Stephen Leather

Inspector Zang and the falling woman

Mrs. Zhang slipped her hand inside her husband’s as they walked together away from the seafood restaurant. "That was a lovely evening," she said. "Thank you so much."

Inspector Zhang smiled and gently squeezed her delicate hand. "It isn’t over yet," he said. "It isn’t every day that I get to celebrate thirty years of marriage to the most wonderful girl in Singapore."

Mrs. Zhang giggled. "I’ve not been a girl for a long time," she said.

"You will always be my girl," said Inspector Zhang.

Mrs. Zhang stopped walking and turned to face him. She put her arms around his neck and stood on tiptoe to kiss him on the lips. "I will love you until my last breath, and beyond," she said.

"That’s probably the lobster and the champagne talking," said Inspector Zhang.

Mrs. Zhang laughed. "It was very good lobster," she admitted. She released her grip on his neck and slid her hand into his again.

The restaurant that Inspector Zhang had taken his wife to was on a quay overlooking the Singapore River, with cute little tables and candles in old wine bottles and a chef who cooked the best lobster in the city. The chef was known to have a predilection for the ladyboys of Orchard Towers but his culinary skills were such that everyone turned a blind eye to his weakness.

As they walked slowly towards where he had left his car, they saw a group of three Indian men looking up at a twelve-storey apartment block. One of them was pointing up at the top of the building. Inspector Zhang craned his neck to see what they were looking at and gasped when he saw a Chinese woman standing on the roof of the block, holding onto a railing.

"I’m jumping!" the woman shouted. The wind whipped her black dress around her legs. "I’m going to jump!"

"Oh my goodness," said Mrs. Zhang, covering her mouth with her hand.

Inspector Zhang walked towards the building, reaching for his mobile phone. He called headquarters, explained the situation and asked for a negotiating unit to be despatched. He put his phone away, cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted up at the woman. "This is the police, please go back inside, Madam!"

The three Indians looked over at Inspector Zhang. "Are you really with the police?" said the youngest of the group, a teenager wearing combat trousers and a T-shirt with a Nike swoosh across the front.

"I am Inspector Zhang of the CID, based at New Bridge Road," he said. "Can you please move away, if she does fall it could be dangerous."

"For her, sure," laughed the Indian.

Inspector Zhang was about to scold the teenager for his insensitivity but before he could so the woman shouted again. "I’m going to jump!" she yelled.

Inspector Zhang cupped his hands around his mouth. "Please stay where you are!" he shouted. "We can talk about this."

"I’m going to jump!" screamed the woman. "Don’t try to stop me!"

"What’s your name?" shouted Inspector Zhang.

The woman shouted something but the wind whipped away her words.

"What did she say?" asked Inspector Zhang’s wife.

"I didn’t hear," he said. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted up at the woman again. "What is your name?"

"Celia!" shouted the woman..

"Okay Celia, please step away from the edge. I will come up and talk to you."

"I’m going to jump!"

More passers-by were stopping to look up at the building and cars were stopping in the road, drivers trying to see what was going on. Inspector Zhang waved at the cars to keep moving but no one paid him any attention. Suddenly he heard screams and he turned around just as the Chinese woman slammed into the ground with a sickening thud. Blood splattered across the pavement. The spectators scattered and one of the Indian men began to wail.

"Please, would everyone move back," said Inspector Zhang, holding up his warrant card. "I need everybody to get away from the body now."

Inspector Zhang went over to his wife who was staring at the body, her eyes wide. He put his arm around her. "You have to go home, my dear," he said.

Mrs. Zhang frowned. "Aren’t you coming?"

"I’m the first officer on the scene," he said, putting his arm around her slim waist. "I have to stay. I’m sorry."

Mrs. Zhang nodded. She knew what it meant to be married to a policeman, especially one who was as conscientious as her husband. "I’ll wait up for you," she said and stood on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek.

"You’d better," said Inspector Zhang, giving her his car keys. As Mrs. Zhang headed towards the car Inspector Zhang used his mobile phone to contact headquarters to report the death and to cancel the negotiating team. The operator promised to despatch an ambulance immediately.

Inspector Zhang ended the call and phoned Sergeant Lee. She was at home and he asked her to come to the scene as soon as possible.

A small crowd was gathering around the body and Inspector Zhang went over and asked them to move back. "There is nothing to see," he said, even though he knew that wasn’t true. There was something to see — a dead body. During his career as a policeman, Inspector Zhang had seen many dead bodies but most people were rarely confronted by death and when they were they tended to stop and stare in morbid fascination.

The woman was lying face down, one leg twisted awkwardly, one arm under her body, and a pool of blood was slowly spreading around her head. He didn’t need to check for signs of life. Her dress had ridden up her legs exposing her thighs and Inspector Zhang tenderly pulled it down.

As he straightened up, a patrol car arrived and two uniformed policemen got out. Inspector Zhang showed them his warrant card, explained what had happened, and asked them to help keep the onlookers away. There were now more than fifty people pressing around trying to get a look at the body.

Sergeant Lee arrived just ten minutes after Inspector Zhang had called her. She was wearing a dark blue suit and had her hair clipped up at the back. "I’m sorry to bring you in so late but I was the first on the scene," said Inspector Zhang.

"But you’re not on duty tonight," said Sergeant Lee.

"An inspector of the Singapore Police Force is always on duty," said Inspector Zhang.

"But isn’t it your thirtieth wedding anniversary tonight?" asked Sergeant Lee, walking over to the body with the inspector.

"My wife understands," said Inspector Zhang.

"Did she jump?" asked the Sergeant, leaning over the body and taking out her notebook.

"She was calling out saying that she was going to jump and I was trying to talk to her but…" He shrugged. "Sometimes there is nothing that can be done to stop them."

