“No, but I’ve asked my men to try the national registration databank. That’ll take time.”
“Thanks.”
Johan and Deena are watching the video from Pelita when the two officers enter the task force room.
“Boss, you look good on camera.” Johan jokes.
“Sai, have you made a copy for ma’am?” Sherry says, ignoring Johan.
“Done.”
“Deena, can you send it to ma’am’s office?” she tells her detective.
“Let’s see who was at the table with the Samsung,” Mislan says.
“The table is not covered by the cameras,” Saifuddin says.
“Shit,” Mislan swears. “What about the laptop, is it the one used to upload the video?”
“The MAC number matches, and I’m going through its activity log now.”
“Is the video still on the laptop?” Sherry asks.
“It has been deleted, but I’m performing a diagnostic on the hard disk to see if it was once stored there.”
“If it has been deleted, how can you find it?”
“When you delete something, it doesn’t mean it’s wiped out. It’s still on the drive, and that’s where geeks like me come in,” Saifuddin says. “Deleted material is only wiped out or overwritten when all available storage space in the hard disk is used up.”
“Are you able to check the Emancipatist’s emails?”
“No. Having somebody’s computer doesn’t mean you have the password to the owner’s email account.”
The computer next to him beeps. Saifuddin turns to check the screen. “OK, the video was once stored in the hard disk. I can say with certainty that this was the laptop used to upload the rape video.”
“Jo, find out where this Samsung was retailed and get the buyer’s particulars,” Mislan tells him. He then walks to the window, pushes it open, and lights a cigarette. “Chances are it was stolen, just like the Apple,” he says as an afterthought. Leaning out the open window, he says to himself, “We’ve the Ape-Man, the nasi lemak man, a Samsung laptop, some fingerprints, and a DNA profile. Put them together, and we’ve nothing. We’re running in circles: how the hell do we link them?”
The task force team watches him silently, hardly hearing what he’s saying as his voice is drowned out by the noise of traffic from the open window. He turns abruptly and faces them.
“What about the woman?”
Johan pulls out his notepad, “The car’s registered to Umi Kalsom Ali, a single mother living at 24, Medan Athinahapan 2, TTDI. She says her son Hisham uses the car. Syed and Jeff have gone to his workplace to pick him up. They should be back soon.”
“You think the woman is part of this?” Sherry asks.
“I don’t know what to think anymore,” he says with a sigh. “I feel like we’re chasing soap bubbles. Every time we get close to a bubble, it bursts.” He turns toward the window and flicks his cigarette out. “Sherry, can you get the case files? We need to go over them to see where we are and what we need to do. In the meantime, I need the task force to go through the daily routines and movements of the three vics.”
“Any specific areas?”
“Anything to do with their cars. I want to know where they’re repaired, serviced, washed, and parked. And who used them apart from the vics.”
“OK.”
“And no one goes off for the next forty-eight hours.” He lights another cigarette, “Jo, have you eaten?”
Johan shakes his head.
“Can you pick something up? I’m hungry.” He gives Johan fifty ringgit. “Get me spicy mee goreng with a fried egg on top, iced black coffee, and a packet of cigarettes. Ask the others what they want.”
Johan’s cell phone rings. He answers it and tells Mislan that Syed and Jeff are back with Hisham, the car owner’s son.
“They can get the food then. You and Deena interview Hisham.”
Mislan and Sherry are going through the investigation papers when Superintendent Samsiah comes into the task force room, followed by Johan and Deena.
“What a mess,” Samsiah says. “Is this how you guys work? Can you clear away all the empty Styrofoam packets and plastic bags? And get a proper ashtray, if you want to smoke.”
Sherry and Deena clear the table.
“We missed our lunch,” Mislan answers lamely. To Johan, he says, “What did you get from Hisham?”
“His girlfriend borrowed his car, and he’s asking her to come down to the station to talk to us. Jeff and Syed are with him. They’ll call me when she comes.”
