Meeting Mary
On their next free weekend, after some more sleuthing, Dick and Barbara made a trip to Snug Cay's Most Beautiful Hiking Trails. Close by the adjoined parking lot, a couple of rental cabins were scattered along the edge of the woods, not too far from the summer camp at which Mary Wallmer used to work as a counselor in her highschool years.
"It's actually quite pretty here," Dick commented when he got out of the car, eyes roaming over the nearly empty parking lot with its big map sign detailing its various hiking trails. Well-marked entries into the woods lining the three sides of the parking lot invited visitors to go for a walk.
"Mhm," Barbara murmured absent-mindedly, rummaging the backseat of the car for their jackets and backpacks, filled with snacks, bottles of water and a map of the area - props to give them the inconspicuous looks of a couple out for a hike.
She handed Dick his stuff, then put on her own gear.
"Maybe we should consider actually coming here for a hike at another time," Dick suggested conversationally, while Barbara re-checked the most recent location of Redhorn's son - product of her latest digital scavenger hunt - with the positions of the cabins on her map.
"You mean when we're not tracking down a potential witness that could help us topple the entire system of corruption of a city?" Barbara replied drily, packing the map away.
She pointed east, towards the side of the woods that was closer to the bay, "Cabin 7 is over there."
Hands in his pockets, Dick started to walk leisurely in the direction Barbara had pointed, a cheeky grin on his lips: "I guess that would be more convenient, sure."
Barbara rolled her eyes, then slipped her arm into his: "Let's sort this thing out first, shall we?"
Dick's expression lost it's cheerful air and smoothed into a more serious one.
"Right, let's go over our approach again:" he agreed, now focussing on the task at hand, while they were heading towards their destination, "We're a couple that went out for a hike and when we wanted to head home, realized that our car wouldn't start. Unfortunately, both of our phones don't have any reception out here so we're now stuck wandering around, trying to find someone who would let us use their phone."
He looked at Barbara for confirmation.
The redhead nodded: "Exactly."
"And you really think that all this deception is necessary? It's not exactly inspiring trust once we tell her the actual reason why we're here."
Barbara let out a sigh.
"I know, I know," she admitted, deflated, "but I think we won't be able to get a foot in the door otherwise - everything she thought she knew turned out to be a lie; the person she had trusted the most turned out to be in the thick of the scheming and corruption that's been ailing Blüdhaven for the longest time… Would you trust a pair of strange cops who claim to have come to help you and contend that they have a plan for bringing down said corrupted system that has permeated seemingly every nook and cranny of the 'Haven's society, including the sphere of your own home?"
She let the picture she'd painted hang in the air, then shook her head sadly.
"No," she said grimly, answering her own question, "I don't think she'd hear us out if we presented our case to her, straightforward. She'd only grow more terrified and slam the door in our faces…"
"Leaving her more afraid for her life and her son's without listening to our offer to help them out, most likely causing Mary to try even harder to go into hiding," Dick supplied, finishing Barbara's thought.
"Mhm."
Dick let out a sigh, unable to argue with his girlfriend's logic: "Fine, initial deception it is… Oh, look," he exclaimed, pointing to a wooden cabin which was hidden away off-trail, almost entirely concealed by the grouping of fir trees lining the path, "that's got to be it!"
Barbara consulted the geolocation marker on her phone she had created based on the online activity of Redhorn Jr. (even though the teenager had refrained from posting anything on his social media accounts, he still had been watching YouTube videos via his phone, which Barbara had used to backtrack his and his mother's whereabouts): "I think you're right."
They left the larger path along which the cabins were scattered and followed the narrow trail covered in crushed rocks and fir needles. They discovered the wooden sign marking the wooden cabin at the end of the trail to be number 7; it had been completely obscured by the low, thick branches of the fir trees.
"So this is it?"
"Gotta be - the GPS coordinates match the location at which Redhorn's son liked a video about three hours ago."
In the shade of the cabin, Dick noticed a red toyota with a familiar looking license plate: "Hey, that's Mary's car, isn't it?"
Apparently, all their prep hadn't been for naught: "Yes it is."
"Alright, so this is it… You ready?"
Barbara took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for the task at hand.
"I'm ready. You?"
She caught Dick's eye and saw the determined look on his face.
"As ready as I'll ever be."
Together, they climbed up the three stairs to the cabin's porch and knocked softly at the door.
They heard the sound of shuffling of feet behind the door, but no one answered it.
"Hello, is anyone there?" Barbara asked in a tentative voice.
Then, the door opened slightly and revealed a frightened blue eye which nervously examined the two young adults lingering on the porch.
