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#106
17-06-2014, 09:45 AM
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Re: Blotting Paper: A life of sex and drugs
Previously, on Blotting Paper
The wheels finally hit the tarmac, roaring with joy as though meeting an old friend who was sorely missed, blaring its engines in full reverse thrust, and extending its speed brakes in forward position. I was home. ======================================== We had arrived thirty minutes earlier due to strong tail winds, and twilight was just around the corner. Clearing customs was a breeze. Nobody expected 900 hits of liquid LSD in an expensive make up bottle. At most, they were on a look out for blotting paper, pills, powders, and crystals. “Welcome home, Mr. L,” said the female immigration officer. When I wasn’t stopped at the baggage point, I realized the key to every successful smuggling, wasn’t to bring in a complete product; those were exactly the stuff the officers and dogs were trained to look out for. Instead, it was to smuggle the components in piece by piece, and assemble it later. Just because a customs officer recognized what a pizza looked like doesn’t mean he understood its composition. Could police dogs really smell cocaine, or were they just identifying the traces of the gasoline component used as an organic solvent in the extraction of cocaine hydrochloride? What if I gave the cocaine farmers a different organic solvent? What if I disassociated the cocaine hydrochloride salt in water to a form a base, and carry it around like any fluid? All it took was a little knowledge of chemistry to put it back together again. If every drug dealer and trafficker understood the chemical literature, governments would have to replace customs officers with scientists to stop them, and that was my ideal world. I wanted the police to show me they were smarter, because at that moment, I was a game ahead of them. “Where to sir?” Asked the cab driver. “Central, Bukit Timah- No, you know what, go to Nicoll Drive.” “But that’s just behind the airport.” “I know.” I didn’t want to go home, and I wasn’t expecting much fanfare at my place. Instead, I sought solace at my usual refuge, away from the hustle and bustle of life, overlooking the runway. I was in silent appreciation of the inspiring man-made mammoths descending above the seas across the horizon, and flying overhead trumpeting their arrival with a deafening roar. “Hey Jon, I’m back.” “L? Its.. been a while. I’m surprised you called.” Jon was more than glad to hear my voice. He was a fellow police colleague at Orchard Police Precinct when I was in service more than a year ago. If there was anyone I wanted to talk to, it would be him. His was an idealist, pure to the core, always believing in the virtue of people. Fierce as a tiger to criminals, but soft and sincere with friends. Maybe that was why everyone liked him. “Friend, you’ll be surprised at the reshuffling headquarters made. Serena isn’t the Team Leader anymore, and most of our original colleagues are now transferred. You won’t recognize the new Team.” We updated each other on the past one year of our lives for the subsequent ten minutes. He was doing well; partnered with the right people, and never got reshuffled by headquarters. Similarly, I told him about all my adventures in NYC and stuff in university. “Jon, I’m just curious, remember Old Tai from Lucky Mall who controlled the entire chain of electronic shops? I can’t seem to find him on Google anymore. It’s like he’s off the grid.” “You mean ‘Olde Tai from yonder East?’ That Old Raccoon moved out a few months ago. Probably losing business; too many bad reviews about cheating tourists on travel forums. He’s now Cantonment Precinct’s problem, and we’re all glad to be rid of him. Word is that he moved to Pearl Plaza, near Chinatown. Why are you looking for him?” Hearing Jon talk about Old Tai reminded me of the times we had to listen to that Old Raccoon weasel his way out of a complaint a tourist made about him cheating them, and it was anything but entertaining. He was a glib talker, frequently diluting his sentences with gibberish about him picking up Middle English, speaking to us in old medieval speech on purpose, and steering the interrogation away from the case until we snapped and got him to focus. The case never stuck on him of course; he was smart. Old Tai knew the legal definition of cheating, and always threaded on the thin line between criminal and contract law. “Come on Jon, you’re interrogating me as well? I was just curious.” Brushing it off with a laugh. That sent Jon into a wild laughter. I didn’t blame him; he was probably on duty through the night, and needed to relieve some stress. “I’ll see you at the Station soon, Jon. We’ll partner up again, hopefully.” “Definitely! And L, one more thing.” “yea?” “I’m glad you’re back, Sergeant.” * Jet lag wasn’t a big issue to me. I was used to studying through the night into the morning, only to take caffeine pills to fight off sleep during lectures and exams the next day. That day, a three hour nap at home was all it took and I was recharged. I needed to be; the Old Raccoon was as sly as a fox, and elusive as BigFoot. The very fact he could still be in business after so long was adequate testament to his wily. I circled Pearl Plaza at least three times in my car on the pretense of searching for parking because I