Death of a Red Heroine

would prove to be a reliable upholder of the cause the old cadres had fought for, however, Zhang was far from certain. He had attempted to read several of Chen’s poems. He did not understand a single line. He had heard people describing Chen as an avant-gardist— influenced by Western modernism. He had also heard that Chen was romantically involved with a young reporter whose husband had defected to Japan.
    While Zhang was still musing, Chief Inspector Chen finished his introductory remarks, saying in a serious voice, “It’s an important new direction. We have to go on with our investigation, as Commissar Zhang has told us, unafraid of hardship and death.”
    “Hold on, Comrade Chief Inspector,” Zhang said. “Let’s start from the very beginning.”
    So Chen had to start all over again, beginning with his second search of Guan’s dorm room, his attention to those photographs of hers, to the phone records, and then to the trip she had made to the mountains—all those leading to Wu Xiaoming, who was not only the frequent caller, but also Guan’s companion during the trip. After Chen’s speech, Yu briefed them on the interview they had had with Wu Xiaoming the previous day. Neither Chen nor Yu pushed for conclusion, but the direction of the investigation was obvious, and they seemed to take it for granted.
    Zhang was astonished. “Wu Xiaoming!”
    “Yes, Comrade Wu Bing’s son.”
    “You should have shown me the pictures earlier,” Zhang said.
    “I thought about it,” Chen explained, “but they might have turned out to be another false lead.”
    “So Wu is now your main suspect, I presume?”
    “Yes, that’s why I suggested the meeting today.”
    “Why didn’t you discuss your interview with me earlier, I mean, before you went to Wu’s residence?”
    “We tried to contact you, Comrade Commissar, early yesterday morning,” Yu said, “around seven o’clock.”
    “Oh, I was doing my Taiji practice,” Zhang said. “Couldn’t you have waited for a couple of hours?”
    “For such an important case?”
    “What will be your next step?”
    “Detective Yu will go and interview some people connected with Wu,” Chen said. “I am leaving for Guangzhou.”
    “For what?”
    “To find the tourist guide, Xie Rong—a witness who may know more about what happened between Guan and Wu.”
    “What led you to the guide?”
    “The travel agency gave her name to me, and then Wei Hong told me about the fight between Xie and Guan in the mountains.”
    “Couldn’t that have been just a squabble between a tourist and a guide?”
    “Possibly, but not probably. Why did Guan, a national model worker, call another woman a whore?”
    “So you think that the trip will lead to a breakthrough?”
    “At this point, there are no other clues, so we have to pursue this one.”
    “Well, supposing Wu had had an affair with Guan,” Zhang said, “What have you got to connect him with the murder? Nothing. What could Wu Xiaoming’s motive be?”
    “What are we detectives for?” Yu said.
    “That’s exactly what I want to find out in Guangzhou,” Chen said.
    “What about Wu’s alibi for the night of May tenth?” Zhang said.
    “Guo Qiang, one of Wu’s friends, provided Wu’s alibi. Guo told Yu that Wu was with him that night, developing film at Guo’s home.”
    “So an alibi isn’t an alibi, comrades?”
    “Guo’s just trying to cover up for Wu Xiaoming.” Chen added, “Wu has all the equipment at home. Why should he have chosen that night to be with somebody?”
    “Come on, Commissar Zhang,” Yu cut in. “Guo is just another HCC, though his father’s not that high, no more than thirteenth level, and retired, too. That could be the very reason that he has to curry favor with Wu. Those HCC are capable of anything.”
    “HCC—” Zhang burst out, his temples throbbing and his throat hurting, “high cadres’ children—that’s what you mean, I know, but what’s wrong with these young people?”
    “There’re so many stories about those HCC.” Yu was not ready to give in. “Haven’t you heard any of them?”
    “A few HCC, as you call them, may have done some things improperly, but it is an outrageous lie that there are so many corrupt HCC, or a whole group of them, in our socialist China. It is utterly irresponsible to base the case upon your own concept of HCC, Comrade Detective Yu.”
    “Comrade Commissar Zhang,” Chen said, “I would like to make one point for myself and Comrade