Chapter Ten
Pressing the bell of the apartment at Seoul Tower reminded me it was little more than twelve hours since I'd been standing there expectantly. Involuntarily, my glance dropped to the bottom of the door. I'd almost expected to see a key pushed slowly under it, and it came as a shock when the door was suddenly flung wide.
'Han-sang! . Mr Moon .'
I couldn't help noticing the relief in her voice.
'I hope I haven't dropped in at an awkward time', I said, noting the fur coat draped over her shoulders. 'But I tried to ring you .'
She made a gesture, half welcoming, half apologetic. 'Oh, I'm sorry. If I'd known . but I've had my receiver off all morning. Those reporters were driving me crazy!' She bit her lip. 'Then this detective and his endless questions .'
I interrupted her quickly. 'I've just had a visit from Inspector Lee Shi-hoo'.
'I was afraid you would', she said contritely. 'I had to tell him about you when you phoned. But please come in, Mr Moon'.
I followed her into the now tidy living room. 'My friends call me Han-sang', I said with a smile.
She made a little face at me. 'It slipped out'. She motioned me to a cream coloured easy chair. 'Do sit down, Han-sang'.Slipping out of the fur coat, she let it fall on to the sofa. She wore a red suit, ornamented by a single diamond-encrusted lovers'-knot brooch. 'Forgive me if I'm rather remote', she said taking the easy chair opposite mine and crossing her legs negligently, 'but I haven't yet really recovered from the shock. You read about such things in the papers; you can't believe it can happen to you'.
I nodded sympathetically. 'When the detective told me, I was appalled'. I got out my cigarette case and opened it slowly. 'What I couldn't grasp was that it should be Doyle. I thought he'd gone back to the States days ago'. I raised my eyes from the case, watching her face.
Her forehead furrowed. 'It's beyond me. I was under the impression he flew back from Shanghai the day after we met him at the Chinese Dragon. She shrugged helplessly. 'I didn't see him again after that'.
I held out my cigarette case. 'He didn't mention that he might look you up some time if he did come over here?'
'Never even hinted at it'. She took a cigarette, and I put a light to it. 'That detective kept trying to make me admit we'd arranged to meet here'.
'He did the same thing to me. I think he was a bit disappointed when I told him you hardly knew the man'.
She smiled gratefully. 'I'm terribly sorry to have involved you in all this. But what could I do? I had to tell him I was expecting you at seven-thirty'.
'That's all right'. I held my lighter hesitantly to my own cigarette. 'If you were going out don't let me upset any arrangements'.
Her eyes smiled into mine. 'It's thoughtful of you. But it really wasn't all that urgent. I'd been expecting Yun Hyeok to call round; he usually does on his way to his office. Of all mornings he had to miss this one - just when I needed his shoulder to cry on'. Her fingers tapped at the arm of her chair. 'So I was about to descend on him in person. But perhaps I shouldn't be too furious with him. He must be feeling pretty rotten after that attack of asthma yesterday evening'.
'Of course, that's why you were out when I rang the first time - at seven– fifteen'.
'Yes'. She looked at the toe of her shoe. 'You were phoning from . Daegu, wasn't it?'
'That's right'.
'For your technical magazine, or whatever it was?' Her voice wavered uncertainly. 'You did say you were a journalist, didn't you?'
If Lee began digging into my past, I thought, he'd soon come up with the true facts. 'I do write for the engineering magazines at times', I said truthfully. 'You see, I'm actually an engineer. I had my own works until recently. Unfortunately it went broke'.
'Oh, bad luck', she commiserated. 'Then you were at Daegu .?' She left the question dangling inescapably.It was then that I had a brain-wave. By making my visit to Daegu sufficiently obscure I'd forestall any too direct inquiries that Lee might make about its object.
'I didn't want to have to tell you this, Su-mi. But I went down there on the off– chance of getting myself fixed up with one of the engineering firms'. I laughed awkwardly. 'I just wandered about, looking them over and trying to force myself to call on one, cap in hand. In the end I dithered around until I'd messed up our appointment'.
'As though that mattered'. Her face clouded. 'But it did, didn't it? If you had come at half-past seven poor Mr Doyle .'
I broke the momentary silence. 'How did he get into your flat, Su-mi? Why was he here?'
'Please', she begged. 'I went through all this for hours last night with the detective'.
'I had the impression he wasn't entirely convinced Doyle was no more than a casual acquaintance of yours'. At that moment it seemed important to force a direct answer out of her. 'Was that all he was, Su-mi?'
'I'd never seen the man until I met him at the hotel', she replied angrily. Then, with a shrug, she said wearily: 'I suppose I'd better tell you. I was lying when I said I never saw him again after our meeting at the Chinese Dragon. She avoided my eyes, then said in a low voice: 'He came to my room that night'.
'And .?'
'He made a pass at me'. She spread her hands. 'Nothing happened. He calmed down eventually and apologised. Some nonsense about having fallen for me from the moment he saw me at Incheon Airport'.
'Did you tell the Inspector this?' When she shook her head I asked: 'Whynot?'
'And have him tell Yun?' she demanded quickly.
'What if he did? ' I smiled. 'Yun surely doesn't imagine an engagement ring puts a barbed wire fence around an attractive girl?'