needed to confirm something, and I found my answer. Tai was indeed in Pearl Plaza, no doubt. I caught a glimpse of his lookout sitting by the entrance smoking, and another two at the back facing the other side. The faces may change, but his modus operandi never did. His lookouts covered all entrances and were there to warn him if there was going to be a police raid, or if any of his enemies were coming for him. He thought he was smart, but I had done my homework on him a long time ago when he was operating at Lucky Mall out of pure dedication to police work. He would register a store under his name, and a few other stores under his puppet’s names in the same mall, while he remained in full authority and control over those stores. How he got so many people to work for him willingly remained a mystery, but it was blatantly obvious he was in control given the number of similar complaints we received and identical tactics used. An employee he claimed to have fired for misconduct resurfaced at another store in the same mall after a few days, how coincidental was that? Knowing Old Tai’s methods, it was simple identifying which store he was at. He liked being protected by a bodyguard who was big, muscular, and dumb, who followed him everywhere like an innocent puppy. I called him, Muscles. Find Muscles, and I’ll find Tai. It only took me 10 minutes to walk around the whole mall to spot Muscles, and that meant Tai was in there even though he was no where to be seen. The moment I sat myself down by the glass display tables, Muscles switched his attention to me in a most unprofessional transition, abandoning his first customer, and leaving him speechless. He spoke in broken english, made lots of unnecessary hand gestures, was literally stuttering, and had a smile that was as pretentious as a failed politician. Clearly, being a salesperson wasn’t his main job, and he was fed those lines by someone. “Did I tell you about the new promotion, that would get you the best- bang for your buck, for the latest Apple smartphone?” “Did I tell you I slept with your mother last night, and you’re going to have a brother who’s going to look exactly like me?” In a most obnoxious tone I could conjure. His smile was fading, his breathing heavy with agitation, and his gaze fixated on me despite initially entertaining a customer with his lies. That was Muscles alright; all brawn and no brains, easily manipulated, controlled by emotions, and only recognized violence as an answer. It’s no wonder Tai picked him as a bodyguard, and now he was doubling as a failed salesperson. “Is this enough for your mother’s abortion?” Throwing a ten dollar note after another on the table, looking straight at him until he couldn’t contain it, and grabbed me by my collar with one hand. Agitating Muscles to the verge of hitting me in front of a customer was the only way to flush Old Tai out of the staff room. He couldn’t afford a lawsuit for Employee Misconduct and Tort that was witnessed by a credible independent individual. I didn’t like hurting Muscle’s feelings anymore than I enjoyed arresting people, but it was a necessary evil if I wanted to talk to Tai. Knowing Tai, he would never show his face if I had gone straight up to Muscles with a polite inquiry about his boss. Tai was the puppeteer, always hiding inside the staff room so he could claim he wasn’t aware and couldn’t be responsible for a ‘mistake’ his staff made. “Your new understudy, Tai? Apparently he’s not very smart, and I know you’re in there.” Calling out into a room behind the display tables. I wasn’t the slightest bit afraid even though Muscles was tightening his grip, twisting the fabric of my collar with a threatening expression, and tensing his meaty arms at the same time. “Let him go.” Came a voice from inside the room. A fat old man with prominent dark eye circles and a balding side parting, around the age of 60, emerged from the staff room; it was Tai. If he possessed an ounce of innocence, he would’ve qualified for a panda nickname at my police station, but he was far from that. Hence, he was known as “The Old Raccoon.” “Sergeant? Couldn’t recognize you without your uniform. I didn’t know you transferred to the Cantonment Precinct. How can I help you?” “I want all your pre-registered SIM Cards, and the IDs that registered those cards fifteen hundred dollars can buy.” “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” turning to talk to the now bewildered customer who had observed the entire exchange since I stepped into the store. Last edited by Lindblum; 17-06-2014 at 10:27 AM. 
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#107
17-06-2014, 09:46 AM
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Re: Blotting Paper: A life of sex and drugs
Tai knew exactly what I was talking about, but was just pretending to ignore it. Part of his modus operandi included making a copy of a gullible person’s ID, claiming it was a Singapore law requiring a verified ID to buy any form of electronics. Then he would sell it to another dealer or register prepaid SIM cards under those IDs and sell it to third parties. It was completely illegal of course. Why he was never nabbed for that? He was cunning enough to dispatch an associate to pass the illegally obtained ID copies, and fake electronics to another store the moment his lookouts saw us coming from the entrances. It was a cat and mouse game in his territory.
