DANGER ZONE | Kenzou Tenma

Chapter 11: Blackened Records

"That jerk!"

I sat in a cafe somewhere in the suburbs of Hamburg, gritting my teeth. "What is wrong with him? Kicking me out just like that..."

And why did Lunge think that Johan was Tenma himself? Hadn't he seen the news back in the eighties, when the Liebert family fled from the GDR? Even I had heard of it. And in 1986, I wasn't even that familiar with politics anymore, except from what I caught wind of as a Stasi member.

Being a former Stasi member had one advantage - I knew who was a murderer and who wasn't. That's why I did not fear Nina, but feared Roberto. I still had nightmares about him sometimes. Just remembering him getting close to me was enough to make me feel nauseous.

But that was not important at the moment. Right now, Lunge was the only one who really bothered me. He was annoying... so annoying. Was he really gonna solve the case alone? I wouldn't let him. That's not why I drove with him for hours to northern Germany. I paid for my sedative coffee and headed out, to the district of Hamburg where I was supposed to go.

After using public transportation to get to the right neighbourhood, I walked down the pavement, almost there. And then, from the opposite side of the road, rushed a car, screeching. I winced, catching a glimpse of who was inside. And the person on the passenger seat - it was definitely Lunge! Shocked, I turned around to see where the car went to, and quickly followed them by foot, first walking, then running. What was going on? Then, when I took a glimpse at the car window, I realised there were blood stains on it. I had to find him, quickly.

Panting, I arrived where the car was parked - in an empty building, some type of hut. Drawing my gun, I placed one foot in front of the other, trying to be as silent as possible. I positioned myself next to the open entrance, so that no one could see me from the inside. I heard Lunge speak, with a surprisingly weak voice.

"You are truly carefree."

Then, another voice.

"You're mistaken."

I gasped. It was Doctor Tenma. Carefully, I looked around the corner, and there they were. Lunge was bleeding horribly, pointing a gun at Tenma as he lay in front of the doctor, almost passing out. Tenma was sitting on a chair, handcuffed, as he answered Inspector Lunge.

"Every surgery, I was caught in self-doubt, in fear of making a mistake, wondering whether I'd succeed, if there would be unexpected complications. I was shaking every time. The weight of many lives rested in my very hands. In my hands..."

He stood up from his chair, squinting his eyes. Slowly, I entered the building, walking towards them, my gun in my hands.

"There was no way I could stay calm!"

Lunge's eyes met mine, but his gun remained pointed at the Doctor.

"Detective..."

When Lunge said that, Tenma turned around, looking at me in shock. Concerned, I looked at each of them, trying to find out what was going on here.

"Inspector, you're wounded. Let's call an ambulance. Let Doctor Tenma go this time."

He ignored my words.

"... Who are you, Detective? I won't even say your name... because it's not your real name, anyway."

I frowned, gripping my gun tighter.

"When you were away in Frankfurt, I looked through your files. There isn't much to find out about you... but there is another woman, a missing woman, with data very similar to yours... same birth year, same ancestry, even your names are similar."

I felt the fear rising inside of me, a feeling I had felt only a long time ago.

"You know what I found strange, Detective...?" He was shaking, barely keeping his eyes open. "Your medical record is completely clean... too clean, in my opinion. But when I looked into the medical record of that woman similar to you... I found that almost her entire medical record was blackened out."

Tenma glanced at my hands. They were shaking as I held on to my gun, trying to keep my composure. I stared at Lunge, hoping he wasn't aware of my inner state. Then, I took a breath.

"... I don't know what you're talking about."

Tenma walked towards Lunge, interrupting this awkward moment. "I'm going to save you! Where's the key?" Lunge still pointed his gun at him, and I was ready to point mine ay Lunge every second. But, as expected, he was already too weak, and eventually became unconscious. Doctor Tenma reached out for the inspector's pocket and pulled out the keys. In the meantime, I kneeled down to observe Lunge's injury.

This looks bad...

I stood up again, facing Doctor Tenma. "I'll get the medical kit from the car." He finally opened the handcuffs, then proceeded to open his bag. "That won't be necessary. I have everything here." "Oh... alright."

We were silent as Doctor Tenma tended to Lunge's injury. I watched him out of curiosity, fascinated at how perfectly he was able to treat the inspector. Then, suddenly, the doctor said something.

"... I guess you got on the bad side of Lunge."

Focused on his work, he cut off the bandage in his hand. I sighed.

"You could put it like that."

"... Was it because of me?" He glanced at me for once. I didn't answer. But that was answer enough for him, apparently. He understood.

When he was finished with the first aid, I took my phone. "I'll call the ambulance now. You should use the opportunity to get away." He stood up, taking his bag. "You're right." He turned around and walked towards the exit.

"Thank you, Doctor."

He stopped at my words.

"Thank you for saving the Inspector."

He gave me a weak smile and walked away.