Chapter Thirty-One: The Detective Searches for Signs

At dusk, the setting sun filtered through the window of the police dormitory. Peanut shells from Yingxi’s stash were scattered all over the floor, and Ah Hua was pecking at them excitedly.

Lu Hehuan and Yingxi returned to the dormitory, both looking crestfallen. As they opened the door, they caught the peanut-thieving Ah Hua red-handed.

Seeing her beloved peanuts so wantonly wasted, Yingxi burst into rage and chased after Ah Hua. “You greedy chicken! How dare you steal this detective’s peanuts? I’ll teach you a lesson!”

Ah Hua flapped her wings in panic, darting around the room, while Yingxi took off a shoe and brandished it in pursuit. Ah Hua leapt onto a chair, sprang into the air, and soared past Lu Hehuan’s head.

Intent on catching Ah Hua, Yingxi threw herself at Lu Hehuan, and the two tumbled to the ground. Ah Hua seized the opportunity to dash out the door.

“Stop right there! Ah Hua! This detective orders you to halt!” Yingxi roared furiously.

Lu Hehuan pushed Yingxi off, recalling how he, too, had once sneakily eaten some of her peanuts, and with a twinge of guilt, tried to placate her. “Detective Ying, why argue with a chicken?”

“Exactly, I have no time to bicker with a chicken—I must supervise you washing my socks.” Yingxi replied, her anger unabated.

Lu Hehuan looked miserable; he regretted speaking up.

Inside the dormitory, Yingxi munched on peanuts while watching Lu Hehuan squat on the floor, washing socks. Overwhelmed by his obsessive cleanliness, Lu Hehuan held his breath, but halfway through, he could endure no more. Turning his head toward Yingxi, he pleaded, “My God! Detective Ying, a bet is a bet, but could I do something else instead? I really can’t handle washing socks.”

“No way. A gentleman’s word is his bond; there’s no taking it back. Besides, don’t be so dramatic—washing my socks isn’t the end of the world.”

“It is the end of the world!” Lu Hehuan replied plaintively, gazing at Yingxi with puppy eyes.

Yingxi snapped, “Enough, already!”

“Just finish me off, then,” Lu Hehuan said, closing his eyes, a martyr to his fate.

Yingxi glared at him, stroking her chin. If she really drove Lu Hehuan to death, who would do her bidding? Irritated, she waved him off. “Fine, unless you can make sure Ah Hua never steals my peanuts again, you’re stuck with sock duty.”

“I’ll handle it at once!” Lu Hehuan’s eyes lit up with relief.

As dusk settled, the courtyard of the police station was especially tranquil. After a hearty meal, Ah Hua strolled happily through the yard. Lu Hehuan slipped in quietly, edging closer to her. Sensing something amiss, Ah Hua bolted, wings flapping wildly, with Lu Hehuan stumbling in pursuit.

At last, Lu Hehuan caught Ah Hua, feathers flying everywhere. “Ah Hua, I warn you: if you ever steal Detective Ying’s peanuts again, I’ll pluck you bald and make you streak through the yard!” he lectured solemnly.

As he spoke, a towering shadow fell over them, and Bao Kang’s furious voice thundered, “If you dare strip Ah Hua, I’ll strip you!”

Lu Hehuan turned around, trembling. Bao Kang’s face, contorted with rage in the sunset’s glow, was truly terrifying.

Swallowing hard, Lu Hehuan stammered, “Director Bao, Ah Hua keeps stealing Detective Ying’s peanuts. I was merely teaching her to behave more like a proper lady—be a bit more reserved.”

Bao Kang glared, snatching Ah Hua into his arms. “My dear Ah Hua, you’ve been frightened. It’s all right now.”

“Director Bao, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.” Lu Hehuan tried to edge away.

“Stay where you are! You dare lay a hand on my Ah Hua? You must have a death wish!” Bao Kang thundered.

Seeing there was no escape, Lu Hehuan hurriedly explained, “I’m sorry, Director Bao. I lost a bet with Detective Ying and had to wash her socks. But I couldn’t stand it, so I pleaded for another punishment. She said if I could stop Ah Hua from stealing her peanuts, I’d be spared.”

