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A Gotham Tale: Harvey Bullock	By : Driftwood Category: DC Verse Comics > Batman Views: 4464 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Batman, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
Chatham Manor ruins,
Harvey wiped at his eyes absently, the stinging he put down to the smoke from the burning mansion and not from the hole he discovered in himself as he had searched said burning building for a woman he knew was already dead. He had felt foolish when the cold truth had hit him, he had already come to terms with Rosa’s death, or atleast he thought he had.
Both he and Batman had heard a woman scream, but once they had entered the burning building something, or someone had slipped into Harvey’s mind and taken him further into the building to meet his death. He knew the dark haired English woman was to blame, her last attempt to put an end to Detective Harvey Bullock foiled at the last moment by Batman.
The paramedic was looking at Harvey, a question had been asked and the response was not as forthcoming as the paramedic would have liked, “Sorry what did you say?” Harvey asked, coming round as he wiped another tear from his right eye.
“Your lungs, how do they feel?” The paramedic asked again, he moved his head to the left and then to the right as he spoke, his eyes squinting a little as he looked at the detectives head, trying to see any swollen masses that he had missed earlier on.
“I’m fine, no bumps so stop looking for something that is not there,” The words came out quickly and caught the paramedic by surprise, Harvey barked out a cough and held up one ash stained hand, “A little bit of smoke on my lungs but I can breathe fine.”
The paramedic nodded, “Sure,” he stood up and called another paramedic over, “To be on the safe side, stay here and keep this mask on.” He motioned to the other paramedic who was hooking up a small cylinder of oxygen.
The mask was slipped over Harvey’s head before he had time to complain, the second paramedic stood guard making sure Harvey kept the mask in place. Harvey sighed and nodded in resignation, the paramedic smiled but refused to move. Chatham manor was nothing but a shell now, the fireman had gone to work quickly, but whatever accelerant had been used meant they had their work cut out.
The sun had cleared the horizon by the time the blaze had come under control by that point Chatham manor was no more. Most of the structure had collapsed in on itself, a side wall remained half erect as did part of the front. The roof had collapsed inwards and the chimney threatened to topple at any moment. Harvey stared at the smoking rubble and took deep breaths of the oxygen a cough would rattle out every now and then and the ever watchful paramedic would instantly look down and monitor.
“What happened to your phone call?” Joshua Allen called out as he approached, he had arrived in a squad car after hearing over the radio at G.C.P.D about the fire and that one Detective Bullock was the lead officer at the scene.
Harvey pulled the clear mask down from his face, the paramedic opened his own mouth to speak then closed it and shook his head instead. “I went in the get my phone,” Harvey motioned towards the remains of Chatham manor, “couldn’t find it though, a small issue with a raging fire and all.”
Joshua looked over at the smouldering ruin his hands resting on his hips “I am sure I am going to regret asking this but what happened?”
Harvey stood up as he took the oxygen mask off, the paramedic nodded and took it from the detective, “You seem fine, any issues, blurred vision or difficulty breathing get to the closest hospital, okay?” Harvey nodded and started to guide the young detective away from the still bustling crowd of cops, fireman and medics.
Once they were at a safe distance Harvey told the story the best he could, the slaughter at the old arboretum was spun out into a mass suicide, Harvey was writing his report in his head and if he could get Joshua Allen to believe it then he would have no problems getting Akins to fall for it. The burning down of Chatham manor was far easier to explain. The woman screaming and Harvey racing inside to save her, again Harvey skipped the whole Rosa hallucination and the inclusion of Batman too, it was better for everyone if they had no idea that Batman and Harvey had become allies even hesitant ones.
Joshua mulled it over, Harvey could see the young detective going over the story, pulling it apart, if he could find a hole, Harvey knew, Allen would pick at it until the whole thing unravelled. “Your holding back,” Joshua started and held up one hand stopping Harvey from commenting, “I am not sure why, but for now I am going to let it go. But you are going to have to tell me everything sooner or later.”
