The Eight Curious Cases of Inspector Zhang by Stephen Leather

Author:Stephen Leather
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9789814625012
Publisher: Monsoon Books Pte. Ltd.

INSPECTOR ZHANG AND THE HOTEL GUEST

Inspector Zhang removed his spectacles and polished them with a large red handkerchief as he waited for the Malay receptionist to finish her phone call. It was a hot day, even for tropical Singapore, and he was already regretting the five minute walk from Clarke Quay MRT station to the Best Western Hotel on Carpenter Street. His wife had borrowed his car to visit one of her relatives in Malaysia, his sergeant’s car was being serviced, and there were no cars available in the office pool so he had no option other than to use the MRT. The receptionist put down the receiver, flashed him a professional smile, and asked him how she could help. “My name is Inspector Zhang of the Singapore Police Force,” he said. “I am with the CID at New Bridge Road.” He nodded at his companion, a twenty-four-year old Chinese woman in a pale green suit with her hair tied up in a neat bun. “This is my colleague, Sergeant Lee.” Sergeant Lee smiled and held out her warrant card. “I believe it was the manager who called us,” said Inspector Zhang, putting away his wallet. “About a body.”

The receptionist gasped. “A body? Here? Are you sure?”

“Can I speak to the manager? I am told he is a Mr. Leutzinger.”

The receptionist hurried away to a back room and reappeared with a tall, cadaverous man in a black suit. He shook hands solemnly with Inspector Zhang. The manager’s nails were beautifully manicured and glistened as if they had been given a coat of varnish. “I am afraid you have been misinformed, Inspector. We didn’t report a body. What we reported to the police was that we had somebody in the hotel. A man who has lost his memory. He has no idea who he is but he is very much alive.”

“And why do you require the services of the police?” said Inspector Zhang, frowning.

“Because he has no money. No identification. And no idea who he is or where he is supposed to be.”

Inspector Zhang nodded thoughtfully. “Very well,” he said. “Where is this gentleman?”

“Upstairs, in Room 302.”

“But if he has checked in he must have shown his passport or ID card. And you would have checked his credit card.”

“That’s the problem, Inspector Zhang. It’s not his room. But he has the keycard.”

“So who did book the room?”

“A Mrs. Petrova. From Russia. She has been out all day.”

“But this man in the room now, he had the correct keycard for the room?”

The manager nodded. “He let himself in and the chambermaid found him there when she went in to clean the room. It’s all a bit of a mystery, I’m afraid.”

A smile spread across Inspector Zhang’s face. There was nothing that Inspector Zhang liked more than a mystery, but in low-crime Singapore they were few and far between. “Indeed it is,” he said. “Let us go and talk to the gentleman.”

They went up in the lift together, then along the corridor to Room 302.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.