DANGER ZONE | Kenzou Tenma

Chapter 19: Lonely father, lonely daughter

The following day, same time, I was waiting for Richard in the café. It was rather quiet here, so I thought about doing my work, but I eventually decided against that - after all, I was meeting someone here. And Richard arrived at 10:02, seven minutes after me. Apparently, he was surprised to see me here already.

"Good morning, Helene. You're early." "I like to be on time", I answered, placing a cup of coffee in front of him as he was sitting down. "Here. I ordered for us both." "Oh, thank you." He sat down and took his cup to take a sip. 

"I can really use that right now. This case is getting more complicated by day." "Did you find out something new?", I asked him, anticipating his answer. He nodded. "I did. I was in the red light district yesterday. You know Hans Georg Schuwald, right?" "The rich businessman? Yes." "Alright. Apparently, there's a prostitute who took his ex lover's name. He visits her sometimes. And that prostitute, who calls herself Margot Langer, by the way, was also visited by the two students who discovered Vahlen's body. One of them, a young man, claims to be Schwald's son." Perplexed, I looked at him as he told me his new discoveries. "... That's quite complicated." "I know. But there is something else. It seems like Vahlen also visited that so-called Margot Langer, but he was not alone. She told me herself that the other boy who was with Vahlen was handsome, charismatic and would be much more suitable for a son of Schuwald."

That hint made me prick up my ears. That sounded very much like the person I was looking for. "Interesting", I commented. "That might help me find the person I'm looking for. You know, Richard, I feel like the cases we're working on are quite closely related." "I guess fate brought us together", said Richard, chuckling.

(or rather, a writing device named convenience)

We kept talking about our personal theories and I entrusted him with the information I had about Johan, explaining why I was here in Munich in the first place. He listened attentively, thanking me for telling him what I knew. In return, he explained to me how exactly he was fired, stating he shot a criminal while being drunk. Though he was chuckling, I knew he was feeling awful about it. Eventually, to kill the awkward silence, he took his wallet to pay for his coffee and end our meeting for today. When he opened it, I noticed the photo of a girl in it.

"Is that your daughter?"

He immediately smiled when I asked. "Yes. Her name is Rosemary." He took the photo out of the wallet and showed me. "She's cute, isn't she?" I couldn't help but smile slightly as well. "She's adorable." "I know." He put the photo back in his wallet. "Who knows, maybe I'll be able to see her again someday... but it seems as if she doesn't want to meet me at the moment." "Oh, I'm sorry about that."

At some point, he was suddenly distracted. As I was paying for my coffee and talking to the waitress, I glanced at him, and realised he was staring at the bar, where two men sat with their whiskeys. It was as if he was drawn in and mentally absent, staring at the glasses in the men's hands. When I finished paying, I stood up, intentionally pushing back my chair with my calves to wake him up from his trance. And it worked.

"Let's go, Richard." Luckily, he was leaving with me without an incident happening.

We sat down on a bench outside, close to a fountain.

"I'm sorry, Richard. I didn't realize you're a sober alcoholic."

"It's fine."

I shook my head. "No, it's not. I shouldn't have chosen the café for us to meet." Then, I felt his hand resting on my shoulder. He smiled encouragingly.

"Helene, it's fine, really. I never told you specifically about my alcohol problem, so you couldn't have known. It's just that sometimes, when I am stressed or emotional, I tend to relapse." Then, he changed the topic. It was probably for the better. "Well, in any case, I hope you visit your parents frequently! Parents are pretty sad when they never hear from their kids, you know..."

"..."

"... Helene?"

I didn't intend to answer at first. But I decided against that, eventually.

"My parents are dead."

His expression immediately changed from cheerful to gloomy. I hated to see people like this, especially when it was because of me. "... May I ask how they died?", he asked cautiously. I sighed, trying to think of a brief summary for what happened back then.

"They were assassinated. Officially, it was a single perpetrator who shot them. My parents were politicians who showed resistance against the GDR as long as they were alive. And then, all of a sudden, they were gone."

Richard's eyes were fixated on the ground as he listened. "Back when the GDR still existed? How old were you, then?"

"I turned sixteen shortly before they died."

He didn't add anything. I saw his mouth opening, but he had trouble saying anything. But that was fine with me.

"This incident made me want to become a detective", I added. "I left school earlier than expected to study at a police academy. I haven't regretted choosing this path ever since."

We only listened to the talking people, the birds near the fountain, and the fresh breeze howling. Somehow, I felt relieved, having shared my story with him.

"Your parents would be proud to see you like this."

Astonished, I turned to Richard. He continued.

"I'm sure of it. That means their deaths were not in vain."

I laid my head back, contemplating the sky with a little smile on my face.

"Who knows? Maybe, I'll be able to uncover the truth of their deaths, and bring justice to them someday."

The same evening, I was out on my own, dressed as Diana. I walked through the red light district of Munich, examining the area, and eventually sat down on a chair in front of a club. Holding a cigarette in my hand, I watched the people, the prostitutes, talking relentlessly to each other. And then, there was a certain presence on my left, and I felt him sit down next to me, greeting me with his light voice.

"Good evening, young lady."