Can't believe I forgot to say this last chapter, but thanks to those who reviewed/favorited/followed! I originally was going to split this into two chapters, but then decided not to, so it's a longg one. Enjoy!


Chapter 5:

"And you're sure?"

"Checked all my sources to make sure it weren't bogus" Greg assured. "Broderick and the lady were living here in the Narrows alrigh'. After Falcone lost his marbles, Broderick was out of a job. Word is he works down at the docks now, after he and his lady had a fallin' out couple months back. She did start hookin' though, but no one's seen or heard from her since then"

Jessie exhaled deeply and stared into the fiery garbage bin, rubbing her arms as she felt goosebumps form on her skin, though it wasn't from the cold. If no one has seen her in months that usually meant one thing…

"It's possible he's working for another mobster now. Maybe Maroni? Or the Chechen?" she asked, unable to shake the image of Katie's body floating in the river.

Greg shrugged. "Guess it's possible, but I haven't heard nothin' 'bout it"

She nodded silently, taking in his information. "Alright, thanks" she told him, and handed him fifty dollars which he twisted anxiously in his hands.

"Listen, Miss. Jessie, I'm always here to help ya. But I don't want no business with this criminal underworld stuff" he told her apprehensively.

Jessie stuffed her hands in the pockets of her coat. "Carmine Falcone's in Arkham, Greg. You have nothing to worry about" she told him and started to head back to the car.

"The Batman's might've got criminals runnin' scared but that ain't gonna stop the Mob, Miss. Jessie!" he snapped harshly. There was a brief silence between them and he quickly pursed his lips apologetically for snapping at her. "I'm only sayin' the Batman's started a lot o' trouble. If there's a war, we'll be the ones caught in the middle of it."

Jessie inhaled deeply and looked back at him. "Goodnight, Greg"

She continued walking towards the car, not wanting to get into the politics of Batman or vigilantism. Even after a year, the city was still torn about what to think of him. She had her own opinions about him, but never shared with anyone. She didn't idolize him like others seemed to, but did have a level of respect for him and what's he's done. It was a shame others thought differently.

According to the mayor, the police down at MCU were close to making an arrest. While Jessie didn't have access to any of that information, she doubted it was true. She was probably one of the few—if any—that knew Gordon was working with him. The investigation had to be either leading on a false trail or was entirely a ruse just so the city could still have some level of order. Condemning the Batman seemed to be the only thing that stopped others from taking the law into their own hands too.

All thoughts of the Batman were pushed out of her head as she sat into the car. Tommy looked at her expectantly.

"So?" he asked.

"Broderick worked for Falcone, after the Batman took him down he started working at the docks. I have a hunch he's working for another mobster now" she told him, pressing a knuckle to her chin in deep thought.

If he worked for a crime boss as big as Falcone, it only made sense that he would offer to serve the next big bosses in the hierarchy. It couldn't be Gambol. He had power, sure, but he didn't have the temperament to be Falcone's successor. Besides, she knew all the men he had at his disposal at this point. That just left Maroni and the Chechen…

Tommy suddenly raised his head slowly as if he just remembered something crucial. "Wait, Maroni has a hearing tomorrow about who stepped up to take over Falcone's empire, he's being prosecuted by Harvey Dent and Rachel Dawes"

Her head quickly spun around to meet his. "It's not a public hearing is it?" she asked urgently.

"No, not after the incident that happened with Joe Chill seven years ago. Oh, the Waynes' murderer" he added when her face scrunched up in confusion.

"Ah," she said in understanding, remembering she briefly saw the news of the death of billionaire Gothamites, Martha and Thomas Wayne, when she was younger. They died years before she came to Gotham. She shook her head, bringing her mind back to the case at hand. "If someone had to pick up the torch from Falcone, you think Maroni would be the one?"

"Without a doubt" Tommy answered immediately.

Jessie pressed a knuckle to her chin and tapped her foot in deep thought. "Broderick's doing something down at the docks, I don't know what it is but I have to check. He's the last person who saw Katie"

Tommy checked his watch. "Okay, we'll go there now" he concluded, turning over the engine.

Jessie looked at him in disbelief as he turned his car around. "We?" she asked questionably and he merely shrugged. Jessie pinched the bridge of her nose and held back a groan before hesitantly glancing at him. "Tommy, listen… I have nothing against you, okay? But this is my case and I work alone. I let you help last night—"

"Gordon said you had to take me on as a partner if you were gonna get inside the Mob. This other case of yours sounds like Mob business, so whether you work alone or not doesn't matter, I have to be there" he interrupted in a tone that clearly indicated to her that he was going to persist. She puckered her lips in annoyance.

"Fine. But we do it my way" she told him sternly.


"This is the place" Tommy said, turning off the headlights and put the car in park just outside the shipment yard.

It was quiet. Containers were stacked on top of one another, the dimly lit streetlights made them look like high walls and they weren't lined in any order, looking like a maze. Jessie glanced at the calm river where a boat was lazily floating by the dock. She cracked the window down just a little, feeling the night breeze on her forehead as her eyes scanned the area. Boxes and papers were ripped in two and were scattering each time the wind blew. A homeless person came and went, but nothing out of the ordinary.

"This is where Falcone's drug ring was busted last year. The place is mostly deserted now" Tommy explained.

Jessie craned her head and squinted into the darkness when something caught her eye. "So what do you think, Maroni's men or the Chechen?" she asked rhetorically, pressing a finger against the glass to point at the little warehouse at the far end of the dock. The lights were on inside.

