He put his head heavily against the steering wheel and sighed. His skull
was on fire. It felt like there were little men inside of it; all of them
kicking in tandem. He didn't want to get involved. He didn't want to be
part of whatever craziness Huntress had gotten herself into.
Of course it was all entirely too late for that.
By giving her refuge at his apartment he was aiding and abetting a fugitive. Illegal in most states. By not telling his comrades where she was, he was obstructing justice. Not a good idea for a cop. By covering for her, he was getting personally involved. Just a plain bad idea.
He was too close.even he knew that. He actually gave a damn what happened to her. For some reason or another.
"Detective Reese," a soft voice said from the window. Too low to be really alarming but he felt his body arch a bit just the same. He looked up and into the eyes of a tall blonde girl. He blinked; he could swear that he had met the girl before.
"Dinah Redmond," she said by way of introduction. "The case with the suicides that weren't."
"Right," he said nodding. "How could I forget?" How indeed, it had been during that case that he had met the mysterious Huntress. Helena. He shook his head. That was still going to take some getting used to. "What.how can I help you?"
"Huntress," she replied. "We need to talk about Huntress."
His eyes practically popped. Finally he nodded, "Okay. Where?"
"Wherever she is," a woman said, coming from behind. It was a stunningly beautiful redhead sitting in a wheelchair. Her lithe body looked grotesquely out of place confined to the chair and all. The chair however looked to be a thing of scientific beauty.
Reese quickly shook his head. "No dice. I don't know where she is."
Barbara smiled. "You don't recognize my voice, do you Detective?"
He narrowed his eyes. "Should I?"
"Do me a favor and use the ring that is on your hand," she instructed,
He felt like a fool. Rubbing up a damn ring in public. Crazy. Just the same, he did it. And almost immediately he heard a series of loud beeps. He looked up sharply at the redhead.
"You're the Voice?" he demanded, somehow more amazed than he would have liked to have been.
"I am."
"Wait a minute," Reese said, looking over at the passenger seat. Helena's file was sitting there. He picked it up and flipped it open. There was a news clipping in there. Something about a near fatal shooting. "You're Barbara Gordon aren't you? The lady who adopted her.
Barbara sighed, only mildly annoyed that her cover had been blown. "I am. That lady."
"Right," he said nodding. He looked around the side of his car, as if he were ensuring that there were no other cops in the vicinity. "Good.I have a lot of questions for you."
"Can they wait until we get to Helena?" Barbara asked, trying to keep her voice even. She had no burning desire to answer all of the good detectives long contemplated questions.
"Sure," he said. "We can do that. But I do want answers. " He lowered his voice. "I'm putting a lot on the line here and I'm not sure why."
Barbara touched his arm. "All in good time. Please, Detective?"
"Reese," he corrected. "You have a vehicle, no?"
Barbara nodded. "We'll be right behind you."
He sighed. "God, I hope so."
*****
She was sitting on his couch, staring at the blank television when she heard the lock of the door click over. She stood up abruptly and moved behind it so that she could see who was coming in before they saw her.
The door slid open slowly and Reese entered. She exhaled and visibly relaxed. Then she frowned. In his absence she had poached some of his clothes. Flannel pants and a gray tee with the word Yankees across the front. She rather hoped that he wouldn't decide to be irked by it. Really, she'd had no choice. Her clothes from the previous night had been dirty and slept in. Of course the advantage of wearing his threads was the smell. They smelled richly of him. And that was very good.
"Helena?" she heard. That wasn't Reese's voice.
"Oracle?" she said, blinking as she looked around the door.
And sure enough, both Barbara and Dinah were standing there. Looking like drowned rats. Well okay, that meant it was raining again. Wonderful.
"Oracle," Reese muttered, entering ahead of the two women. It only took seconds for his eyes to sweep Helena. "Nice," he said, probably a little more appreciatively than he should have. She offered him a smile, relieved that it hadn't pissed him off.
"Are you alright?" Barbara demanded, gliding over to her. She reached up to touch Helena's face, acting like she was looking for wounds.
Helena moved away. "I'm fine. What are you doing here?"
Barbara rolled her eyes, looking irritated. "You went off comm..I was worried."
"Sorry," Helena said, still moving around. She looked ancy, almost nervous.
Barbara caught her arm. "This is serious."
"I know that," Helena said quietly. She looked up at Reese. "You weren't supposed to bring the 'rents."
He shrugged. "Well, I could have brought the cops."
"What does that mean?" Helena asked, suddenly defensive. She had switched into a combative posture. Instinctively, Reese backed off a few inches.
"That means you're the chief suspect in a murder investigation," he snapped back. His nerves were on edge but he was in no mood to take attitude from her.
