Chapter 5: Puttin' on the Ritz

I introduce a new character. His name is William Barba and I see him played by Raul Esparza who plays Chilton in NBC Hannibal (also I model a minor character in this chapter after Chilton in Silence of the Lambs).

The Joker skipped towards Bagheera's apartment door. He chuckled at the sound of the television set that had been left on. He wiped the blood that had spilled out of the necks of the officers on guard onto his purple slacks as he stopped with a wide smile in front of her door. He knew from his recently departed informant that the detective had left the apartment in the direction of Arkham Asylum, though he had no idea why she had decided to visit a mental institution in the middle of the night.

He pulled a spare key from his pocket and opened it with ease. The slight creaking of the door was music to his ears. He smiled as the opened door revealed to him once again the bland and boring sight of the shabby apartment.

"Honey," he announced loudly and in an overdramatic fashion, "I'm home," he stepped over the threshold and looked around the empty apartment as he licked at his scars, he sighed as he added gruffly, "Sneakin' around on me again, Baggy? Well I will, uhh, forgive you this once-uh."

He closed the door behind him and chuckled as it rattled the walls of the detective's apartment. He looked over to the television in the corner and watched as an old episode of Law & Order played on the screen.

"Baggy, Baggy," the Joker announced as he sashayed around the small apartment towards the kitchen to raid her fridge, "you are so pre-DICT-able!"

He ripped a ripe banana off of her tiny kitchen table and quickly pilled it. He took one large bite from the sweet fruit and discarded it, leaving it for Bagheera to pick up from her clean linoleum floor. He moved quickly back into the living room and made his way towards her desk. When he had been inside her apartment previously there had been very little life given to it, now there was a little life, a little style to the apartment, and it came from his face being posted all around her desk area. He couldn't help but to allow a proud chuckle escape him as he looked at the many photos of himself in his beautifully applied makeup and expensive suits. His chuckles escaped him as photographs of men and women, his many victims, looked back at him.

"That's not at all nice of you Detectiveee," he said with a hint of anger in his voice as he grabbed a red marker from inside of her desk drawer. He leaned forward, biting his tongue softly as he began to scribble on his victim's faces.

"Drug fiend," Joker announced with a pop of his lips as he wrote the words above a picture of a thin man with blonde hair.

"Traitor," he said as he wrote above a woman's head that had been dressed in a military uniform.

"Mobster," the clown wrote above another.

"Accident! I'm sorry," he wrote above several other photographs along with a small smiley face beside the explanation. He took a heavy breath as he continued his descriptions of the few other photos that Bagheera Lewis had placed for further inspection.

The Joker dropped the marker from his hands and twirled away from her desk, his purple overcoat twirled around with his movements. He clapped his hands together as a large smile came over his painted features. He giggled frantically as he hurried towards her bedroom. He entered her boring, plain bedroom happily. The clown threw himself upon her bed with a happy squeal as he bounced slightly up and down on her new bed. The comforter wrinkled under his weight as he moved around on the bed like a child. He could smell her scent that remained upon the bed sheets and the pillows as he moved about to find a comfortable position upon the detective's bed.

"Now Baggy," Joker announced as he rested his head upon her pillows, "a man like me," he chuckled, "Well, I could get used to a…uh bed like this."

His dark eyes roamed over her small bedroom from his place on her comfy bed. He quickly glanced over the photographs that she had in the small room and chuckled as he took in the picture of her dead parents. He looked at the small closet in the corner of her small bedroom and smiled as he hurriedly pushed himself off of her bed. The bed made a small noise as he removed his weight from the mattress, but he ignored it as he licked at his lips expectantly.

"What type," he popped his letters as he stopped in front of the closet, "of skeletons ya got in your closet, Baggy?"

He opened the door and his small smile escaped him as he looked at the bland clothes that hung on the small bars. A black sweater, a few plain skirts and slacks, and countless collared button up shirts looked back at him. Black and white, with a few grey patterns mocked him. He looked down at his own wardrobe and shook his head. He wore flashy, eye popping colors that let people know that he was to be the center of attention. He shook his head at her choice of style.

