Part Eight

Life was getting complicated, thought Tash as she started her next song. The Captain had requested “Laster”.

Laster was a song in honour of the God of Justice. It mainly consisted of the innocent always having a good law abiding life and the guilty being punished. It was not the kind of song Tash felt comfortable singing just at the moment. It was another one of those songs that children loved, if you get my drift, because the innocent don’t really come into it much.

Captain Jakiel was difficult to flirt with too. Captain Jakiel is not the prettiest man. He had presumably led a hard life. His nose had been broken, possibly more than once. He had a nasty scar running down one side of his face and he was a difficult man to fool. His eyes seemed to see right through her. It was very uncomfortable.

If that wasn’t bad enough, Freda had just turned up. She seemed upset.

“That haunting idea sounded so good, but it didn’t work out”, she said.
Tash kept on singing and tried to ignore her.
“I went to this really nice house on Church Street. I thought that people in a nice house would be easier to scare. I went into the kitchen and clinked chains and howled at the cook, but she didn’t seem to see me. I really tried but I couldn’t do it.” Freda sniffed and looked about to cry. “And then the children came in and one of them could see me but he wasn’t scared. He just kept on trying to lift up my skirt and made the most disgusting suggestions. The whole thing was a complete disaster” said Freda and burst into tears on approximately where Tash’s shoulder was.

Tash went into an instrumental and tried to whisper to Freda without moving her lips.

“Get off you made bitch. I am in deep shit and if I start talking to you they’ll think I’m a total loony and will probably lock me up.”

Freda lapsed into hysterics.

Tash had never realised how difficult it was to keep in time with ah hysterical ghost screaming at her. Especially when she was so out of practice.

“… and stop playing that blasted guitar when I’m talking to you” shrieked Freda and tried to take the guitar off Tash.

The children started to disperse when Tash stopped playing. They had come to the decision that Tash was a fruitcake and they wanted to be a safe distance away. Captain Jakiel and Lieutenant Rowan came forward and were just about to speak when Tash’s guitar went flying.

“That’s it. I’ve had enough” yelled Tash, “Freda go away. I don’t want to see you again. You are a pain in the arse and I do not have time for your hysterics right now.”

Tash went to pick up her stolen guitar which was luckily unharmed.

“Well if that’s the way you feel” sniffed Freda.
“It is” said Tash.
“Well then … I’m going.” Said Freda huffily.
“Good” said Tash.
“Fine” said Freda.
“Good riddance” muttered Tash and turned back to the Captain.
Well? What are you looking at?” she said wrathfully.
“I have no idea.” Said the Captain.
This is so humiliating, thought Tash. What am I going to do now?
She cleared her throat awkwardly, when in doubt … try the unexpected – truth. Maybe they will think I am too mad to be a pickpocket?
“I’ve had this ghost hanging around”, she explained. “I may have inadvertently suggested she give haunting a try. She turned up just now. Apparently it didn’t work out too well. Only one little boy could see her and he just made sordid suggestions and kept trying to lookup her skirt. She was a little upset. I know I look like a complete idiot, but anyway, we had a small argument and hopefully she won’t come back. She was really annoying.”

Tash had never been in a situation quite like this before. Trying to imagine what they might be thinking was making her want to giggle.

“I’m sorry. You must think I am a lunatic”, she said as sincerely as she could, “but sorry. I am foisting my problems on you. We don’t even know each other. My name is Morgan” she said holding out her hand to shake. “Did you want to speak to me about something?”

“My purse is missing and I thought you might know something about it”, said Captain Jakiel flatly, crossing his arms and looking dour.

“Me? Sorry gentlemen. I’d love to help, but I’m afraid I didn’t see a thing.”
Tash smiled at them as innocently as she could, chanting over and over in her head ‘I am a law abiding citizen. Nothing to see here.’

Tash was just about to launch into a long story about having just arrived et cetera when Freda materialised on the roof top.

“Natashia, my dear. I believe you dropped this. Catch.”
Tash automatically stretched out her hand … and caught Captain Jakiel’s purse.
Tash tried to pry Captain Jakiel’s fingers from her wrist as he dragged her behind him in the direction of the city watch house.