She unzipped the backpack between her feet, kicked off her heels and pulled out the tennis shoes and tank top she brought with her.

She gave Tommy an expectant look. "Do you mind?"

At first he seemed confused but then turned his head in understanding, putting a hand over his closed eyes. She pulled the uncomfortable shirt over her head and replaced it with the loose white tank top and put on her tennis shoes. She also reached in and took out her gun, scrutinizing the fence until she found a spot where the fence was slightly curled and tangled within itself, looked like enough space for her to squeeze through.

"I'm going to check it out" she told him, opening the door to step out when he grabbed her wrist.

"Are you out of your goddamn mind, what if they see you?" he demanded.

"Maroni and Gambol were at the club tonight, there's no way they're here" she said, feeling a light sprinkle of rain through the open door.

"Well someone is" he jutted his chin towards the building, staring at it as if it was about to blow.

If Maroni and Gambol were at the club, that just left the Chechen and he didn't know who she was, they never met. She was sure if it was him inside there, she could come up with an excuse. Though she doubted it was the Chechen in there, her money was still on Maroni's men.

Tommy unbuckled his seatbelt. "I'm coming with you" he concluded, letting go of her wrist and stepped out of the car.

Jessie pulled her wrist back and watched as he walked around the hood of the car, she met him halfway and put a firm hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

"It's hardly been a day and you're already not listening to me!" she scolded. "Look, Broderick might be in there and I need to find Katie. If he's not there, I'll be in and out five minutes but I need you to keep watch here. Otherwise, you're off this case and I'll ask Gordon for a new partner"

He blinked at her in surprise. The last threat just sprung to her mind on the spot, she didn't entirely mean it. But if she had to do it, she will. He looked away, shaking his head disapprovingly but also seemed to reluctantly obey.

"What if you're in trouble, how'll I know?" he asked begrudgingly.

Jessie held up her gun, made sure the safety was on and tucked it in the back of her shorts, draping her top over it. "Wait for the bang" she instructed, and walked towards the little space at the bottom of the fence.

Crouching down and carefully lifting it up so she could slide in. Tommy jogged over and held it up so she could squeeze through and carefully maneuvered around the wooden crates so they wouldn't fall over and make noise. Shivering as she weaved her way through the stacks of containers, it was a bad night to wear shorts. Each turn she made felt longer than the last.

So this was where the Batman was first spotted? She could only imagine the terror Falcone and his goons felt as they were stalked and taken down by him. A smile crept on her face as she imagined it. She would've loved to see it.

Anxiety slowly began to creep on her shoulders as the yard seemed to stretch on and on forever. The only sound that could be heard was the light pitter-patter of rain and her own soft footsteps. With each turn and step she took, she felt like she was miles from the car. As she came close to the boat parked by the docks, she craned her neck to see if anyone was on it, but all the lights were off. She continued to stride towards the lit building, glancing over shoulder and around for any sign of life.

When she finally reached it, the front door was chained with a thick padlock. Putting her hands on her hips and huffing in exasperation, she stared at the dirty windows. If the lights were on, there had to be another way inside. She moved around the warehouse, from the car it didn't look that big since it was just a single floor. But as she moved around it, she realized it was much bigger than it looked.

She walked past a shut garage that seemed to be for trucks and a crate that smelled like fish. Then she found a door, it was cracked open with light spilling out on the pavement. With a little jog in her step, she looked over her shoulder once again before slipping through it, wincing as she hit her elbow against the big blue city garbage bin next to it.

She ended up in a long, narrow hall that led to a wide open area ahead that was full of crates. She took a few steps closer, and then she heard it.

Whispering.

It wasn't coming from the wide area ahead of her, but maybe from a room in there.

She clenched and unclenched her fists anxiously. She had to at least take a look at what was in the room ahead, maybe the Mob hid more of their dirty cash here. Maybe even drugs, but from what she could see, there wasn't any place to hide. A part of her told her to turn back…but she's made it this far.

If she was caught, she was sure she'd come up with something to say.

Taking a deep breath, she took several cautious steps forward and the hushed whispering seemed to get louder. She took three long strides forward until she was just outside the wide room with the crates. There was a small office inside on the right that was barred by wooden panels. Rubbing her fingers on her palms, she stepped inside and crouched down behind one of the crates as she listened for what was being said inside the small office.

She was about to move closer to listen in when something in her peripherals caught her attention. She looked over to see a bright orange jumpsuit unceremoniously draped over a nearby chair.

Cautious, she looked over at the office to make sure they weren't stepping out anytime soon and grabbed it. She saw the words ARKHAM ASYLUM sewn in thick black letters, but didn't have time to look at it long.

Not realizing the jumpsuit would be heavy, as she tugged on it to get a closer look and the chair toppled on its side. She cringed, muttering shit under her breath as the noise echoed loudly off the walls. Her heart dropped in her stomach as the talking in the other room abruptly stopped.

She didn't count for how long there was silence, but time seemed to freeze. In hindsight the noise might not have even been that loud, but in that moment it might as well have been a foghorn. A noise so loud that she was sure the entire city of Gotham could hear it, telling them she was in that room.

The entire moment of silence was more or less than ten seconds, but felt like forever. Something must've zapped in her brain because there was a voice screaming at her run and hide. But what was the point? There was no place to hide. Who knew how many goons were inside that office? It wouldn't take long to find her ducked behind one of the crates and then she would really be in trouble. Her heart hammered in chest at the thought.