Having discussed during their car ride that it would probably best if she took the lead early on (assuming that Mary would probably perceive a woman as less threatening), it was Barbara who addressed their supposed stranger in a friendly, if slightly embarrassed manner:
"Oh, hi! We're so sorry to disturb you, but my boyfriend and I just returned from our hike around these parts - only to discover that our car won't start and neither of us have any reception on our cellphones; may we use your phone to call roadside assistance? That would be incredibly helpful."
The wary expression on what had been visible of Mary's face had dissipated by the time Barbara had reached the end of her prepared speech and the door was opened fully now, revealing an unassuming woman of 5'2'' and stocky build. Her blonde (probably dyed) hair was wavy, about shoulder-length, and framed a round, open face. Faint lines around eyes and mouth indicated her age to be around forty.
"Oh you poor things!" the middle-aged woman exclaimed emphatically, any hint of her previous mistrust completely vanished, "Of course you can use the phone here! Come in!"
And with that, Mary stepped aside, motioning for the two strangers to enter the cabin.
It wasn't difficult to see how Redhorn had managed to conceal his wrongdoings from his wife for so long - she was downright guileless.
To be honest, Barbara couldn't help but be surprised that Redhorn's thugs hadn't found Mary yet - once they had, it would have been all too easy for them to take a hold of her; it was probably for the best that Mary had sold the house of her deceased parents before she had stumbled upon the evidence of her husband's criminal activities - this way, she couldn't seek refuge in her childhood home even if feeling tempted to do so… and Barbara wasn't all that convinced that Mary was cunning enough to have recognized that as a bad move on her part.
While Barbara was reflecting on the naivety of their potential informant, Dick engaged with Mary in idle small talk, making introductions, thanking her for her kindness and answering the many questions of the talkative and curious woman, such as where they were from and what had led them here?
"We are from Gotham City," Dick explained, elaborating on the narrative he and Barbara had prepared beforehand (which wasn't based completely on lies), "We've been meaning to take a break from the city for some time and decided to check out the hiking trails of Snug Cay - which definitely deserve their positive reviews online! Too bad our trip had to end with car trouble," he concluded with a grimace so believable and sympathetic, Barbara would have been convinced of his story if she didn't know any better. A born performer, indeed.
"Such bad luck!" Mary exclaimed empathetically. "But don't you worry, we will get this fixed in no time! Let me show you to the phone; I think there should also be some brochures of nearby businesses and a phone book…"
She led Dick and Barbara to a small end table in a semi-secluded corner in the hallway next to the entrance door. Three doors lined the hallway wall; muffled yells of excitement sounded from behind the one closest to them.
"Don't mind that," Mary said nervously, giving a strained smile, "my son is not a nature lover such as you two - he prefers to play on his phone or gameboy or whatever it is called."
"Ah, I'm familiar with the kind," Dick nodded knowingly, "I've got a teen brother who is very much into gaming."
He gave Mary one of his disarming smiles: "How old is your son?"
"Thirteen."
Dick grinned: "Yeah, the wonders of nature don't particularly score with that demographic."
Mary let out a laugh, then opened the drawer of the end table that contained the phone book and brochures.
"You should be able to find some number of a road assistance service in here."
Thinking that it might be for the best to give Dick a little more time to build a rapport with Mary, which hopefully were to improve their chances of being heard out later, Barbara took the stack of papers out of Mary's hands.
"Thank you so much," she said warmly to the older woman. Then, after exchanging a meaningful glance with Dick, she motioned at the phone: "I'll take care of it."
"Sure thing," he replied, his expression letting Barbara know he understood her silent message.
"We'll leave you to make your call," Mary responded kindly before addressing Dick: "Would you like something to drink, Richard?"
He smiled: "That would be great, thank you."
While she was looking up the name of a local car mechanic (just in case) and pretended to make a call, Barbara could hear the other two engage in a friendly chat with one another.
By the time Barbara made her way back into the main room, she found Dick and Mary sitting in the living room, with Mary comfortably seated on the couch and Dick occupying one of the arm chairs. The blonde woman was grilling Dick about his private life.
"You two make such a gorgeous couple! How did you two meet?"
"Um, we first met each other at work, actually. We got assigned partners."
"How fortuitous! If you don't mind me asking, Richard, what do you do for a living?"
"Um,..-"
Barbara could tell that Dick was starting to sweat a little, so she made her move to intervene.
"Ah, there you are!" Mary exclaimed happily when she noticed Barbara return from her 'phone call', "Did you get everything sorted out?"
"Oh yes, someone will come over soon."
"Wonderful!" Mary responded smilingly, "Is there anything else I can do to help, my dear?"
