“Got the video?” Mislan asks.
“Here,” Deena answers, handing him the disc.
“Sai, can you hang on to it? We may need to review it if the bastard logs on again in another location with CCTV. Compare faces.”
Saifuddin nods.
Sherry’s cell phone rings. It’s the front desk informing her that her victim, Julie, and her parents have arrived. She tells the front desk clerk to take them to the main meeting room and arrange for drinks if they want any. She makes a call to Superintendent Lillian to ask if she wishes to join in. Lillian declines, saying she has a meeting to attend, and tells her to go ahead and brief her later. She informs Mislan and signals for him to follow her. Stepping out of the situation room, Sherry tells him she’ll lead the interview.
Julie Maulana sits sandwiched between her parents, staring at the wall in front of her. Her mother is whispering something in her ear when the two investigators enter. Sherry introduces herself and Mislan before taking a seat facing the victim. The victim’s eyes are fixed on Mislan, and Sherry notices signs of uneasiness. Probably because Mislan is a male and she’s not comfortable talking about her ordeal to a man.
“Julie, how are you feeling?” Sherry starts.
“OK,” she answers almost in a whisper.
“I need to hear your version of the incident again to make sure it doesn’t change from the first time it was told. If there’re any disparities, we need to clarify it once and for all.”
Julie nods, her eyes not leaving Mislan. Julie’s mother puts her hand on her daughter’s shoulder to calm her. Shifting her eyes to a spot a foot in front of her, Julie narrates her ordeal.
Sherry notes that Julie is able to speak with only slight hesitation, a sign the victim is slowly getting over her trauma. Going back with her parents must have helped her. There also seem to be no critical deviations from her earlier statement of the incident. When Julie is done, Sherry explains that Inspector Mislan is investigating the murder of her housemate. He needs to ask questions to assist in his investigation. Instantly, she notices the fear in Julie’s eyes. She also sees pleading in them. She turns to Mislan, who eye-gestures that he notices them, too.
“Mr. and Mrs. Maulana,” Mislan starts. “Is it possible for you to leave us while I interview Julie?”
“Why?” Mr. Maulana asks, his eyes narrowing at Mislan.
“In murder investigations, there’ll be things that only the witness and killers know. These discoveries will be facts, evidence, or clues that can be used against the suspect when arrested. You know, like police stories on TV.”
Mr. Maulana nods several times. “Like when the suspect said something and you’ll ask him how did he know about it?” he offers.
“Yes, exactly,” Mislan says, giving him a wink.
Mr. Maulana beckons his wife, and Sherry shows them to the waiting area at the front desk.
Julie looks at Mislan, puzzled.
“I need to ask you about your relationship with my victim, Zaitun. I know you don’t want your parents to hear it.”
Julie nods, mouthing “thank you.” Sherry joins them and gives Mislan a smile.
“How long have you and Zaitun been … together?” Mislan asks, going straight to the point.
Julia nods her understanding and lets out a weary smile. “Almost two years.”
“Before her?”
“No one steady, just …” Julie pauses, taking deep breaths. “I mean not staying together like with Zac.”
“Zac?” Sherry asks.
“Zaitun, we all call her Zac.”
“Was Zac with someone before she hooked up with you?” Mislan asks.
“I suppose so, but we made an agreement not to ask or talk about each other’s past. No point revisiting it, for us it’s just the present and future.”
“Who do you think would do these things to you and Zac?”
Julie shrugs.
“Were you with any man before you, you …” Mislan searches for the right word.
“Discovered yourself,” Sherry offers.
“No, I’ve always known what I am. As early as my school days.”
“Do your friends know of your orientation?” Mislan asks.
“At the bank, I don’t think so. People like me, we don’t advertise ourselves. You know how it is here … how we’re mistreated and persecuted by the religious maniacs.” She pauses, taking deep breaths, realizing she’s being emotional. “Sorry. At Zac’s workplace, I guess they do.”
