushed back to the closet and hid there.’
‘Did you close the door?’
‘Yes, there was a crack near the hinges. Mr Lee had been meaning to fix it but...’ She stopped speaking.
‘And then what happened?’ said Danilov softly.
‘I held my breath and looked through the crack. Somebody walked past me. A short, thin man. I didn’t see his face, but I thought he was Chinese. I didn’t dare breathe in case they heard me. Then I could see another man, a foreigner. He stopped right in front of me. He was going to open the closet, my closet. But he seemed to just stop and listen for a moment.’
‘What did he look like?’
‘Like a foreigner. With a big nose and a white face. Strange coloured hair, like a kumquat at Chinese New Year.’
Danilov looked at Strachan. ‘Ask her to continue.’
She sniffed once more then carried on with her story. ‘The other man joined him. A Chinese man, I think.’
‘Can you remember his appearance?’
‘Not really, he was small, mouse-like. He had his back to me all the time. The white man said something. They were going to open the door of my closet. I looked for somewhere to hide, but there was nowhere. The door began to open. Then there was the sound of someone running upstairs. It must have been Mr Lee. They shouted in the foreign words again. They both ran up the stairs after Mr Lee and I couldn’t see any more. A door slammed. There was the sound of banging. And...’
‘And?’
‘And then I heard two more loud bangs. I ran to the back of the closet and buried myself under the sheets. I didn’t want to hear any more. I didn’t want to see any more.’
‘But you did, didn’t you?’ said Danilov.
She nodded.
‘What happened?’
‘There was tapping like somebody was knocking on the wall or the door. Then more steps on the stairs. The door to Nu Nu’s room opened. Both men were whispering to each other. It seemed to last for a long time and then there was another loud bang.’ She began crying, squeezing the words out between her sobs. ‘They shot Nu Nu in her bed.’
Inspector Danilov let her cry. He sat patiently as Strachan comforted her. When she had quietened down, he spoke in a calm voice. ‘How long did you stay in the closet?’
‘Not long. I was so scared. I listened but couldn’t hear anything. I slowly opened the closet door and I came out. The second wife was still lying on the landing. Blood was all over the wall and the floor. I rushed to Nu Nu’s room. She was lying there, blood everywhere. I got scared and ran down the stairs and out of the kitchen. I ran and ran and ran. I had to get away from there, don’
t you see?’
‘When did you come back?’
‘It must have been about four in the morning. I had nowhere to stay and no money. I went to the Lees’ house, but I couldn’t stay there. Ah Yen put me up. Ive been here ever since. Going home tomorrow. I can’t stand it any more.’
‘Can’t stand what?’
‘The noises. I keep hearing them next door. It’s the ghosts of Mr and Mrs Lee trying to get out, I know it is. They want to leave the house. Ah Yen hears them too.’
‘When did you hear the noises?’
‘Last night when Miss Chong went out. I was trying to sleep but…’
Strachan turned back to the Inspector. ‘I don’t think it was our men, sir. We finished yesterday afternoon.’
Danilov nodded. ‘Have you been back to the house?’
‘Once. I had to get some clothes...’
‘You have a key?’
‘For the back door.’
‘Can you give it to me?’ Danilov held out his hand. She reached into her black cotton top and produced a key from an inside pocket. He took it from her. ‘We need to check next door, Strachan. Come with me.’
Chapter 59
When they entered the house, the damage was evident immediately. In the kitchen, all the pantry doors were open, flour was strewn all over the floor, knives, bowls and chopsticks were thrown in a heap. Every drawer lay open and upturned on the floor, the contents lying in a pile.
Danilov and Strachan stepped over all the rubbish.
‘I can’t believe our men left such a mess, sir.’
‘I’m sure they didn’t, Strachan. Somebody else has been here looking for something, I should imagine.’
Strachan drew out his service revolver. A Webley Mark 2. Danilov just stood there and listened.
‘I think our burglars have gone, Strachan. You can put away your revolver.’
‘If it’s all the same to you, sir, I’ll keep it in my hand. I’ll feel safer.’
‘As you wish.’
They both stepped into the hall. The same scene of disorder was repeated here. At intervals up the stairs, somebody had smashed holes in the wall.
‘There’s your knocking, Strachan. Somehow, I don’t think it was done by ghosts.’
‘No, sir. Well, not unless these ghosts had three-pound hammers in their hands.’
They went upstairs. The chaos was repeated throughout the house. Clothes littered the floor, bedsheets tossed into corners, mattresses upended. Cupboards and wardrobes open and the contents discarded like flotsam and jetsam after the sinking of a ship.
‘Whoever turned this place over did a pretty thorough job, sir. No bed was left unturned.’
‘Somebody was looking for something, Strachan.’
‘It looks like they didn’t find it, sir.’
‘No, I don’t think they did. But whatever it was, it was valuable.’
‘The house is no mansion, sir. The Lees were comfortable, but I don’t think they were that rich.’
‘I don’t believe these men were after money, Strachan. They were looking for something far more valuable.’
‘What’s that, sir?’
‘I have an idea, Strachan. It’s the only thing that makes sense. Can you get the constable at the front to join us?’
Strachan ran down the stairs.
Danilov walked to the closet on the stairs and opened the door. The sheets were strewn everywhere. He stepped inside and closed the door. Bringing his eye to the crack next to the hinge, he stared out. He could only see the stair and a small piece of the opposite wall. But it was enough to confirm the maid had told the truth. She had hidden here when the murders were committed.
‘Inspector.’ Danilov heard Strachan’s voice shouting up at him.