“You sure you want to play this game in front of your customer, Tai? Fine by me.” I turned to face his customer. “Tourist?” “Yea,” speaking in a soft, and uneasy tone, clearly confused about my intentions. “First, the fat man is going to tell you about his special offer. Then he’s going to swipe your credit card twice, telling you it’s all part of a mandatory global warranty which is pure nonsense. Frankly, you’ll be much better off buying from a legitimate store than this old crook. You still want to buy from this guy?” As soon as I dropped my piece, the tourist took his backpack, turned around, and left in a jiffy. “Wait, don’t leave- What the hell exactly do you want from me?” Turning to me and speaking in hurried, irritated tones. “I told you, Tai, I’m just here to do business. Sell me the Cards, IDs, and I’ll leave.” For a brief moment, he kept his silence, and put the cell phone Muscles had failed to sell the tourist back in the glass display table. “Even if I have what you claim I have, what makes you think I want to do business with you? You are the cop who gave me a ton of trouble back at Lucky Mall. Besides, that was all in the past; I’m now running an honest business with my boys at a new place.” Hearing Tai talk like he had turned his back on cheating, and the hosts of other unknown illegal activities seriously brought me to a short burst of laughter. I couldn’t look straight at him without laughing, needing to distract myself with something else, looking sideways, and covering my uncontained smile with my palm. How he was able to say this with a straight face completely eluded me. The man deserved an Oscar. “I wouldn’t exactly call what you’re doing an honest business,” scoffing at his statement. I gathered myself, and got my act together. The jokes, and that little back and forth meaningless Salsa that made no headway whatsoever were over. There was no way the Old Raccoon would admit to having such things in his store, much less to me. Now, was the time to use a harder approach. “Let me tell you something interesting I did today. I made a call to Lucky Mall’s security office claiming to be a previous store tenant looking for Senior Security Officer Yao from Burton’s Security about a police case. The office told me they belonged to a new security company, and that S.S.O. Yao and his entire team were contracted by a new place after working at Lucky Mall for six years. Where did they go? You guessed it: Pearl Plaza. “How convenient it must be for you, Tai, to have control and have access to the entire building’s security on top of your usual lookouts sitting by the entrances. Now, I don’t even care about what you’re doing in this building, but I’m guessing you will need to know when and where the cameras are down, keys to different rooms and stores, when to bring in your fake products, or even do your ‘dealings’ with dodgy people, probably even facilitating them for a fee during ‘scheduled maintenance.’ I’m guessing you’re intending to move again when S.S.O Yao and his team gets contracted by another place. You see, I’m a pure genius, and if you’d like, I could dig up a little more on the security team and maybe, find out exactly what you’re up to. “No, Tai. You didn’t come to Pearl Plaza to start life anew; that was bullshit. You came because it was most advantageous.” A silence swept through the entire store the moment I was finished, drawing menacing stares from Tai and Muscles as though I was spot on. I had to be; a shady electronics seller had no need of control over the security office, and double insuring his operations with lookouts. Tai walked to a wall, his dark raccoon eyes still boring holes into me with his arms crossed, flipped a switch, and the automated metal shutters started coming down with a loud unsettling clang, threatening to cut us off from the rest of the world. The shutters were ill-maintained. The clanging panels against each other reverberated with an ominous harsh metallic creak as it slowly descended, adding an element of terror to an atmosphere already laden with murderous intent. Despite the eeriness, I was composed. I betrayed no sign of vulnerability and weakness to my opponent, and remained cross legged on the stool with a smile as we waited for the shutters to completely seal us in. I had walked straight into the lion’s den, and rattled the beast in its slumber by the neck. It may not have been the wisest thing to do for the average joe, but I was no stranger to Tai and the likes of him. Dealing with the underworld required a subtle aggressiveness to make your stand that could easily be mistaken for reckless abandon, but it wasn’t. It was instead something I termed, ‘controlled agitation.’ I reached for my pocket and put on two high quality latex gloves. The shutters came to a grinding halt; I was now cut off. Muscles moved from behind the display tables to stand by the shutters behind me. “What game are you playing again, Tai?” My voice was calm, as I turned sideways on my stool to be able to see both Tai and Muscles who had me surrounded. The Old Raccoon was now gone. He threw a grave look, and spoke with a tone that was deep, and intimidating, making quite sure I got the subtle message that he was not to be trifled with. This was the real Tai who controlled more than half the electronics stores in Pearl Plaza, who had the entire security office bought and paid for, and had fooled the entire police department into believing he was just a shady electronics dealer. I had awakened a sleeping dragon. “Let’s try this again. What are you doing here, when did you transfer to the Cantonment Precinct, and are you still a cop?” “I’m not leaving until I-” “Nobody walks in here to make demands of me, and I will help you understand that I Am Tai.” He paused before continuing. “Answer me now. What do you want, and are you still a cop? Orchard, or Cantonment Precinct? Where’s your partner?” In that instant, Muscles drew out a short hollow metal bar from the overhead cabinet. Almost immediately, Tai turned to face Muscles. “Call our boys to be alert.” Tai was unnerved from all the questions he had inside his head about my coming and purpose. My guess was that he took notice of my semi formal attire, my hands bound in latex gloves, and my unfazed expression despite his threats, coming to the conclusion that I was up to something. He just couldn’t be sure if I was part of an ongoing plainclothes police operation. If so, why hadn’t his lookouts informed him. Last edited by Lindblum; 17-06-2014 at 10:42 AM.
