by Leo James
As soon as Mark turned, the officer pulled Mark's arms behind his back and handcuffed him.
'What's happening? What are you doing? You're hurting me.' It filled Mark's voice with fear.
Steve stepped forward to help Mark. A second officer intercepted Steve and pushed him against the wall. The pain shot from his cheekbone, across his nose and eyes, as the officer pressed him hard against the wall.
'We will arrest you too if you don’t sit down.' He pushed Steve onto the lobby chair.
Steve stood up again. 'What the fuck’s going on?’
One officer read from a card, the Malaysian version of the arrest statement. 'Mr Mark Farrell, Under Penal Code 187, Section 377A. Carnal intercourse against the order of nature. I'm arresting you. It is my duty to warn you, you are not obliged to say anything or to answer questions. Anything you say, whether in answer to a question or not, may be given in evidence. Do you understand?'
Mark had a look of fear across his face. 'I'm a British citizen and demand to speak to the British consulate. I've done nothing wrong.'
They took Mark's mobile phone and laptop then frog-marched him to the hotel entrance. Steve followed.
An officer turned and looked at Steve. 'Back off, sir. Do you want us to arrest you?'
Steve shouted, 'Mark. I'll call the embassy and Cliff Lin. We'll sort this out. Don't worry.'
The officers escorted Mark out of the building to the police car. They pushed Mark into the car and an officer sat either side of him. The other jumped into the driver's seat and they drove off.
######
Steve contacted the British Embassy and Roger on his way to the hospital. He also finally spoke to Cliff Lin. Cliff explained that he was having problems with his mobile phone, so he had to replace it.
The taxi dropped him outside the hospital entrance, he paid the driver and called Mai to check the way to the ICU ward. She said she would come down to meet him.
He waited for her just inside the entrance. The hospital branched off into three wide and very busy corridors: Patients in wheelchairs and on stretchers accompanied by hospital porters; nurses, doctors and visitors busily passing back and forth. It reminded him of a busy Saturday morning shopping centre. He spotted Mai clearly distressed. He walked towards her. As soon as she saw him she stopped, put her hand to her mouth, looked down and cried. Steve ran to meet her. Her eyes were bloodshot and the surrounding face red from crying and lack of sleep. He put his arms around her, and she cradled her face into his shoulder, sobbing.
Steve reached for his handkerchief and gave it to her. 'You must be shattered. Thanks for everything you have done.'
She wiped her eyes and sobbed whilst catching her breath several times.
'Got here as soon as I could. How is Glen?'
Tears streaked down Mai's face. 'He now under intensive care. Hope the water in his lungs clear and he will recover. I pray for him. I phone my family and they pray for him.'
Roger called Steve back. Once he had ended the call, he updated Mai. ’Roger has spoken with Alice, Glen's ex-wife. She's arranged with his doctor in the UK to send over his medical records. Alice is contacting Glen's uncle Patrick to arrange to fly to Kuala Lumpur.’ Steve consoled Mai.
'Doctor ask if Glen got insurance as he needs to go on dialysis.' Mai shuddered.
'Roger is chasing the insurance company. I'm sure they are moving as fast as they can…. Let's get a coffee.'
They walked along the corridor past a few wards, to a series of retail outlets including a pharmacy, bank, ATMs, cafes, gift shops, restaurants, hair salon and optician - all contained within the hospital grounds.
'Have you eaten?' Steve said.
'No, not since yesterday.' Her shoulders sagged.
'OK, let's get something.'
They went into the nearest cafe and ordered green tea. Mai chose chicken noodles.
'It's great that you managed to get Glen quickly to the hospital. He is in the best place now.'
'I love Glen. So worried. Who is his wife?' Mai wept.
'Let's not worry about that now. Alice is his ex-wife. I'm sure Glen will be much better tomorrow.'
'Why he get so sick?'
'No one could tell Glen would get so sick. I thought it was just a virus. He was fine when I came to dinner,' Steve said.
'I hope I not make him sick. I talk to the doctor. He not talk to me. Only family. I am not family he says.' Mai looked anxious.