Thinking quick, she tossed the jumpsuit inside one of the open boxes and stood up just as the office door was kicked open and two men stepped out, guns raised. As her mind almost immediately began to pinpoint which mobster these goons belonged to, she recognized the face of the second man. Dean Broderick.

For a moment she was stunned silent as she stared at him longer than necessary. Jessie felt like a deer caught in the headlights, but hoped it didn't show on her face. She slowly raised her hands out as they pointed their guns at her, but met their bewildered expressions with an innocent smile.

"Who are you? What the fuck are you doing in here?!" Broderick demanded.

"Hi," she said sheepishly as she tried to come up with something to say. "Er, sorry, don't mean to barge in like this, but, um…my car's out of gas; and I'm kinda stranded out there. I was wondering if you had any I could borrow, or maybe if you could point me towards the nearest gas station?" she babbled uncertainly.

Okay, it wasn't her best lie but it wasn't farfetched either.

Both men regarded her suspiciously before glancing quickly to each other then back to her. "Who else is with you?" the other man snapped.

He was much older than Broderick, probably closer to middle-aged. He was bald, thin, had crooked teeth and dark circles under his eyes. It also looked like he had some kind of scarring on his temples, but Jessie didn't look at him for too long.

"No, it's just me" she replied shortly.

Both men seemed to hesitate. Broderick was the first to slowly lower his gun as the second man walked past her towards the door as if to make sure there wasn't anyone else outside. The man came back less than a minute later with a shake of his head.

Broderick's eyes went back to her. "There's a gas station two miles down the road" he replied shortly.

Jessie chewed on her tongue. She needed to get Broderick alone somehow.

"Oh, cool…er, can I get a ride?" she asked hopefully, taking two steps forward as both men began to wander back towards the office, only stopping when they both gave her a warning look not to step any closer towards the room. Jessie took half a step back, just to put some distance in case they pulled out their guns again.

"Do I look like a cab driver to you, lady?" Broderick snapped.

Jessie hooked her finger in her belt loops. "Oh, c'mon, guys…" she whined pleadingly, trying to appear desperate. "It's just that my car's parked in the middle of the road and I really don't want the cops taking it"

At the word "cops", both men eyed each other warily, but their expressions were neutral, as if the smallest twitch would give them away. Even though Jessie already knew they were hiding something in that office. Something that was linked to Maroni or the Chechen, maybe even Gambol at this point. Of course they wouldn't want to risk the cops or anyone else coming here.

"I…I guess I could sit on the steps and wait for a tow truck?" she considered with a shrug, "Do you have a phone?"

Broderick raised his hand. "Just hold on a sec" he said sharply and disappeared behind the door.

The other goon disappeared too, but only halfway so he stood between the door and the doorframe. Jessie pretended to look around curiously with her back to the small room, but was really trying to listen at what the two men were whispering about; something that would link to one of the mobsters. She also silently wondered if whatever was behind that door was linked to Maroni, would she be able to give it to the district attorney before the prosecution tomorrow?

As she strained to listen for what was being said inside the room, there was something she heard quite clearly as though it was being growled in her ear.

"Get rid of her"

Jessie instinctively turned her head just a fraction of an inch when she heard it, it was barely louder than a whisper; the command was short, angry, and impatient. It was definitely the kind of mannerism a mobster would have, but also not. It was much more menacing, almost like a rabid animal. Was that Broderick?

Jessie subconsciously rubbed her arm as she felt her skin crawl and every bone in her body screaming at her to run, but she stayed rooted to the spot as Broderick stepped out of the office, leaving the door cracked open just enough so a little ray of light was peeking through.

"Okay, I can give you a ride to the gas station but from there you're on your own" Broderick told her.

Jessie raised her eyebrows and smiled eagerly. "Really? Oh thank you, you're the best!" she said in relief.

Broderick nodded boringly. "Just wait here, I'll bring around my car" he said and walked away before she could answer.

The other man disappeared in a different direction and Jessie was suddenly alone, dropping the earnest smile as soon as the men were out of sight. She turned her back to the office and wandered around the crates, running her finger along the edge. Should she open one? It could be drugs, maybe even illegal guns, either of which would be enough to throw Maroni in jail.

Looking over her shoulder once to make sure neither of the men had walked in, her fingers brushed against the top of the crate and was ready to lift the dusty lid when an odd feeling settled in the pit of her stomach and the hair on the back of her neck stood up.

There was someone else in there with her.

She was being watched.

She didn't know how she knew, but she did. Almost like a sixth sense. There was a third person in that warehouse and she could feel their eyes boring into the back of her head. Swallowing tightly, she moved her hands away from the crate as casually as she could possibly manage, pretending to brush dust off her fingers, not daring to look behind her. She wasn't even sure if they were visibly behind her, but she'd rather not find out.

Her fingers flexed, twitching to reach for her gun, but she wouldn't dare. Whoever was watching her might've had a gun aimed at her head for all she knew. It couldn't be Maroni or Gambol, she saw them at the club a few hours ago. She steadily sat down on top of the box, folding her hands in her lap and listened, waiting for anything or something that would make her pull out her gun. The sound of a click, just anything…

"Hey! C'mon let's go, I don't have all night" Broderick barked.

The abrupt break of silence made her jump as she turned her head to look at him as he impatiently gestured towards the door. She followed him, eyes darting once towards the small office. Jessie stayed a foot away as she followed him out of the warehouse, her eyes not leaving his form as she remembered why she was here in the first place. To find Katie.

