A Deadly Injustice (20 page)

He had my complete attention. He must have been referring to the script missing from the players' collection at the theatre. The one that could have information on Geng's death written down by the murdered Nu.

‘Yes. I am interested in a particular script.'

‘It will cost you.'

I didn't imagine he had brought it out of the kindness of his heart. Not a thief and a robber like Ho.

‘If it is the document I want, could you tell me how you came by it?'

He smiled more broadly.

‘That information will cost you more.'

I felt like grabbing him and squeezing the information out of him. But I knew he was too canny to have the document on him. I would have to pay for the pleasure of obtaining it, and the name of the person from whom he had stolen it. I had no doubt that was how he had come by it. He just happened to have robbed the one person who would have preferred to have kept his possessions secret. I contained my anger and agreed an outrageous amount of money with him. He once again slid back into the shadows where he looked more at home. But not before he told me how he would let me have both the script and the name I wanted.

‘Go to the temple right now, and give the priestess the money. She will be our intermediary. When you return this afternoon she will give you what you want.'

Like a shadow lost in sunlight, he was gone. I hurried back to my rooms and grabbed the satchel that held much of the paper money I had waved under the prefect's nose in order to entice him into the scam that Ho had formed a crucial part of. The return on my investment had proved thin, but there was still plenty to buy what I wanted from the thief. I found it amusing that our go-between was to be the old priestess in the temple. Presumably Ho trusted her enough because of her part in the swindle I had set up.

‘What are you laughing at?'

Gurbesu had just finished dressing and was arranging her thick black hair in a Chinee fashion. I caressed her cheek and deliberately annoyed her for my own petty amusement.

‘Never you mind your pretty little head about it. I have great plans afoot.'

I dodged out of the room just as her ivory comb flew through the air. It hit the door frame and clattered to the floor, but I was gone. The streets were already busy, and traders were opening their shops for the day's business. I made for the square. My business was with the old woman in the temple. Stepping over the threshold into the incense-filled gloom, I looked around for her. She was in her usual spot, seated on the floor beside the god of lost items. Spotting me she rose more agilely than a woman of her years should have a right to. But then, as other worshippers entered behind me, she adopted her normal stooping gait. She held out her claw of a hand and begged in that grating voice of hers.

‘You have an offering for me, red-haired demon?'

I dug my hand around in my satchel and pulled out a bundle of money.

‘I do indeed, mistress. Though it is not for you, but for a man who will come today and give you a gift in return for the money. It is a gift intended for me, and not for your shrine, though.'

She grimaced.

‘Then why should I do all this, if the god does not benefit?'

I could hear the obvious implication of her question. She didn't care about the god, but about herself, and she played her part well. I added a slimmer bundle on top of the fat one I had already proffered.

‘That is to placate the god.'

She felt rather than saw the thickness of the bundle and she grinned.

‘Will you then return later today to see if the god is pleased?'

I nodded, playing out the charade.

‘Indeed I will. This very afternoon.'

‘I hope you will not be disappointed.'

‘I hope so too, or someone will be very unhappy.'

I did not say that it would be Ho if he did not come up with what he promised me. If he took my money and fled, he would be a dead man. The old priestess cackled and I left the temple. Waiting for the information I needed was going to be frustrating, so I returned to the house where I thought I could make good use of the time. As it turned out, it was more useful than I had imagined. The rumours being spread about Lin Chu-Tsai were troubling me, and, if they were driven by Ko Su-Tsung, I wanted to know who his agent was in Pianfu.

As I had made up my mind to tell Lin, I went straight to his quarters. Crossing the courtyard, I saw through the window a figure moving in his rooms. It was not Lin; it was a taller person, more awkward in his movements. I slid the door open with a bang, and a shocked Po Ku, his face pale, looked over his shoulder at me. He was sifting through Lin's papers that lay on the low desk in the centre of the room. They were the meticulous notes that Lin had made to date of our whole investigation. The gangly servant was so surprised by my abrupt arrival that he struck one of Lin's brushes with his palm, and set it rolling across the latest set of notes. It left a black scar over the careful Chinee script. He groaned with horror, his eyes boggling out of his head. I shouted at him.

