Chapter 4:
They weren't friends.
No, they were just a group of kids on the run, trying to get by on the streets. It was her, Katie, Liam, and Chris. All of them agreed that they'd do whatever it takes not to go back to that hellhole.
Jessie was fourteen, living in Minnesota.
This particular day they were hanging out on the rooftop of a sleazy motel after Liam stole a handful of complimentary soap bars and shampoo bottles from the cart of some sleep-deprived maid while she was cleaning out a room. Chris was particularly good at picking locks and managed to get them inside one of the rooms where they took turns showering while the others kept watch. Not that the shower made much of a difference after they put on the same dirty clothes. But it's not like they could get new ones from the little change they got from good people either.
But still, a shower was a shower.
Now they were on the rooftop, wondering what to do and where to go next. Chris was standing on the ledge, staring out at the little town. Liam was on his back, staring at the sky. Katie was sitting next to her and pulled out a pack of Malboros from her worn backpack and took out two cigarettes. Jessie tried not to scowl at she stared at her judgmentally. Instead of using what little change they had to buy cigarettes, it would've been more useful to buy some food; no matter how small. Katie then held out one stick to her, catching her glare down at it.
"Don't be a pussy" Katie chastised, assuming she was cautious about smoking (which might've been partly true) and then shoved it in her hand before taking out a lighter.
Jessie sighed but didn't say anything as she reluctantly twirled the cigarette between her fingers after Katie lit it. Well, if they were going to die on the streets anyway, might as well enjoy what they can get. She pressed the other end to her mouth, inhaled, and almost immediately started coughing. It was the most disgusting thing she ever tasted.
"You'll get used to it" Katie exhaled, snickering at her as she blew smoke in the air like she's done it several times and pushed her strawberry-blonde hair over her shoulder.
"So, what now?" Liam asked from where he was lying down.
Chris put his hands on his hips and turned from where he was standing on the ledge. "I say we head the next state over" he announced.
All three of them gave him a look, but Jessie was the first to speak up. "Are you insane? We'll never make it that far. Cops are already looking for us, what makes you think we'll make it to the next state?"
Chris jumped down from the ledge. "That's why we need to travel fast. We'll hide and rest during the day and travel at night when's it harder to find us. Think about it, we'll change our looks and give it a year or two, the cops'll forget about us"
All four of them glanced at each other, like it was a silent poll and were waiting for someone to disagree.
Jessie disagreed but didn't say anything. She was tired of running. She didn't want the cops chasing her, but she refused to go back to that miserable place. It was obvious the others made up their minds and were going to go through with it. She inhaled the cigarette, coughing only slightly this time. She saw Katie chew on her bottom lip uncertainly but didn't bother asking what was on her mind.
Jessie pressed her head back against the wall and mulled over the things that've happened these past four months. When she thought about the life she wanted, she had entirely different things in mind…
A good job, a nice apartment, a doting boyfriend whose family loved her like she was one of their own, and a golden retriever that would always smother her with kisses…
Not this.
Not going from one hellhole to another, and then running away and being chased by the cops to put them back there. Jessie stared up woefully, almost wishing that everything she wanted would fall from the sky and into her lap. She sighed and stared at the clouds, taking a lazy drag of the cigarette and closed her eyes.
Was this it? Was this going to be the rest of her life?
Jessie sighed and opened her eyes as the hot water sprayed on her head, lathering the shampoo in her hair. Of all the old memories, why did she have to remember that one?
It wouldn't be for another two months after that day Katie would suddenly disappeared and the police 'coincidentally' found and separated them. She never heard or thought about Chris and Liam again. Not that she dwelled on it, she highly doubted they ever thought of her again either. Besides, what good did dwelling on the past ever do for her?
Dwelling on whatever fantasy life she wanted wasn't going to do her any good either, she learned that a long time ago. Golden retriever? Doting boyfriend? What a load of crap.
She was one stupid kid.
She shook her head vigorously, lifting her face to wash the soap off when the water stopped. Confused, she turned the knob several times, but all she received was a loud groan from inside the wall.
"What the…? Harley!" she shouted, ripping the plastic shower curtain away but got no answer. She hastily wrapped a towel around her wet body and stepped out of the shower.
Wrenching the door open, she stormed into the hallway and into the living room where Harley was watching the morning news, the headline: BATMAN STRIKES AGAIN: JONATHAN CRANE ARRESTED!
