A Loyal Character Dancer

Chen, but the subjects of your interviews were not that well chosen.”
     
    “Why do you say that, Party Secretary Li?”
     
    “It’s okay to let Inspector Rohn come along as you interview some of Wen’s relatives, but taking her with you to see Qiao, the pregnant Guangxi woman, was not a good decision. The Americans always raise a hue and cry about our birth control policy.”
     
    Chen decided not to mention their meeting with Gu for the time being. Indecent business, triad connections, police protection—all this would not present an ideal picture of socialist China.
     
    “I did not know it would turn out like that,” he said. “I argued with Inspector Rohn about our birth control policy.”
     
    “You stood up for our principles, I have no doubt about that,” Li said slowly, taking up the glass swan ashtray, which shone like a crystal ball in a fortuneteller’s hand. “Do you know what happened after your visit to the Guangxi woman?”
     
    “What?”
     
    “She was abducted by a group of unknown men. Two or three hours after your visit. She was later found lying unconscious in a wood not too far away. No one knew who had left her there. Though not beaten or abused, she suffered a miscarriage. She was rushed to the local hospital.”
     
    “Is her life in danger?”
     
    “No, but she bled too much, so the doctor had to operate on her. She won’t be able to have another child.”
     
    Chen cursed under his breath. “Is there any clue to the kidnappers?”
     
    “They were not locals. They came in a jeep, claiming the woman was a fugitive from the south. So no one tried to stop them.”
     
    “They must have mistaken her for Wen and let her go when they found out the truth.”
     
    “That’s possible.”
     
    “That’s outrageous! Kidnapping a pregnant woman in broad daylight, and in Qingpu, Shanghai.” Chen’s thoughts moved in a frantic swirl. They must have been followed from the start and all the way to Qingpu. There was no question about it now. The motorcycle accident. The broken stair step. The food poisoning. And now the abduction of Qiao. “Only two or three hours after our visit! Those gangsters must have gotten a tip from some insider here. There is a leak at the bureau.”
     
    “Well, I don’t think it will hurt to be careful.”
     
    “They have declared war on us. And then there is the body in Bund Park. For the Shanghai Police Bureau it’s a big slap in our face! We have to do something, Party Secretary Li.”
     
    “We will do something. It’s a matter of time. It’s also a matter of priorities. At this moment, the safety of Inspector Rohn has to be our top concern. If we try to crack down on the triads now, they may retaliate.”
     
    “So are we to do nothing but wait until they strike again?”
     
    Li did not answer his question. “In the course of this investigation, some accidental encounter with those gangsters is possible. They are capable of anything. If something happens to Inspector Rohn, it will be a hell of a responsibility for us.”
     
    “A hell of a responsibility,” he muttered, thinking of “a hell of a lot of problems” mentioned earlier by Minister Huang. “We are cops, aren’t we?”
     
    “You don’t have to look at it that way, Chief Inspector Chen.”
     
    “In what way then, Party Secretary Li?”
     
    “Detective Yu has been conducting the investigation in Fujian. If you think it necessary, you can decide someone else is needed there, too.” Li said. “As for your interviews here, I wonder whether they can really lead to anything. Inspector Rohn does not have to participate in them. All you need to do is to keep her informed of any new developments. I don’t think those gangsters will attempt anything against her if she takes a leisurely walk along the Bund.”
     
    “But they must believe Wen may be hiding here. Or they would not have abducted Qiao in Qingpu.”
     
    “If any new leads turn up here, Qian can take care of them. You don’t have to go out of your way. As long as she knows our people are doing their best, it will be good enough—politically. “
     
    “I have done some thinking about the case—politically— Party Secretary Li. For one thing, the relationship between China and America has been strained since the summer of 1989. If we succeed in delivering Wen to the U.S. Marshals, it will be a meaningful gesture.”
     
    That line of argument might work with Party Secretary Li. He would not mention