Li wheeled his bicycle past the barbers at work and lifted it over a low railing into a shaded area of trees and shrubs between flagstone paths that led in various directions down to the river. Here the sound of the traffic seemed remote, the air cooler, shadowed as it had been through the heat of the day, and rising off the water to blow a gentle breeze through the leaves. Birds sang in cages that hung from the trees, their owners—old men mostly—gathered on stools round stone tables playing cards or Chinese chess. A woman had hung large red character posters from a line strung between two trees, and a couple of men, hands behind their backs, stood staring at them without comment. The woman watched their expressions with interest, but they showed no discernible emotion as far as Li could see. In a pergola hanging with creeper an old man played a violin, while a few feet away a dead-eyed young man in army camouflage trousers and skip cap was drinking alcohol from a plastic bottle.

Li found his uncle a little further on, sitting at a low stone table preparing to move in for the kill. The King’s Guide had made a fatal error, and Old Yifu was merciless in victory. His Horse jumped the river and the King was trapped. “Jiang jun!” he cried, delighted with the pincer movement that had created his checkmate. His opponent scratched his shaven head and shook it in wonder.

“I don’t know why I bother playing you, Old Yifu. I’m never going to win.”

Old Yifu smiled. “You will win,” he said, “when you stop losing.” He looked up and saw Li approaching. “Li Yan.” He jumped to his feet and shook his nephew’s hand vigorously. “How was your first day?”

Li smiled ruefully. “Only three murders, Uncle.”

His uncle’s chess opponent lifted a birdcage down from the tree that had been shading their game, hung it from the handlebars of his bicycle and said, “I’m off for my dinner. All this excitement has given me an appetite.”

“Zai jian.” Old Yifu did not take his eyes off Li. “You’re joking,” he said.

“No.” Li sat down on the stool the defeated chess player had just vacated. “Three. In different parts of the city. But they’re connected.”

Old Yifu sat down opposite him, both excited and concerned by the news. “You’ll give me a game of chess and tell me about it while we play.”

Li took out his watch. “It’s late, Uncle Yifu. We should eat.”

“We can eat after. First you tell me.” He rearranged the chess pieces, simple wooden disks engraved in black or red with Chinese characters, on the board. “Then we eat.”