Time spent waiting always seemed to stretch on endlessly. Yan Qing flipped through a book while keeping one eye on the wall clock across the room.

Shi Ting’s office held a great many books on criminal investigation — and a number of them were in foreign languages.

Yan Qing knew he had studied abroad, so his English was surely more than adequate. She, however, was only passable — having just cleared the sixth level of the national English exam — and while she had no trouble with medical terminology, the dense pages of English text in front of her were genuinely daunting.

“Some water.” A cup of hot water was set on the tea table before her, steam rising gently from the surface.

Yan Qing thanked him. “Has Deputy Chief Zheng’s team not returned yet?”

“They should be back soon.” Shi Ting had always been confident in his subordinates’ efficiency.

He poured a cup of water for himself and took a seat across from her. “Do you enjoy reading these?”

“I can’t quite follow them.” Yan Qing scratched the tip of her nose lightly. “My English is only so-so.”

“If you’d like to read them, I can translate for you.”

“No, no, that’s quite all right.” Yan Qing quickly declined. A man like him had the entire public order of Shun Cheng to manage — she could hardly have him waste his talents translating for her.

Shi Ting was just about to say it was no trouble when the telephone on his desk suddenly rang insistently. He crossed the room in long strides and answered it.

After setting the receiver down, Shi Ting said, “Let’s go. Tong Tai Street.”

Tong Tai Street lay in one of Shun Cheng’s most prosperous districts, lined with foreign trading houses, banks, pawnshops, and department stores. Automobiles and rickshaws wove through the bustling thoroughfare, the noise unceasing.

The Rosen Clinic occupied an inconspicuous building on Tong Tai Street, yet its reputation far exceeded what its modest size might suggest. The clinic had been founded five years ago by a foreign physician named Rosen, who was not only highly skilled but also charged reasonable fees — and on occasion, took pity on the poor and waived his charges entirely.

He was capable of performing many types of surgery, appendectomies among them.

The clinic was quiet that day, with only a handful of patients attended by nurses. Rosen accompanied the officers from the Military Police Directorate to the records room and cooperated fully, producing the surgical files from February.

“Seventh Brother, it’s her.” Zheng Yun handed a file to Shi Ting. “Huo Li, female, nineteen years of age. Her father is the branch manager of the Ri Feng Bank on Tong Tai Street. On February sixth, she underwent an appendectomy at this clinic. She was referred by a personal acquaintance of Dr. Rosen’s, which is why he remembers her clearly.”

Shi Ting leafed through the file, his gaze settling on the photograph in the upper right corner. It showed a young woman of moderate looks, somewhat mature for her years. Her clothing suggested a comfortable, well-provided-for upbringing.

After reviewing it, he passed the file to Yan Qing beside him.

Zheng Yun continued. “Bai Jianchuan and I visited Manager Huo’s residence. According to Madam Huo, Huo Li had been seeing a young man before her disappearance — a man of low origins and poor character. The family was strongly opposed, but Huo Li was determined to be with him and cut off contact with her family entirely. The introduction to Dr. Rosen’s clinic had been arranged by Manager Huo through a personal connection.”

“The Huo family hadn’t seen Huo Li for two months, and they made no effort to find her?”

“Huo Li also has an elder sister — well-behaved and obedient, greatly cherished by the family. Huo Li, by contrast, was known for her free-spirited ways and a rather uninhibited private life. Staying out all night was nothing unusual for her. After a time, the family simply stopped keeping close watch. I examined her room — it was clear no one had lived there for some time.”

“Find Huo Li’s boyfriend immediately.” Shi Ting said. “At the same time, notify the Huo family to come and identify the body.”

—