The Samui Conspiracy

by Carline Bouilhet

  The next day, Jade took her car to the airport and flew to Boston. A young boy of barely sixteen had just died in a scuba diving accident. Somehow the bottles had not been topped up and when the boy realised that he did not quite have enough air to make the trip back to the surface, he suffered a panic attack and drowned. The authorities blamed it squarely on his lack of experience yet slapped the operator with a small fine for faulty equipment nonetheless. The embassy’s personnel had signed off the autopsy report and the casket had been sealed by the Thai authorities, who did not wish further investigation into the matter either. The unexpected request for his services and the additional trip it entailed had put Paul in an exceptionally good mood. Impulsively, he summoned Louis telling him to pack a light overnight bag; they would take a short ride in his private plane to one of the near-by islands where he had built a house he was sure Louis would enjoy. Louis readily accepted; without Jade around, he had no idea how to fill the time and a jaunt to a near-by island would at least distract him.

  Paul and Louis flew to a large property situated on the hills of Koh Samui. At some point, flying low over the island, before circling the airport, Paul pointed out the blooming poppy fields just below them. These unexpected patches of coloured confetti in the otherwise dense jungle had intrigued Louis. Yet he could not quite understand Paul’s keen interest in the incandescent fields, when everywhere else stunning sights called out to his imagination. The plane finally landed at what looked like a small regional airport, where a jeep with tinted windows promptly picked them up. They drove for about 40 minutes through the main part of town and then through the villages dotting the hills covered with luxuriant vegetation. They finally stopped at the edge of a fenced compound. Behind the heavy double gates, Paul was welcomed like royalty: an impressive number of people had obviously waited for his arrival. The wei were deep and respectful and there was no doubt Paul was the undisputed master of the house. Once the staff relieved them of their overnight bags, Paul walked Louis around the beautifully appointed property; he showed him through the main residence, and from the terrace pointed out several independent guesthouses cleverly hidden throughout the property amongst carefully tended gardens. Numerous ponds where koi flashed in the sunlight surrounded the small bungalows. Paul proudly invited him to admire the 25-metre lap pool which looked like molten gold, surmounted by a cleverly designed clubhouse. When during their tour, they happened upon what looked like cement bunkers buried under creeping vines, Paul walked quickly past as if he had not noticed them, giving his guest no explanation as to what they were. Louis wondered why but did not dare ask.

  After they resumed their visit, they returned to the main residence where light refreshments had been served on the shaded veranda.

  “You told me a few nights ago that you would do anything to pay back my hospitality, is that right?” queried Paul without further preambles as soon as they sat down across from each other.

  Surprised by the uncharacteristic bluntness of the question, Louis replied with a hint of hesitation.

  “Well, I’ll certainly try to keep my word; you’ve been nothing but a genial host!” Did the sinister-looking bunkers have anything to do with the favour Paul was poised to ask? Did the incongruous buildings somehow bear a connection with his earlier interest in the poppy fields? wondered Louis, an inexplicable chill running down his back.

  Gauging his reaction, Paul smiled reassuringly, clinking his glass to his guest’s.

  “Good to hear. By the way, you do know that I own several pharmaceutical labs and pharmacies throughout Thailand, don’t you? The concrete bunkers we walked past earlier are in fact no other than working labs in which I develop the top-secret manufacturing of brand new drugs. Hence, you may have noticed the tight security. Let’s call them a sort of testing ground, for a lack of a better word, for the discovery of new analgesics, something I specialise in. In my business, success on the market is definitely a question of first in, best served. I figured that by burying them out here it would prevent any kind of corporate espionage.”

  Louis blushed.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t expect to come across scientific labs in a place so isolated and so well-guarded. I’m afraid I let my imagination run away with me after admiring the poppy fields you pointed out during our descent. Somehow, with my background, I thought they might be related in some way. I apologise; I hope I haven’t offended you in any way…” he segued, uncertainly, afraid he had just made a blunder of epic proportions.