Sherry flashes her a warm smile, telling her they understand.
“That night or morning, was Zac coming back from work?” Mislan continues.
“Yes, Zac normally comes home around 2:30 to 3:00 in the morning.”
“Did you hear the door?”
“No.”
“Were the rapists in the room when Zac came in?”
Julie closes her eyes, trying to remember, and slowly shakes her head.
“I can’t say for certain, as my eyes were closed. I heard a groan, a chair fell, and then the slamming of the front door. I rushed out and saw Zac on the floor, her legs wiggling, and there was a lot of blood.” Julie cups her face, sobbing and trembling.
Mislan waits for Julie to get hold of herself.
“I called 999, but by the time the ambulance arrived the man told me Zac was … ,” Julia continues but is unable to say the word dead.
From Julie’s statement, Mislan is quite certain the killing wasn’t premeditated, and the killers reacted when caught by surprise. There is nothing much she can tell him that may lead to the killers. He decides to terminate the interview.
“Is there anything else you can tell us that may assist in the investigation?”
Julie shakes her head.
“If you do remember anything, give me a call,” Sherry says.
When the two investigators return to the situation room, Saifuddin informs them that he called the Starbucks main office and they’re ready to assist.
“So you didn’t manage to hack it,” Mislan teases him.
“Nope,” Saifuddin replies follows by a chuckle. “No need to.”
Sherry decides Mislan and Saifuddin should follow her to the Starbucks office and for Johan to stay back to manage the team. Mislan offers to take his car. To Sherry’s dismay, the instant they drive out of the contingent complex, Mislan lights up, followed by Saifuddin. She gives Mislan an admonishing glare. Mislan responds with a my-car-my-rules grin. Lucky for her, it’s a short drive to Berjaya Times Square.
At the Starbucks office, Sherry introduces the team and is directed to the IT section, where Saifuddin takes over. The two geeks sit in front of a computer, talking and pointing to the screen. Saifuddin makes some notes and thanks the other geek. He gestures for the two officers to follow him out.
“Got it?” Mislan asks.
Saifuddin waves the piece of paper, indicating he got what they wanted.
“That was quick,” Sherry says.
“When you know what you want and where to look, it’s quick,” he boasts.
“What did we get?” Mislan asks.
“The make and model of the laptop and the IP address.”
“What can we do with it?”
“Go and check with MacStudio to find out who the Apple MacBook was sold to.”
“That’s at Plaza Low Yat, right?” Sherry says.
“Yup, in front of the mall.”
Mislan’s cell phone rings. It’s his assistant calling.
“Yes, Jo.”
“Where’re you guys?”
“Going to Low Yat, why?”
“The computer is beeping like crazy. What do I do?” Johan sounds anxious.
“How the hell should I know?” Mislan answers.
“I know you know shit about computers—let me speak to Sai.”
“Sorry,” Mislan says, laughing, and hands the cell phone to Saifuddin.
“Yes?” Saifuddin asks.
“The computer is beeping like crazy. Wha
t do I do?”
“Which one?”
“The desktop on the left.”
“Shit, that’s the one monitoring UTube. OK, don’t do anything, I’ll come back now.”
Handing back the cell phone, Saifuddin tells Mislan he needs to get back to the situation room.
“Shit,” Sherry cusses.
“OK,” says Mislan. “I’ll send you back and then me, Jo, Sherry, and Deena can go to MacStudio.”
19
COMING OUT OF BERJAYA Times Square, Mislan has to pass the Kuala Lumpur Police Contingent Headquarters and make a U-turn about a mile down the street. The other route, taking Jalan Pudu all the way into the heart of congestion back into Jalan Galloway, is longer. In the car, Sherry calls Deena and tells her to be downstairs with Johan. She tells Saifuddin to keep her constantly updated. When Mislan pulls up in front of the contingent building, Johan and Deena are already waiting.
