After saying rather tearful goodbyes and suspicious glances at Joker from Audrey, the purple Corvette was finally speeding away back toward the city, bouncing along the dirt roads. Jayde was just turning her head to gaze at her passing surroundings and hide her remaining tears when she felt Joker reach over to place his hand upside down in her lap for her to take. When she linked her fingers with his, he sighed, tightening his grip.
"So…did you ever have a special friend out here that you only went to for one thing?" he asked, glancing over at her as she turned her head to look up at him, confused.
"What?"
Joker sighed again, hanging his head slightly.
"A drug dealer, darling…a drug dealer…" he answered. "Ever have one of those?" Jayde laughed, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah, I had one. Right before I moved away." She paused, turning her head to look out the window. "I guess he never got the memo, 'cuz he still texts me asking if I need anything." Joker's lips thinned as he grinned. "Just weed though…right?" she asked, nodding when he replied.
"Uh…yeah…" he answered slowly, his eyes squinting slightly as his plan began to formulate more rapidly inside his brain. Jayde could tell he was thinking so she refrained from speaking until he continued. "Did he ever sell anything else?" She nodded again, now looking up at him.
"He used to have coke every now and then…but I never bought any or even tried it with him…" she went on more quietly, knowing Joker was no longer listening. "Coke kinda scares me." Surprisingly, he chuckled.
"Heh…Well, you kinda scare me." he murmured, grinning at the road in front of them. "Let's go back to the room and give your old pal a little ring, hm?"
The drive back to the small hotel was rather quiet, but Jayde didn't mind. She knew Joker was plotting something but honestly, she was a little weary of his plans. Hopefully, whatever he was planning would involve her at a minimum. However, the moment they stepped into the hotel room, Joker handed Jayde her phone again, turning to sit on top of the wooden table across from the bed.
"Ok, here's what ya do…" he began, holding out his hand with one finger extended. "First, ya call up your guy and ask him if he's still around." He flicked out another finger. "Then, ya ask him if he'll meet you for a twenty- bag, or a dub, if you will…" he rolled his eyes. "Then, make sure you find out what car he'll be driving and set up a meeting place…somewhere on the secluded side." When Joker had finished explaining, he leaned back on his hands on the table, grinning like the Cheshire cat.
"Then, my dear, let me handle the rest."
Before clicking through her contacts list, Jayde studied Joker for a second, wondering if Audrey would ever find out who her 'boyfriend' really was or if Jayde would ever just eventually tell her. Although, if news from Gotham failed to reach Billings, Montana, Jayde had a feeling Audrey would never know. It was becoming clear how Joker managed to kidnap and murder so many women and as Jayde watched him, she could remember her mother's words of wisdom and experience from being a judge. She had told her that the most ruthless killers, the most brilliant evil men in the world were often the most attractive, the most likeable and the most charming. This was their lure and it was obvious that Joker had by then mastered the art of deception. His voice was very smooth when he wanted it to be and his ability to say all the right things, the things she wanted to hear, was downright alarming.
"'Ello.." Finally came a deep voice from the other end that she recognized immediately. When she paused to make sure it was really him, the voice came again. "Who dis?"
"H-Hey, Nesto…" she began a little nervously, looking to Joker as he did the same to her from the table. "It's Jayde."
Another pause came after her response before the deep voice finally answered. "Oh, what up, girl. What's good?"
"Uh…" Jayde began, letting go of the phone when Joker reached over quickly, glancing down at the screen to turn on the speaker phone before he set it back in her lap. "I was just wondering if you were still around and had anything."
"Yeah, come through. You need a twenty?" the dealer asked and as Jayde looked over at Joker, he nodded until she replied 'yes'. Joker's grin expanded into a massive, evil smile.
After they had set up a meeting place and found out the make and color of his car, Joker bustled around, loading a couple bullets into his gun, tucking knives into his jeans pockets, one in his sock and another in the waistline of his boxers. While Jayde watched him from the bed, she sighed, leaning over to lay on her side, propped up on her elbow.
"What makes you want to get this so bad?" she asked rather abruptly, looking up as he paused to buckle his belt.
"Honestly, I could care less if we get it or not, but personally, I would just rather be high for two days. The drive will go much faster, just wait." He answered, but paused at the door, looking back over expectantly at her until she stood up, following him.
"But do you even think we're getting enough for two days?" she asked again, looking down as they now bounced back down the stairs toward the purple Corvette. Joker chuckled from ahead of her, tossing his head slightly.
"Oh, trust me…We'll have enough."
