A Clever Fascination

Chapter 1 - The Green Man

"Kit! Get in here." The gruff bark of Jim Gordon's voice interrupted the usual bussle of the GCPD.

Officer's eyes shot to the desk of the skilled and high favoured Detective Katherine Valentine. Trying to escape the staring was impossible as she headed over to see what the Commissioner had summoned her for. Kit was used to it. Her desk wasn't far from her Boss' dwelling and he often shouted her in like this. As she enetered the room, she was quiet as possible in case Jim was trying to focus on anything. Which he was.

"Jim?" Kit spoke with an English accent and rasp in her voice, as if she were slightly losing it.

"Come take a look at this. That brain of yours is faster than mine." The older man extended his hand, holding a piece of paper in it. Kit stepped into the office, and closed the door behind her, before she accepted the paper.

"What is it?"

"It's stupid, that's what it is. But we also need to know what it means. Because of who sent it." Jim was perturbed.

?

My words number quite many
(like pen, pent, and penny);
my title you will discover,
is explain under my cover

The answer is hidden,
When found you will sing,
In a bowl on a table,
It is an orange thing!

I'm so simple that I only point;
yet I take people all over the world?

If you come up to a door
And you find your entry's blocked
Push this in a hole and turn
So the door can be unlocked

White bird, featherless,
flyin' out o' paradise,
flyin' over sea and land,
dyin' in my hand.

?

"Well, isn't this poetic?" Kit trailed off as she read the paper which was adorned with green writing and rhyming words. Things started trying to make sense of themselves in her head, as they often did.

"It's Nygma, I know that much. I just don't know what the hell it means." Jim was slightly frustrated by the confusion, clearly having to deal with The Riddler's tricks one too many times to appreciate them in any way. He rubbed a hand across his slightly wrinkled forehead and sighed loudly, watching the girl scan over the words he'd previously scoffed and growled at.

Kit was clever. Kit was very clever. Everyone knew it. She solved things quickly and efficiently. The girl was a chemist, turned forensic pathologist, turned Detective.

"Well, they're pretty simple riddles. They all have a separate answer. Each answer is one word. Dictionary, orange, compass, key, and snowflake." She concluded, handing the paper back to her commanding officer and he continued to stare at her, confused. Kit shrugged and handed him the paper back. "It just spells out: DOCKS."

"Son of a bitch," Jim jumps from behind his desk and pulls on his jacket. The paper is discarded on the desk as he gathers himself, his gun and his badge. He was mumbling but mostly to himself. "So he wants me at the docks, huh?"

Kit kind off stood back and watched the man as he urgently prepared to face the writer of the riddled paper.

"Are you sure he meant right now, Jim?"

"Paper came in just now. This is Edward Nygma. If he wanted to see me later, there would be some kinda math equation on the back to with the damn time. Valentine, you're coming with me, I might need you. Trust me, those riddles don't stop." He had one of the gruffest voices she'd come across and this was amplified by his impatience.