Harvey gave a slight nod, the kid was too smart and to be honest Harvey was a little surprised that he was not being torn apart for destroying something that Joshua Allen had been obsessing over for some time. “You think Akins will go for it?”
Four days later Harvey Bullock had his answer.

Captain Akins’ Office, GCPD
Captain Akins’ office was a little crowded, on one side sat a rather clean and fresh looking Harvey Bullock and next to him sat Joshua Allen. Travis was back on duty but as he had left the case at the early stage he got to sit out this meeting, instead he watched from his desk, his fingers tapping at the keyboard of his computer while his eyes remained firmly fixed on the closed office.
On the other side of the desk was Captain Akins and, causing a sense of unease in Harvey the moment the man had walked into the office was one of the boys from Internal Affairs James Reynolds. Harvey had little doubt that his case file had been looked over by both men prior to the meeting, but Akins still flicked through it now, letting the silence drag out and letting Harvey get a good glimpse of the Internal affairs officer.
James Reynolds was one of the best Internal Affairs men in the Gotham Police force, Harvey had tangled with him on a couple of occasions, frightening occasions when Harvey had genuinely thought his little side business with the Falcone’s was about to be torn open for the whole of Gotham and the world to see. But here he still was, going straight but still under the watchful eye of Internal affairs it seemed. Harvey spent more time looking about the office than watching Reynolds, even Reynolds seemed bored with the whole showboating and was busy on his mobile phone held in one hand and was tapping away on it while barely looking up at the meeting.
Akins closed the file and placed it gently on the desk, “So at what point in this investigation were you going to inform me that you had ties with Warren Vandergilt?” As Akins spoke his hands rested on shuffled the file this way and that until it was perfectly straight.
“I placed Laura Beth Vandergilt’s missing person report two days prior to her body turning up. I had no idea that the domestic disturbance report that you signed me up to had anything to do with the missing Miss Vandergilt,” Harvey made sure he put enough emphasis on who had sent him all the way to the apartment that rainy day.
Reynolds looked up at this point a crooked smile just forming on his lips as Captain Akins shifted in his seat, clearly this had been a piece of information that Akins had failed to add. “It was only at the autopsy that her identity became clear,” Harvey knew that Richard Compton had not spilled the beans, that he had kept his mouth shut even though Harvey had pretty much told Compton who the girl was back at the apartment.
Akins jumped in, “And it was at that point you should have informed me that you were too close to this case and should be reassigned.” The smug smile made Harvey clench his jaw, “Warren Vandergilt and you were friends,”
“We had not spoken in years…” Harvey tried to interject.
“but still friends, and it turns out a friend who was a leader of a cult and a murderer,” Akins pushed himself up from his seat, hands resting on the desk as he leaned forward, the man had a fire in his belly, “for all I know you were part of this cult and…” the knock on the Captain’s door broke the man’s stride. “What is it?” Captain Akins said loudly.
“Not disturbing you am I?” Commissioner Gordon asked as he pushed the door open and took a step in. The Commissioner gave a warm smile to each man as they stood up at his entrance.
Captain Akins stood up straighter than the others, his cheeks flushed with colour as the realisation that he had raised his voice to the Commissioner settled in. “I was just going over Detective Bullocks last case,” he grabbed the file off the table holding it up as if it were incriminating evidence.
“You always need internal affairs on hand when you review a case file?” Jim Gordon said and stepped fully into the room closing the door behind. He held out one hand, “May I?” he asked and Akins handed over the file. “Good to see you again by the way Reynolds.” Gordon said to the I.A. officer.
Harvey caught the smile between both men his brow furrowed slightly, just who had James Reynolds been texting Harvey wondered. Harvey Bullock felt incredibly uncomfortable, he had a bad feeling that things had taken a turn for the worst.
“I believe Detective Bullock has tarnished this case and possibly subverted justice being done,” Akins said as he watched Commissioner Gordon flick through the file.
