The Mandarin's Fan
"No, Ainsleigh, and I was annoyed that you should have let slip that I
had such an adventure. I don't want to be mixed up in the matter.
Tung-yu is nice enough, but if he has to do with the fan he is quite
capable of turning nasty and making things unpleasant for me. But I
mentioned about his advertisement, and how I came to know of it through
you. He confessed that Lo-Keong had lost the fan and wished it back
again, as it had to do with some family business. The finding of it was
referred to the god Kwang-ho, and the priest of the god, said that two
men were to search for the fan."
"Hwei and Tung-yu."
"Yes. They were to search on alternate days. If Hwei found it he was to
kill the person from whom he got it. If it was Tung-yu's day he was to
give the fortunate person five thousand pounds."
"And whose day was it on the night of the crime?"
"Hwei's," said the Major, "that was why Tung-yu could not buy the fan
when Miss Wharf offered it to him."
CHAPTER XII
AT THE INQUEST
When Mr. Orlando Rodgers of the C.I.D. rolled into the Superintendent's
office the next day to relate what he had heard, he was not so glib as
usual. After sleeping on the extraordinary tale he had heard from Major
Tidman, and considering the fragments imparted by Clarence Burgh, and
young Ainsleigh, he came to look on the matter as something to do with
the Arabian Nights. The fan which the deceased lady had carried at the
ball was certainly gone, and the whole of these marvellous matters
connected with China, hung on the fan. But Miss Wharf may have been
murdered for some other reason, and Rodgers was half inclined, when
looking into the case in the cold searching morning light, to abandon
the fan theory. But he delayed doing this until he had consulted with
Superintendant Young, who looked after the Marport police.
"What do you think of it?" he asked, when his tale was told. The
Superintendent was a tall thin man with a cold eye and a distrustful
manner. He believed only half he saw, and absolutely nothing he heard.
Consequently when Rodgers ended, and his opinion was asked, he sniffed
disdainfully, and put on his most official expression. "It's a fairy
tale," said Young in his dry voice, which was like the creaking of a
rusty wheel.
"Well now, the woman was murdered."
"But not for this fan, Mr. Rodgers."
"Then what motive do you think--?"
"I don't undertake to say, sir. Let us gather all the evidence we can
and submit it to an intelligent jury at the inquest. It takes place
to-day at the public house near the corner of the Cliff Road and not far
from Ivy Lodge. When the jury has inspected the body, it will sit with
the Coroner at the Bull's Head."
"A Chinaman calling himself Tung-yu was at the ball you know," said
Rodgers, unwilling to abandon the theory in spite of his doubts.
"Where is he now?"
"I can't say. Mr. Christopher Walker brought him down, and I went to see
that young gentleman before he departed for business this morning. He
told me that Tung-yu was a clerk in the same firm of tea merchants as he
was employed with, and had not been at the office since he left to come
to the ball. Mr. Walker last saw Tung-yu at the door of the hotel,
looking out across the pier."
"Well," said Young drily.
"That yacht was there," went on Rodgers, "and showed a green light so
it's just possible that Mr. Burgh may be right and that the Chinaman did
steam away in her."
"Well then, search for the yacht."
"I intend to, and when I find her--"
"Mr. Tung-yu will have an explanation. No, Mr. Rodgers," said the
Superintendent rising, "I can't believe all this business is about a
trifle such as this fan. Some more serious motive is at the bottom of
this murder. Now Mr. Ainsleigh's tie--"
"I can explain that," said the detective, and he did.
Young listened disbelievingly. "So he says," was his comment.
"But I don't think Mr. Ainsleigh is the sort of man to commit a brutal
crime like this, and in so public a place."
"Everyone's capable of committing a crime if there's anything to be
gained," was the Superintendent's philosophy, "and Mr. Ainsleigh's very
agreeable manner with which you appear to be struck, may be a mask to
hide an evil nature."
"Oh rubbish; begging your pardon Mr. Young. Look at this joss-stick,"
and Rodgers held it out, "that was found in the ruins of Royabay Abbey,
so you see some Chinaman must be mixed up in the job. I am beginning to
believe that the tale may be true after all."
"It's too wild--too far-fetched. I can't believe it."
"Because you haven't imagination."
"We don't want imagination in this matter, Mr. Rodgers. Facts sir."
Rodgers got up and put on his hat. "Well, we'll not be able to agree, I
can see that," said he, "and as the case is in my hands, I am going away
to look after evidence."
"Why not arrest Mr. Ainsleigh?"
"Because the evidence against him is not sufficiently strong," the
detective sat down again. "See here Mr. Superintendent, if I so chose I
could manufacture a case against three of these people at least, and
give it to them pretty strong too. Supposing, for the sake of theorising
mind, we say Mr. Ainsleigh killed the woman--"
"Which I am inclined to think he did, on the tie's evidence."
"Very good, I can show you how strong you can make the case against him,
Mr. Young. This young man was at the ball, he hated the deceased and she
hated him on account of the difficulty of the marriage with Miss Rayner.
Ainsleigh wants money badly, and might have killed the old woman to get
the fan and sell it for five thousand pounds. Also by marrying Miss
Rayner who will inherit Miss Wharf's money, he gets rid of a mortgage
that's troubling him. What was easier for him, than to pretend to put
the silk scarf in his coat pocket, so as to blind those who saw him do
it, and then to lure Miss Wharf out on to those steps and scrag her.
