“That’s true. Things may be more complicated than we originally imagined.”

“What else can we do here?”

“This afternoon, we are going to interview another schoolmate of Wen’s, Su Shengyi.”

“The secret admirer in high school. A red guard cadre, now down and out, right?” She could not help being suspicious. This seemed a total waste of time.

“Yes, you’re right. One never forgets his first love. Su may know something.”

“After the visit, what? Am I supposed to remain at the hotel as a distinguished guest, shopping, sightseeing, and sharing these fantastic meals with you?”

“I’ll discuss it with Party Secretary Li.”

“Another straightforward answer?”

“Cheers.” He raised his teacup in a toast.

“Cheers,” Catherine said, raising her teacup. The tiny dried fruit, Chinese wolfberry, rose to the surface like a scarlet period. There was not much she could do with this Chinese partner, who responded to her sarcasm with an unruffled air. It amused her to toast with tea, though.

Another course arrived, bubbling in an earthenware pot. It looked different from American Chinatown specials. Its creamy gravy tasted like chicken broth, but the meat was unlike chicken. It had a jellied texture.

“What’s that?”

“Soft shell turtle.”

“I’m glad I didn’t ask first.” She caught the spark of amusement in his eyes. “Not bad.”

“Not bad? It’s the most expensive item on the menu.”

“And is a turtle also a fabled aphrodisiac in China?”

“That depends.” Chen helped himself to a substantial portion.

“Chief Inspector Chen!” She feigned shock.

“Today’s special.” The waiter was back with a white bowl containing what seemed to be large snails immersed in brownish juice, and a glass bowl of water.

Chen put his fingers into the bowl of water, wiped them with a napkin, and picked up one of the shells. She watched him sucking the meat out with an effort.

“It is luscious,” he said. “River spiral shells. Often translated as river snail. You eat it like a snail.”

“I have never had snails.”

“Really!” He took a bamboo toothpick, picked the meat out, and offered it to her on the end of the toothpick.

She should have refused. Instead, she leaned over the table and let him put it into her mouth. It tasted good, but the experience was slightly disquieting.

The Chinese cop was turning into a challenge. He seemed to fancy himself as a charmer.

“It tastes better if you suck the meat out yourself,” he said.

So she did. The meat came out together with the juice. It did taste better that way.

When the bill came, she tried to pay it, or at least her share. He refused. She protested, “I cannot let the Shanghai Police Bureau pay all the time.”

“Don’t worry about that.” He crumpled the receipt. “Can’t I buy a lunch for an attractive American partner?”

He seemed to be a man to whom compliments came easily. Perhaps it was cultural. Perhaps he had his orders.

He was pulling out the chair for her when his phone started to ring. He turned it on, and his face became serious as he listened. At the end of the call, he said, “I’ll be there.”

“What’s up?”

“We have a change in plans,” he said. “The call was from Qian Jun at the bureau. We’ve had a response to the missing person notice. A pregnant provincial woman has been reported working in a restaurant in Qingpu County, Shanghai. Apparently she’s from the south, speaking with a strong southern accent. “

“Could it be Wen?”

“If Wen boarded a train for Shanghai, it’s possible she changed her mind and got off there, one or two stops before Shanghai. Perhaps she did not want to bring trouble down on her people. So she found a job there instead of moving into a local hotel.”

“That makes sense to me.”

“I’m going to Qingpu,” Chen said. “It’s a long shot. Many people are pouring into Shanghai for jobs-even into the counties. So quite possibly it’s a false lead. There may be a lot of things that would be more interesting for you to do here, Inspector Rohn.”

“I wish I had something more interesting to do.” She put down her chopsticks. “Let’s go.”

“I’ll get a car at the bureau. Do you mind waiting for me here?”

“Not at all.” Still, she wondered: was he trying to keep her away from his office for some reason? She wished she could trust him, but knew she’d be a fool to do so.

She was surprised when Chen pulled up in a medium-size Shanghai. “So you’re driving today?”

“Little Zhou was not on the bureau car service rota. The other drivers were busy.”

“A high-ranking cadre like you,” she said, stepping into the car, “I thought you would always have a chauffeur at your service.”

“I’m not a high-ranking cadre. But thanks for the compliment.”

Chapter 13

Chen had not told Catherine Rohn the real reason why he had chosen to drive. He trusted Little Zhou but others could easily learn his movements through the bureau car service. So he had taken the car without telling anybody.

It was a long drive to Qingpu County. A pleasant breeze came through the windows. As if by a tacit understanding, they did not talk about their work. Looking at the varying countryside, she started questioning him about language exchange programs at Chinese universities.

“Universities such as Fudan, East China Normal, and Shanghai Foreign Language may offer some teaching positions to native English speakers in exchange for their tuition in Chinese studies,” Chen said. “Preferably to those with English degrees.”

“I have a double major. One’s in English.”

“The exchange programs do not pay much. Not bad according to the Chinese standards, but you would not be able to afford to stay at the Peace Hotel.”

“I don’t have to stay at a luxurious hotel.” She pushed a strand of hair off her forehead. “Don’t worry, Chief Inspector Chen. I’m just curious.”

Soon the scene changed to a more rural one: rice paddies, vegetable plots, with some new, colorful houses here and there. Under Deng Xiaoping’s policy of “Letting some people get rich first,” prosperous peasant entrepreneurs were springing up like mushrooms. As they drove past a small lush green field, he exclaimed, “Qicai. Spring has made a late start here!”

“What?”

“Qicai. Called shepherd’s purse in English. I don’t know why it was given such a name. It is delicious.”

“Interesting. You’re a botanist too.”

“No, I am not. But once I tried to translate a Song dynasty poem, in which the poet finds himself gathered, deliriously, together with this greenish blossom on his lover’s tongue, and then on his tongue.”

“What a pity! You don’t have the time to gather any today.”

It was about two o’clock when they reached the site in Qingpu County where their quarry had been reported. It was a shabby restaurant in a village market. The door was ajar, and a wooden bench stood in the doorway. There were no customers at this time of the day.

Chen raised his voice. “Anybody here?”

A woman came out of the kitchen in the rear, wiping her hands on an oily apron. She had a thin face with deep-set eyes, high cheekbones, and wore her gray-streaked hair in a bun at the nape of her neck. She appeared to be in her late thirties, The roundness of her belly was slightly visible.

She looked very different from the woman in the passport picture. The disappointment in Catherine’s eyes mirrored his.

He handed his card to the woman mechanically. “We need to ask you a few questions.”

“Me?” She looked frightened. “I’ve done nothing wrong.”

“If you’ve done nothing wrong, you don’t have to worry. What’s your name?”

“Qiao Guozhen.”

“Do you have your I.D.?”

“Yes, here it is.”