“Okay, fair enough.” Gordon replied and closed the file, Akins held out his hand to take it back but Gordon slipped it under his arm and adjusted his glasses on his face, “Did you know Warren Vandergilt Detective Bullock?”
Harvey swallowed hard, he had a glimpse of Reynolds handcuffing him and leading him through the office. “I did sir, years ago,” He could feel the sweat on his forehead, the voices in his head a little louder, his control over the crazy gift was fine as long as he concentrated, but all he could think of right now was just how much trouble he was in. “When he called me to his office that was the first time we had spoken in fifteen, twenty years.”
Akins snorted and shook his head, Gordon looked disapprovingly over at the Captain, “You assigned Detective Bullock and Detective Travis to the domestic disturbance case is that right?”
Akins nodded, “Yes I did.”
“So there was no way at that point that Detective Bullock would have known who the case involved?” Gordon asked and the Captain nodded, his mouthing opening to speak but Gordon cut him off before he had a chance, “Did you recognise the girl in the apartment Detective?”
Harvey shook his head, he was now lying to Commissioner Gordon, but it was not the first time in his illustrious career, “At that point sir I had no idea.”
Reynolds cut in at that point, “Richard Compton backs that up, and he says he passed on all relevant details after the autopsy, at no point did Detective Bullock ID the victim prior to that.” Reynolds glanced quickly at Bullock as he spoke and Harvey caught the glimpse of a thought, a little louder than the hundred voices babbling in his head at that moment, it gave him hope all of a sudden.
“Did your knowledge of who the victim was compromise how you approached this case Detective Bullock?” Gordon asked staring over the top of his glasses.
“No sir,” Harvey said and Akins gave a loud bark of a laugh.
Gordon continued as if Akins was not even there, “I fail to understand your involvement in all of this Detective Allen, care to enlighten me?”
Allen stood up quickly, even Bullock had to smile at the kid’s nervousness around Commissioner Gordon, “Sir, I had further knowledge of evidence that Detective Bullock found at the crime scene.” Gordon nodded and patted the air letting the young detective know he could sit down. “A case of mine a year ago contained a similar diagram to that found by Bullock, that case was closed but I felt that the symbol was never fully explained. When Harvey approached me I saw the opportunity to atleast help fill in the blanks.”
“So a case gets closed but you kept working on it?” Gordon asked.
“Only the symbology side of the case sir, it was with the help of Harvey that we both connected the dots to a possible cult here in Gotham City.” Allen did not like the idea of lying to Commissioner Gordon, especially with Internal Affairs sitting only a few feet away.
“Next time you have doubts on a case come to me son,” Gordon offered and Allen gave a weak smile back and felt a small wave of relief wash over him. “So Captain Akins what evidence do you have that Detective Bullock was compromised on this case?”
Akins spoke in a measured tone, each word coming out slowly and eloquently, “Detective Bullock was good friends with Warren Vandergilt and his family, this includes Laura Beth Vandergilt. I believe Detective Bullock was called in by Warren Vandergilt to help cover up his daughter’s murder and the possible uncovering of his little cult, furthermore…”
Gordon’s laughter broke Akins’ cool calm, his words stumbled in his mouth and brought the man to a screeching halt. “I need evidence Akins, Internal Affairs needs evidence. I am not going to suspend an officer because you ‘feel’ that he was up to no good, if we did that most of this police force would be suspended.”
Reynolds gave a soft chuckle and nodded his head, his eyes flicking up to Bullock for a moment. The tide was turning, Harvey could feel it, he could sense it and with that sense of relief he began to reel in the voices again, dulling them down to a background whisper. Gordon and Reynolds had his back on this and Harvey had a distinct idea that Reynolds had been texting Gordon just before the Commissioner had interrupted the case review.
