In Absentia
[Follows this. knowthenbreak, littlegrayson and arkhams_dr used/referenced with permission. All versions of Rachel Dawes, Jim Gordon and Batman are NPC/non-muse-specific versions.]
Harvey wouldn't admit to being worried, but the truth was, Nadine being absent like this - especially not showing up to meet with the Grayson kid - was out of character. She was the over-achiever, one of the only ADAs who came to work early and left late and did everything he asked for...
...how long had she been gone? The fact that he hadn't noticed - or rather, that he sort of had, but was too immersed in his own self to notice - made him feel slightly sick to his stomach as Harvey hurried down the hall.
When he reached her office, he banged on the door, despite noticing that there was no light emanating from beneath it. A moment later he pushed it open. He flicked on the light and looked around. It didn't look like she'd been there that day...
Flipping open his cell phone, he called hers only to hear it ring from her desk drawer. Shit.
Something was wrong. The thing was, he knew it since the day before - he just hadn't wanted to believe it or deal with it. He swallowed and dialed Jim Gordon.
"This is Gordon," the lieutenant answered.
"Jim, it's Harvey," the district attorney said. "I need a favor."
"Shoot," Gordon said.
"One of my ADAs hasn't showed up for work, uh, the last couple of days," Harvey said. "Would you mind sending a couple of your men out to her apartment to check on her?"
"Let me guess," Gordon said. "Miss Lewis?"
"...how'd you know?" Harvey asked.
"Lucky guess." Gordon's voice was flat. "You should have kept a tighter rein on her after that Crane nonsense from before."
"I don't-she's not--she's got free will," Harvey was defensive. "I can't keep track of all of my ADAs all of the time."
"She's not just any ADA, though, is she?"
"Just send your men to check on her!" Harvey's voice was practically a roar. For a moment, he considered throwing his phone.
Dammit. He needed to check his temper.
"Harvey?" Rachel was in the doorway of Nadine's office, which he was still standing in the middle of.
As soon as he saw her, the rage vanished from his face, almost guiltily so.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"Nadine's missing," he explained. "I think Jonathan Crane might have something to do with it."
"The Scarecrow?" Rachel's brow furrowed. "Did you tell Jim?"
"I did. He's sending a couple of his men to check her apartment and go from there." Harvey sighed.
"They'll find her, Harvey," Rachel tried to be reassuring. "If anyone can, it's Gordon or his men. He trusts them..."
"Well I still don't," Harvey said. "Not all of them, not entirely."
"You're going to have to on this," Rachel said.
Harvey only made a slight face, his displeasure evident.
* * * * *
"Dent," Harvey answered a short time later.
"Ms. Lewis's apartment hasn't been touched in a couple of days," Gordon said without preamble. "When was the last time you saw her?"
Harvey thought a moment. "The day of the incident--the mail from Crane," he said. "She was there when I was recovering...and then she was gone, slipped out of the room."
"We'll review the security tapes from that day," Gordon informed.
"I'll meet you at MCU," the lawyer said.
"So you will," Gordon said, knowing the man wasn't about to take 'no' for an answer.
* * * * *
When Harvey saw the security tape from the day of the mail incident - which was also, they now knew, the day of Nadine's disappearance - it took everything he had to stay in control.
The security guard practically asleep on the job, the thug of a man going past him, moments later the same man hauling Nadine off, without so much as a glance from anyone. Really, if they slowed the tape - there was no one around.
They'd all been fawning over him, Harvey remembered. Everyone wanted to know if the D.A. was okay, what all the fuss was about. No one noticed an absent ADA. He realized that had been Crane's plan all along.
"Pause that on the guy," Gordon ordered the detective who was assisting them with the A/V equipment. The detective stopped the tape on the thug and zoomed in on his face.
"I've seen him before," Harvey frowned.
"So've I," Gordon tried to place him. Then it came to him. "Szaz. Victor Szaz. He's one of Crane's...men."
Harvey steeled himself. "Find him. Find him now."
Gordon resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I'll do my job," he said. "And you go back to doing yours."
