The Batman Casefiles
#5: Cleaning Up
October 5, 2003.
Last week, I broke into Acting Commissioner Luke McGuinness' office, and found the file that detailed his case against Assistant Commissioner Gordon. The charge is misconduct in a case that Gordon and the late Commissioner Nelson were leading against a hitman named Nick Atkins. Atkins killed someone with a sniper rifle; police found the bullet at the scene of the crime, and traced it back to Atkins through ballistics testing. However, Acting Commissioner McGuinness claims that the bullet was from a different weapon, and that ballistics testing was fabricated. He charges that everyone who claims to have been involved in the ballistics test is part of a conspiracy to frame Nick Atkins.
"I don't believe you, Commissioner," the District Attorney said, glaring at McGuinness.
"The evidence is all here, Mr. Dent," McGuinness responded calmly. "Clear as the nose on your face."
"It doesn't seem very clear to me. I mean, as much as you can cry 'conspiracy,' people just don't make up ballistics tests. And why would all these people fabricate this evidence against Atkins?"
"Do
you know what Nick Atkins used to do for a living?"
D.A. Dent sighed, starting to see where McGuinness was going with the
question. "He was a policeman."
"Yeah. Let me draw your attention to another former cop. I'm sure you remember Mel Slocum?"
"Yeah, I was the prosecutor in that lowlife's trial."
"Then you know that 'lowlife' was found innocent. The evidence against him was just too thin."
"Or maybe Tony Zucco just used crooked legal wrangling and PR to get him off!"
"Or maybe not," McGuinness said, happy that Dent was losing his temper and he himself was in control. "I believe that these two cases are linked, that the police force as a whole has decided to seek vengeance against these two innocent men. And the evidence backs me up. All Gordon has on Atkins is a bullet that doesn't even match his gun. Do you call that legal wrangling? I don't. I call it lack of evidence and Criminal Misconduct. Now, are you going to conduct the trial against Gordon to the best of your abilities or…" McGuinness stopped, drawing it out.
"Or what?" Dent snarled, "You'll say I'm part of the conspiracy?"
"Are you?"
"Of course not! There is no conspiracy."
"I say there is. And if you want to be the District Attorney much longer, you'd better do your job."
"I'll do my job, McGuinness," Dent said, ignoring the title of Commissioner. "But my job involves finding the truth. I think you're hiding something, and just because it's my job to prosecute James Gordon for you doesn't mean I won't do all I can to find it."
Shortly after I broke into McGuinness' office, Assistant Commissioner Gordon
was arrested. He posted bail almost
immediately, but his arrest was enough to get Nick Atkins out, for the time at
least. McGuinness can't hold up this
three-ring circus much longer. It's
obvious to me that he simply took the real evidence against Atkins and probably
has it hidden somewhere. Once it's
found, everything will come crashing down on him.
McGuinness picked up the phone after only one ring. He knew who it was.
"McGuinness, I thought I told you to speed this thing up. Why hasn't Gordon's case gone to trial? You shouldn't have let him post bail, either."
"Yes, Sir, I know, Sir, but there are some things that are just out of my control."
"Don't let this get out of your control, McGuinness," Zucco said, his tone that of a cold threat. "Are you sure that no one will find what you concealed?"
"Yes. Gordon's evidence is hidden in the false
bottom of my desk."
"You fool!" Zucco yelled. "Don't say it
out loud. Anyone could be
listening! Don't blow this, do your
hear me?"
"Yes, Sir. I've got it under control,
Sir. Don't worry about it."
"You're the one that would have cause to worry if you fail, McGuinness."
Zucco is right; anyone could be listening. Like the Batman, for instance. When I broke into McGuinness' office, I bugged his office and his phone line. I heard the entire conversation. That was the only mistake necessary to bring the case against Gordon down. All I have to do is get this information to the right person.
Continued…
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