Gordon slipped the folder out from under his arm and flicked through it again, “You were wrong not to inform Captain Akins of your involvement with the Vandergilt’s no matter how far in the past it was,” Gordon slowed as he reached the final page of the file, Akins gave a smug smile, the man somehow still thought he was going to win, “I cannot however see anything here that makes me think you were compromised if anything Detective Bullock this is one hell of a case to have solved.”
Akins’ mouth dropped open as his head whipped round to face the Commissioner, “With all due respect Commissioner,”
Gordon cut him off as he held the folder out to Captain Akins, “With all due respect Mike I would have thought you would be able to keep personal feelings out of this. And wasting Internal Affairs time too? There is a rotten core in this police force Akins lets focus on them and leave the good guys alone.”

Harvey was only dimly aware of making it back to his cluttered desk, his mouth was dry and his head hurt. He had gone from being on suspension to being cleared and a witness to a full dressing down of Captain Akins, the experience had been thrilling and a little sickening too. “You still have your badge and gun, that’s a good thing.” Travis said sliding his chair away from his side of the desk.
“You have no idea,” Joshua answered for Harvey, “What the hell just happened in there?” Joshua asked softly to Harvey.
“For once in my lifetime I am grateful to I.A. that’s what just happened in there.” Harvey replied, he pulled out his battered chair to sit down as he did Joshua motioned behind them with the slightest tilt of his chin. Harvey turned and saw Reynolds approaching he nodded to the man, still feeling a little unsure and now wondering if Reynolds had some final game plan and was about to shoot Harvey down in front of everyone.
Reynolds held his hands up showing that he was not there for a fight, “Just wanted to say I am impressed by your case files lately Detective Bullock.”
“You keeping tabs on me Reynolds?” Harvey replied back, he and Reynolds had butted heads in the past, Harvey was the slippery fish Internal Affairs could never catch and he knew that it infuriated them, back in the old days Harvey had laughed about it, he had felt immortal.
Reynolds shrugged, “You know you will always be a person of interest to us Harvey. But I am a fair man, this case was solid, good work.” He spared a casual glance over his shoulder, “I doubt I need to tell you this but Captain Akins wants you bounced out of here, you keep your nose clean Harv’ I will have your back,” Reynolds leaned in close, “you put a foot out of line I will be there to hang you personally.”
Reynolds straightened up and smiled at the three men, he handed the Vandergilt file back to Harvey then wishing them all a good day he strode off, unfazed by the hostile glares from around the office. Harvey shook his own head and gave a gruff single laugh. He knew he would never be seen as a good Cop he kind of wished they at least did not see him as a bent cop.
Harvey watched Commissioner Gordon step out of Akins office, their eyes caught for a moment and Gordon gave him a curt nod and smile then walked off. “Good to know you have so many good friends Harvey.” Travis said.
“Tell me about it,” Harvey responded. Something niggled in his thoughts for a moment and he found himself opening up the file and flicking through it, near the end was a slip of paper, torn from a note book of some sort. Harvey slipped the note out and looked at the five words that were printed neatly in black on it, ‘Tip of the iceberg?’ the note read in Commissioner Gordon’s hand writing. He guessed that Gordon and Batman had talked, Batman obviously thought there was more to the case than Bullock wanted there to be.
Harvey debated binning the note and filing the case and never thinking about it again, it would be so simple to do, if there was more to it he no longer cared. But…the prospect of meeting the English woman one more time, paying her back in kind for what she did to him had a certain ring to it. He knew the case was not truly closed, the real criminals were still out there, could he be a good cop and let them walk away and do it again, could he live with himself?
“What’s up Harvey?” Joshua asked noticing the way Harvey stared at the open file in his hands.
“You got your car here?” Harvey asked making his mind up and hating himself for his next course of action, Joshua nodded. “I think we missed something.”