  “Young man, if I were in the business of somehow trafficking drugs such as heroin, why would I show you, a guest and a foreigner at that, anything you could hold over my head? But I see where you’re coming from…”

  He paused thoughtfully.

  “Let me explain it to you in simple terms; this compound and my labs are, in fact, essential for the testing of Infinity, the name we gave that little jade pill you claimed to have so enjoyed. The incredible sensation of wellbeing you’ve experienced is due in part to the analgesic Fentanyl, which is of course distributed legally through my network of pharmacies. The latter is known to suppress all pain. I admit though that in the creation of Infinity poppy seeds are also used in the mix, but in levels so low as to be almost innocuous. Hence why I probably pointed them out to you since it is almost harvesting time.”

  He paused once again, cleared his throat and looked at his guest pensively.

  “What I need from you,” he continued, weighing his words, “provided you still want to help me – and there is no pressure I assure you – is the opportunity to run a series of much needed tests for Infinity. If truth be told, I’d rather avoid some of the lengthy and typically expensive drug trials imposed by the American Food and Drug Administration to bring it to market, which, as you know, cost a fortune in time. Unfortunately, I need FDA approval to open up the American market, which would be my most profitable by far. So if I were to get hold of one or more compliant subjects where all reactions could be tested under strict guidelines, we would know how to market the drug and avoid any pitfalls which could prompt the FDA to withdraw its support. If it turns out that we can’t retain the pill’s current feel-good effects without compromising the analgesic classification we are after, then we need to know how to bring it to market under another product code and market it as a multi-vitamin or an energy pill. Do you follow me so far?”

  Instinctively, Louis knew there was a lot more to it than what he had just been told but he could not fault’s Paul explanation. Moreover, he could not think of a single reason as to why he could not submit to a few tests to please his extremely generous host, and thus he agreed to become the subject he sought for. Paul thanked him profusely, a contented smile on his lips.

  “In my opinion, your cooperation in this little experiment will only make the time go by faster. I can also assure you that your safety is paramount to me at all times. I can even guarantee that you will derive a great deal of pleasure from helping me this way.”

  Paul winked knowingly and continued.

  “By the time we’re done here, Jade will be back. Meanwhile, let me show you to your quarters, but not before you accept this small token of my appreciation.”

  Paul had opened his palm to reveal an exquisitely carved jade talisman in the shape of an infinity sign hanging from an oiled leather strap. It was exactly the same as Jade’s. Pleased, Louis slipped it around his neck.

  “Welcome to the family,” added Paul smiling broadly.

  Louis’s quarters could not have been more paradisiacal. His lodgings were set in one of the guesthouses he had glimpsed at earlier, a separate wooden bungalow, with a sloped roof, opening to a tiled terrace and facing, through tall palms, unimpeded views of the magnificent valley which dipped into the ocean below. At the door, he slipped off his boat shoes, automatically following Thai custom and entered a 12-square-metre sitting room furnished with an L shaped couch, facing bay windows on three sides so as to give the impression to be immersed in the jungle rather tha
n protected from it. Cleverly hidden in lacquered antique cabinets were a plasma television on one side and two small bar fridges on the other. Two steps up led him to the bedroom, where a king-sized bed was hosted on a platform. From right across the bed, Louis could peer through the window at the jungle below. Louvered windows on the right-hand wall allowed the guest to take advantage of the slightest breeze. Not that it would be often necessary since the room sported very efficient air conditioning, which apparently tended to fog the windows to the outside. Through two silk-screened sliding panels, Louis came to a sumptuous dressing room with two sinks on one side and a series of wardrobe shelves on the other, graced with the latest range of l’Occitane products. The black marbled dressing room led to a sunken Jacuzzi bath, flanked on one side by a separate shower stall and by a toilet on the other. The bay windows framing the bath opened unto a walled garden with its reflective koi pond and lush greenery.

