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.We find it helps them realise their responsibility to be truthful’‘The first twist of the “Faucet” in Yang’s case.’ Scholefield spoke the words contemplatively, almost to himself; not troubling to hide the disgust in his voice.The officer looked steadily back at Scholefield for a moment then his features broke into another slow, dangerous smile.But he said nothing.Instead he turned suddenly and shouted at Yang.‘Now tell the Englishman why you and your Russian masters implicated him in your treacherous plot!’Yang lifted his head slowly, to look at Scholefield.His face was haggard with fatigue.‘When I approached you in London, I was acting on the orders of vile revisionist traitors who have long ago since abandoned the socialist path of Marx Lenin and Mao Tse-tung.’Yang’s voice was little more than a croak and Scholefield had to move nearer to hear dearly what he said.“They had held me prisoner in Moscow for four years, waiting for the moment when they could employ me for their own evil ends.’ Yang coughed suddenly and lifted his sleeve to wipe the perspiration from his face.The captain signalled quickly to the second guard who filled a cup from one of the water torture jugs.Yang took the cup and drained it greedily, spilling a lot of it down his tunic front.‘You see, Mr.Scholefield,’ said the Public Security captain softly, taking the cup from Yang’s hands, ‘we use water not to torture a man’s body but to refresh it, to encourage his mind towards correct socialist thinking.’‘Your subtle Thought Reform techniques are well enough known to the world,’ replied Scholefield sharply without turning round.‘The instruments you use to disfigure the mind have the obvious advantage that they are invisible.Future generations will find no trace of your racks and branding irons—but that’s only because you’re better versed in deceit, not human principles.’The Public Security captain’s hands clenched suddenly at his sides.He took a quick pace towards Scholefield ‘Do not forget that your personal safety in Peking rests in only a very few hands.’‘They used drugs to addle my mind and turn me against Chairman Mao Tse-tung.’ The sound of Yang’s voice resuming his confession broke the tension between the two men.They turned to see him staring obliviously into the fire.‘They believed that if they could plant false “evidence” on western governments through China specialists showing that the Chairman’s close supporters murdered the traitor Liz Piao—and were also planning a greater crime, the murder of Chairman Mao himself —then the bourgeois rightists in positions of some power in Peking would be emboldened to try to seize power by a coup d’état.The Kremlin plotters believed this would produce a new leadership in China more favourable towards them and thus help to foster a false and treacherous new friendship with the Chinese Communist Party.’ Yang paused and wiped his brow again.‘This is an urgent requirement for the Soviet socialist imperialists because the ordinary Soviet people are deeply dissatisfied with their wasteful preparations for war along the border with China.The economic sacrifices these war preparations demand is enslaving the Soviet peoples.Also the Soviet leaders anticipated that rapprochement with China would deal a severe blow to Sino-American friendship and put Washington at a global disadvantage.’Twenty feet above their heads, at ground level, the headlights of the Warszawa carrying Tan Sui-ling and the hollow-chested cadre turned once again into the mouth of Grass Mist Lane.The driver eased back to a crawl over the uneven surface of the hutung and as the vehicle swung and creaked on its inadequate springs the cadre beside her plucked at Tan Sui-ling’s sleeve in the curtained darkness of the rear seat.In the gloom she watched him unzip a document case and rake out a dried bamboo leaf fan.He waved it once or twice in front of his face and grinned.Then, still grinning, he held it, stem first, towards her.The moment she grasped it, he pulled the flat leaf sharply back towards himself.In the half darkness they both stared at the narrow tapering shaft of steel left protruding from her fist.‘Hsieh hsieh.’ She nodded her thanks perfunctorily and he giggled inanely by way of response.Then he re-furled the body of the dried leaf carefully back round the blade of the stiletto and with great care placed its shaft once more in her hand.He reached into the briefcase again, and after checking ahead through the windscreen that there was still time, he took out a broad roll of flesh-coloured adhesive tape and a tiny pair of nail scissors.These she tucked into the pockets of her baggy blue trousers
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