Chapter Text
“I’m sorry sir, I’m afraid I misunderstood. Are you claiming to be Jason Peter Todd?”
“You heard right.”
“And you’re here to?“
" I'd like to...no, not 'like'. I'm not here to order a burger." He muttered the last part to himself. He cleared his throat and started over, staring the police woman directly in the eyes.
"I'm here to report a murder."
"A murder? Name of the victim?"
"Sheila Haywood."
Abigail had been having a pretty lazy night.
Sure, they had a bunch of drunks and thugs booked for starting fights but considering it was Gotham that was pretty slow. The police station was oddly unnatural without people yelling constantly. Maybe she just wasn't used to it. She'd been running the front desk for only a couple months after all.
But this casual conversation was somehow more upsetting than the yelling.
An older boy, wearing a beat up leather jacket who had a strange white stripe in his hair stood at her desk. He kept rolling an unlit cigar between his fingers while she stared at him in disbelief.
Abigail pulled up her database and typed in the name.
"The only Sheila Haywood registered in Gotham passed away three years ago."
"Yes, that's the murder I want to report."
"It was a terrorist bombing in a foreign country. The same one that killed Jason Todd."
"Didn’t quite happen like they wanted. The story is a cover up. She was murdered by the Joker who set off a bomb.” The boy shrugged. “ I’ve been in hiding since."
Abigail raised her eyebrow at him. This was the single craziest report she’d gotten. Too bad it’s just a conspiracy theorist's fantasy. Abigail would have been the talk of the water cooler if it was true. Discreetly, Abigail pushed the forms away.
"Sir, this a police station, not an Internet forum. Please don't take up our time with unsubstantiated rumors and theories. Close the door on your way out."
"I'm not lying. I was there."
Abigail couldn't help it, she lost the will to be polite. The things people stoop to for attention. She started picking at her nails.
"The only other person that was there is also dead sir. A witness confirmed both these deaths on site. No one else was found in the vicinity. "
"Your witness is Bruce Wayne. The man who did the cover up. He lied about it all, including my death."
Abigail sent the boy the nastiest glare she could. People really were scum. Wayne lost his kid and all people ask is how they can profit off of it. Did he actually just claim Bruce Wayne lied about a dead child just so he could maybe get five minutes of air time with Vicki Vale? Abigail was going to have to call for backup if this kept going.
"Sir are you aware these are serious allegations?"
"Pull up a picture. I'll wait."
Abigail did so but she kept the boy in the corner of her eye. You never know who might turn out to be the next big loony.
Jason Todd had very few reference photos, but they were enough. A thin, black haired, blue eyed little boy with freckles. Another photo showed him older, taller and healthier, more defined cheek bones and facial structure in general. Abigail used that one as reference and went to find the differences.
Except, when she turned back to the boy all she saw were the similarities.
The facial structure, the freckles, the hair and eye color. He grew taller, his shoulders were broader and hair less curly. All that matched what the boy in her picture should look like in three years time. The more she kept looking the more her heart started pounding.
Getting desperate, she pulled out an aging program they sometimes used for references. Inputting the photos she typed in the necessary info.
"Age sir?"
"Eighteen."
That lined up with the birthday. She plugged it in and waited. Five minutes later an eerily similar face stared at her from the computer screen. It was almost perfect, if a bit thinner in the picture.
They'd have to do a blood test. And a fingerprint test. Ask personal history. Call the commissioner. Call the fucking cemetery and ask if they're missing someone.
Hell, maybe even an exorcist.
"Now", the phantom said, "if I finally have your attention, I'm here to report the murder of my mother."
__________________________________________
Commissioner Gordon smoked his fifth cigar of the evening waiting for Batman to finally show up. The night was rainy and miserable, but so was everything else so it fit the mood.
Batman's arrival was as silent and dramatic as always, and Gordon skipped the pleasantries. He pointed his half smoked cigar at the bat.
"We have a problem."
"Go on." The shadow ground out.
"A few nights ago a person walked into a police station and reported a murder. They claim the Joker killed someone and they witnessed the whole thing."
"How is that a problem."
"I know, that's just Thursday night around here. The report should have just been brought to me so I can investigate and put it on his file. But something fishy happened.
Before I even get the report, I get a call.
The DGP wants to see me. So, I go.
I get there to find the mayor waiting in his office. The two talk around more bushes than I can count and finally tell me that the report is going straight to the higher office.