“Where’s the car?”
“Downstairs. We inspected it. Nothing.”
“Did he say why his girlfriend borrowed the car?”
“She needed to pick up some college assignments from her study group.”
“That’s what Stutterer said.”
“His name is Karim,” Sherry reminds him. “We’re going through the statements and evidence to see if we can link what we have. Ma’am, would you like to sit in?”
“Yes, but first, Jo, can you get a fan in here and open a few more windows. This place stinks like a cheap bar.”
Johan and Saifuddin disappear and come back with a stand fan and an ashtray.
“Let’s start with the first case,” Mislan suggests. “Sherry, you want to take us through that?”
Sherry stands beside the case’s whiteboard display, and goes through the evidence, then moves on to the second case. When she finishes, Mislan suggests that she leave aside the third case for later.
“Why aren’t you considering the third case?” Samsiah asks.
“We only have the case brief at the moment, and it could mislead us. We need to sight the IP. For our investigations, I’d like to treat that case separately.”
“And?”
“From the video recordings, we can establish that the rapist in the Shah Alam case wasn’t the same person as in the first two cases. However, my gut says they’re linked.”
“OK, let’s see what the first two cases have in common,” Samsiah agrees.
“The MO. Both victims claimed the rapists woke them from their sleep,” Sherry points out. “Both crimes occurred in high-rise apartments, and there’re no signs of forced entry. And, as Mislan has pointed out, both victims were gay.”
“Don’t forget, the knife used was also identical,” Saifuddin butts in. “Both videos were uploaded by a person with the username Emancipatist, using the same Apple laptop.”
“Wahab, a petty thief, steals a laptop and sells it to Ape-Man, who claims to have then sold it to an unknown person. Nasi lemak man, who heads an anti-LGBT group, knows Ape-Man through their activities, but is not associated with him,” Sherry continues.
“You now have the Samsung laptop, which was used to upload the third rape video,” Samsiah states. “Have you checked who the owner is?”
“It was bought by a company, ACE Constructions in Sungai Buloh, and issued to their project manager. His car was broken into at Damansara Uptown about seven months ago, and the computer was reported stolen,” Johan answers.
“Was Wahab questioned about it?”
“Yes, he denies having anything to do with it. It’s not his style, he says. He prefers easier targets, like spoiled rich college kids. Less chance of it being reported to the police.”
“Smart man,” Mislan says, running his fingers through his hair. “So, what are we missing?”
“The Apple laptop,” Deena says.
“And how’s that going to link Ape-Man to the rape and murder?” Mislan asks.
The team looks at one another for answers.
“One, it’s going to link the person in possession of it to the murder-rape. Ape-Man may not be the rapist, but it will definitely link him to the crime,” Sherry says.
“What if the Apple laptop had already been disposed of? And the Samsung’s what they use now?”
The team looks at Mislan.
“Do you think they’d do that?” Johan asks.
“I w
ould, if I found out the police have IDed my laptop.”
“How would they know that?”
“Criminal intuition, paranoia, I don’t know. I’m only asking what if.”
“Sai, you’ve been quiet. This is your area of expertise, what do you think?” Samsiah asks, catching Saifuddin off guard.
“Eh, sorry.”
“From the IT point of view, is there any way you can tell who used the computer and get a lead on them?”
“There’s no way I can tell that until he goes online and I catch him red-handed. However, evidence-wise, I can. Like this Samsung computer, the log shows that it was used to upload a video.”
“Hmmm. So we still need a suspect to crack the case.” She turns to Mislan and Sherry, “How sure are you that Ape-Man is the rapist?”
Mislan shrugs.
“Can I suggest something?” Saifuddin says meekly.
All eyes turn toward him.
“It can’t be used in court, but it may give you some indication if Ape-Man was the rapist. I downloaded a voice comparison software and have been toying with it for a while. The spectrographic analysis of my voice was amazingly accurate and—”
“Skip the technicalities and get to the point,” Mislan cuts him off.