When the car jostled out onto the street, Joker took a turn in the opposite direction from the meeting place and Jayde opened her mouth to say something. Joker cut across her, shaking his head.
"I know, I know, it's the other way. Just hold tight, tutz. We gotta make a stop first." He half-explained, leaning forward in the seat as he drove, peering into parking lots as they passed. At this point, Jayde had learned well enough that Joker did not enjoy being questioned, so she sat in silence, curiously watching the road for quite some time until he pulled off, passing a long parking lot to the left of them once they had turned. Jayde noticed a parked police car sitting toward the back, waiting for potential speeders-by.
However, Joker did not stop here but merely pulled behind the parking lot on the other side of the strip, shopping plaza, parking the car before he turned to her.
"Alright, here's what I want you to do…" he began, turning off the headlights. "I want you to get in the driver's seat and pull back around to the side of this building until you can see the cop car. But don't move until I walk around to the parking lot. As soon as you can't see me anymore, pull around."
After he had explained all this, Jayde sat there with her mouth hanging open, but Joker made it obvious that he was not ready to explain it again and got out of the car, sliding his gun into the back of his jeans, under his shirt, walking toward the corner to go around into the parking lot. She watched him through the window, sliding slowly across the center of the car until she settled into the driver's seat and adjusted it to her height, still watching his shadowed figure stalking along the edge of the building.
It was incredibly dark outside, which was making tough work of watching Joker in his black shirt and dark jeans but the moment she was unable to see him at all anymore, she obeyed his orders and began to slowly follow in the car until she could just see the cop car and the Joker approaching it from behind. Jayde's stomach clenched up when she suddenly realized where he might be going with this but still she watched, intrigued. Reaching across, she rolled the passenger window down slowly, straining to hear.
The deeper notes in Joker's voice were the only ones she could distinguish although she still could not tell what he was saying. However, it appeared that he had knocked on the police officer's window, apparently asking for some sort of help. The next moments happened incredibly fast and Jayde watched in near horror as the police officer opened the door to his cruiser just a crack, only for Joker to wrench it open and drag the poor man out and around to the back of the car. Her jaw fell open as she watched Joker practically sit on top of the officer, pulling the registered Gloc from it's place on his belt before his hand, complete with chloroform soaked rag, went over his mouth, knocking him unconscious instantly.
From a distance, it looked as though Joker was stripping the man of his uniform but after a couple blinks, Jayde realized that it was exactly what Joker was doing. With the officer now in his undershirt and boxers, Joker lifted him from the ground the best he could and tossed him haphazardly into the trunk before climbing into the driver's seat with the uniform in hand. She could see him moving around in the glow of the police computer screen but it wasn't until he got back out to retrieve his knife, dressed in the uniform, did Jayde finally realize what he was going to do.
"Oh my god…" she mumbled, pushing the car back into drive to go and meet him at the edge of the parking lot as the police cruiser drove over with Joker behind the wheel. She could hear him laughing before he even rolled down the window.
"Joker!" she cried hoarsely. "What the hell are you doing?!"
"Well, I'm about to rob your pal 'Nesto!" he answered with a huge grin, dramatically straightening the officer's silver badge over the lapel. Jayde watched him tie his hair back, unsure of where to even begin trying to argue him out of this. "Go to the hotel and wait until I call you." This was all he said before the window rolled back up and the tail lights of police car number 97 sped off in front of her and disappeared down the main street. Jayde sighed heavily, glancing around before she followed hesitantly.
Joker watched behind him for a ways, making sure Jayde was taking the right turns to go back to the hotel and once satisfied that she was obeying him, he turned his attention back to the road. Ernesto had promised to meet Jayde along the back side of a small movie theatre in the dumpy part of town in a black Cadillac CTS. He had also told her to look for the red sticker placed on the back window…so Joker had his eyes peeled. The radio inside the car kept going off with all the talk from the other officers but he ignored it, his eyes now trained on the back of a black Cadillac he had spotted a couple cars in front of him.
The sticker, true enough, had been stuck on the back corner of the window so as soon as the light turned green, Joker reached out, punching the button that triggered the loud sirens and lights. The powerful engine beneath the hood roared as Joker stepped on the gas, speeding up to cut around the cars before him until he was just behind the Cadillac. It slowed immediately, forcing quiet giggles from Joker as they pulled off the road and into the movie theatre parking lot.
Upon applying the uniform just a few minutes prior, Joker had replaced the police issued Gloc with his fifty-caliber Desert Eagle and was now stroking it lovingly as he paused for effect before climbing out to look around. They were completely alone in the dark corner of this parking lot; the conditions could not have been more perfect. The handcuffs on the back of the police utility belt jingled as Joker strode toward the driver's window casually
Having adopted the officer's cocky attitude, Joker placed a hand on the top of his gun haughtily as Nesto rolled down the window, looking guilty as hell.
