Chapter 4-The Narrows

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Jim kept his hands pushed deep into his coat pockets. It was a rather chilly night for late August, probably a record low. Jim figured that the weather definitely fit the ambience of his current situation. The Narrows were thick, for that was most likely still containing traces of Crane's toxin no doubt. Even though most of it had dispersed in the atmosphere by so called "cleaning crews" it was still somewhat toxic to be in which made Jim squirm in his eagerness to leave the area as quickly as possible. While Jim watched some stray cats fighting over the garbage, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He drew back in surprise and annoyance that he hadn't seen it coming. In the Narrows, you always had to be on alert.

To Jim's enormous relief, it was just Sarah Essen. Barely 30, she was nearly 10 years his junior. Too much experience had hardened Jim's eyes a bit. Seeing Sarah push a strain of blond hair behind her ear and the way her blue eyes sparkled make him yearn for the naive notion of good and evil to fill his soul once again. Unfortunately, Jim knew with experience also comes knowledge. With that knowledge, came memories that couldn't be erased no matter how much he wanted them to.

Sarah gave Jim a warm smile. She liked Jim right from the start. Even though she had only been with the force a few weeks, she got the sense that Jim was one of the few good ones left. He was a good man, a family man, dedicated to his wife and child, but also to a job that often summoned him out into the cold at three in the morning. How did his wife feel about that, Sarah wondered?

Jim greeted Sarah with a smile in return before getting down to business. He pulled out his flashlight and offered an extra one to Sarah.

"It was right around here that Batman was discovered, shot and lying in a pool of his own blood. " Gordon stated matter of fact while gesturing toward a blood stained wall in the alley. Sarah flashed her light in the same direction. God, she thought when she saw the blood think and dark smeared from the wall to the ground. Sarah followed the trail as Jim continued to give her some background on the event.

Sarah nodded when Jim was done.

"You're right. The blood trail ends abruptly almost as if the body ended up being dragged along here," Sarah pointed "and ended up in a truck or vehicle around here." Her finger touched the ground gently. Jim nodded his head. Sarah bit her lower lip lost in thought.

"If only we had some kind of evidence….witnesses, fingerprints, anything, maybe it would help us." Sarah noticed at this statement Jim cleared his throat nervously. She looked up with an exasperated stare.

"What aren't you telling me, Gordon?" Gordon tried his best charming smile.

"I do ….have…fingerprints…" he said spreading out the words evenly. Sarah stood up groaning.

"Where? You know I do have a background in lab work. I could help with this." Her words came upon deaf ears.

"What," she said with a hand on her hip, "You don't trust me?"

Jim shook his head, "Of course, I wouldn't have asked you here if I didn't. Fingerprints won't help us if we don't even have a clue as to where to look first and for whom…" Jim paused, "We have it for later. Later, OK?"

Sarah didn't even get to answer when a rustling sound came from one of the houses. Jim nodded to Sarah as the two unlocked the safety on their guns. Slowly drawing their weapons they made their way around the ruins of the shambled house and to the front door. Jim gestured and on the count of three burst into the room. The sound startled a few rats which had run by their feet. Sarah let out a tiny yelp in surprise and covered her face with her sweater sleeve. Jim followed suit immediately noticing the stench that engulfed the room. It was the stench of decay, the stench of death.

Jim and Sarah kept their weapons raised when they heard something fall behind the crumbling sofa in the back of the room. The two officers edged closer and peered over the sofa half expecting to see another stray animal, but instead found a small, pale boy with his arm held protectively over his head. Gordon and Sarah immediately lowered their weapons and placed them in their holsters. Gordon went over to the boy. He was crying hard and murmuring something. Gordon leaned in closer to calm him down when he caught a bit of what the boy was saying.

"Please don't hurt me! Please don't hurt him!"

The boy's wording from "me" to him" lead Gordon to believe the child had seen something, something possibly related to Batman's disappearance.

Gordon inched closer attempting to pull the boy's arm down to see his face.

"Hey, fella, it's OK. We aren't going to hurt you." Gordon's words silenced the boy who decided to peek at his visitors. When Jim saw his face, a feeling of recognition flooded him. Wasn't this the boy he saw with Rachael Dawes that fateful night in the Narrows with Crane? The boy, who was no older than 10, stared hard at Jim with an untrusting look.

"Do you work for him?"

Gordon didn't' know who "he" was but decided to guess.

"Scarecrow? Did he scare you like this?"

The boy nodded furiously. His breathing was shallow and he looked as though he hadn't eaten in days.

Gordon glanced back at Sarah who was trying her best not to be sick from the stench of decay within the room. Gordon was beginning to be overwhelmed as well. He tried to keep his focus on the boy and noticed that the odor was near him. A disturbing thought crossed Gordon's mind.

"Son, where are your parents?"

The boy swallowed hard. "My dad, I don't know, but my mom, she's here." He smiled. "She would never leave me."

Gordon feared the worst and glanced down at the boy's hands to see they had another's in their grasp. Gordon's eyes followed the hand to a sheet masked in shadows. With one swift motion, Gordon removed the torn and tattered fabric only to see what must have been the boy's mother or what was left of her. My God, Jim thought. This boy has been living with a corpse for God knows how long. Anything not to be alone…Jim thought.

Gordon placed a gentle arm around the boy.

"It will be OK." He said to the boy and to himself as well. "What's your name, sport?"

The boy's blue eyes stared back with a tentative look.

"Richard Grayson, sir."

Gordon nodded attempting to smile.

"Richard. That is a great name. When was the last time you've eaten, Richard?"

Richard interrupted, "Call me Dick. I don't know…" his voice trailed off. "I keep asking my mom for food, but she doesn't answer me."

Gordon was beginning to wonder if the boy was in shock or seriously delusional from exposure to the toxin.

"Why don't you come with me and my partner, Sarah here?" Sarah waved to Dick.

"We can get you some food." Gordon offered.

Dick scrunched up his nose. "Not just vegetables right? I mean, I really like French fires."

Gordon grinned. "French Fries are wonderful. We can get you that."

Dick seemed concerned. "What about my mom?"

Gordon looked at the corpse. "We will get some for her too, OK?"

In a more serious tone, Gordon continued. "Dick when you said don't hurt him, whom did you mean?"

Dick shrugged. "You know…him…I saw him…."

Dick tried to continue to talk but he suddenly found it quite hard to breather. His eyes began to roll in his head as he began to pass out. Gordon caught the boy before his head hit the floor. Sarah stood behind Jim. "Is he OK?"

Gordon shook his head. "I don't know. He faced Sarah.

"Call 911 and tell them to hurry."

Sarah whipped out her cell phone and began to dial. While Sarah was making the call, the boy regained consciousness for a moment and handed something to Gordon that was held tightly in the hand that wasn't clutched to his mother's.

"I saw him before you know," Dick said.

He handed Gordon some kind of technical gadget. Dick pressed it into Gordon's hand.

"Take it, "he said, "Look for him through the walls."

Gordon, although baffled by this statement, also began to see clearer than before. He looked to Sarah.

"Hey, Sarah, "She glanced down at Gordon kneeling with the boy in his arms. "I think we may have found our witness."

Hope you all like it so far. I promise we will get back to Bruce in the next chapter. I needed to see what Gordon was up to you know. I mean he is sort of our hero too right? I also have (as many of you) that the little boy in the movie is Richard Grayson, I mean why else have him keep showing up? Anyway, please review. I love them!