She needed to get him alone, find out where Katie was, and which mobster he was working for now.

"Your friend not coming with us?" she asked curiously, looking over her shoulder to see if his friend was following behind, but he wasn't. Her fingers gripped the handle of her gun tightly like it was going to fall out and disappear the moment she needed it. It was still drizzling rain outside.

"No" he snorted as if she was the stupidest person in the world. They reached his car and Broderick reached for the door on the passenger side…

Click

"That's good," she replied, pointing the gun at the back of his head. He paused at the sound, like he was trying to make sure it was what he thought it was and very slowly raised his hands in the air. "I've been looking for you, Dean Broderick" she added, quickly reaching around and removed his gun.

His head twitched slightly in surprise and turned to look at her out of the corner of his eye. "Who are you?"

"Move away from the car" she commanded, ignoring his question, pressing the barrel of the gun to the back of his head as he obeyed her request and she made him face the wall of the warehouse with his hands folded behind his head. "Where's Katie Williams?"

He looked over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow, confused. "What?"

Jessie turned him around and shoved him against the wall with all the strength she could muster, grabbing his collar. "Katie Williams. Tall, blonde hair? Apparently you liked tossing her around" she retorted impatiently.

"Wha…? Katie?"

"She went missing after Falcone lost power, you were the last one to see her. Where is she?" she snapped

His confused expression quickly turned into a smirk. "Oh, that bitch? I haven't seen her since we broke up months ago. I have no idea where she is"

Jessie narrowed her eyes, not believing a single word he spoke. She glanced briefly inside the warehouse at the small office off to the right then glared back at Broderick. "Who's in there?" she demanded, pointing her chin towards it.

Broderick turned his head just enough to look through the door while Jessie kept a tight hold on his collar and her gun. His smirk turning into a sneer. "Oh, that? Trust me, you don't want to know, lady"

She pressed the gun to his forehead, willing to bet anything that whatever was in that room would help her put the Mob behind bars, or more importantly, find Katie. "Try me" she challenged, pushing him in through the door.

They walked back into the warehouse, Jessie with one hand on the back of his collar and moved him towards the small office. The door was closed shut. Tightening her hold on his collar, she pushed him in front of it.

"Open it" she commanded.

Broderick reluctantly put one hand on the knob, but stopped as he turned it halfway and looked over his shoulder at her. "Look, you don't want to do this" he told her. She narrowed her eyes and pressed the gun closer to his head, not saying a word. Broderick then pursed his lips in a tight line. "Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you" he said then opened the door slowly. "Hey, boss?"

She kicked the door open, shoving him inside and followed. Bemused that there was no one there, when she was sure there would be. She knew there was someone watching her through the cracks of the barred window. There was a third person in here.

But there was no closet or box to hide in. In fact, the office was unbelievably cramped and the stench of fish made her grimace. Fish and something equally repugnant…she wasn't sure what it was and didn't care enough to find out. There were three oil drums lined against the back wall and hardly any room to walk and the concrete floor was damp with what she assumed was water.

There was a splintered wooden table with a broken leg sitting in the middle of the room. While still keeping one hand on Broderick's collar, she pushed him forward and peered over at the various clippings that were spread on the table, tilting her head inquisitively. There were clippings of Commissioner Loeb, Gambol, Maroni, a rather nice-looking hotel, and various others she didn't recognize. But the one that really caught her attention was one of the bigger clippings of Batman, it was a rather blurry picture of him on a rooftop and someone had crudely drawn a mustache over his face in red marker.

Knitting her eyebrows together, she released Broderick's collar but still aimed her gun at him as she ran a finger over the Batman clipping, the red ink smearing on her finger and across the paper. The ink was still wet.

Someone was just here.

Her eyes landed towards the chair pushed into the other side of the desk and a crinkled navy blue blazer was unceremoniously thrown over it. She stared at it curiously, a bell ringing in the back of her head as if she should recognize it, but she didn't.

She turned her attention back to Broderick. "Who're you working for? The Chechen? Lau?" she demanded.

He snorted. "Yeah, right…"

Jessie turned him around and shoved him as hard as she could against the wall, he slumped down on one of the oil drums, his hands raised as she pointed the gun right between his eyes. "Fine, then you can talk to the police. But you're going to tell me everything about Katie"

Strangely, he stared at her forehead as if there was something that interested him and then he smirked. "She's probably jerking off some homeless sleaze as far as I know"

She scoffed in her throat impatiently. "I'm getting real tired of your shit. You knock her around, have a fight, then split and she disappears off the face of the earth? I don't think so"

As she stepped closer to press the barrel on his forehead, something crunched under her foot. She looked down to see what she stepped on and saw what looked like a small circular tin and something black leaking out from the edges. It smeared on the floor as she dragged her foot to clean it off. She blinked curiously.

Greasepaint?

She looked back to Broderick in time to see his face pale and his eyes widen in horror.

"Boss! No, wait!"

It was in that moment Jessie realized he hadn't been staring at her forehead, but over her head.

Someone was behind them. Watching her.

Her head spun around, but it wasn't even a second when she saw the tall dark figure that stood in the doorway and the whole room was suddenly aflame. Gasoline. The repugnant smell in the room was gasoline!

Her arm flew up over her eyes as the flames blinded her, adrenaline coursed through her veins as she began to panic. Without thinking, she jumped up onto a table and launched herself shoulder first through the top window.