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#108
17-06-2014, 10:01 AM
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Re: Blotting Paper: A life of sex and drugs
Very well written ...
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#111
17-06-2014, 02:25 PM
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Re: Blotting Paper: A life of sex and drugs
nice story ts you have my support
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#112
24-06-2014, 10:44 AM
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Re: Blotting Paper: A life of sex and drugs
Previously on Blotting Paper
Tai was unnerved from all the questions he had inside his head about my coming and purpose. My guess was that he took notice of my semi formal attire, my hands bound in latex gloves, and my unfazed expression despite his threats, coming to the conclusion that I was up to something. He just couldn’t be sure if I was part of an ongoing plainclothes police operation. If so, why hadn’t his lookouts informed him. ================================ “All clear.” Muscles put his cell phone down. “You little fucker-” Tai slowly rose from his seat pressing his palms on the table, and Muscles drew closer with the metal bar swinging from his hand, reacting as if they had caught a bluff. Tai’s eyes widened and he retreated back into his chair as I slammed the concealed service revolver with my gloved right hand, pressing it down sideways against the glass table pointing dead at him. “Don’t test me,” glaring at Muscles. Perhaps it was the sound of the heavy black material on glass, or the gleaming bullet heads in the cylinder against the bright store lights that authenticated my device as he saw it, and he was convinced. Something about Tai’s expression told me he now knew the source of my confidence in the face of his intimidation, and he couldn’t have been more right. “What are you going to do, shoot me? I’m unarmed, Sergeant. You can’t, and you know it.” “Let’s think about this, Tai. Over there, your dog is armed with a rod, your store cameras never work when you’re cheating people, and you have a room full of illegal products which you haven’t had the time to transfer out because you weren’t warned. Not to mention I was locked in from the inside, and you have no witness. I will just write a report that I was attacked by both of you during my ‘routine’ inspection, and when they dig up what you’re up to, I’ll be hailed as a hero.” “Attack you? I’m unarm-” I tossed a small knife on the table, wrapped in multiple layers of plastic cling wrap. “I cleaned this with acetone, dissolving all my fingerprints. Who’s going to believe you, Tai? I will smear your prints all over it, then I’m going to take what I came for.” Muscles stopped right in his tracks the moment I drew my revolver out, and Tai was completely lost for words at the predicament I had set him up with, understanding that I could easily frame him for attempted murder, and justify my killing him and Muscles in ‘self defence.’ It was his mistake to shut us in, and I had anticipated it. “Tai, I’m here to do business; It’ll be much easier if you give me what I want.” Throwing an envelope of fifteen hundred dollars on the table. Sensing his unwillingness, I added a little more. “What do you have to lose? We both know you have what I seek, and I’m paying you in full.” My hand still pressed on the revolver against the glass table. “Fifteen hundred dollars for SIM Cards, and copied IDs? I don’t keep that kind of amount in here; you think I run a warehouse? I’ll sell you what I have, five hundred dollars worth.” The fat old man slowly took the envelope and counted the money, gesturing Muscles with a tilt of his head to go into the staff room to get what I wanted. “I need a passport - travel worthy, and documentation. Take the remainder as my payment for it,” sliding a photograph across the table. His dark raccoon eyes shot back at me, and Tai let out a chuckle. “That’s your real purpose here, isn’t it?” “This.. face here.. isn’t even yours. What is this, Korean? You wanna look like a Korean now? And one grand isn’t even going to get you near a travel worthy passport, take my word for it, son.” Dropping the photograph on the table with a scoff. “I’ll worry about the face, Tai. What can it get me then?” “You want a passport, I’ll get you a passport. Four grand; don’t expect to cross Immigration with it.” Turning his head over and receiving the SIM cards from Muscles. “That much for a useless passport, because?” Sounding completely unimpressed. “Because, It’s an exact copy of the ones we get from tourists. Consulates and Embassies will verify that the particulars are real. There’s more than one use for a passport.” With