Deals with the Devil [Jeremiah/Gordon] [Flashback]

[Jeremiah Arkham]

He could imagine it, a young couple out for a drive and returning home after a date: the laughter between them and the intimacy. It was probably the best night of the couple’s lives. One of them. Or Jeremiah could just be a romantic. He chuckled sorrowfully at the thought as he drove the roads of old Gotham. He had to laugh because the alternative was a punch in the gut. It was a sick feeling that wiggled through his insides. A young couple on the best night of their lives finding connection in this lonely city and yet tragedy befell them.

The first couple had been George Faraday and his date Nina Jensen, twenty-one and eighteen respectively. They’d just come from the Common Lot, a restaurant on Fifth when they’d been stopped on a low-light road. The boyfriend had been shot and the girlfriend stabbed. Wrong time and place? Had they witnessed a crime they shouldn’t have? It was all speculation until the next couple showed up.

Colin Edwards, 19 and his date Amanda Lass, 22 were also murdered in a car on a street of little traffic. Colin had his throat slit and Amanda had been shot in the head. Two couples murdered, but the police didn’t say they were related. That fear began, though. You know that fear.

Then the third happened and the fourth not even a week later. There was a killer on the streets of Gotham targeting couples. He turned their best nights into bloody nightmares. Jeremiah had been trying to keep up with the killings. His patients spoke of them, especially those with partners. And him? He avoided dimly lit streets as best he could. He avoided dates. The killer had killed not only the young, the old too. His fifth victims had been an elderly couple on their way back from a weekly dinner at their friends’ house.

Ten people dead. Ten lives with years to live. Wasn’t that always the story? The words that left bereaved family and friends? How they had their lives ahead of them, what they could have made of themselves? What an impact they had on the community? None of them had a bad word spoken of them. None of them had enemies with enough motive. But someone hated them. Hated their happiness. These weren’t executions.

They were slaughters.

Jeremiah pulled his car into a place on the broken concrete outside of Gotham’s Police Department. He stared at the gothic building and then ran a hand through his graying brown hair. He knew why he was here, but the surprise was the same. Why him? Weren’t there more qualified men?

He tried to shake the doubt in himself as he left his car and tread up the sidewalk.

Ten victims wasn’t just a tragedy. It was a slap in the face of the Gotham Police, the FBI. Ten people and the man still wasn’t caught yet. Outrage had already started from the community and the mourning families.

He entered the building and went up to the front desk, where a tired-looking woman offered him a bland stare.

“I’m here to see, Detective James Gordon.” His voice didn’t waver. "He's expecting me."

Maybe he had his doubts, but he had a purpose too. Obviously, he’d been asked for a reason and whatever it was, he’d give it his all. Gotham deserved that.

The victims deserved that.

[James Gordon]

Working homicide in Gotham was an uphill battle that couldn't be won. With a crime rate that was labeled as one of the highest in the Eastern United States, one has to wonder how it got so bad. Commissioner Loeb has been on his set for too long, his power reached every dark and dank corner of the city. Mayors would come and go but Loeb would always stay, somehow getting appointed by each and every mayor. His corruption was self-explanatory, he had friends in Falcone, Maroni, and was virtually untouchable. Life didn't matter to him, not like it should. The stories that detail his rise to power are rife with inaccuracies, but it is assumed that he didn't become a cop to help people. Maybe he did, and the system corrupted him like it did everyone else. Was there ever light in the darkness? Real-life is often far away from the dreams of an individual, especially individuals that want to believe in the good of people. The inherent "Good" in everyone if you simply look deep enough. 

These murders... Was there good in this man that carried them out? 10 victims in such a short time, it was heartbreaking. One too many funerals were planned for this. Entire families were neutered with a simple pull of the trigger. Sergeant James Gordon and his partner Kevin Wagner caught the first case and every case after that. Every scene was different, but the same. A couple would be shot or stabbed while in their car. Badly lit areas, places where it was easy to prey on the weak. It perplexed them. The few witnesses they did have didn't pan out and after the third couple, the case went national. The entire Downtown homicide squad is working on this case with the FBI, but Detective Gordon and Detective Wagner were the leads for the GCPD. At this point, there were zero leads, hardly any evidence. They had hit a dead-end. 

