Chapter Three
Harleen smoothed out her knee-length red skirt, feeling underdressed compared to all the other guests. She had grabbed the first fancy thing in her closet, but still felt poor surrounded by the glittering dresses and jewelry of the other patrons.
Guy sat across from her, chewing silently on his overpriced steak. He wore a three-piece-suit with a red tie—at least they matched, Harleen thought.
After what seemed like forever, he smiled apologetically and swallowed. "I want to be the first to tell you the good news."
He was killing her patience. "What is it, then?" She fidgeted slightly.
"My boss decided that we could start selling the think drink—after a few changes are made." He grimaced. "When I first tried it out last month, I ended up passing out, but I figured out where I went wrong and I think it'll be a hit."
"That's awesome!" Harleen exclaimed, earning glares from the couple next to them. She lowered her voice. "You've worked so hard to complete it; you've earned this big time."
"He says I should rename it, since 'Think Drink' isn't exactly an eye-catching name." He sawed at his steak and took a bite. "After it becomes famous, you could quit your job and we could start a family or something. We would be a rich as Bruce Wayne, so we wouldn't need to worry about school or college."
"That would be great, babe," Harleen faltered. "But I need to finish up work at the Asylum first. I would feel bad if I couldn't talk to my patients until they were all better—some of them really rely on me to help and understand them."
"The Think Drink probably won't become big in less than two years; you have plenty of time to finish assisting your patients." Guy stuffed more steak in his mouth. "Plus, we'll have to wait until we can afford the wedding venue of your dreams before anything is set in stone."
Harleen beamed at him. "You're right."
"Anyways, have you figured out your top patient?"
"You mean the Joker?" When Guy nodded, she shook her head. "Today he was acting up—more than usual. When the guards came to get him, he attacked and killed two or three of them out in the hallway." She rubbed the bridge of her nose. "There was blood everywhere and…" She sighed. "When things like this happen—big setbacks—I wonder what good could come out of it."
Guy reached across the table, intertwining their fingers. "Quinz, if I can invent a drink to calm peoples' minds, you can most certainly figure out the Joker. He's just another crazy villain—he doesn't even have any powers. You got this." He gave her hand a squeeze and went back to eating his steak.
"Thank you, Guy," Harleen whispered. "I really needed that."
With nothing left to say, she started eating her salad, rethinking everything they had discussed.
—H—
The weekend passed in a flurry of activities—dates with Guy, going to the gun range, practicing some gymnastic moves, another date with Guy—but Dr. Quinzel was feeling pretty ready to face the day. She arrived at work early on Monday, after receiving a call from her boss, Dr. Odin Markus; he had told her that the Clown Prince of Chaos wanted to meet with her that morning—not on the preplanned Friday. It seemed the jokester had some things he wanted to talk to her about.
The Prince was already seated and chained when Dr. Quinzel entered the white room. He smiled when he saw her, sitting up straighter in his chair as she took the seat across from him. There was a guard standing by the door, watching their every move.
Dr. Quinzel looked at the guard. "You may leave."
"I was told to stay here for safety purposes, ma'am."
"I'll be fine, thank you."
The guard turned to open the door, but hesitated. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, mister…"
"Mason."
"I am sure, Mr. Mason."
He opened the door, eyeing the criminal. "I'll be right outside if you need anything, Dr. Quinzel."
"Thank you." She smiled as he left the room, waiting for the door to shut before pulling her notebook and pen out of her coat pocket and turning her attention towards the restricted Prince. "Mr. J, how have you been?"
—J—
The Joker sniggered. "No lipstick today, Doctor?"
"Dr. Markus said you wanted to see me."
"And you came; I'm touched." He flicked his head to the side, trying to move the hair obscuring his vision. He needed to see his doctor clearly in order to understand when she let her mental walls down.
"I do my best to make my patients content, Mr. J."
He grinned at her words and leaned forward, letting the chains dig into his stomach and shoulders. "I know you saw what… took place a few days ago and I don't want there to be any hard feelings between us, Doctor, so I figured I might as well explain what happened."
