"A one-armed woman?" Tsung Lee asked astonished.
"Yes," Judge Dee said giving him a sharp look. "Ever seen such a mutilated woman about here?"
Tsung Lee shook his head.
"No sir, I have been here now more than two weeks, but I never even heard about a one-armed woman. Unless," he added with a smile, "Your Honour would be referring to that statue in the Gallery of Horrors!"
"A statue?" Judge Dee asked. It was now his turn to be astonished.
"Yes, the one with all those chains, sir. Its left arm had become worm-eaten, and it fell off. They repaired it very quickly though, I must say." As Judge Dee looked fixedly at him he added: "You know, that naked woman being speared by a blue devil. I heard you remark to Tao Gan that you…"
Judge Dee hit his fist on the table.
"You utter fool!" he burst out. "Why didn't you tell me that earlier?"
"I thought … I told you about a statue being repaired, when we entered the gallery, sir. And…"
The judge had jumped up and grabbed the lantern.
"Come along quick, you two!" he barked and ran out into the temple hall.
He seemed to have forgotten his fatigue completely. He rushed up the stairs two at a time to the landing above the temple. Tao Gan and Tsung Lee had difficulty in keeping up with him.
Panting, the judge took them through the west passage to the tower, then ran down the steps that led to the entrance of the Gallery of Horrors. He kicked the door open and went inside. He halted in front of the blue devil and the naked woman spread-eagled against the boulder.
"Look, she is bleeding!" he muttered.
Tao Gan and Tsung Lee stared aghast at the thin stream of blood that trickled along the cracked plaster on the woman's breast, from the spot where the spearpoint had entered.
Judge Dee bent and carefully brushed aside the hair that covered the face.
"White Rose!" Tsung Lee gasped. "They've killed her!"
"No," Judge Dee said. "See, her fingers are twitching."
The body had been covered with a coat of white plaster, but the hands and feet had been painted black. A casual observer would not see them against the dark background.
The girl's eyelids fluttered. She gave them one glance from eyes half-crazed with pain and fear, then the bluish lids came down again. A strap of leather ran over the lower half of her face. While gagging her effectively, at the same time it kept her head fixed tightly to the wall.
Tsung Lee stretched out his hands to remove the gag, but the judge pushed him back roughly.
"Keep your hands off!" he ordered. "You might hurt her worse than she already is! Leave this to us!"
Tao Gan had taken off the chains that were wound round her waist, arms and legs. He said: "This ironware serves only to conceal the clamps that fix her limbs, sir!" He pointed to iron hooks round her ankles, thighs and upper and lower arms. Then he quickly took from his sleeve his folder with instruments.
"Wait!" Judge Dee ordered.
He closely examined the spearpoint. Then he carefully pressed down the flesh surrounding it till the point came free. Blood welled up and stained the coat of white plaster that covered the girl's body. It didn't seem more than a flesh wound. With his strong hands the judge bent the spear so that it pointed away from the girl's body, then broke the shaft with a quick twist. The hand of the wooden devil cracked and fell to the floor.
"Now you go ahead with the legs!" he snapped at Tao Gan. "Give me a pair of pincers!"
While Tao Gan began to loosen the iron clamps that secured the girl's legs, the judge set to work on the gag. When he had pulled out the nails that fixed the ends of the leather strap to the wall, he removed the wad of cotton wool from the girl's mouth, then started with infinite care on the clamps that had cut deep into the flesh of her arms.
"Expert workmanship!" Tao Gan muttered with grudging admiration. He was loosening the clamp that held her right thigh.
Tsung Lee had buried his face in his hands. He was sobbing convulsively. The judge barked at him: "Hey there! Support her head and shoulders!"
As Tsung Lee put his arm round her shoulders and held her limp body upright, Judge Dee helped Tao Gan to remove the last clamp that held her right arm. The three men lifted her from the boulder and laid her on the floor mats. The judge took off his neck cloth and wrapped it around her waist. Tsung Lee squatted at her side, stroking her cheeks and whispering endearing words. But the girl was in a dead faint.
Judge Dee and Tao Gan wrenched two long spears from the hands of a pair of green devils further on. They laid the spears side by side on the floor. Tao Gan took off his upper robe and fastened it to the shafts so as to make a primitive stretcher. When they had laid the girl on it, Tao Gan and Tsung Lee took hold of the ends of the shafts.
"Take her to Miss Ting's room!" Judge Dee ordered.
XVII
Judge Dee had to knock for a long time before Miss Ting opened. She wore only a thin bed-robe. Looking the judge up and down with sleep-heavy eyes she said: "You could be my husband, using my room at all hours!"
"Shut up and get out of the way!" the judge said crossly. She stepped back and looked dumbfounded at the two men as they carried their burden inside. While they were putting the unconscious girl on Miss Ting's bed, Judge Dee said to her: "Fan the coals in that brazier and heat up this room. Prepare a large pot of hot tea and make her drink as much as possible. She was exposed naked for many hours in a cold and damp gallery, and although the coat of plaster on her body may have acted as a protection, she still may have got a dangerous chill. Then soak the plaster thoroughly with warm water and remove it with a towel. Be careful, the wound on her breast is only superficial, but the bruises on her arms and legs may be worse than they seem. Verify also whether her back is injured. As an acrobat you know all about sprained muscles and bone-setting, don't you?"
Miss Ting nodded. She cast a pitying glance at the still figure on the bed.
"I'll get some drugs and plasters now," the judge added. "These two men will stand guard outside the door. Set to work!"
Miss Ting asked no questions but immediately began to revive the coals in the brazier with a bamboo fan. Judge Dee took Tao Gan and Tsung Lee outside. He said: "Fetch Mr. Kang. If Mo should appear, arrest him. Not too gently!" He rushed upstairs, to his own quarters on the third floor.
He roused the sleeping maids. When they had opened the door, he went into the bedroom, which was lighted only by two burned-down candles. Through the open bed curtains he saw that his three wives were sleeping peacefully, lying close together under the embroidered quilt.
He tiptoed to their medicine chest and rummaged about in its drawers till he had found the box with the oil-plasters and a few small boxes with salves and powders. As he turned around, he saw that his First Lady had awakened. She raised herself to a sitting position. Pulling her night robe up to cover her bare torso she looked at him with sleep-heavy eyes. Judge Dee gave her a reassuring smile, then went out again.
Back in front of Miss Ting's room, Tao Gan reported that Kang I-te's room was empty. Neither he nor his bear were there. They had seen no one.
"Go to Mrs. Pao's room," the judge ordered, "and bring her here."
"Who was the fiend who tortured her, Your Honour?" Tsung Lee asked tensely. His face was distorted with anger and anxiety. "We'll know soon!" the judge answered curtly.