"What?" she exclaimed. "Are you nuts?"
"I dunno," he shot back. "I'm actually trying to figure that out for myself. Give me one reason why I shouldn't haul your ass downtown."
"Because you couldn't," she retorted, still tense and ready for a fight.
He pulled out his gun.
"Woah!" Barbara cried out. "Hold on..everyone just take a deep breath."
"You are pushing your luck," Reese informed Helena. "And right now I'm on the line for you so you damn better give me a reason."
"Helena," Barbara said softly.
Huntress shot her a look. "Put the gun down. I've had about enough of you threatening to shoot me."
He shot her a look of amazement. "They really are brass aren't they?"
"Why Detective.why would you think something like that?" she drawled.
Their eyes locked for a long moment. Finally, reluctantly, he re-holstered his weapon. "Talk," he demanded.
"What about?"
"Falco. I want to know why Falco is dead."
"Because he deserves to be, " Helena replied. She looked over at Barbara who was giving her that oh so worried gaze. "What? Am I supposed to be sorry because a dirt-bag like Falco is dead?"
"No," Barbara said. "But you're fingerprints were found on the body."
"No," Helena said shaking her head. "No, no, no." She looked up at Reese. "You really think that of me?"
"We've talked about this," he replied. "I don't know what to think of you." He took a deep breath, "But no.I still don't think you're a killer."
"Good," she said, but didn't seem too eager to continue. She looked down at the ground and scuffed the carpet a bit with her foot.
"Helena," Reese said softly. "I need to understand. They have your prints on the body.unless you can get me going the right direction.there's going to be a full scale search for you by tonight's newscast."
"Have you seen him recently, Helena?" Barbara prompted, sliding her chair around so that she was next to the couch. Dinah had already seated herself.
She shrugged, still looking uncomfortable.
"That's not an answer," Oracle reminded her.
"I saw him a couple days ago. We argued. I bailed. That's it. I sure as hell didn't kill the son of a bitch." Then she smiled, a bit to herself. "It did cross my mind however." She frowned. "In that manner even."
"Did you happen to say this out loud?" Reese asked, reaching behind him. He stopped when he realized that his notepad was nowhere within reach.
Helena shrugged. "Probably. I don't know. Reese, I make a lot of threats" She continued scuffing the carpet, refusing to make any degree of eye contact.
"Look, I need you to take this seriously," Reese said.
"I am," she replied softly. "But I don't know what you want me to do? Cry for him? Care that he's dead? I can't do that." She looked sharply at Barbara. "And don't go starting with that whole we're the good guys and we never wish for death shit. He deserved it. He was a monster."
"What did he do to you?" Reese asked, his voice very low. He took a few steps towards her but wisely moved no further. She was already rattled; that much was obvious.
Helena waved him off. "Old news. I didn't kill him though. I saw him a few days ago.we argued and I bailed. Period."
"I'm gonna need more than that," Reese replied. "We still have your fingerprints."
"And I still didn't do it. You don't seem to be listening so well."
Reese felt his hand twitch, almost like it wanted to grab at his gun. This woman infuriated him at times. Yesterday she had been kissing him and he had had to be the one to push her away. Now she was doing the pushing. "I'm listening but I'm not hearing anything that I don't hear a hundred times a day while I'm grilling scumbags."
"So now I'm a scumbag?"
Reese shot a look over towards Barbara who was sitting, watching almost passively. Dinah was sitting on the couch looking uncomfortable. Like she wished she could be anywhere else.
"A little help here?" he asked.
Barbara sighed. "Helena.we believe you."
She laughed. "That's comforting.you believe me.because I told you I didn't do it. Barbara.you know me better than this."
"I also know you had a very bad relationship."
"And that he hurt you pretty bad," Reese added.
Helena snorted. "No one hurts me. Ever."
"That's funny, "Reese said, starting to get annoyed. "Because I have pictures." He reached into a folder that was sitting on the kitchen counter. "Would you like to see? Maybe it will jog your memory."
"You're an ass," she hissed. She started to move towards the window but seemed almost uncertain of it.
"I'm not trying to be," he protested. "Believe it or not, Huntress, I am just trying to help you."
"Helena, please.just talk to us," Barbara urged. She glanced over at Dinah and for half a second, she contemplated having the girl try to jump into Huntress's mind. It would be effective and the answers would come quickly. However Helena would likely never forgive her for the violation.
"Who is this guy? Why's he got you so freaked out?" Reese asked, sitting down on the arm of the couch.
Helena sighed. "Fine. Fine. Whatever." Then she looked around. "You got booze?"