"You know why I pulled you over?" he asked deeply, arching an eyebrow as he peered down into the car pretentiously. It was taking a lot to keep from laughing; Joker loved playing 'cops'.
"Uh…No, I wa-n't doin' nothin' wrong, sir." Nesto replied a bit shakily as Joker backed up a step, looking along the length of the car suspiciously.
"Go ahead and step out for me." he replied, playing his part perfectly as he wagged a finger at the young guy, motioning for him to get out of the car. "Any…uh…illegal substances in the car?" he asked again as Nesto got out slowly, shrugging his shoulders.
"Nah, man." he answered, but blinked furiously as Joker suddenly shined a flashlight in his eyes, peering at his pupils.
"I think you're lying." Joker immediately stated, placing his hand on the young man's shoulder to turn him around. "Hands back here, guy."
"Man, this is fucked up. I'm calling my lawyer the second we get-…" he grumbled as Joker linked the handcuffs around both of his wrists. Joker cut him off, shoving him into the backseat of the cop car rather forcefully before slamming the door in his face.
With his flashlight out, Joker opened the back door to the car and found immediately what he had been hoping for. A small, black duffle bag sat innocently on the backseat and upon opening it, Joker grinned. Inside, sat a gallon zip-loc bag full of marijuana, on top of which sat a smaller baggie of white powder. He laughed, taking the bag to turn and hold it up. Nesto had been watching intently through the window and was now cussing loudly behind the plated glass when he saw what the 'officer' had found.
After closing the doors to the car, Joker climbed back into the police car's driver seat and laughed as he set the bag in the seat next to him.
"So you were lying to me." Joker began, peering back at him over his shoulder through the metal grates. "That's alright. I was lying to you too. I'm not a police officer." He explained cheerfully, pushing the car back into drive to pull onto the main street. A pause came from the back seat.
"What? Seriously? So let me go, man! Shit, what do you want? You can take all that shit with you, just let me go." Ernesto argued, sitting up further in the seat to press his cheek against the grates. "Seriously-"
Joker shook his head adamantly, laughing. "No, see…I'm a good guy, Nesto, I really am. So…" He paused, glancing back with a sinister grin. "I am gonna take your shit, but I'm also gonna do a little…good deed for the boys in blue...."
For nearly ten minutes, Ernesto pleaded with Joker, who texted Jayde to come pick him up on the steps of the county courthouse, through the metal mesh, frantically looking out through the window at his surroundings until the cop car pulled up in front of a large building marked 'Billings County Courthouse'.
"Ah, no way, man!" Nesto immediately cried as Joker got out, taking the baggie of cocaine, worth about ten years of jail time, around to the back seat where the dealer was seated. "Are you fuckin' serious, man?!" he was yelling, backing up to the other side of the car while Joker opened the door, taking a tiny pin from the hem of the officer's uniform.
"Shhh…Shhh…" Joker consoled, leaning completely inside the car, to snatch a handful of Nesto's shirt and drag him closer. "Listen…" he instructed, holding up a finger while both silenced. Just under the sound of the engine, Nesto and Joker could hear yelling and thumps coming from the trunk behind them. While Joker's lips spread into a massive grin, Nesto's eyes widened. "See? You aren't alone. Officer Brady is back there with ya." Joker went on to explain nonchalantly while he pinned the bag of coke to Nesto's shirt. "Besides, I'm sure a couple officers will be out here in the morning to uh…assist you inside." With another flash of his crazed grin, Joker reached back in the front seat for the big bag of weed before he flipped on the flashing lights and trotted down the steps with the duffle bag over his shoulder toward the rumbling, waiting Corvette.
The entire ride back to the hotel, Jayde tried not to flat out bitch at Joker for robbing Nesto and stealing a police car but she definitely made it known that she was not thrilled with the plan he arranged.
"We did not have to do all that. It would have been so much easier to just meet him and give him more money for however much that is." She argued lightly, not wanting to make Joker mad, although he seemed very pleased with himself at the moment. He giggled, running his hand through his hair after he had taken the hair tie out.
"Yeah, but that was so much fun."
Author's Note: GUYS!!!! I am so sorry about the longest wait ever but I promise the next one is coming much much sooner. I've already got some of it written. So leave your thoughts and comments and to everyone who is still with this story, thank you! Oh, and I've got the ending alllll figured out and I think everyone will be really pleased……