For a moment she was distracted by the blue-eyed former psychiatrist being pushed into the police car in handcuffs. Apparently Harley had worked with him at one point, but never mentioned him after it was known that he was involved with the incident that happened in the Narrows. A cold breeze against her wet skin made her quickly glance back at Harley.
"Harley, did you pay the water bill?" Jessie demanded.
"What? Of course, I paid the water…" she stopped and raised her eyebrows in shock at seeing Jessie soaking wet and wearing only a towel. "Er…" she mumbled, taken aback and then stood up with a frown, putting the remote on the counter and walked into the kitchen.
Jessie following close behind, her wet feet sticking on the carpet. Harley turned the sink's faucet only to have it groan loudly just like the shower and no rushing water.
"Shit, must be the piping. I'll call someone to fix it" she said, then glanced back at Jessie, still covered in soap and shampoo.
When Harley stared to snicker in her throat, Jessie narrowed her eyes. "Well I'm happy you're amused" she seethed sarcastically. It wouldn't have been so funny if she was the one standing naked in the kitchen and covered in soap.
"Oh, c'mon I'll help you out" she replied, grabbing a couple water bottles out of the case from the pantry.
Jessie felt utterly ridiculous as she bent her head over the sink as she and Harley tried to rinse the shampoo out of her hair, at the same time trying to keep it from touching the grimy sink. The water ran through her hair and down her forehead, she watched the shampoo and water swirl into the drain as Harley put down a third empty bottle. She heard Harley giggling above her head as she uncapped a fourth bottle and began to rinse.
"How is this funny?" Jessie grumbled.
"How is this not funny?" Harley asked, pouring water over her scalp.
Jessie groaned in annoyance and her eyes landed on the TV as a new headline screamed out at her on the screen: BREAKING NEWS: ROBBERY AT GOTHAM CITY BANK. It went to surveillance footage and showed three men in clown masks rushing inside the bank, guns raised.
"Whoa, whoa, turn that up for me" she gestured to the TV, standing up and feeling water trickle down her spine.
Harley grabbed the remote and raised the volume as a panel for Mike Engle appeared next to the surveillance footage. Jessie flipped her hair away and it stuck to her back with a loud splack. Clutching her towel, she padded into the living room and stood in front of the TV and listened.
"…made the hostages hold onto unclipped grenades. Witnesses say that one of the robbers gunned down his own accomplices and escaped with the money"
Jessie watched the surveillance footage intently as one of the robbers stuck what looked like a pipe grenade in a banker's mouth and removed his mask. She moved closer to get a look at the guy's face, but she didn't have to. Without flinching or hesitation, he looked directly into the security camera as if he wanted to be seen. Her heart jumped in fright as his eyes met hers, as if he was staring directly at her through the screen, his head cocked and shoulders hunched.
A red smile was painted from one cheek to the other, black paint around his eyes which leaked into the white that was on the rest of his face. His hair…seemed to be green? It was hard to tell from the video's bad quality. It was only for a second, maybe two before he turned away and sauntered towards the bus.
"Police have confirmed this man to be the Joker. The public is advised not to approach, he is armed and dangerous. If you have any information, you are urged to call the GCPD…"
Jessie raised her eyebrows, her mouth slightly agape in disbelief. So this was the Joker…
Sitting down on the edge of the coffee table, she leaned forward in front of the TV and watched the footage intently. Her fist tightened anxiously on her towel as she noticed some kind of wire attached to the clip of the pipe grenade in the banker's mouth and trailed under the Joker's navy jacket. The farther he walked away, the more it stretched until the clip fell out as the bus drove away. Her eyes widened in alarm and her hand flew to her mouth as her breath caught in her throat. The banker's eyes widened in fear, but instead of an explosion, a hazy gas leaked out of the pipe. The banker suddenly dropped his head, whether it was from relief or if he simply passed out from the gas she couldn't tell.
"Jesus…" Jessie breathed as relief washed over her too.
"I'll say this, he is smart" Harley credited, "I'd love to know what's going on in his brain" she added interestedly.
Jessie grimaced and gave her roommate a look as she rubbed a polished fingernail on her chin. Harley blinked innocently when she saw her gaze.
"What? Oh come on, as if you wouldn't jump at the chance to see what he's like. You were the weirdo that was obsessed with serial killers in college, remember?"
