Chapter two: Alias (part one)
An abusive couple is found dead in their apartment, and BPD's Dick Grayson and partner Amy Rohrbach are assigned the case. Dick knows who killed them, but is he willing to rat out his own brother?
Dick's POV
"I can't believe it! I just can't!" Amy throws her arms up in exasperation.
"What?" I ask, not wanting to set her off. When Amy gets like this, it's best to just let her vent, rather than trying to contribute too much to the subject. In this case, it's the 'audacity' of that 'bastard' Chief Redhorn. In short, he sent us out to investigate a noise complaint, while his honest, hardworking force of cops sit around and watch the latest baseball game, sipping beers.
Amy continues, resuming her rant. "I mean, if he's gonna send us out, at least send us on something worthwhile, but a noise complaint?"
I reach out to knock on the door to apartment number 205, but I also claimed the key from the receptionist as a precaution, just in case they don't open up. I knock lightly on the door three times.
"Hello?" I start uncertainly. "Anyone home?" I bang my fist on the door.
"Let me do it, rookie." She pushes past and kicks with all her might, effectively separating the door from it's frame.
"That works too." I mutter, climbing over the door. It isn't protocol to kick in doors when you have the key, but I guess that isn't Amy's number one concern right now.
The apartment inside is dank and poorly lit, a smell of damp walls and expired food clings to the air, making it seem heavier. Burnt out cigarette butts are discarded at random everywhere, but luckily, they tie in beautifully with the color scheme of questionable stains and discolored carpets. I push further into the apartment, making my way to a living room. There is no TV and only one small couch. More cigarette butts, and smashed glass. Some of the glass belongs in a frame, which I pick up. The photograph is relatively new, but tattered. It shows four smiling faces, a man and a woman, the mother and father presumably, and two kids, twin girls by the looks of it.
"So, where are they now?" Amy asks, appearing behind me.
"No idea. Have you checked the bedroom?" She shakes her head.
"I'll go and ask around the neighbors, to find out what sort of people they are. This isn't exactly a child friendly environment." I say, holding up the photo.
"This is ridiculous. You're taking this seriously?" Her anger apparently makes her blind to the seriousness of the case. We really need to find where those kids are now.
"I'm just trying to get the job done." I mutter through my teeth.
She shakes her head, and makes her way into the bedroom. I'm hardly out of the door when I hear her call me back.
"Grayson? You may want to look at this." I let go of the apartment door handle, and jog into the bedroom. Amy's voice sounds urgent.
Two steps in and I see it. The bodies of the same man and woman in the picture are splayed out over the white sheets, a halo of blood shining behind them. The weapon is still here. A desert eagle pistol. My initial reaction is not surprise. I've seen my share of dead bodies. Amy doesn't seem too freaked either. She's probably seen many cases like this, especially as she works in Blüdhaven.
She strides towards the bodies and starts to dial the police station for some backup. "That blood is fresh, still warm. The killer may still be around and we need to set up a crime scene for the feds." She says pointedly, pressing the dial button.
"I'll check around for the killer, you stay here and set up the crime scene." I suggest. She nods, before reporting the situation to a fellow officer.
I soon find myself outside the apartment. I suppose searching around the apartment is my best bet. Maybe the killer is still around, and if not, they may have left something. Plus, the kids from the picture are missing, so they would be witnesses, if they still live in the home.
A window at the end of the hall hangs wide open, leading onto the fire escape. Bingo.
I step through, and look up. I see a man, on a couple of flights up, leading the two girls with him.
"Stop!" I yell, running up after him. Funnily enough, the man does turns to look at me, though I can't see his face because it is covered by a red mask.
"Jason?" He takes off his mask, revealing the face of my younger brother.
"Dick?" The girls squirm, gripping onto his hands. They don't look older than seven or eight.
"Let them go, Jason." I demand, wrapping my fingers around my gun, and steadying the sights, aiming for his left leg.
"You don't understand. The parents were abusing them! I'm taking them away from here." He justifies, his eyes wild.
"Oh, and you just had to kill them, didn't you?" I spit venomously, my finger squeezing the trigger. "Haven't we seen enough of this?" I ask him, my voice almost breaking. We've both had similar pasts. Maybe the twins' parents weren't the best, but they were still parents. Both me and Jason know what it's like to lose them.
"They were terrible people." Jason mutters, staring at me with pleading eyes. "Please, just let me go, I can get them to a relative or a home." He's my brother now, not red hood. He's pleading with me as a brother.
"No." I start slowly, staring back accusingly. "Just because someone is bad, that doesn't mean you can kill them. No matter how bad."
"You're just like him. I always knew you were his golden boy." He says, in a low but dangerous voice.
"If being like Bruce means I'm not a killer like you, then so be it."
"You little-" "
I don't trust you with their lives. Let them go." I hold the gun tighter.
"No."
I shoot, but Jason jumps backwards. He backs into the fire escape ladder, helping them up first, before going up himself. I keep aiming the gun at him, but I can't shoot and he knows it. There's too much of a risk that I'd shoot the girls on accident.
He throws down a grenade, and I only manage to crash through the open window and cover my head before it blows the fire escape apart.
"Dammit!" I jump up, and sprint into the apartment.
"What is it, Dick? Did you find anything?" Amy asks.
"Yeah. Stay here, I know where he's going." I murmur, not really talking to Amy.
"Where who's going?" I'm already calling the elevator. I step in, and press the button to make the doors close. "Dick!" She yells after me.
The doors slam shut and the elevator shoots down to the reception. He's gone too far this time. I'm going to bring him in.
Jason deserves to be in a cell in Blackgate prison, and I'll be glad I'm the one to put him there.