* * * * *
As Harvey sat at his desk awhile later, head in his hands, all he could think was, "easier said than done." He had no idea how he was going to tell Dick Grayson or that friend of Nadine's or even the other ADAs.
Harvey wouldn't admit to being worried, but the truth was, Nadine being absent like this - especially not showing up to meet with the Grayson kid - was out of character. She was the over-achiever, one of the only ADAs who came to work early and left late and did everything he asked for...
...how long had she been gone? The fact that he hadn't noticed - or rather, that he sort of had, but was too immersed in his own self to notice - made him feel slightly sick to his stomach as Harvey hurried down the hall.
When he reached her office, he banged on the door, despite noticing that there was no light emanating from beneath it. A moment later he pushed it open. He flicked on the light and looked around. It didn't look like she'd been there that day...
Flipping open his cell phone, he called hers only to hear it ring from her desk drawer. Shit.
Something was wrong. The thing was, he knew it since the day before - he just hadn't wanted to believe it or deal with it. He swallowed and dialed Jim Gordon.
"This is Gordon," the lieutenant answered.
"Jim, it's Harvey," the district attorney said. "I need a favor."
"Shoot," Gordon said.
"One of my ADAs hasn't showed up for work, uh, the last couple of days," Harvey said. "Would you mind sending a couple of your men out to her apartment to check on her?"
"Let me guess," Gordon said. "Miss Lewis?"
"...how'd you know?" Harvey asked.
"Lucky guess." Gordon's voice was flat. "You should have kept a tighter rein on her after that Crane nonsense from before."
"I don't-she's not--she's got free will," Harvey was defensive. "I can't keep track of all of my ADAs all of the time."
"She's not just any ADA, though, is she?"
"Just send your men to check on her!" Harvey's voice was practically a roar. For a moment, he considered throwing his phone.
Dammit. He needed to check his temper.
"Harvey?" Rachel was in the doorway of Nadine's office, which he was still standing in the middle of.
As soon as he saw her, the rage vanished from his face, almost guiltily so.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"Nadine's missing," he explained. "I think Jonathan Crane might have something to do with it."
"The Scarecrow?" Rachel's brow furrowed. "Did you tell Jim?"
"I did. He's sending a couple of his men to check her apartment and go from there." Harvey sighed.
"They'll find her, Harvey," Rachel tried to be reassuring. "If anyone can, it's Gordon or his men. He trusts them..."
"Well I still don't," Harvey said. "Not all of them, not entirely."
"You're going to have to on this," Rachel said.
Harvey only made a slight face, his displeasure evident.
* * * * *
"Dent," Harvey answered a short time later.
"Ms. Lewis's apartment hasn't been touched in a couple of days," Gordon said without preamble. "When was the last time you saw her?"
Harvey thought a moment. "The day of the incident--the mail from Crane," he said. "She was there when I was recovering...and then she was gone, slipped out of the room."
"We'll review the security tapes from that day," Gordon informed.
"I'll meet you at MCU," the lawyer said.
"So you will," Gordon said, knowing the man wasn't about to take 'no' for an answer.
* * * * *
When Harvey saw the security tape from the day of the mail incident - which was also, they now knew, the day of Nadine's disappearance - it took everything he had to stay in control.
The security guard practically asleep on the job, the thug of a man going past him, moments later the same man hauling Nadine off, without so much as a glance from anyone. Really, if they slowed the tape - there was no one around.
They'd all been fawning over him, Harvey remembered. Everyone wanted to know if the D.A. was okay, what all the fuss was about. No one noticed an absent ADA. He realized that had been Crane's plan all along.
"Pause that on the guy," Gordon ordered the detective who was assisting them with the A/V equipment. The detective stopped the tape on the thug and zoomed in on his face.
"I've seen him before," Harvey frowned.
"So've I," Gordon tried to place him. Then it came to him. "Szaz. Victor Szaz. He's one of Crane's...men."
Harvey steeled himself. "Find him. Find him now."
Gordon resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I'll do my job," he said. "And you go back to doing yours."
* * * * *
As Harvey sat at his desk awhile later, head in his hands, all he could think was, "easier said than done." He had no idea how he was going to tell Dick Grayson or that friend of Nadine's or even the other ADAs.