Jessie rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she thought back to her early college days. She took a class where they'd learn about the mind of a serial killer. It was actually the same class where she met Harley. It was one of her favorite classes, but not for the reason Harley thought. Obsessed was a strong word to use. Fascinated? Sure. But not by serial killers, but how much they were able to get away with. Maybe it was the lack of advanced forensic science back in the day or maybe the system was just corrupt? Who knew why it took so long to catch those serial killers. It might be interesting to see what goes on in their minds, sure.
But as Jessie watched the footage replay to show the Joker putting the pipe grenade in the banker's mouth, an unsettling feeling sat in her stomach—like there's something much more sinister than what her eyes were seeing.
"I'd rather not…" she told Harley.
"How'd it go?" Tommy asked as Jessie sat in the passenger side of the car.
"Not good. Gambol was in a mood" she sighed, kicking off her heels and replacing them with her white tennis shoes. "He trusts me, that's the important thing. But it's gonna take me some time to find any substantial dirt on any of them. The quickest thing I might be able to find is their money. Just need to work Gambol a bit more when he's in a better mood" she explained, tying her hair back in a ponytail.
"Hm, maybe it's cuz of the robbery" Tommy replied, as he started the car.
Jessie raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What'd you mean?"
"You didn't hear? Gotham City Bank was another drop for the Mob. Gordon's talking about going in with SWAT teams, backup, the whole nine yards. This mission might be done sooner than you think"
"I don't have access to that kind of information, not unless Gordon tells me directly" she replied boringly, then pressed a knuckle to her chin in thought.
So Gordon found the bulk of the Mob's dirty cash? This should've been great news, but something wasn't sitting well with her. It was all too good to be true. If it was this easy to take down the Mob, it would've been done earlier. There had to be something. Something so obviously staring at her in the face and she couldn't see it.
She shook her head. "I'm going to keep working Gambol. It'll take time, but at least we have it"
Tommy glanced at her with an unimpressed look on his face. "I thought you'd be happy to get out of this gig" he stated in intrigue. "You're not really getting anywhere"
"Oh, I'm getting somewhere. It's just gonna take some time and patience" she assured.
Her way of doing things might've seemed like a dead end to him, but she was getting exactly where she needed to be. It might've even been going faster than she anticipated; Gambol, despite being in a bad mood, had invited her to join him at a hotel this weekend to 'hang out'. Of course, saying no would not have bode well especially when, to him, she was just a hooker looking for some good action.
"You know if I had my way, I'd drag those bastards out by their teeth and make them tell me what I need to know" Tommy told her nonchalantly.
"I'm sure you would, if you could get past Gambol and Maroni's men" she told him dryly as they approached a little strip mall. "Whoa, pull up in here" she said, pointing at the entrance.
"What for?" he asked, stepping on the brakes a little harshly so he could make the turn and pulled into a parking spot.
"Working on my second case" she replied, unbuckling her seatbelt as she stared at the prostitutes and a few sketchy-looking figures that looked like they were high on something.
"Thought you had your friend in the Narrows working on that?" Tommy said as he put the car in park.
"Yeah, but I'm not going to sit around and wait for answers" she replied, eying the lineup of prostitutes outside the closed antique shop.
She didn't hear Tommy step out of the car and slam the door shut as she dug around in her purse and she pulled out her badge and the picture of Katie as she approached them. The nearest one—bleached blonde hair, black fishnets, and heavy bright green makeup—was the first one to look at her and took a long drag of her cigarette.
"Sorry toots, I don't roll that way" she sneered.
Jessie chuckled sarcastically. "What a coincidence, neither do I" she replied tersely and held up her badge. "Detective Hargrove. Don't worry, you're not in trouble; I just have some questions" she added as the woman's eyes widened as she looked at the badge. Her momentary shocked expression dropped and turned into one of disgust.
"I don't care who you are, get lost. I know people that can make you disappear permanently"
Jessie furrowed her eyebrows in disbelief, but before she could retort, Tommy put a hand on her shoulder.
"Let me handle this" he whispered in her ear and approached the woman. She raised both eyebrows and opened her mouth to say this case didn't concern him when he held up his badge. "Officer Murphy, ma'am. The missing woman's a key witness in a murder case and has gone missing. We need whatever information you have, if you refuse to comply I have no reason but to arrest you"
Jessie stared at his back as he said such a blatant lie.