“So that’s how it is. Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Bao Kang’s expression softened, though a cunning glint appeared in his eye. “I understand your little obsession with cleanliness. So, to cure you, your punishment is to wash socks for everyone in the police station!”

“What?” Lu Hehuan was dumbstruck.

Night had fallen. With a clothespin on his nose and a basin of socks in his hands, Lu Hehuan slunk back into the dormitory, his face a portrait of despair.

“Trouble with Ah Hua?” Yingxi asked gleefully from her chair.

“Trouble with Ah Hua’s owner, more like! Just my luck—while I was giving Ah Hua a lesson in morals, Director Bao caught me. Now I have to wash socks for the entire station.” He looked like a man who’d lost all hope.

Yingxi burst out laughing, pointing at Lu Hehuan. “At last, a perfect cure for your cleanliness! Congratulations!”

Ignoring her, Lu Hehuan set the basin down and plunged his hands in, as though facing a death sentence. “Director Bao is truly dedicated to my recovery…”

Yingxi smothered a laugh, set aside her peanuts, and, donning an air of camaraderie, squatted beside Lu Hehuan to help with the socks.

“What are you doing?” Lu Hehuan eyed Yingxi suspiciously, fearing another trick.

“I’m helping you, of course. We’re the Joyful Detective Duo—together in fortune, in hardship, in every case!”

Lu Hehuan relaxed, nudging Yingxi with his elbow. “So, Detective Ying, you do have a soft heart behind that sharp tongue.”

“Don’t think you can flatter me—I’m not falling for it,” Yingxi replied sternly.

Lu Hehuan just smiled. “You know me—I don’t do flattery.”

Though she kept her stern face, the corners of Yingxi’s mouth betrayed a hint of a smile.

By midmorning, the sun was high, and Yingxi and Lu Hehuan were still fast asleep, clinging to each other. With a bang, Liu Rushuang burst in, aghast at the sight.

“You—you—you two are sleeping together again?” She’d caught them “in the act” once more.

Awakened by her outcry, the two men hastily disentangled themselves, deeply embarrassed.

Lu Hehuan scratched his head. “Miss Liu, I’m sorry. I must have dreamed of Ling Yan again last night.”

Liu Rushuang, baffled, snapped, “What does dreaming of Ling Yan have to do with cuddling Detective Ying? I warn you—if you dare touch him again, I’ll chop off your hands and feet and make you a living corpse!”

Lu Hehuan gulped and nodded quickly, grabbing his coat.

Irritated, Yingxi smoothed his hair. “Liu Rushuang, can’t you knock before coming in? If you keep this up, I’ll start locking my door at night.”

“Why would two grown men need to lock their door?” Liu Rushuang pouted coquettishly.

“Never mind that. Why are you barging in at this hour like a harbinger of doom?” Yingxi grumbled.

Pouting, Liu Rushuang replied, “I want to bring Baibai along to help you solve the case.”

“No!” Yingxi refused flatly.

Unwilling to give up, Liu Rushuang fetched Yingxi’s clothes while pleading, “Baibai’s much more stable now—he won’t cause trouble. I need to keep him cheerful, but we have nowhere else to go. Please take us with you.”

“I’m investigating a case, not entertaining guests! If I don’t find clues, I’ll only get more upset, which won’t help Bai Yulou recover. You should take him to the theater or the music hall. Or better yet, to the Palais de Danse—that’s the happiest place I know.”

“I have a lead! That’ll cheer us up, won’t it?” Liu Rushuang insisted.

“What lead?” Lu Hehuan asked eagerly.

“If Detective Ying agrees to take us, I’ll tell.”

“Tell us first, or it’s no deal,” Yingxi pressed.

“When the elephant went missing, I heard a truck passed by the back gate of the Exotic Beasts Park. I suspect the elephant was transported away by truck,” Liu Rushuang declared, brimming with confidence.

Lu Hehuan nodded approvingly. “That’s an important clue. If the elephant was taken by truck, there must be a hidden gate in the elephant enclosure leading outside.”

Triumphant, Liu Rushuang crossed her arms. “Detective Ying, Baibai is waiting downstairs. Let’s go!”

“Who said I’d take you?” Yingxi replied, feigning ignorance.

