he did blackmail some people, and he should be punished for it.”
“Frankly, I don’t think the statements made against him are that reliable. They were made by people looking to protect their own business interests. That should be taken into consideration.”
“As the head of the Wuxi police, I looked into it. Yes, it’s his word against theirs. However, some of them did pay him a large amount as a consulting fee. We have evidence of those payments, which he doesn’t deny. So we are justified in drawing the conclusion that these were acts of blackmail. Remember, apart from the money he got for the articles he sold to the Western media, he had no other income for several years. A monetary motive is often the most common, compelling motive.
“Besides, there’s no denying that Jiang is an inveterate troublemaker. Chinese people should be able to tell the difference between what’s appropriate to discuss with the proper insiders and what one can discuss with outsiders. But not so with him. With no real qualifications as an environmentalist, he hues and cries in an irresponsible way, all for the benefit of the Western media and for himself. What’s the point of all that muckraking? According to one American newspaper, some politicians have even mentioned him as a possible candidate for a Nobel prize. For what? The answer is self-evident, you see. This all comes at the expense of our government’s image. This will be a necessary lesson for him.”
“But the problems he exposed are nonetheless real problems that we can’t afford to ignore, Superintendent Tian.”
“We’re taking care of the problems, Comrade Chief Inspector Chen. China’s economic reform is achieving unprecedented success, but it may take some time to solve the problems that arise in its wake. Ask people here in Wuxi whether their lives have improved in the last twenty years, and I don’t think you’ll have to wait long for an answer.”
It would be useless to argue further with Tian. Tian had a much higher cadre rank than his and Chen had just claimed he was only here on vacation. He had no right whatsoever to question the way the local police were handling the case. They then steered the conversation away from the political factors behind the murder case, as if having reached a tacit understanding.
Not long after Tian left, Chen received a phone call from Sergeant Huang.
“I’ve called you many times since yesterday, Chief, but your cell phone was turned off.”
“Sorry, I was overwhelmed by official phone calls so I turned it off. Anyway, the investigation is now up to you and your colleagues.” He went on in spite of himself, “How are things going with Fu and Mi?”
“Mi remains hysterical, but she’s slowly giving in. Don’t worry about it,” Huang said with a reassuring chuckle. “My colleagues are working on Fu, and I’m at his apartment again, this time with an official search warrant. I did a thorough job yesterday, but I didn’t find a copy of the restructuring plan.”
“He might have destroyed it,” Chen said after a pause, “But I think there may be something else there.”
“What?”
“For what happened at Liu’s place that night, there’re two possible explanations. One is that Fu had planned to murder Liu all along. But the other is that he made up his mind when he got there. If the murder was unpremeditated, then the perpetrator picked up something at the apartment to use as the murder weapon and took it with him afterward.”
“The missing murder weapon? Yes, you talked about some possible items when we were at the crime scene. Let me check my notebook-”
“After our discussion at the crime scene,” Chen went on without waiting for him to check, “I examined the picture of Liu and his son that was taken last summer. There are nine statuettes in the background. That statuette is an annual award given at the end of the year, but in the pictures taken by your colleagues last week, there are still only nine statuettes. It might mean that Liu didn’t get one for the last year. But I talked to his son Wenliang the day before yesterday, and he mentioned that there should be ten statuettes because the company had won the award ten years in a row. Several months after their picture was taken, Liu told Wenliang specifically about winning another statuette.”
“Ah, it’s in the notebook. Nine of them,” Huang said, checking through his notes. “So one statuette is definitely missing, and they are really heavy-”
“But Fu could have dumped it somewhere else. We can’t rule out that possibility, Huang.”
“I’ll start all over again. The statuette is taller than a beer bottle. His room isn’t large, practically a dorm room-” said Huang, then he paused and suddenly switched topics. “Oh, I almost forgot. Shanshan contacted me for help, Chief. She asked for permission to see Jiang before he is sent to prison. It is against regulations, but she says that she knows you.”
“She does and of course, you may help her. What harm would it cause? You can make arrangements for her, can’t you?”
“So you think it would be okay?” Huang asked, not even trying to conceal the surprise in his voice.
“It’s not really my concern. It’s up to the Wuxi Police Bureau, but I don’t see any reason why she shouldn’t be allowed to visit him.”
“I’ve thought about it, Chief. He’s being transferred tomorrow. I may have the police car pull up outside the bureau briefly while I go to buy a pack of cigarettes at a grocery nearby. She can walk over to the car and talk to him through the window for a couple of minutes. I think that’s about all I can do.”
“That’s good,” Chen said. He knew why Huang tried to ask permission, and he could picture the puzzled look on the young cop’s face.
“Well-”
“When, Huang?”
“What?
“Her meeting with him?”
“Around noon, that’s the time the police car will leave the bureau.”
“Help her, Huang. Do it as a favor to me-”
The cell phone then indicated another call coming in. “Sorry, I’ve got another phone call. I’ll call you back,” he said before he found out the call was from Comrade Secretary Zhao in Beijing.
“You haven’t really relaxed during your vacation, Comrade Chief Inspector Chen.”
“You know me, Comrade Secretary Zhao. Being a cop may be my lot in life, but I have truly enjoyed this vacation at the center.”
“Some people have complained to me about your having conducted a secret investigation while in Wuxi. I told them that you don’t have to let everybody know what you’re doing, and in fact, that you were doing some research there, per my instructions.”
Once again, Zhao was being supportive, for which Chen was grateful. It might be a good opportunity, he thought, to speak to the influential Party leader about the environmental issues.
“Yes, I wanted to talk to you about something. I’ve followed your instructions, and kept my eyes open for any problems in China’s great reform. The cadre center is located by the celebrated Tai Lake, which is now terribly polluted. I focused my research on issues of the environment. It seems to me that the problem isn’t just about one particular lake, or one specific company. Pollution is so widespread that it’s a problem all over China. To some extent, it’s affecting the core of China’s development with GDP-centered economic growth coming at the expense of the environment. It can’t go on like this, Comrade Secretary Zhao. Our economy should have a sustainable development.”
He then launched into a detailed account of his research, making good use of what he had learned-mainly from Shanshan-in the last few days. Zhao listened without interruption. Toward the end of his report, Chen added cautiously, “In the course of my research, I happened to look into a case related to environmental issues-”
“I knew you would come to that, Comrade Chief Inspector Chen. Go ahead, but you don’t have to give me all the details. I’m not a cop.”
Chen briefed Zhao about the facts of the case before he made his plea.
“Jiang has been cleared of the murder charge, but he’ll still be convicted. Now, I’ve witnessed firsthand the disastrous damage caused by pollution. An environmental activist should not be punished for his efforts to solve this problem.”
“I’m pleased to learn that you are concerned about environmental issues, Comrade Chief Inspector Chen,” Zhao said, his voice distinct over the line from Beijing. “We aren’t going to leave a polluted lake to our children. And