“Why don’t we get Ape-Man to record the exact words in the video? I’ll run it through the software and see how they match. You can take it from there.”
“Good suggestion,” Samsiah compliments him. “I want it done on video, so we can read his face as well. Sherry, I want you to do it. Perhaps a woman will bring out the real him.”
“Ma’am, anything from SB?” Sherry asks.
“I don’t know. They’ve not come back. I’ll call them later.”
“I’d like to work on the suspects we gave them,” Mislan says. “The SB interviews won’t focus on our cases, and I’m sure those guys know, or at least heard, of the events. I mean, the vics were their targets.”
“I’ll speak to SB and see if they’re done with them. Lan, there’s another thing about the victimology. They’re all Muslim women.”
“I thought of that, too, but I’ve been trying to avoid stepping on a religious minefield,” Mislan admits, smiling.
“This is a murder and rape investigation; race and religious sensitivities have no place in it.” Samsiah says. “So, what are your thoughts about that?”
“LGBT people have been labeled as deviants who are threatening the faith and are polluters of society. They’re condemned on a daily basis in the media.” He lights a cigarette. “So I wouldn’t be surprised if an extremist group has decided on its own remedy.”
“So you think the rapes are the result of strong anti-LGBT sentiment running through a particular group?”
Mislan nods.
“OK, I’ll talk to SB about that, too, to see if they can give us any inside info on these groups.” Samsiah stands to leave. “At least one thing’s on our side.”
“That is?”
She points to the Samsung, “They know we’re on to them. Let’s hope that stops the rapes.”
“Until they feel it’s safe to continue,” Mislan broods.
“Get cracking. The clock’s ticking.”
47
MISLAN GLANCES AT HIS cell phone screen. It is 4:10 p.m. He tells Sherry he wants to revisit Ape-Man’s apartment.
“Why?”
“I can’t just sit around, I need to do something. In the meantime, can you go over Ape-Man’s cell phone and identify as many of his contacts as you can? For that, you may want to ask his housemates.”
“Anything else?”
Mislan shakes his head.
“Can we meet back here at eight? We’ll go through what we have.”
“Sure thing.”
Leaving the contingent headquarters, they drive to Danau Rebung Apartment in Sungai Buloh in silence. Johan takes the North-South Expressway and exits at Sungai Buloh toll. Traffic is building up as office workers leave for the day. Mislan’s cell phone rings.
“Mislan.”
“Hey, what’re you doing tonight?” It’s Dr. Safia.
“Working.”
“I thought it’s your day off.” She sounds disappointed.
“It was, but something came up. What’s up?”
“Some friends asked me to join them for some music and drinks, thought you might want to come. Take your mind off the case for a bit,” she tempts him.
“I’d love to, but I don’t know what time I’ll be free.”
“It’s OK. Call me when you’re free, and, if we’re still there, you can come join us. Hey, take it easy.”
Johan glances at his boss.
“Why don’t you go join her after this? Music, drinks, and good company will do you good. Clear your head a little and maybe find a way to work around this disciplinary thing.”
Mislan is silent.
“That thing you said about extremist religious groups, you know you can get into trouble for that,” Johan cautions his boss.
Mislan looks at his detective sergeant but doesn’t respond. He doesn’t want a debate or argument. He knows there’s little point in getting worked up about things he can’t change. Johan drives into the compound of the apartment block and finds a parking spot.
“You’ve got the keys?” Mislan asks.
Johan nods. “I brought a search list, just in case. Don’t you think it’d be better if we had brought him along?”
“We’ll look around first. If we find something, then we’ll do the search again with Ape-Man present.”
“You’re the boss.”
As they step out of the elevator on the Ape-Man’s floor, Mislan notices a pair of male shoes in front of the unit. He signals to Johan to stop and points to them. It’s common practice for shoes to be taken off before entering a house, especially a Malay house.