“But you just—”

“I said, ‘no clue, no deal.’ You told us, so now we’ll consider it.”

Liu Rushuang smiled slyly. “Well, now I’m negotiating.”

“Negotiations over. The answer is no,” Yingxi declared, dragging Lu Hehuan out before Liu Rushuang could protest.

Frustrated, Liu Rushuang stamped her foot. “Detective Ying!”

By day, the Exotic Beasts Park was deserted. Lu Hehuan, Yingxi, and the park owner headed for the elephant enclosure.

Lu Hehuan rushed into the pen and soon discovered a concealed door in the corner, its lock broken and discarded.

The owner hurried over, eyes widening in shock at the broken lock. “This door’s always locked. Only I have the key.” He searched his pockets but found the key missing. “Those magicians must have stolen it!” he cursed.

Lu Hehuan nudged the door open and looked at the owner. “What’s behind this door?”

“It leads to a street.”

“Just as I thought…” Lu Hehuan mused. He turned back. “How big is the elephant?”

“It’s not fully grown—about six feet tall and four feet wide. It weighed five thousand pounds when shipped from America.”

Lu Hehuan measured the hidden door’s dimensions. “It matches exactly. The elephant must have been taken out through here.”

He stepped outside. Yingxi followed.

Sunlight filtered through the dense leaves, casting dappled shadows on the cobblestone street behind the park. Lu Hehuan and Yingxi examined the area carefully.

Yingxi tapped the pavement with his baton, considering. “This street is paved with stone slabs. A truck carrying an elephant would be extremely heavy. These stones are thin—if a truck passed, there’d be cracks or breaks. But they’re all intact. I don’t think the elephant was transported by truck.”

Lu Hehuan frowned, studying the ground. Suddenly, he noticed scattered drops of liquid on the stones. He dipped a finger in and sniffed.

“Kerosene.”

Yingxi shrugged. “Nothing odd about that. Kerosene from the Old Wharf is always hauled by truck. A few drops here don’t mean much.”

“I find it suspicious,” Lu Hehuan murmured, brow furrowing.

“Don’t get paranoid. The elephant couldn’t have been trucked out—you can see the road’s pristine.”

Lu Hehuan shook his head, gaze firm. “An elephant is huge. If not by truck, there’s no other way to move it without anyone noticing.”

He knelt to examine the kerosene, his expression growing grave. He glanced at Yingxi. “Detective Ying, we should pursue this further…”

The river shimmered in the sunlight. Liu Rushuang, lips pursed, led Bai Yulou along the bank, his wrist tied with a rope. As they walked, she grumbled, “Baibai, why is Detective Ying so cold to me? Does he not like pure and adorable girls?”

Bai Yulou stared blankly ahead, paying no heed to her complaints.

After a moment’s thought, Liu Rushuang mused aloud, “Detective Ying seems fond of those dancers at the Palais de Danse—maybe he likes bold and wild women? Should I change my style?”

She drifted into a daydream.

In the dim, suggestive light of a room, Yingxi lounged in pajamas against the headboard. Liu Rushuang, in a sultry red qipao and heavy makeup, swayed seductively. As she neared, she flirtatiously brushed his hair, then, like a little wildcat, purred, “Meow—”

Yingxi’s eyes gleamed wickedly as he pulled her down onto the bed.

A cold wind snapped Liu Rushuang from her fantasy, and a blush crept across her cheeks. Embarrassed, she fidgeted. “What am I thinking…”

She continued walking, but soon sensed something wrong. Looking back, she saw Bai Yulou had slipped free and was about to throw himself into the river.

Standing at the riverbank, Bai Yulou looked serene. “At last, I can atone for my sins…”

Startled, Liu Rushuang dashed over, grabbing him just as he leapt, sending him sprawling.

“Baibai, what are you doing!”

Bai Yulou sobbed and struggled toward the water. “Let me go—let me die. My sins are too great. I keep dreaming of Sister Hao, Cheng Zesheng, and all the widows I killed…”

“Baibai, calm down—listen to me—”

“I don’t want to hear it. Let me die…” Bai Yulou resisted with all his might.