That never happened before in my entire career. "
Gordon threw the cigar stub onto the ground and snuffed the dying ember out.
"So, I argue about procedure and process and they basically tell me it's beyond me now. I've only ever heard of bull like that once, and it was because the case involved the president's family. No one gets that kind of treatment unless they're royalty.
I come back to find the report in pieces. Just enough to say I got the damned thing but nothing in it's useful.
The victim's name, the witness name, hell even the date. All gone. "
Gordon started pacing the wet roof, Batman's eyes following from the shadows.
" All I know is that the Joker is the accused. But I didn't get what any of the hubbub was about. They know they can't get him a trial, he's been diagnosed insane more times than I've smoked a cigar.
Whatever the hell is going on, the fact the mayor was there screams politics. Someone big is making moves, and the fact they involve the Joker is enough for me to worry."
Gordon opened his coat to reveal a thin case file which he gave over to Batman.
"That's all I have. My hands are tied beyond it. The DGP sent over one of his lap dogs to keep an eye on me since the talk. I have to play nice. "
"I'll check into it. "
"Yeah, I'm relying on you. You don't ever play nice."
And with a flash of lightning Batman was gone.
__________________________________________
“So, if I understand this correctly, someone accused Gotham’s most hated mass murderer of murder and this is a problem?”
“No. The problem is that both the physical and digital report files have been heavily censored by someone with a lot of connections. I need to figure out why and who.”
“Well, I can stick around for a few days and help! Whatever’s going on is a lot more fun than my cases in Blud anyway.”
“It’s not supposed to be fun.”
“No, but that’s what we call a happy accident.”
Batman grunted. Nightwing took that to mean he could stay.
“Is there anything in the file?”
“The victim was female, mid-thirties, Gotham born. The person who reported the crime is simply put in the files as ‘her son’. “
“Well that can’t be up to regulation.”
“All the relevant information was similarly covered. No cause of death, no autopsy report, no date of death.”
“So we have nothing? Great start.”
“No. There is one possible lead. The date of the report was handwritten. The person who filed it is also censored, but Oracle was able to pull up the names of every station attendant from that day. We then cross-referenced the handwritten date with their handwriting and have narrowed it down to three possible stations. “
“Well, I guess I know what we’re doing today.”
“Take the east, I’ll take the west. Meet up at the south station in two hours.”
“Would it kill you to say please once in a while?”
__________________________________________
Both east and west proved to be false leads. Nightwing’s attendant didn’t file a single homicide report for a female that night, and his co-attendant hadn’t even shown up for work. Batman’s station had a better chance, but it turned out the attendant only ever used red pens. The report was in blue.
Finally, they met up at the last station, the Bowery precinct.
“You think good cop-bad cop works on cops?”
Predictably, Batman didn’t answer. They dramatically opened the front door and walked inside. To an audience of literally one person.
The extremely sleepy officer yelped and snapped to attention. “Batman? Nightwing? ”,he rubbed his eyes. “No way.”
“Yes way actually. “
“Are-Are you here to report a crime?”
“Well, not really. We would have gone to the commish if we had one of those I think.”
“Oh um-I guess-“
Batman interrupted. “Enough. Friday 9th, Abigail Hart was working the front desk. She should be here now. Not you.”
The guy visibly swallowed. “Um. Yeah, she did. She took a sudden vacation. They dumped all her shifts on me.”
“Vacation. Why?”
“Sh-She won a cruise trip. A raffle happened for the precinct and they gave her a month paid leave too. But if you ask me they rigged the whole thing on purpose.”
“Oh? Bitter you didn’t get some time off?” Nightwing cast a look around for cameras.
“I mean, we basically all are. But Abigail hasn’t been doing too well. Keeps acting like someone’s out to get her. Says she saw a ghost. Can you believe it? I think the boss did it to give her a sabbatical.”
“So he paid for the whole trip? How?”
“Oh, he didn’t. The raffle was sponsored by some big wig company. They gave me this mug.”
The officer picked up his standard mug and turned it around to reveal the LexCorp. logo on it.
That ended the conversation.
Batman turned around, his cape swishing behind him, and left through the front door. Nightwing sighed and gave the officer a smile.
“Thanks for the help officer! Hope you have more luck on the next raffle.”
And Nightwing followed after his broody mentor.
__________________________________________
Back at the cave the two vigilantes assessed the info.
“So I guess we answered the ‘who’ part. I didn’t think Lex had this many connections in Gotham though.”
