You know you're in a five star grand apartment when the elevator doesn't work and you have to walk three flights of stares to an even grander apartment.
I plop down my bags in front of the door and take out the piece of paper that the court gave me to find him.
Harvey Bullock, Classville apartments on 28th street, apartment number 237.
I look up at the number right above my head.
Yep this is the Hell hole.
I put the piece of paper back into my pocket and knock on the door.
There's no going back to my old life. There's no new life either. I don't wanna think of this as a life. I want to think of this as a break before I turn eighteen and get the Hell out of the town and back to New Hampshire where I can live in my apartment and visit my mom everyday.
The door opens and a tall man with a scruffy face answers. He's wearing a grayish tan suit and hat and has a cigar in his mouth.
"Harvey Bullock?" I ask carefully.
"Yea that's me kid, what do ya need?" He asks taking the cigar out of his mouth.
I roll my eyes. Of course he's a smoker. I'm gonna go on a limb here and make a bet he's a drunk too. Wouldn't surprise me with where he lives and how he acts.
"The court sent me," I continue. "My name is Jessica Blair, Rosa's daughter."
There's a long pause. I guess he hasn't heard her name in a while. Or him and my mom had some adventure when they were together.
"Why'd the court send you? Your mother has you perfectly under control kid. You seem like a well brought up kid." Harvey shrugs, but let's me inside.
I place my bags on the old rundown couch and stare at him.
"You know I'm your daughter too, don't you." I say with no emotion.
Harvey runs his hand over his face and takes in a deep breath.
"Yes Jessica, I know." He says slowly. "Your mother told me and I didn't want that commitment. She's a great woman but I split. I didn't need to be held down at the moment. Still don't."
I know I should be angry, but I'm not. My mother did the right thing in not chasing after him to have him help her with me. This isn't the type of man you want with your child.
"Yea well that's a shame because the court sent me and this is where I'm gonna be living." I shrug.
Harvey looks taken back and just stares at me with his arms crossed.
"Why would the court send you here?" He asks me.
I take a deep breath and stare at him straight in the eyes.
"My mother is dead." I tell him finding the right words.
Harvey's eyes grow wide as he registers what I just said. Even though he left because she was pregnant, doesn't mean he necessarily stopped caring about her. Maybe she wasn't just a fling.
"Kid listen I'm really sor-" he starts but I cut him off.
"Don't. Listen you may not want me here but I'm here. In three years I'll be in college then you'll never have to see my again. Let's just get through those years ok?" I compromise.
Harvey nods and sighs.
"Leave your bags here for now." He tells me.
"Why?" I question as I follow him outside of the apartment.
"I gotta go to work and you aren't staying alone in a apartment in Gotham." He grumbles.
I start to wonder where he works as we travel back down those flights of stairs.
"Don't worry about the amount of stairs. The elevator guy is coming to fix them Sunday." Harvey tells me as we continue down.
Great three days of up and down the stairs.
As we leave the apartment Harvey leads me to his car. Which I have to admit is pretty nice. I like the color black on a car. We get in and Harvey starts to drive without telling me where he works.
After a few minutes of dead silence I break it.
"Did you ever know my name before I told you just now?" I ask him playing with my window lock.
"Yea, your mother sent me a letter when she found out you were a girl. She said she always wanted to be named Jessica so she was gonna name you that." He answers. "What about you? You know about me?"
"I asked her about you a few times. I had you name, a description of how you looked, and some stories of when you two were seeing each other." I tell him truthfully. "I also got a mom who told me I'd be better off without him, but to respect him known the less."
I was gonna be respectful, I truly was. But if he thinks I'm gonna make this easy on him he's wrong.
"You have her spunk." He chuckles.
"And apparently your sense of hiding emotions in situations." I mutter.
Harvey pulls into a large building labeled GCPD.
"You a cop?" I question.
"Detective." He corrects me.
"Cool, you ever put away some freak show?" I ask kinda interested. If I had to be in the police force, I'd want to be a detective. They get to do all types of interesting stuff and meet some bizarre criminals.
"Everyday kid, everyday damn day." He sighs and gets out of the car with me following him.
*=*=*
We enter the police stations and it's huge. There's a bunch of desks everywhere and hidden offices on the next floor along with a jail holding cell.
It's a pretty nice place I have to admit.
A tall man walks over to us and stops and stares at me. He has a black suit on and has grey blonde hair.
"Jim I need to talk to you for a minute." Harvey motions towards me.
"Yea that would be nice Harvey." The guy I guess named Jim says.
Jim leads us into an office and closes the door behind him. By the looks of the room and the way those two look at each other it's no secret that those two are partners and are friends.
