A Loyal Character Dancer

passing day, the possibility of her rejoining Feng before the trial becomes fainter. It’s the seventh day that she’s been missing.”
     
    “That’s true. Things may be more complicated than we originally imagined.”
     
    “What else can we do here?”
     
    “This afternoon, we are going to interview another schoolmate of Wen’s, Su Shengyi.”
     
    “The secret admirer in high school. A red guard cadre, now down and out, right?” She could not help being suspicious. This seemed a total waste of time.
     
    “Yes, you’re right. One never forgets his first love. Su may know something.”
     
    “After the visit, what? Am I supposed to remain at the hotel as a distinguished guest, shopping, sightseeing, and sharing these fantastic meals with you?”
     
    “I’ll discuss it with Party Secretary Li.”
     
    “Another straightforward answer?”
     
    “Cheers.” He raised his teacup in a toast.
     
    “Cheers,” Catherine said, raising her teacup. The tiny dried fruit, Chinese wolfberry, rose to the surface like a scarlet period. There was not much she could do with this Chinese partner, who responded to her sarcasm with an unruffled air. It amused her to toast with tea, though.
     
    Another course arrived, bubbling in an earthenware pot. It looked different from American Chinatown specials. Its creamy gravy tasted like chicken broth, but the meat was unlike chicken. It had a jellied texture.
     
    “What’s that?”
     
    “Soft shell turtle.”
     
    “I’m glad I didn’t ask first.” She caught the spark of amusement in his eyes. “Not bad.”
     
    “Not bad? It’s the most expensive item on the menu.”
     
    “And is a turtle also a fabled aphrodisiac in China?”
     
    “That depends.” Chen helped himself to a substantial portion.
     
    “Chief Inspector Chen!” She feigned shock.
     
    “Today’s special.” The waiter was back with a white bowl containing what seemed to be large snails immersed in brownish juice, and a glass bowl of water.
     
    Chen put his fingers into the bowl of water, wiped them with a napkin, and picked up one of the shells. She watched him sucking the meat out with an effort.
     
    “It is luscious,” he said. “River spiral shells. Often translated as river snail. You eat it like a snail.”
     
    “I have never had snails.”
     
    “Really!” He took a bamboo toothpick, picked the meat out, and offered it to her on the end of the toothpick.
     
    She should have refused. Instead, she leaned over the table and let him put it into her mouth. It tasted good, but the experience was slightly disquieting.
     
    The Chinese cop was turning into a challenge. He seemed to fancy himself as a charmer.
     
    “It tastes better if you suck the meat out yourself,” he said.
     
    So she did. The meat came out together with the juice. It did taste better that way.
     
    When the bill came, she tried to pay it, or at least her share. He refused. She protested, “I cannot let the Shanghai Police Bureau pay all the time.”
     
    “Don’t worry about that.” He crumpled the receipt. “Can’t I buy a lunch for an attractive American partner?”
     
    He seemed to be a man to whom compliments came easily. Perhaps it was cultural. Perhaps he had his orders.
     
    He was pulling out the chair for her when his phone started to ring. He turned it on, and his face became serious as he listened. At the end of the call, he said, “I’ll be there.”
     
    “What’s up?”
     
    “We have a change in plans,” he said. “The call was from Qian Jun at the bureau. We’ve had a response to the missing person notice. A pregnant provincial woman has been reported working in a restaurant in Qingpu County, Shanghai. Apparently she’s from the south, speaking with a strong southern accent. “
     
    “Could it be Wen?”
     
    “If Wen boarded a train for Shanghai, it’s possible she changed her mind and got off there, one or two stops before Shanghai. Perhaps she did not want to bring trouble down on her people. So she found a job there instead of moving into a local hotel.”
     
    “That makes sense to me.”
     
    “I’m going to Qingpu,” Chen said. “It’s a long shot. Many people are pouring into Shanghai for jobs—even into the counties. So quite possibly it’s a false lead. There may be a lot of things that would be more interesting for you to do here, Inspector Rohn.”
     
    “I wish I had something more interesting to do.” She put down her chopsticks. “Let’s