“He has some very important ones. But not enough to pull this off. He isn’t working alone.”
“Any guesses?”
“One. “
Batman pulled up a number of news articles from around two years ago.
‘LexCorp. Partners with Head Industries.’
“Talia? Well she does have her fingers in Gotham’s politics.”
“And a strong vice grip on the DGP.”
“But why? None of this is either of their MO’s. They don’t have ties to the Joker.”
“No, but if they get him out of Arkham there might be some unknown benefit to them.”
“Well. Now what? Can’t just call up and ask. Hello, Mister Luthor? Yes, the best vigilante in all of Gotham here. Can you tell us why you’re tampering in Gotham’s legal system? We’ll stop making fun of your shiny head if you tell us.”
“We can try.”
“Wait, what?”
__________________________________________
Lex Luthor was enjoying a glass of red wine when the windows of his top floor office exploded in a rain of shards. Batman rose from his crouch and stood in the middle of Lex’s office.
Sighing, Lex spilled his glass of wine onto the floor, the shards that fell into the glass clinking as they landed.
“If you caped crusaders had more manners my window replacement budget would be around 23 percent smaller.”
“Luthor. What are you doing in Gotham.”
Lex waved his arm at the vast Metropolis view. “Does this look like Gotham? Or are you truly as blind as a bat?”
“You and Talia are manipulating the police. Why.”
Luthor chuckled. “I’m afraid I’ve no idea what you’re talking about. If something is happening in Gotham the one you actually want to talk to would be miss Head. Not that you’ll have much luck I’m afraid.”
“Why?”
“She’s unreachable until further notice. Something about a court case taking all her time.”
“Neither of you have ties to the Joker. What’s your game here Luthor?”
The businessman simply smirked. “Even if there was a game Batman why in the world would I tell you the rules? That would be the easiest way for me to win wouldn’t it?”
“You never win Luthor. Not against Superman and never against me. Whatever you’re doing in Gotham will be stopped.”
Batman walked over to the window opening and pulled out his grapple, but before he jumped Luthor’s voice called out.
“Ah, I have never won it’s true. I wonder if it’s because you always fight for the victims while I fight for the benefit of the system.”
Batman kept silent, and Luthor shook his head with a thoughtful look on his face.
“I suppose there’s no point in wondering. I am a scientist first and foremost after all. I’ll simply have to test it and see. What do you think Batman? Will the result be any different if our roles were reversed?”
But when Luthor looked up for an answer Batman was already gone.
__________________________________________
Bruce returned to the cave and refused to leave it till he figured out what was happening in his city. Dick helped up to the point when he realized they were absolutely stuck and decided to practice his gymnastics while Bruce stared at his screen.
Talia had truly gone underground. Her last known location being in Africa. The cameras from the police station have no recordings of the night of the report. Their one witness is unreachable.
They had nothing. But Bruce refused to admit it.
Alfred dutifully refilled their plates and drinks but even he couldn’t find it in him to be snarky with his charges. It was the Joker. Bruce won’t hear anything until he knows the clown is safely kept captive.
The old butler was grateful his youngest charge was kilometers away with his friends. He feared Bruce wouldn’t take well to seeing Robin colors at the moment. Not if they were on a living boy.
The cave really only echoed with the sounds of bats.
That’s how the day passed.
And then their big break in the case came in the form of Vicki Vale and an emergency report.
“This is Vicki Vale reporting live from the Gotham courthouse. It has just been confirmed that a trial will be held on the charges raised against The Joker. He is being accused of homicide, malicious and with intent.
The arraignment of the case as well as the preliminary hearing were held in virtual quiet and without knowledge of the press. When asked, the judge said the decision was not made with ill intent but out of procedure for Joker trials. After the first trial that proclaimed the Joker criminally insane, all subsequent trials were thrown out in the preliminary hearings, on the grounds of the insanity defense holding against all charges.
The judge expected today’s accusation to be no different. However, for some unknown reason, the charges were deemed worthy of trial.
We spoke to The Joker’s state assigned defense attorney and he had this to say:
“Get out of my face! I don’t know what’s going on, this isn’t procedure! Everyone knows the clown is insane, this is all just a waste of time.”
The Joker is never present for the preliminary hearings as to avoid creating dangerous situations but his presence will be required for the pretrial hearings and the jury trial.
Seeing as this will be The Jokers first appearance in court in over twenty years we will be following the case closely and reporting on the events.
Join us tomorrow as we follow the case of The People vs The Joker.”