It was frustrating but this was part of police work. Answers wouldn't always come easy, to truly find justice for those harmed you had to dig. You had to dig deeper and deeper until the solution appeared. The police, Detective Sergeant Gordon included were running out of options. Wagner and Gordon both decided that bringing in outside help could be beneficial. Dr. Jeremiah Arkham studied behavior and his name was fairly well known around Gotham. Surely the FBI is consulting their own analyst, the men from the bureau didn't like to play nice. That didn't matter to Gordon if he had to bring someone else then he would, and he preferred to keep things local.

When Doctor Arkham asked for Gordon, he and Detective Wagner had already been waiting in the office assigned to him and Wagner specifically for this case. The receptionist blinked a few times at the request. They're expecting you, Doctor Arkham. Floor seven, Homicide Division, Office with Detective Sergeant Gordon's name on it."

Gordon stared at his watch, glancing over at Wagner.  "What do you think we're going to get out of this meeting?" Gordon lowered his hand and focused on the door again, Wagner wasn't able to answer before the man they were set to meet entered the room.

"Dr. Arkham, I'm glad you could make it. Can we get you anything? Coffee, water?" Gordon would stand up from his chair, and he and Wagner both would approach Dr. Arkham and offer a firm handshake.

"Yes, Dr. Arkham... Thank you for agreeing to meet with us." Wagner quoted before returning to his seat.

Gordon would then gesture at the chair place in front of the desk for Dr. Arkham. There were several files for the murders lying on the desk in clear view. Reports from every responding police officer, the initial reports and canvassing performed by Detective Sergeant Gordon and Detective Wagner, an evidence manifest and detailed crime scene photos. "This may be unconventional but I have been granted the discretion to bring in consultants due to the parameters of this case. You have access to everything we do, Doctor. You spend every day looking into the mind of men and women. You have an idea of what people think, why they think. We were hoping you could bring some things to light. We're starting to get desperate, no new evidence no suspects and the clock is ticking before another murder happens. Any help that you provide will be appreciated and compensated." Gordon smiled softly after his little introduction. He'd then sit back down and wave his hand at the files.

"We can begin whenever you're ready, Doctor."

[Jeremiah Arkham]

Tabula rasa; in it’s literal, latin translation it meant “scraped tablet”, but it was often translated to mean “blank slate.” The idea had been around since the times of Ancient Greece when it was first posited by Aristotle that the mind, while at once being whatever is thinkable, also is not until a thought is thought, thus making it a blank writing-tablet. Modern times, however, leaned more towards the philosophy of John Locke in the 17th Century. Locke theorized that the mind of a human is born “blank”. This gives man the ability to author their own souls. Man will make of their mind what they will, but if so how did a man such as the criminal that inhabited his mind decide to author himself to such evil? Was the concept of man and soul more attuned to the thoughts of Thomas Hobbes? Were humans born with a certain inherent mental content: selfishness? Did this man take his vain needs to the extreme and why?

Nature and nurture, the external stimuli verses the genetic construct of man. What turned a man evil? Was there such a thing as inherent goodness and could that goodness be purged like a black shirt bleached or a white shirt stained? Good men turned bad all the time for all manner of temptations. Jeremiah wouldn’t even call himself a “good” man. He’d call himself a man who tried against the roar of the tide to remain upright and upstanding, but man was flawed. Did not every culture have a reason why there was evil in the world? Pandora’s box, Adam and Eve eating of the forbidden fruit? Man came to know pain and some men came to like inflicting it.

Gordon and Warner may have questioned whether a man who could commit ten murders had any good left in him and Jeremiah would have solemnly lowered his head a moment. He’d frown and then with his gaze regaining level, he’d answer “No.”

There was no good in this man, just hate.

