Drive me around and translate a bit.” “… Can." “ Good, then let’s go.” They left the studio. Nigel thanked the landlady with a thousand on the way out. She was shocked. Pang rushed ahead down the stairs, opened the back door of the car and then helped Nigel climb into the back. He got into the front and waited. Nigel fumbled around in his trouser pocket, pulled out another piece of paper and handed it over. Pang’s smile turned upside down as he read it. “ You know the place?” Pang nodded then drove away like a chauffeur.
TWELVE
JOHN AND I were walking the yard. “ Where are the guards?” “ They watch from air conditioned rooms and only come out when officials are visiting.” “ You said they were lazy.” I noticed some scratch marks and faded blood stains high up on a wall. “What happened there?” “ An inmate must have tried to escape. I saw a guy use two suction devices like the ones used to carry glass sheets to help lever himself up. He reached half way before being spotted by a blue shirt.” “ What happened to him?” “ The blue shirt called a guard. He was ordered to come down, but didn’t. They shot him in the leg, he fell and later in the cell, he removed a blade from a disposable razor, slashed his left wrist then wrote a suicide note on the wall with his right hand – in his own blood. Suicide is really common in here and nobody bats an eyelid.” I was about to comment when ‘Bald Guard’ appeared and called me over. I turned to John and smiled. “That must be my dad.” “ Good for you mate. Get out of here.” I followed the guard and was taken to the interview room. A guard on the other side ushered someone in but it wasn’t my dad who’d come all this way to see me; it was my grandfather. He took a few steps towards me, sat down, placed his hand on the mesh and waited while I did the same. His eyes flickered back and forth between where our palms faced, only the mesh between us. We picked up a phone with our other hand. “ I saw that in a movie, but it’s usually a glass partition. What are they trying to pull in here?” It was lovely to see him. He could take a tragic situation and make it funny. I loved him for that. “ How’s the food on your side?” “ It’s terrible. I’ve lost weight.” “ I can see that, you look grubby too.” His smile faded to a frown. “Listen, I’m not sure how much time we have. I know what happened and I sympathize but if this goes to Court, you could be stuck in here for ages.” “ Where’s my dad?” “ He’s here in Bangkok. He had an accident.” “ What happened? Is he okay?” “ He was hit crossing the road, but he’s fine. He just can’t move around too much.” “ Was he drunk?” “ He’d had a few.” “ Have you seen him?” “ Not yet. I wanted to see you first. Look, I’ve more than enough cash to settle this. Your mum said they had already offered you a way out.” “ They did, but only if I accepted the case against me and paid my way out.” “ You mean it wouldn’t go to Court?” “ That’s right but if I fought the case and lost, I’d have a record and never be able to come here again, that is, after serving my sentence.” “ Would you want to come here again?” “ I have my reasons and I didn’t do anything.” “ I know you didn’t, but they don’t care about that. They just want money and I want to get you out. Your mother’s worried sick.” It hit a nerve when I thought about her and what she must be going through. I could still hear her frightened voice in my head. “ I’ll offer a decent stash of cash to make this go away. You ready to go home?” “ I’m meditating with an Ozzy guy in here. He was arrested for smuggling heroin.” “ Glad you’re keeping such good company.” “ It’s not like that. John’s a good guy.” “ Good guys don’t traffic drugs, Mike.” “ He did it to save his