His gloved fingers danced frantically through her clothes until he found a dark blue dress with simple black lace that made up the sleeves and across the chest area. He smiled at the simple elegance of the dress and smiled as he spied the price tag still pinned to the sleeve. His dark eyes sparkled as he spied two other dresses in the back of the small closet. The first was a dark purple knee length business like dress with long sleeves and pointed squares; the shade of purple matched his jacket color. The clown couldn't help but chuckle as he touched the ruffled purple fabric that went down the chest front of the dress. He moved passed that dress and he smiled brightly at the longer dress that hung in the very back of her closet. The prettiest shade of emerald green looked back at him. It was simple enough, made of silk. The gown wasn't a boring old bride maid's gown or a dress made for a high school junior. It lacked worthless rhinestones, what it lacked in cheap jewels, it made up in with elegance. He jerked the dress out of the closet and chuckled as he waved it about in the air as if he were dancing manically with the dress. He smiled as the fabric swayed in the air with each step he took with it in his gloved hands. The Joker was careful not to rip the end of the gown as he moved back towards her bed. He threw the dress onto her bed and smiled as he made his way to write a little message for her that he wanted to leave atop the beautiful green dress.

...

Bagheera felt the elevator jerk to a stop as it came to the top floor that was home to Gotham's craziest. Her stomach flipped inside of her stomach as the elevator situated itself between the floors. She waited patiently as the doors of the old elevator opened up. A dim light that flickered bleakly greeted her to the maximum security ward of the asylum. A slight shiver moved through her as she stepped out of the elevator and onto the recently mopped floors.

She moved with soft steps towards the young woman that ran the desk. She grabbed her badge and showed it to the young brunette nurse who was typing away on the outdated desktop computer. Bagheera looked the tired woman over and stopped at her old name tag. The name tag told her that the woman's name was Stephanie Martinez.

"Detective Bagheera Lewis," she informed the nurse. She watched as the woman glanced away from her computer and looked at her in a rather annoyed fashion, "I'm here to see patient-"

"Yes," the nurse interrupted her, "the front desk called to let us know. You will have to be briefed before entering."

"I know the-"

"No exceptions," Stephanie Martinez informed her in a bored tone as she glanced away from Bagheera and back to her computer to finish whatever task had consumed her before, "You can take a seat in one of those chairs. He shouldn't be too much longer."

"Who," Bagheera asked.

"Doctor Crawford," the nurse answered.

Bagheera nodded in understanding and turned away from the cranky nurse to sit in the old, smelly chair in the corner of the small waiting room. She felt sleepiness trying to overtake her as she sat in the chair but she forced herself to stay awake. The constant typing from the nurse, the sound of deep cleaner running somewhere within the hospital, and hushed screams combined in the hospital to make a white noise that tempted Bagheera to fall asleep like the sirens sang to tempt sailors to their deaths.

"Detective Lewis," a male voice questioned her.

She looked up to see an average looking man with salt and pepper hair looking back at her. He was dressed in simple clothes and was void of the white coat that she had expected him to wear. She pushed herself from the chair and she winced as a sudden pain lurched through her body, but she tried her best to ignore it in front of the doctor.

"Yes," she answered as she showed her badge for the third time, "You're Crawford?"

He nodded as his answer to her question.

"You've come to see Jonathon Crane," he asked of her.

"Yes."

"He hasn't had a visitor in quite a while," Crawford informed her, "Is this in anyway about the Joker? I would like to be given credit if you do use my predecessor and patient."

She shook her head and lied, "I can't really give that detail to you. I just need to have a quick interview with Dr. Crane."

"He hasn't spoken to any of the doctors that had wished to examine him, but-"

"I'm not a doctor," she interrupted him quickly, "I'm just here to ask him a few questions. Now if you will, can you tell me the procedure so I can get home? It is rather late."

"You were the one that begged to see him immediately, Detective Lewis," Crawford said defensively as he stood with his back straight in front of her.

Bagheera forced herself not to roll her eyes at the man that took his position to seriously.

"I know," Bagheera admitted as she forced a fake grateful smile upon her tired face, "and I thank you for allowing me to do this at this hour."

Dr. Crawford returned her smile. His smile was bright and shiny. He quickly took a glance over her figure and then moved back up to her eyes.

Bagheera felt herself cringe as she felt his eyes move over her, but she pretended as if she were ignorant of his gaze.

"You know," he started with a cheesy grin on his face, "I've had a lot of detectives come and go through those doors, but I have to say you are the most attractive."

