Chapter 30

Nathan Furrow

She stood under the lamppost, trying not to fidget. She didn't like to feel nervous but standing on this curb in the middle of the neighbourhood made Her fidget. But they said this was an important test if She wanted to sing for them. The three of them sat in the middle of the road, all wearing different expressions, expressions that seemed to dig into Her in various different ways.

Sticks had a lop-sided grin as he lounged on the tarmac, his slender body completely loose and relaxed. Murphy was peering through his shades even though the evening darkness had already descended over the cul-de-sac. And finally there she was, sitting cross-legged with her arms folded. Bethany's expression told the whole story and She felt her throat constrict.

"In your own time," Bethany said stifling, refusing to make eye contact. This made Her angry but She tried to hide those feelings. It wouldn't do to snap now, not after all the effort it had taken to get here. She took a deep breath and let the cold of the evening seep into Her skin. She wasn't on a road; She was standing atop a concert hall. That wasn't the sound of bushes rustling but rather the sound of an expectant crowd. And that wasn't the dull light of a lamppost beaming down atop of her but rather the harsh buzz of the spotlights above her.

It was now or never. She knew that if She failed then Her future was screwed and She would not let that happen, not in a million years.

So She opened Her mouth and sung.

Tanzi woke slowly, her eyes adjusting to the white ceiling above her. She realised she was lying down on a bed and immediately felt a sense of urgency fill her chest. Looking to the left she saw a white wall with an open window looking out to a grey sky. Looking to the right she saw an empty chair and yet another white wall. A machine sat on a trolley, making a beeping noise. Finally Tanzi looked in front of her and saw a white door with a man in black standing with his hands clasped behind his back.

"…The hell is going on!?" Tanzi demanded, immediately throwing the covers off and throwing herself against the wall. She looked down in shock at the pale blue gown she was wearing. There was no doubt that this was a hospital room, but why was she here?

The moment Tanzi had moved the man in black had unclasped his hands and started to walk over. This struck a nerve and Tanzi stepped backwards, but her back hit the wall.

"It's okay," the man said in a low voice. "I'm with the police. My name is Timothy Yalton."

"Police?" Tanzi peered at the man and realised he was indeed the black vest with 'POLICE' written on the breast pocket. "What is going on?"

"We only want to ask some questions-"

"Questions? About what? Why am I in a hospital?"

"You were involved in an incident, Tanzi, you—"

"What did you call me?" Tanzi interrupted again. She could feel the familiar heat rising within her, the anger she always sought to control.

The policeman, Timothy, looked confused. "That's your name, correct?"

A pulse of pain rang through Tanzi's head and she clutched at her skull with a gasp. She felt bandages and started feeling all over her head. All she could feel was a thick wad of bandages wrapped around her skull. "What did you do to me?" The policeman said something but Tanzi didn't hear anything but white noise. She clutched at her head and gritted her teeth. Perhaps this wasn't a hospital room but rather some other strange room… She had heard stories about people going missing recently; what had they done to her? Was this man even a real policeman or was this all a ploy? The red hot anger flowed into her and Tanzi didn't spare a second to think any longer.

She leapt forward and pounced on the unsuspecting man, bringing the man down hard to his back. Tanzi swung her fist down on the man's jaw and was satisfied with the impact. Immediately the man pushed her off with a curse and reached to his belt but Tanzi was having none of it. She swung her foot with all the force she could muster and kicked the man directly in the groin. He let out a cry and curled up into a foetal position, protecting his head. Tanzi backed up just in time for the door to be thrown open.

Two people rushed in – one unnaturally tall and slender man as well as a woman dressed in a navy suit. The woman immediately knelt next to the first man while the tall man reached towards Tanzi; his lips were moving but Tanzi couldn't hear anything over the rush of anger in her brain. She went to fight back but in one swift motion the tall man grabbed her wrist, twisted around behind her and pushed her hard against the wall with so much strength that Tanzi couldn't even fight out of the grasp.

"Get off me!" Tanzi roared, struggling with all her power but the man wouldn't budge. "Get the fuck off of me!"

"Enough!" The man's voice was quiet but cut through the haze of anger with ease. "Do not fight any longer."

Tanzi let out a growl but let her body grow slack. The man let her go and she spun around, rubbing her shoulder. The first man was gritting his teeth in pain as he was supported by the woman. Then she saw someone in a white coat on the other side of the door and saw movement in the corridor behind. Was this truly a hospital and not some kind of abduction?

"I will excuse your actions only once," the man continued. "On behalf of your injury. Timothy, how are you?"

"…Peachy…" Timothy croaked.

"Good," the man hadn't looked away from Tanzi once and was staring at her with those piercing eyes of his. "Tanzi Sakamoto. My name is Nathan Furrow and I am a Detective Inspector for the Sussex Police."

"That's not my name…" Tanzi breathed, not taking her eyes off this man.

"Oh?" The man raised an eyebrow and pulled a clipboard from the head of the bed. He peered at it before raised his hand and beckoning someone in with a movement of his fingers.

A doctor walked in, looking extremely nervous. She stared at Tanzi with bug eyes.

