By the time Isobel got down stairs in the morning at 7.30 am , Rachel was already dressed and ready for work.
"Gees Mum , you're up bright and early this morning" said Isobel groggily as she sat down at the master table with a bowl of cereal and began munching away. Rachel looked up over her cup of coffee and smiled.
"There's no rest for the wicked. Literally. This case today is possibly the biggest one I've possibly ever been involved with. And hopefully with the help of Doctor Quinzel , this son of a bitch'll be heading back to jail"
Isobel suppressed a giggle. It always made her laugh when her mother spoke so passionately about the criminals she prosecuted.
"So Mum who is this "son of a bitch" and what's the case?" Isobel asked eagerly.
"I can tell you that" Bruce called from the hallway as he made his way to the table in his dressing gown. Rachel shot him a glare , as if to shush him of telling Isobel. Isobel followed her mother's stare.
"What's the catch? He can't have done anything to bad." Isobel inquired. Rachel and Bruce exchanged guilty glances.
"This guy was pretty bad" said Bruce "In Gotham's darker days , there was an attempted mass exodus so that people had a chance at escaping in case there were any extreme acts of terrorism or even for violence for that matter. Anyhow a shipload of criminals were sent out to a maximum security prison in another state , whilst at the same time another ship was providing transportation for the first lot of Gotham citizens who'd been able to get transferrals from their work. This guy or the "Joker" as he liked to call himself had explosives on both ships. He forced upon them a sick ultimatum blow the other one up , or I'll blow both of you up"
"My god that is sick" Isobel frowned and pushed her bowl of cereal away. "What happened?"
"The Joker was caught thankfully before any of the ships made a decision or before he could induce any further damage on anyone. He was an incredibly dangerous man Isobel and I know most people believe in a fair trial but this bastard deserved to be sent straight to a maximum security ward and be fed staples for the rest of his life" Bruce agreed , as he sat down at the table helping himself to a croissant.
"So why is there an appeal now? I mean its been what twenty years? Shouldn't this psycho have gotten life?" asked Isobel confusedly tossing a long strand of auburn hair behind her shoulders.
Rachel watched her daughter with a melancholy expression .
"It took a while to collect evidence. It was a horrible time for the DA's office , god there were corruptions being pulled up left , right and centre ,certain members whose input had been pivotal to the case was no longer valid because they'd been caught out for accepting money of this guy. He didn't face trial until at least a couple of months before you were born" Rachel rolled her neck and glanced at the clock.
"Eek , I'm gonna be late anyway , if I'm not there to pick you up honey just go back to Robbie's because I need to talk to Grace about a new case" Rachel instructed as she picked up her bag and kissed Isobel on the cheek.
"Couldn't Dad pick me up? Or I'll make my own way home?" asked Isobel slightly confused by her mother's instructions.
"Not today sorry Izzie , I have a few important meetings and I don't want you making your own way home from the city. Not today" said Bruce sternly as he picked up the newspaper and began reading.
"But dad.."
"Not today Isobel , just not today." Bruce glanced at the clock and exchanged a look with Rachel.
"Gees Isobel , Alfred will be ready to drop you with me soon"
"Ok Dad"
Isobel hurried out of the dining room , into the entrance hall and up the grand staircase. She sat at the top of the staircase , where she could not be seen by someone on the lower level
Why "not today"? she wandered. Were he parents not telling her something about this case? Was the Joker actually , seriously being considered as mentally sane to be released back out into society? And what exactly was Dr Quinzel's involvement in this story?
"Your honour , as the evidence has been clearly presented today , it is still evident that the "Joker" is incapable of functioning in a society with rules , conditions and laws as which we as civilians must abide by. He thrives of anarchy and chaos. He has no empathy and finds the torture of any human being amusing , it is also quite possible he is a complete sociopath , mentally unable to function in a society without posing a threat to himself and to others" Rachel thought her speech has been quite powerful. Or she hoped it had been. Just enough to convince Judge Hannigan to reinstate his life sentence.
"With all that taken into account Mrs Wayne , you may be seated. I will now call Dr Harleen Quinzel to give her full psychiatric analysis before the jury is asked to reach a verdict"
Rachel smiled in acknowledgement up at Dr Quinzel as she glided to the podium. The court room seemed entranced by her pixie like features and the grace at which she positioned her papers as if she were a ballet dancer to make every movement as elegant and precise as possible. Dr Quinzel raised her small head to the court , and in her cold , melodic voice began to read her analysis.