Hatred and a method to his madness. He wasn’t disorganized. He left hardly any evidence even if the papers and news reports didn’t say as much. You didn’t murder ten people without being caught unless you left little in the way of forensics. Gloves, a mask; did he clean the scene? As far as physical evidence could be interpreted Jeremiah knew the basics. He knew what he saw on crime television and he knew that those made the job look easy and so when crimes like those he’d come to consult on happened people got angry. Nothing was as it seemed on television. And the mind? The mind was a thing so complex that for as many questions as could be answered about, so many more remained unknown.

So once he was given the floor and what to look for, he bid the receptionist thanks and found the elevator. His fingers tapped a rhythm on the wall and he listened to the song of pulleys and gears as he ascended. He stepped out and was at first unsure how he’d find this door, but it took only a quick glance to see the name just as the woman had given him.

Gordon.

He knocked and then he entered.

He was both aware and unaware of the expectations and skepticisms already laid on him before they’d even glimpsed him.

He shook hands and then waved his own with a shake of his head. “I’m fine, I’m fine. I already had a cup of coffee this morning, but I’ll let you know if I need more. Thank you for inviting me here, though I wish it was under different circumstances.” His voice was warm, but it was edged with understanding. He didn’t want to waste too much time.

He took the offered seat and even as he listened to Gordon, he started opening folders and looking over the photos. The photos were what caught his attention the most.

Crime scene photos were haunting, seeing the real thing would be all the more jarring, but if you wanted to know the mind of a criminal, you had to look at their crimes. Jeremiah looked long and hard. The men and the women. He leaned down to his briefcase and brought out a yellow legal pad.

“Let’s talk about the first thing I notice. He shoots the men. Every single one of these men is shot, but every single one of them save the older man is also sporting a wound aren’t they? I mean like they’ve been hit by a baseball bat or a tire iron. It’s just enough to knock them out for a period, but they wake up. The elderly man he killed outright, didn’t waste his time. The elderly woman too. He shot her too. But these other ladies, they’re younger and he took his time with them. He stabbed each of them numerous times and then slit their throat.” He didn’t look up until he spoke the last word. He wrote quick, but legible notes. The police wanted his opinions and they’d have them and his notes.

“The men feed his ego. He likes the power they give him from their helplessness to stop him. These reports also say he makes 9-1-1 calls after the kills. Another testament to his love of power. He holds these people's lives in his hands." He then held up a picture of the first victim. "These women, though? He hates them. Each of them got stabbed and then their throats slashed. It's overkill. All of them except the elderly woman." He looked up with a smile. "Want to know why?"

[James Gordon]

Detective Sergeant Gordon would shoot a glance at his partner Detective Wagner, they both  were pleased to see that Dr. Jeremiah Arkham knew what he was talking about. It was most likely the right call to get him involved in this. They already knew they were up a creek without a paddle, five couples and a total of ten people dead. Detective Gordon's eyes were strained from looking at the same files over and over again, Jeremiah went to school for this sorta thing, even if it wasn't his actual job a fresh set of eyes would be beneficial. The media was breathing down the necks of Commissioner Loeb and in turn, Commissioner Loeb was really applying the pressure on homicide. Gillian B Loeb didn't really like Gordon, so anything he could hold over Gordon's head was a good win for him. Dr. Arkham was going into detail about this killer having some sort of power trip over the men. They were all hit with some sort of blunt object and then shot, this was the same method for all the men save for the old man. 

"And why exactly did he kill the old man straight away?" Gordon did happen to notice that on the autopsy that the old man was the only male victim without some sort of physical wound caused by a blunt object. He hadn't tied it together yet though, could it mean something? Could it be he didn't need to feel superior to this older man? Why would he even pick out an older couple if that were the case? Trying to branch out maybe?" Detective Wagner stroked his chin with a look of confusion on his face. The gears were turning in his head, he was a very good detective but this whole case has been one mess. Gordon was thinking the same thing, he could only hope that Dr. Arkham would have more answers to their questions.