both palms crossed on the table, Tai added with a smug. “So, give me a good reason why I should help you? What do you have to offer? Your money isn’t something I’d risk helping you for, and you’re not going to shoot me; you need my help.” His smug confidence and attitude caught me by surprise. It was true I needed his help, and I could no longer threaten him. Could I have told him about Lilith, and entice him with its profits? I guess I could offer him a role for delivering fake passports over Lilith, at least that would be desirable to people in our neighboring countries. I was certain Tai’s business would soar with Lilith’s help, but I was unwilling to expose myself as EL to anyone, much less to someone like Tai. “How ab-” “You know what, I changed my mind about your offer. I’ll do this favor for you. Bring the remaining three grand next week.” That caught me by surprise. I was sure the Old Raccoon was plotting something, I just didn't know what. Muscles stacked the SIM cards and ID copies on the table, and allowed me to count and verify its authenticity. It was done, I had gotten what I came for, and prepared to leave. Muscles flipped the switch on the wall, and the creaky metal shutters started rumbling up. “And you knew I had contacts for passports; how?” “I didn’t. I threw a bait, and now I know you do.” I got off my stool, stuffed my merchandize inside my pocket, and waited by the shutters to release me from this cage. “You left your gun!” There was an irritation in his voice. “Keep it, it’s an expensive replica.” Immediately, there was a loud thud behind me. Tai’s chair flipped backwards and crashed to the ground as he rose up in anger, and slammed his palms on the table top. “What the hell exactly are you now, L?” His voice was stern and sharp. He had never called me by my name before. It was always “Sergeant,” or “Sir,” depending on his mood and level of intended sarcasm. I gave no reply to that; it was a good question. What was I, and who was I? Was I the cop masquerading as a villain, or the villain pretending to be a cop? As the shutters drew up, the life and lights from the world outside started flooding in like daybreak. The clanging stopped; the shutters had fully retracted. Tai and Muscles were still intently waiting for an answer. “I don’t really know anymore..” Perhaps I was wrong, but as I was walking away, I heard the fainting voice of Tai saying to Muscles in the background, “...Get somebody to follow him..” -To be continued- Last edited by Lindblum; 24-06-2014 at 12:52 PM.
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#116
26-06-2014, 12:32 PM
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Re: Blotting Paper: A life of sex and drugs
Quote:
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#117
17-07-2014, 02:25 AM
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Re: Blotting Paper: A life of sex and drugs
NOTICE
After taking a long hiatus on working out the details of the story, I'm pleased to announce that there will be a total revamp of the story for more drama, plot, and content for the first few chapters leading up to KYUNG. Rest assured, it will be much more enjoyable than the current draft. The principal characters will remain the same, however, their roles will defer. ADDITIONAL NOTICE Once my revamps are done, and my additional chapters are complete, I will be publishing the first book by the end of the year. I am a strong believer of fair pay for fair work. After all, I did put a lot of effort into this, spending countless nights and days working it out. If you did enjoy my writing so far, do purchase a copy of my work in support of originality and creativity. It will be split into two books. Thank you very much
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#118
17-07-2014, 03:03 AM
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Re: Blotting Paper: A life of sex and drugs
Enjoyed very much the story TS, support
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#119
22-07-2014, 12:19 PM
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Re: Blotting Paper: A life of sex and drugs
Quote:
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#120
22-07-2014, 12:29 PM
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Re: Blotting Paper: A life of sex and drugs
Quote:
Common FBI tactics: 1) asking for 'Lobang' either through PM, or thread 2) positioning as an uninterested customer, yet still texting you at the same time. 3) Including an element of trying to dissuade host to complete a 'round' of crime 4) Every Posting must be acceptable limits and within reports of Headquarters. This means never posting their personal opinions.
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