  “Well, with a room that beautiful, why would I ever want to leave?” observed Louis enthusiastically.

  “Indeed, indeed,” acknowledged Paul, who had slipped in behind him.

  Absentmindedly, Louis ran a hand over the smooth and cool marbled benches, the silk cover on the oversized bed, his feet gliding on the polished floorboards. After testing the firmness of the bed, he opened and closed the refrigerators to check that he had not dreamed the mini Moets, the Bacardi Breezers and the Smirnoff ice drinks.

  “This is amazing Paul! I love it,” repeated Louis admiringly.

  “Well,” said Paul, pleased by his guest’s reactions, “I’ll let you settle in. You can also walk to the lagoon if you want. The water is beautiful and I’ve a couple of water sports available if you are keen. It’s barely a ten-minute walk. Just follow the signs on the path on the right of your cabin. Right now though, I’ve work to do, so I’ll see you around 7pm for drinks, up at the house. We’ll sit on the veranda and we’ll discuss your program for the coming few days, shall we?”

  “It’d be my pleasure,” replied Louis, enchanted by his new surroundings.

  As soon as Paul was out of sight, Louis slipped into a pair of board shorts and comfortable walking shoes, slapped on sunscreen and headed for the lagoon. At the end of the path, a small hut hosted a couple of windsurfs, a brand new jet ski and a kayak. A man, barely older than Louis, rigged a windsurf and Louis sailed away, exploring the waters of the languorous blue-green lagoon. Paul watched him through his binoculars, satisfied that he had read the young man correctly, having banked on his hedonistic penchant, rather than on his intellectual curiosity, knowing that Louis would be unlikely to ask too many questions, as long as the activities he planned for him involved little effort and were mostly self-gratifying. Paul relished the process involved in gaining someone’s trust, giving them what they did not know they wanted, even though in the end, he knew he would destroy their soul by offering them impossible choices. So rather pleased with the turn of events, Paul closed the office door behind him and called Jade from his cell phone.

  “He’s here and he’s safe. Don’t worry about a thing: he didn’t hesitate for a minute. Guess what he’s doing right now? Windsurfing on the lagoon! And you worried that maybe he’d poke too much into our affairs? I don’t think it will be a problem, unless I’ve read him wrong. Give me a week or so and then come back. How’s your mother by the way?”

  “She’s fine, thank you. I’ll see you in a few days,” replied Jade reservedly. “Call me if anything goes wrong.”

  “Nothing will go wrong. Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of him. And by the way, thank you for Boston. You did really well. I wired more funds into your account no later than yesterday; I hope you’re investing it wisely. Meanwhile, enjoy your visit.”

  Enjoy my visit, thought Jade, switching off her phone. Does my boss really have any idea? Does he understand what it means to spend time in the village of my youth, when every time the door closed, poverty howled painfully on the other side, where my days are filled with menial tasks, buying as much face as possible for my mother, so that she could live her days in peace, respected by her neighbours? Did he understand what it feels like watching my mother obliterating the days through a haze of blue smoke, forgetting to eat or drink, seemingly not caring whether I was there or not?

  Fortunately, since she had met Paul, she had been able to rebuild her mother’s former cottage by adding sturdy walls, running water, modern plumbing, electricity and air conditioning. In the middle of nowhere, her mother enjoyed all the conveniences of a middle-class home. Thanks to Jade’s complete devotion, her mother had earned the respect of the village’s elders, the very same people who had mocked her for endlessly waiting for her lover all those years ago, even though the money which had come bi-yearly like clockwork had kept the most acidic tongues from wagging. Jade’s seemingly good fortunes of recent years were another feather in her mother’s cap, and whenever she decided to walk down the main street, everyone spoke to her with respect and a touch of envy, and she held her head high. Jade alone knew how important it was to her and thus she had accepted her duty as sole breadwinner with magnanimity.