Barbara directed a meaningful at Dick and carefully sat down in the other empty armchair: "Actually, yes, there is one more thing…"
The helpful older woman nodded attentively, ready to help. Barbara felt a little bad for what she was about to do; still, this was in Mary's best interest as well as theirs.
"You see," Barbara began, her voice dropping into a hushed tone,"we know about your husband and the social calendars you've kept all these years - We think that they could help us with our cause."
At that, Mary blanched and a panicked look appeared on her face, her eyes nervously flickering over to the door of the room her son was currently occupying.
"We're not here to hurt you!" Dick was quick to add, "We can help you, offer you protection - get you and your son far away from the 'Haven and your husband's influence, so you guys are safe."
The poor blindsided woman twitched anxiously, as if she wanted to get up and run, but froze when Barbara moved to get something from the inside of her jacket.
It took Barbara a few seconds to realize what Mary must have suspected.
"Don't be afraid, I'm not-" she began hastily, before breaking off. She then slowly, carefully, produced her badge and ID from the inside pocket of her jacket, putting them down on the couch table, right in front of Mary. Dick followed her example with equally cautious and measured movements.
"Here," Barbara gestured at the evidence laid out in front of Mary,"the two of us are officers at the BPD; but we are from Gotham, originally. We have nothing to do with Blüdhaven's corrupt elite," she explained calmly, while the older woman's gaze fluttered nervously between the ID cards on the table and the two officers seated next to her.
"Barbara's father helped clean up the corrupt police force in Gotham," Dick further supplied, "and we want to do the same in the 'Haven."
Mary didn't say anything; the poor woman only looked frightened.
"We have found a few officers who have the same goal," Dick continued to explain in a composed voice, "and we are now building up a case against all the corrupt politicians and police officials - including your husband."
Mary winced, her eyes now fixed firmly on her knees.
"It would be very helpful for our case if you could give us those notebooks you've kept all these years," Barbara went on, "regardless of whether you'd be willing to testify against your husband or not."
"You don't have to do either of those things, of course," Dick hastened to reassure Mary, who at last dared to cast a tentative look in his direction, "for now, it is much more important to keep you and your son safe."
"Exactly," Barbara nodded fervently. She noticed that Mary seemed marginally calmer than before, appearing to be listening intently.
"We know that your husband has involved some of his people to look for you two," Dick said gently, "and frankly, a lot of his cronies have some very worrisome reputations."
"And this is where we come in," Barbara jumped in, "I know some people at the FBI who can help you get out of the reach of the criminals that have been running Blüdhaven as of yet."
She handed Mary two business cards. Clammy hands gripped the cards tightly.
"Here are the contacts of the two agents that can help you. I have worked with them before on a case of corruption in Blüdhaven; they passed the background checks I conducted on them to ensure that they are not connected to any Blüdhaven elite with flying colors - they are trustworthy."
Mary looked at Barbara with big eyes; the business cards still in a vice grip.
"I… I don't know-"
Dick gave Mary a reassuring smile: "You don't have to decide right now."
"No, but you shouldn't wait too long," Barbara warned emphatically, "If we can find you here, it's only a matter of time until your husband or his cronies will figure out a way to find you, too."
"I… I don't know what to do," the poor woman stammered, distressed. She looked pleadingly from Dick to Barbara, as if waiting for them to tell her what to do.
Of course, that was not what they had come for.
"Ultimately, you will have to decide on your own what is best for you and your son - I know that all of this must be overwhelming and that we're just two random strangers that appeared out of nowhere," Dick said sympathetically, "You didn't ask to get dragged into this, you just want for you and your son to be safe-"
Mary nodded energetically, "Yes!"
"We can't tell you what to do - You have to be the judge on which course of action you want to take," Barbara stressed.
Averting her eyes again, Mary only nodded meekly.
"Personally," Dick mused aloud, causing Mary to look up again "I'd say your safest bet is to call these numbers," he tapped the business cards Mary was still clutching tightly, "These FBI agents will get the two of you out of here, someplace safe."
Mary's lips parted as if wanting to say something - but in the end, she only pressed them together and fiddled nervously with the cards in her hands.
Dick exchanged a telling look with Barbara, who pulled out a burner phone and put it on the table.
"Here, take this," Barbara said, "there is one number saved in there - it's to a safe line which only Dick and I can access; it can't be traced. This way, you will always be able to reach us - if there's anything you think we can help you with - call that number."
This gesture seemed to finally have broken the dam. With a trembling hand, Mary reached for the phone, staring at Dick and Barbara with teary eyes.
"Is this real?" Mary asked in a quiet, shaky voice.
"This is real."
"And… And it's not a trick?"
