Chapter 2
The next day, Katelyn entered the doctors' lounge in the Arkham Asylum intensive treatment ward to see a fellow doctor reading the Gotham Daily. She sat down after pouring a cup of coffee and looked at Dr. Stanholtz. "Anything new and wacky on the front pages today, Gregory?"
He looked up at her over the unfolded paper. "Another murder last night. A lawyer on 19th Street. Apparently they found a large collection of incriminating evidence in the guy's apartment. Quite a history of extorting colossal sums from his corporate defense jobs. You think Batman's finally given up and started knocking people off?"
She laughed. "Poison Ivy, maybe? She was just released on good behavior. Also boasts quite a history of man-hating. I wonder if she read the S.C.U.M. Manifesto…"
Dr. Stanholtz let out a small chuckle. "Zasz is a more likely suspect than Isley – the man was carved up with knives, it says. Doesn't matter, though, there are so many unsolved crimes in this city I don't even know how our facility's so full…"
"We can thank the Batman for that. You and I and everyone's mother all know the G.C.P.D. are virtually useless without our city's most notorious masked vigilante."
She stood up, grabbing her clipboard from a stack of shelves in the corner. "Well, off to my second date with the Joker. Have a nice day, Gregory…"
"Hey listen, before you take off. Just…I mean, well, be careful with that thing, all right? If I had it my way we would have hung him from the Gallows Tree at Blackgate years ago…" Gregory cleared his throat, adjusting his glasses and giving her a rather meaningful sideways glance.
Katelyn nodded. "I will. Don't worry about me, Greg." With that, she left the lounge and headed toward the 2nd floor patient interview room.
Joker sat in the hard wooden chair, wriggling in his straight jacket. He was a bit miffed that not only were his jacket straps belted tight today, but so were the extra straps that now belted his legs and chest to the chair. As Katelyn walked in, he slowly looked up at her.
"Ahh...late night, doc? A bit of hair a' the dog to keep you going?" He grinned at her as she sat her cup of coffee, the clipboard, and a pen on the sparse table. She reached over and pressed RECORD on the obligatory tape recorder that sat on the corner of the table.
"You could say that. I listened to our conversation from yesterday a few times last night. Trying to decide in which direction I think our sessions should start heading." She sat down, crossed her legs and looked at him, wriggling away underneath all those layers of clips and belts and locks and strongly woven fabric.
"Are you uncomfortable? Here…" She leaned forward over the table and undid the belts that were keeping his torso strapped to the back of the chair. He could smell incense, like patchouli and opium and lavender and something else – something very familiar and distinctly coppery, but masked - all blended into her skin. He very obviously sniffed her as she leaned over him, inhaling deeply.
Katelyn glanced at him and sat back in her own chair, grabbing her pen in one hand and her coffee in the other and scribbled a few notes on the clipboard. "I think you should know, if you don't already, that you don't frighten me, Joker. Not like you frighten the other doctors and staff here."
He grinned, leaning forward. A strand of freakishly green hair fell in front of his eyes. "Why don't we talk about that, doc? That seems marvelously unusual, wouldn't you say? Why, there are any number of horrible, bloody things I could have done to you just now…"
She looked at him as he began giggling and grinding his teeth softly. She looked into his eyes. It was unnerving how clear and calculating they were. "So what stopped you? You murdered Harleen Quinzel recently, a woman you've been known to have quite the…intense relationship with. Why not me, a total stranger?"
Joker leaned back in his chair, tilting his head and smiling. "Oh, Harley? Please, doc, old news! She outlived her usefulness. In all honesty – between you and me – she wasn't much of a girlfriend or a sidekick. Hoohoo. She was more of a…" He paused, tilting his head back and looking skyward, trying to think of the correct definition to describe dear old deceased Harley. "…A temporary amusement."
"So you broke her neck and had your thugs drop her corpse into the Gotham River?"
"Mm…a failed attempt at framing Batman for murder, unfortunately. I suppose, what with our highly publicized relationship, it's a bit of a pity her death didn't come to more. I personally wanted to crucify her on top of the Wayne Enterprises building, but oh well, right? That's the luck of the draw!"
"There must have been another reason for murdering her. You couldn't have just wanted her death to justify your sick obsession with destroying the Batman…"
"Oh on the contrary, doc! Why, destroying Bats has become, dare I say, my sole purpose in life. Besides making sure Gotham goes out with a bang and a collective smile on its face…" He raised one eyebrow, smirking at her. "And Harley knew it…"
Katelyn looked up. "So there was no prior argument? No…domestic dispute of any sort that led you to feel the need to get rid of her?"
"Why, the domestic disputes were the most exciting part of our entire relationship! Mmm, punching, kicking, throwing large blunt objects at each other, trying to blow each other to smithereens…. Why doctor, you're making me start to miss the old girl! It might even bring a tear to my eye! Haahahhahhha!"
Katelyn sighed, leaning back. "Well, Joker, I think that may be enough for today. I'm going to recommend that you be taken off your Olanzapine I think..."
"Aww, doc, no more drugs? Why, those damned little pills are one of the only pleasures a guy like me can get in this rat-trap prison!"
Hitting STOP on the tape recorder, pulling the tape out and slipping it in her pocket, Katelyn stood up and gathered her things, smiling slightly. "Those drugs are for the treatment of acute schizophrenia and bipolar disorder…both of which I think you like to fake. So, there's no need for you to be medicated with them. I'm going to try some good, old-fashioned sobriety for your treatment."
"Well, how progressive!" Joker laughed as Katelyn pressed the call button on the door for the guards to let her out. As the two guards entered, unclipped the belts around his feet and dragged him up, Joker surprised her with a last word. "I'm very much looking forward to our sessions, doc! I think you and I have a productive future ahead of us."
Katelyn stared as the guards dragged him off down the hall by the straps on the back of his straight jacket. He cackled all the way, until they were in the elevator and out of earshot. She chewed her bottom lip, thinking. She knew super criminals; knew them better than most other people. And she knew Joker was up to something.
