John Ball - Five pieces of jade

"Good. That's as far as I feel that I can take it at this time, but since I have been retained, even though very informally, to look after Miss Nagashima, I had her interests in mind when we were talking earlier."

Tibbs locked his fingers and then pressed them until they seemed to grow white. "Mr. Finegold, I understand your reluctance to continue and I believe I know the reason for it. I want to ask you one more question nonetheless.'*

"I'll answer it if I feel that I can."

"Very well. I beheve you anticipate what it is now. You have already informed me that Mr. Wang made a recent will. And that he asked you, also very recently, to protect Miss Nagashima's interests. And you have stated that to the best of your knowledge she was not in any difficulty at that time." He looked up. "The inference is, of course, perfectly obvious. Was, or is, Miss Nagashima mentioned in that will?"

For several seconds the subdued hum of an electric clock on the desk was the only real sound in the room. When Finegold spoke, his voice was controlled. "I will answer that question with the understanding that the information is for your private use only as a police officer until such time as it is made public."

"Agreed, with the proviso that it may be necessary to discuss it within the police department to a limited degree."

"Accepted. Very well, then: Mr. Wang made a number of provisions of a personal and also a charitable nature. He left certain asssets to his family association. After that what was left, and I would say that it is considerable, goes in its entirety to Miss Nagashima. She does not know this, or didn't at the time. In particular the considerable treasure that Mr. Wang's jade collection represents will all be hers."

"Thank you, Mr. Finegold; no wonder you were retained to protect her interests. I am frankly amazed to discover that she is an heiress."

The attorney got to his feet. "No more so than I was, Mr. Tibbs, when I was asked to draw up that document. But Francis was, in his quiet way, totally determined, and there was no point in arguing with him. Somehow, in some way, that girl had become someone very important in his life."

The Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs advised over the phone that both Mr. Lonigan and Mr. Duffy were out and could not be conveniently reached. Expecting that that would be the case, Virgil left his number, 577^598, and then returned to his car. He drove, slowly and thoughtfully, to the municipal library and went inside.

The reference librarian knew him well, as she had cause to. "What will it be this time, Mr. Tibbs?" she asked. "You won't surprise me with anything."

Virgil smiled. "What have you on jade?" he asked.

"Oh, quite a bit. Are you interested in the stone itself, in jewelry, in American jade, or Chinese carvings?"

"Chinese carvings-definitely."

"Oh yes, I remember reading about that in the paper. Of course it would be your case." She rose. "I don't remember the author's name, but there is a very good book on the subject that was recently reprinted. Someone else was in here asking about it very recently."

She led the way to the catalog and quickly located the cards that she wanted. "There are a number of works available, some of them very technical. As an introduction, I think I'd recommend The Stone of Heaven by Gump. After that you'll want-yes, here it is- Chinese Jade Throughout the Ages by Nott. Now I just hope that they're in. Nott is a standard work and the one I was telling you about."

Ten minutes later Tibbs left the hbrary bearing two volumes-a fairly slender one and a second which was much more substantial. When he got back to his office Bob Naka-mura was out, but as he put the books down he saw the note Bob had left for him in the center of his desk. Call Chief McGowan as soon as you get in.

It took a few seconds for the call to be completed. When it was, McGowan's quiet, unruffled voice came over the line. "Come on up, Virgil. A couple of gentlemen are here who have been waiting to talk with you."

Tibbs knew immediately who the gentlemen in question were. It seemed to him, for just a moment, that they could not leave either himself or the case he was working on alone, and he was annoyed. Then he got hold of himself and remembered that if they had not come to see him, it would have been the other way around. All they had done was to save him some trouble.

As he walked into the chiefs office, both Lx^nigan and Duffy got to their feet and shook hands. "I'm glad to see you," Virgn said truthfully. "I've been trying to get in touch with you."

"We've heard," Duffy responded. "We were expecting that you'd call. Our paths seem to have crossed quite abruptly."

"Since you gentlemen obviously want to compare notes, why don't you use the conference room?" McGowan said.

"It's available. Let me know if you arrive at any decisions."

As he walked out toward the conference room Tibbs saw once more the face of Yumeko when she had told him about her visit from the federal narcotics agents. Her dismay had been too real to have been put on; she had been genuinely shaken up. Now he intended to find out why.

When the door had been closed, Lonigan opened the conversation.

"When we first talked to you, Mr. Tibbs, we didn't foresee that Wang Fu-sen was going to die violently that same day and that you would handle the case."

"It's one helluva coincidence," Virgil said, and looked a question mark at him.

"Yes and no. Coincidence that the man died just when he did, not so remarkable that you were assigned to it You're the top homicide man here."

Something in his tone suggested that the sentence was not complete in itself. "Are you telling me," Tibbs asked, "that Chief McGowan was aware of your interest in that man?"

"Before we asked for you," DuJQfy said, "we leveled with him. Naturally-he's the boss."

"All the way?"

"A good part of it"

"Then why wasn't I told?" Tibbs asked.

"You are being told-now. You've been a little busy, and so have we.*'

VirgU sat down and stretched his legs under the table. "I think it would be a good idea if we had a friendly understanding. You've got a damned important job to do- and so have I. The difference is that I can finalize and you can't. So I should be out of the picture, hopefully, before too long. In the meantime, for God's sake, let's not get in each other's way!"

"Amen to that," Lonigan said, and sat down too. "I know what's on your mind-we were out talking to that girl- Nagashima."

"Let me have it," Tibbs said. "What have you got on her?"

Duffy dropped into one of the vacant chairs. "Your name's Virgil, isn't it? All right, Virgil, the straight answer is that we don't know."

"On Wang himself?"

"We don't know that either."

"Well, for your information, gentlemen, you scared the pee out of her and then left her with the happy thought that you were coming back."

Lonigan became tougher. "We are, unless we are absolutely satisfied about something and convinced that she's in the clear. That isn't the case right now."

"What are the odds that she's implicated?"

"No bet."

Virgil's voice acquired a snap that more than matched Lonigan's. "A few hours ago you were inviting me to work with you, now you're holding out on me while I'm engaged in a murder investigation. If it works out that that girl killed her benefactor, and she's convicted of it in court, then she could be sentenced to the gas chamber. That's about as serious as you can get. You had a right to go and see her, but in doing so you messed me up but good. Now I suggest that we lay a few cards on the table so that we stop working at cross purposes."

Duffy calmed things down. "You're right, Virgil, I can't dispute that. I suggest that we do work together; we'll put you in the picture if you, in turn, will give us what help you can with what we're up against."