by Chan Ho-Kei
–So you went up and inspected the bathroom?
Yes. The first floor is used by the Medical Social Services Unit, so there were relatively few people. We chose the bathroom in the east wing. There were only three cubicles. Sze guarded the convict while I went in. There were two glass bottles and a mop, which I removed; I made sure all three cubicles were empty, including one which was shut, with an Out of Order notice on the door.
–And the window? Didn’t you think the convict might escape through the window?
Um... I did. So we took measures to prevent that. Only... those measures failed.
–What were the measures?
After I’d inspected the bathroom, Sze and I escorted the convict in. I stood by the closed window while Sze stood behind the prisoner. The convict indicated he couldn’t go with the handcuffs on, so Sze released the left side and closed it around the handrail – the one for infirm patients. I allowed the convict to close the door halfway, and stood just outside the cubicle, while Sze stood guard in the corridor to prevent anyone else entering.
–So how did Shek Boon-tim escape?
About a minute after the prisoner had entered the cubicle, I heard a commotion outside the bathroom. When the disturbance continued, I made sure he was firmly secured to the handrail, then went outside to lend assistance. A long-haired man was yelling at Sze Wing-hong. He said we had no right to keep him out of the bathroom, and attempted to barge his way in. We both tried to prevent him. I shouted that we were carrying out official duties, and could charge him with obstructing us. Hearing this, he finally gave up and went down the staircase, cursing us all the way. This took no more than a minute. When I went back inside the bathroom, 241138 had freed himself from the handcuffs and fled the scene.
–Please go into more detail.
I walked back into the bathroom. First, I saw the cubicle door wide open, and no one inside. Then I noticed the window was open, and the handcuffs were on the floor in front of the window. I rushed to the window and saw the prisoner sprinting towards a white car. I shouted at him to stop, but he ignored me, and there were no police officers or hospital guards nearby to assist. Sze heard me yelling and rushed inside. He climbed out the window and told me to take the stairs. I rushed down, but by the time I got out of the building, the car was already moving. Sze was standing some distance away. I think he’d tried to chase the vehicle on foot.
–What did you do next?
I called in the incident at once, then asked the guards at the gate for the licence number.
–Why did you leave Shek Boon-tim’s side, giving him the opportunity to escape?
I... It was a moment of carelessness. I did make sure his handcuffs were secure before stepping outside, and we’d searched him thoroughly before setting out, to make sure he didn’t have any tools on him that could be used to pick a lock. My attention lapsed for less than a minute, but that was enough for him to break free and jump out the window. I hadn’t expected him to have so much resourcefulness, or physical strength...
–This hairpin was found at the scene of the crime. Do you remember seeing it?
No, not at all. I’m certain he wasn’t carrying anything on his person at all. Before we left the prison, I even looked inside his mouth.
–In that case, he must have picked the hairpin up inside the bathroom?
I... I don’t know. I searched the entire room beforehand, and found nothing out of the ordinary.
–During the time you were escorting Shek, did you notice anything suspicious?
Now that I think about it, I’m sure he was faking the stomach ache. But apart from that, there was nothing at all unusual about yesterday’s assignment. Even while we were in the waiting room, no one approached the prisoner, or so much as exchanged looks with him.
–Please state your name, age, rank and department.
I’m, I’m Sze Wing-hong, twenty-five this year, Escort and Support Group...
–And your rank?
Assistant Officer Class 2.
–Describe the events of this morning, Friday 6 June 1997.
Um, yes. This morning, Brother Fong and I got an order to deliver that prisoner, Shek Boon-tim, to Queen Mary. We left at ten-something. Shek kept moaning in the vehicle, like his belly was on fire or something.
–‘Brother Fong’ is Assistant Officer Class 1 Ng Fong?
Yes, yes, that’s right.
–What time did you arrive at the hospital?
I... I don’t remember. Around half past ten.
–And then what happened?