Sergeant Lee looked up at the building and shuddered.

"This is your first suicide?" asked the inspector.

Sergeant Lee nodded solemnly.

"It is not uncommon in Singapore," said Inspector Zhang. "We have an average of four hundred a year, more during times of economic crisis."

"I don’t understand why anyone would kill themselves," she said. "Especially a young woman."

"It’s usually because of money, or an affair of the heart. But our suicide rate is still well below that of Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea."

"I suppose because our lives are better here in Singapore," said the sergeant.

"Do you know which country in the world has the highest rate of suicides?" asked the inspector. Sergeant Lee shook her head. "Lithuania, followed by Russia," said Inspector Zhang. "Their suicide rates are four times ours." He looked down at the body. "And like you, I can never understand why anyone would want to take their own life."

"I don’t see a bag or a wallet," said Sergeant Lee.

"That’s not unusual," said Inspector Zhang. "Suicides generally take off their glasses and leave their belongings behind. A man, for instance, will often take out his wallet, keys and spare change and place it on the ground before jumping." He shrugged. "I don’t know why, but that’s what they do."

An ambulance pulled up in front of the building and two paramedics climbed out. Inspector Zhang went over to speak to them, then returned to Sergeant Lee and told her to accompany her into the building.

The glass-doors were locked and there was no one sitting behind the counter at reception. "They probably only have the desk manned during the day," said the inspector.

There was a stainless steel panel set into the wall with forty numbered buttons and a speaker grille. At the top of the panel was a small camera set behind thick glass. Inspector Zhang pressed button number one. After a few seconds a man asked him in Chinese who he was and what he wanted. Inspector Zhang held up his warrant card and replied in Mandarin, telling the man who he was and that he required him to open the door. The lock buzzed and Sergeant Lee pushed the door open. Inspector Zhang thanked the man and put away his warrant card.

He followed Sergeant Lee into the marbled foyer and looked around. "No CCTV," he said. "That’s a pity." There were two elevators and he pressed the button to summon one.

"Some residents find them intrusive," said Sergeant Lee. "They wanted to install them inside our building, but too many people objected."

"If you do nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear from CCTV," said Inspector Zhang.

"Some people prefer to keep their privacy, I suppose," said the sergeant.

The elevator arrived and they took it up to the tenth floor. There they found a door that led outside. It opened onto a stone-flagged roof where there was a small white-painted gazebo and several wooden benches. There was a barbecue area and a dozen tall palms in earthenware tubs.

Sergeant Lee pointed at a Louis Vuitton handbag on one of the benches. "There, Sir," she said.

Inspector Zhang went over to the railing to look down at the street below while Sergeant Lee examined the bag. She took out a wallet and flipped it open. Inside were half a dozen credit cards and her NRIC, the card carried by every Singaporean. The card was pink, showing that she was a citizen. Cards carried by permanent residents were blue.

"Celia Wong," said Sergeant Lee, reading the card. "Married. Twenty-seven years old."

"So young," said Inspector Zhang, staring down at the pavement far below. The crowds had moved on and there was no sign that a woman had died there. There would be blood on the pavement still, thought Inspector Zhang, but he couldn’t see the red stain from the roof.

"I’m twenty-four," said Sergeant Lee.

"I meant so young to kill herself," said the inspector. "She had her whole life in front of her. Why would she want to end it?"

Sergeant Lee shrugged, not knowing what to say.

"Where does she live?" asked the inspector.

"A building in Yio Chu Kang," she said. "I know the building. It’s a Housing and Development Board block."

"Are you sure?" asked the inspector, turning to face her.

Sergeant Lee nodded. "I was there on a case last year," she said. "Shall I phone the husband?"

"Definitely not," said Inspector Zhang. "News like this has to be broken in person, and in a sympathetic manner. Do you have your car?"

"I do, inspector."

"Then you shall drive," said Inspector Zhang. "My wife has taken my car."

It took Sergeant Lee twenty minutes to drive to Yio Chu Kang. Inspector Zhang was pleasantly surprised at her driving skills, she was neither too slow nor two fast and she made good use of her rear view mirror and side mirrors. She parked confidently in a space only a few feet wider than her Honda Civic.

They climbed out and looked up at the building. Inspector Zhang realised that his sergeant was right, it was an HDB block, cheap housing provided by the Government for those on low incomes.

They walked over to the main entrance. The intercom system was old and showing signs of wear with several buttons missing. Sergeant Lee pressed the button for Mr. Wong’s apartment and there was a buzzing noise. A few seconds later a man asked who was there.

Sergeant Lee put her face close to the intercom. "This is Sergeant Lee of the Singapore Police Force," she said. "I am with Inspector Zhang. We are with the CID at New Bridge Road."

"It’s late, what do you want?"

"Are you Mr. Wong?" asked Sergeant Lee.

"Yes."

"And your wife is Celia Wong?"

"Is my wife all right? Has something happened?"

"We’d like to come in and talk to you, Mr. Wong. It would be easier if we could talk to you face to face."

The door buzzed and Sergeant Lee pushed it open. They walked to the elevator and went up to the sixth floor. Wong already had the door to his apartment open. He was wearing a black silk dressing gown and red pyjamas with gold dragons on them. "What’s wrong?" he asked. "Is my wife all right? I’ve been phoning her all night but she isn’t answering her phone."

"Can we come in please?" asked Inspector Zhang.

Mr. Wong opened the door wide and let them into his apartment. He was in his mid-thirties, tall with a neatly-trimmed goatee beard. The inspector and Sergeant Lee walked through to a sitting room that was barely large enough to hold two sofas and a circular dining table. The window was wide open and a soft breeze blew in from outside. There was a small LCD television on a rosewood table showing a football match, the sound muted. "Look, tell me what’s going on," said Wong.