Jim takes a seat at his desk and Harvey and I remain standing.
"Jim this is Jessica Blair, my daughter." Harvey tells Jim. "Jessica this is Jim Gordon, my partner and friend."
Called it.
"Sup." I nod.
Jim looks a little confused and I don't blame him. His friend doesn't tell him that he had a daughter, betrayal central.
"Nice to meet you Jessica. How long are you in town for?" Jim did me.
"I'm living here now." I explain in a bored tone.
Jim's eye widen and he glances at Harvey.
"It's a long story Jimbo just leave it at that." Harvey pleads. "Anyway we probably have a case so I'll find a place for her to stay while we get to work."
Jim nods and starts to look down at the folder laying on his desk.
Harvey takes me out of Jim's office and leads me to another, slightly larger office. A middle aged woman is sitting at desk.
"Sarge." Harvey calls.
The woman looks up and smiles at Harvey and tilts her head at me.
"Sarge this is my daughter Jessica, Jessica this is Sargent Sarah Essen." Harvey tells us.
I wave at Sargent Essen and she gives me a small smile in return.
"I'm gonna go head out before Jim to check out the scene. Is it ok if Jessica stays in here while I'm gone?" Harvey asks Sargent Essen.
"Of course Bullock." She nods.
Harvey turns to me and sighs.
"I'll be back in a bit and then we can talk about where you're going to sleep for now until I clear out the spare room." Harvey tells me and then leaves the room.
I sit down across Sargent Essen and sigh.
"Wanna tell me what's going on honey?" She asks me.
"My mom died a few nights ago." I start. "The court says I have to stay here with Harvey because I'm sixteen."
Sargent Essen frowns and puts her hand on top of mine.
"Harvey's a good man Jessica, I promise you you're gonna enjoy living with him." She tells me hopefully. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you mother die?"
I don't know why but hearing her say those words felt like a knife being jabbed in my skull. Not because I didn't trust her, but because I haven't had to say it allowed before. My neighbors saw the gun shot and saw me crying. They explained it to the police and at court.
"She was m-murdered." My voice cracking as I say it.
I feel tears sting my eyes and flood the sides of my cheeks.
Sargent Essen hands me a tissue and continues for me to go on. I know this wasn't the answer she was expecting, but she's taking it rather well honestly.
"She was coming back from work and I was laying in my room waiting for her to come home so we could eat dinner." I continue softly. "I heard gunshot and when I went to the fire escape I saw her laying there with a man over her. I ran to her and the man only grinned and walked away. The police had to pull me away from her."
Sargent Essen comes over to my side and gives me a hug. I cry into her arms and just let it all out.
"It's ok Jessica, it's gonna be ok." She tells me.
See I wanna believe her, I really do. But it's not true.
Sargent Essen moves back to the other side of her desk and hands me a book.
"Why don't you read for a while and I'll message Ed to bring us some lunch?" She offers.
"Thanks." I sniff and nod my head.
Sargent Essen picks up her phone and calls the guy named Ed and asks him to bring up a personal pizza for us to share and two coffees.
Two minutes later there's a knock on the door and I walk over and open the door.
A tall scrawny man walks in holding out lunch. He had big round glass and has black hair. He's wearing a white lab coat. I offer him a smile and take the two coffees to it's easier for him to move.
"Thank you Ed." Sargent Essen tells him.
"Anytime Sarge," Ed nods before turning his attention towards me. "Ed Nigma, I don't believe we've met."
"Jessica Blair, I'm new in town." I explain and give him a small smile.
I'm pretty sure my eyes are still red and that I look like a train reck.
"Do you like riddles?" Ed asks suddenly.
Is this guy for real?
"Uh yea sure. I'm pretty good at solving them." I shrug.
Ed smiles really wide and nods his head in approval.
"I have a feeling we're going to get along quite well Miss. Blair." Ed says and leaves Sargent Essen's office.
"Don't mind Ed," Sargent Essen chuckles. "Man's a nut, smart nut, but a nut."
"Noted." I laugh and sit back down and take a slice of Pizza.
Sargent Essen seems nice. I can tell she's well respected around here by her office and the way everyone feels comfortable around her. Even Ed when she asked him to get us lunch. She takes a slice of pizza too and looks back down at her work.
After we finish our lunch I throw away the plate and the foam cups our coffee was in.
Suddenly there's a knock on the door as I go to stand by Sargent Essen to return the book.
The door opens and a police officer walks in with his head down. Sargent Essen looks at the guy before her eyes grow wide as he raises his head.
"What are you doing here?" She gasps.
What's with the ginger cop?