The sound of breaking glass was loud in her ear, her gun clattered out of her hand as she landed on her arm and hit the asphalt. She'd never been so relieved to hear the pitter-patter of rain, it almost made her forget about the glass that was poking and jabbing into her skin. She rolled on the wet ground, taking out the fire that caught her clothing and shoes. Wincing, she sat up and examined the red blisters on her skin where the fire had touched her. They hurt when she moved but didn't look critical, much to her relief. She didn't pay attention to them long as she heard Broderick screaming from inside the office.

She jumped to her feet, ignoring the pain the best she could and looked for something, anything, that would help him get out.

However, any idea of getting him out was quickly cast aside as a loud boom from inside shook the ground and the glass windows above her head shattered into a million pieces. On instinct, she ducked down, trying to find cover and protecting her head at the same time as shards of glass cascaded all around her, echoing softly with the rain as they hit the ground. The sound was still ringing in her ears as she dared to raise her head, blood pumped loudly in her ears as two nauseating conclusions went through her frantic mind.

One, the oil drums lined against the wall was what caused the explosion.

Two, Dean Broderick stopped screaming.

No…no, no, no, no! Jessie thought desperately.

A new wave of panic went through her body as she tried to look for some kind of opening, anything that could get her back inside there. Maybe he'd gotten out just before the explosion, or maybe he was just unconscious, he couldn't be dead! He was her only lead to finding Katie. She ignored the gut feeling that told her she already knew what state Broderick was currently in and tried to look for something to stand on; something that would help her get to him.

However, any thought she had of getting him out of there was tossed aside when she felt someone watching her.

Jessie stopped as her body ran cold, but not from the rain. A pair of eyes were boring into her back, she prayed by some miracle that it was Tommy who stood behind her and not the same person that tried to trap them in the fire. Her throat went dry as she slowly turned her head over her shoulder to see a tall figure looming in the darkness, maybe twenty feet behind her. Even with the fire burning brightly, there wasn't enough light to see him clearly, but from his stature she could tell it wasn't Tommy…

The fire above them flickered and she caught a glint of a gun in his hand and her mind frantically tried to pinpoint where she dropped hers. But it was fruitless to find in this darkness, she could barely see her hands.

There was a stillness in the air as if the atmosphere itself was holding its breath. It couldn't have been longer than five seconds from the moment Jessie saw him there, saw the gun, and couldn't find her own. For a minute she forgot how to breathe, but all the adrenaline seemed to rush through her body as she watched, what felt like in slow motion, his hand twitch and slowly raise his gun…

She ran.

A scream escaped her throat as Jessie took about five running steps before the first bullet rang out and zipped right by her ear. She could hear his footsteps hitting the wet pavement fast behind her as she forced her legs to run faster than they would allow. She tried to throw anything she could in the path behind her; broken crates, small garbage bins. Running and ducking as more bullets were fired at her back, either hitting glass or bouncing off of something made of metal. She didn't have time to assess what they were.

Breathing heavily, she took a sharp turn into the maze of containers that were lined in an unorganized pattern. It could've been either the best spur of the moment decision she made, or the biggest case of poor judgement she ever made in her life.

As bullets panged and echoed off the containers, the more anxious she became with each turn. She didn't know her way through here. For a moment, she didn't hear him chasing her, but she'd be damned if she stopped to check for herself. Bullets continued to ring out in every direction, but she couldn't tell if they were behind her or ahead and she didn't want to find out. Then it occurred to her, maybe he knew his way around this maze. If she gets cornered in a dead end…

The thought willed her to run even faster, find some sort of safety. As she turned this way and that, she was relieved to see the boat parked by the dock just ahead of her. The relief was short-lived as a bullet grazed her arm, causing her to cry out as her arm stung. The dark figure was coming behind her quick. She didn't have a choice. Jessie ran towards the docks, her feet left the wet pavement to echo off the wooden pier, and without hesitating, she plunged into the cold water…

The cold was numbing and under the surface was pitch blackness. She felt her throat buckle almost immediately from lack of air, her heart hammered against her chest and her legs ached as if she was still running. She swam as close as she could to the boat, until Jessie was sure she was just under the dock and resurfaced. The cold air stung her throat as she tried to silently gasp for air. Somehow she ran faster than her body was able to keep up and it was taking its toll, her fatigued body wasn't going to let her stay afloat for long and she grabbed onto one of the pilings that held up the dock. She felt lightheaded; whether it was because of the adrenaline rush or if she was out of shape, she didn't know.

She didn't have time to think about it as the sound of thundering footsteps above her head brought her back to the trouble at hand. One arm wrapped around the piling to hold onto as the hand of her other arm flew over her mouth. She could hear him breathing, it was deep and raspy. And if she could hear him, he could hear her. Without warning, bullets began to fly in the water, splashing around in disarray. He was shooting at the water; maybe hoping to hit her. She bit back a yelp and squeezed her eyes shut as one bullet strayed a little too close for comfort.

Then there was silence. The only thing Jessie could hear was her blood pumping loudly in her ears and then the sound of footsteps slowly schlepping away. At first she thought he was retreating, but then he came back to where he was standing before, and then moved again…back and forth…back and forth.

He was waiting for her to resurface.

Jessie swallowed thickly as she watched his big feet through the gaps between the planks of wood, his heavy and impatient footsteps sounded like thunder in her ears. She still couldn't see his face and all she could remember from his dark figure looming in the darkness was that he was slightly hunched, but still tall. Then he stopped moving—just above her head.

