The Imperial Dragon Affair

Alan Pearson was his name and law was his game, well not really he was still a rookie attorney.
It began with a case a regular case, but that seemingly unimportant case led to a major chain of
events that would be the biggest case Alan would crack in his life.

“I am ready to deliver my verdict; does the prosecution have anything to say?” stated the judge.
“I have nothing to say your Honor.” Hou Wei replied coolly.
“Wait”! Exclaimed Clayton Yip he was the defendant. “I have something to say to the
prosecution”!
“Approved” stated the judge.
“Hou Wei I can’t help thinking that I have seen you before, where are you from”?
“I am from Sze Chuan”. Hou Wei replied.
” Sze Chuan”! “I knew it you are”-
“YOUR HONOUR”! Hou Wei interrupted; “This is in no way relevant to the trial”.
“Agreed”, said the judge “I sentence you to a month in jail; on account of perjury in the third
degree and assault on a staff member of the Imperial Dragon restaurant.”Court adjourned”.

After work Alan stepped back into Jim’s firm, he sampled the familiar sights and smells of Jim’s
office. There was the one light bulb endlessly circling the cubicle which Alan liked to call an
office. The overturned coffee cup situated on the desk with a small stain at the bottom. It had
been neglected for so long it could have easily been mistaken for part of the desk. The mountain
of papers squatting on the desk like a boulder in the middle of a road, then Jim’s well built frame
stepped out of the bathroom, his ragged features scanning the office. He paused to detach the
toilet paper from his shoe and then turned to Alan. “Tell me how it went”? He was Alan’s
mentor in all things, he owned a small soliciting firm. “Why won’t you tell me how it went”?
“It didn’t go well” Alan replied.
“It was Hou Wei wasn’t it?”
“Give me a break”.
“Fair enough then”.

On the other side of town Clayton Yip was not having a good day, he had been convicted of
perjury and now he was being evicted by the landlord who owned his flat in Chinatown. As he
wandered the maze of alleyways encompassing the Imperial Dragon restaurant, soaked and
distraught, he watched as a shadowy figure stepped out of the Imperial Dragons back door.
“Who are you”? Asked Clayton allowing the fear to show in his voice. Clayton was a Triad
member and he had made a lot of enemies, as a result he was often gripped by savage paranoia.
“Hello Clayton” our mystery man stated his voice like smooth velvet. “My dear friend, it was a
pain to track you down”. Wasting no time Clayton’s assailant brandished a mean looking combat
knife. Clayton now visibly scared out of his right mind, turned but it was too late. His assailant
lunged with deadly intent, his blade finding purchase in Clayton’s back. As the crimson blood
pooled around him, seeping into the cracks in the alleyway with the help of the heavy rain,
Clayton craned his head to look up into the eyes of his killer and was hit with a sudden
realization. “You” was all he said before he breathed his last ragged breath. Clayton assailant
stood up, he then promptly disappeared. Unbeknownst to Clayton’s assailant was the crack of a
window being shut after witnessing the crime being committed.

Alan was returned to the world of the conscious by the ring of the office phone. Obviously
wanting to return to his slumber Alan groped for the phone, but the ringing stopped. “Alan wake
up and get the phone ya lazy-” that was all Alan heard before Jim drifted back into his little
dream world. Alan decided to call them back; as he waited for an answer he dreamed at the
prospect of a new case; but more importantly some more income for his new flat. “Hello” asked
a gruff voice,
“this is Alan Pearson attorney at law, you called me earlier”.
“Oh it’s you my names Jack O’Shea I’m, I have a murder to report this is going to be a big
case”“The address is number 12 Har Bin Street, at the Imperial Dragon restaurant”.
“I’ll be right there”.

“All I remember was the body laying there in with a big hole in his back” stammered the
witness. “Thank you that will be all” stated detective O’Shea “Oh yeah the trial date is on the
30th of July; that’s five day from now”. “THE TRIAL” screamed the witness but you said I
wasn’t being accused of anything”. That was before we found the knife in your restaurant
covered in your fingerprints”. “Please officer-“.
“No, explain this to your attorney, speaking of whom here he is”.”He’s yours Alan”. Detective
O’Shea promptly walked out closing the door behind him.

“So all you saw was the deceased laying on the floor, correct?” Alan asked as he wondered about
this case while waiting for the witnesses reply.
“I’m positive and by the way my name is Jo Cohen I work here”.
“I’m Alan Pearson attorney at law”. “What are we going to do about the trial? Its five days away
and all we have to help us are convicting pieces of evidence”. “I can’t do anything Jo; I can’t do
anything unless you tell me the whole story here, let’s go check out the body”.

What remained of Clayton Yip was a sight to behold, a gaping hole in his back which penetrated
almost to the chest. His face was pressed against the cobbles frozen in a permanent mask of
terror. No blood remained for all of it was washed away with the night’s rain. “Well Jo, it looks
like I will have to head back to my office”, “ok Alan I’ll see you later”.”Bye Jo” and Alan
walked promptly out of the door and into the streets.

“Jim I need your help” beseeched Alan.

