The Greatest Lie Part 16

As we sought out the few remaining names from Spartan's study list, we had our worst day ever. The landlady of our first interviewee, Nung, told us tearfully that Nung had been hauled away by police only minutes before we arrived. "They never bother the streetwalkers that call out to my children, but they take away my most valued tenant, who never sees anyone outside her home. What is the matter with this country? It's madness," she cried.

We continued on the remaining names from the Spartan list. The next names we checked were Golf and Gigi, who lived together. When we got to their apartment, frightened neighbors told us that they had just been arrested by grey-green clad anti-narcotics police. The neighbors complained "Sure, they were somsee, but they never took drugs, or did drug deals. This drug war is getting worse than the drugs!"

We called the cell phone of our next subject, Joy, and got no answer. Fearing the worst, we crossed town to visit her, only to find yet another ransacked apartment. Her roommate would tell us only that Joy had been arrested the drug police early that morning. Then she threw us out. She was clearly scared to death to have us around.

My anxiety mounted as we approached the Baan Pewan Cheewit hospice. Madrana, the head nurse of the hospice, met us with angry tears. "The drug police took away my patients Gee, Nata and Ooh this afternoon. Those poor girls were too sick to take yaba. Everyone here is too sick for that drug, but they took them away to die." She regarded me angrily. "This is your fault, farang, for bringing us bad karma!"

"I'm sorry, but where is Lin, I need to see her." I feared the worst.

Mamasan Madrana brightened. "She bought medicine with the papers you left for her. She felt better and left with her sister."

I realized it was time to catch up with my sisters at Rosepaper.

I stuffed most of the remaining vouchers in Madrana's hand, and said "Take these as my offering to restore the good karma of Baan Pewan Cheewit. May your patients live long, and die at peace. Sawat-dee ka."