"Well thank you Doctor," she said in order to not be seen as unfriendly, though her bright blue eyes burned in anger.

"You're new to Gotham," he kept on, "This could be quite the fun town if you have the right-"

"No. I was born and raised here in Gotham for most of my childhood," she corrected him, "Can you please take me to Dr. Crane?"

She watched as the doctor looked down at his feet in embarrassment and wounded pride, "Of course. Come with me."

She smiled in triumph as he lead her through double doors that led deep into the maximum security wing of the asylum.

"Maybe you can make him talk," Crawford informed her. "I sure do hope you can. It would be good to have Johnny boy talking again."

"And why is that?"

"A pretty girl like you could turn him on," Crawford answered with a cunning smile as he led her down the silent hallway.

"I graduated with honors," Bagheera answered, "I don't charm criminals, I put them down."

"Yes," he stated in a bored tone, "I've read in the papers. I also watched how the Joker didn't kill you. You must be some kind of special if the Joker decides to spare you."

Bagheera rolled her eyes at his false observation.

"Now onto the rules: do not touch the bars or the glass wall behind them," he informed her, "You can pass him loose leaf papers through the little slot, but you cannot pass him pens or staples that he could use to harm an orderly. They're pretty simple rules and I expect you to find them easy to follow with your honors degree."

"I'm sure I can," she informed him, "If I am to work this charm that I possess then I need to be alone with him," she gave him a soft smile.

The doctor smiled back at her and nodded, "As you wish. I had an orderly leave you out a chair. He's the last one down the hall. You can't miss those damned blue eyes of his."

"Thank you Dr. Crawford," she whispered as she made her way alone down the long hallway towards Dr. Jonathon Crane.

Her heart quickened only momentarily as she stood in front of his high security cell. Bright blue eyes met bright blue eyes as they looked over each other. He sat on the corner of his bed. His lanky legs were spread out in front of him. She stood tall in front of him as she watched the patient stand tall. His clothes fell loose around his lanky body.

"And what brings you to my door," he asked with a small, amused smile, "It's been so long, Bagheera."

"It's been too long Jonathon," she answered with the same smile, "or am I speaking to the Scarecrow?"

"I can assure you He wouldn't be as polite to you if He were here right now," Jonathon answered with a shrug of his shoulder.

Bagheera looked him over closely. She could tell that his hair had not been taken care of properly, it was oily and shaggy. She could tell that he had been malnourished by how sunken in his cheeks were. His blue eyes were still the same striking shade of blue that she had remembered. It was the only thing that hadn't been altered from his stay in the asylum that he had once practiced in.

She licked her lips as she moved towards the barrier between them. She slowly placed her hand upon the glass, deliberately breaking Crawford's rule. Her eyes weakened and her features softened as she looked upon the familiar face of her past in Gotham.

"I'm sorry," she whispered softly as her bright blue eyes met his, "I should have been there for you," she shook her head, "Maybe I could have-"

Jonathon smiled coldly at her and shook his head, "Nothing you could have done about it. How's your career?"

"Stressful," she whispered, "I was shot today. It wasn't serious. The Joker."

Jonathon smiled in amusement at her statement and asked, "Can I see?"

Bagheera removed her hand from the glass and looked around the long hallway.

"No one else is awake. It's just us."

She slowly unbuttoned her blouse to the midpoint. She pulled the sleeve down to expose her bruise to the good doctor. She was careful not to allow too much skin to show to the man behind the glass and bars. She shivered from the cold air.

"He shot you with a blank," Crane said casually.

"I got him back though," Bagheera answered proudly, "I clipped him, but I got him. That's a start. No other cop has been able to do that."

"You want to kill him," Crane asked.

She shook her head quickly and answered, "I don't want to end his life, but if he pulls on me again then I will put him down."

He smiled at her and replied, "Always the good, honest Samaritan."

"Not always," she answered.

"And your voices in your head? What are they saying," he asked in order to change the subject, "What does your fear doing to you?"

A dark smile crossed her face. A cold indifference filled her heart as she glared at the man standing in front of her. His pupils dilated as he asked about her fear as if her fear was her naked body being presented to him.

"Unfortunately for you," she stated knowingly and without emotion, "I get along with those voices inside of my head."

"For now," he answered with the same knowing tone that she held, "It will get to you. That fifteen minutes of fame-"

"Do you think I'm crazy," she asked while interrupting him. Her eyes were wide as she watched him glare at her for her rude interruption.