Shek Boon-tim kept screaming that his stomach hurt and he had to take a shit. But the ER was so full, we took him to the men’s room upstairs. It was chaos there, all the smoke inhalation victims from that fire, and I heard there was some people got splashed with acid. It was so crowded that—
–What happened in the bathroom?
Brother Fong made sure there was no one inside, and nothing that could be used as a weapon, before we let Shek go in. I handcuffed him to the railing, because he said he couldn’t shit with his hands together.
–Are you certain it was securely locked?
Yes, I’m sure. Brother Fong can confirm that.
–And then you and Ng Fong remained in the bathroom guarding Shek?
Brother Fong stayed inside, and I stood in the corridor outside. But not long after I went out, some guy with long black hair and a red T-shirt came over and wanted to go in.
–And you prevented him?
Of course. But this guy wasn’t happy about it, he said he had the right to use the bathroom and I was abusing my authority. I tried to reason with him, but he wouldn’t listen. After a bit, Brother Fong came out. He’s been doing this job much longer than me, so he knows how to deal with this kind of bother. I’ve escorted prisoners to the hospital before, but nothing like this ever happened—
–And so the man was sent away by Ng Fong?
Yes, Brother Fong said he’d call the police to arrest the man, so he thumbed his nose at us and walked off with a face like thunder.
–Then you discovered Shek Boon-tim had escaped through the window.
Um... So Brother Fong went back into the bathroom, and a few seconds later, I heard him cursing and shouting, and rushed in to assist. He was standing by the window, pointing out. I went over to look. It was Shek Boon-tim in his brown prison uniform, sprinting towards a white car. I told Brother Fong to run down the stairs, and climbed out of the window myself.
–But you couldn’t catch up with him.
No, I wasn’t fast enough. When I got to the driveway, Shek was already in the car. I ran, but they were too far ahead.
–You and Ng Fong contacted your department next?
That’s right. Ugh, we’re in so much trouble... but I’m not to blame, am I? I didn’t do anything wrong. I followed all the rules and procedures. Ng Fong’s an old hand, he’ll be fine, but I’ve only been working here a few years. Sir, please put in a good word for me when—
–Mr Sze, we’re only in charge of the inquiry. What happens within Correctional Services is your own affair. The police don’t have the authority to interfere.
Oh... but won’t my boss want to look at the police report? I’m begging you, please don’t turn me into the scapegoat, I can’t afford to lose this job...
–Let’s get back to the case. When you jumped out of the window, did you notice a pair of handcuffs on the ground?
Huh? Oh, probably, I don’t remember.
–We found this hairpin at the scene. Do you think Shek Boon-tim might have used it to pick the lock?
I... I guess so. I don’t know. I’m sure the key was in my pocket all along. Our handcuffs are the normal sort, so if Shek was able to bust them with a hairpin, that wouldn’t surprise me...
–Could this hairpin have been concealed on Shek Boon-tim’s person?
I don’t think so... Brother Fong searched him.
After they’d watched both videos, Alex Choi stood up, grumbling, �
��So that was just the same as the report.’
‘Not at all.’
Choi and Sonny Lok stared at the commander in his office chair, fingers laced together, his face perfectly calm.
‘Not at all?’ queried Choi.
‘Their oral testimony provided a very obvious lead.’
‘What’s that?’
‘The long-haired man in the red T-shirt,’ said Kwan nonchalantly. ‘He’s a co-conspirator.’
‘A co-conspirator? But he might just be a regular civilian...’ protested Choi.
‘So you’re saying Shek Boon-tim took advantage of an unexpected coincidence to escape? It’s possible the guy wandered by at exactly the right moment just by chance, but there are two things that make it unlikely. Firstly, the disturbance lasted not more than two minutes, and Ng Fong was outside for just one. To make his escape in such a narrow timeframe, Shek must have been prepared. If this was opportunistic, he’d have had to come up with a plan and decide to go through with it in under sixty seconds. And if he failed, he’d have thrown away his reputation as a model prisoner who didn’t need special restraints – his greatest advantage here.’
Kwan glanced at Choi and Sonny, and seeing that they had nothing to add, went on.