‘When they get his medical records, I'm sure they’ll find out what is wrong and fix it.'
'Worried for him and worried for my family. Hope Glen will be OK. They will hurt my family. He will understand when he better. I sick every morning.' Her eyes wandered.
'Wait. You're not making sense. Are you feeling OK? If you are sick, maybe you and Glen have both caught something.'
'I have to tell Glen everything.' Mai sobbed.
A call from Mark interrupted Steve.
'Steve, it's me.'
'Are you OK?'
'Not great. I'm in a cell, in the middle of the police station,' Mark said.
'What?'
'They have only allowed me two calls. I have asked Adam to help, but I worry that he may get into trouble too.'
'What have they said?'
'They have pictures of Adam and me. Adam's face doesn’t appear in them though,' Mark said.
'What can we do to get you out?'
'Can you tell the British Embassy and get me a good lawyer?' Mark's voice cracked.
'Yes, I've already contacted the British Embassy but I'll get Roger onto it as well. We'll get the best lawyer. Keep strong.'
Mark continued 'It's not what they charge you with that's fucked. It's how they do it here. They told me the police can arrest you for any reason and hold you for up to fourteen days without charge.'
'The embassy will help.'
'Tell them the police forced a statement out of me. They said they'd fuck me if I didn't cooperate.' Mark's voice cracked again.
'We'll get you out, Mark,’ Steve said. I just can’t think what to say. This is so shit!
'It's fucking awful. They are taking me to the Magistrate's court tomorrow. It's a serious offence so no bail. They'll transfer me to a remand prison to rot.'
'Prison?'
'Yes, to wait for my trial. They said they'll send me to Sungai Buloh Prison.'
'We'll sort it Mark. Keep strong.'
'Thanks, Steve.'
He closed off the call.
'Sorry Mai.' She had finished her meal.
'Let's go to the ICU ward.'
######
Mai pressed the intercom at the ICU entrance and one of the nursing staff opened the door. They walked into the ward which contained a circular set of white chest height desks, used by the many nurses and doctors managing the patients. Each patient had their own room positioned along a half moon shape around the ward. Glen’s room had a large window overlooking the car parking area and a door leading into a secluded area within the ward. They spotted several hospital staff in room six, so they waited outside. The medical team connected monitoring and lifesaving equipment to Glen by many wires. A pipe to his throat and tubes into his nostrils, connected Glen to machines that beeped and whirred. Once the staff had left the room, Mai and Steve entered. Mai kneeled beside the bed and said a prayer. Glen's face looked gaunt with yellow skin. Mai then explained that they were keeping him sedated, and he was breathing through the tube connected to his trachea. They sat for a while in silence.
'The doctors will get him back to health, then you can talk to him,' Steve said.
'I pray he gets better.'
'This is a great hospital. I'm impressed. He'll be fine.'
'Yes. Good doctors.'
'I'll go back to the hotel now. You should rest. I can call a taxi.'
'No, I stay here with Glen.'
'Are you sure?’ He gave her a five hundred ringgit note. 'Take this. Make sure you eat. I will call you tomorrow.'
Mai bowe
d, and Steve hugged her before he left.
######
Steve got back to the hotel room, kicked his shoes off, sat on the edge of the bed and called the British Embassy to update them regarding Mark. He then placed a call to Roger and left him a voice mail. He laid back, arms stretched above his head and legs dangling over the side of the bed. Staring at the ceiling he breathed in deeply and out slowly, his head throbbing, mouth dry, his shoulders felt like they were connected by an iron rod. Feeling hungry and dehydrated, he was trying to think and be objective, but thoughts bombarded his mind, jumping between emotions of concern, fear, anger and stress. He needed an extra Valium.
Roger interrupted Steve’s thought process when he returned his call. 'How are you?'
'Not great. Malaysian police have arrested Mark.' Steve's stomach gurgled.
'What? Mark. How?'
'They've framed him. He's in a cell at Kuala Lumpur's central jail, going before a magistrate tomorrow. Looks like they'll ship him off to a prison to await trial.' His words trailed off.
'What have they charged him with?’