"I know you are," he answered casually, "It's in your blood."

"That's not fair."

"Isn't it," he asked her as he watched her body movements for any telling signs that would show her discomfort around him. He observed no telling signs of discomfort from the visiting detective.

"Do you think I'm crazy," he asked her, turning the question back in her direction.

"You're sick Jonathon," she answered honestly, "But I don't think that you are crazy."

"I've missed you," he said quickly and added in an effort to cover his quick admission, "Does the Joker like you?"

"I don't know what to think about him," she admitted with a shrug, "He's been in my house. He can get into my home whenever he wants and yet he hasn't killed me."

"I think he likes you," Jonathon informed her, "He must if he shot you with a blank. We do get some news reports in here and the orderly tells me the headlines when the doctor isn't listening in."

"He's not crazy," she informed him, "I don't know what he is. I've never faced someone like this."

"Is that why you came to see me," he asked, "to get my professional opinion. Psychopharmacology is my expertise, but I can give you a little insight."

"Detective Lewis," the voice of the orderly called to her from further down the hall, "It's time for you to go now."

She turned back to the man she came to visit, gave him a knowing smile, and replied, "No, I came because I wanted to, because I missed you too Jonathon."

"See you around," Jonathon answered as he winked at her, a darkness appeared in his eyes just as she placed her hand upon the glass once again before taking her leave.

...

Bagheera rubbed at her tense neck. Her night had been a long one when she had discovered that the Joker had once again entered her home and disturbed her belongings. She had been thrown into a small meeting room within the police station. The door had been locked on her, apparently for her own protection. Ramirez had given her the heads up that she was to be interviewed by someone in Internal Affairs in regards to her and the Joker's altercation and what was left at her home when she had arrived home from Arkham Asylum. Gordon had told her to keep her head when she was dealing with whoever was coming to talk to her from IA. She didn't need the advice, considering that it had become a routine thing for her to be interviewed by the backstabbers.

She sighed as the stress from the last few hours moved over her sore body. She had not gotten the rest that she had been ordered to take. She looked around the small office and shook her head. Boxes of files filled the room along with outdated uniforms that stood forgotten on clothes racks in the corner. Her coffee, that had long ago gone cold, sat forgotten on the table that she sat at. The room had a stale smell to it and stains covered the ceiling from old water leaks.

The door opened and she turned her head quickly to see Harvey Dent walking inside the cramped office followed by a rather handsome man of average height walking in behind him. She eyed him carefully; her bright blue eyes took in his expensive brown suit (which she decided that he was designed to wear all things earth toned instead of the standard navy blue and black suits that Harvey Dent seemed to wear) and well-kept dark hair. She smiled at his hazel eyes that seemed to hide a warmth inside the honey gold tones of his irises. He wore a well-trimmed beard that she found rather handsome. She smiled at him as she decided that he was a creature that was pleasing to her eyes.

"Detective Lewis," Harvey Dent announced, "This is William Barba. He owed me a favor back from our IAB days."

"So you get to deal with me," Bagheera asked as she stood from her chair and shook the man's hand while giving him a kind smile, "Nice to meet you."

"I can assure you Detective Lewis," William Barba stated as he held her hand in his for a moment too long, "that by the end of all of this that you won't be smiling at me in that happy manner. In fact, you may despise the day that you met me."

"Well," she said with a forced smile as he finally let her hand go free, "We'll see about that."

"Please have a seat," he informed her as he waved to her chair. He took to the chair in front of her while Harvey stood in the corner, "Oh he needs to stand there as a witness."

"It's fine I guess," she answered with a shrug of her shoulders, "I assume this is about yesterday's incidents?"

"Partly," William Barba answered as he looked over the files that he had brought in with her.

"Right now we want to know about you being at Arkham last night," Harvey Dent asked, suspicion was clear in his voice as he glared down at her.

"I was there," she answered honestly, "I was speaking with a patient."

"A patient in the max security section, is that correct," Barba asked as he looked over to her. He was watching her bright blue eyes for any signs of a lie or hesitation.

"That's true," she admitted, "I was seeing Dr. Jonathon Crane."

"And you thought he could give you some insight into the Joker," Barba asked, still watching her closely.