"The older couple confuses me too, he dealt with them in a very different way. Are we even sure its the same guy?" Gordon went for a styrofoam cup that was half-full of the stalest coffee anyone could possibly imagine. He took a quick sip, before setting the cup back down with a sour look on his face. "Well we thought the MO was the same but now giving it a second glance... The motivation is power for the men, fuels his ego... Okay." The guy they were dealing with was sick, that much is apparent. The real question is how could they stop this man? How could they stop him from killing any more people? The FBI was looking for him, but that wasn't enough. Detective Sergeant Gordon and Detective Wagner owed it to the victims, citizens of Gotham to give justice to the families of the deceased.


After his initial thoughts on why the killer dealt with men the way he did, Gordon leaned forward. "What do you think about this person as an individual? What do they do in their free time? What drives a person like this?"

"Yes we'd like to know why Dr. Arkham." Gordon stated, looking as if he was genuinely curious about what the Doctor had to say.

[Jeremiah Arkham]

Why was the old man killed immediately? It wasn't that question was unusual because looking further into these facts wasn't Gordon's or Wagner's job. Their job was to gather evidence and find the killer while Jeremiah's was to simply create a slightly detailed map to guide them to finding a viable suspect (and hopefully the right one). The question wasn't a shock to be asked, it was a shock that they were asking him.

"Wait, the people from the FBI haven't spoken to you yet?" It wasn't the straight answer he had in his head, but surely his observations were the same as the FBI's guys'. This was their cream and butter and he knew they were detailing out these same theories. Well, if they were worth their salt they were and Jeremiah generally concluded the FBI wouldn't send morons. Still they hadn't given a profile yet? So did it make Jeremiah stumble? Absolutely, but he didn't lose his stride. This *was* speciality. He was the overseer of a hospital for the criminally insane as much as the average Joe Smith. He was specialized in criminal psychology and had rebuilt Arkham for the purpose of bringing such research and prominence to Gotham City.

He wasn't employed by the FBI, but he could profile a criminal just as well as they could.

He gathered himself together; Wagner and Gordon had continued their talking and spectulating. "It's the same guy," he said, "the same man is responsible for all ten murders. It's the same gun, same sort of ambush, same dynamic: a couple. This sort of criminal is called an omnivore. He'll cross age, race, gender lines in his kills. He'll maybe look like he doesn't have a type, but the oldest couple gives him away."

He grimly looked over the crime scene photos, the autopsy images, and the reports. They were dealing with the same man and he could see that Gordon and Wagner weren't happy to just sit by and let the FBI do all the work. There was a drive in them. It gave him a purpose too. He'd do his best to help them catch him.

He nodded inwardly at his own decision. "The elderly couple didn't satisfy his need. At least the need he had with the other victims. He's efficient. So he shot the man first and then he went after the woman. He broke the windshield, but he let her escape into the backseat before he killed her. You can tell that by the fact her pump was found in front of the passenger seat and the lack of blood on that seat right?" He looked up at them for confirmation before he continued. "He let her get back there, maybe let her think she'd escaped before he opened the backdoor and shot her. This time the power was over the woman. He likely doesn't know what he's given away by this attack. I'd guarantee it."

This man was faceless, but his behavior was painted so vibrantly. Jeremiah was completely in his element analyzing this man. He could put himself in his shoes and imagine himself there.

"He wanted the younger men to feel helpless when they woke up to find their partners dead," he said. "He wanted to show them how weak they were and then he wanted them to know that he held their life in his hands. He wanted them to see him before he died. That gave him satisfaction." He then put the younger women into a line-up, but not the order they were killed.

"He spent the longest time stabbing the fourth woman. She was the youngest. She was seventeen. He likes them young and the younger they are, the more attention he gives them. As the ages progress the number of stab wounds decrease right up to the old woman he shot." He finally laid the last couple's female component on the table.

He met Gordon's then Wagner's eyes. "He hated her as much as the men. You've heard this issue and maybe even chuckled at it." He gave a little smile. "But he likely hates his mother and his father. His father as the abuser and his mother for not saving him or turning a blind eye to his own abuse."

