Juliana sat in the crowded fast food restaurant, watching the life unfold around her. A little girl in a light blue dress and rosy cheeks stood next to her mother, crying while the frazzled looking woman tried to calm the sobbing infant. Two kids, around ninth grade came walking in hand in hand, the girl obviously wearing the boy's jacket. It was cute to see the two in such deep infatuation with each other that it made Juliana a little bit uncomfortable.
But she couldn't complain, as of a few weeks ago, her life had finally gotten better. No longer was she working the cold streets of the Narrow's nor was she worried about some rival mobster coming and knocking her off. She was a changed woman now, thanks to Pathways, her past had left and in place was a bright new future.
Light was fading fast, winter was obviously on its way, but it wasn't cold enough for the large coats to be making an appearance on the streets. With a content sigh, the blonde woman picked up her trash and went to toss it in the garbage. Nothing particular happened but as she turned back, she could have sworn she saw a familiar face, one she was hoping she would never have to see again. The woman blinked and the face was gone, leaving a hole in the crowd and not a ripple to be seen, thus making Juliana think she was seeing things and going crazy.
The way back to her dingy apartment was uneventful, as it had been for nearly every night, except tonight she was constantly looking over her shoulder. Seeing that face had startled her into old habits; habits that Juliana thought she had left with her old life, and old name.
Thankfully, she reached her apartment and scrambled in, dead-bolting the door behind her. The same night, there was a storm one that shook the windows and rattled the rafters. It was loud, so loud that no one heard her screams, or her struggles.
"Commissioner, there's a case." Detective Anna Ramirez slapped down a folder upon Commissioner Jim Gordon's desk. The weary looking man sighed and picked it up, his chocolate eyes scanning the information over and over again until it made sense.
"That's the fourth one this week. And she was testifying in a week?" The man asked, his brown-grey eyebrows wrinkling with concern. Juliana was going to be testifying against the Maroni crime family and hopefully putting a few mid-level gangsters behind bars, as were Cheryl, Jamie and Catherine before her. Someone was targeting his witnesses, and the commissioner was not happy about it.
From the looks of it, Juliana Montgomery ran away when she was sixteen and was forced to sell herself on the streets, and when she was offered the protection of the Maroni crime family, she jumped at the idea, giving up her freedom as well as at least forty percent of her earnings.
It saddened the commissioner to see such a pretty girl forced into prostitution. She was finally getting out, at least she was according to the file that he held in his hand. With a grunt, he pushed himself up from his desk and grabbed his coat, Ramirez close behind him as he walked to his car.
"You know where we're going?" Detective Ramirez asked as they wove around cars and down streets that were almost too narrow to get the van through.
"I'm assuming that it's the address in the file." He retorted humorlessly and Ramirez scowled. It wasn't often that she felt like she was back at the academy. And when she did, she didn't like it.
The two arrived at the small apartment and stared at it in horrified amazement. Blood splattered the walls, carpet, ceiling, everything. It was gruesome, so horrendous that Detective Ramirez had to walk out just to prevent herself from throwing up the remainder of her breakfast.
"How could someone do this and leave no trace?" Gordon asked himself as he stared down at the mutilated body that lay on the bed before him. Juliana was barely recognizable, her pale blonde hair was stained pink with blood and her milky white throat was crusty with dried blood. The metallic stench was so strong that it even penetrated Commissioner Gordon's makeshift mask. "Take her away." His voice was mumbled through his tie mask, but his message was clear. The young girl's body was to be taken away, leaving he and his men to sort through any evidence that could be hidden in the bloody mess that was previously Juliana's apartment.
That very same morning, Leigh was waking up to a shrieking alarm, the noise pounding in her eardrums disturbing her broken sleep. Her pale hand gripped the alarm clock and peered out at the red numbers through her mound of pillows. Her grey-blue eyes widened and she scrambled to get out of bed, her legs tangling in the sheets causing her to stumble and scrape her hand against the wood as well as hit her head painfully against her old wooden bedside table. Leigh kicked her well-shaped legs and after a few moments managed to get free and scramble to her bathroom. Quickly, she turned on the water and began to strip rapidly out of her pajamas and grab a towel. Though the water was cold, Leigh managed to shower quickly and then jump out, barely drying herself off before rummaging around in her closet looking for something appropriate to wear to work.