"I’m afraid we have some bad news for you, Mr. Wong," said Inspector Zhang. "It might be best if you sat down."

Mr. Wong did as the inspector asked and sat down on an overstuffed sofa. Sergeant Lee sat on a rosewood chair but Inspector Zhang remained standing. "Where is your wife, Mr. Wong?" asked Inspector Zhang. "Where did she go?"

"She said she was going out to see a friend, but that was hours ago."

"Who is the friend?"

"I don’t know. She didn’t say. She just said that she would be back in two hours but that was ages. Look, has something happened? Is she in trouble?"

"Your wife died earlier tonight, Mr. Wong. I am so sorry."

Mr. Wong’s eyes narrowed and then he looked across at Sergeant Lee. "She what?" he asked, but the sergeant said nothing. Sergeant Lee looked at Inspector Zhang. He was the superior officer so it was up to him to do the talking.

"She fell from a building," said Inspector Zhang. "I am so sorry for your loss."

Mr. Wong shook his head. "No, there’s some mistake," he said. "My wife went to a restaurant. She was having dinner." He frowned. "What building?"

"An apartment building in River Valley."

"Then there’s definitely been a mistake, my wife wouldn’t have any reason to go to River Valley."

"Where did your wife say she was going, Mr. Wong?" asked Inspector Zhang.

"I don’t know. She didn’t say which restaurant."

"Then how do you know she wasn’t going to River Valley?"

"Because she doesn’t have any friends there. If she did, I’d know."

"Mr. Wong, we found your wife’s handbag." He took Mrs. Wong’s NRI card from his pocket and gave it to Mr. Wong. Mr. Wong stared at it, his lower lip trembling.

"Mr. Wong, I’m sorry but I have to ask. Was your wife upset about something?"

Mr. Wong continued to stare at the card.

"Mr. Wong, was your wife upset about something?" repeated the inspector.

Mr. Wong looked up, frowning. "Upset?"

"We think she deliberately jumped off the building. But there was no note."

"My wife did not kill herself. Why would you say that?"

"It wasn’t an accident," said Inspector Zhang.

"How can you possibly know that? You said she didn’t leave a note. Suicides always leave notes, don’t they?"

"Not always." Inspector Zhang took a deep breath. "Mr. Wong, I know that your wife killed herself because I was there," he said.

"You were there?”

"In River Valley. I saw her jump."

A tear ran down Mr. Wong’s left cheek.

"I’m sorry, Mr. Wong, there is no doubt. It is your wife."

Another tear trickled down Mr. Wong’s face, then he hunched forward and buried his face in his hands. He began to sob quietly.

Sergeant Lee looked over at Inspector Zhang. He forced a smile. Sergeant Lee got up and went to sit on the sofa next to Mr. Wong. She put her arm around him. Inspector Zhang sighed, but didn’t say anything. It was not procedure to offer physical comfort to the recently bereaved, but Sergeant Lee was young and relatively inexperienced and a woman. He made a mental note to mention it to her later.

"We’re very sorry," whispered Sergeant Lee.

Mr. Wong cried for several minutes, then he suddenly got up off the sofa and rushed to the kitchen. He reappeared shortly afterwards, dabbing at his face with a piece of kitchen towel. "Is it okay for me to have a drink?" he asked Inspector Zhang.

"Of course," said Inspector Zhang.

Mr. Wong went over to a cupboard, poured himself a large measure of brandy and sat down again. He took a long drink, his hands trembling. "What happens now?" he asked.

"At some point you will have to go to the Forensic Medicine Department to identify the body, but that is a formality. It is definitely her, I am afraid. Then you need to contact a funeral director to make arrangements."

Mr. Wong nodded at the inspector and dabbed at his eyes again.

"Mr. Wong, I know this is painful for you, but I do have some questions for you," said Inspector Zhang. "Was your wife troubled in any way?"

"She was having problems at work," said Mr. Wong. "She works for an import-export business and they were about to downsize. She was worried she might lose her job."

"And where do you work, Mr. Wong?"

"At the airport. I work in the baggage handling department."

"And were you and your wife having any problems?"

"What are you suggesting?" said Mr. Wong. "Are you saying that you think my wife killed herself because of me?"

Inspector Zhang held up his hands. "Absolutely not, Mr. Wong, but it would be helpful if we knew what her state of mind was when she was on the roof."

"Why? She’s dead. That’s the end of it. She killed herself, why do you need to know what she was thinking? Will knowing bring her back?" He sniffed and wiped his eyes.

Inspector Zhang grimaced. "It’s my job, I’m sorry. It’s just…" He left the sentence unfinished.

"What?" said Mr. Wong.

Inspector Zhang shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. "The thing is Mr. Wong, people either want to kill themselves, or they don’t. Those that do tend to just do it. They write a note, usually, and then they do what they have to do. But there are others for whom suicide is a cry for help, they want attention, they want to be noticed, they want to talk."

"So?"

"So your wife is unusual in that she did both. She was talking, she was shouting that she wanted to jump, and then she did. That is a rarity. Once they start to talk, they usually continue. That is why we have negotiating teams who are trained to deal with a person in crisis." He shrugged. "Anyway, I shall not intrude on your grief any longer. Someone from the Forensic Medicine Department will call you to arrange a viewing."

"A viewing?"

"To identify the body. That has to be done by a relative."

Mr. Wong didn’t get up and Inspector Zhang and Sergeant Lee saw themselves out.

"Would you like to know something, Sergeant Lee?" asked the inspector, as they walked out of the building.

"Of course," said the sergeant.

"I never trust a man with a goatee beard," he said. "I’m not sure why, but there is something inherently deceitful about a man who spends an inordinate amount of time shaping his facial hair, don’t you think?"

Sergeant Lee frowned. "I’ve never given it much thought," she said.

"You should, Sergeant," said the inspector.

