The Eight Curious Cases of Inspector Zhang by Stephen Leather Page A

it. “There have been half a dozen killings in his province since he left.”
    Inspector Zhang nodded thoughtfully. “You think he was taking revenge?”
    â€œI am sure of it. And so is my paper.”
    â€œSo it is fair to say that a lot of people would want Mr. Srisai dead?”
    Mr. Nakprakone nodded.
    â€œYou say that his uncle died. What happened?” Two flight attendants began moving down the aisles handing out drinks and snacks.
    â€œHe was driving his motorcycle at night and he crashed. He’d been drinking and the other driver fled the scene.” He shrugged. “A common enough event in Thailand.” He leaned closer to the inspector. “So he was shot, is that right?”
    â€œIt appears so, yes.”
    â€œBut that is impossible. He was perfectly all right when I spoke to him and there have been no shots. We would have heard or seen something, wouldn’t we?”
    Inspector Zhang looked forward. All he could see was the back of the seat in front of him. He couldn’t see Sergeant Lee or the pilot even though he knew that they were standing at the front of the cabin. “You wouldn’t have seen anything sitting here,” said Inspector Zhang. “But you would of course have heard a shot, had there been one.” He stood up and eased himself into the aisle. “Thank you for your help,” he said.
    â€œWhen can we get off the plane?” asked Mr. Nakprakone.
    â€œAs soon as I have ascertained what happened,” said the inspector. He crossed over to the far side of the cabin and walked up the aisle to where Sergeant Lee was standing with the pilot.
    â€œI shall be writing to the Police Commissioner in Singapore,” said the American tourist as Inspector Zhang walked by.
    â€œI am acting on the Commissioner’s personal instructions,” said Inspector Zhang.
    â€œThen you will be hearing from my lawyer,” snapped the American.
    â€œI shall look forward to it,” said Inspector Zhang. “But in the meantime I have an investigation that requires my undivided attention.” He walked away, leaving the American fuming.
    Captain Kumar and Sergeant Lee were waiting expectantly by the exit door. “The victim was a Thai gangster,” Inspector Zhang said quietly. “He had a lot of enemies.”
    â€œThat explains the bodyguard,” whispered Sergeant Lee. The bodyguard was sitting only a few feet away, reading an in-flight magazine.
    â€œAccording to the journalist, he spoke to Mr. Srisai about half an hour before the plane landed. So he must have been killed in the time between talking to the journalist and the flight attendant checking that his seat belt was fastened.”
    â€œThat couldn’t have been much more than fifteen minutes,” said Captain Kumar, rubbing his chin. He put a hand on Inspector Zhang’s shoulder. “I think I should assist my first officer with the paperwork, if that is okay with you.”
    â€œOf course, Captain.”
    â€œAnd nobody heard anything?” Inspector Zhang asked Sergeant Lee as Captain Kumar went into the cockpit and closed the door behind him.
    â€œNothing,” she said.
    Inspector Zhang frowned. “So how can this be, Sergeant Lee? How can a man die of a gunshot wound in an aeroplane cabin without anyone hearing anything?”
    â€œA silencer, sir?”
    Inspector Zhang nodded thoughtfully. “Actually the technical term is suppressor, rather than silencer. And while they do deaden the sound of a gun it would certainly still be loud enough to hear in a confined space such as this.”
    â€œNot if everyone was listening through headphones,” said the sergeant.
    â€œA good point, Sergeant.” He turned to nod at the passenger in 17D. “But Mr. Yates did not use his headphones; they are still in their sealed plastic bag, so I assume that he was working throughout the flight. Other than the bodyguard, he would have