Park Row Apartments,
The yellow police tape on the door was starting to peel off, the landlord of the apartment had so far made no attempts to re-claim the property nor would he ever. It was all in Harvey’s report and it was a little infuriating when he found out that the property was under the ownership of a subsidiary of the Vandergilt Empire, Harvey would never get the chance to ask Warren if he knew where his daughter was all along.
“What are we missing Harvey?” Joshua asked as he stepped through the doorway and into the apartment, he looked over his shoulder when Harvey failed to reply, he opened his mouth to ask the question again but the look on Harvey’s face made him stop. A cold spot formed in his belly and Joshua rubbed at it absently. Harvey was stood stock still, eyes closed and brow furrowed, his skin had gone pale white making his chemical burned cheek stand out in contrast.
Harvey had heard the question about a second before Joshua had asked it, along with all the other questions that were sitting in the minds of everyone else in the apartment block. The feeling still made him queasy when he let the floodgates open, but he was getting better at controlling it, he could close the door easily now and with a little more effort focus on just one voice, though that felt like a rusty nail in his skull.
Even though Harvey stood still his mind and his other form travelled the apartment, it was easier doing this in the apartment. When at the start of the case, when he thought they were just dreams his movement had not been of his own accord, he had been let loose on a slow tide that had moved him about. Now, now he could go where he wanted.
“She left something here,” Harvey muttered.
Joshua found the voice unsettling, it was Harvey Bullocks but minus the brash, gruff tones. Now his voice was gentle and smooth almost thoughtful. Joshua had the sense that Harvey was walking the crime scene in his head, an odd technique seeing that they were stood at the threshold of the scene, “Where am I looking?” Joshua asked.
Harvey felt unbalanced, his feet were on the ground but his astral form (the name felt right though Harvey still wanted to scoff at how clichéd it sounded) was floating above the scene, looking down. He concentrated further, blotting out the street noise the seeped through the cheap window panes. Ghost figures passed beneath him now, whispy forms, hardly there and they would vanish if he did not look directly at them. “Laura Beth,” Harvey whispered.
He watched her move about the living space, it was her essence her past mark on the world. First she sat, then she was moving, eating, bathing, sleeping the routine mundane and almost mechanical…she left the apartment she returned and the process seemed to repeat, day after day. “She was waiting here,”
Joshua walked down the hall into the living room, the windows had not been cleaned in months so the light that filtered through cast the furniture in a dull yellow light, dust motes danced lazily in the air catching on unseen under currents of air. “For who?” Joshua asked. He had walked away from Harvey just to be away from the man, he was making him feel nervous and uncomfortable.
Harvey reached out, Laura Beth had changed so much since Harvey had last seen her. Her thin frame belied the athlete she was aspiring to be, not enough food, malnourished. Her face was older than it should have been too, this girl had seen a lot over the last few years. “She was waiting for her father,” the thought was clearer than the after image before him.
Joshua shook his head, “He knew she was here?” He was not expecting a reply so did not feel ignored when Harvey remained silent. Joshua’s mind began to connect dots, he began to see Warren Vandergilt here, murdering his own daughter…he shook his head, the man was not capable of murder let alone double murder of his own daughter and the Chinese business man Yang Jun. But was he capable of giving the order, “He wanted you to find her before they killed her,” Joshua said out loud airing his own thoughts. “Did he give the order?” Joshua asked again expecting no response.
“No, not this time, this time it was out of his hands,” Harvey said just loud enough for Joshua to hear. “Warren was just the servant to a bigger master.”
“Ereshkizu himself.” Joshua said and whistled long and low.
“Maybe, or someone close enough to it.” Harvey replied, he had a sudden vision of the man in one of his dreams, the hulking shadow by the shrine in Laura Beth’s apartment, the memory of that encounter made his blood run cold. “Go to the kitchen.” Harvey said suddenly.
Joshua turned on his heels, he wanted to ask more, Harvey was holding back information more now than Joshua had assumed back at the smoking ruins of Chatham Manor. “Okay now what?”