Then he could pass the fan to Tung-yu who wanted it, and arrange about
the money being paid. After that and when Tung-yu had gone off to the
yacht, Mr. Ainsleigh could slip back into the ball-room and assist in
finding the body. And remember, he says, he was strolling on the beach
smoking, between the hours of eleven and twelve, and won't prove an
alibi, though between ourselves I think he can through Major Tidman."
"Well," said Young dryly, "doesn't this go to prove his guilt."
"I can prove Tung-yu's in the same way," said Rodger's coolly, "he was
in the cloak-room when Mr. Ainsleigh placed the scarf in the coat. He
could easily have stolen it, as these Chinamen are clever thieves, and
have then lured Miss Wharf on to the steps under the pretence of
treating about the fan. Suddenly he slips the scarf round her throat
before she can cry out, goes down the steps and on to the beach where a
boat is waiting for him, and by now, may be on his way to his employer
the Mandarin Lo-Keong."
"It sounds feasible I admit, but--"
"One moment," went on Rodgers eagerly, "quite as strong a case can be
made out against Major Tidman. He did not come to the ball, but lurked
in his room all the evening. Yet he came down to see Tung-yu--what
about?--to sell the fan of course--"
"You can't prove that."
"Am I proving anything? I am simply showing you what strong cases can be
built up out of nothing. Well then, Tidman sees the scarf put in the
coat by a young man, whom he knows is at enmity with the deceased, and
takes it out again. He gets Miss Wharf to come on to the terrace--any
pretext will do, as he is her lover and her old friend. There, he
strangles her on the steps and taking the fan, passes it along to the
Chinaman who makes for the yacht. So you see if I chose I can build up a
case against each of these three gentlemen, and each equally strong. Why
if I had a mind to entangle young Mr. Burgh in the affair I could do
so."
"But Tung-yu, Mr. Burgh and Major Tidman might prove alibi's."
"So they might, and Mr. Ainsleigh might do so also."
"He has not done so yet and if he was in danger, he would."
"Quite so," said Rodgers quickly, and seeing the slip, "and his very
reluctance to prove an alibi--for surely someone besides Tidman must
have seen him on the beach--shows me he is innocent. However this isn't
business Mr. Young, so I'll go and see what evidence I can gather."
So to Dr. Forge went the detective, feeling very bewildered over the
case. And small blame to him, for the matter was surely most perplexing.
It is only in novels that the heaven-born detective (in the confidence
of the author) displays wonderful cleverness in finding clues where none
exist. But a flesh and blood worker like Rodgers had to puzzle out the
matter in real life as best he could. He was not at all sanguine that he
would run down the assassin of Miss Wharf. On the face of it, Rupert
Ainsleigh appeared to be guilty, and Rodgers doubted his guilt for this
very reason. "I believe one of these Chinaman did it," said Rodgers as
he rang Forge's bell.
Dr. Forge was within, and consented at once to see the detective. When
the two were in the Chinese room, Rodgers unfolded himself, and asked
Forge, who knew the Chinese character, what he thought.
"My dear sir, the case is plain," said Forge calmly, "Tung-yu gave Hwei
the office, and lured Miss Wharf on to the steps where Hwei strangled
her with the scarf stolen by Tung-yu so as to throw suspicion on Mr.
Ainsleigh."
"Humph. It looks like it," said Rodgers musingly. "So you believe this
wild story of Major Tidman's."
"I _know_ it is true," said Forge quietly. "I helped him to get free as
he related. I was a partner with Mr. Markham Ainsleigh in the mine on
the Hwei River. I went to Pekin about a concession, and while I was
away, Mr. Ainsleigh died of dysentry. As to the fan,--I can't exactly
say. I never knew of this private god business, but it's the kind of
thing Lo-Keong might invent. He is a very superstitious man, and like
Napoleon, he believes in his star. He was concerned in the Boxer
rebellion, but afterwards he joined the Court party of the Dowager
Empress who is now all powerful. I never saw the fan in his hand, but it
might have to do with a secret."
"What kind of a secret?"
"I can't say unless it has to do with Lo-Keong's political fortunes. He
has many enemies, who envy his rapid rise. These enemies probably
stole the fan to ruin him. How this coolie, who gave it to Major Tidman,
got hold of it I don't know. But he was glad to get rid of it, which
makes me think the story of the alternate days and the blessing of the
god Kwang-ho might be true. The Chinese do not think as we do Mr.
Rodgers, and have their own way of settling these matters. The attack on
Tidman, when he had the fan in Canton, shows clearer than ever, that it
was wanted by Lo-Keong's enemies. He gave it to me--"
"Why did you want it?"
"For two reasons," said Forge quietly, "in the first place from what
happened to Tidman I saw that while he held the fan he was in danger--"
"But then you were in the same danger," objected the detective.
"I was, and I expected trouble. But I was better able to deal with the
matter than Tidman as I understand the Chinese character. I got the fan
in London and locked it up in yonder cabinet. I thought it was there all
the time, and when I found it gone, I was quite annoyed, as Major Tidman
will tell you. Then I recollected that I had taken it back to China to
give to Lo-Keong. That is my second reason Mr. Rodgers. I knew I could
get a concession I wanted through Lo-Keong's influence, and I did. So
the fan went back to him."
"And you forgot that you had given it."
"I did. It seems strange to you, but as I told Tidman and Miss Pewsey,
my memory is impaired by opium smoking. However, that is the story of