“Well what you need” Jim replied.
“Well I need some info about the trial and I need you to find someone for me”.
“Ok Alan, all I can tell you at the moment is that the prosecutor will be Hou Wei”.
“Are you serious Jim?”
“Yes I am very serious and who would you like me to find”.
“He is a surprise witness who lives in the building behind the Imperial Dragon restaurant.”
“The Imperial Dragon restaurant” Jim exclaimed with delight “They make the best qao siu bao
ever”.

Five days later in the defendant lobby.

“Mr. Pearson what are we going to-

“Shut up Jo I need to think “Sorry Jo, I am just very nervous, Hou Wei is no pushover; this guy
has been winning cases before I even started my career”.
“Ok Mr. Pearson what should I say”, “just play it cool and think before you speak and most
importantly tell the truth; we can’t have a faulty witness it’s the last thing I need”.

“Court is now in session, is the prosecution ready”? Asked the judge,

“I am always ready your honour” Hou Wei replied coolly.
“And the defense” “I am ready your honour”.
“Good, Joseph Cohen you have been charged with murder, how do you plea?”
“My defendant pleads not guilty”
“Witness we require testimony, what happened on the night of the murder?”
“Well, I was doing my shift in the Imperial Dragon restaurant”, said Jo “then as I took the
garbage out to the back alley, I saw the body lying on the ground with a gaping hole in its back”.
“Objection your honour” shouted Hou Wei, “The defendant went to the back, stabbed the victim
then hid the knife and fled the scene”.
“Objection, Hou Wei you have no proof that my client stabbed the victim”.
“Objection, what about the knife bearing his fingerprints that surely proves that he killed the
victim”.
“Hou Wei does make an interesting point, the knife does bear the defendants fingerprints, further
testimony is needed” stated the judge.
“Ok I’ll testify”.

“Well the knife actually belongs to me”. A collective gasp erupted from the Alan the judge and
even the jury, but Hou Wei remained calm.
“Jo WHY did you not tell me I told you that you needed to be honest with me” Alan snapped.
“Well at least we have a valid reason for your fingerprints being there”.
“Order in the court, witness you will continue your testimony” the judge decreed.
“Since the Imperial Dragon restaurant is under constant attack by petty criminals I thought I
needed some protection” Jo stammered. “I always keep it under the counter it is quite easy to see
if you are behind it”.
“That will be all witness, as I see it Clayton Yip was stabbed in the back by someone who came
out the back door of the crime scene, the only suspect being Joseph Cohen”.

“The trial will be postponed until I can deliver my verdict”. “But your honour-“QUIET, I will
not be swayed the trial will reconvene tomorrow, court is now adjourned”.

“Well Alan I have your info, it turns out that this Jing Wei fella knows who did it but he left the
country before he told me but he left you this envelope that he said it would clear it up; but save
it for when you really need it”.
“The only thing I managed to do is stall for time”
“Alan don’t despair, I managed to pick up a tidbit of information; it turns out that Hou Wei was
at the Imperial Dragon restaurant at the time of the murder, interesting eh?

The next day in the court room

“I am ready to deliver my verdict”.

“Objection you can’t deliver your verdict because there is still room for doubt” Alan shouted.
“Please elaborate” asked the judge.
“There is a connection between the victim and the man I will accuse”.
“Please be rational-
“NO chance Hou Wei, I think it is you who should have been rational when you murdered
Clayton Yip”! The court went hysterical
“He’s accusing the prosecution” someone shouted,
“ORDER IN THE COURT, quiet down”. “Defence are you seriously accusing the prosecution
for the murder of Clayton Yip?”
“Yes and I have the evidence to prove it”.

“Hou Wei, do you deny being present at the Imperial Dragon restaurant at the time of the
murder?”
“It’s true but that does not-“
“I’m not finished “and you did leave through the back entrance did you not”?
“How would you-
“no how would YOU know, I quote “the defendant went out the back entrance” how would you
know that?” “Maybe it’s because you went out that back entrance to murder Clayton Yip”!
“I may have been present but I have no motive” Hou Wei snapped.
“Wrong you had the biggest connection ever, let me explain”. “You loved your father didn’t
you?”
“Of course” Hou Wei replied.
“I thought so, you were pretty upset when he died, weren’t you?”
“Of course” Hou Wei replied again.
“And you would do anything to avenge him, even by putting his killers in jail”. “Court can I
draw your attention to this file on Hou Wei, it says here that his father was murdered by five
people”. “One of the names listed here, funnily enough is Clayton Yip”! The court was now
flabbergasted.
Hou Wei only said two words, “you win”.
“Well I am ready to deliver my verdict, I find Joseph Cohen innocent, you are free to go”.
As for you Hou Wei you will be detained and your trial held at a later date.
“Thank you Mr. Pearson Jo cried thank you, thank you.

Two months later Death Row

“And that’s how it happened lads, how I got beaten” said Hou Wei. “That’s harsh man” replied a
fellow prisoner. “I know I know but I am content that none of my father’s killers are left on this
Earth”
“Mr. Wei will you please sit in the chair while I prepare your injection”.
“Certainly” as Hou Wei sat down he thought of all the events in his life and sighed as he was
strapped in
“Any last words Mr. Wei”?
“Yes tell Alan Pearson that this isn’t over”.