She had dreamed of him last night. She had imagined Officer Bard showing up at her doorstep, wearing a sharp tux instead of the usual drab uniform she had always seen him in. He had a bouquet in his hand, dahlias to be exact. How she knew this, she had no idea since she could barely tell a rose from a carnation. But here he was, standing there with the biggest and brightest grin she had ever seen. He opened his mouth to speak, and that's when everything came crashing down.
"Barbara! Wake up!" A voice too gruff and aged to be Jason's called out. "Barbara!"
Before her eyelids could even flutter open, a hand clamped down on her side, shaking her awake.
"Wha-What's wrong?" She sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. As her vision came into focus, she saw her father's face only inches away, filled with something she had rarely seen before.
Fear.
Alarmed, Barbara snatched her glasses off the nightstand and put them on her face to make sure she wasn't seeing things that weren't there. Sure enough, there was a deep frown etched across his face and an equally deep crease between his eyebrows to match.
"When was the last time you saw Jason?"
The solemn look in his eyes only made Barbara's heart beat faster. "Jason? You mean Jason Bard?"
"Yes, Barbara." He gave an impatient sigh. "This is important. I need to know when you last saw him."
Barbara blinked, trying to remember through the cloud fogging her mind. Yesterday. Yes, she had just seen him yesterday. "Yesterday, around noon. He took me out to lunch... Why? What's wrong?"
"All right, I'm going to need you to give a statement to one of the detectives-"
"Tell me what's wrong first!" Barbara lurched forward as far as she could, and grasped the sleeve of his shirt. "What's happened?"
James's expression softened as he took hold of his daughter's hand. "No one's seen Jason since yesterday afternoon. He didn't come in this morning. He didn't call in or anything. It's not like him."
Barbara could barely process what she was hearing. "He's missing?" Her voice, usually firm and full of confidence, had never sounded smaller.
James shifted his gaze to the side as if he were considering what to say.
"Dad-"
"We can't say for certain yet, but we are treating this as a missing person's case," he finally said after several seconds of long, painful silence.
There it was again, that knot in her stomach. She was sure it had never really left, only re-tying itself into an even tighter knot after coming undone the last time. Breaking the silence with a growl, Barbara grabbed her leg and swung it over the side of the bed. "He's not missing! Pamela knows exactly where he is!"
But before she could grab her other leg, James placed his hand on her shoulder, stopping her. "Pamela? Why would she know?"
Why would she know exactly? Call it detective instincts, call it a gut feeling, but Barbara knew Pamela knew where Jason was somehow. She was the only one who knew they had been together somewhere. The only one who knew they had taken a trip to the Isley mansion. But she didn't have time to explain this, not right now when the clock was ticking. "Just take me to her," she snapped.
A sharp glare reflected off of James's glasses, and for a moment, Barbara couldn't see his eyes. Yet, she was sure they were glowering at her. "Pamela's asleep right now," he answered. "And frankly, I don't see what she has to do with any of this."
Barbara gave an irritated sigh. "Just wake her up and I'll explain. I promise!"
"Explain what?" A voice sweeter than syrup asked. As if saying her name summoned her like a demon, there stood Pamela leaning against the doorway in a short, satin green nightgown. To describe it as skimpy would be an understatement. The hem barely even reached her bikini line, and one of the straps was sliding down her shoulder, exposing more skin than Barbara cared to see.
"Where's Jason?" Barbara demanded. "What did you do with him?"
Pamela crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged. "I don't know any Jason."
"That's a lie!" Barbara gave an involuntary jerk, one that nearly sent her down off the bed. "You know exactly who he is!"
"Perhaps I met him once. Maybe during the summer?" Pamela glanced at James. "But why? What's happened to him?"
"He's gone missing." James shut his eyes with another sigh.
"And you think I have something to do with this?" Pamela arched an eyebrow at her.
"I know you do," Barbara sneered. "You knew we were at the mansion the other day. And you know he filed a report on whatever was rotting inside."
