Enigma of China(90)

“As a matter of fact, your suggestion that I go there reminded me of something I’d read but almost skipped over in Zhou’s file. Zhou was born in Shaoxing, and left for Shanghai when he was only seven. For many years, he didn’t go back to Shaoxing—not even once. Last year, however, he made two trips in quick succession, which seemed strange for a busy official like Zhou. So I decided to play the long shot and go to Shaoxing. Again I want to thank you, because without your suggestion that I attend the festival, and without your company in Shaoxing, I might not have made the trip.

“In Shaoxing, I was lucky enough to find someone close to him, and with help from Melong, she yielded an important clue.”

“What’s that—who’s that?” She then added, “You mentioned some little—I remember—you met her there in the morning.”

“I am afraid I have to skip some details here, but I think you’ll understand why,” Chen said, adding some wine to her cup. “With regard to the case, have you ever wondered about the fact that both the team from the city government and the Shanghai Party Discipline Committee officials—both originally at the hotel for the corruption investigation—remained at the hotel even after Zhou’s death? Particularly Jiang, who has remained there despite all the work waiting for him back at the city government office as the right-hand man to Qiangyu. What’s more, Jiang hasn’t been that anxious to close the case, even though it’s in the interest of the Party authorities to officially conclude that Zhou’s death was a suicide.

“At the same time, Jiang repeatedly inquired after the police bureau’s ongoing investigations. It occurred to me that he might be at the hotel for a reason unknown to me but crucial to him and his people. Particularly since he remained there even after the the Beijing team arrived.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t come to see the light until after that trip to Shaoxing and after I guessed the purpose of the presence of the Central Party Discipline Committee’s team in Shanghai.”

“I’ve heard something about it,” Lianping said. “Last week, Qiangyu sat down with the chief editor of Wenhui, telling him it was a difficult time and that he appreciates the support of the people loyal to him.”

“So perhaps you understand,” Chen said. He paused to take a sip of wine. “Now let’s go back to the fax page that was on Qiangyu’s nightstand at the hospital. Dr. H called me about the fax when we were at Shen Garden, talking about the romantic poems of the Song dynasty. It’s been a difficult time for Qiangyu, and the Beijing team isn’t at the hotel for no reason. He knows better. The power struggle between the ‘Youth League’ and ‘Shanghai Gang’ has been coming to a head. The Zhou case could be what the Beijing team uses to break through. Yet, after the death of Detective Wei, I was still out there, pushing the investigation forward in earnest but not in a direction they controlled. Who knew what the possible fallout would be? That’s why Qiangyu couldn’t let me remain in my position at the police bureau. Your boss might be someone he can trust, but I’m not. In fact, if I stay at the police bureau, there’s too much at stake for Qiangyu and his people.”

“You are scaring me, Chen.”

“No, I’m not. What happened to Detective Wei could happen to me, but I’ve found something they’re after—the information Zhou left behind. What I have could make the whole bunch of live, monstrous crabs inseparable, and their fate inescapable. And these are not just small crabs like Zhou.”

“In other words, you’re in a position to prove Zhou didn’t act alone, but with the help of people above him. You have evidence that they were all involved in corrupt deals involving Shanghai’s land allocation and housing development?”

“Not only that, I can prove that the death of Zhou in the hotel wasn’t suicide.”

“How?”

“You know the expression ‘a chain of crabs,’ don’t you?”

She nodded.

“Zhou must have expected the other ‘crabs’ to get him out of trouble, since they were all bound together—not by a straw rope, but by the secrets of their shared corruption. But the evidence unleashed in the human-flesh search was too strong. And it came out at a time when the Youth League faction in Beijing was gearing up to annihilate the Shanghai Gang, so the other people in the corruption scheme had to throw Zhou overboard. Shuangguied in the hotel, all alone in the dark, believing that they had left him in the lurch, he must have complained too loudly or threatened them in some way. After all, he’d secretly saved evidence of their involvement, and if he fell into hell, he could drag all of them down with him. They believed they had no choice but to finish him off, and it wasn’t unimaginable, they thought, for a shuangguied official to commit suicide. Usually, the police investigation after a shuanggui case is just for show. It was only because of Party Secretary Li’s obtuseness, however, that Detective Wei was chosen to handle the case, a cop too conscientious to perform according to their script.”