"Done. I did it," I said, shutting the door behind me. I sighed, "That was nerve wracking." I raised my eyebrows at Edward. "How did you get the Joker's DNA and the toxin? And arsenic and the like? I was expecting you to just leave the list there and make it look like it had been lived in!"
"I have connections," He answered absently. "And If I left the note, it'd be too obvious on what The Joker was doing. We do want some time to figure it out."
"Why don't we just let the police do the investigation for us? I mean, it'll be in the newspaper in a week. We can see then."
"Because we won't get the information we want then. Do you actually think that the police would just inform the public that The Joker was making a poison? All they'd broadcast is the fact that he was caught," Jonathan pointed out.
"I think we have enough information that we should just ask for your notes back," I said. "I mean, what's the worst that could happen"
"This isn't just about notes anymore, sable," Jonathan said, shaking his head. "It's more about knowing what's going on."
"And I can't have a puzzle left unsolved," Edward pointed out.
"Is this illegal?" I asked, suddenly wanting to slap myself in the face. "We're spying. And lying to the police… This is definitely illegal. I… oh geez."
I sighed and sat down, rubbing my temples. "Why does this keep happening?"
"We can take it from here, if that would make you feel better," Jonathan said. "I guess we didn't think about how you might… feel about this. It's rather common for us."
"No…" I said. "I'm already in too deep. Harley is already expecting me, and if either of you two show up, it'd be suspicious. Unless you hang out with Harley on a regular basis or can come up with a really good excuse."
"You don't hang out with Harley on a regular basis," Edward said. "You probably see her less than we do."
"It's a girl thing. We bond easier," I said, waving it off. "Plus, you guys could most likely be considered co workers in your line of work. Of course you see her a lot."
I stood up, clenching my fists. I didn't want to stop. I was doing something that I was fully aware was illegal, but I still wanted to help.
What in the world was happening? A year ago, I would have run away and hid. I would have told the police and made Gotham a little safer.
"I'm going to go see if Harley is there. The police still don't know about their whereabouts. When they do find them, it may halt our investigation," I said, sighing and letting my stress go. what happened from here on out was just going to happen.
"Harley?" I called into the warehouse. My voice echoed about, but nobody answered. "It's Sable!" I was just in the area and thought I'd stop by and say hello."
"And what are you doing in these parts of town?" Asked a familiar voice from above. I jumped and glanced up laughing a little.
"Hey Rick. How are you doing?" I asked, glad to see that someone was there. He probably knew more than Harley anyways.
"I'm fine, I suppose," he said, climbing down a ladder. "But really, why are you over here?"
"same could be asked of you," I pointed out, shrugging. "I'm just here to say hi to a few friends."
"Ah.." he said, sighing and wiping something off of his hands onto his pants. He gave me a worried expression. "Are they the friends that I'm thinking of?" I just nodded in response. "I'm here for… business purposes."
"You don't work as a sales clerk anymore?"
"No. I quit," he said, grinning. "My script has officially been accepted. I'm moving to LA in january."
"Congrats!" I said, returning the smile. "That sounds pretty exciting."
"Anything exciting in your life as of late?"
"Not a thing. I think that I'm giving my first lecture tomorrow after it was... delayed. Other than that, nothing new."
Oh, and some illegal investigation. Nothing too big. I thought.
"Didn't you say you were here for business?" I asked. "What did you mean?"
"I meant business. If I'm correct, Harley already told you what my real job is," he said, shaking his head.
"Well… kinda. I'm still pretty curious about why you had to lie to me," I said, shrugging.
"Please don't be mad about that," He said, ducking his head. "I just was… trying to protect you. The Joker isn't exactly a…"
"I get you. We've both lied, don't worry," I said. "And I appreciate the gesture."
"To put it this way, I can't wait to leave this city. I've been too scared to quit until now. I can leave and be safe… have a real job over there," he said, rubbing his arm.
"I get what you mean," I said, biting my thumb.
"Do you want to leave too?" He asked, glancing over at me. I just shook my head.
"I've found my place in this city, and I'm pretty happy with it. I've got an awesome job and found lots of good friends. Plus, my family's here. Clarity might come and hunt me down if I tried to leave," I said, laughing a little. Rick chuckled.
"I've always wanted siblings. They seem like a lot of fun," he said.
"You're an only child?"
"Yeah. It was always just my mom and I," he said, smiling a little.
There was a little pause in the conversation. In the dim light, I could see Rick shuffling around, looking for something in his pockets.
"So… is Harley around?" I asked finally, tired of standing there in silence.
"No. She and The Joker are out… I think they're trying to steal something from the taxidermy museum. for what reasons, I don't know," he said, laughing. "They never make sense."
"It's probably related to some joke," I said, rolling my eyes. "Well, at least I ran into you. It was nice seeing you."
"It was nice to see you again too. Hopefully we'll run into each other again," He said, returning to the ladder.
I walked halfway down the block before ducking into a little alcove. I pulled out the recorder.
"Okay guys. Rick's in on it. When he came down, he wiped something off of his hands. It could be just dirt, but I'm skeptical. the whole 'business' thing is making me worried. We need to get up on those catwalks. That is where our answers lie. I'll see you guys later. Probably not till tomorrow, " I said, finishing and turning the device off.
Author's Note: So, so sorry about the day-late update! I wasn't quite done yesterday... meh. Anyways, I'll try really hard to update ON TIME on Saturday.