"The mansion? You mean the Isley mansion?" James stared down at her as if she had just spoken a completely different language. "What in God's name were you doing there?"
Barbara pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to keep herself from turning this into a shouting match. Arguing would get her nowhere. She had learned that the hard way as a teenager. But at the same time, not being honest wouldn't get anywhere either. Yes, she knew the risks and repercussions of admitting this, but what other choice did she have? She would have to tread lightly if she wanted to go down this road.
"I wanted to see what it was all about since she's here living with us..." She trailed off after realizing her dad had mentioned the mansion by name. Isley. "Wait, you know about the mansion?"
"Of course I do! Why do you think she's living with us?" Gone was the previous fear in his eyes, having been replaced by disbelief and outrage. "You saw the state that place was in! No one could live there!"
"So then you do know about her fortune." Barbara's shoulders slumped. She could slap herself for not realizing it sooner. Of course, he had to know. He was a detective. But then, he must have seen the portrait above the fireplace. How could he possibly explain that? "What about the portrait, then? Surely, you must find that a little weird."
"Barbara, what does a portrait have to do with-"
"It was painted in 1927, and it depicts Pamela to a tee." Barbara pointed at the frowning woman. "How is that possible, Pamela?"
With the flick of her hand, Pamela tossed her hair behind her bare shoulder. "I don't know about any portrait. It must have been covered when I stopped by. But because of the date, it's obvious it must have been my grandmother or some other relative. I have to look like someone, right?" She smiled at her.
Before the vein throbbing across Barbara's temple could rupture, Pamela pushed herself off of the doorframe and sauntered up to James. "James, I didn't want to tell you this, but I think after hearing all this I have to." She wrapped her arms around him. "Barbara has been leaving the house without telling me. And the day she went to the mansion, she lied to me about where she was at. Knowing she was at such a dangerous place, it's a wonder she didn't hurt herself!"
Barbara's jaw dropped. "Are you kidding me? Dad-"
"I don't want to hear it, Barbara!" He cut her off with a bellowing roar. "What were you thinking?"
"I-I'm sorry," she stammered, unable to look him straight in the eye for once in her life. Wow, she could take being told she was a paraplegic better than she could have her dad yelling at her. But if there was one thing that would bring on the waterworks, it was her dad getting angry with her. Something he rarely did.
Before the tears gathering in her eyes could fall, the doorbell rang and Barbara was spared the humiliation of James and Pamela seeing her cry. They both left the room; Pamela departing for her bedroom and James going for the door.
Finally able to get herself off this bed, Barbara carefully moved onto the locked wheelchair beside her. It was a slow process and took all of her upper arm strength, something she had been neglecting these past few months. But like hell, she was going to ask her dad or Pamela for help. She didn't need them or their help. She could do this all on her own.
Barbara had just sat herself down when her dad and another detective appeared in the room.
"And this day just keeps getting better," Barbara muttered upon recognizing the other detective. Sarah Essen, or otherwise known as the reason Barbara's parents split up and her mom moved back to Chicago.
"Barbara!" Sarah greeted her with a bright smile. "It's been so long! How are you?"
"Fine." She gave a wan smile in return. How did this woman think she was doing? She was crippled, her friend was missing, and her future stepmom was a total bitch.
"I'm so sorry we have to meet under these circumstances. I know Officer Bard was a good friend of yours." Sarah took a seat on the bed before pulling out a pen and notepad from her purse.
"Now, Barbara. I want you to tell Ms. Essen everything. Even that you trespassed." James shot her a knowing look. Barbara nodded, noticing how much distance he had put between himself and Sarah. He had also called her "Ms. Essen" instead of Sarah, something he had not done previously. At least not from what she could remember.
So as Barbara was forced to give her statement to her second-most despised woman on Earth, she silently vowed she would find Jason. He would not be reduced to another headline like those missing Wayne employees.
Come hell or high water, she would solve this. She would find him.
No matter what the cost.