Read The Eight Curious Cases of Inspector Zhang for Free Online

they were looking at and gasped when he saw a Chinese woman standing on the roof of the block, holding onto a railing.
    â€œI’m jumping!” the woman shouted. The wind whipped her black dress around her legs. “I’m going to jump!”
    â€œOh my goodness,” said Mrs. Zhang, covering her mouth with her hand.
    Inspector Zhang walked towards the building, reaching for his mobile phone. He called headquarters, explained the situation and asked for a negotiating unit to be despatched. He put his phone away, cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted up at the woman. “This is the police. Please go back inside, Madam!”
    The three Indians looked over at Inspector Zhang. “Are you really with the police?” said the youngest of the group, a teenager wearing combat trousers and a t-shirt with a Nike swoosh across the front.
    â€œI am Inspector Zhang of the CID, based at New Bridge Road,” he said. “Can you please move away? If she does fall it could be dangerous.”
    â€œFor her, sure,” laughed the teenager.
    Inspector Zhang was about to scold the teenager for his insensitivity but before he could do so the woman shouted again. “I’m going to jump!”
    Inspector Zhang cupped his hands around his mouth. “Please stay where you are!” he shouted back. “We can talk about this.”
    â€œI’m going to jump!” screamed the woman. “Don’t try to stop me!”
    â€œWhat’s your name?” shouted Inspector Zhang.
    The woman shouted something but the wind whipped away her words.
    â€œWhat did she say?” asked Inspector Zhang’s wife.
    â€œI didn’t hear,” he said. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted up at the woman again. “What is your name?”
    â€œCelia!” shouted the woman.
    â€œOkay, Celia, please step away from the edge. I will come up and talk to you.”
    â€œI’m going to jump!”
    More passers-by were stopping to look up at the building and cars were stopping in the road, drivers trying to see what was going on. Inspector Zhang waved at the cars to keep moving but no one paid him any attention. Suddenly he heard screams and he turned around just as the Chinese woman slammed into the ground with a sickening thud. Blood splattered across the pavement. The spectators scattered and one of the Indian men began to wail.
    â€œPlease, would everyone move back,” said Inspector Zhang, holding up his warrant card. “I need everybody to get away from the body now.”
    Inspector Zhang went over to his wife who was staring at the body, her eyes wide. He put his arm around her. “You have to go home, my dear,” he said.
    Mrs. Zhang frowned. “Aren’t you coming?”
    â€œI’m the first officer on the scene,” he said, putting his arm around her slim waist. “I have to stay. I’m sorry.”
    Mrs. Zhang nodded. She knew what it meant to be married to a policeman, especially one who was as conscientious as her husband. “I’ll wait up for you,” she said and stood on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek.
    â€œYou’d better,” said Inspector Zhang, giving her his car keys. As Mrs. Zhang headed towards the car Inspector Zhang used his mobile phone to contact headquarters to report the death and to cancel the negotiating team. The operator promised to despatch an ambulance immediately.
    Inspector Zhang ended the call and phoned Sergeant Lee. She was at home and he asked her to come to the scene as soon as possible.
    A small crowd was gathering around the body and Inspector Zhang went over and asked them to move back. “There is nothing to see,” he said, even though he knew that wasn’t true. There was something to see – a dead body. During his career as a policeman, Inspector Zhang had seen many dead bodies but most people were rarely confronted by death and when they were they tended to stop