[James Gordon]

Oh we've spoken to the FBI about this case. Agents Summers and Diaz, the long and short of it was that they were going to find the killer by themselves because this was their jurisdiction now, and we shouldn't interfere if we knew what was good for us." The GCPD and the FBI were technically working together on this case, but they didn't play nice when they were around each other. It was a shame that two different law enforcement agencies were working the same case, if they were working together then they could get so much more accomplished. Unfortunately, the agents that were on this specific case had something to prove, they were ambitious young men that wanted to be the next Elliot Ness, the next J Edgar Hoover, they wanted to have power, fame, the ambitions a lawman should never have.

"So the elderly couple was an experiment of sorts? He was branching out, seeing if it felt the same way, but he didn't get the same power trip until he gave the elderly woman a false hope of escape." Detective Wagner mulled on his words for a moment, it was true that they were dealing with a very sick individual, this elderly woman and man were grandparents, it was Detective Gordon and Wager both that had to tell the family. They didn't have to but they felt it was their responsibility since they haven't caught the killer yet. It was their case to work, their case to solve, at this moment the detectives would hope that they could have worked with the FBI, maybe if they contacted the two agents and started over, maybe if they let them take the lead, Detective Sergeant Gordon knew that'd never work, he just wanted to bring this monster to justice.

"Jesus... It's like he's evolving. He's still figuring out who he is and what he's all about, it's like we're watching some sort of transformation."Gordon was haunted by his own words, during this entire conversation the idea of how much time they have before the next set of victims has bounced around in his head. "Some sort of god complex maybe? Is there a certain way he chooses his victims? Do these five sets of victims have anything in common from what you can see? Wagner and I have both studied the evidence for a connection, and if there is one... well we haven't found it." So far it seemed to be about power and Dr. Arkham would go on to mention that all of this was probably because of his parents. An abusee becomes the abuser, he might have been abused as a child and now takes out his anger on unsuspecting couples. "If he hates his parents so much, why is it young women that he targets? The connection isn't sexual whatsoever, wouldn't he be more connected to a woman that was the same age as his mother?" Maybe this individual was so far gone it didn't matter what age they were, it just didn't matter. All that mattered was that this killer was taking out his frustrations on the citizens of Gotham City, and the GCPD was no closer to figuring out what connected them.

It is possible that he just randomly picks his victims, he sees two people alone and he approaches to kill them, but it could also be planned. He could stalk a couple for a certain reason and wait until the time was right.

"Well Dr. Arkham, you're certainly helping out immensely so far... but the main question is... How do we catch this guy... Are we missing something?" That's why Detective Sergeant Gordon contacted Dr. Arkham, if could anyone could judge someone on how they act and possibly have a chance of seeing what their next move is, it would be Dr. Arkham.

[Jeremiah Arkham]

Men's hearts, their minds. How could anyone see these crimes and decide to go off on their own to find the culprit? Didn't they care about the families affected? These weren't animals slaughtered or toys shattered; real people had died and the FBI agents wanted to go off on their own for some convoluted sense of pride and glory?! Jeremiah could have cursed, but he refrained and instead his expression grew darker. Teamwork could have solved this thing, but if that's how the Federal Agents wanted to play it, then it was all the more reason for Jeremiah to help the GCPD. He didn't care who caught this murderer, but since the agents hadn't let their people enlighten the police, he would do his best to.

Jeremiah let a beat of silence pass between Wagner's mullings and his own, "Yes, either an experiment or it was opportunity. I'm leaning towards the latter." He could picture the killer, some man in his twenties to thirties, just waiting in an alley or even cruising the more popular districts for couples, just waiting to see one. The urge would grow, his palms would sweat. None of them were perfect. None of them! Then he'd see the older couple. Not only would his need to kill be irresistible, so would his feeling of loathing towards his parents when he saw them. Maybe they reminded him of them in appearance? Or age they were? For that there was endless possibilities. If the FBI had tried to work with Gordon and Wagner maybe they'd know this already! Maybe they'd be closer to a solution, but that coffin had been nailed shut before it was even opened for viewing.