Jessie bit down on her tongue to keep herself from making any sound as her breath hitched in her throat, thinking he saw her. But he only stood there, unmoving, and not giving any indication he knew where she was hiding. She didn't dare move; the smallest splash of water would give away exactly where she was, all it took was one small sound. She sunk herself just a little lower, slowly, until the water was underneath her chin.

Jessie dared to peek through the gaps again and was terrified to see the barrel of the silver gun, though hanging at his side, was staring back at her. He had a clear shot to hit her directly in the head, all he needed was a signal for him to know she was there.

Her heart was beating so fast and hard, she was surprised it wasn't making ripples in the water. Her hand tightened over her mouth, unaware she was causing herself pain in doing so. It felt like an eternity passed as he stood there. Then he emitted a raspy, frustrated snarl like an angry dog, making her skin crawl and then the sound of retreating footsteps.

This time for good.

She breathed slowly through the gaps between her fingers, waiting not only for her heart to stop racing, but for any sound that would tell her he was back. She waited to hear the heavy footsteps or his deep breathing…whoever he was.

Releasing a shuddery sigh of relief, she moved away from under the dock, the black water splashing softly around her, hitting her cheeks as she willed her tired body to stay afloat long enough for her to pull herself up on the dock. Her aching arms pulled herself up on the pier, water dripped from her clothes noisily as she stood up on her shaky legs, feeling as though they would give out any minute.

One hand squeezed above her knee and the other rested on her chest, her hair fell like wet curtains around her face as she breathed heavily and coughed, feeling dizzy. Out of all the cases she's taken…out of all the times she landed into trouble, this had to be the most frightening experience she's ever had.

Shaking her head quickly, she raised her head and pushed back her hair, swallowing hard as she looked around. It was quiet and she was alone. To anyone else it might've been a scary realization, but she welcomed it. It was better than being chased around the shipment yard with no idea where you're going with a trigger-happy psycho after you.

Jessie cleared her throat and began to walk back towards the road while still keeping an eye out for any movement around her. They needed to get the police here. Surely someone somewhere heard that explosion or gunfire and called 911.

Oh, Gordon's just going to love this… she thought sarcastically with a groan as she cautiously made her way towards the maze of containers, quickly starting to feel uneasy again. There was no way to get to the road except through them. Her fingers flexed nervously, really wishing she had her gun. She had to find it. If someone stole her gun, that could be really bad.

Her thoughts were quickly interrupted when two hands gripped her shoulders and she was tackled to the ground. Jessie barely had time to scream or realize what happened when she was turned around on her back and hands clasped around her throat. A choked scream escaped her mouth as the hands started to squeeze and in the low light she saw that it was the other goon. Broderick's friend.

Her eyes widened as she began to panic, trying to fight him off, scream, anything! The harder she scratched and punched at his arms, the more his fingers pressed down on her airway. Her mouth was open as she tried to scream, but the only sound that escaped her was a short gagging noise. She kicked her legs and thrashed around, but to no avail. Saliva slipped from the corners of her mouth and she began to see spots…

The dim light above her head seemed to shine brightly and her limbs felt numb as they slowly stopped fighting from lack of oxygen and exhaustion. Blackness began to cloud her vision and her head lolled to the side when running footsteps thumped against the asphalt.

Through the blackness that began to surround her vision, a dark figure appeared over the goon, grabbing and throwing him off so forcefully she heard the goon groan as his head bounce off the ground. Jessie heaved a deep desperate breath and coughed, rolling on her side as the pressure was relieved. Blinking several times until her vision was back to normal, she raised her head, trying to see through her bleary eyes just who had pulled him off.

"You alright?"

Tommy.

She sat up on her knees, still breathing heavily and massaged her neck as she saw Tommy holding down the goon with one knee on his chest and a gun pointed at his forehead.

"What took you so long?" she remarked hoarsely and cleared her throat, her mouth twitching into a grateful smile between her coughs.

He returned the smile with a nod and then turned back to look glaringly at the goon he was holding down. His chin tipped up just a little as if something clicked in his brain. "Rob Frazier" he said in recognition. "I think the doctors at Arkham Asylum are missing you" he scowled, making her eyes go wide.

"You know him?" she asked in disbelief.

"You haven't heard of this guy?" he asked, eyes darting to her then back to the man he held down as he growled. "Murdered his girlfriend and her parents with an axe. Avoided the chair and ended up in Arkham Asylum thanks to that scumbag, Crane." Tommy explained, holding him more firmly as he began to struggle. "Doesn't matter, cops should be here any min—"

Bullets suddenly rang out all around them as they bounced off the containers. Tommy was on his feet and quickly moved back, gun in hand. A scream escaped Jessie's lips as she ducked down on the ground, protecting her head as bullets flew and several profanities went through her head.

"What the fuck? Jessie, get back!" Tommy shouted as bullets fired out of his gun, aiming it towards the looming figure at the end of the pathway.

Jessie only saw him for a split second before Tommy jumped in front of her and fired several shots. It was him. The same man that chased her to the docks.

Suddenly the sound of sirens rang out with the bullets and the flashing of red and blue lights. Jessie glanced around Tommy's arm just in time to see the looming figure run away. Tommy made to run after him, but she grabbed the material of his jacket on his shoulder and stopped him.