  She also acknowledged that she missed Louis much more than she had thought possible. She refused though to dwell on the degrading acts Paul would put him through to break his spirit and crush his resistance. She knew from experience that by the time Paul was done with him, Louis would be a broken man. She also knew that she would probably still love him. Brusquely, she swept her hair away from her face and headed for the kitchen, where she began the task of preparing for the evening meal. Several cousins were coming over, not doubt for the free food and grog, and she had to display her talents to best advantage, lest she wanted her mother unhappy by her performance.

  At 7 pm sharp, after a long soak in the bath to soothe his sore muscles – it had been ages since he had last windsurfed – Louis dressed in a long pair of light cotton pants and a T-shirt and walked up to the main house. The entire complex was linked by a series of wooden paths and bridges floating over the immaculately kept grounds. Paul was waiting for his young guest on the veranda, and, as soon as he arrived, motioned for Louis to take a seat next to him. A frosted pitcher of Mai Tai was sitting on the table and Paul poured him a generous glass in a long crystal highball. He then informed Louis that one of his associates would join them briefly to discuss the program and establish safe words. A few minutes later, a man, looking rather official in his white lab coat with a green infinity sign stitched onto the pocket, walked up to them and wei to Paul and then to Louis. He was introduced simply as Swarmani. Louis was then told that he would be supplied at regular intervals with a number of Infinity pills, in varying doses and mixes, and that Swarmani and his acolytes would test his reflexes, intellectual and physical, and assess his reactions in different environment at different times. Due to the drug’s already known capacity to erase any sense of time, he cautioned him that, for the sake of their testing, they would accentuate this particular component; like in a casino, there would be no clock on the property to which Louis would have access. It was important for their data to record to which degree this loss of time would affect a patient. He would not be able to see natural light for the first 72 hours but the kitchen would remain accessible night and day. After the first three days, he would be allowed to roam the property whenever he felt like it. Lastly, he was assured that an MD was on standby at all times, if he showed any signs of an allergic reaction and to prevent any kind of accidental overdose. Paul also notified him that he would start at dawn the next day, with a complete medical examination, a necessary step before the trials could officially begin.

  Louis, slightly overwhelmed, just nodded his acquiescence. In fact, he was eager to begin and throw caution to the wind; it had been well over 24 hours since Jade had last handed him a glass of coke with a small jade pill. He suddenly realised that not only he had come to expect it, but that he missed it as well: if partaking in the ‘experiment’ could ingratiate him to his host, in his view, it was unl
ikely to cause him any hardship. In the end, the medical and authoritative aura of the experiment alleviated Louis’s initial misgivings and he thanked Swarmani warmly. The latter told him to call him Doc for short and they finally shook hands and bade each other good night. However, since the various components of the jade pill had been effectively downplayed, Louis did not know that Infinity had already tapped into his previous addiction the very first time Jade had presented him with the little jewelled, coloured pill.

  After his departure, Paul and his protégé watched the sun set behind the hills and listened to the jungle awakening. Tiny fairy lights began to light up the garden until it metamorphosed into a magical landscape. Paul then asked Louis whether he was hungry and Louis confirmed that the afternoon exercise had certainly opened his appetite. As if by magic, a series of fragrant dishes appeared in front of them, silently brought by women dressed in long silk sarongs. Paul conversed about Paris and they discussed Louis’s previous jobs and the nature of his various friendships, the ties which bound him to his family and his preferred leisure activities. Paul though did not mention Jade once and Louis did not dare ask. Their conversation was nonetheless lively and the wine excellent. Still unused to the numerous and treacherous spices in the food, Louis though drank more than his share and he never saw Paul spike the coffee which was offered at the conclusion of the meal. Unbeknownst to Louis, his apprenticeship had just begun. It was quite late when he made his way back to the room and found that sleep was not forthcoming. He watched cable television and it was almost dawn when he finally succumbed to a fretful sleep, completely forgetting he was due for a full medical.