by Jay J Carr
"Okay, now onto the local source that you are going to meet next. He is the man who found an escort agency that Cunningham used while in Singapore. Using escorts here is a criminal offence and in part so is being gay. Supposedly, he stayed at the hotel that made Singapore famous!"
"That famous hotel. Are you sure?" he said in disbelief. "How could he have afforded it?" This part of the story was dubious and the pieces were not fitting together. It seemed random, out of place. What still perplexed Tod was why Cunningham was in Singapore? Why would he come here?
"Yes, they have the records."
"Who, the hotel? They gave you his personal details?"
"No, the escort agency did."
"Oh ..."
"So run this by me again, he came to Singapore like he went to Bangkok but here he used an escort agency, as there were no go-go bars. You feel it is because Singapore still considers gay sex a crime, punishable under the penal code and that is why gay people are underground or more discreet here?"
Myrtle nodded and then added, "But of late there has been an increase in male sex workers coming to Singapore from China, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. They come and offer 'massage services’ and then you know what after that."
"And you think he came here because of that? Then why the escort agency? See my dilemma?"
"Well I don't know why he came," she said, "but that is my hunch?"
"I am sorry Myrtle, I am confused ... this story does not make sense."
"Why?"
"He travels around Asia visiting countries to have sex? He has a regular gay partner, he can have sex with anyone in the US, he can rent in US if need be. Why go through all of this trouble?"
Myrtle looked at him puzzled with her head cocked to the left, "Good point. Why was he given the peace prize? Also doesn't make sense?"
Tod sat back on the sofa and took in a deep breath. Myrtle continued to look at him.
"You know Tod, he may have wanted to be alone. From what I have read about him and his weird behavior in the last few days, he doesn't want to be in the spotlight. I saw this interview with a psychologist who analyzed his body language, speech and reactions and thought he was an introvert, who had been forced out into the world and now had to take on a role that he could not handle. Who says that he didn’t regularly escape his everyday life and come to Asia to be alone?"
"Myrtle, then why did he need to hire people to be with him?
"I agree, he paid for people to be with him but only for a short time. H wanted intimacy but didn’t want to deal with the rest. This is the oldest profession in the book and as you and I know it is kind of calculated by the hour, so it was perfect for his needs."
"Wow, I never thought about it like that."
"He knew that they were going to be with him. Intimacy, which I think he craved but then they would leave and he could be alone once more."
"Myrtle, I am going to share something with you and I don't want you to think I am crazy or judge me."
"Sure, whatever you say is safe with me."
"Well, I am not gay but I ended spending some time in Bangkok on the gay street. It helped me to understand what kind of people go there. I went to a cafe in the middle of it where the go-go bars are and ended up sitting there and watching people go by. I did it for up to three hours at a time. It was not stressful, it was not seedy, in fact there were some regulars and me that just kind of ordered our drinks and sat. I ... maybe he felt it too. I think he liked to be alone and yet surrounded by people. He wanted to be in a place where he did not know anyone, where he could be completely anonymous but he also had ‘friends’ at these bars. People remembered him. He could go in and out as he pleased. It’s similar to using the escort service here in Singapore. Instead of going to the ‘go-go’ bar he could have the escort for a short time and then be anonymous again. It is only know that we talk about it and you mention that he might have wanted to be alone, that I put the two together. Maybe you will think I am mad?"
Myrtle smiled, "I don't think you are mad, it kind of makes sense to me. The more we talk about it, the more I try to understand this story. We sit here and have this discussion and my thoughts are all over the place. There is more to this story than any of us can understand."
"I want to interview him while he is here? There are so many things I would like to ask him."
"Oh don't worry, there are things that the whole world wants to know."
Singapore-
5.
He is afraid to fall asleep as the dreams – those dreams – terrify him. However, he struggles to stay awake and orders more and more coffee. No matter how hard he tries, he slips into the nightmare.
Around him are lights, lots and lots of lights. There is a conductor on the stage and there is a man dressed as a violin. They ask him to play the violin but he says he doesn’t know how to.
Play the violin, play the violin, play the fucking violin. He picks up the bow and looks at the man in front of him. He is no longer dressed as a violin. His penis is erect and he places the bow onto it and plays. The sound is majestic and he likes it so much that he plays with more and more force until eventually the penis snaps off.
Singapore-
6.
The interview was not going to be face to face. The agency was based in Hong Kong and they had agreed to an audio Skype interview. This was going to be his first Skype interview with the subject completely hidden from view. He wondered about the authenticity of this. It could be anyone in the world saying whatever they wanted. He wanted to speak to Myrtle about his concerns but would wait until after the interview.
They had set up in his hotel at the business centre, using the boardroom for absolute privacy. Myrtle had in her super-efficient way prepared a brief – which included the source, how she had located him, the information that had been verified and a list of questions he could use if he wanted to. All the uncertainty about authenticity started to disappear when he saw what she had uncovered. Once he was settled in, she handed over the file and quietly sat so that he could read its contents.
