Inspector Zhang and the Disappearing Drugs Read Free

Zhang. "You are Inspector Kwok?"
    She flashed him a wonderful smile. "Thank you so much for coming," she said, hurrying over to him. "This is a nightmare, an absolute nightmare."
    She was very pretty, and looked younger than twenty-three. Her hair was shoulder length, black and glistening, her cheekbones were as sharp as razors, her skin as flawless as a porcelain figurine. She held out her right hand, the nails perfectly manicured and painted blood red. Inspector Zhang had a sudden impulse to take the hand and kiss the back of it in the style of Hercule Poirot but he resisted the urge and shook it instead. "I am here to be of service," he said. He turned to introduce his Sergeant. "And this is Sergeant Lee."
    Inspector Kwok nodded curtly at Sergeant Lee and gave her the faintest of smiles, before turning back to Inspector Zhang. "The apartment is on the eighth floor," he said. "A very auspicious number."
    "Not always," said Sergeant Lee, her voice little more than a whisper and Inspector Zhang doubted that Inspector Kwok had heard but he nevertheless gave the sergeant a stern look.
    Inspector Kwok took them over to the entrance to the building and tapped a four-digit code into the keypad. The lock clicked and she pushed open the door. There was a reception desk but it was unmanned. "There is a security guard at night but not during the day," said Inspector Kwok. There were two elevators and one was already on the ground floor, its door open. They rode up together to the eighth floor.
    "Actually, Inspector Kwok, we were at the Academy together," said Sergeant Lee.
    "Really?" said Inspector Kwok, her face a blank mask. "There were a great many entrants that year, I seem to remember. So, Inspector Zhang, you solved the case of the body in the five star hotel, didn't you?"
    "I did," said Inspector Zhang.
    "I must say that I do not like mysteries," said Inspector Kwok. "I like there to be clear physical evidence that proves how a crime was committed and who committed it."
    "Often one has to be able to read the evidence," said Inspector Zhang. "It is a question of spotting the clues and understanding their significance. That is what I enjoy about a mystery. "
    "And you did not use any forensic evidence, is that correct?"
    "Sometimes forensic evidence is not necessary," said Inspector Zhang. "Sometimes we detectives rely too much on technology and not enough on ze little grey cells."
    Inspector Kwok frowned and was just about to ask him what he meant when the lift stopped and the doors opened.   She stepped out and Inspector Zhang and Sergeant Lee followed her.   As the lift doors closed behind them, Inspector Kwok pointed up at a smoke detector in the ceiling. "This is our surveillance camera," she said. "It feeds a signal down to an empty apartment on the second floor. It was on twenty-four hours a day and we digitally recorded everything." She pointed at a door just six feet away from the camera. "And this is the apartment. Number eight-four-two."
    The number was on a small plastic sign at eye height. Below it was a small security viewer so that anyone inside could see who was at the door before opening it.   There was a single lock below a round steel doorknob.  
    On the floor was a rubber matt with the word WELCOME on it in large black capital letters.
    "And the key was under the mat, I am told," said Inspector Zhang.
    "Exactly," said Inspector Kwok. She took a brass key from her pocket and showed it to him.
    "Please place it in the position it was on the day that the drugs were delivered," said Inspector Zhang.
    Inspector Kwok knelt down, lifted a corner of the mat and placed the key on the floor.   Then she let the mat fall back into place and straightened up. "Just like that," she said.
    "Now, show me exactly what happened," said Inspector Zhang.
    Sergeant Lee took out her notebook and began taking notes.
    "The two men from the delivery company came up in the lift with the boxes," said Inspector Kwok. "I was down on the