“Get in,” Sherry tells them as Saifuddin gets out.
“Where to?” Deena asks.
“Low Yat.”
“Again?”
Mislan drives out onto Jalan Imbi and after Melia Hotel turns left onto Jalan Bulan 1. The street is narrow, sandwiched between aged shopping complexes. Finding parking is next to impossible, so he makes an illegal U-turn immediately after Plaza Low Yat to Sherry’s disgust and double-parks in front of MacStudio. A car jockey, a street hustler who will park your car for a fee, approaches them, and Mislan waves him away, saying, “police.”
He tells Johan and Deena to stay with the car. Turning to Sherry, who is still annoyed with him for making the illegal U-turn, he asks, “You coming?”
As soon as Sherry steps out of the car, her cell phone rings.
“The video is up,” Saifuddin says.
She groans. “Sai, make me a copy and tell MCMC to get off their asses! They took four days to block the first one. Tell them that’s not good enough. We’re going to be lynched by the public if they don’t block it immediately.”
“Done. MCMC says they are acting on it. Again, don’t hold your breath.”
“Can you monitor it?”
“I am.”
“Thanks.”
Sherry calls the heads of Sexual & Child Abuse and Special Investigations to inform them about the video.
Stepping into MacStudio, Sherry introduces herself to a sales assistant and asks for the manager. The girl points toward a man attending to a Caucasian couple. She waits patiently at a distance as the man continues demonstrating the latest MacBook to his customers.
Mislan, not used to playing a secondary role, asks, “What’re you waiting for?”
“For him to finish,” she says.
“You’re kidding, right? We’re here on police business. We don’t have time to wait for him to make a sale.”
As he walks toward the manager, Sherry hisses, “Mislan, don’t do something stupid.”
Stepping up to the manager, he says, “Excuse me, I’m Inspector Mislan from Special Investigations. I’d like a word with you, please.”
The Caucasian couple look at him, annoyed. He reciprocates with a what-the-hell-are-you-staring-at look. The manager apologizes to the customers and signals to one of his salespeople to take over.
“Is there a place where we can speak privately?” Mislan asks.
“Let’s go into my office.”
In the office Mislan makes a crack. “Space must be very expensive here.”
“Yes, it is. How may I help you, Inspector … ahhh?”
“Mislan.”
He holds out his hand at Sherry, asking for the piece of paper with the particulars of the laptop.
“I need to know who bought this laptop.”
“May I know the purpose?”
“We’re investigating a case.”
“Don’t you need a warrant or something?”
“I don’t know, do we?” Mislan mocks him. “Look, are you going to peek into your system and give us the particulars, or do you want me to place two uniformed men here until we come back with a warrant?”
“OK, OK. I was just asking. I don’t want anyone to sue the company.”
The manager hits some keys on his computer, writes down the purchaser’s name, and hands it to Mislan. As they step out of MacStudio, Sherry stops Mislan.
“Don’t you ever do that again when I’m with you.”
“Do what?”
“Be rude, sarcastic, and intimidating. I don’t approve of it and will not tolerate such conduct as long as you’re acting as my second.”
“We got what we came for, didn’t we?” he says, waving the Post-it with the buyer’s particulars.
Sherry snatches the piece of paper from his hand and walks away, annoyed.
“You’re just pissed off because I took the lead and got things done,” he calls after her.
After what happened at MacStudio, they return to the office and Sherry decides to go in separate cars to the address provided by the manager, Johan riding with Mislan and Deena with Sherry. The address is one of several bungalows along Jalan Ara, Bangsar. Mislan decides to wait in the car and let Sherry deal with the inquiries and possible arrest.
“Why aren’t we with them?” Johan asks.
“Because we’re only playing second fiddle,” he snorts.
“We’re her team,” Johan corrects him.
“I bet you the house owner is someone well-connected. Let her take the heat as the lead. Then, after this, she’ll beg me to take over,” he says, chuckling.