Sergeant Lee took out her notebook and scribbled in it.

Inspector Zhang was at his desk at exactly nine o’clock the following day. He sat down and logged on to his terminal and checked his email. There was nothing of any importance. He flicked through his copy of the Straits Times. The story of Celia Wong’s suicide was on page seven, a mere three paragraphs that looked as if they had come straight from the police blotter. His telephone rang and he picked it up. "Inspector Zhang? This is Dr. Choi from the Forensic Medicine Division."

"Dr. Choi. How are you?" Inspector Zhang had known Maggie Choi for almost fifteen years but she always used his title when she addressed him and he always returned the courtesy. She was in her late thirties, a slightly overweight lady with a moon face and like Inspector Zhang hampered by poor eyesight.

"I am fine, Inspector Zhang, thank you for asking. I am calling about the body that you sent to us last night."

"Ah yes. Celia Wong."

"That’s correct. Twenty-seven year old Chinese female. I’m calling to notify you about the cause of death."

"I don’t think there’s much doubt about that, Dr. Choi," said Inspector Zhang. "I was there when she fell."

"Oh, her injuries were catastrophic, there is no question of that," said the doctor. "But they weren’t the cause of death. They were post-mortem."

"That’s interesting," said the inspector, sitting up straight.

"Drowning was the cause of death."

"Drowning?" repeated Inspector Zhang, unable to believe his ears.

"Her lungs were full of water."

As Inspector Zhang took down the details in his notebook, Sergeant Lee arrived, carrying a cup of Starbucks coffee. Inspector Zhang put down the phone and blinked at his sergeant. "Sergeant Lee, we have ourselves a mystery," he said.

"A mystery?" repeated Sergeant Lee.

"An impossible mystery," said Inspector Zhang, "and they are the best." He took off his spectacles and leant back in his chair as he polished the lenses with his handkerchief. "An impossible mystery is just that, a mystery where something impossible has happened. In this case, Mrs. Wong jumped from the building but the fall did not kill her."

"It didn’t?"

"According to the Forensic Medicine Department, Mrs. Wong drowned."

"But that’s impossible."

"Exactly," said Inspector Zhang. "That is why I said we have an impossible mystery." He put his glasses on and steepled his fingers over his stomach. "The impossible mystery was a feature of the golden age of detective fiction, where an amateur sleuth or professional investigator would be called in to examine a crime which had been committed in an impossible manner. Some of the best were written by Agatha Christie, Ellery Queen and the great John Dickson Carr. And we mustn’t forget Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, of course, and his immortal Sherlock Holmes. And now, Sergeant Lee, you and I have a real life impossible mystery to solve."

"So you now suspect foul play?" asked Sergeant Lee.

"How could it not be?" asked Inspector Zhang.

"But Mrs. Wong told you that she was going to kill herself, and then she did."

"You think that she managed to drown herself as she fell? That is very unlikely. Impossible in fact." He stood up. "First we must return to the scene of the crime, because that is what I think we have now. A crime."

Inspector Zhang drove them to River Valley and parked in a multi-storey car park. This time there was a doorman on duty and he buzzed them in. His name was Mr. Lau and he told the detectives that he worked from eight o’clock in the morning until six o’clock in the evening. He was in his sixties, a small man with a bald head and a mole the size of a small coin on his chin. Inspector Zhang showed him a photocopy of Mrs. Wong’s identity card. "Has this lady ever visited anyone in the building?"

Mr. Lau licked his lower lip as he studied the photocopy, then he shook his head. "I don’t think so," he said.

"And there’s no CCTV in the building?"

"The residents didn’t want it," he said. "People like their privacy."

"It would make our job easier if every building had CCTV," said Inspector Zhang.

"I suppose you’d like them inside people’s homes, too," said Mr. Lau.

"That might be going too far," said Inspector Zhang, putting the photocopy into his pocket. "Do you have a list of the occupants of the building?"

Mr. Lau bent down and pulled a clipboard from underneath the counter. The top sheet was a list of all the apartments, the names of the occupants and contact numbers. Inspector Zhang studied the list. "Can I have a copy of this?"

"It’s the only copy I have," said Mr. Lau. "But there’s a photocopier in the office, I can make a copy for you."

Inspector Zhang smiled. "That would be very helpful, thank you."

Mr. Lau went into the office and returned with a photocopied sheet that he handed to the inspector.

"We’ll be on the roof for a while," said Inspector Zhang. "Can you tell me, is the door to the roof ever locked?"

"It’s supposed to be," said Mr. Lau. "All the residents have keys, but often it gets left open."

"So anyone could gain access?"

"I suppose so, yes."

"Do you happen to know if it was locked last night?"

Mr. Lau shook his head. "I was up three days ago and it was locked then, but I haven’t checked since. It’s a relaxation area for the residents; they can have barbecues up there if they want. It’s a pleasant place to sit, when it isn’t too hot. There’s a nice breeze up there, from the river."

Inspector Zhang thanked him and then went up in the elevator to the tenth floor with Sergeant Lee. They went out onto the roof and over to the section of the railing that Mrs. Wong had fallen from. Inspector Zhang looked down at the street below. "She was here when she was shouting," he said. "She was standing here, leaning against the railing." He pointed down to the pavement far below. "I was there with my wife. And four other people, all of us looking up. I tried to talk to her but all I could do was shout. I am not sure if she even heard me. She carried on shouting and more people stopped to look at her."

"It was definitely her?"

"It was the same dress, that I’m sure off. Was it the same woman? How could it not be, Sergeant Lee? I saw her fall. I saw her hit the ground. We found her handbag up here with her ID card." Inspector Zhang sighed. "So how did she manage to drown between here and the ground?"

"It’s a mystery," said Sergeant Lee.

Inspector Zhang beamed. "Yes," he said. "It is."