Harvey smiled slightly, the past projection was in the kitchen, near the cooker and writing, this happened again and again. At first Harvey had thought it was a list for food and what not, but now he could slow and speed up the projection, he could see a book…a book that disappeared when she finished writing in it. “Extractor hood.”
Joshua slipped on his glasses then reached for the latex gloves he always kept spare in his jackets, they always caused amusement or abject horror in his dates if they fell out. Joshua ran his hands over the hood above the oven, this close he could smell old Greece and fried food, he could feel the seams underneath and ducked his head to get a better look underneath. “Nope, nothing here…hang on,” the filter lifted up in it’s fitting as Joshua ran his hands over it.
He gave it a slight nudge and the long black filter popped free, he placed it gently to one side as if it were a murder weapon. Once his hands were free again he reached inside the now vacant space, he fingers patted the metallic surface and he began to shake his head again then stopped.
“It’s her diary,” Harvey was stood right behind Joshua when he spoke and the younger man let out a small scream as he started, surprised that the big man had moved up behind him so quickly and so quietly.
Joshua pulled the rectangular object out from the hole, a leather bound book clutched between his latex gloved fingers, and he spared a look at Harvey then opened the book. It only took Joshua a second to note the dates and the writing to know that Harvey was right. Harvey reached out to take the diary but Joshua slammed it shut with his hand and held it tightly between both palms, “Okay Sherlock how the hell did you know this was here and no bullshit, you have been holding back on me for too long now.”
“I saw her put it there,” Harvey started, “well the after image of her doing it I thought it was just a shopping list until I really watched her.” Harvey laughed, “Yeah crazy I know, wait till I tell you about the voices in my head.”
Joshua had kept hold of the diary while Harvey unloaded on him. Harvey started with the dreams he had at the start of the case, how he found the shrine with the help of the Batman, how as time went on he began to hear things, how he felt he was losing his mind the more he heard. Then he told Joshua all about the man in the yellow suit, the pain in his skull when he had grabbed Harvey’s head…how suddenly everything around him had gained a new dimension.
“You know how this all sounds, don’t you? You know what will happen when we log the diary as evidence, there is no way of saying it was a hunch this time.” Joshua said his words slowly and clearly. “You’re telling me your psychic, okay! That’s a little out there Harvey.”
“I know how it sounds, believe me. Why do you think I never told you? And to be honest I don’t know if I should be called psychic. They called it the Gift and Laura Beth had it too, not many people have it which makes us valuable for whatever they need to get this Ereshkizu up out of his pit.” Harvey felt relief at telling someone all of this, yes he knew how crazy it sounded but Harvey was living it and he needed to make it as sane as possible if he were going to survive.
Joshua still had the diary clutched between both gloved hands, he chewed his bottom lip as he stared at the older detective, “what am I thinking?” He asked, he felt stupid for saying it but his mind was stalling unable to grasp everything he had just heard. Harvey shook his head and gave a dry laugh, “If you can hear my thoughts, prove it.”
“Give me the damn diary I am not a circus performer,” Harvey retorted and held out one hand.
Joshua shook his head, “Not a chance! What am I thinking, tell me know or…”
“Denise Clews, high school sweetheart you kissed her for the first and only time on your prom night. That’s because she had no idea you were so head over heels in love with her, you were too shy to say anything and it took a few glasses of spiked punch for you to get up the nerve to speak to her and kiss her.” Harvey blurted out, Joshua was not thinking of that at all, he was repeating his badge number over and over. But that memory was so vivid Harvey had latched onto like a leech, “You never told anyone that, not even your parents.”
Joshua’s eyes had gone wide in surprise as Harvey had blurted out his shameful memory, “How could you know that?”
“Do you remember what she whispered to you, I do?” Harvey went on, Joshua shook his head to make the man stop but Harvey needed to prove his point, “ She was kind hearted enough to let you save face, she kissed you back in front of everyone then whispered to you ‘I’m sorry’. You were too late Josh, she had fallen for another guy.”