"No, don't!" she protested. Tommy spun his head around and gave her a bewildered look as she tightened her hold on his jacket, looking past him on the ground. "I-I don't think he was aiming for you…" she said, nodding shakily to the bullet-riddled and now dead, Rob Frazier.


Tommy lent her his jacket.

After they managed to calm down after the events that took place, Tommy was first to notice that Jessie's white shirt was soaked through, showing a visible outline of her bra. Jessie's face reddened out of shock and covered her chest, barely registering that Tommy was quick to take off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders. Maybe it was a trick of the light, but she thought she saw his cheeks slightly flushed as he looked away, which made her even more embarrassed.

The cops managed to find them fast enough and half an hour later, Jessie sat in an ambulance with a blanket around her shoulders after the EMT had checked all the cuts and grazes on her body from the glass and bullet. Nothing critical, but she didn't notice until after she sat down in the ambulance how much the wound from the grazed bullet really stung. Tommy stood quietly next to her after he checked out too. Exhaustion was quickly taking its toll on her body and she willed herself not to close her eyes, really wishing she had coffee.

Tommy suddenly straightened up and she looked over to see Lieutenant Gordon storming up to them, looking positively livid. He stopped short between the two of them and looked from Tommy to Jessie then back again with his hands on his hips. "What the hell happened?" he demanded.

She pursed her lips, eyes darting quickly to Tommy knowing he was going to get the brunt of Gordon's lecture and it made her feel guilty. Tommy chewed on his bottom lip and opened his mouth, but Jessie spoke first.

"I had a lead on another case I'm working on" she started and Gordon's eyes fell to her. "A missing person's case, a person of interest was working here and was the last one to see her. I went in to find the guy, but…things got out of hand. And you're not gonna like this, but I think this case might be connected with the Mob"

Gordon's eyes widened in disbelief with every word she said and he rubbed his face as if he was trying to hold back a lot of frustration. "And by the river…for god's sake, do you know how many bodies we pull out of there? You're lucky you're both alive, you know that?" he snapped as if he was speaking to a couple of children who went snooping where they shouldn't have. And then his eyes turned to stare disappointedly at Tommy, like a teacher who had to discipline an overall good student over one mishap.

"Don't blame him, lieutenant. I asked him to help me" she fibbed quickly. The lie fell so naturally off her tongue, she almost convinced herself. Tommy, who'd had his head bowed, gazed at her in shock, stunned silent. She expected him to intervene, but subtly nudged him with her knee, warning him not to and to wipe the flabbergasted look off his face.

Gordon's eyes went back to her and remained silent as if he was waiting for her to elaborate. He looked between them as if expecting an argument to happen, but it didn't. A moment passed and Gordon pinched the bridge of his nose like a father that was trying to find patience with his disobedient children.

"I asked you to take on a partner while you find out what's happening in the Mob's inner circle, not to help you with your other cases, detective" he scolded, again, like an parent and less like a cop.

She nodded. "I understand. It won't happen again, I promise"

"Good. Now, where's this person-of-interest of yours?" he asked.

Just as she was about to point to the warehouse, people from the forensics department walked by with a stretcher and a black sheet draped over what was obviously a body. The smell of burned human remains hit her nose hard and she felt her stomach lurch and give a heave, but she hadn't eaten in hours so the only thing to rise in her throat was bile. Jessie pressed the back of her hand to her mouth and turned away as Gordon looked over his shoulder.

"That him?" he asked, to which she nodded silently, swallowing back the bile.

One would expect that she'd come across her fair share of dead bodies in her line of work, but surprisingly not. At least, not enough times for her to get used to it. The thought of them? Sure. But actually seeing them? No.

A man about Gordon's age with curly graying dark hair and slightly wider frame came jogging over to them, his badge swinging back and forth around his neck and a little clear plastic zip-lock bag held between his fingers.

"Hey, Jim, you should come take a look at this" he said, beckoning him over.

Gordon furrowed his eyebrows and walked over, where he and some other detectives gathered around.

"You didn't have to do that for me" Tommy suddenly spoke as Gordon walked out of earshot. Jessie glanced over at him, his arms crossed over his chest and he didn't meet her eye.

She sighed, shaking her head. "Yes, I did. Consider it a thanks for saving my ass" she replied impassively. Tommy gave her a look, a 'you-don't-always-have-to-be-so-snarky' kind of look and she met it with another shake of her head. "Listen, thanks for coming to my rescue, really. But next time if—"

"Detective Hargrove, Officer Murphy, a word please?" Gordon called, gesturing them over.

Both their heads turned to him at the same time before regarding each other questionably. Jessie gave Tommy a pointed look saying they'd talk about this later as she stood up, holding the blanket around her shoulders, and they walked over to him and the other detectives that were standing around him. The detective from earlier was still holding the plastic bag she saw earlier, along with a shiny black object.

"That's mine!" she exclaimed in surprise, recognizing her gun immediately. The detective handed it back to her and she checked to make sure all the bullets were still in the magazine, much to her relief they were. It was cold and wet in her hand, didn't look like it'd been touched after she dropped it, let alone fired. Jessie held it close and then looked back to Gordon as he cleared his throat. "What is it?" she asked.

"Earlier you mentioned being chased to the docks by a man with a gun, and presumably, this is the same man who shot at you and killed Rob Frazier?" he added to Tommy, who nodded. "Do you remember what he looked like?"

"No. Couldn't see his face, it was too dark" she looked back at Tommy expectantly, thinking he'd counter what she said, but he only nodded in agreement. Jessie glanced back at Gordon. "Why?" she asked curiously.