‘Secondly, wasn’t that man’s behaviour just a little too odd? Sonny, let’s say you needed the bathroom urgently, but someone prevented you going in. What would you do?’
‘Uh... run to the next one, I guess.’
‘That’s right. But this man stayed put, arguing with two uniformed guards for a full two minutes. A normal person, even if he didn’t know it was an offence to obstruct public servants in the course of their duties, would still be careful around uniformed security officers. If they’d been in plain clothes, then maybe, but it was obvious this was official business. Either there’s something wrong with him, or he’d been planted to create a diversion and give Shek the chance to get away.’
Choi was forced to agree with Kwan’s reasoning. ‘Then we should...’
‘Go through the hospital’s security footage and find that long-haired man. He could be in disguise – the long hair might be a wig – but the time is precise enough to keep the search narrow.’
‘Right. And should we get an ID from the escorts? They ought to remember his face.’
‘The older one, Ng Fong, should be enough,’ said Kwan. ‘That Class 2 boy is too green, don’t waste your time on him. After he’s done the identikit, circulate it to the teams on Chai Wan. They should keep a lookout for this guy along with Shek Boon-tim.’
Before Choi could leave to disseminate these orders, two officers knocked on the door.
‘Headman, new findings from O-Crime,’ one said. ‘They found a receipt in the getaway car from a convenience store at Bonham and Park, timestamped 6.00 a.m. They’ve also searched the area around that store, and found a vehicle that matches the keys Little Willy had on him. A small black van, in a parking lot by Babington Path.’
‘The second vehicle was at Mid-levels? I’d thought he’d planned to go down Hill Road to Sai Ying Pun before changing cars, and only the Emergency Unit prevented that. So they were headed towards Mid-levels...’ Choi rubbed his forehead, trying to work out where the investigation should go next.
‘Why would they make things difficult for themselves?’ Sonny interrupted. ‘Wouldn’t it have been much easier to park the second vehicle in Sai Ying Pun rather than Babington Path? From there, they could have gone along Des Voeux Road or Connaught Road, and then down the Eastern Corridor all the way to Chai Wan. If anything went wrong, they could still escape to Kowloon via the Cross-Harbour Tunnel. The roads in Mid- levels are narrow, and there aren’t many junctions – they’d find it hard to get away if there were a road block.’
‘There’d been an accident on Des Voeux – traffic was chaotic in Central. Mid-levels might have seemed the better choice,’ interjected the officer who’d brought the report.
‘Send someone to get all the surveillance tapes from around there, especially from the convenience store,’ Choi said. ‘If we can understand what Little Willy and the Big Circle guys were up to this morning, we’ll know where their hideout was.’
‘We’ve already put someone on that.’
‘Good.’ Choi nodded, then turned to the other officer. ‘And you? What have you got?’
‘Nothing, Headman,’ was the shamefaced reply. ‘I wanted to tell you that Hong Kong Island Crime Unit called. They want the report on the Mong Kok acid attack, and info on the Graham Street incidents.’
Choi furrowed his brow and waved away the request. ‘We’re in the middle of tracking down an escaped convict. Tell them we can’t spare the manpower right now.’
‘But Inspector Wang is on the line...’
Everyone followed his gaze to the phone on Kwan’s desk, and the blinking red light showing he had a call on line 3.
Choi sighed. Just as he was wondering how to mollify his counterpart, Kwan suddenly picked up the receiver and pressed 3.
‘This is CIB Senior Superintendent Kwan Chun-dok.’
This startled everyone present, though Wang at the other end of the line was probably even more shocked.
‘Right, yes. Division B has a lot on its plate right now. I do apologize,’ smiled Kwan. Choi guessed the other man must be apologizing too. ‘The teams are all tied up. Team 2 just finished a big case, so they’re on leave, but even if we recall them urgently, they won’t be able to help till tonight... And it’s always been Team 1 dealing with the Mong Kok acid attacks, but they’re all tracking down Shek Boon-tim right now... Oh good, I knew you’d understand.’