"Can you solve it, Inspector Zhang?"

"I hope so," said the inspector. "I really do." He turned away from the railing. "We have to ask ourselves why she came here," he said. "When it appeared to be suicide, where she was didn’t matter because she could have chosen any tall building. But if she didn’t kill herself, there must have been a reason why she came to this particular one."

Sergeant Lee nodded. "She came to see someone?"

"I think so," said the inspector.

"Should we speak to the apartment owners?"

Inspector Zhang scratched his chin. The building was ten stories high with four apartments on each floor. It would only take a few hours to knock on all the doors. But if the killer lived in one of the apartments, visiting them would only tip them off that the police were on the case. "Let’s go and look at her belongings first," he said. "That might make things clearer."

During Inspector Zhang’s time with the Singapore Police Force, the Forensic Medicine Division had evolved from the Centre for Forensic Medicine and before that the Department of Forensic Medicine. It was a case of a rose by any other name, Inspector Zhang knew, because its role hadn’t changed — it provided forensic expertise to the State Coroner and technical support to the police. They drove to Outram Road and parked close to Block 9 of the Health Sciences Authority, which housed the mortuary.

They showed their warrant cards to a bored security guard and went through to an office where Dr. Choi was waiting. "Good morning, Inspector Zhang," she said. She smiled showing perfect white teeth.

"Good morning, Dr. Choi." He waved a hand at his sergeant. "This is Sergeant Lee. She is assisting me on this case."

A white-coated assistant came in carrying a large cardboard box which he placed on a stainless steel table. "These are Mrs. Wong’s personal effects and clothing," said Dr. Choi. "Do you want to look at the body?"

"I don’t think so," said Inspector Zhang. "But you can answer one question for me. The water in Mrs. Wong’s lungs, was it sea water?"

Dr. Choi shook her head. "It was definitely not salt water," she said. "There were no traces of salt. It was plain water." She looked at her watch. "I have an autopsy that has to be done before lunch," she said. "Please just leave the box here when you’ve finished and I’ll collect it."

Sergeant Lee opened the box as Dr. Choi left the room. She took out the Louis Vuitton handbag and placed it on the table, followed by the dead woman’s dress, shoes and underwear. She started to open the handbag, but Inspector Zhang stopped her with a wave of her hand.

"The clothing first," he said. "Do you notice anything?"

"A dress. Shoes. Bra. Pants." Sergeant Lee shrugged. "Nothing out of the ordinary."

Inspector Zhang smiled. "The dress is Karen Millen, is it not?"

Sergeant Lee examined the label. "It is," she said. "You have a good eye for fashion, inspector."

"Karen Millen is one of my wife’s favourite labels. Though she usually only shops there during the sales. It is an expensive brand."

"I like Karen Millen myself, but you are right, they are expensive."

"And the underwear," said Inspector Zhang. "I am less of an expert on underwear, but it also looks expensive."

Sergeant Lee examined the bra and pants. "Yes, it is of good quality," she said. "Real silk."

Inspector Zhang nodded. "Do you think they are the sort of items that would be purchased by a woman who lived in an HDB block?"

"Possibly not," said Sergeant Lee.

"But the shoes, what about the shoes?"

Sergeant Lee picked up one of the shoes. "Poor quality," she said. "Probably made in China."

"And the bag. A Louis Vuitton copy. I thought that strange, that she was happy to pay for a Karen Millen dress but then had a fake handbag. And her shoes were not of good quality. The shoes and the bag fitted with the HDB apartment, but not the Karen Millen dress.

"And the underwear," said Sergeant Lee.

"I wasn’t aware of the underwear at the time," said Inspector Zhang. He gestured at the handbag. "Let’s see what she has in her bag."

Sergeant Lee unzipped the bag and took out a Nokia mobile phone, various items of make up, her wallet, some breath mints, a set of keys and a Parker pen.

Inspector Zhang picked up the keys. "There is no keycard, I see. To get into the main door."

"So someone must have buzzed her in," said Sergeant Lee.

"Perhaps," said Inspector Zhang.

"Inspector Zhang, I am confused. Do you think that Mrs. Wong killed herself? Or do you think she was murdered?"

"She could not have drowned herself and then thrown herself off the roof," said Inspector Zhang. "And it would of course be impossible for to her have drowned after she jumped. There is therefore only one possibility remaining. She drowned and then someone else threw her off the roof."

"But why would anyone do that?" asked Sergeant Lee.

"A very good question, Sergeant," said Inspector Zhang. "For if we know why the crime was committed, we will certainly know who did it. For now, I think we should go and see Mr. Wong."

He picked up Mrs. Wong’s mobile phone and scrolled through for her husband’s mobile phone number. He was just about to press the call button when Sergeant Lee put her hand on his. "That might not be a good idea, Inspector," she said. "He might think that it was his wife calling."

Inspector Zhang realised that she was right, and used his own phone to call Mr. Wong. When Mr. Wong answered, Inspector Zhang arranged to go around and see him early that evening.

"Can’t you tell me what it is over the phone?" Mr. Wong asked.

"Interviews are always better conducted face to face," said Inspector Zhang, and he ended the call.

Inspector Zhang and Sergeant Lee arrived at Mr. Wong’s apartment at six o’clock and he was clearly not happy to see them. "What is it you want?" he asked as they sat down on the sofa. "This is a very upsetting time for me; the last thing I want is to be answering more questions."

"We have had some more information regarding the death of your wife," said Inspector Zhang. "It might be that you are correct when you say that your wife didn’t kill herself."

"What are you saying, inspector?"

"I need to ask you some questions about what you were doing last night."

"I was here," said Wong. "You know I was here. You were in my apartment."

"But before that. What time did you come home?"