“What have you got against her leading?”
Mislan shrugs.
“Give her a chance. I hear she’s OK,” Johan says.
Mislan lights a cigarette and watches Sherry ring the gate bell. A woman approaches. He sees Sherry identifying herself and the woman opening the gate, letting her and Deena in. They disappear and a few minutes later, reappear walking toward them.
“She’s at the college,” Sherry informs Mislan.
“Which?”
“KLCAC.”
“Kuala Lumpur Creative Arts College?” Mislan asks, wanting to be sure, as there are too many private universities and colleges in the city.
“Yes.”
“Okay, let’s pick her up.”
“No. That’s not the way we’re doing it. The mother will bring her around to the office.”
“Why did you allow that?” Mislan asks, annoyed.
“Because her father is Datuk Yunus, a senior immigration officer.”
“So?”
“So he deserves some respect.”
“That’s not respect. That’s jeopardizing our investigations, giving the suspect the opportunity to delete anything incriminating.”
“Give me some credit, will you,” Sherry snaps at him.
A car pulls out of the driveway and stops next to them. Detective Deena climbs in, and it drives off. As Sherry walks back to her car, Johan grins at his boss.
“Now, that makes you feel silly, doesn’t it?”
When they reach the office, the front desk clerk tells him that the head of Special Investigations wants him to stop by her office. Mislan tells his assistant to come along.
“How was your first day with the task force?” Superintendent Samsiah asks, as they sit.
“So-so.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” she comments with a smile. “Any progress?”
“The IT tech managed to obtain the MAC address, and we obtained the buyer’s details. She’s at KLCAC, and the mother will be bringing her in.”
“KLCAC?”
“Kuala Lumpur Creative Arts College. Deena has gone with the mother to take custody of the laptop,” Johan says.
“Let me guess, she’s the daughter of someone important.”
“A Datuk, a senior immigration officer.”
“It was Sherry’s decision, but you disagreed with her.”
Mislan wears a blank expression, but Johan nods.
“I sense things are not working out between the t
wo of you.”
Mislan responds with a sly grin.
“Is this going to affect the investigation?”
Johan shakes his head while Mislan shrugs.
“Now, I sense a difference in opinion between the two of you,” she says, laughing. “Have you been told that the second video is up?”
The two officers nod.
“The OCCI, Lillian, and I were just summoned by Datuk CPO. The public’s panicking and talking about a serial rapist on the loose.” She sighs. “Datuk CPO has instructed the OCCI to head the investigation.” CPO is short for Chief Police Office of the state.
“What!” Mislan exclaims, his jaw dropping in disbelief.
“He’ll head, with Lillian and me assisting. Daily briefing at 0900, you and Sherry are to be present.”
Mislan’s cell phone rings. It is Sherry, telling him the Datuk’s daughter has arrived.
“You go ahead,” he says, switching off the cell phone.
“Who was that?” Samsiah asks.
“Sherry. The girl’s at D11.”
“And why are you still here?”
“She can handle it,” Mislan answers, brushing it off. “Ma’am, you know what’s going to happen if he—”
“Let’s worry about that later. Go and conduct your interview.”
Reluctantly, he stands to leave.
She gives him a smile, saying, “You do what you do best. Let me worry about the rest.”
Mislan and Johan enter the task force room to find Saifuddin by himself. Mislan looks around at the whiteboard and the photos of the victims that have been posted, with details of the incidents written next to them. There are some flowcharts—with boxes containing data and arrows in red, black, and blue—neatly drawn up on another whiteboard. Saifuddin is perched in front of a computer screen.
“Walau-eh!” Johan exclaims. “Now, this is what an investigation is supposed to look like.”
“In the movies, you mean. All we need to complete the setting are a few large touch-screen LCD monitors,” Mislan says, mocking him.
“You did all these?” Johan asks, turning to look at the board.
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