Disclaimer: All DC characters are owned by DC COMICS, not me. I am just a fankid on the net who had a fever dream and wrote a story that happened to involve a few of those characters.
Thanks and please enjoy.
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Detective Bullock was looking down at the small notebook he usually kept in the breast pocket of his coat. It was simple, really, just personal notes, to do lists, reminders. He wrote in it daily until it was full. Once full he put it away at home or work so he may easily find it if it were needed for any reason in the future. Once it was gone a new, fresh one was on his person. The cycle never ended.
The detective sighed as he came across a note he must have missed earlier in the day.
"Alright, I gotta go, I gotta go bother some broad over in Midtown West about that Reynolds case."
"How's that going by the way?"
"I'm swamped as it is and now I gotta march over to go see some lady in midtown to make sure she didn't see or hear anything conspicuous. I mean, the guy just died while choking his dumb ass while he was jerking it, but since that Hartford thing the boss man is hammering at me to make sure I turn up all the stones on even the no brainer cases. "
"So what's the lady got to do with it?"
"Not sure, yet. She worked for the guy, I think she may have been the one that found him. We had trouble figuring all that out because she had found him, and told the others and apparently left."
"Oh, at the automotive shop?"
"I think, we'll see."
"Alright then, Lieutenant, good luck."
"Have a good one, Foley, get back to work, I'll probably see you later tonight because god hates us all."
The younger officer nodded with a relaxed smile. Harvey returned the nod, but not the smile before turning to leave the station.
Within ten minutes he was in an unmarked vehicle and navigating through the clusterfuck known as the city of Gotham. He groaned at the slow moving traffic. Today was not his day, but then again, nearly all days were not his day. It would take him another hour before he'd get to where he needed to go, which should have only been a ten to fifteen minute journey at the most.
Once he parked he shut the engine off and got out. He checked himself over in the side mirror briefly before pulling out his notebook to assure himself he had the right building. He looked up to the modest brown stone. It looked like his own building, save this one was a little more modern. His was in the historic district he seemed to gravitate toward history more than the future.
The detective headed in and asked the doorman about the woman he was on his way to see. The doorman was a little short with him until he showed him his badge. It wasn't long before Harvey was at the correct door. Harvey knocked three times. He did not employ what he called "the cop knock" which was just banging on the door at least three or more times while yelling "POLICE! OPEN UP!" No, he wasn't busting anyone, he was simply here to interview a potential asset. A few seconds after he knocked he could hear some movement and then a few more seconds passed before the sound of locks being unbolted was heard.
"Hi. Can I help you, sug?"
"Uh.... Ummm, yes.. I mean..."
The woman in the doorway smiled to him as he struggled to find words. Harvey felt a little warmth in his cheeks as he looked down at her. She was in a pair of Daisy Duke cut offs, a white tank top, and a flannel pull over with rolled up sleeves. Her hair was up and back and hidden under the bandana she used to keep it out of the way. She was also covered with black marks that made it clear she worked in an auto shop.
"You alright?" She almost looked concerned.
"Yeah, uh, sorry. Are you-" Harvey looked down to his notebook again, "WC Tusk?"
"Yes."
Harvey pulled his coat to the side enough to show his badge to her.
"I'm Detective Bullock from Gotham City PD, I was wondering if I could talk to you about the death of George Reynolds."
The woman's warm smile morphed into a frown.
"Yes, please come in."
"If you want to do this some other time, that's fine, I just-"
"Please, come in, Detective. I don't have much going on, I just got home and I was about to shower, is all."
Harvey was about to protest, he didn't normally even feel the urge to, but he didn't like her frown nor did he want to keep her from being clean because she was very dirty, grease all over. Harvey's attention was caught by the interior of her home. There were many pieces of art on the walls. None of her furniture matched but each piece was a bold color, red, blue, purple, teal, splashes all over the place. To the immediate right was her breakfast table and kitchen while to the left was the living area. She beckoned him to sit down at her breakfast table. She went to fridge to retrieve pitcher. She grabbed tumblers out of her freezer and set them on the table. She poured what looked to be iced tea in each frosty glass. She sat down and picked up her glass and took a drink. She then pressed the glass against the side of her face for a moment, savoring the cold of it. Harvey tried not to stare at her the whole time, but something compelled him, too. She was hard to make out under all the grease marks, but something about her just spoke to Harvey.
