Read Online A Corpse in the Koryo by James Church - Free Book Online

never knew a car crash that cut someone's throat. Did you?"
    "Why are you telling me all of this?"
    "You know some things I don't know. I know some things you don't know. Simple addition, Inspector."
    "Not possible, Kang. What you know and what I know don't add up."
    Kang turned to look upriver toward the trees I had shown him.
    "Too bad about that gardener." He walked into the elevator where Miss Shin was waiting, reached around her, and pressed the red button.
    "Come on, Inspector. Back to earth," he smiled. "Such as it is."

12
    As soon as he heard my report on the conversation with Kang at the tower, Pak reached into his desk and pulled out a ticket. "Go home.
    Pack a bag, take the rest of the week off. You need to be out of the city for a while. Trust me. Maybe Kanggye isn't such a bad idea after all. Be at the train station tomorrow morning early, at 4:30. Give this to the stationmaster, name is Pak, not my cousin as far as I know. He'll see you are comfy, away from the cigarette smoke and confusion of the masses. Good luck. Don't keep in touch. I'll contact you if there is any need. Stay away from phones." He saw the look on my face. "This is for your own good. It isn't punishment, Inspector. I just don't want you anywhere near Kang for now. If Military Security is gunning for him, something is out of kilter. Everywhere Kang goes these days, that thug Kim won't be far behind. Better yet, hand in your resignation."
    you crazy?
    "No. Resignation will get you onto the sidelines. We'll say you were drinking again and I had to let you go."
    "What's gotten into you? I'm not resigning. And I've stopped drinking. Pretty much. Everyone knows that."
    "Fine, be stubborn. Here, at least take the ticket." He turned back to the papers on his desk, then glanced up at me, a look of concern passing over his face. "Can you wake up that early, Inspector? Whatever you do, don't miss the train."

PART
    TWO
    When we are apart,
    The moon through the pines
    Is never bright in Kanggye,
    But a pale reflection on the lake that Nightly grows, watered by my tears.
    -Pak Hac Gun (1456-1497!
    The stationmaster moved slowly for such a small man. He took the ticket, squinted at the number, looked at me, then looked back at the ticket. At that hour, there was not much light in the station, just shadings of darkness. Somewhere in the building a bulb was burning. Whatever feeble watts it emitted floated in and out of clouds of cigarette smoke until sinking onto peasants with weary faces and expressionless eyes. A few sat on wooden benches, but most squatted on the floor beside battered cardboard boxes. Each box was tied with ropes that had been mended and spliced a hundred times. It seemed impossible that any of them would survive another tug or twist.
    "Pretty old ticket," he said, in a voice that just carried the distance between us.
    "The number not lucky anymore?" I was guessing that it meant something to him, maybe from a list agreed on years ago. Pak wouldn't have called him; he wanted me to slip out of town, not blare the news over the phone.
    "Numbers don't bring luck." The oversized hat the little man wore might have made him seem taller, but it tipped to one side, so he just looked off balance. He was tired--maybe he had been up all night-- but mostly he was wary.
    "Up to you," I said, and turned to go. He took a quick step and put his hand on my arm, gently, as if he didn't want to startle me.
    "Don't turn around." He had lowered his voice even more, so I could barely catch his words. "Just walk to the corner, over to the right.
    Stand in the shadow. I'll be back."
    He had my ticket, and I didn't want to let him keep it because I was beginning not to trust him. Maybe things had changed since he and Chief Inspector Pak had last met. Things change. People change. You never know.
    "Go." His voice had a new tone, urgent, not the voice of this hushed waiting room. The peasants nearest on the floor turned to look and then turned away, not wanting to