"I came home after work. My wife was here and she said she was going out for dinner with a friend. I cooked for myself and I watched some television. When she didn’t come back by ten o’clock I called her cell phone but she didn’t answer."

"Can anyone confirm that?"

Mr. Wong frowned. "Why do I need anyone to confirm anything?"

"It’s simply procedure, Mr. Wong."

Mr. Wong sighed. "As it so happens, I went to talk to my neighbour at about ten o’clock. His television was on loud and it was disturbing me. I asked him to turn the volume down."

"His name?"

"Mr. Diswani."

"Thank you," said Inspector Zhang. "And one more thing. I noticed yesterday that you have a plaster on your hand."

Wong held up his right hand. There was a flesh-coloured sticking plaster on his little finger. "I cut myself."

"Do you mind telling me how?"

"When I was cooking. It’s just a small cut. It’s nothing."

Inspector Zhang nodded thoughtfully.

"Why are you asking me these questions?" said Wong.

"We’re trying to find out what happened to your wife."

"You said she fell from a building."

"That’s true," said Inspector Zhang. "But it now appears that something happened to her before she came off the roof."

"What do you mean?" said Wong quickly.

"I’m afraid I can’t go into details at this stage, but we are now sure that Mrs. Wong didn’t kill herself." He patted his stomach. "Could I impose on you to use your bathroom," he said. "My stomach isn’t so good today."

Wong pointed down a corridor. "Along there, first door on the right," he said.

Inspector Zhang thanked him and walked along to the bathroom. When he got back to the sitting room, Sergeant Lee was sitting on the sofa next to Wong. They were looking through a photograph album. There were tears in Wong’s eyes.

"We’ll leave you now, Mr. Wong," said the inspector. "And once again I’m sorry for your loss."

Wong sniffed. "What will happen now, inspector?"

"Our investigation will continue," said Inspector Zhang.

Mr. Wong showed them out. Inspector Zhang smiled at Sergeant Lee as the door closed on them. "I never trust a man who cries easily," he said.

"He’s just lost his wife," said Sergeant Lee. "Wouldn’t you cry if you lost your wife?"

Inspector Zhang considered the question for several seconds, then he nodded slowly. "I would grieve. I would be sadder than I have ever been in my life. But I’m not sure that I would cry. Grief is not about tears; grief is a state of mind." He took off his glasses and polished them with his handkerchief. "But perhaps you are right. Perhaps I am too critical of Mr. Wong."

"Perhaps it is the goatee," said Sergeant Lee.

Inspector Zhang smiled and walked down the corridor, stopping at the apartment next to Mr. Wong’s. He knocked on the door. It was opened by an elderly Indian man.

"Mr. Diswani?" said Inspector Zhang. He held out his warrant card. "I am Inspector Zhang from New Bridge Road police station."

Mr. Diswani blinked at the warrant card and then nodded. "I am Mr. Diswani," he said,

"Did Mr. Wong have occasion to talk to you about the volume of your television set last night?"

Mr. Diswani’s jaw dropped. "He called the police about that? I told him, it was no louder than usual but he pointed his finger at me and called me terrible names."

"And what time was this?"

"About ten o’clock," said Mr. Diswani. "And I turned the volume down immediately, but then I could barely hear it. Come in for yourself and listen. I don’t understand why he was so angry."

"It isn’t a problem," said Inspector Zhang, putting away his warrant card. "You enjoy the rest of your evening."

Mr. Diswani closed the door, muttering to himself. Inspector Zhang and Sergeant Lee walked to the elevator and went down to the ground floor. "So what do you think, Sergeant Lee?" asked the inspector as they headed for their car.

Sergeant Lee sighed. "It is confusing," she said.

"Yes, it is," agreed the inspector. "Let us suppose that she was murdered, that she was dead before she hit the ground. So the question we have to ask, Sergeant Lee, is why the murderer felt that they had to kill Mrs. Wong twice."

"Overkill," said Sergeant Lee as Inspector Zhang unlocked the front passenger door and climbed in. Sergeant Lee got into the driving seat and closed the door. "Perhaps the killer wanted to make sure that she was dead," she said.

"There are easier ways to do that," said Inspector Zhang, settling back into his seat. "Besides, I think it would be obvious that she was already dead so there would be no need to make sure." He sighed and took off his spectacles. "I think I am getting a headache," he said, massaging his temples

"I have aspirin in my bag," said the sergeant.

"We can wait until we’re back in the office," said Inspector Zhang. "Aspirins are best taken with water." He put his spectacles back on. "Water," he said. "I’d forgotten, the water."

"Water?" repeated Sergeant Lee.

Inspector Zhang turned to look at her. "Celia Wong drowned, but her clothes were dry when she went off the building. How could that be if she had only just drowned?"

Sergeant Lee frowned but said nothing.

"How does someone drown without their clothes getting wet?" whispered Inspector Zhang to himself. "Now that is a mystery." He folded his arms. "I think we need to take a closer look at the list that the security guard gave us."

They drove back to New Bridge Road police station. Inspector Zhang had left the list in his desk and he took it out while Sergeant Lee fetched him a glass of water so that he could take his aspirin.

"What are you looking for, Sir?" she asked when she returned with his water.

Inspector Zhang swallowed a white tablet and washed it down and then tapped the list. "Mrs. Wong must have gone to that particular building for a reason," he said.

"You think she went there to see someone? A man?"

Inspector Zhang smiled. "I certainly think she went to see someone, but I think it much more likely that it was a woman she was calling on." He passed her the list. "There are only three single women living in the building. We shall go around first thing in the morning."

Inspector Zhang and Sergeant Lee arrived at the River Valley apartment block at eight o’clock on the dot. Mr. Lau was already at his desk and he buzzed them in.

Inspector Zhang showed Mr. Lau the list of tenants. "I see there are three single women living in the block," he said.

