Sequel: A Serious House on Serious Earth ›
Status: Sequel? Yes? No?
The Joker and the Thief
Interrogation
The police station was busy as usual. Paper work covered numerous desks and the constant sound of ringing telephones echoed against the walls. Gordon led me through the Major Crime Unit but instead of putting in the holding cells he pulled me directly into the interrogation room. Gordon exited as soon as he unlocked the handcuffs from my sore wrists. Once I was alone in the room, I slowly sat down in the uncomfortable metal chair and laid my head down on the table. I was asleep within ten minutes of being in the room.
I woke up and lifted my head with break neck speed when a hand pounded on the table. I rubbed my eyes as they focused on the person who was seated directly in front of me. Harvey Dent was dressed in his usual gray suit and bland red tie. His presence and the serious look on his face told me I wasn't being booked for breaking curfew. Dent's attitude made me feel small and unimportant. “Victoria Bradley -” “Marie!” I said cutting him off but he didn't seem to care. “Do you know who I am?” I rolled my eyes. “No, who are you? The Easter Bunny?” I joked. I normally didn't mess with law enforcement officials but normally I was talking to Gordon, who I respected. Dent just irritated me.
“Ms. Bradley, do you know why we arrested you?” His tone was unaffected by my joke. “J-walking? Loitering? Did I forget to pay my taxes?” I said sarcastically. Still Dent appeared un-phased by my un-cooperation. “We have evidence that you broke into this very office Friday night. We lifted your finger off of a handle on a filing cabinet.” Lie. I thought to myself. They had no evidence against me. I wore leather gloves, a mask and made sure to cut the power to the security cameras. They were bluffing; though I was curious as to way they brought me in with no evidence. “Sorry, Mr. Dent, but I don't believe you. If you want me to confess you need to lie better than that. I thought you were a lawyer.” I shook my head in mock disappointment.
The heavy metal door buzzed before it opened and Gordon walked in. “I told you she was smarter than that.” There was almost a sense of pride in his voice. Gordon took a seat next to Dent and laid a rather thick vanilla colored file on the table. “Oh, Marie. What are we going to do with you?” Gordon said as he flipped the file open. My latest mug shoot was clipped on top of numerous papers. The picture was taken about six months before when my hair was a boring shade of brown. “Do you remember what your first offense was?” Gordon asked as if he was a teacher giving a pop quiz. I lied. “No.”
“You stole Bruce Wayne's Lamborghini.” Gordon said; shocked that I didn't remember. “Yea, I would have gotten away with if it wasn't for his damn tail light.” I mumbled to myself. The left tail light in a million dollar car went out while I was driving it around and some bored cop decided to pull me over. “Mr. Wayne was kind enough not to pressure charges. But you weren’t so lucky in your later..... adventures.” Gordon said flipping through the file. “Breaking and entering, trespassing, grand theft auto, robbery, battery, battery with a deadly weapon.” “Hey, I only pistol-whipped that guy.” I cut in.
“That's not the point. The point is that you have quite a wrap sheet; most of them felonies.” Dent said; clearly annoyed. “But we are willing to make all that disappear. But only if you help us.” Dent’s words caught my attention. “Help you do what?” I figured it would be to testify against Sal Maroni and the other mob bosses; something I was willing to do if it cleared my history. “We need your help catching the Joker.” I opened my mouth to protest but Dent kept talking. “You wouldn’t have to doing anything. No wearing a wire or anything like that. We heard that he tried to hire you. You just have to take the job and once we catch the Joker and put him on trial we'll need you to testify. That's it.”
“That's it? You say that like it's a piece of cake. What if I piss him off, which doesn't seem hard to do and he kills me? I'd rather spend my time in jail than die.” I blurted out. Gordon ran a hand though his graying hair before speaking. “Marie, I promised your father I wouldn't let anything happen to you. Now, I know I haven't been good on my word lately but I will continue to keep my promise as best I can. We can really use your help here, kid.” A few tense seconds passed as the three of us sat in silence. I sighed. “Fine. I'll do it.”
I woke up and lifted my head with break neck speed when a hand pounded on the table. I rubbed my eyes as they focused on the person who was seated directly in front of me. Harvey Dent was dressed in his usual gray suit and bland red tie. His presence and the serious look on his face told me I wasn't being booked for breaking curfew. Dent's attitude made me feel small and unimportant. “Victoria Bradley -” “Marie!” I said cutting him off but he didn't seem to care. “Do you know who I am?” I rolled my eyes. “No, who are you? The Easter Bunny?” I joked. I normally didn't mess with law enforcement officials but normally I was talking to Gordon, who I respected. Dent just irritated me.
“Ms. Bradley, do you know why we arrested you?” His tone was unaffected by my joke. “J-walking? Loitering? Did I forget to pay my taxes?” I said sarcastically. Still Dent appeared un-phased by my un-cooperation. “We have evidence that you broke into this very office Friday night. We lifted your finger off of a handle on a filing cabinet.” Lie. I thought to myself. They had no evidence against me. I wore leather gloves, a mask and made sure to cut the power to the security cameras. They were bluffing; though I was curious as to way they brought me in with no evidence. “Sorry, Mr. Dent, but I don't believe you. If you want me to confess you need to lie better than that. I thought you were a lawyer.” I shook my head in mock disappointment.
The heavy metal door buzzed before it opened and Gordon walked in. “I told you she was smarter than that.” There was almost a sense of pride in his voice. Gordon took a seat next to Dent and laid a rather thick vanilla colored file on the table. “Oh, Marie. What are we going to do with you?” Gordon said as he flipped the file open. My latest mug shoot was clipped on top of numerous papers. The picture was taken about six months before when my hair was a boring shade of brown. “Do you remember what your first offense was?” Gordon asked as if he was a teacher giving a pop quiz. I lied. “No.”
“You stole Bruce Wayne's Lamborghini.” Gordon said; shocked that I didn't remember. “Yea, I would have gotten away with if it wasn't for his damn tail light.” I mumbled to myself. The left tail light in a million dollar car went out while I was driving it around and some bored cop decided to pull me over. “Mr. Wayne was kind enough not to pressure charges. But you weren’t so lucky in your later..... adventures.” Gordon said flipping through the file. “Breaking and entering, trespassing, grand theft auto, robbery, battery, battery with a deadly weapon.” “Hey, I only pistol-whipped that guy.” I cut in.
“That's not the point. The point is that you have quite a wrap sheet; most of them felonies.” Dent said; clearly annoyed. “But we are willing to make all that disappear. But only if you help us.” Dent’s words caught my attention. “Help you do what?” I figured it would be to testify against Sal Maroni and the other mob bosses; something I was willing to do if it cleared my history. “We need your help catching the Joker.” I opened my mouth to protest but Dent kept talking. “You wouldn’t have to doing anything. No wearing a wire or anything like that. We heard that he tried to hire you. You just have to take the job and once we catch the Joker and put him on trial we'll need you to testify. That's it.”
“That's it? You say that like it's a piece of cake. What if I piss him off, which doesn't seem hard to do and he kills me? I'd rather spend my time in jail than die.” I blurted out. Gordon ran a hand though his graying hair before speaking. “Marie, I promised your father I wouldn't let anything happen to you. Now, I know I haven't been good on my word lately but I will continue to keep my promise as best I can. We can really use your help here, kid.” A few tense seconds passed as the three of us sat in silence. I sighed. “Fine. I'll do it.”