"Was there any unusual brain activity in the CAT scan?"

"N-No, everything was normal."

"As I expected. You may leave," Nathan turned away from the doctor. "The patient is clearly in good health. I shall call on you once we've finished." As the doctor gingerly left the room again Nathan turned to the woman. "Carol, you mentioned that Tanzi seemed level-headed when she was conversing with Ryan Thatcher. This does not seem level-headed."

Carol moved away from Timothy, who was now leaning against the wall, still visibly in pain, and walked gently over to Tanzi. "Her actions are strange. Nothing like what I saw of her."

"Hm." Nathan put the clipboard back on the bed. "So, what is your name if it is not Tanzi?"

Tanzi looked to the two policemen in suspicion. "Jade."

Nathan and Carol exchanged a glance. "And do you have a surname?" Nathan continued.

"…Skysong… But why are you asking me?" Tanzi beckoned to the chart. "That should have my information on it."

"Jade Skysong?" Carol murmured to Nathan. "That's the name of the vocalist of the Miracle Skyhawks, a band well known around Eastbourne." Carol then raised her voice so Tanzi could hear. "You do not need to lie to us, Tanzi. I have spoken to your friends so you do not need to hide your identity."

"Why would I lie about my own damn name!?" Tanzi demanded.

"I do not think you would," Nathan pondered.

"Sir?" Carol looked to Nathan in surprise.

"She is not lying," Nathan's eyes scanned Tanzi with interest. "She believes that she is indeed this Jade Skysong."

"But the doctor said there was no brain damage, how can she be sincere?"

"Stop talking like I'm not here," Tanzi demanded.

"I think you ought to look at this," Nathan said and pulled the clipboard up again. He handed it over to Tanzi and Tanzi looked bemused as she scanned over the paper. Then her expression seemed to falter and Tanzi hands started to shake.

The clipboard bounced off the floor as Tanzi dropped it with a gasp. She put her hands to her head and sat down on the bed with a whimper.

Nathan stood in front of Tanzi and looked down at her. "Tanzi Sakamoto?"

"I-I'm sorry…" Tanzi looked up at Nathan with wide eyes. "My name is Tanzi…" She said it as if she was confirming it to herself. "My name is Tanzi Sakamoto," she repeated more firmly. "I apologise for… for that…"

"And just what was that?" Carol asked but Nathan put his hand out.

"Please vacate the room."

"…Sir?"

"Take Timothy with you." Nathan glanced back to the officer. "Get him checked out. I'm not convinced he is okay."

Carol looked like she wanted to say more but she kept her mouth shut and walked over to Timothy. "Come on, let's go and make sure you are okay."

"…Yep, that sounds like a wonderful plan," Timothy agreed and let himself be led out of the hospital room, leaving Nathan Furrow alone with Tanzi. The two were silent for moment; Nathan allowing Tanzi to catch her breath.

Finally Tanzi spoke. "I assume you would like an explanation?"

"I am curious as to why you said you were Jade Skysong," Nathan said. "You were not simply spinning a tale. I know when lies are being told to me and you were not telling a lie. The doctor said there was no brain injury so we can rule that out."

Tanzi nodded but suddenly realised something. She looked to the door urgently. "Naomi Collado! Has anything happened to Naomi Collado, do you know?"

"Your friend was involved in a traffic collision. Do not worry, everyone is living. The boy named Lucas is currently in surgery but is otherwise okay. Naomi is currently with Lacey Filih."

"A traffic collision? Who was driving?" Tanzi was relieved Naomi was okay but another fear welled up inside her.

"Detective Constable Teyern, the woman who was in here, was taking them from Naomi's manor to visit you."

"What happened!?" Tanzi asked urgently. "What did they hit?"

"An accident involved scaffolding atop a truck bed," Nathan answered. He hadn't intended to let Tanzi lead the conversation but the events that had unfolded had intrigued him enough that he was happy to follow along for now. "They were hit by a number of scaffold poles but not before my partner avoided a few of them on the road."

Tanzi groaned. "Then what I have to say is even more important. I need to talk to you about the homeless man named Daniel and the man named Jay Scythe."

This took Nathan by surprise though he didn't show it on his face. He hadn't expected Tanzi to be so forthcoming.

"But first, if at all possible, I need to make a phone call. Time is of the essence and a life is in danger. If I can make a few calls, then I will do my best to explain everything."

"A few calls? To whom?" Nathan asked.

"The first is to my friend, Ruby Ascot. She was with me to try and save Jay Scythe. And the next would…" Tanzi took a breath. "Would be to Jade Skysong."

Nathan cocked his head at this information. Just what was the connection between Tanzi Sakamoto and Jade Skysong? And who was this Ruby Ascot that Tanzi claimed to know? And why did she mention saving Jay? Nathan Furrow had many questions and knew that the situation was unusual. Tanzi saying that she was Jade Skysong changed the whole plan and now Nathan needed to know exactly what was going on. He decided that letting Tanzi make these phone calls would be the best thing to do for now. It was clear that she was no longer any kind of danger and that she was willing to cooperate with him.