"So, Detective, what would you like to know?"
"For now I'd just like to hear your account of how that day went down for you."
The woman told him what had happened. She got to work early that morning and did what she normally did. She'd noticed the light on in the boss man's office and had a question to ask him. He was known to come in early on occasion so she knocked, no answer. She stepped in to go ahead and see if he was even in there or at least shut his light off and there he was.
"It was a little jarring to, you know, come into work one morning and find your boss with his dick out and a bag around his head. I didn't touch anything, I just turned around, told a co worker, he looked in and called you guys. I had to leave. I'm usually pretty tough, but that was my first week at that job, my first week in Gotham. I have been scarred for life I think."
She chuckled a little, but it was clear it was all overwhelming to her, however she was taking it well. Harvey finally smiled to her.
"Yeah, locals around here, we got a running joke about how when people move here they never think its that bad until they end up seeing their first shocking crime. That has to be the most fucked up instance of that I have ever heard. Well, whaddya know, doll, welcome to Gotham."
She laughed at Harvey and shook her head and stomped her feat under her table a little.
"Oh you're cruel! C'mon man, like, I almost packed up and just left town. Oh. My. God. I just came home and cried and had this existential crisis."
She was wiping tears from her eyes as they both laughed. Harvey shook his head and reached over and touched her arm, patting it.
"I'm-ohmygod-I'm sorry! Seriously, it really is fucked, but god, honestly, I'm surprised you didn't just sprint the fuck out of town. Oh God, please, forgive me, I am sorry, I didn't mean to make fun, well I did, but I wasn't trying to be mean."
"Oh, sug, I'd laugh at me, too."
They both burst with another chuckle or two at that and took a moment to settle down. Harvey wiped the tear that had formed in his eye and sighed. He looked at his notebook again and back to her.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but do you have a criminal record, Miss Tusk."
The woman smirked a little.
"I been arrested once or twice, got into a bar fight here and there, got a little unruly at some protests, had a bit too good of a time."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, but I got 'em all dropped for the most part. "
"Here in Gotham, or?"
"Back home."
"Alright good, because you only lived here a month. I mean, I met some bad girls before but..."
They both laughed a little and Harvey narrowed his gaze on her a little more than before.
"Texas?"
Harvey smirked a little.
"Is it that obvious?"
"To be honest, most southerners all sound about the same to me, but for some reason Texans stick out."
"Oh, and why is that?"
"Men I can't pick up on it as readily, but women... I can just tell and I've met so few women from Texas here in Gotham, so I'm surprised I was even that keen."
"Oh, so you meant to say women from Texas stick out, huh?"
"Sure, also you poured sweet tea when you let me in, so that helped me figure it out, too."
She shook her head with a smile and leaned forward a little, placing her hand under her chin and her elbow on the table.
"Well I can tell you lived in Gotham all your life."
"Oh?"
"Y'all Gotham men got a way of speakin', too."
Harvey nodded, his smirk remaining and getting subtly closer to being a true smile one tiny moment at a time.
"Oh you don't have to tell me that, Miss Tusk."
The woman looked him over more closely in a rather predatory manner. Harvey suddenly felt the heat of the day getting at him.
"Let me take that coat, Detective. Only a Gotham boy would wear a damn coat in the middle of the summer."
Harvey wanted to protest, but she was more convincing and persuasive than he could have every anticipated. He took his cigarettes and lighter out of the coat before he let her have it. She was careful to not smudge it. She hung it on a coat rack near her door. His hat had been taken off the moment he stepped in and it rested on the table a foot or two to his side.
"Eh, I should probably get going soon, though, I don't want to take up more of your time than I have to."
"Shush, sug. You got a job to be doin' and I don't got nothin' goin'."
"But, you're covered in grease."
She looked down at herself and then back up to him with a smile.
"Well, I forgot about that."
"I should get out of here, you look like you could use a shower."
"Well, that can wait a little bit longer. So you got anymore questions to ask me?"
Harvey got back to interviewing her. He asked her about her boss and what kind of man he was. He also asked about relationships he maintained and if there were any individuals that were particularly hostile toward him or if anyone had any reason to be angry with him. This went on for another half hour before Harvey finally deemed he'd gotten what he needed for now.
"Well, Detective, I sure hope I did you some good."
"You were very helpful, Miss Tusk. I appreciate your time. I can go back to work and close this case for good."