She had insisted on seeing proof that he disclosed his name to them. They had forwarded the e-mail in which they had asked him for a name to call when the 'escort' arrived; the hotels had controlled access to the floors. They would call the guest to notify them of their visitor. Therefore, he would have to give the correct name and room number or he couldn’t use the ‘escorts’ services.
Written in an e-mail to Myrtle, the agency indicated that from a pseudo account, confirmed his first and last name, as well as room number. There was a condition attached to getting the actual copy of it. Once the interview was underway, and they had been paid the agreed fee, a scanned copy would be e-mailed immediately. Not until then.
"Surely he could not have been so naive? Why would he have disclosed his identity? And in a country where prostitution was illegal … and he could be imprisoned for having gay sex." he asked her.
"I don't think he was thinking on those terms. If he found the agency, he must have felt comfortable that this kind of thing was allowed. Without disclosing anything about what we are working on, I asked many gay friends about this and they said that there is a ‘don't ask - don't tell’ kind of attitude in Singapore. One of my friends who is openly gay and an activist here, went on to say that many hotels are protective in terms of security about 'visitors' male or female and that there are mechanisms in place to ensure that guests are sufficiently protected but also that the process is discreet. I am sure based on the kind of hotel that he stayed at there must have been some protective measures in place. I have a further theory that those kinds of hotels don't want any trouble and are sure to protect what happens inside the walls from the police. It is not in their interests to have a scandal. Also you are not going to stop or even deter the oldest profession in the world, so I guess this is all thought out."
"Myrtle, did I mention how much I love working with you," he said, looking at her in awe.
"I like wor
king with you too, Tod."
"I guess he was a nobody at that time so mentioning his name wasn’t going to have that many consequences."
"Great point," Myrtle said. "Didn't think about that, and you are so right he was actually anonymous."
Myrtle’s phone beeped consistently during their discussion. She assumed that it was the network with their usual crap. Her face drained of color once she did check it.
“They know where he is. There is an unconfirmed source that has linked him to a hotel in the business district. It makes sense, under the radar. No one would have expected it.”
“What do we do?” Tod blurted, aware that the decision had consequences.
“We can’t stop now. This is important and I don’t see them getting hold of him. If he hasn’t been out and spotted so far, it’s not going to happen in the next few hours.”
“I agree but what if …”
“I will get the person we use on a freelance basis to get down there with herself and a camera.” With that Myrtle was on the phone cajoling the freelancer into doing this for her. The big sigh at the end of the call confirmed that she was now covered.
“At least if there is footage, I can do the live feeds in an hour. Let the network know now, so that there are no questions later.” Tod was quick to respond.
Myrtle had not even pushed the button to hang up to her boss when the screen of the computer had lit up and started flashing as a ringing sound was heard. Tod hit ‘record’ and started the interview.
"Hello," he said, at the computer screen.
"Hello," the voice came back cold and mechanical.
"We are recording on this side, so we are going to go ahead and ask the questions and you can respond. Myrtle mentioned to you that you could send the e-mail with the evidence directly to her. Payment will be made once we have got through about three quarters of our questions."
There was no response and he looked nervously at Myrtle, who made a rolling motion with her hands which told him to get a move on.
He looked down to the set of questions and the brief overview she had written for him. "We are joined today by a gay escort agency that operates in various cities in Asia and specializes in Asian escorts for men. They have agreed to provide some background to the world of escorting in Singapore where Cunningham is believed to have hired an escort.”
“How long has your agency operated in Singapore?"
The voice came back, "We have worked in Singapore for the past ten years."
"And why did you think it was viable to open an agency here?"
"There was a need for gay men to have opportunities to have sex with other men in a private way. And, the concern for gay men in the Chinese community is that they might meet a family member or someone that knows them at a gay bar. Businessmen, visitors and locals all need to have access to this kind of service. So discretion and privacy are premium."
Tod considered what he had heard and although the man had a slight accent, his vocabulary and spoken English were really good.
"I see," he said. "Maybe if you could briefly explain the process one follows to make a booking, drop off the escort, ensure payment, so that we can understand what is involved?"
There was a brief pause, “We have a website on which we advertise the various cities we operate in. Currently we work in many different countries and there are many ‘models’ that work for us. You select a ‘model’ and then contact us by phone or by e-mail. We then organise directly with the ‘model’ and we send the ‘model’ to the residence or hotel. All of our ‘models’ do ‘outcall’ not ‘incall’.”
In his head, Tod listed the various names associated with people involved in the sex industry – ‘boy’, ‘escort’ and now ‘model’.
“So in ‘outcall’ you mean you don’t have your own premises? And I assume you have an office in each city?” Tod clarified.
“No, we have no premises and no offices. The ‘models’ work for us and we don’t have an office.”
