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“Little man?”
“Yeah, he's a shorty. I'm not tall, but he'sonly to about my shoulder. With thin gray beard like Comrade Ho ChiMinh.”
“I didn't see the man. Was he the one whoran way?”
“He didn't run away. As a Patch Rep, he hada good excuse. A land dispute: someone wanted to re-measure therice paddies.”
“OK. Comrade Ho Chi Minh we can skip fornow. Next?”
“Mister Duong-junior, the Rep's son. Aboutforty years old. Tall and bony.”
“In a straw rain-hat? With littlemustache?”
“That's him. The next is Missis Lim, awidow. About thirty or thirty-five, a veggie lady. But the maincalling in her life – is to spy on her neighbors. If there is agood gossip to deliver, who cares about the veggies! She would notmiss the search for the missing neighbor, not in her life.”
“I've seen her too. She does look like ascandalous person. The others?”
“The last two, I don't know them at all. Ayoung man by the western name of Na-Na-Nathan, he didn't tell mehis Chinese name, and I didn't ask.”
“Na-Na-Nathan?”
“Yeah. The guy isshell-shocked, just from the Army. He was in Romania. In Ploiesti,some freaking Ukrainians hit his platoon with Russian 122mil Grad. So theguy was sent home to recover. I decided to assign the vet to aneasy duty, but he was doing fine. Ran no worse than theboys.”
“Some people say shell-shocked is forlife. Personally, I'd rather lose my legs. Who was the last personin your search team?”
“Mister Lee. Fifty-five years old,approximately. Solidly built, medium height, gray hair. His shackis next to the Chen's, right across the path.”
“Excellent description. I withdraw mystatement about your observation skills. About this Mister Lee, canyou tell me some more? Did you come to his shack in themorning?”
“No. Lee came to me. Said: I just learned myneighbor gone missing, Deputy. Would you mind if I help with thesearch? Strange question: if I mind! Woxman was pissing steam thatI hadn't got two hundred volunteers.”
“Do you know what this Mister Lee is doingfor living?”
“I believe he is ascrap-catcher. Goes to the 'Fill, buys good finds from thescavengers. Repairs and sells.”
“Does he live alone?”
“I have no idea.”
“After lunch, when you and Woxman went tothe Chen's… The shack on the other side of the path waslocked.”
“Well, maybe Lee went tosee his suppliers at the 'Fill. That's what manyscrap-catchers do in the afternoon.”
“OK. The second question. That Mister Lee ofyours. By any chance, does he have a Chinese Calligraphyhobby?”
“How the hell would I know?”
“Never mind. I have enough informationalready. Do you like the rabbit stew?”
“Why do you even ask? This stew is api
“Ouch! Now I'm in panic! A Category-10hurricane our little shack will not hold for sure. I must give upcooking.”
“Give up? Hey! You have just started!”
“Just kidding. Coffee?”
“You promised to enlighten me why you wentthrough the China Patches on the wheelchair.”
“Let's sit at the porch.Holmes has to smoke his pipe. How about you, doctor Watson? Braveenough to share a To-Ma-Gochi?”
“Doctor Watson will be smoking his tobacco,”I say, reaching for my box. “Stop teasing me. I know you come upsome cool idea.”
But Kate never misses an opportunity totease me few minutes more. Without saying a word, she gets her bag,crawls through the door, ledges herself comfortably on the secondtread of the stair, using the third tread as an arm-rest. Now sheslowly, thoughtfully rolls her cigarette. Not until her famousGu
“My dear Watson! Yesterday, we completelyignored the testimony of two key witnesses in our case.” The puffof sweat-smelling smoke dissipates in the cool evening air.
“Who exactly?” I sit at the lower tread andstart rolling a cigarette of my own.
“You and Tan, of course.”
“What do you mean:ignored? Tan said there were specks of dried blood at thefloor. Python checked the floor with his Luminol. He was confident somebodywiped the blood, right? You concluded that Victor Chen had anaccomplice. Right conclusion. Tan saw the blood, and later theblood was gone.”
“That's it! The blood was gone. But insteadof the blood something else suddenly appeared in the shack.”
“What?”
“Look carefully,” Kate reaches her bag anddraws the cell phone, “This morning, I called Tom and convinced himto send me his first photo of the room. The view from the frontdoor.”
“It's against the procedures. Tom is notsupposed to send the scene photos left and right.”
“Ah! Procedures!Python follows thoseprocedures only if he is dead-bored tracing the bootleggedgasoline. Or if he has a whole chicken inside and feels sleepy, asany self-respecting reptile. But if he is hungry and aggressive, hedoesn't give shit about the procedures. Cold-blooded reptilianindifference to the Police brass, instructions, and data security,all together! Remember the SheldonButcher case?”
“Rumors were that he hacked his way intosome Pentagon database.”
“An epic win! In comparison to the freakingPentagon, the breach this time is not a big deal. I was the one whoreported the incident first place, right? If I had two legs, Iwould be at the crime scene with everybody else and see everythingwith my own eyes. You'd better look at the screen.”
“Well, I am looking.”
“Is it any different from what you've seenyesterday?”
“No.”
“And if you look closer?”
“Do you take me for an idiot? Besides, therewere another one and a half police officers at the scene. I amassuming each trainee for twenty-five percent of a whole policeman.Then the room was checked by Tom. He is a top-notchprofessional.”
“No offense, Mister Coyote. I just want tomake my point very clear. Let me continue.”
“I'm listening.”
“I called Tan at the Beat and forwarded himthe same photo.”
“Oh! I completely forgot about our birthdayboy. How did he do today?”
“He was fine. Completed ahigh-profile case of his own. A sow theft at theVietnamerican Patch.”
“A theft ofwhat?”
“Take it easy. The case is closed. No theft,just a fugitive. After some tough negotiations, the swine decidedto return into captivity. Never mind. So I asked Tan the samequestion: is the photo any different from what you've seenyesterday?”
“And he?”
“He said the same as you: no.”
“It's hardly surprising.”
“So I asked: what about the blood at thefloor?”
“Who can see these on a telephonescreen?”
“Yeah, he said the same. But I insisted thatwe looked closer.”
“Well?”
“So he looked some more and said: Kate, youknow, on the photo, I see that Chinese scroll. Like a ChineseCalligraphy thing: a proverb, a Confucius saying, or something. Iam not sure, but I think when I came to the shack, there was noscroll.”
“Wait, pass me the phone,” I look at thescreen once again, “This scroll you are talking about. When Victorand I came to the shack, the scroll was just like on the photo. Buttoday – I don't remember I've seen that thing on the wall!”
“One hundred percent sure the calligraphyhas not been on the wall. I haven't endured Woxman's generousfive-bucks donation for nothing! Now, try to remember carefully,dear, it's very important. From the wheelchair I can't see thewhole room, right? On the floor, on the bed, on the shelves…Perhaps, this scroll is still lying somewhere in the shack?”
“Now I remember clearly. The Chinese scrollwas not in the shack today. Sure! The room is not that large. Buthow did you know that there must be this scroll first place?”
“Please play by the rules. You must say: buthow did you know, Holmes?”