'Sodomy,’ Steve said, ‘They say they have evidence. The bastards framed him.' Steve shook his head in disbelief.
'What do we need to do?'
'I've contacted the British Embassy. He needs a good lawyer.' Steve's brow perspired.
'I'll talk to our solicitor and contact Cliff. We'll find the best lawyer,' Roger said confidently.
'I'm not sure if he will be able to cope in the police station cell let alone prison.' Steve was feeling the pressure, thoughts bounced inside his head like tiny rubber balls.
'We need to get him out as soon as possible.'
'Glen is really bad, he’s sedated and in intensive care, hooked up to machines and with a breathing tube in his throat. Is Alice or Glen's uncle coming over?'
'Alice has talked to his doctor in the UK and he has sent over the medical records. They are not sure if Alice will travel or wait as they might need her consent for any emergency operations or other treatment,' Roger said.
'What about insurance?'
'I'm chasing our insurance company. He has excellent health cover under our policy, but they have to check a few things out before they release any money. Until then, I will send money over from the Seguro account.'
'Good. Can you talk to Mai? I think the hospital has already issued more bills.'
'Yes, sure. At least our bank account is looking much healthier.' Roger sighed.
'Good. There could be problems at Q7. They want to run the audit on the system. Without us.'
'But it's not in the contract.' Roger's voice was more concerned.
'Yes. I know. Farid said they are not stupid, and to protect their network they are restricting access for everyone. I said our board and compliance procedures mean we need to run those reports ourselves.’
'We cannot accept this new arrangement.' Roger groaned.
'He insisted his team will run the reports and give a copy to you and Anthony.' Steve's voice spiked upwards as he struggled to talk in a measured way.
'We must raise this at our next board meeting.'
'Farid said he is sure you prefer the payments to increase as we grow. He's got us over a barrel and could stop the commission at any time.’
‘Would he do that? Should I talk to him?' Roger's voice was low and cold.
'No, let's wait. I left Farid’s office disappointed, frustrated and angry — all at the same time. Let's not be hasty. Once I can think straight, I'll figure out what to do. We don't need this on top of everything else.'
'OK. You focus on Q7 and I'll work with Cliff and the lawyers to help Glen and Mark,’ Roger said.
'That's not all,' Steve said after a short pause.' I got arrested when I got off the plane at KLIA. That's just over a week ago.'
'Arrested?'
'Yes. It's complicated. UK police must have alerted the Malaysians.' Anger swelled in Steve's guts.
'But why would they arrest you?'
‘The Malaysian police force are investigating illegal companies and gangs in Malaysia. Q7 is under suspicion.'
'Did they take you to jail?'
'No, I agreed to work with them to help. They took my passport. I must tell no one, otherwise they will arrest me.' Steve hung his head.
'OK. I understand. For God’s sake, please be careful.'
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Tuesday 5th May
STEVE ARRIVED AT THE street-food centre in downtown Kuala Lumpur. Crowds of people were eating and drinking, in amongst clouds of steam rising from the street food vendors, scattered along Market Street. The hawkers beckoned him to their tables as he walked past them. He reached Tang City food court, at the back of Chinatown's no-frills food market. Unlike some city's well-known street food markets, this place was a big enclosed barn-like structure with stalls around the perimeter, cooled by huge fans. Steve found a table near the Heineken tent and sat on a stool at a red, Formica-topped table. Street hawkers took orders as fast as possible from the people sitting together on the many tables, dispersed across the length and breadth of the market square. Steve ordered a beer from one vendor and a king prawn laksa dish from another.
Adam arrived, sat down on the stool next to Steve, and ordered a cold drink. They shook hands. 'How is Glen?' Adam said.
'He's stable but will need dialysis for the rest of his life unless he can get a new kidney. Whatever it was, it affected both kidneys. I need to call Mai for an update. Let's call her now.' Steve put his mobile phone on speaker and called Mai on Glen’s phone.
'Hi, it's Steve. I have Adam with me. Sorry about the background noise. How is Glen today?'