Joshua’s jaw clenched shut the sound of his teeth striking as he did so loud in the silent apartment, “Fuck you,” he retorted and held out the diary, Harvey took it and Joshua stormed off.

The diary was a mess, the dates had huge jumps in between and some pages contained nothing more than drawings or random doodles. Harvey had made himself comfortable on the threadbare settee, the diary on his lap as he flicked through it. He was wanted a name to pop out, a destination something that would tell him where Laura Beth had been, “Tip of the iceberg,” Harvey said under his breath.
Harvey had wanted the case gone, his little file had worked on Akins, Gordon and on Reynolds it was case closed and the eradication of a nasty little cult in Gotham city. Harvey was done, ready to move on, but that idea that there was more to this than just what happened in Gotham had dug its claws in and refused to let go, there was more to this than Harvey had first thought he knew it then but refused to believe it even with Batman urging him on. Gordon knew it to, probably did not need the help of Batman too, Harvey knew right then that he had to see it through to the end.
“What are you looking for?” Joshua asked walking back into the room after calming himself down in the bathroom.
Harvey did not look up as he spoke, “A name or a place, anything that tells me where Laura Beth has been and where they might just be.”
“Who do you mean by they?” Joshua asked, he was by no stretch of the imagination ready to forgive Harvey for digging around in his memory, he could hardly comprehend the notion that the man in front of him could read his mind or thoughts as it was. To keep him sane Joshua focused on the diary and what exactly Harvey had brought them all the way out here for.
“Whoever Warren answered to, I met her in Chatham manor she started the fire and killed Warren too.” Harvey briefly looked up, thankful that Joshua had stayed. Harvey fell silent for a moment, reading a passage about the desert (but not where) how a coyote had followed her and finally spoke to her. “Why does she not use names?” Harvey felt annoyed.
It was more a book of random thoughts and aimless naval gazing than a diary. The last few pages were sparse, a paragraph or two here and there, a drawing of a beach he assumed, then talk of the great expanse of the ocean and how Laura Beth desperately wanted to be like her friend, red hair and all.
“The gift is a curse, how they talk, how they act around me like I am Oz the great and powerful,” Harvey began to read out loud the final entry in the book, “This city stinks as much as the six do, I lie in bed and feel the cities heart beating, feel its swollen and clogged arteries crying out for help like I do when no one is listening…why do I do that? They can all hear me if I want them too.”
“She sounds cheerful,” Joshua said dryly.
“I hate him, hate him for making me, I hate him for making me become this empty vessel. The gift is a curse and she knew that, she told me so over breakfast before I came to the city, why did I not listen to her? Because I am the vessel, because I am the keeper of worlds and the destroyer of worlds.” Harvey swallowed, his throat clicking as he did so.
“Tonight is the last night, I ascend I will be the One and I will live on for what it is worth, the world will not know, so I will not know, I am chosen I am gifted, curse the bitch and her smiles, curse the many faced bastard and curse their master, my lover.” Harvey closed the book and absently rubbed his hands on his trousers.
“She knew they were coming to kill her.”
Harvey shook his head, “No, I don’t think she had a clue at that point that her father’s attempt to save her had just signed her death warrant. They killed her because Warren came to me, he changed the game and he was punished for it.”
“But then they punished themselves too they got rid of Laura Beth, if she was the only one with the gift then whatever she was ascending to could not be achieved.” Joshua picked up the diary flicking through it himself he had given up on the gloves when he saw Harvey pawing through it with his gloveless fat fingers. “Unless they had no choice, if Warren compromised the group, they had to kill her and him.”
Harvey stood up, he felt a little ill as he began to speak, “She is not the only one with the gift though is she. I mean I have it, it’s rare but there are others.” Harvey began to pace, “Where are the rest of this group, this six?”
“Burnt to ashes in Chatham manor,” Joshua replied absently.