He sighed deeply. It was the tired sigh of a man who's worked in the police force a long time. He outstretched his hand and the detective next to him put the clear little bag in his palm. "Because we might have an idea" he explained, holding it up. "Do you know what this means?" he interrogated calmly.

She tilted her head slightly as she peered at what was inside it. It was a playing card, just a normal one you'd find in a deck of 52. She knit her eyebrows together. "So, they played cards. What's that supposed to tell us?" she asked with a shrug.

"Look closer" Gordon stated.

Confused, she looked again, more closely this time, trying to figure out its significance. Maybe it was because of the lack of caffeine in her system or maybe even exhaustion that she didn't figured it out sooner. On the card was a cartoon jester, a joker.

Joker.

Joker.

No…it couldn't be…

Tommy seemed to realize it too because he'd gone dead silent.

And then it all hit her like a ton of bricks. Her mind was reeling as it replayed everything that happened in the past few hours. That office with the oil drums and everything in it seemed to fall into place. The greasepaint, and the crinkled navy blue jacket…

Now she remembered seeing him wear it in the surveillance footage when he robbed the bank the other day. Her heart began to beat fast over the realization that it was the Joker that chased her through the maze of containers. The realization made it all the more terrifying. And Broderick…

Dean Broderick hadn't been working for a mobster.

He'd been working for the Joker.

"Are you telling me…?" Tommy's voice bringing her back only for a second.

"Yes. It fits his MO, he always leaves a calling card" Gordon confirmed, his voice sounding far away.

Her mouth was agape as several emotions seemed to go through her body like a monstrous wave; shock, confusion, surprise, fear. Of course she remembered seeing him on the news when he robbed the bank, but to actually be in the same place as him? It was jarring.

Jessie shook her head vigorously, shuddering. She was so lost in her trance, she didn't notice that Gordon had moved on to speak to his detectives, giving them instructions and then turned back to the two of them after they scattered. Although the man with the graying dark hair stood by Gordon's side.

"Officer Murphy, I'll need you to come down to the station and fill out some paperwork about the events that took place tonight" Gordon instructed, rubbing his nose.

He blinked. "Of course, sir" he responded, compliant yet uncertain as he looked to Jessie as if to remind Gordon that he was also her ride home.

Gordon didn't seem to forget because he gestured to the man next to him, clapping a hand on his shoulder like an old friend. "Miss. Hargrove, this is Detective Stephens. He'll escort you home tonight" he said.

Stephens nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet you"

"Likewise" she replied distractedly.

Jessie indistinctively saw Tommy wave goodbye out of the corner of her eye and absentmindedly returned it, but didn't take her eyes off Gordon as they narrowed suspiciously. The man she now knew as Detective Stephens mumbled something to him before kindly turning to her and motioning towards his car. However, she didn't move as Gordon stared out at the shipment yard as if waiting for something to appear.

"You're unusually calm about all this, lieutenant" she observed suspiciously.

Gordon looked over his shoulder as if surprised she was still standing there. "I've seen my fair share of things like this, detective" he answered tiredly

Jessie, however, wasn't convinced. Practically forgetting that Stephens was standing behind her, waiting for her to him to his car, she approached Gordon with a serious look on her face. "What can you tell me about this Joker guy?" she asked, standing just over his shoulder.

He slumped his shoulders, and sighed deeply in what Jessie could only describe as fatigue. "As of right now, you know as much as I do" he told her regrettably.

Her eyes widened. "You're…you're not serious" she said incredulously.

"We have more pressing matters to deal with at the moment. All my resources are going towards getting the Mob behind bars" he said, calm yet somewhat defensive.

"You mean like Maroni's hearing about the criminal empire? I know. Officer Murphy filled me in" she explained as Gordon turned to face her completely. "While I understand your priorities, this…" she could hardly finish her sentence as she pointed to the yard behind him.

"I'm not sweeping this under the rug" he assured firmly. "But he's one man, he can wait"

Jessie chewed on her bottom lip uncertainly, knowing she thought the same thing. She wasn't so sure now, but at the same time Gordon was right too; the Mob was the bigger problem.

She sighed resignedly and stared back at him. "I'll go with whatever you think is right"

Gordon put both hands on her shoulders and squeezed them comfortingly like a father she never had. Despite it being a gesture of kindness it felt so foreign to her that she flinched under his touch, wanting to step away, but she didn't; she knew Gordon wasn't the type to be easily offended if she did, but still…

"You're understandably rattled; go home, Jessie" he told her quietly. "Call me tomorrow and tell me where we are with our operation" he added with a knowing nod and motioned to Stephens again.

As Gordon's hands left her shoulders an all too familiar emptiness began to fill in her chest, feeling like a lost child left in the middle of an empty street with nothing but a blanket around her shoulders.

She was brought back to her senses when Stephens put a gentle hand on her back and led her towards the car. Jessie wanted to all but smack herself.

Fucking hell, Jessie what is wrong with you!? Get it together, you're not a child anymore. You're a grown woman! She shouted at herself internally.

Stephens made small talk with her all the way to the car. She feigned a smile and vaguely responded to him while still trying to collect her thoughts as she sat in the passenger side of the car and he sat in the driver's side. He pulled the car away from the shipment yard and she rolled down the window, enjoying the cool breeze that hit her face.

It's been a long night, you're tired she told herself. Jessie pressed a finger to her temple, rotating it in circles as she felt a headache coming on.


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