Reese lifted an eyebrow. "Yeah."
She smiled almost sadly at him. "Get it then. I'm gonna need it."
TBC.
Of course it was all entirely too late for that.
By giving her refuge at his apartment he was aiding and abetting a fugitive. Illegal in most states. By not telling his comrades where she was, he was obstructing justice. Not a good idea for a cop. By covering for her, he was getting personally involved. Just a plain bad idea.
He was too close.even he knew that. He actually gave a damn what happened to her. For some reason or another.
"Detective Reese," a soft voice said from the window. Too low to be really alarming but he felt his body arch a bit just the same. He looked up and into the eyes of a tall blonde girl. He blinked; he could swear that he had met the girl before.
"Dinah Redmond," she said by way of introduction. "The case with the suicides that weren't."
"Right," he said nodding. "How could I forget?" How indeed, it had been during that case that he had met the mysterious Huntress. Helena. He shook his head. That was still going to take some getting used to. "What.how can I help you?"
"Huntress," she replied. "We need to talk about Huntress."
His eyes practically popped. Finally he nodded, "Okay. Where?"
"Wherever she is," a woman said, coming from behind. It was a stunningly beautiful redhead sitting in a wheelchair. Her lithe body looked grotesquely out of place confined to the chair and all. The chair however looked to be a thing of scientific beauty.
Reese quickly shook his head. "No dice. I don't know where she is."
Barbara smiled. "You don't recognize my voice, do you Detective?"
He narrowed his eyes. "Should I?"
"Do me a favor and use the ring that is on your hand," she instructed,
He felt like a fool. Rubbing up a damn ring in public. Crazy. Just the same, he did it. And almost immediately he heard a series of loud beeps. He looked up sharply at the redhead.
"You're the Voice?" he demanded, somehow more amazed than he would have liked to have been.
"I am."
"Wait a minute," Reese said, looking over at the passenger seat. Helena's file was sitting there. He picked it up and flipped it open. There was a news clipping in there. Something about a near fatal shooting. "You're Barbara Gordon aren't you? The lady who adopted her.
Barbara sighed, only mildly annoyed that her cover had been blown. "I am. That lady."
"Right," he said nodding. He looked around the side of his car, as if he were ensuring that there were no other cops in the vicinity. "Good.I have a lot of questions for you."
"Can they wait until we get to Helena?" Barbara asked, trying to keep her voice even. She had no burning desire to answer all of the good detectives long contemplated questions.
"Sure," he said. "We can do that. But I do want answers. " He lowered his voice. "I'm putting a lot on the line here and I'm not sure why."
Barbara touched his arm. "All in good time. Please, Detective?"
"Reese," he corrected. "You have a vehicle, no?"
Barbara nodded. "We'll be right behind you."
He sighed. "God, I hope so."
*****
She was sitting on his couch, staring at the blank television when she heard the lock of the door click over. She stood up abruptly and moved behind it so that she could see who was coming in before they saw her.
The door slid open slowly and Reese entered. She exhaled and visibly relaxed. Then she frowned. In his absence she had poached some of his clothes. Flannel pants and a gray tee with the word Yankees across the front. She rather hoped that he wouldn't decide to be irked by it. Really, she'd had no choice. Her clothes from the previous night had been dirty and slept in. Of course the advantage of wearing his threads was the smell. They smelled richly of him. And that was very good.
"Helena?" she heard. That wasn't Reese's voice.
"Oracle?" she said, blinking as she looked around the door.
And sure enough, both Barbara and Dinah were standing there. Looking like drowned rats. Well okay, that meant it was raining again. Wonderful.
"Oracle," Reese muttered, entering ahead of the two women. It only took seconds for his eyes to sweep Helena. "Nice," he said, probably a little more appreciatively than he should have. She offered him a smile, relieved that it hadn't pissed him off.
"Are you alright?" Barbara demanded, gliding over to her. She reached up to touch Helena's face, acting like she was looking for wounds.
Helena moved away. "I'm fine. What are you doing here?"
Barbara rolled her eyes, looking irritated. "You went off comm..I was worried."
"Sorry," Helena said, still moving around. She looked ancy, almost nervous.
Barbara caught her arm. "This is serious."
"I know that," Helena said quietly. She looked up at Reese. "You weren't supposed to bring the 'rents."
He shrugged. "Well, I could have brought the cops."
"What does that mean?" Helena asked, suddenly defensive. She had switched into a combative posture. Instinctively, Reese backed off a few inches.
"That means you're the chief suspect in a murder investigation," he snapped back. His nerves were on edge but he was in no mood to take attitude from her.
"What?" she exclaimed. "Are you nuts?"