"Members of the jury , Judge Hannigan. The Joker who is being trailed for mass acts of robbery , murder and terrorist related incidences caused between the months of May to August 1988 , is I believe too mentally unstable to function to be reinstated back into a high security prison such as Gotham. I believe the Joker has already paid his dues for his crimes , and would be much better suited in the closed ward at Arkham Asylum"
Dr Quinzel's analysis hit Rachel like a tonne of bricks. A great , big pit began to form in the pit of her stomach. How could this be happening? After all the work and evidence Rachel had presented , that the Joker was still a threat. After seeing the damage today from those attacks 20 years ago , how could Quinzel truly believe that the Joker , the most intricate and dangerous of criminals Gotham has ever witnessed , be contained in a psychiatric ward? That the possibility in five to ten years , he would have a chance at grasping the small glimpse of freedom which was now dangling right in front of him.
Not Today. Rachel silently hoped. Not with Isobel. Isobel's generation had grown up blissfully ignorant of the atrocities that their parents had faced little more than twenty years ago .
It was true that the city was still infested and haunted by the economic and financial struggles of all those years ago , but these days there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
Children were given the chance at education , their parents were able to attend weekly meetings on how to provide for their children as well as getting jobs so they could afford to take out loans and eventually pay them back. The Social Services were walking miracles down at the Narrows , which had formerly been infiltrated with drug abuse , violence , deplorable criminal acts and now , now for the first time in years , there were signs of stability and safety. Putting the Joker in a place in which he could easily manipulate his way out of , posed the threat that anarchy and bloodshed would return to Gotham. That all the hope and good , the compassion people had shown and the generosity of human nature would be erased as if it were the wind blowing the sand on a beach.
Dr Quinzel's icy eyes met Rachel's chocolate ones , and the chill that had run down Isobel's spine , was no furiously climbing up and down Rachel's as Dr Quinzel smiled a sickeningly sweet smile full of cold malice.
"I am quite aware certain members of the law will find this quite alarming but I assure you , there will be no repercussions . As I have been the Joker's chief psychiatrist for the past five years , I have been able to delve deep into his mind. Many of Gotham's citizen's would just write this individual off as psychotic , twisted or a sociopath if you will" she said harshly , staring Rachel straight in the eye.
"This man is no different to any other criminal who had grown up in a house full of substance and alcohol abuse. The child a product of a nineteen year petty criminal and a seventeen year old mother thrust into drugs and alcohol after the birth of her son. Not given the chance at education , exposed to ruthless abuse and the only relationship witnessed was the tempestuous one of his parents, is it not clear that he is the very face of what Gotham city is trying to heal? Born in the midst of the depression , what chance did this poor child have? What could he grow up to be. No , absolutely not does it excuse his crimes , but after a twenty year imprisonment , after close psychiatric analysis finding alarming facts about his past , after the city has invested so much time and money into helping people like the Joker I would have thought it prudent the Joker receives the same treatment. You have all seen the Joker laugh , but very few people have seen him cry which reminds us that he is after all a human being"
Few people applauded Dr Quinzel's heartfelt speech. Rachel did not know whether to feel enraged at ( well at least in her opinion) Dr Quinzel's naivety or to somehow believe that the man with no empathy , the cold hearted killer could actually deep down in his black , unfeeling heart have some sort of emotional damage that made him what he was.
"The jury will now meet to make their decision , court will re commence in an hour , to the rest of you I highly recommend a break. The press will be chaotic" announced Judge Hannigan . She got up and walked off the podium , as the rest of the court arose , Dr Quinzel walked down the aisle past her , the soft , poisonous smile pasted on her face.
"Mrs . Wayne , would you care to join me for lunch?" she asked in a barely audible whisper.
Rachel looked at her , feeling somewhat threatened.
"I guess I could spare half an hour"
"Good , because that's all I need."
Sorry it took so long to update , exams are annoying and term four is predominantly preparing for them. So I hope you all liked that chapter and reviews , constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated:)
Cheers
Love Em