DANGER ZONE | Kenzou Tenma

Chapter 6: Whoever you want me to be

Time passed and I followed my duties, but I could never fully let go of the case with the doctor, even after he went underground. Since Inspector Lunge was wary of me anyway, there were no expectations to fail anymore, so I could investigate as much as I wanted to - and I had found a clue in Eva Heinemann.

Ms. Heinemann was a regular at the police station, always asking for Inspector Lunge. I, personally, had only exchanged a few words with her, but from what I saw and heard, she seemed quite demanding. When I had the time, I followed her around to see where she was going. And every time she went somewhere crowded, especially in the evening, there was one particular person around - a tall, broad, middle-aged man. I didn't know what his business was, but it didn't seem like they knew each other. Perhaps she was being watched by someone? But by whom exactly? Was he alone, or did he belong to an organisation? I couldn't tell for sure, and that's why I needed to disguise once again. But not as a man - this time, as a woman. I had a blonde, long ponytail I clipped to my hair and a light blue, sparkling short dress. I took some high heels and tons of make up to look as different as possible from my usual self. Actually, this was my red light district outfit, but it was useful for today's mission as well.

As I followed Eva Heinemann through the city, I couldn't help but wonder where Doctor Tenma was at the moment. I didn't hear any news about him, and I didn't want to ask Inspector Lunge, either. What I found out was that Doctor Tenma had saved a boy named Johan Liebert back in 1986 - a boy from an East German political family, who also had a twin sister named Anna. Both of them should be about 20 by now. And while I didn't find any news on Anna Liebert, I found a missing report from Heidelberg by coincidence, mentioning a girl named Nina Fortner, whose parents had been murdered - and her face looked very similar to the one I had from ten-year-old Anna Liebert. This information turned out to be a dead end, though, so trying to investigate further in that direction was a waste of time. My current conviction was that the strange man that followed Eva around had something to do with Doctor Tenma - not in the sense that they knew each other, but that he wanted to get closer to Eva Heinemann for a specific reason. Something that might involve the Doctor.

  

The loud music almost made me go numb when I entered the nightclub - a rather shady one, to be honest. But I had seen Eva Heinemann go in, so I wanted to follow her around - and more importantly, find the strange man who was also following her. But it wasn't easy to find anyone in a room where the only source of light were a couple of short-lived, colourful flashing lights. Well, it was enough light to see the groping and all the adult stuff going on, which I found to be disgusting. I finally made my way to the bar, and I saw Eva Heinemann drinking farther away on the other side. And right in front of me, sitting on a barstool, there he was - the strange man, observing Ms. Heinemann. His mullet made him easily recognisable. I sat next to him, leaning close to him so he could understand me.

"You should go talk to her if you're interested."

He turned to me. His presence alone gave me a bad gut feeling.

"You mean Eva Heinemann?"

I smirked. "Women love men who aren't shy to approach them."

"In that case", he answered with a grin, "let me buy you a drink."

I tilted my head, showing my neck a little more. I knew how to wrap him around my finger. I just needed to switch off my conscience.

We raised our glasses and looked into our eyes. It was like a battle for dominance, which I had won this round, because I needed to let him know what I was capable of. We first talked about pointless things, until we moved on to things we should have discussed much earlier.

"So", I placed my glass on the counter, "who are you? What's your profession?"

"My name is Roberto. I work as a bodyguard for a wealthy man. What about you?"

"My name is Diana."

"Diana, huh."

"Dirty Diana."

(in honour to After Dark - a small MJ reference)

He chuckled.

"You didn't tell me who exactly you are. Is Diana even your real name?"

I chuckled. "I don't know. It doesn't even matter. Because", I came close to his face, looking straight into his eyes, "I can be whoever you want tonight."

He liked it. He leaned forward, not breaking eye contact. "Is that so? Then I've got an idea."

I moved my arm closer to his, laying on the counter. "Tell me."

"How about..." He stood up from his chair, guiding me towards him. "... We leave this place and go back to mine?" I smirked, laying an arm on his shoulder. "Oh? Did you forget about Ms. Heinemann already?" He returned my smirk. "I guess you've turned my head tonight." He pulled me closer, attempting to kiss me, but I pushed him away. "Not yet." I pointed at the exit. "Let's get out." We left the club and walked through the alleyways of nighttime Düsseldorf.

"So", Roberto stared talking again. "How much do you want for the night?"

"I don't want any money", I answered, closing the distance between us as we walked. He looked down to me, chuckling. "Seems like you want it as much as I do." "That depends if you can answer me one question." "Go ahead."

"Where is Doctor Tenma at the moment?"

He stopped, and I did so, too. He slowly looked at me again. "What do you want from me?" "I told you already." He came even closer, forcing me towards the wall, until my back hit it and he stopped right in front of me. "Who are you?" Within a second, I snatched the gun from underneath my dress and pointed it at him. "Answer my question first. And don't threaten me. It doesn't work on me." He kept glaring at me for a moment. I glared back. There was no way I would give in.

"I don't know what business you have with him, but by now, he should be on his way to Frankfurt."

"Frankfurt?"

"Yeah, there's a lot going on at the moment. Haven't you heard about the Neo Nazis, or the Baby?"

"I'm not familiar with politics anymore. It's a waste of time."

"It doesn't hurt to know one or two things. Now, who are you? How did you know I'm familiar with Doctor Tenma?"

"Because you follow Eva Heinemann around. You need something from her, I assume. I can't be money, since she burned down her mansion. You probably need her for something that relates to Doctor Tenma... because I think you're related to a certain young man, if he truly exists. As for my identity..." I sighed, lowering my hand with the pistol, "I doubt Roberto is your real name. In that case, I'll go by Diana. What is the importance of names, after all?" Still armed, I turned around and walked towards the end of the alleyway, back to the main street. "I'll leave for today. Goodbye." And thus, I left him on his own. And finally, I had a new clue to follow.