“And I am right in saying that the headquarters of your organization are in Hong Kong?”
“Yes.”
“Let us now go on and talk about the subject of Cunningham which you say has used your agency.” There was hesitation and Tod had many thoughts spinning in his head and he motioned to Myrtle that he was going off script. She gave him the thumbs up.
“Yes, he used the services of one of our ‘models’ in Singapore.”
“How can you be sure and how can you prove this?”
“We have an e-mail in which he confirms in writing that he wanted a ‘model’, the name of the hotel and the date.”
“And you are sure it is the same person?”
“Well there is no way to be sure. We have a mail that has the same name. In it he said that he wanted a very specific ‘model’ with the tattoo - it was unique, one which looked like a dragon and was tattooed from his shoulder down to his nipple on his left side. He wanted no one else and in addition he wanted him for the evening, or to stay ‘overnight’ as we call it. Once a ‘model’ is dispatched we make a note so that we know what kind of service is being offered, how long it will be and how much money we are expecting in terms of commission. This allows for a quick collection on the ‘models’ return. In the end he paid the ‘boy’ and let him go after two hours.”
“But am I right in being skeptical because surely it is not in your interest to disclose details of clients. I mean people use your service and I am sure they want some discretion, right?”
There was a silence on the other end, then the sound of a throat being cleared. “That is all. I have nothing more to say.”
The line went dead. Tod had expected some resistance; he had not expected the call to be terminated.
“Should we call back? Or maybe you should e-mail them,” he said, and took a deep breath. “Sorry.”
“Just give me a minute,” she replied.
There was something brewing in her head. It didn’t change the fact that he had deviated from the script for the second time in a week. He couldn’t have cared about Hurtle but he respected Myrtle. It was this kind of stuff that got you fired for if local producers reported it to the agency.
“I think we keep it,” Myrtle said, looking calculated. “This is going to help the story not deter from it. It was a good question. The fact that he hung up interrogates the reliability of the various role players in this story. Up to now, we all have made assumptions. Yes, you got your interview in Bangkok but it was one side of the story. Here we get some more but it remains one version of events. The reaction tells me something. You hit a raw nerve definitely hit a raw nerve. Because you called them on it?”
Tod let out a prolonged sigh.
“Think about it Tod, if every place we trusted to be discrete then started blabbing, we wouldn’t trust anymore. Most people don’t believe the news anyway because we, the manufacturers of the news, don’t know what is real and what is not. Is it a reality show or not? Is it scripted or not? Do they sell their clients out, or not?”
Tod thought more about this. “But are we not disclosing their identity as per your agreement with them? They don’t want people to know.”
“Come on Tod, put two and two together and you will see there were not many agencies to begin with. All it takes is a Google search and you can work out who it is. Please this happens everywhere.” Myrtle was passionate and her hands moved around excitedly. “People pay for sex.”
Tod felt a pang of guilt all the way down to his stomach, and flashbacks to that night.
“My own husband used a sex worker. I found out and then the choice was for me to leave or stay?”
“What did you choose?” he asked. “Sorry, that is very personal.”
“No, it’s life and the sooner we realize that we can play moral-moral; or use religion; or use our ethics and values; or just accept that we all pay for something in some way and decide if we are better or worse off than others.”
“Amen.”
&nb
sp; “I said to him that he needed to be careful and wear a condom. We stopped having sex a long time ago, and loving each other even further back. In our culture you don’t get divorced. So you make it work. I am not a saint. I have had an affair and I don’t regret it. If I am honest with you, it was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“Wow, Myrtle, you astound me,” he said, looking in her fiery eyes. “I respect you even more for your honesty because I don’t know many people who could be.”
“That’s it! We don’t want to he honest.”
“Have you noticed in all of the interviews with Cunningham, he never once said he didn’t do these things. He simply threw a question back or made a statement about morality. I feel like I have learnt from him. This isn’t a kiss and tell story - this is a story that was never meant to be told and we don’t have the right to tell it.”
“Don’t we?” Tod asked.
“I know this is our bread and butter and how we make our money but I didn’t like what I saw in the Bangkok segment. How much of it was balanced and considered all sides? You defined the gay area, you defined what goes on there, the shots from the camera that indicated the sleaziness of the bar, the interview with the madam, or whatever the local term was. All of this said something. Then you interviewed the guy that slept with him. I felt the honesty in his voice only for it to be cut and put back together to suit the story. I can’t prove it but the sound gave it away. The story had to be changed because that’s what sells.”
“I …” he interrupted, and then shook his head.
“Tod, I am not judging you or blaming you. Sorry for the outburst but this has been boiling in me. I don’t care if I get fired, or if you tell them what I feel. I want to tell both sides of a story.”
“So do I,” he heard himself saying.
“Shit,” Myrtle exclaimed, “we need to get our asses down to that hotel.”
Singapore-