“We don’t know that, I never met them did I. What if, like you said the game was changed, what if they went to a different playing field? I just assumed their boss had moved on leaving them behind but what if she’s taken the players with her.”
Joshua closed the diary, “If that’s right, then it could be anywhere Laura Beth has been in this diary, but it’s ramblings it would take us months to sort out what her stream of thought was with some of these pages.”
Harvey paced back and forth, he had something on the tip of his tongue, a splinter in the front of his mind, “The answer is here,” he said stabbing his index finger down as he paced.
“Why don’t you just reach out and see if you can find them with your gift, get a motel name and number.” Joshua said feeling stupid at the very idea of Harvey’s new abilities.
“I tried, either I am too weak, or the gift does not work that way.” Harvey had tried for the last four days the only thing he had achieved was a bloody nose and waking up from numerous black outs, “ motel names wouldn’t tell us much anyway they are a dime a dozen…” his words trailed off as his eyes landed on the chipped green opaque bowl.
He moved quickly, his feet barely keeping up with him. He looked at the assorted selection of match boxes, “She stayed in motels on her travel, she never wrote down the names because she had mementos to remind her.”
Joshua was at his side a moment later, he gave low whistle, “That’s a lot of motels Harvey and a slim premise that whoever we are after will be there.”
Harvey shook her head, “hunches always work for me.”
Joshua opened the diary, “So I’m going to guess somewhere near the sea, a beach property…”
Harvey pulled out the one box he had tossed back in a life time ago, the seagull stared up at him from its blue background, “they are all here, every one of them.”
Joshua stared at the battered box and read the small print, “Seagull rest motel, Florida. Harvey there’s a hurricane warning for Florida plus we don’t have jurisdiction and to get it you will have to run this past Akins or the Commissioner.”
Harvey was staring intently at the box of matches and nodding slowly, Joshua asked if Harvey had heard him, he was about to ask Harvey again when the detective made up his mind. He slipped the diary and the matches into his jacket pocket, then quickly reached inside his jacket and took out his badge, “Here take this,” he handed it absently to Joshua then pulled his replacement service revolver off his belt and handed that over too.
“You cannot go rogue on this Harvey, they will crucify you if you manage to come back at all.” Joshua tried handing the badge and gun back but Harvey refused. “This is about revenge now isn’t it, not the murder of an innocent girl.”
“They tried to kill me, twice! You bet your ass this is about revenge now.” Harvey’s face was like thunder.
“If they have taken the remaining group with them, then there is an end game still at play they may be more dangerous and more willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater end, you cannot do this on your own.”
“You know what I need,” he said ignoring the younger detective and his attempts at handing his belongings back, “I need a holiday.” he reached into his trousers and pulled out his mobile phone even that was new just another thing replaced by the fire.
Joshua watched in silence as Harvey patiently went through the motions and finally got through to Captain Akins, the conversation was brief and the tinny voice of Captain Akins was just audible but Joshua could hear the relief in the man’s voice when he agreed for Harvey to take some time off.
Joshua knew he would regret his next course of action, but what little choice did he have? He pulled his own shield and revolver out and placed them with Harvey’s in an ugly clump next to the bowl of matches. “God damn it Harvey, I hope you know what you’re doing?”
“I do kid, and you ain’t coming along for the ride, stay here, go back to homicide and forget everything that’s happened.” Harvey made to leave, not wanting to hear Joshua’s excuses but the young man stopped him with a firm hand pressed against his chest.
“Like hell am I going to stay here! You need back up if this group is as bad as I think they are and I know by what you’ve told me they are ten times worse than that.” Harvey tried to push past but Joshua held firm. “I have spent too long trying to find these bozo’s Harvey, I need this, I need to put an end to this as much as you do.”
Harvey sighed and rubbed between his eyes, “Right fine, you can tag along.” He just hoped that Joshua was strong enough for what was to come.
- 7
- 8
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A Gotham Tale: Harvey Bullock