The sun only showed half its face behind the clouds, but for the city, it was a rare spell of good weather.
"It's Monday again…"
Jay dusted off his newly issued dark blue uniform and walked into the East Precinct, looking a bit dispirited.
The lobby was noisy, a mixture of various sounds, like a pot of water about to boil. Officers who had just finished the night shift had heavy bags under their eyes, their uniforms wrinkled, as they dragged their tired bodies through the shift change.
"The assault case in the East District last night, the report is almost finished…"
"The suspect in the detention room is demanding to see a lawyer…"
"Damn it! The evidence list for that armed robbery case over the weekend doesn't match…"
"Stop writing. Just let the gangs provide someone to take the fall…"
"Captain, you don't look good. Is something wrong?"
"Nothing, I just have an incurable disease called 'Monday Syndrome'."
Jay rubbed his face, taking the coffee Anna handed him and passing it immediately to Allen, who was walking past chewing a donut. "Otis, over here!"
Otis Flannigan ran over to him, slightly hunched over. Jay patted his chest. "Straighten up! Your court hearing is today. Look sharp, don't embarrass us! Do you have all your documents?"
"All here!"
Otis fumbled, trying to pull all sorts of papers out of a large file bag, which Jay promptly pressed down and shoved the whole thing at Allen.
"The court procedure is all on you!" He lowered his voice. "The District Attorney and the judge have been handled. The lawyer is a shyster, so there shouldn't be any surprises, but don't hold back on spending money if needed."
"No problem, Captain!" Allen saluted. "We're off."
The air was thick with a strong and peculiar smell—the burnt bitterness of cheap black coffee, the acridness of disinfectant, and faint whiffs of sweat and anxiety.
A small line had formed beside the copier, and someone impatiently tapped their foot. The fax machine squeaked out a request for assistance from the State Police Department.
"10-50, multi-vehicle collision on I-95 South. Requires rescue and traffic control."
The dispatcher announced the notice listlessly over the radio, not really caring if anyone responded. Jay walked through the lobby and entered his small office.
A Captain usually got a partitioned area at best, and many were squeezed into cubicles in the main hall, as the main location of the job was the street.
But when Bob decided to give him a private office, hardly a single officer in the entire East Precinct objected. According to everyone:
They hoped Captain Li would continue to work hard in a better environment and secure more donations for the precinct.
Oh ho, nice.
Jay felt that everyone in the East District was talented and pleasant to talk to. As he pushed open the office door, one of those not-so-pleasant talents was already sitting inside, waiting for him.
"Hi, Jay. What is more precious the less you have of it?"
"Holy crap!" Jay's face changed instantly. "You didn't break my ancestral tea caddy, did you!"
He quickly walked to the desk, pulled open the drawer, looked inside, and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"Good, good. Even though my deceased old man was irresponsible, if I smashed his favorite tea caddy, he'd dig himself out of the grave tonight just to beat me."
He looked at the exasperated Nygma, only then belatedly realizing.
"Uh… Ed, was that a riddle?"
"Yes, the answer is you, my friend." Nygma sighed. "My transfer paperwork is done. What do you need me to do now?"
"Uh… first, the bad news…" Jay scratched his head, sounding a bit embarrassed. "The forensics and medical examiner's departments aren't set up yet…"
Nygma showed a slight look of disappointment, but immediately nodded: "I anticipated that. So… is there any good news for me?"
"There is. Do you remember…" Jay pointed east. "That Star Trust Investment Company building next to the precinct? Bob negotiated with the city government. We can buy it for a little over 100,000, plus about 200,000 in existing debt."
"So…?"
"You first go and make a list of the things and equipment you need. Although we don't have enough money to renovate the entire building yet, we can set up the basement morgue and evidence room first. Then you can start your work."
Jay pulled open the door and called out:
"Anna!"
The girl scurried over, standing at attention and saluting: "Present, Captain!"
"Today, you go with Ed to… uh…" He looked confused, pointing at Nygma. "I don't know where to go, he's in charge. Get a list of equipment to purchase and then hand it over to logistics."
"Okay, Jay." Nygma nodded slightly, a little embarrassed, and stood up. "I'll try to be thrifty…"
"Thrifty my butt. It's not our own money. If it's not enough, we'll find another way to cry poor."
Watching the two leave the office, he gritted his teeth and flipped open the mountain of case files piled on his desk, starting to sort them by category.
"Casino report, attack by a weirdo… Tsk tsk… Master Wayne is playing late-night car parades again…"
"Commercial district dismemberment… Damn, this should be stuck near the East-West border, right…"
"Old Town family massacre… Closer to Central Precinct. Pass the buck!"
"Dismembered body found at the sewer outfall…"
Damn it, why are so many people willing to chop up bodies? You should just open a butcher shop.
Which pervert did this one? Gangs usually don't dismember. If it's for deterrence, they must show the face to prove identity and openly dump the body on the street.
If it's for silencing, tossing the body into the river bottom with rocks would leave no evidence, which is much simpler.
He sighed, stacked all the dismemberment cases together, and opened the next document—an internal memo.
"In light of the cult murder case, the Gotham City Police Department is seeking psychological consultation and assistance from social organizations.
The government will soon appoint Dr. Hugo Strange, Director of Arkham Asylum, as a Distinguished Visiting Professor for the GCPD, and Dr. Harleen Francis Quinzel, Assistant Professor at Gotham University, as a Distinguished Visiting Professor for the East Precinct.
Dr. Jonathan Crane, Assistant Professor at Gotham University, will be appointed as a Distinguished Visiting Professor for the West Precinct.
These psychological experts will provide counseling services to officers and citizens in need every Friday, demonstrating the Mayor's commitment to citizen wellness…"
Oh, psychological counseling. That doesn't sound bad. So many PhDs—even though Gotham is a mess, there are quite a few smart people.
He slapped the memo aside.
Hugo… that name sounds familiar… Harleen…
Hmm? Wait!
Harleen Quinzel!!!
——————
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