He left the closet and stepped into view on the landing.
‘Constable Chen, sir.’
‘You said nobody had been here. Look around you, man.’
The constable stared at the chaos and disorder in the house.
‘But I swear nobody was here,’ he stammered, ‘I’ve stood outside every day. Nobody entered when I was here.’
‘What time did you leave?’
‘My shift finishes at six, sir.’
‘And then?’
‘I go back to the station.’
‘Doesn’t anybody replace you?’
‘I don’t think so, sir.’
Danilov grunted and waved him away with his hand.
‘We’re not going to find anything else here, Strachan. We need to go back and talk to the maid right away. She’s not telling us everything. There’s one thing I don’t understand about this case and my gut tells me she has the answer.’ Danilov strode off in the direction of the maid’s house with Strachan trailing in his wake.
Chapter 60
‘What do you mean she’s gone?’
‘The young maid said that as soon as we went to the Lees’ house, Ah Ching packed her things and left. Talked about being “scared” and “not being safe”.’
‘She’s our only witness, Strachan. We need to find her.’
‘I’ll get on it right away, sir.’
Danilov pinched his bottom lip with his fingers. ‘I wonder if the killers are looking for her too, Strachan. She’s the only person that saw both of them.’
‘But she only saw the Westerner, sir.’
‘They don’t know that. If I were them, I would kill our maid just as soon as I could. Once she is out of the way, we have nothing to go on.’
‘I see what you mean, sir.’
‘Find her, Strachan. If our killer gets to her first, then we’ll lose our only witness to the murders. Without her, we have nothing.’
‘I’ll find her.’
Danilov looked at his watch. ‘I’ll go back to Central. I need to talk to ballistics right away. Find her, whatever you do.’
Chapter 61
After five minutes walking around the neighbourhood, Strachan realised that he wasn’t going to find the maid. There were plenty of them to be seen, just not the one he was looking for. They were out shopping for vegetables or taking their young charges for an afternoon stroll in the fresh autumn air. Or simply standing on the corners of the lane, chatting with friends.
He realised he would never find her by just looking in the area. She had already vanished into the vast maw of unknown Shanghai, where someone, if they wished, could remain hidden forever.
He stood on the corner of the road and watched a tram go by. She could be anywhere by now. They were in the house for fifteen minutes. In that time, she could have gone anywhere.
He had to think this through. What would Danilov do in a situation like this? He would probably start rolling his tobacco. I don’t smoke, but I’ve got a brain, time to start using it.
If she had been hiding in the Chongs’, it stands to reason that she had nowhere else to go. The Lees had just moved into the area so she didn’t know anybody nearby. Therefore, he reasoned, she wasn’t in this area any more. She could have gone back to her old house. But the first wife lived there. Would she be welcome? Probably not, if she had turned the woman away last week. He was sure the first wife would hold it against her. What about friends there? She possibly had some amongst the shopkeepers and maids of the area. But, if she had, why didn’t she go there right away? Surely it would have been a safer place to hide than next to the Lees’ house.
Another tram clanked past him, ringing its bell. He glanced up at the sign on the front of it. Shanghai North Station. Where did the young maid say she came from? Wasn’t it somewhere just outside Soochow? If she were to go home, and it was a big if, she would have to get the train from Shanghai North Station to Soochow first, then take a local bus or cart to her village. She did say she was going home tomorrow. Perhaps fear had driven her to move more quickly.
The bell of the tram rang once again. The driver slipped it into gear and it edged forward. On impulse, Strachan jumped on the running board at the rear. He stood there debating w
ith himself whether to continue or get off and check with Danilov. He was sure he was right but what if he had got it completely wrong? The maid could be sitting at a tea shop just around the corner of the house. Or she could have decided to go to the first wife? Or even hide with a friend he knew nothing about?
Strachan ran through all the possibilities in his mind once again. Finally, he asked himself, what would he do in her position?
He would run to the one place where he knew he would always be welcome, safe and secure.
Home.
She was going home.
The tram slowed down as it reached its next stop. Three passengers alighted and more got on. Strachan was pushed back into the interior of the tram. After what seemed like an age, the tram began to move forward again. He wished it would move more quickly. He had to get to the station before she got on the train.
There was one problem, though. Shanghai North was in Chapei, outside the International Settlement. He had no jurisdiction there. If he wanted to arrest her, he would have to put in a request to Boyle. Boyle would take it up to his boss. His boss would contact the Chinese authorities for Shanghai and Woosung. They would call the local police station and finally after about three months, the local Chinese police, might, just might, get around to arresting her.
It was one of the reasons criminals and crime flourished in Shanghai. If you robbed a bank in the International Settlement, all you had to do was to flee to the Chinese area or the French Concession to escape.
He couldn’t wait that long. When he saw the maid at the station, he would have to persuade her to come back with him.
But, as he stood on the running board of a Shanghai tram, he had absolutely no idea how he was going to do that.
Chapter 62
Got to run. Got to get out of here. Didn’t like that man with his green eyes and his questions. Eyes shouldn’t look like that. Not human. Perhaps he’s friends with the ghosts next door. He wants to know where I’m going. So that they can follow me.
The maid quickly checked her clothing. Did I give him anything? Did he give me anything? She searched her pockets. Nothing.
For a moment, her shoulders relaxed. Then she got up and began to pack, throwing her clothes into a small case. There wasn’t much to pack; a few shirts from home, a pinafore, some underwear. She thought about taking her boots. She loved those boots, but they were too heavy. She would leave them here with Ah Yen and come back for them later when all the fuss had died down and that policeman had gone home.