Hearing this, everyone thought Inspector Wang had given way to the higher-ranking officer. Just as they were breathing a sigh of relief, they heard Kwan go on, ‘We’ll send a... no, two investigators to assist with the acid case. It’s not very much, but at least with their knowledge of the similar case in Mong Kok, they’ll be of some assistance. Yes, yes. No, that’s quite all right, we’re all part of the same force, of course we ought to help each other. Maybe the CIB will need to rely on you for some intel before too long – I hope you won’t let us down then. Bye!’
Kwan put down the receiver and looked up to a row of startled expressions.
‘Commander, do we really have to send someone to deal with the acid attack?’ asked Choi anxiously. ‘We’ve got our work cut out for us here – looking for the long-haired man, and then there’s all that footage to go through for the cars...’
‘Don’t worry. I don’t think losing Sonny will affect you too much.’
‘You’re sending Sonny? But he’s—’ Choi was about to protest that Sonny Lok was new. In fact, having joined the CIB only after the first acid attacks, he hadn’t even been a part of that investigation.
‘I don’t have a car, you see,’ said Kwan, standing up.
‘Oh...’ Choi realized. ‘Commander, you’re dealing with the acid case yourself?’
‘There are already too many clues to do with Shek Boon-tim. You just have to keep at it, and you’ll eventually find that Chai Wan hideout – then he’ll be yours for the taking. The acid-attack case is still at the needle-in-a-haystack stage. If I don’t seize the moment, the investigation might drag on for months.’ Kwan grabbed a few folders from his desk, then reached into a drawer for his holster and revolver. ‘Besides, this way I’ll see if I can still cope with frontline investigation. Call it an experiment.’
Alex Choi and the other three officers looked mystified, not having been privy to Kwan’s conversation with Keith Tso earlier that day.
Kwan tapped Sonny lightly on the head with a folder. ‘What are you waiting for? I’m retiring in a few hours, we need to make the most of the time.’
4
SONNY LOK FOLLOWED Kwan Chun-dok out of the office to the main entrance.
‘Commander? My car’s parked over—’ Sonny turned towards the parking lot on their left, but Kwan was heading straight for the main gate.
‘G
raham Street is just ten minutes away on foot, we’ll walk there.’
‘But you said you wanted me to drive?’
‘That was just an excuse.’ Kwan glanced back at Sonny. ‘Or do you mean you’d rather be back there, being used as a runner?’
‘No, no, of course I’d rather be here assisting you, Commander.’ Sonny walked faster to catch up with Superintendent Kwan. In the last half year, Kwan had often picked him to run errands, but he had no complaints. It was a wonderful opportunity to spend time with the finest brain in the police force, watching him analyse and solve real cases. Sonny didn’t know what Kwan saw in him – perhaps it was just that his previous assistant had been transferred elsewhere, and Sonny had arrived at the right moment to take his place.
Graham Street Market was just a few blocks from Central Police Headquarters, and it took hardly any time for Kwan and Sonny to arrive at the scene of the crime. The closer they got, the more media vehicles they saw parked by the roadside. Sonny guessed these journalists were betting on this case being sensational – even the gunfight at West Mid-levels hadn’t drawn their attention over there.
‘Inspector Wang must be nearby,’ said Kwan.
‘Oh?’ said Sonny, a little surprised. ‘He’s at the scene?’
‘I heard a lot of background noise on the call earlier – he’s definitely not at the station,’ said Kwan, looking around. ‘Besides, he bypassed Regional Intelligence and called in person; that’s serious. I can’t blame him – it’s been four hours since the incident, and if he doesn’t say something to the press soon, these little tyrants might revolt. He can’t hide behind “investigations are ongoing” forever... Ah, I see him.’
Sonny followed his commander’s gaze. Standing inside the police line was a balding man in a grey suit, his forehead crinkled, looking ghastly. This was Senior Inspector Wang Yik-chun, leader of Hong Kong Island Crime Unit Team 3, currently saying something to a subordinate.