"Yes, this couple may have been his way of trying to reach out, but I think they were victims of opportunity. He's all high on the need to kill and he sees this couple. Not only are they a couple, which fits his criteria, but they're older, probably an instant connection to the deep-seated hatred of his own parents." He shut the case file and ruminated over the next questions lobbed at him. "Yes, he most certainly has a God complex. He calls in his own murders, he makes the men helpless, and then he lets them see their dead dates before he kills them. It's one of the strongest 'I control this. I control your life' messages I've seen. He's high on the power of himself." Still as for a connection? Jeremiah sighed and he shook his head. "The only thing that connects these victims are opportunity. They were out together and he saw them. He's the Son of Sam or the Zodiac before him. Random couples whose only connections are that they're couples and their in his zone of hunting. He's never been found so I'd say he has a car and he knows this city. This isn't some outsider. And it's possible that does stalk his victims, but if so, he leaves no one to testify that they'd been followed. I still think they're all just crimes of opportunity."

He shook his head again at Gordon. "Until this couple, his parents weren't ever in the picture. This is all about power, control, and actually, this is all about sex. All about what he can't have." And what he couldn't have was lying all over the table in front of them. The younger women, these vivacious, beautiful women. "This man is a loner, he'll have trouble connecting with women, but the other thing that sets him apart is that he's got a preference for the younger women. He's attracted to teenagers certainly and I'd be willing to bet even preteens. So he'll have a job that lets him be around his target age, probably even in a position of authority. Teacher, coach, something like that. And he stabs them, not only is that personal, but some analysts would say it's sexual too. The knife is a substitute instrument for penetration."

He knew he'd been called out to help them catch this man. He assumed, which yes, could be premature conjecture, but he still did assume that even the FBI wasn't close to catching this man. "This couple could mean he's devolving. They're not his prime victim types and the itch to kill is eroding him. He's not getting off like he used to. He'll want more power. I'd be prepared for him taunting police or to try and contact one of you, perhaps. You or the agents. He'll be a man in his twenties to thirties and he'll appear normal other than perhaps living a rather underwhelming life on the surface. Still, he's losing the pleasure with each kill. None of them are enough anymore. He'll want more. He'll need more attention. Does that help?" He searched their faces. He felt as if he was giving them little to work with. Even after ten murders this man was a huge enigma.

[James Gordon]

Detective Sergeant Gordon and Detective Wagner listened as carefully as they possibly could, they were impressed with how much Dr. Arkham could decipher about this killer simply by looking over the collected evidence from the open cases. Ten victims is a lot but in this particular situation it was too little, the man they were dealing with was a special caliber of evil, a very smart individual that knew how the police worked. Or was it all luck? Gordon took off his glasses for a moment, he looked at the Doctor in front of him. He was blurry, but his unshakable determination to bring this killer to justice was commendable. Gordon just needed a moment, he paused as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. His eyes hurt, his head ached, he was overworked, and barely had enough time to spend with his family. Jon, Barbara, they deserved a father that was present. Could he just abandon his post though? Of course, not, these people that were murdered, they had families too. They had hopes, dreams, all of which were snuffed out because of someone with some sort of weird sexual fascination with power. The world was a dark place, Gotham  was a dark place. Men like Dr. Arkham though? Men like Arkham, like his partner Kevin Wagner, gave Gordon hope and encouraged him to keep fighting the good fight. 

Despite everything they were learning about this killer, there still was frustratingly little to go on. "He's getting reckless, is that it?" Gordon knew what it meant, he's seen it a few times where a killer would get reckless. Send some sort of letter or make some sort of communication with the police. If it was about power he would want to toy with them. He'd want to flaunt the fact that he hasn't been caught yet, he'd want to feel pride in himself for outsmarting a bunch of overworked cops that were often too corrupt to actually care about solving crimes and helping the people. That was the sad state of Gotham, Gordon himself would have to admit that even the most corrupt cops would do their damndest to remove this guy from the picture. That doesn't mean they would do it by the book though, that doesn't mean the victims would actually get justice.

