Thanatophobia | VICTOR ZSASZ [DISCONTINUED]

thirteen | everyone has a cobblepot

While Annabelle poured herself a glass of scotch, she ignored Harvey's questioning glance as Oswald asked Harvey and James, "You do realize what you're asking me to do? If Don Falcone is working with Commissioner Loeb to keep this trove of secrets hidden and I help you uncover them, I'd be betraying my patron."

Annabelle chuckled to herself, while she put down the bottle of scotch and raised her glass to the two detectives.

After narrowing his eyes at Annabelle, James replied to Oswald, "That's right."

Oswald glanced over at Annabelle, while he started to worry that she'd tell Carmine about what James and Harvey wanted him to do before he said to the two detectives, "If he found out, he'd— Well, he'd be very angry. To say the least."

Harvey sighed before he said to Oswald, "Enough with the hemming and hawing. Are you gonna help us or not?"

Oswald tilted his head before he replied, "Let's say for argument's sake, I could help you, what's in it for me?"

James told him, "I'll owe you a favor."

Oswald asked James, "No questions asked?"

Harvey said to James, "Jim."

James ignored Harvey and said to Oswald, "Yes."

While he pointed at the bottle, Oswald asked them, "Do you know what this is? Madre de Dios. A hundred bottles made once a year by monks in the Italian countryside. It's Don Maroni's favorite."

In turn, James asked him, "What's your point?"

Oswald replied, "Oh, it's just a piece of information that might be useful one day. I like information. If I help you find where Loeb keeps his files, you give me ten minutes alone with them. I take what I want."

Harvey said to James, "This is not a good idea."

James told Oswald, "Five minutes. And you don't touch anything that has to do with cops."

Oswald chuckled as he said, "Five minutes with the files and a favor from Jim Gordon? Done. So who's up for a road trip?"

Annabelle sighed before she made a mental note to bring this up with Carmine at a later point in time, should he ever call her to go to his mansion.

* * *

In an attempt to drown out the sound of Harvey Bullock's voice during the entire car ride, Annabelle had kept her eyes closed.

Well, that was until she heard Harvey ask as they pulled up not far from a house, "You sure about this, Penguin? You're telling me this is where Loeb keeps twenty years of dirty secrets? It doesn't feel right."

James replied, "Yeah, maybe that's the point. No one would suspect it."

Oswald asked Harvey, "What would you prefer, Detective Bullock? A sign saying 'super-secret blackmail hoard'?"