Part 2 (1/2)

Whatever else the actor was about to say was interrupted by the abrupt opening of the lacquered doors to the throne room followed by the emergence of the ravaged lady in the poker-hand pants suit. Closing them abruptly behind her, she paused in silence until she had the attention of all in the conservatory save for a few drunks otherwise occupied in potted palm alcoves.

”Kids,” she said in her. husky, penetrating, somewhat graveled voice, ”you can all go home now. Our hostess has been murdered!”

The room hushed.

VI.

ERIC SVORENSSEN pointed the forefinger of his highball holding hand at Chan and said, ”You knew! Why didn't you. tell us?”

Gil Roberts said, ”Probably, Doc, because he had orders not to.”

Despite the languidness of his stance and the drawl of his voice, the actor spoke with authority. Svorenssen deflated and said, ”Is that so, Charlie?”

Chan sipped his drink and said nothing.. Gil Roberts, muttering an excuse, took off after the lady in the pokerhands pant suit, who was heading for the pa.s.senger elevator...

Chan said, ”Who's the lady in the pants suit?”

Svorenssen said, ”That's Claudia Haynes. She has an overbite due to an uncorrected faulty occlusion when she was a child.,'

Shaking his head, Chan said, ”Doc, I asked who she was, not for her dental chart.”

”Sorry, Charlie, but I'm all shook up. Is Mei T'ang really dead?”

Chan nodded, repeated his question about the woman who had made the announcement, who was slipping into the elevator with Gil Roberts securely latched to her elbow.

Eric Svorenssen, his face drained of color, said, ”Now she'll never get the eyetooth root-ca.n.a.l work done. Charlie, you wouldn't believe -”

”Who is she, Doc?” Chan committed the rare rudeness Of an interruption...

”Oh...” Svorenssen snapped out of it, said, ”Claudia? She's an agent, what they call a package dealer. She's the one who put the deal together.” He put down his near-empty gla.s.s on a small table, said, ”Charlie, excuse me. I think I'm going to be sick.”

Looking after the dentist until he disappeared in the lavender bathroom at a trot, the Hawaiian detective inspector turned his attention to the reactions of the others in the conservatory. For the moment, it was still a tableau, with most of those present still frozen into immobility by shock at Claudia Haynes's abrupt announcement. A sort of non-conversation piece, he thought, wis.h.i.+ng he knew who they all were.

Even as he watched, the tableau broke up. Voices rose on every side, voices expressing disbelief for the most part as the message took its time to sink in. Then the noise level rose higher and the guests, like Caesar's Gaul, divided themselves into three parts.

One group headed for the elevator to give names and addresses to the police guard stationed there. Another headed back to the bar, while a third milled aimlessly about.

Strange scene, strange happening, Chan thought, wondering who, if any among them, might have information that could lead to the ident.i.ty of the person unknown by whom the crime had been committed. He heard one woman, denied the use of a telephone by the police, say, ”But if I don't get this to Sheila first, I'm off her payroll.”

Sheila, Chan surmised correctly, was almost certainly a screen gossip columnist. He was reminded again of the inevitable notoriety that must follow the dramatic murder of such.. famed, exotic public personality as Mei T'ang Wu had been.

It was a crime that demanded a quick solution for man!, reasons, not the least of them police prestige. He began to map out proper procedure and again was forced to remind himself of his entire lack of any status, official or private, sine.! his possible client was the victim.

A voice at his elbow said, ”Inspector Chan?”

It brought him out of his brief reverie. A tall, reedy young man in a grey suit and blue sports s.h.i.+rt stood beside him, added, ”Sir, Captain Jarvis wants to see you.”

As the detective ushered l him through the bright lacquered door, Mei T'ang'; companion, Ah-Nah, was ushered out. She said nothing to Chan as they pa.s.sed, but her luminous dark eyes looked up eloquently into his with what he took to be a silent appeal to help.

The twilight of Mei T'ang', reception room had been banished and the lights were on bright and full. The body had already been removed and, despite the fact there were a half dozen persons present, the long chamber felt strangely empty. Even Pat Jarvis seemed to feel the eerie personality vacuum created by the departure of the former star's corpse. In death, her presence still dominated her surroundings as it had in life.

Jarvis said, ”This one looks like a ring-tailed doozy.” Then, to a pair of technicians busy by the now empty throne chair, ”Don't forget to dust the gloves for latents.” And, back to Chan, ”Anything you've got, Charlie.”

Chan gave it to him from the beginning in Dr. Svoressen's office. When he got to the episode of the lavender bath towel and the theft of the jeweled fly, Jarvis slapped the flat of a hand hard against the priceless antique chest on which he was resting his rump.

”Son of a b.i.t.c.h!” he said. ”Right under our noses! How do you like that for nerve?”

”Not much,” said Chan. He lapsed into his pidgin to add, ”Humble self much embarra.s.sed.”

”You're embarra.s.sed!” said the captain of detectives. ”How the h.e.l.l do you think I feel? I don't suppose you have any idea who did it?”

Chan shook his head, told him about the perfume, concluded, ”Not much of a clue, I fear. Sorry.”

”Not your fault, Charlie,” said Jarvis, shaking his head like a mastiff emerging from the Santa Monica surf. Then, ”And those G.o.d d.a.m.ned caterers... You know, Charlie, if I can find who called them for delivery at that precise moment, I believe we'd have this case wrapped up.”

”Problem with call?”

”You can say that again' We don't even know it came from this building. Just a voice, apparently female, demanding immediate service; For a job like this, the Jason service has a stand-by system so they won't clutter up a party they're hired for until they're needed.”

Chan said, ”Would give much to know what Mei T'ang wished to see humble self about.”

”You and me both!” Captain Jarvis paused, scowled at the tapestry on the opposite wall. Then he said, ”Charlie, I don't know how to ask this of you!”

Chan said, ”Best way ask. Then Charlie tell yes or no.”

”I wish you'd stop the double-talk,” said the police captain. ”How the h.e.l.l can I ask a favor of you? You may be out of your jurisdiction, but you still outrank me, and I want your help.”

”What do you want me to do?”

”Just stay with it. You have an inside track to begin with because Mei T'ang asked to see you. You found the body, found the jeweled fly, you called me. Do what comes naturally, learn what you can. Frankly, we're stumped.”

”Case early,” said Chan. ”Time needed for key.” Then, ”I'd like to know more about those jade and gold objects the fly came from.'?

”I haven't had time to examine them thoroughly,” said Jarvis, standing upright.: ”Let's take a look at them right now.”

They left the scene of the murder, crossed the service elevator foyer to the laboratory. On the way, Chan remarked, ”The black gloves - did they yield anything?”

”Don't expect much from them, Charlie, even after the lab boys have tested them. They're on sale in every department store in Los Angeles - and in at least half the small clothing shops.”

”Men's or women's?” Chan asked.

”Women's - but that doesn't necessarily mean a thing as you very well know.” They reached the laboratory and Captain Jarvis looked at the weird jewels in the big gla.s.s jars. He said, ”Jesus, what in the h.e.l.l are they?”

Chan gave him his theory. When they reached the ginseng root, he pointed out the two flies, revealed the one whose duplicate he had found by the throne.

Jarvis squinted at it, said, ”It could have fallen from one of the other weirdoes.”