?, February 19; Federal Bureau of Investigation, Gotham Office; ?

"You're certain of this?

"As positive as I can with there being no physical evidence of the debt. But that's the usual M.O. in these cases. His finances have taken a steep and sudden dive and it started shortly after he and his friends started visiting the Lounge. The bank records we pulled have shown that his checks used to be deposited in full and he had a small amount in savings that he added a little two each month. As of mid-January, one month ago, he has, instead, cashed half his last three paychecks. His savings account is all but gone. He's cancelled four subscriptions and has received late notices on three bills, and his frequency at the Lounge has increased to the point that he's going nearly every night. None of his friends have experienced a similar problem.

"It's circumstantial, but it's also pretty text-book for someone indebted to the mob."

"I understand that. That's not what's being questioned. What's in question is that while we have a nearly perfect timeline and evidence chain of him repaying a debt and being pressured into repaying it on Cobblepot's schedule, what we don't have is any clear evidence of what the debt actually is and what it was spent on. His finances should have taken an upward turn before the dive, or there should have been a single large payment made to someone, or even evidence of a gambling habit of some sort.

"There's nothing. All investigations into Nygma show he's a standard case of lonely young professional with no outside hobbies or influences. And despite being part of the GCPD, his hands are probably some of the cleanest. No bribes taken, no bribes offered, the worst he's done is try to do the previous Medical Examiner's job one too many times. And even that I can't blame him for considering the M.E.'s track record."

"Our man on the inside says he's constantly getting expensive drinks and occupying the time of one of the waitstaff. Maybe it's not a big debt he's repaying, but a little one. Guy like him, one that's never had a girlfriend, finally having the attention of a beautiful woman thrown at him... Maybe he's just spending more than he has to keep the fantasy that she's really into him going."

"If it was him wasting his money like that, we wouldn't be having this conversation. Or are you forgetting that our agent also said that he doesn't pay for anything. That Cobblepot or someone Cobblepot trusts, has put him on the VIP list."

"Standard mob tactics-"

"In other cities and with other crime families. Not with Cobblepot. He doesn't reward someone with special treatment while also draining their money dry just to get a few extra thousand for a couple months. Which, realistically, is all Nygma's going to be able to give him at the rate he's bleeding out. It doesn't add up. None of it. So if we're going to have a chance at convincing Nygma to testify against Cobblepot, we need to be certain of what the situation actually is.

"I don't want circumstantial evidence right now. I want hard proof we can use. By all accounts, Nygma's a good guy. Weird, a little on the creepy-awkward side, overeager to do his job, but otherwise forgettable. Use that. Get close to him or one of his friends, and find out what's going on."

"But-

"No. Just do it."

"... Okay. Should I have our agent try to get in his good graces at the Lounge?"

"Only if she thinks it's safe to try. Even if the waitstaff isn't directly involved with Cobblepot's criminal dealings, we don't want her losing her cover over a more senior staff member thinking she's trying to replace her."

"I'll let her know to use her best judgement."

"What about Nygma's friends, any luck there yet?"

"No. Flass is as dirty as they come, but he's one of Leob's top guys. We can't get close to ask any prying questions without drawing too much attention to our agents and sending a hundred red flags through the system. Leading theory is they've decided Nygma could be useful to their operation and are laying on the charm so he starts rolling in the mud willingly."

"Any chance of getting a plant into their group just to be sure?"

"Give it a few months and maybe. They're very closed off. Only invite someone new to get drinks with them once in a blue moon and only if they've done something to catch the attention of one of them."

"How'd Nygma get on their radar, then? He's been at Central for years and nothing until this past, what was it?"

"December. About a month or so before Nygma started having problems with money. Related only in that it got him to the Lounge for the first time. Nygma was never a barfly before he started hanging out with Flass's group."

"No chance Leob's men set him up?"

"Nah. Leob and Cobblepot have a mutual understanding. They avoid stepping in each other's business so business stays good. They don't like each other, but neither want to stir the pot enough to start something. They've established a very clear line so they can avoid crossing it."

"Alright. So, how did Nygma catch their attention?"

"That's still being determined. There's a surprising amount of rumors about that floating around Central. Nygma's largely forgettable, but was often joked about. Quite often by Flass's cronies. Now they defend him if anyone but someone in their group decides to say something off-color about him. It's gotten people talking. Just not enough to get anything definitive."

"Continue working on that, but don't make it a priority. Anything with Leob is GCPD Internal Affairs' concern, not ours."

"Anything come in yet from the bugs in Nygma's place?"

"Nothing usable. The guy listens to the radio, tells himself riddles, narrates what he's doing here and there, usually when cooking, and will sometimes go over case notes aloud. Nothing incriminating and nothing related to whatever's going on with him and his finances. We've only had the bugs in place for a few days though. Give it time, I'm sure we'll get something. We always do."

"I know. I just wish it would be enough to put Cobblepot away. We were so close to getting a break on Falcone and Maroni with their war starting to escalate... and then this freak comes along and destroys them both and forces us to start over from scratch. A good two decades of investigation and work on our end and it takes a little less than a year for Cobblepot to make it next to worthless. I really don't want to have to put in another decade to take him down."

"All we need is a single break. Capone got taken down for tax evasion."

"If only we could be so lucky."