"I dunno," he shot back. "I'm actually trying to figure that out for myself. Give me one reason why I shouldn't haul your ass downtown."
"Because you couldn't," she retorted, still tense and ready for a fight.
He pulled out his gun.
"Woah!" Barbara cried out. "Hold on..everyone just take a deep breath."
"You are pushing your luck," Reese informed Helena. "And right now I'm on the line for you so you damn better give me a reason."
"Helena," Barbara said softly.
Huntress shot her a look. "Put the gun down. I've had about enough of you threatening to shoot me."
He shot her a look of amazement. "They really are brass aren't they?"
"Why Detective.why would you think something like that?" she drawled.
Their eyes locked for a long moment. Finally, reluctantly, he re-holstered his weapon. "Talk," he demanded.
"What about?"
"Falco. I want to know why Falco is dead."
"Because he deserves to be, " Helena replied. She looked over at Barbara who was giving her that oh so worried gaze. "What? Am I supposed to be sorry because a dirt-bag like Falco is dead?"
"No," Barbara said. "But you're fingerprints were found on the body."
"No," Helena said shaking her head. "No, no, no." She looked up at Reese. "You really think that of me?"
"We've talked about this," he replied. "I don't know what to think of you." He took a deep breath, "But no.I still don't think you're a killer."
"Good," she said, but didn't seem too eager to continue. She looked down at the ground and scuffed the carpet a bit with her foot.
"Helena," Reese said softly. "I need to understand. They have your prints on the body.unless you can get me going the right direction.there's going to be a full scale search for you by tonight's newscast."
"Have you seen him recently, Helena?" Barbara prompted, sliding her chair around so that she was next to the couch. Dinah had already seated herself.
She shrugged, still looking uncomfortable.
"That's not an answer," Oracle reminded her.
"I saw him a couple days ago. We argued. I bailed. That's it. I sure as hell didn't kill the son of a bitch." Then she smiled, a bit to herself. "It did cross my mind however." She frowned. "In that manner even."
"Did you happen to say this out loud?" Reese asked, reaching behind him. He stopped when he realized that his notepad was nowhere within reach.
Helena shrugged. "Probably. I don't know. Reese, I make a lot of threats" She continued scuffing the carpet, refusing to make any degree of eye contact.
"Look, I need you to take this seriously," Reese said.
"I am," she replied softly. "But I don't know what you want me to do? Cry for him? Care that he's dead? I can't do that." She looked sharply at Barbara. "And don't go starting with that whole we're the good guys and we never wish for death shit. He deserved it. He was a monster."
"What did he do to you?" Reese asked, his voice very low. He took a few steps towards her but wisely moved no further. She was already rattled; that much was obvious.
Helena waved him off. "Old news. I didn't kill him though. I saw him a few days ago.we argued and I bailed. Period."
"I'm gonna need more than that," Reese replied. "We still have your fingerprints."
"And I still didn't do it. You don't seem to be listening so well."
Reese felt his hand twitch, almost like it wanted to grab at his gun. This woman infuriated him at times. Yesterday she had been kissing him and he had had to be the one to push her away. Now she was doing the pushing. "I'm listening but I'm not hearing anything that I don't hear a hundred times a day while I'm grilling scumbags."
"So now I'm a scumbag?"
Reese shot a look over towards Barbara who was sitting, watching almost passively. Dinah was sitting on the couch looking uncomfortable. Like she wished she could be anywhere else.
"A little help here?" he asked.
Barbara sighed. "Helena.we believe you."
She laughed. "That's comforting.you believe me.because I told you I didn't do it. Barbara.you know me better than this."
"I also know you had a very bad relationship."
"And that he hurt you pretty bad," Reese added.
Helena snorted. "No one hurts me. Ever."
"That's funny, "Reese said, starting to get annoyed. "Because I have pictures." He reached into a folder that was sitting on the kitchen counter. "Would you like to see? Maybe it will jog your memory."
"You're an ass," she hissed. She started to move towards the window but seemed almost uncertain of it.
"I'm not trying to be," he protested. "Believe it or not, Huntress, I am just trying to help you."
"Helena, please.just talk to us," Barbara urged. She glanced over at Dinah and for half a second, she contemplated having the girl try to jump into Huntress's mind. It would be effective and the answers would come quickly. However Helena would likely never forgive her for the violation.
"Who is this guy? Why's he got you so freaked out?" Reese asked, sitting down on the arm of the couch.
Helena sighed. "Fine. Fine. Whatever." Then she looked around. "You got booze?"
Reese lifted an eyebrow. "Yeah."
She smiled almost sadly at him. "Get it then. I'm gonna need it."
TBC.