A Clever Fascination

Chapter 18 - Nancy Drew

When nothing was going well for the GCPD, Jim Gordon pulled his punches and regrouped. That was something that has always worked in his favour and ensured respect for the Commissioner. Sure, he could be brash, especially in his youth. Jim had held the position for over 2 years now, after a few years as Captain, and he was doing all he could. Though some things really are impossible.

Gotham city was impossible.

As the years went on, criminals came out of no where. Himself and Harvey could hardly remember a day when they weren't dealing with an insane case; crazy clowns, fear gases, deadly riddles, gang dealings, poisonous plants, or mutant beings. It was Gotham's normal. Perhaps that was why Jim was so willing to accept help from the Batman. His masculine pride in his force would have to be broken for the sake of the city.

The team Jim had was a good one. His inner circle was a solid team. Harvey was a brilliant detective and had been since they'd met all those years ago, but Gordon knew that the old dog would surely retire for good soon enough. He was in his 50's and not as on the ball as he once had been.

Kit, on the other hand, was new and starting a prosperous career in the force.

Valentine was excellent, Jim knew as soon as he'd met her. He had been reluctant to put her in the field, she was so good natured and her capability to solve cases from behind her desk was unmatched. But Kit had been in the real game for a little while now and was giving the GCPD a real advantage. She had a desire to do good and was alarmingly clever, often putting the forensics department or research team to shame. Kit was, above all, a problem solver. 

"Nygma was at my apartment just now."

Only issue was that criminals were apparently obsessed with her. The Commissioner had been at the centre of a few ill fated alliances and truces, they had ended in Jim nearly dying or losing every sense of himself.

"What? And he didn't try to kill you? Is he the new chairman of your fan club or something?"

"You didn't arrest him?" Jim questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"I kept my gun up but I couldn't really take on two fully grown and possibly armed men at once. He brought a friend. Jervis Tetch."

Jim sucked in a breath. The last thing the GCPD needed was a psycho who believed he was a fictional character, running around and hypnotising citizens. It was obvious by the look on her Boss' face that he was more than a little disturbed by the news.

"Out of everything I didn't want to deal with today..." Jim commented.

"Is he your least favourite crook or something?" Kit asked. She had been perched on the edge of her desk, facing her Commissioner. Her arms were folded loosely and her face betrayed her, telling everyone who looked at the woman that she was tired.

"He's just annoying. And dangerous."

The man Kit had met an hour earlier couldn't get a word in edgeways for Edward's broken record 'join the dark side' routine. He'd been stood with his back to a wall glancing around the apartment. Quiet and awkward.

"Yeah well, Nygma is likely going after The Penguin, are we gonna-"

"Ohh no. Hell no! We are having no part of their stupid turf war," Bullock entered the conversation, carrying take out coffees in a cup holder. "You drink black coffee right, Kit?"

"I'll drink anything." She shrugged, taking one of the cups and smiling her thanks.

"Harvey, there could be a lot of trouble. Casualties." Jim was just staring down at the coffee cup, now in his hand, his voice was quieter and mumbling as if he was trying to weigh out the damage. His glasses were slanted on the bridge of his nose but Kit didn't have the heart to tell him right now and Harvey never even noticed.

Realistically, they ought to step it, the were the police after all. No matter the area, Gotham was supposed to be protected by them.

"Yeah, casualties of scum."

"Not all of them. Kids. Normal hard working people." Kit scolds his dismissive attitude softly.

"Sure okay, but-"

"There shouldn't be a 'but'. This is our job, doesn't matter the person. Even the lowest of the low are protected by the law." Technically Jim was right, from a legal stand point. Not to mention the curiosity was plaguing Kit. She wanted to see Nygma's real reaction to losing his territory and betrayal by Oswald.

"Maybe we should just show up? At least then we can do some damage control. I'm also interested in seeing this unfold, aren't you?" Kit dared to ask her colleagues.

"What is this? 'Keeping up with the Criminal Ass-hats'? No way, I could not care less! Those two can tear each other apart." Bullock waved his hand. After all these years of dealing with various crimes from these reoccurring names, seeing them out of the picture would seem like a welcome relief to him.

Kit bit her cheek and looked to Jim who was still thinking in a distant state.

"They certainly can. But technically, Nygma and Tetch are escaped convicts. And, what with us being the police and all, that is our responsibility." She spoke matter of factly, raising her eyebrows as she sipped on the slightly cooler coffee.

Harvey still didn't like it but she was right. He ran his open hand over his rough beard and sighed loudly.

"I want Tetch in Arkham." Jim spoke up.

"And the tall freak?"

"I hate him as much as you do, Harv. But Nygma is a lower concern to me right now. With Tetch there is no order. We take him back to the asylum soon as possible, any objections? No? Good." Gordon didn't leave time for objections even if there were to be any.

There really was no way around the fact that Jim would want Jervis Tetch back behind bars.

"I suppose it makes sense for the Mad Hatter to be... well, mad." Valentine kept her cup close to her face, like she was hiding behind it, when she made the quip.

"This month has been chaos. A bomb threat, a riot, a shootout, two escaped convicts. And a whole attempt on Nancy Drew's life. Do you really wanna keep that streak goin', Jim?" Harvey kept talking.

"I'll assume I'm Nancy Drew."

"We've had weirder weeks. At least there are no evil twins or anything yet." Jim shrugged his broad shoulders, finally drinking the coffee that he'd be glaring down at for the past few minutes of the conversation.

Someone on the force ought to set up a 'Crazy things that have happened in Gotham!" bingo at the next staff party. Then again, with the sheer amount of mental things that happen in Gotham, there would be no time for a staff party. Maybe they should just start placing bets on next week's insanity, What's it gonna be? The zoo gets robbed? Money laundering at the local high school? The trash cans are alive and walking?

"Fine. But this is A Team only. You, me, and freakin' Nancy Drew. No uniform. And someone buys me lunch. Those are my terms." It seemed to be decided that they would go. No matter how much Harvey Bullock rolled his eyes or crossed his arms.