Dr. Quinzel stared at him, doubtfully. "What you think happened or what really happened?"
"Sometimes it's hard to tell the truth, Doctor. Most of the time, the truth feels like a lie."
"You're talking in riddles, Mr. J."
"That's where you're wrong. I'm talking in comprehensible sentences; you're just hearing riddles." He smirked at her, watching as she slowly became more moldable. She was confused and wary; it was the perfect time to add some chaos and doubt.
Dr. Quinzel clicked her pen. Click. Click. Click. "What are you trying to say?"
"I'm not the only one that should be locked in a cell."
"Mr. J," she began, her Brooklyn accent slipping through as she started losing her calm composure, "I have never murdered someone. I have never tried to murder someone. I have never tried to harm anyone just for fun. I have never tried to manipulate someone just so I could win some warped mind game. I have never—"
"Nuh, uh, uh," the Joker tutted. "That's where you're wrong, Dr. Quinzel."
Dr. Quinzel stared at him and clicked her pen. Click. Click. Click. "I think we're done here." She stood up and he smirked, again, knowing he had won this round. Her notebook and pen disappeared into her pocket and she smoothed her skirt.
The guards arrived in a flurry to take him away. The Joker held his head high, proud of how their meeting had gone…until his doctor leaned towards him and frowned.
"I thought you said you were a man of your word, Mr. J," she whispered in his ear. He growled as the guards jerked him away from her and back to his cell. Hoping she hadn't sensed his defeat, he laughed as they dragged him down the hallways.
Only chaos could help him now.
—H—
Dr. Quinzel sipped her coffee. She was tired from her previous meeting and she was hoping she would be able to go home soon. As she was finishing her coffee, her eyes landed on the man walking towards her. She threw the paper cup in the garbage and met him halfway, grinning broadly as she reached out to shake his hand.
"How have you been, Doc?"
Her mentor and boss smiled. "I've been doing well, Dr. Quinzel."
"Harley, please." He had always called her Harley in class to annoy her, but after years of studying under him, she had grown fond of him—and the nickname. "You used to be my teacher; I think you have the right to address me informally."
The smile grew, reaching his eyes. "How's my favorite student?"
"Confused," she admitted, staring at her shoes. "We were doing so well, but Mr. J changed his mind and decided he wasn't going to talk anymore." She looked up at her mentor. "Then, he wanted to talk to me and proceeded to accuse me of manipulating him."
A crease formed between Dr. Markus' eyebrows. "That was today?"
"Yep." Dr. Quinzel sighed. "I have no idea what he's trying to get at, but it's my job to figure it out."
"Did he say anything else?"
"Depends." Dr. Quinzel raised an eyebrow. "Will I need to write a report if I tell you?"
Dr. Markus laughed. "You're still trying to get out of writing papers?"
"What can I say? Writing isn't my thing." Dr. Quinzel smirked.
"You'll still need to write a report for the records, but you always explain things better when you say them." Mr. Markus crossed his arms. "Has he been cooperative before?"
"As cooperative as a psychopath like him can be. He goes on and on about one thing and insists that he's a 'man of his word,' then he proceeds to tell me something completely different the time we see each other." Dr. Quinzel rubbed the bridge of her nose. "He's playing a game without telling me the rules, Doc."
"I don't think he knows the rules, Harley."
"That doesn't make any sense."
"The Joker is a madman, right? He's clinically insane and no one knows who he is or where he came from. Maybe, he doesn't remember where he came from and he's still trying to figure out what story is right." Dr. Markus uncrossed his arms and placed a hand on Dr. Quinzel shoulder. "You were my top student, Harley. I'm sure you'll figure out what to do."
"You always were smarter than me." She smirked up at him. "Anyways, it almost time for me to go home for the day. I have a date with Guy and I don't want to be late again."
"Have a good rest of your day, Harley."
"You, too, Dr. Markus."