Prince of Darkness ~ Gotham

~ Chapter Twenty Three: The Mask ~

"What a way to start the day. And I just cleaned this!" Harvey complained as he spilled coffee on his tie. Jim had just pulled up to the latest crime scene at the docks. A middle-aged man was lying on a pile of wooden boards and tires. He appeared to have been beaten and stabbed to death. Even though the Falcone conflict was resolved, it didn't mean that all of Jim's coworkers were back to acknowledging him as one of their own. But in time, most would hopefully come around. "Harvey!" Jim called out to his partner. "Hey! Uniforms found the body. No wallet, no ID, no watch. He got beaten up pretty good. I'm guessing the cause of death is that gigantic gash in the side of his neck," Harvey explained, pointing to the deceased's deep gash.

"You think? What's all the black on him?" Jim questioned. "I dunno, ink? Paint?" Harvey answered. "Hmm. Good morning, Ed," Jim looked over to where Ed sat hunched over, jotting down notes as he inspected the body. "Detective," Ed replied with a grin. "Going by overall coagulation, I'd say the time of death is midnight. But he's only been here for a couple of hours. Rats have just started on his ears. Sneaky little buggers," "So not a mugging. Muggers don't move the body. Abrasions on his knuckles, he put up a fight," Jim took notice.

"Look at the suspenders. I'm guessing he's some finance guy," Harvey pointed out. "Maybe it was an abduction ransom thing gone wrong, he resists, ka-chunk! Do you want to talk to the uniforms that found the body?" Harvey asked. "Uh, you do it. We should canvass the area, though. A lot of homeless around here," Jim noted. Harvey nodded, saying that he'd get some unis on it. But Jim insisted he could handle it himself before calling one of their colleagues, telling him to go smoke somewhere else. "Come on, Jim, that's what we got uniforms for. Let them do it!" Harvey called out. "And I'd rather do it myself," Jim replied.

Ed looked up from his notes, asking the detectives if he should run all the prints. Jim and Harvey looked over with looks of obviousness. Running prints was part of his job after all. "Yeah, Ed. Run the prints," Harvey answered. Ed bent over the corpse, his metal scissors poking around inside the deceased's mouth for something out of the ordinary. "This one too?" Ed questioned, pulling out a severed finger. Harvey's eyes widened. Who would leave someone's severed finger inside a dead person's mouth? What kind of message was that sending?

"Yeah, Ed. Run that too," Jim answered. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

At Anders Prep, the warning bell rang, letting everyone know they had about five minutes to get their first period. To Holly, it all felt like another day at school. But little did she know that this day would be a bit different. Outside the school, Bruce and Alfred pulled up to the sidewalk, and Bruce looked out the window at the school. It had been a while since he had attended there, and despite his best protests to stay homeschooled, he was forced to return. Alfred exited the limo and opened the passenger door, gesturing for Bruce to come out.

"Had to happen sooner or later, huh?" the butler commented. "Is this really necessary? Homeschooling is just as effective. I can show you the data," Bruce complained. "You need to be around children your own age," Alfred attempted to reason. "But Holly's my age!" Bruce pointed out. "Well yes, but I don't think she's here," Bruce gave him a funny look, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of familiar blonde hair. To his and Alfred's surprise, Holly was indeed there, meeting up with Cara before walking into the school.

"I stand corrected, Master Bruce," Alfred looked back at him. "But that's all the more reason for you to go. You two can catch up," Slowly, Bruce got out of the limo, swinging his bookbag behind him. "Don't you miss your other mates?" Alfred questioned. "Not really. I've always found them kind of childish," Bruce admitted. "Well, that's what they're meant to be, aren't they? That's what they do. Don't you want to be like a normal kid?" "I'm not sure," Bruce answered. "Define "normal" and make a good case for it,"