"No," she informed him with a small smile.

"Then why," Harvey asked, "where you witnessed disregarding the rules of the hospital by touching the glass barrier?"

She rolled her eyes at Harvey and stated flatly, "There were bars and then a glass barrier. He couldn't get to me…and Crane wouldn't hurt me."

"You're on thin ice Lewis," Harvey informed her harshly; she could see a vein in his forehead throbbing in anger as he glared at her.

She looked away from him and shook her head.

"You are in danger of being reprimanded for this. Even suspended," Barba informed her as he looked to Dent and then back to her, "I'm going to need an explanation as to why you went to Arkham Asylum and lied to get in to see a patient which you had no clearance to see."

"Yes I lied," she admitted quickly, her voice was sharp as she looked to the handsome man that sat in front of her.

"Why," Barba asked, "Why lie?"

"Because," she paused and shook her head, she looked down at her fingers in shame, "Dr. Jonathon Crane is my cousin."

She placed her hand against her forehead and shook her head, "I didn't want anyone to know about that connection."

"That's just great," Harvey whispered to himself and shook his head as he walked to the door to dismiss himself, "another crooked cop."

She shook her head and said in haste, her voice cracked on her as she admitted, "I lied about that yes, but I am not a bad cop. I want to put the Joker in prison. I want to save that girl."

A vibration sounded in her pocket and she ignored it, knowing that it was her cell phone. It was most likely a text from Angela Rainey asking her how she was doing in her new job.

"Did you know that the Joker killed the officers assigned to watch your home last night," Barba asked of her, as he took in her tired features, "Detective Lewis the faster we get through this the faster I can make my decision on what to do with you."

"No," she answered, "I didn't know until Gordon told me. He said that a woman had been murdered as well. They believe she was working with the Joker."

"And the dress," he asked.

"I have no idea what that letter pinned to my dress was referencing," she answered. She looked down at the rumpled paper in red ink:

Come let's mix where Rockefellers walk with sticks or umbrellas in their mits, puttin' on the Ritz? Let's show Gotham some class. Dress up like my million dollar trooper if you're feeling blue Baggy! You'll be a vision in green!-J

William Barba gave her a quick smile and replied, "Well lucky for you that I have a wide collection of music tastes. It's a song. It's about dressing up fashionably."

"He wants to take me out then," she said with a roll of her eyes, "He thinks I'm easy. He thinks he can manipulate me. But he obviously doesn't know me," she allowed her eye brow to peak higher than the other, "I'm not easy."

Her phone vibrated again, and she looked down at her pocket momentarily and took a deep breath.

"He's not going to stop entering my home," she informed him, "For the safety of others I wouldn't ask for guards to cover my apartment."

He nodded as he scribbled something into the file that he had brought in with him. He pulled the letter away from her and placed it back into the file.

"And the shooting?"

"He shot at me first," she informed him, "I shot back. It's that simple."

"Well, Detective Lewis," Barba announced, "I think that you've answered what I wanted," he gave her a smile, "I took it easy on you this time just because it is the Joker. Any other IA agent would have you on suspension. I'm going to recommend that you go on suspension with pay after the Joker is taken down. It won't be made public," he shook his head, "God knows that's what you need is more publicity. It will be just called vacation."

Bagheera brightened up and smiled at the man in front of her as if she were a school girl instead of a well-trained detective. She took a deep breath and calmed herself as she stood and shook his head once again.

"Well, Mr. Barba," she informed him with a controlled voice, "I don't hate you. I am not a fan of Harvey Dent though."

"Yet. But keep this in mind when it comes to the next election. I plan on running for DA next go round," he said with a cunning smile as he grabbed his files and exited the room, leaving her alone with her vibrating phone.

She waited for the door to close before she grabbed her cell phone out of her side pocket. Three text messages were held on her phone.

Save me.

Abandoned Building. The Narrows. Lincoln Ave.

Hurry up Baggy. She's dying to meet you.

And there is the end to this chapter! I am kind of holding off on having the Joker and Bagheera having face to face time right now in an effort to play at the cat and mouse game they have going on right now.

I would really love some reviews. I feel like I spend all this time making long chapters for nothing sometimes :(

What do you think of Barba? I am thinking of making him a major character later in this story.

What do you think about Crane and Bagheera? Was she lying to Harvey and Barba?

Tell me things :)