Dick gave an encouraging smile: "It's not a trick. I promise."
A brief pause followed, then: "Okay."
They went over the particulars again, making sure that Mary would know what to expect when reaching out to Barbara's contacts at the FBI. Once they had settled everything, Mary brought up the one thing that still remained unresolved:
"And… And the notebooks?"
Barbara cocked her head to the side, a friendly smile on her face: "What do you want to do with them?"
Mary fiddled nervously with the phone in her hands.
"I don't know, I just- I just want to be rid of them, I suppose," she said, sounding tired. She sighed deeply.
"You want them, I assume?"
"It would be useful for the case we're building," Barbara admitted honestly, "but if you don't want us to use them in our case, you don't have to hand them over."
There was a long pause while Mary was mulling over it.
"No, you should have them," she mused,"I think that's why I took them with me in the first place - I knew that they were valuable evidence, I just didn't know what to do with it… Or maybe I wasn't ready to admit to myself that - that my husband is a criminal."
Gently, Dick put a reassuring hand on Mary's shoulder.
"We're sorry."
"No, it's fine, I'm fine," Mary said shakily, making a dismissive gesture before getting up from the couch, "I'll go get them."
The blonde woman hurried away into the hallway and disappeared behind the door furthest away. Dick and Barbara could hear the clunking of a floor board being moved and scraping noises. Soon after, Mary returned, three small black pocket calendars in hand: "Take them."
Barbara took the unassuming, but invaluable notebooks and stowed them safely away in her backpack.
She smiled warmly at Mary: "Thank you."
Suddenly, the other door in the hallway opened and a skinny boy of thirteen shuffled out. "Hey Mom, when's dinner- who are you guys?"
The teenager stopped short, eyeing the two strangers suspiciously.
"Alex!" Mary exclaimed, jumping up from her seat on the couch. She quickly regained her composure, though: "These are Richard and Barbara, they went hiking in the woods but then had car trouble and no reception - they asked to use the phone to call for some help."
The teen regarded Dick and Barbara with narrowed eyes. Barbara had the slightest inkling that Alex was by far not as unaware of their precarious situation as his mother might assume.
"I thought I heard some knocking about, like, an hour ago."
The boy cast a challenging look at the two 'visitors', but Dick just countered smoothly: "We had to wait until they could send a mechanic, chatted for a bit and lost track of time."
As she gathered up their backpacks and jackets, Barbara added: "I'm sure someone from Larry's should arrive at any minute."
"Oh yes! You should get going, it would be awful if you missed the mechanic!"
"Yeah… Plus, we wouldn't want to delay your family dinner any more," Dick remarked brightly, winking at Alex as the three adults made their way to the front door. The boy seemed to loosen up a little, although his eyes remained alert.
At the door, Barbara seized the opportunity to express her gratitude: "Thank you so much , Mary, you saved our day."
The older woman blushed.
"Don't mention it," she responded humbly, "I'm just glad I could be of service. And… And I'm really glad I got to talk with you two."
Dick gave an affectionate nod.
"Take care."
Mary smiled brightly.
"You, too! I hope everything works out well… with your car."
"Thanks!"
Dick and Barbara said their good-byes and followed the path back to the car, leaving cabin 7 behind. They didn't exchange a single word on the way back.
Once they had entered the car, Barbara finally looked at Dick, a big smile on her face. She felt dazed and utterly exhilarated at the same time.
"I think… I think we've done it?"
She was met with a wide smile that matched her own:
"We've done it!"
Notes:
Nightwing #71-74: This is entire chapter is very loosely based on this story arc. Basically, Dick learns that some of Blockbuster's goons are trying to get to Mary because of the meticulously kept social calendars she has in her possession and wants to protect her - which leads to a chase to some of Europe's most famous cities (Rome, Paris, and London). For this story I decided that Mary's hiding spot would be less extravagant and instead some place familiar to her, somewhere she had felt safe before. In the comics Dick also tries talking to her in full Nightwing gear, but Mary is too frightened to hear him out; Babs is the one to point out that Dick Grayson might stand a better chance to get to chat with Mary than a masked vigilante - here, Babs gets to intervene a lot sooner (she is more practical and efficient than Dick in that way, I think). While Babs deals with their task at hand in a more pragmatic way, I decided to have Dick be the one who is better at quickly building rapport with Mary - this way, they make the perfect team to get the job done (technical skills/logistics + people skills)
Oh, and I decided to name Mary's son Alex because comicvine states Chief Redhorn' name to be "Francis Alexander", although I can't recall for the life of me where that name ever appeared (the only times I remember Redhorn's first name being mentioned, it was always "Delmore" ¯\_(ツ)_/¯