'The Wolf of Harbin'

Chapter 28

It's hard to overstate the importance of chicken soup in Jewish culture but how exactly is it made? Well, of course, there's no one correct way to make chicken soup; every culture has their own method of cooking it. Similarly each Jewish family has their own recipe handed down, usually with at least one 'secret' ingredient making it special and distinct from those of other families. My mother's particular variation is a generous handful of chopped parsley, preferably fresh from her garden. Chicken soup is a tremendously simple dish to make and, few things in this world are so easily prepared and yet provide so much comfort. The basic ingredients are chicken pieces (the cheapest cuts are the best), an onion and at least one other vegetable combined with a large pot of water. I like to chop the onion in half and slice a couple of carrots coarsely. All of the ingredients go in together and the longer you can slowly boil it the better. Leave it to cool overnight and skim off the chicken fat, or schmaltz, in the morning. Heat again, season and serve and do try the parsley; it really works. Chicken soup is Jewish penicillin.

Later in the morning of the third day of the Jewish festival of Hanukah: Tuesday, 15 December 1925

Later that morning, with little sense of rest and a fuzzy head, he left the family home for his shift at The Moderne. The little sleep he'd had in the early hours of the morning had been broken by a disturbing dream where he'd been walking out on the thick ice of the Sungari River. It was day and his bootlaces were undone. Bending to tie them he'd scratched at the thin layer of snow only to see his father's lifeless face staring up at him from under the ice. He'd woken shortly after this.

There was of course no need to try to interpret a nightmare like that. It was hard not to be constantly thinking of his father and he was concerned about leaving the apartment again. Last time he'd left he had missed Dad. Maybe he could have ended the kidnapping if he'd been there to hand over the diamonds? Meyer remembered he must return to the police station after work to see if there'd been any news. He decided though there was little point in reporting the break in. What were the police going to do? Nothing had actually been taken and how could he explain he knew his father had 'broken in' to his own apartment?

He was working with Irek today and was happy to be heading out into the cold, dry air. However, he was anxious to see Wolf first. The frenzy of yesterday evening when he'd desperately run across town to seek his friend's help had gone now but he still believed Wolf might be able to help him find his father.

He also had to see Wolf for a couple of other reasons. Firstly, his friend had a cold and if the Chinese medicine wasn't working then maybe he had the cure. He'd also come to a decision. He should warn Wolf about what he'd learnt last night and tell him to be careful. What he'd witnessed in Fujiadian the other day had certainly made him view the Dragonhead differently. Nevertheless, Wolf had been a good friend and he was certain this man believed he was doing the right things for his community even if his methods were questionable.

Walking slowly up China Street with a pot of his best chicken soup, he experienced another one of those moments where you're actually not trying to think of anything and an idea pops into your head. Unfortunately, as a thought it wasn't fully developed. Something didn't add up about his father's tallis and the diamonds, but he couldn't quite put it all together. It didn't help there were so many other things he was trying to work out in his head at the same time. So many problems were competing for space in his mind. All the same, something was wrong. It would come to him, probably when he wasn't trying to think so hard about it like now.

The morning temperature must be as cold as he'd ever experienced in Harbin. His soup had cooled down nicely overnight and he'd already skimmed the chicken fat from the top. But the soup would be frozen by the time he reached Wolf if he didn't get a move on! As he strode over the icy cobbles, a number of stores were opening up for the day: Eskin's Fashion Shop for Men; Arkus' pharmacy; Genkin's furniture shop; the Mars Coffee House; Rabinovich's and Faingold's. All of these Jewish families had made their home successfully in this ice town in northern China. He walked over to the hotel. He wasn't due at The Moderne for nearly an hour but he stopped outside to check the clock and the temperature gauge in the jewellery shop attached to the hotel. Sure enough it was minus 24 degrees Centigrade. It would be good to be working in the warm hotel on a day like today.