'Glen on dialysis,' Mai said, 'I find help on his blood type. In Malaysia, it is very difficult to find O negative. My friend helps me to get three donors. One thing is I am in a strange place about Glen's wife. She calls the doctor to tell everything to her and not me. My friends ask me.' Fear stretched her voice high and tight.
'Roger talked to Glen's uncle,' Steve said, 'His uncle plans to fly to Kuala Lumpur. Thank you, Mai, for helping find blood for Glen. We'll talk to Cliff and contact the embassy.'
'I will ask my friends if any are O negative,' Adam said.
‘Thank you,‘ Mai said, ‘The doctor in the UK talk to Dr Lim. He did dialysis last night. The nurse says he needs this every four hours and they have only one pack of O negative blood for him. His creatinine is 2151 means the kidneys are not working properly and could be kidney disease. This is bad, and the doctor not know what is wrong with him. My friend from Vietnam ready to give blood in case he needs extra. His red count low so I wait to see how he is later. I ask Tien to find if right blood group and tell the doctor, but they not talk as I am not family.'
'Thanks for the update Mai. I'll tell Roger and ask him to talk to Cliff Lin,’ Steve said.
'Now I go to Glen,' Mai said.
'Do you need anything?'
'I not think of.'
‘Let me know if there is any change and if you need anything?’ Steve said.
Steve ended the call. 'Hope they can sort Glen out.'
'Yes, and Mai is under so much stress,' Adam said.
'She is great. Mai is staying at the hospital and doing everything she can.' Steve rubbed his temples.
'Yes…. And Mark. I hope we can get him released soon.' Adam nodded.
'I contacted the British Embassy,' Steve said, 'The consular representative will visit Mark tomorrow. If they send him to prison they will help with transferring money into Mark's prison account. He’ll need money to buy necessities. They will also request a prison visit.’
'We need to find a way to get him out,’ Adam said.
‘Mark said you were trying to help. Do you have any ideas? Someone has taken photos and handed them to the police.'
Adams eyes flashed with anger. 'Mark believes someone framed him. The photos clearly identify him with a man, but they do not show any details of this man, only him, which is weird but good new
s for me .'
'What are we going to do? Do you think your brother could be behind this, he wants to punish Mark, but he is protecting you? Is there any way we can persuade him to help get Mark released?'
Adam considered this. 'My brother is a proud and ambitious business man with very good connections. He would not be happy if I was arrested too. I can speak to him. If he will not help I will go to the police and tell them I am Mark's lover.'
'You can't do that. You’ll just end up in jail. Does your brother care for you? I figure he wants Mark out of the way because he knows about you and Mark, or because of what's happening in Q7. Either way we have to get Mark out of prison.'
'Can we work together?' Adam's shoulders flinched with a nervous shrug.
'Someone is trying to destroy my company. They murdered David, Glen is in hospital, and they framed Mark. I'm gonna be next.'
'This is terrible.'
'I raised concerns with Farid about something illegal that David had discovered within Q7 and then came David's murder. Prem is always around Farid. Could your brother be involved in a murder?' .
'My brother is a driven man, but I hope he does not have blood on his hands.'
'I'm sure Farid and maybe even your brother are trying to destroy us. Mark could get twenty years in prison.' Steve hoped he had not said too much to Adam.
'I will talk to Prem,' Adam said.
'Great but be careful. I'm meeting with Farid later today, and I have asked him to invite Prem. I'll let you know how it progresses. If my suspicions are right, then we need to be very careful. Mark is depending on us.’
Steve's phone rang as they shook hands and Adam left. It was Mai calling.
It worried Steve that there may be something wrong as he had only just talked to Mai. To his relief Mai sounded much happier.
'Glen conscious now. He is still in ICU. He is still not stable but improve.'
'That's great to hear.' Some relief came to Steve's voice.
'He is on sedation and needs a dialysis. I call my friend to donate. His type is O negative. The hospital has not enough blood and Glen's type is hard to find in Asia. The doctor said he nearly lost his life and he will try his best to save him. Glen's kidneys are bad, so they will clean them. He is breathing on his own but still with a ventilator. If his condition is better, he will go for CT scan.'