‘What do you think you are doing?'

I was immediately convinced I had caught Ko's spy in our camp, and if Po Ku was the spy, then he was also the perpetrator of the rumours. Stories that would ruin Lin, and by connection with him, me also. I grabbed Po Ku's arm and spun him round so I was staring him in the face.

‘How much did Ko pay you to betray your master and spread all those evil rumours? Or does Ko have some hold over you that has made you do his bidding, and try to ruin our investigation here?'

Po Ku's mouth flapped open and closed in fear, but no coherent words came out. I would have slapped his stupid, peasant face but a voice rang out behind me.

‘Nick, stop it now.'

It was Lin's voice – a little high-pitched, but authoritative nevertheless. I dropped my open palm to my side, but still kept hold of his servant.

‘He was rifling through your papers in a way that made me think that he is Ko's spy. You know Ko Su-Tsung will do anything to ruin both you and me, and then he can get closer to Kubilai.'

‘Yes, but what makes you think he has infiltrated a spy into our little band of fellows?'

I knew I would have to tell Lin now what evils Po Ku had spread about him in Pianfu.

‘I think it because that is just what Ko would do.' I took a deep breath. ‘And because this servant of yours, while he was out shopping in the market no doubt, has been spreading rumours about you.'

‘What rumours?'

‘He has been saying that you had improper relations with that actor.'

Lin's face fell.

‘With Tien-jan Hsiu? That I am some sort of . . . sodomite?'

Po Ku wrenched his arm from my grasp and fell on his knees before Lin. He had understood enough of our conversation to know that he stood accused of some bad deed, and babbled a denial in rapid Chinee. Lin lifted him up by his shoulders and calmed Po Ku. He looked over the youth's shoulder at me.

‘This boy can hardly be an agent for Ko. Look at him.' He turned the terrified youth to face me. Tears were streaming down his face. ‘Besides, how could Ko communicate with him while he is here with us?'

‘By letter, of course. You know how fast the Yam postal system is.'

Lin smiled.

‘But I also happen to know for a fact that Po Ku cannot read or write. So not only could he not take written orders from Ko, he couldn't send information back about any . . . meetings I might have had with Tien-jan. It would also be pointless for him to examine my notes.'

I was puzzled.

‘But you asked him to collect your papers only the other day.'

‘Yes, to gather them, but not to arrange them.' Lin stepped close and whispered in my ear. ‘It pleases him to imagine that he is my secretary. I often have to tidy the papers up afterwards.'

I realized that Po Ku was another of Lin's lame ducks – people who he strove to help because they reminded him of himself as a poor, peasant youth sold to the Mongol court as a child. I think I had once fallen into that category of lame duck when I had turned up at Kubilai's court. I had wheedled my way into a banquet, and into a position where I had to uncover a murderer, or be accused of the murder myself. Lin had seen me floundering with unfamiliar Mongol ways and helped me.

‘But, if it was not Po Ku who spread the rumours, who was it?'

Lin looked a little shamefaced.

‘You will not be angry, if I tell you?'

‘You mean you know? And you haven't told me before now?'

Lin raised his hands, palms facing me in apology.

‘I had to be sure myself. And I only learned it by accident. Ko's messenger was careless, and I saw a letter in Ko's script being brought to this house.'

‘Who was it for?'

‘Tadeusz.'

NINETEEN

If you suspect a man, don't employ him. And if you employ him, don't suspect him
.

‘
T
adeusz? But he's so loyal? It can't have been him.'

I was astounded at Lin's revelation, but he was very sure of himself. And I knew he never acted precipitately. I looked at his solemn face.

‘How long have you suspected?'