“Someone’s home.”
He motions to Johan to take one side of the door and takes up his own position on the other. Drawing his sidearm, Johan bangs on the door and shouts, “Police! Open the door!”
They hear something crash inside the apartment. Mislan gestures to Johan. The detective sergeant slots in the key and cracks the door open. A man appears from the kitchen, holding a knife threateningly.
Mislan points his gun to the man’s head.
“Police. Drop the knife and get down on your knees.”
The man continues to glare at them, twirling the knife menacingly.
Mislan smiles. “You want to take the chance and see if you’re quicker than a nine-millimeter bullet?”
The man smirks and drops the knife.
“Get down on your knees and put your hands behind your head.”
The man growls and takes his time to get down on his knees.
“That’s my boy, kneel to Mr. Beretta.”
He signals to Johan, who leaps forward, kicks the knife away, and cuffs the man. Johan pulls out the man’s wallet and reads his name from his identity card. “Azuandin Hamzah.” Johan grabs him by the collar, jerks him to his feet, and pushes him onto the sofa.
“Mr. Azuandin, let’s introduce ourselves. I’m Inspector Mislan, and this is Detective Sergeant Johan. Now, it’s your turn to tell us who you are and what you’re doing here.”
Azuandin stares at him unblinkingly, biting his lower lip.
“I know you don’t live here, or do you?”
Mislan walks toward the kitchen and notices a table and a fallen chair in the bathroom.
“What do we have here?”
Stepping into the bathroom, he sees a half-opened ceiling board.
“Ah-hah, were you keeping something or looking for something?”
Johan grabs the detainee by the shirt, dragging him to the bathroom. “What were you looking for?”
The detainee wriggles away from his grip, swearing under his breath.
Johan grabs the detainee’s hair with one hand and, with his other hand, holds his chin in a viselike grip.
“What were you loo
king for up there?” he says into the detainee’s ear.
The detainee twists his head, glares at Johan, and hisses. “Your sister.”
In one motion, Johan’s hand goes from Azuandin’s chin to his testicles. “What were you looking for?” he asks again, coolly.
The detainee squirms. “Your … arrrgh,” he screams in agony as Johan squeezes his balls.
“I didn’t hear you, what did you say?”
The detainee drops to his knees and Johan does likewise, maintaining his grip.
“Again, what were you looking for up there?” he asks calmly.
The detainee falls backward, freeing his testicles from Johan’s grip, and rolls on the floor yelping.
Mislan signals to Johan with his eyes, giving a slight shake of his head to tell his assistant that’s enough.
Johan stands, staring down at the detainee. “Don’t you ever bring my family into this, you piece of dung.”
To divert his detective sergeant’s anger, Mislan says, “Jo, call D10 and ask them to send a team here. Get Syed and Jeff to bring Stutterer here, too.”
“Karim?”
Mislan nods and makes a call to Sherry.
48
WHILE WAITING FOR FORENSIC and the detectives to bring Karim, Mislan steps out to the corridor for a breath of fresh air. This has to be it. This has to be the break we need. He has forty-eight hours to get closure before he is pulled off the case and placed under suspension.
Come Monday morning, the Integrity, Standard Compliance Depart-ment will serve you your suspension letter. Well, you deserve it for being such an idiot. This time, even ma’am can’t help you. You’ll be lucky if you don’t take her down with you or, for that matter, Sherry.
He takes a long deep breath, filling his chest.
“If they want my job, they can have it,” he says aloud, letting out his frustration.
He sees the Forensic vehicle pulling into the compound, followed by Sherry’s car. He watches as Sherry and Deena lead Karim to the staircase. He glances at the time on his cell phone screen and sighs, acutely conscious of the passing minutes. The D11 officers appear with Karim from the elevator, followed by the Forensic team. He tells Sherry and the Forensic supervisor to check the bathroom ceiling.
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