The drive to the town of Mongha took only about 10 minutes. The American women rode in silence, too stunned to speak. The van pulled around the back of the police station, where the officers escorted them inside and down a hallway to a conference room with a table and a number of chairs. The officers removed the handcuffs and the sergeant told the women to sit down. Then they left, locking the door, leaving the students and Professor Gelden alone.
As soon as the door closed, Susan took charge. "The first thing we need to do is find out if we are entitled to a lawyer here. They may not have the same idea of rights as we do, but I think we need to find out. And I don't think we should say a word until we have spoken with our lawyer, because I am sure they will use anything we say against us. Is everyone agreed?" The students all nodded their assent. Priya was glad her professor was such a smart woman.
A few minutes later, they heard a key turning in the door and two men wearing civilian clothes walked in. One appeared to be around 40, though age was often hard to tell with Trabbians, while the other was somewhat younger. The younger one spoke first, "I am Baran, from the prosecutor's office and this is Detective Puno. We would like to discuss your situation with you.
The students looked at Professor Gelden, deferring to her to be their spokesperson. "Do we have a right in your country to have an attorney present during questioning to represent us?"
Baran smiled, "Of course, Dr. Gelden, we are a modern, civilized country, just like yours. We will be happy to provide a local attorney to represent you. There is an excellent defense attorney named Sata whose office is close by. We will of course defer any discussion of your case until you have had a chance to speak with her. While you are waiting for her, would you like some tea? Perhaps some biscuits as well?"
"Yes," Susan replied, "That would be nice. We'd also like some clothes; it's a bit strange sitting here in our bathing suits." Priya was cheered that these police seemed much nicer than the ones who had arrested them.
"I will be back shortly," Baran assured them, and he did indeed return a few minutes later with a tray containing four glasses of very strong tea and a plate of very nice looking cookies, along with jail-issue T shirts and shorts for each of the women. "Please enjoy, ladies, I am sure Sata will be here very soon."
The women slid the shirts and shorts over their bathing suits and had their tea and cookies. Soon, there was a knock at the door and the detective got up to open it, admitting a very attractive woman with long black hair, wearing a flowered sun dress and sandals and carrying a briefcase.
Baran rose to greet her. She shook his hand and then introduced herself to each of the American women. Once the preliminaries were over, she told the prosecutor that she needed to discuss with her clients. He and the detective excused themselves.
Sata had the women tell their story from the beginning-the invitation issued to Susan, the work at the archaeological site, their visit to the Punishment Center and the details of their ill-fated escapade. She took a few pages worth of notes and stopped frequently to ask questions. Her demeanor suggested she was a capable and diligent attorney, very familiar with the local laws and ways of doing business.
Once she was clear on everything that had occurred, she said, "The first priority is the video. If it's very poor quality, we may be able to convince a jury that they can't be sure who is on the video or where or when it was shot. Let's take a look at it."
She knocked at the door and when Detective Puno opened it, she had a short conversation with him. A few minutes later he returned with a flash drive which he plugged into a port attached to a video screen on the wall and handed the attorney a remote control. "Happy viewing ladies," Puno told them.
Unfortunately, their viewing was anything but happy. Priya's heart sank as the video played, clearly showing the women on the beach. Their faces were unmistakable as were the beer bottles. "There is no question they can prove trespassing," the attorney told the women.
"But, I spoke with Thura, who is our host at our camp, and he said that many people bathed there," Susan protested.
"Did he say it was forbidden?" the lawyer asked.
"Well, yes," Susan replied, "But he said it was OK."
"Legally that isn't a good argument, I'm afraid," Sata replied. Priya's heart sank. This was looking very bad.
"And the beer is another problem," she continued. "Both the theft and the underage. All in all, the chances of you winning at trial are virtually zero, I'm afraid." Priya felt like she was going to cry.
"So, where does that leave us?" Susan asked the lawyer.
"All I can do is try to negotiate the best deal I can on a sentence," Sata told them. Priya felt her stomach churning.