The woman made a face. "On what grounds?"
"Well, prostitution for one. And refusing to comply with police" he said calmly, as if he was explaining a hard math question and held his hand out to Jessie. Hesitantly, she placed the picture of Katie in his hand and held it up. "Now, have you seen this woman?" he asked authoritatively.
She squared her shoulders and reluctantly stood up straight, glaring at the two of them before drawing her eyes to the picture. "Sorry, never seen her before"
"What about him, have you seen him?" Jessie asked, holding up a picture of Dean Broderick.
Her eyes flickered in recognition. "In passing, he picked up Rosie about a month ago" she told her, jerking her thumb towards another blonde woman in pleather.
Upon hearing her name, the woman walked over, reeking of alcohol. She leaned closer and looked at the picture. "Oh yeah, I've seen him. Picked me up and took me to a motel"
"Which motel? Did he mention anything about a woman named Katie to you? Where she lived or anything like that?" Jessie questioned calmly.
Rosie folded her arms over her chest. "No offense, lady, but men don't exactly pick us up to talk about their lives, you know" she answered impolitely.
Jessie let out an exasperated sigh when Tommy held up a ten dollar bill. Both of the prostitutes' eyes landed on him as he held up the money, almost like dogs when their owner held up a treat. It was a little funny. "Which motel did he take you to?" he asked brusquely.
Rosie stared at the money and gave him a sultry up and down look. "I'm sure another five bucks might jog my memory" she suggested sweetly.
Before Jessie could tell him that it wasn't worth it, he took out another five dollars and rolled it up with the ten.
"31st Street, just down and around the corner, can't miss it" she answered simply as he handed the money.
Jessie gave him a disapproving look before cocking her head towards the car. Just as they both stepped off the sidewalk, the prostitute named Rosie reached out and touched his arm. Jessie stood by the car and watched as Tommy turned his head.
"If you're ever looking to have a little fun I'm always on this block, officer" she told him seductively.
Tommy gave her an unimpressed look. "I'll keep that it mind" he replied boringly and walked towards the driver's side of the car.
Jessie rolled her eyes and opened the door of the car, sitting inside. Prostitutes really would throw themselves at anything that moved as long as they paid well. Tommy started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. She looked at Tommy out of the corner of her eye, wondering if she should thank or reprimand him for getting involved with her case. He might've managed to get little information out of the prostitutes, but still it wasn't his case to get involved in. In the end she didn't say anything.
"You want to check out the motel?" he asked, breaking the silence.
She leaned her head back against the seat, deciding she'll let him help just for tonight. "Might as well" she answered.
Vrrr…Vrrr…Vrrr…
Jessie groaned into her pillow, not bothering to raise her head as she reluctantly opened the top drawer of her nightstand, her hand brushed against her gun as she rummaged around for her phone. She had three of them: one was where potential clients can contact her, the second was specifically for Gordon or Greg to reach her with, and the third was just her personal one. Her hand brushed against the gun again until her fingers finally wrapped around the vibrating phone, turning her head just enough to see the caller I.D. come up as 'Private'.
With a deep sigh, she stretched her limbs and pushed herself up on her knees.
It'd been a long night. After finding the motel where Dean Broderick likely banged a hooker, she showed his picture to the old woman who sat behind the front desk who swore she'd never seen him before, saying people came and went all the time and she didn't bother remembering faces. Then after skimming through a check-in logbook and not finding his name, Jessie concluded he likely used a fake name. It would've been a tedious waste of time to go through the hundreds of guests that checked in the month prior so they decided to go back to where the prostitutes were hanging out and ask what name Broderick used, but they were all gone. At that point it was already 2 am. Back to square one…
Jessie swept back her messy hair and flipped open the phone, stifling a yawn. "Detective Hargrove" she spoke into the mouthpiece, expecting to hear Gordon's voice.
"Miss. Jessie?"
She was rubbing the sleep from her eyes and stopped. "Greg?" she spoke, surprise and slight alarm making her wide-awake. She didn't expect him to call her so soon.
"I have some interestin' information for ya, Miss. Jessie. You're really gonna wanna hear this"
Her eyes darted suspiciously into the phone, not missing the alarm he was trying to hide in his voice. He always talked in a secretive tone like he was afraid of being overheard but alarm? This must've been important.
"I'll meet you tonight" she told him.
