Free The Eight Curious Cases of Inspector Zhang by Stephen Leather

pushed her off the roof after first standing on the edge and pretending to be her. She wore a similar Karen Millen dress and at that distance no one could see her face. Then she pushed your wife’s body off. But you were in Miss Yu’s apartment earlier. And that is where you killed your wife. You drowned her in the bath.”
    â€œSheer fantasy,” said Mr. Wong.
    â€œI’m afraid we have Miss Yu in custody already, and she has told us everything.”
    Mr. Wong’s shoulders slumped. His legs started to shake and he sat down heavily. “It was an accident,” he said. “I didn’t mean to kill her.”
    â€œYour wife found out that you were having an affair?” said Inspector Zhang.
    â€œShe must have done. She must have found the key and copied it, and then followed me to the apartment.”
    â€œAnd she used the key to let herself in?”
    Wong nodded. “Shirley and I were in the bath. Together. Celia burst in with a knife.”
    â€œShe was angry?”
    Wong laughed sharply. “She was like a woman possessed. I’d never seen her so angry. She came at Shirley with the knife, trying to stab her. I tried to take the knife from her and she cut me.” He held up his hand. “The blood just seemed to make her crazier. She kept trying to stab me, saying that I’d ruined her life and that she was going to kill me.”
    â€œSo you pushed her under the water?”
    Wong shook his head. “I didn’t mean to kill her, but it was the only way I could stop her. She fell into the bath and I knelt on her and tried to pull the knife away but she kept struggling. Then suddenly she went still.”
    â€œAnd Miss Yu, what was she doing while this was going on?”
    â€œShe was hysterical,” said Wong. She was sitting on the floor, crying and shaking. It wasn’t her fault, Inspector. Shirley didn’t do anything wrong.”
    â€œShe covered up a murder, Mr. Wong,” said Inspector Zhang quietly.
    â€œWe had no choice,” said Mr. Wong.
    â€œAnd the key? The key that your wife used to let herself into the apartment. You took it?”
    â€œShe must have been planning it for ages because she had made a copy of the key I used. And last night I couldn’t find my keycard to get into the building. Celia had taken it. She followed me to the building and then used the keycard to get in and the key to get into the apartment.”
    â€œAnd after she was dead, you took the key and the keycard?”
    â€œI knew that if you found them you would find the apartment,” said Mr. Wong. “I didn’t mean to kill her, Inspector Zhang.”
    â€œBut you did,” said Sergeant Lee.
    â€œIt was an accident,” said Mr. Wong.
    â€œBut throwing her off the building wasn’t,” said Inspector Zhang. “That was quite deliberate.”
    â€œI had to give myself an alibi,” said Mr. Wong. He put his head in his hands. “I didn’t want to do it, and neither did Shirley. But we knew that if my wife’s body was found then I’d be the obvious suspect.” He looked up at the inspector. “It’s true, isn’t it? Most murders are committed by family members?”
    â€œOr work colleagues. Or neighbours. Yes, that is true. It is very rare for someone to be killed by a stranger.”
    â€œThat was what I told Shirley. If you found my wife and I didn’t have an alibi then I would be the obvious suspect. But if she died when I was in my apartment, then I would be in the clear.”
    â€œYour mistress and your wife are not dissimilar in appearance, which enabled the deception,” said the inspector.
    Mr. Wong nodded. “That was what gave me the idea,” he said. “We removed the clothes she was wearing and then we dried her hair and redressed her in one of Shirley’s dresses. Shirley changed into a similar dress and then we carried my wife to the roof. Then