"That’s right," said Mr. Lau. "This is mainly a family building; the apartments are all quite spacious."

"Would you happen to know if any of these women are Chinese, between twenty-five and thirty-five years old, with shoulder-length hair. A little taller than my sergeant here."

"Why yes," said Mr. Lau. "That describes Miss Yu perfectly. She lives on the ninth floor. Shirley Yu."

Inspector Zhang took back the list. "Excellent," he said. "We shall go up and talk to her. Just one more thing, Mr. Lau. Do you happen to know if she works in the airport."

Mr. Lau nodded. "Yes, she does."

Inspector Zhang smiled to himself and walked to the elevators. Sergeant Lee followed. They rode up to the tenth floor in silence.

Inspector Zhang knocked on the door to Miss Yu’s apartment. A pretty Chinese woman in a dark business suit opened the door.

"Miss Yu?" asked Inspector Zhang.

"Yes," she said. "What do you want?"

Inspector Zhang showed her his warrant card and identified himself, then introduced Sergeant Lee. Miss Yu looked at her watch. "I’m going to work," she said.

"The airport?"

"That’s right. What is this about?"

"We’re asking residents about the girl who died the other day," said Inspector Zhang. "Can we come in?"

"I really am in a hurry," she said.

"It is important, and we won’t take up too much of your time."

Miss Yu sighed and let them in. The apartment was large with a balcony overlooking the river. The furniture was Italian and there was a huge television dominating one wall. "You have a lovely home, Miss Yu," said Inspector Zhang.

"Thank you."

"And you live here alone?"

Miss Yu nodded and looked pointedly at her watch again.

"What is it you do at the airport?" asked Inspector Zhang. "It must pay well for you to be able to avoid a beautiful apartment such as this."

"My parents bought it for me," said Miss Yu tersely. "You said this was about the girl who killed herself?"

"Yes, were you in the building when it happened?"

"What time was that?"

"Just before ten o’clock."

Miss Yu nodded. "I was at home, yes."

"Alone?"

"Of course, alone."

"And did Mrs. Wong press the buzzer for your flat?"

"Mrs. Wong? Who is Mrs. Wong?"

"I’m sorry," said Inspector Zhang. "She is the lady who died."

"Why do you think she pressed my buzzer?"

"She needed to get access to the roof and she didn’t have a keycard so someone must have admitted her," said Inspector Zhang.

"No one pressed my buzzer all night. I got home from work, I cooked myself dinner, I watched television and I was in bed by eleven."

Sergeant Lee scribbled in her notebook. "I wonder if I might ask you a favour, Miss Yu?" said Inspector Zhang.

"A favour?" She looked at her watch impatiently.

"My wife and I are thinking of moving to this area, would you mind showing me around?"

"You want me to give you a tour of my apartment?"

"That’s so kind of you," said Inspector Zhang, heading for a door at the far end of the sitting room. "Is this the bedroom?"

"One of the bedrooms," said Miss Yu, hurrying after him. "Inspector Zhang, I really have to go to work."

Inspector Zhang nodded appreciatively at the spacious bedroom. There was a king size bed and a sofa against one wall, and another large balcony. There were sliding mirrored doors at the far end of the room and Inspector Zhang slid them back. "A walk-in closet," he said. "That’s what my wife really wants, a closet that she can walk into."

"Please, Inspector…" said Miss Yu. "Really, I have to go."

Inspector Zhang stepped into the closet and ran his hand along a line of dresses. He pulled out a black dress and looked at the label. "Karen Millen," he said. "I was telling Sergeant Lee that my wife is a big fan of Karen Millen’s designs." He put the dress back on the rail and pulled out another one. "I see you have a lot of her dresses. And that you like black. My wife prefers red."

"Inspector Zhang, I really don’t see what the content of my closet has to do with you."

The inspector walked out of the closet and went into the bathroom. The walls and floors were lined with marble and there was a large bath in the centre of the room, big enough for two people. "Is that a Jacuzzi?" asked Inspector Zhang. "My wife has always wanted a Jacuzzi."

"Yes, it’s a Jacuzzi. Please, Inspector Zhang, I have to go to work."

"I expect it’s a wonderful way to relax, after a hard day at work," said Inspector Zhang.

There was a white cabinet to the left of the sink and Inspector Zhang went over and opened it. It was full of medical supplies and he pulled out a pack of sticking plasters.

"I really must protest at this intrusion into my privacy," said Miss Yu. "I am going to have to ask you to leave."

Inspector Zhang put the pack of plasters back into the cabinet and closed the door. "I think we’ve seen all that we need, Miss Yu."

"I’m glad to hear that," said Miss Yu, folding her arms. "I really do have to get to work."

"There is just one more thing," said the inspector. He lowered his chin and looked at her over the top of his spectacles. "I am arresting you for the murder of Mrs. Celia Wong."

Miss Yu’s jaw dropped, and Sergeant Lee looked equally astonished.

They drove Miss Yu to CID headquarters at New Bridge Road, processed her, and then drove out to the airport where they met up with two uniformed policemen.

They found Mr. Wong sitting at a computer in the baggage handling control room, sitting at a computer terminal. He saw them walk into the room and got up from his seat. "What’s wrong?" he asked.

"We’re here to arrest you for the murder of your wife," said Inspector Zhang.

"Nonsense," said Mr. Wong. "I was at home when she died."

"No, you were at home when she fell from the roof," said Inspector Zhang. "Your mistress Shirley Yu pushed her off the roof after first standing on the edge and pretending to be her. She wore a similar Karen Millen dress and at that distance no one could see her face. Then she pushed your wife’s body off. But you were in Miss Yu’s apartment earlier. And that is where you killed your wife. You drowned her in the bath."

"Sheer fantasy," said Mr. Wong.

"I’m afraid we have Miss Yu in custody already, and she has told us everything."