"Dr. Arkham, you have given us so much already, but is there anything we can do to narrow the search? Does he operate in a certain area? You said he has a car so he can leave but how broad is the area he operates in? There has to be something that can be connected." Gordon would put his glasses back on and force a tired smile. Detective Wagner remained silent but placed his hand on Gordon's shoulder as a sign of solidarity between the partners.

"Can you put together a profile on him? Including everything, you've been telling us. Age, possible occupations. We have so little to go on... and I feel like this is going to get a lot worse before it gets better." Gordon paused again, taking a moment to think about what he just said. He was considering the options that he and Detective Wagner had, he was trying to calculate the next best step.

"At any rate, however. We're glad that you're with us, Dr. Arkham."

[Jeremiah Arkham]

Glasses off, fingers pressed to the bridge of his nose. Jeremiah knew that wearied look all too well, and while he could have no insight into the thoughts of Gordon, his own followed the same vein.

He didn’t focus on impressing Gordon and Wagner, nor did he do this out of pride. He did because there was a serial killer; an intelligent, sadistic killer. This wasn’t a contest against the FBI and their own agents needed to focus on things other than beating the local authorities. Men and women, sons and daughters, mothers and fathers were in danger for goodness sake! Everytime he thought about the negligence the federal agents had shown Jim and his partner, he wanted to slam his fist against the table. He held back, though. There were other things on his mind and nothing would be solved by punching the table. Instead he just watched the two officers quietly, trying not to lend to the anxiety in the room. There was enough of that. He knew the wearied look on Gordon’s face, though.

His mind, much like Gordon's, fell to thinking of his own family. The years of his schooling and then his work to rebuild and reopen Arkham Asylum--even now he worked late hours. He worried about his son and if he’d felt neglected. Had he been there enough for him? Was he there enough now. It was the worry of good men; it was their flaw. How easily they could pull themselves thin in the wake of darkness. The man they faced now was that darkness and Jeremiah knew these ten victims, reduced to photographs on the table were only the beginning. Gordon wouldn’t stop and neither would he. These people had families just like them and more would fall. When a good man did nothing, evil thrived. As Jeremiah looked at the two officers across from him, he knew they were in for a fight, but as long as they kept stepping against the tide, there was hope.

Hope was in Gordon’s voice. Jeremiah rubbed his chin with a grim countenance. “He could be,” he said, “but it’s just as likely he’s not even gotten to his magnum opus yet. He’s either getting reckless or bold. Sometimes those aren’t exclusive to one another.” He gathered the photographs, the coroner reports, and the other files and set them back in their respective folders. “He will step up his game, I’m certain of that. I’m also certain it’ll be soon. In the next couple of kills.” He frowned at those words. There would be more, the three of them knew it. They had so little physical evidence and the FBI were too busy keeping their own theories close to the chest. They had nothing to catch this man and because of who he was, he’d keep going, keep escalating.

Gotham was getting darker.

This man would show off to the police. He knew they were stumped and clutching at straws. He also knew how corrupt this system was. Being caught and dealt with “off the book” probably exhilarated him. He was likely all the more excited because they had no idea who he was. There weren’t even any prime suspects!

“Could you make me a copy of these,” he nodded at the now neatly rearranged folders. He gave Gordon a soft smile and then nodded to Wagoner. They were all in this together. “I may not have joined the ranks of the FBI, but I did study forensic psychology and I took the classes offered. I can work up a geographical profile. It’s still a fresh science, but I can tell you his comfort zones where he feels he’s safe to kill as well as an area he’s likely to live in. I can yes,” he inclined his head, “I can put together a profile on him and provide you with everything we’ve spoken about.”

He smiled again at the two, “I’m happy to be with you. This may get worse, but eventually, every criminal slips up.” It was a statement tried and true in his field. There was always hope and they needed to keep it alive.