Liu Rushuang pulled with all her strength, but Bai Yulou, though usually bullied by her, was much stronger. As he nearly broke free, she spotted a rock nearby. Gritting her teeth, she grabbed it and struck him.

Bai Yulou, pained and aggrieved, looked up at her. “Sister Shuang, you hit me?”

Then he fainted.

Liu Rushuang blinked guiltily and gave him a nudge. Seeing no response, she scratched her head, troubled—she couldn’t drag or carry him, but she couldn’t just leave him lying in the wild.

At a loss, she suddenly noticed the big tree nearby…

Sunlight poured into the elephant enclosure as Lu Hehuan and Yingxi resumed their investigation.

Yingxi, like a treasure hunter, tapped the walls while Lu Hehuan questioned the park owner.

“Where did you hire Zheng Qiu and Zhang Chuan?”

“They travel with the acrobat troupe, performing a few small magic tricks between acts to liven things up.”

“How long have they been with the troupe?”

“The manager said two years. I’ve seen them perform elsewhere—they’re somewhat known in the Old Wharf area.”

“Have they ever performed Western magic?”

“No, they’re from humble backgrounds and have no foreign contacts. They’ve never been abroad. Their tricks are limited to birds, flowers, and fish—just to amuse the locals.”

Having finished his “treasure hunt,” Yingxi returned and prodded Lu Hehuan. “That’s enough. Let’s go back and interrogate those two magicians—the truth will come out.”

But Lu Hehuan continued his questioning.

“During the argument between Zheng Qiu and Zhang Chuan, right up to the disappearance, was there anyone suspicious in the crowd?”

The owner thought hard, then shook his head.

“Try to remember carefully,” Lu Hehuan pressed, not wanting to overlook any detail.

The owner lowered his head, thinking deeply.

On the park’s opening day, Zhang Chuan and Zheng Qiu bickered on stage, each unwilling to yield. Zheng Qiu, hearing Zhang Chuan boast of vanishing things, pointed at the elephant. “That one—can you do it?”

Zhang Chuan, unfazed, looked at the owner in the audience. “That depends on whether the owner can part with it.”

“Make the elephant disappear!” the crowd chanted.

A man standing beside the owner joined in, catching the owner’s eye. He seemed about thirty, wore a deerstalker hat pulled low, and his pale skin looked untouched by sunlight.

“If they really make the elephant vanish, the park will be famous—people might come from afar just to see where it happened,” the man mused.

“Nonsense! An elephant? They’re bluffing!” another guest objected.

The first man only smiled. “Wait and see. When they fail, the magicians will be the laughingstock, and the owner will still profit.”

Intrigued, the owner glanced at the man but only saw his profile.

“Make the elephant disappear!” The crowd grew more excited.

Persuaded, the owner gazed eagerly at Zheng Qiu and Zhang Chuan.

Reflecting on this, the owner sighed, regretful. “At first, I hesitated—after all, the elephant was my star attraction. But that man’s words convinced me to let them try. Honestly, I never thought they’d succeed. I just wanted to see them embarrassed and make the park famous.” He drifted into reminiscence.

Zheng Qiu and Zhang Chuan, with the owner’s consent, began their act. When they whisked away the curtain, the audience gasped—the elephant was gone.

The owner was dumbfounded—he’d watched the curtain the whole time, yet the elephant vanished before his eyes.

In the confusion, he noticed the mysterious man had disappeared as well, though at the time he was too distracted to care. Now, it seemed odd.

Having pieced together the story, Lu Hehuan grew suspicious of the man who’d persuaded the owner—it seemed likely he was an accomplice.

“Do you know when the man disappeared?” he asked.

The owner shook his head. “No, I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Do you remember his face?”

“I only saw him in profile, and didn’t take much notice. I just vaguely recall there was such a person.”

“That man could be their accomplice. Let’s interrogate the magicians and get to the bottom of this,” Yingxi interjected.

“Yes, yes! They must be in cahoots!” the owner agreed, his voice pleading. “Officers, you must help me find the elephant. With shipping, it cost me more than two thousand silver dollars!”

Yingxi’s mouth fell open, eyes gleaming at the thought—that could buy a mountain of peanuts and fine wine. For that alone, he was determined to solve the case.

Lu Hehuan said nothing, his head bowed in deep thought.