Mr. Wong’s shoulders slumped. His legs started to shake and he sat down heavily. "It was an accident," he said. "I didn’t mean to kill her."

"Your wife found out that you were having an affair?" said Inspector Zhang.

"She must have done. She must have found the key and copied it, and then followed me to the apartment."

"And she used the key to let herself in?"

Wong nodded. "Shirley and I were in the bath. Together. Celia burst in with a knife."

"She was angry?"

Wong laughed sharply. "She was like a woman possessed. I’d never seen her so angry. She came at Shirley with the knife, trying to stab her. I tried to take the knife from her and she cut me." He held up his hand. "The blood just seemed to make her crazier. She kept trying to stab me, saying that I’d ruined her life and that she was going to kill me."

"So you pushed her under the water?"

Wong shook his head. "I didn’t mean to kill her, but it was the only way I could stop her. She fell into the bath and I knelt on her and tried to pull the knife away but she kept struggling. Then suddenly she went still."

"And Miss Yu, what was she doing while this was going on?"

"She was hysterical," said Wong. She was sitting on the floor, crying and shaking. It wasn’t her fault, inspector. Shirley didn’t do anything wrong."

"She covered up a murder, Mr. Wong," said Inspector Zhang quietly.

"We had no choice," said Mr. Wong.

"And the key? The key that your wife used to let herself into the apartment. You took it?"

"She must have been planning it for ages because she had made a copy of the key I used. And last night I couldn’t find my keycard to get into the building. Celia had taken it. She followed me to the building and then used the keycard to get in and the key to get into the apartment."

"And after she was dead, you took the key and the keycard?"

"I knew that if you found them you would find the apartment," said Mr. Wong. "I didn’t mean to kill her, Inspector Zhang."

"But you did," said Sergeant Lee.

"It was an accident," said Mr. Wong.

"But throwing her off the building wasn’t," said Inspector Zhang. "That was quite deliberate."

"I had to give myself an alibi," said Mr. Wong. He put his head in his hands. "I didn’t want to do it, and neither did Shirley. But we knew that if my wife’s body was found then I’d be the obvious suspect." He looked up at the inspector. "It’s true, isn’t it? Most murders are committed by family members?"

"Or work colleagues. Or neighbours. Yes, that is true. It is very rare for someone to be killed by a stranger."

"That was what I told Shirley. If you found my wife and I didn’t have an alibi then I would be the obvious suspect. But if she died when I was in my apartment, then I would be in the clear."

"Your mistress and your wife are not dissimilar in appearance, which enabled the deception," said the inspector.

Mr. Wong nodded. "That was what gave me the idea," he said. "We removed the clothes she was wearing and then we dried her hair and redressed her in one of Shirley’s dresses. Shirley changed into a similar dress and then we carried my wife to the roof. Then I went home. I made some phone calls and then I knocked on the door of the flat next door and asked Mr. Diswani to turn down the volume of their television set." Mr. Wong smiled. "I caused quite a scene."

"You wanted the neighbour to remember you, so that he would confirm your alibi."

Mr. Wong nodded. "It worked, didn’t it?"

"That part of your plan did, yes," said Inspector Zhang. "Once you had established your alibi, your mistress stood on the edge of the roof to attract the attention of passers-by."

"She was so high up, no one would know that it wasn’t my wife. Then she tipped Celia’s body over and went back to her apartment."

"It was a very good plan," said Inspector Zhang. "But not good enough." He nodded at the two uniformed policemen. "Take him away," he said.

One of the policemen handcuffed Mr. Wong and he was led out of the front door.

"What will happen to them, do you think?" asked the sergeant.

"That is up to a jury," said Inspector Zhang. "But I don’t think that any jury will believe that drowning is a valid means of self-defence. Drowning takes time. He must have held her under the water long after his wife had let go off the knife." He shuddered. "But as I said, that is not our concern."

He walked towards the door and they went down together to a waiting police car.

"When did you first suspect the husband, Inspector Zhang?" asked Sergeant Lee, following Inspector Zhang into the car.

"The second time we saw him," said the inspector. "When I asked him about the cut on his hand he had a sticking plaster, remember?

"He said that he had cut himself when he was cooking."

"Yes, that’s what he said. But he was right-handed and his cut was on his right hand. I couldn’t help wonder how someone right-handed could cut themselves on the right hand."

"He could have done that picking up the knife, or if the knife had slipped."

Inspector Zhang nodded and pushed his spectacles further up on his nose. "But it was the plaster, rather than the wound, that was the real clue that something was amiss."

"The plaster?" repeated Sergeant Lee. "It was a regular sticking plaster, I thought."

"Yes it was," said the inspector. "It was a small flesh-coloured plaster, nothing out of the ordinary about it. But when I went to the bathroom, I looked in the first aid cupboard and the plasters there were the transparent kind. A different brand completely."

"Ah," said Sergeant Lee.

"So it seemed obvious to me that if the plaster had come from somewhere else, then there was every possibility that he was lying about the circumstances that had led to him receiving the wound. And lies, I always say, are like cockroaches. For every one that you see, there are ten that are hidden."

"And when you checked the first aid cabinet in Miss Yu’s bathroom, you saw the same brand of plaster that Mr. Wong had used."

"Exactly. Which meant that he must have been in her apartment when he was injured."

Sergeant Lee nodded and scribbled in her notebook.

"What are you writing?" asked the inspector.

"I write down everything you tell me, Inspector Zhang. So that I won’t forget."

"Perhaps one day you will write about my cases, become my Dr. Watson."

Sergeant Lee smiled. "That would be an honour, Inspector Zhang, because you are most certainly my Sherlock Holmes."

Inspector Zhang beamed with pride but said nothing.

Content

Stephen Leather
Inspector Zang and the falling woman