Finally she found a black pencil skirt, a clean button up shirt as well as some sensible black flats. Forgoing the make up, Leigh just pulled her deep brown hair up into a twisted bun and race out the door, just in time to see her bus pull away. "Shit!" Her voice was dismayed at the prospect of having to catch a cab in the hectic early hours of the city day. The setback didn't take much time however, only five minutes were wasted as she tried to flag down the yellow cab. Out of breath she relayed the address to the cab driver that peered at her curiously through the rearview mirror.
Self consciously, Leigh pulled out a small compact and opened up to glance at her face briefly. What stared back at her were hazel eyes, pale skin, and wisps of curly hair framed her face. The compact closed with a click and she placed it back in her purse. Plump lips pursed as she tapped her fingers impatiently against the handle of the door. Traffic was slow, abnormally slow for eight twenty-five in the morning. "You in a hurry lady?" the cab driver asked, his voice heavily accented. Obviously he wasn't from Gotham but from her sister city, New York.
"Yeah. Can we go any faster?" She silently prayed that he would say yes, but all she got was a brief shake of the head. Leigh closed her eyes and let her head fall and hit the lumpy, leather headrest as her hand found it's way into her phone. "Jess? It's me, Leigh. I'm going to be a little bit late. Can you tell Hannah for me?" There was a pause as Leigh waited for the secretary to reply. "Thanks so much! I'll be there in about ten, twenty minutes tops." She said as she hung up her old phone.
Leigh's job as co-owner of the halfway house Pathways paid fairly well, but she preferred to give her money to the organization, rather than spend it on frivolous things like a new phone, especially when her old one worked perfectly well thank you very much.
After they got passed Wayne tower, the traffic opened up a bit, allowing the yellow cab to weave through the lanes as if it were smoke. Within minutes they were at the three floor, red brick building. After a few moments of scrounging about for money within her purse, Leigh pulled out ten dollars and handed it to the driver, telling him to keep whatever change was left before she broke into a frantic run to the building.
Nothing was distinguishing about Pathways save for the sign that said it was a 'Women's Consulting Center' which it most certainly was not. Consulting centers made people infer that it was a one-time thing, but when a woman walked into the building, they started a file whether she would be staying or not.
Within the building, the daily life was starting off with a light breakfast, and soon people would be heading off to work and the kids would start with their tutors. New arrivals would be streaming in through the door, or if it was a slow day, they may get one or two. Well, the streaming in was an exaggeration but in Leigh's mind, Monday they all streamed in.
"Jess, I'm here." Leigh's soft voice called as she made her way into the office part of the building.
"Great. Hannah needs to see you. Something really important she said." Jess relayed the message while her red painted fingers continued to fly across the keyboard. Leigh nodded and dropped off her purse and coat before walking quickly to the office next door.
"Leigh, Juliana was well, killed." Hannah spoke with the tone of a woman who had given up.
"Butchered more like." The graying man spat out with distaste from the corner. His hair was obviously a deep chocolate brown, but middle age had caught up with him and now it was turning grey. His eyes had smile lines, but he wasn't smiling now, a permanent looking scowl etched in his face.
"Leigh, this is Commissioner Gordon. He's going to need to question you." She still sounded defeated, but her voice had taken on an offended tone.
"You think I told someone? You think I told the mob?" Leigh was horrified at the thought.
"It's simply protocol. I don't mean to offend you but we simply must ask." Commissioner Gordon was desperately trying to back track, but it was too late and the damage was already done.
"I would never go against client confidentiality." Leigh was shocked, she had worked all her life to protect these women and now it was being implied that she was no better than a corrupt mob-rat.
"I don't mean to offend you." But the damage was already done. Hannah sighed as she slid out the door leaving the two alone to discuss and question each other's loyalties.