‘A few days now. That's why I was glad he went on that mission to find the doctor. It has kept him out of the town for a while.' He paused, a blush appearing on his smooth, boy-like face. ‘And it allowed me a chance to find this.'

He produced a letter from his stack of documents and handed it over to me. I took it, but it meant nothing as it was written in Chinee. I stared dumbly at the swirling script. Lin explained.

‘It is the letter from Ko that I saw in his possession. In it Ko is suggesting that my name be smeared by spreading rumours about my . . . liaison with a certain young actor.' He looked down at his neatly-shod feet. ‘I'm surprised you didn't tell me yourself.'

‘About the rumours? I wanted to find out the source first, and . . .'

I paused too long, and Lin filled in the gap for me.

‘And you thought they were true.'

‘Now, look here, old friend, this is none of my business.' I knew I was blustering from embarrassment, but I couldn't stop myself babbling. ‘Your life is your own, and if you are so inclined as to—'

‘He is my nephew.'

I stopped in my tracks.

‘Your nephew? You mean, what I saw in T'ai Yuan Fu wasn't . . .'

It seemed as though I was fated not to get the ending of my sentences out. Lin, a hurt look in his eyes, gazed at me.

‘I don't know what you thought you saw, Nick. But it is true, Tien-jen Hsiu's real name is a mundane Lin Jen-pu. He is my brother's boy, and he ran away from the family farm to pursue his dream of being a performer. And though I am his uncle and therefore biased, I think he has found his true calling in life. His father – my brother – is a peasant born and bred. He will never recognize that Jen-pu made the right choice. I do, and saw it was him as soon as he removed his make-up that day at the theatre. I didn't want him to think that every member of his family had cast him out. So that is why he came to my rooms late at night. An actor keeps strange hours, and we talked a lot. Into the early hours, actually.'

I bowed my head in shame at thinking the rumours spread by Tadeusz in the town had been true. Though, even so, I didn't care about a man having yearnings for another man. Stranger things have happened at sea, as they say. I only regretted that Lin was disappointed in me. But then, we had the matters to sort out as a result of all this. Not least how to deal with Tadeusz Pyka.

‘You are right by the way.'

Lin looked at me with curiosity.

‘About what?'

‘Your nephew is a fine actor, and can fool an audience into believing he is anything other than a callow youth. Believe me, I know. But now I have an errand to carry out. We will talk later about this. Tadeusz has got some explaining to do.'

I left Lin to think about what we would say to Pyka, and hurried back towards the town square. I was sure I had left enough time for Ho to have gone to the temple and collected his money in exchange for the information I wanted. When I entered the building, I could see that an elderly couple stood at the shrine of lost objects. The old priestess was hovering beside them, but they seemed unable to decide on the contribution they were going to make to the gods. Impatiently, the priestess left them to their deliberations, and, seeing me, disappeared behind the shrine. Moments later, she returned with a packet in her hands. She hobbled over to me, and passed the packet over. It was a bulky object wrapped in a dirty cloth, and I hefted it to assess whether it had the weight of a book. It felt right. I leaned down and whispered in the ear of the bent old crone.

‘And did the gods give you a name to pass on to me?'

The old woman's grey head nodded.

‘I am to say to you just one name. Geng.'

She winked broadly at me and turned back to her elderly clients. I raised the book in my hand, and spoke out loud for them to hear.

‘I give thanks to the god of lost things. My property is restored.'

The couple looked excited and passed some gold coins over to the priestess. I left them to their further negotiations.

When I got back to the house, Tadeusz was standing in the courtyard talking to Lin. He had returned, but I could see from Lin's eyes that he had not yet plucked up the courage to tell Pyka that we knew of his betrayal. On the contrary, the little silversmith was gesticulating excitedly with both hands. He caught Lin's glance over his shoulder and turned to look at who had just arrived. When he saw me, his face lit up, and he rushed across the dusty yard.