Prince of Darkness ~ Gotham

~ Chapter Four: The Wrong Man ~

"What's wrong?" He questioned. Barbara sighed, her voice wavering as the question left her lips. "Did you frame Mario Pepper?" Jim sighed as now the two people he trusted more than anything feared he and the GCPD got the wrong man. "No," Jim insisted. "I knew it," Barbara sighed with relief. "Did someone tell you Pepper was framed?" her fiancé inquired. Knowing Jim, Barbara knew that by telling him about Montoya's visit to their apartment, he would confront her. "It doesn't matter, just as long as it's not true," Barbara whispered. "It's not true. Who told you it was?"

Barbara tried to paint a smile on her face, saying nobody told her, that she just read about it in some article. But Jim refused to let the situation go so easily. "Bee, I know when you're lying. Talk to me," Jim rubbed his hand on her shoulder. Finally, Barbara peeled her eyes from the window and embraced him, admitting everything Montoya said, leaving out the details of their past romance. While Holly knew it was rude to eavesdrop, she couldn't help but poke her head out and listen to the conversation. As she watched her mother bury her head into her father's chest, Jim looked up and saw his daughter but didn't say anything, just focused on consoling Barbara.

At that moment, there was a burning fire inside Jim. A fire that was determined to figure out if Pepper was truly their man. And if he wasn't, then they'd have to figure out who tried to make him appear to be the Wayne's killer.

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That next morning, Jim went back to Pepper's apartment. It may not have been the wisest decision to go without Bullock, given the last time he was without his partner, Jim was nearly stabbed in the back alley, but Jim wouldn't hear the end of his complaining and telling him to let the case go. "Mrs. Pepper..." Jim knocked on the apartment door. The door slightly opened, but Alice Pepper looked at him angrily. "Go away!" She hissed before attempting to slam it shut. But Jim wedged himself between the door just in the nick of time. "Ma'am, if your husband was innocent, you need to talk to me," Jim said.

Alice's rage slightly faded, and with a bit of hesitation, she let him in, still scowling. Every word was full of anger, and Alice only gave him one-word responses, mostly denying her husband was involved in the Wayne's downfall. "If your husband didn't kill the Waynes, how did he come to have Martha Wayne's necklace?" Jim squinted. "You bastards planted it on him," Alice growled. "Bastards!" Ivy spoke up, hiding in her usual spot behind the potted plants. "Alice, how would we have the necklace? We didn't kill the Waynes?" Jim asked her.

Alice shook her head and scoffed, claiming her husband had his demons, but he never killed anyone. Suddenly, a minor detail from Bruce's report reappeared in Jim's head, the shininess of the murderer's shoes. "Can I see his shoes?" Jim questioned. Alice looked confused at his odd request but led him to the closet in her and her late husband's room. Though Mario had a small number of shoes in the closet, it became clear that he never owned a pair of shiny shoes. Damn it... Jim cursed to himself before looking back to Alice. "Are you sure this is all of them?"

"Yep," Alice spoke, though she didn't directly say it, Jim could tell just by the tone in her voice she wanted him gone. With no further questions and the confirmation that Mario Pepper was indeed framed, he left the residence having no choice but to tell Bullock about this discovery.

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