'I'm afraid he does. Perhaps is his asthma that makes him so intolerant'. Her eyes met mine for a long moment. 'It's absurd, but I think he's even jealous of you'.
The doorbell pealed stridently. I laughed briefly. 'Of me!'
Then the bell rang again, a prolonged, insistent ring.
She stood up. 'It sounds as though you and Yun may be meeting after all'.
As she went out to admit her visitor I stubbed out my cigarette in an ashtray emblazoned with the Shanghai skyline.
A high-pitched voice drifted in from the hallway. 'What's happened, Kim? Why didn't you ring me?' There was some heavy breathing. 'A police Inspector just called round and said .'Kim's voice interrupted quietly. 'Please, Yun - don't get so excited. Your asthma .'
'Don't get excited!' The voice rose to a crescendo. 'Good God, Kim Su-mi . don't you realise .'
'Oh, do please calm down, Yun', Kim said sharply. 'Mr Moon's in there'.
'Moon?' Yun's voice was explosive with suspicion. 'Moon? The man you met on the plane?'
I didn't catch her admonitory whisper.
A moment later I was standing up, murmuring, 'How do you do?' to a tall, desiccated man with dark hair parted in the centre, a cropped moustache, beak- nose, and pale-blue eyes that stared at me hostilely through heavy hornrims. He was taking off his hat as he came in; the impeccably rolled umbrella completed the picture.
'Mr Moon', Kim said, 'this is my fiance, Yun Hyeok'.
He hung a limp hand at me. 'Kim Su-mi has mentioned you', he said coldly, and withdrew his hand from mine as though it held a soiled handkerchief. He turned to Kim. 'I want to talk to you, Su-mi. Alone, if you don't mind'.
'It's all right, darling', she said soothingly: 'Mr Moon knows what happened. That's why he's here'.
'I thought there might be something I could do to help', I said quickly. 'It's a pretty awful business'.
'Pretty awful. My God, that's an understatement, if you like!' With an effort Yun recovered his breath after this outburst. 'Who is this man Doyle? I demand an explanation, Su-mi! You've never mentioned him to me before'.
'He wasn't that important', she said, with a glance of mock despair at me.
'Just a casual acquaintance we met in Shanghai'.
Yun pointed his umbrella at me accusingly. 'You've met this Doyle?'
'On one occasion. I was with Miss Kim. We met him over some drinks'.
'Drinks? We?' he panted, glancing from one to the other suspiciously.
'How did this fellow Doyle come to be here? I'm not a fool, Su-mi. There must be a lot more to this than appears on the surface'.
I wondered how the devil Kim Su-mi came to be engaged to this querulous neurotic. In a mildly sarcastic tone, I said: 'You've got something there, Mr Yun'.
He glared at me. 'I wasn't talking to you, sir'. Kim sighed. 'Oh, Hyeok, please'.
'Get a grip on yourself, Yun, I said roughly. 'Miss Kim's had a very unpleasant experience. Right now she needs sympathy, not bullying'.
His lips tightened angrily for a moment, then he smiled bleakly. 'How right you are. I apologize, Moon'. He turned to Kim. 'I'm sorry, dear. I think we should postpone any further discussion until I'm less spent. This evening, then'. He glanced at his watch. 'T'ck, t'ck? I'm due at a Board meeting in half an hour. Bythe way Su-mi, do something about that partner of yours. She's phoned me three times to say she can't get hold of you'.
'Of course I will, darling', Kim said placatingly. 'I expect So-ra's furious with me because I hung up on her last night'. She shuddered. 'It was just at the moment when I'd seen the .'
Yun's eyes followed the direction of hers. He was about to say something when the doorbell interrupted him.
Kim gave another little sigh. 'Why can't they leave me in peace?'
'If it's the newspapers don't tell them anything!' Yun ordered sharply. 'Not a word now, Kim! My name mustn't be mentioned; you understand?'
'Don't worry, darling. I think I can handle them'. She crossed the room, patting his arm reassuringly as she passed.
Yun tapped his thigh irritably with his hat. 'Publicity of this sort would play the devil with my business'. He glared at me as though I were responsible for the situation. 'I'm a stockbroker, Moon'.
'I think you can trust Miss KI'm to deal with reporters tactfully', I said. I took out my cigarette case, proffering it to him. He shook his head, patting his chest in explanation. 'Miss Kim mentioned that she had an art and antique business', I said when I'd lit a cigarette. 'You say she has a business partner - Kong .?'
'Yes, yes', he replied testily. 'Kong So-ra and my fiancee are in partnership'. He glanced round impatiently, eager to be gone.
From the door Kim said: 'It's Inspector Lee, darling'.
I turned. Lee stood in the doorway, his eyes roaming the room as though making an inventory of everything in it. When they met mine he nodded. 'Good morning, sir'.
Turning his back on Lee, Yun said: 'I'm late now, Su-mi. I must go'. He waggled his umbrella at me. 'Can I give you a lift?'
Lee stepped forward. 'I'd like a word with Mr Moon, if you don't mind, sir'.
Yun gave me a long, speculative look, then nodded curtly and walked past Lee to the door.
'Excuse me, Inspector', Kim said brightly, and followed Yun from the room.