章 68: Minus two
Harley's words made me seriously load, but no matter how much I pondered, I couldn't find an answer. Could it have something to do with the fact that Bruce wasn't wearing his suit? Yeah, I don't think so. Who cares how Bats is dressed, as long as he's still a superhero with a clear moral code. Also, I have my doubts that Batman is Bruce Wayne's alter ego and not the other way around...
At home, the unnecessary thoughts were successfully lost, swept away by the passion of the amorous girl, who seemed to have forgotten about her question, completely immersed in debauchery. We calmed down only in the morning, but instead of a full-fledged rest, I had to get up in two hours to meet Alan, who arrived by truck.
Automatics are a very convenient thing: you press a button and the gates open themselves, allowing vehicles to enter the territory. Following my instructions, the elderly man immediately drove the car into the open garage.
"I wondered, what if the cops had pulled you over?" I asked, opening the body doors and pulling aside the dark tarpaulin, staring thoughtfully at the neat bundles of freshly made bills, stacked on two wooden pallets and wrapped in the usual translucent film. On top of it lay a bulky dense bag, in which there was a scattering of assorted diamonds.
"I had chosen my route carefully, so everything had to be in order. Besides, if I had hired a collection car, it might have attracted the attention of outsiders. - Dershowitz replied, wiping his sweaty forehead with a handkerchief.
Heh, still he was clearly nervous about the whole situation.
"Maybe next time I'll take the money myself. I don't want you to have a stroke. - I started unloading, pulling a small cart, although a forklift would have been useful.
"Thank you, that's a great option. I'll post the address a little later then, once I have the next batch ready.
The unloading took almost an hour, for in the process I checked some of the bundles, for which I earned the approving glance of the man who sat in the chair I had brought in and drank tea leisurely. Of course, I could have brought him into the case, but I was unloading the valuable waste paper too quickly, and the lawyer wouldn't have been able to keep up with my pace.
Exactly two hundred million, now were neatly stacked on the floor, reminiscent of a shot from the movie "The Conjuring", except that it was undesirable to lie on them, because the whole pile would sprawl apart. After making sure that everything was in order, Alan left, and I went to the bedroom, where my favorite blonde was still sleeping sweetly.
The clock said nine in the morning, Natalie would arrive around twelve, I didn't have anything urgent to do, and I didn't feel like practicing magic, since I'd already practiced it all day yesterday while I was visiting Zee. I'm not an idiot to just read a book while having guest access to a dragon vein, am I? So yesterday I was practicing new disguise charms that required serious concentration only when activated, and then just sit there and feed mana to keep them going, getting used to the sensation.
After another thoughtful look at the sleeping Harley, I decided to visit Leroy, for which I went out into the hallway and called the number he'd left.
That's weird. The call goes through, but no one picks up.
I called a couple more times, but none of the attempts were successful. One could assume that the elderly man had forgotten his phone, for example, when he went for a walk. But where would he go if he was wanted by the dire owl ninjas? Besides, there was enough food and water in the shelter to keep us there until the tanker left, and Leroy wouldn't have risked going anywhere, given how fast we were moving away from Martha's house.
Sensing something wrong, I wrote a note with instructions for Harley, telling her I was going out on business, left the car keys, and hailed a cab. Although yesterday's test had shown that the Aston could safely maintain its camouflage for five hours and twenty-two minutes, it was still too conspicuous, and even the black color wouldn't save it, especially in the morning, even though the sky was covered from edge to edge with dark clouds, from which a light rain was drizzling. I think it's time to buy a spare vehicle and pump it up properly, so as not to spoil the main car.
I dropped off on the outskirts of the right neighborhood, paid the cab driver on the meter and ducked into the alleys, changing my appearance and hair color a bit along the way. Damn, this was the kind of thing I could only dream of! Ha-ha, Bats' worst dream - the Joker became an illusionist magician.
The nasty rain continued to drizzle, so I pulled my dark coat tighter around me and pulled my hood up, following a winding route to throw off any possible tail. In principle, the bad weather was a good thing, as the various vagrants made an effort to hide rather than loitering in the streets as they usually did.
Having reached the shelter of my acquaintance without hindrance I tried to call him once again, but nobody picked up the phone, so, remembering the interworld, I go down to the basement.
That sucks...
My hunch was right: the metal door had been sheared off, hinting that the owl ninjas had decided to try to insist that the dark-skinned fighter visit a certain "family". With all precautions, I step inside, noticing a stretch near the floor leading to a grenade. It feels like more of a warning than a real threat. Besides, there are still no scented street dwellers here, so the warning could be considered to have worked, or the attack was recent, and the homeless haven't had time to figure it out yet.
Leroy's training was definitely a bust today. The room looked as if a hurricane had blown through it: everything had been turned upside down, some of the walls were covered with circular imprints, as if they'd been hit by a cast-iron cannonball, and there were also some incredibly sharp claw marks.
Blood? I carefully scrape a few drops off the floor, placing them in different tubes for further analysis. My hearing picks up a rustle from beneath the overturned cot.
"Who's there?" the end of the cane pointed toward the source of the sound.
My words are followed by a low yapping sound, which is immediately replaced by a pitiful whimper.
"Shit, Sugar?" I gently move the mattress aside, revealing the dog, whose heavy couch had crushed his back paw, preventing him from getting out. - Just bear with me.
After checking everything once again for any sudden surprises (Harley informed me about the nice custom of some gangs to mine wounded people, and here it's a godsend), I release my four-legged friend.
"It looks like a fracture," I said after feeling the injured limb.
Surprisingly, the dog stoically endured the procedure, licking my hand at the end, either as a thank you or to demonstrate that he was very hungry.
"I'll finish up here, and then we'll go to the vet.
Was it just me, or did the dog actually nod, then lie down on the floor and cover his eyes?
I put all my thoughts out of my head and looked around once more, disarming the stretch, but despite my best efforts, I couldn't find anything interesting.
Shit, what am I supposed to do now? There are no cameras in this neighborhood, as a class, and the locals are useless to intimidate, not that I have charisma, although...
***
Lars, as usual, was rummaging through the trash, looking for something normal to wear; it would be December in a day, and the cloak he'd reclaimed last month was in almost complete disrepair, no longer saving him from even a little rain. It was good that the divine tincture his friend was brewing was warming his body and fogging his mind, helping him to escape from the cold and uncomfortable outside world for a while.
Suddenly someone's shadow obscured the dim light, and the bum immediately decided to enlighten the dumb-headed jerk about how wrong he was to interfere with his closet.
"Hey, bitch, that's my tank. Get the fuck out of here," he turned around, pulling out a shiv and immediately turning pale with horror.
Literally a step away from him stood the Joker, himself, and grinned creepily. The clown-prince of the underworld was wearing a slightly unfamiliar violet-colored cape, but it was a face that could not be confused with anyone else's.
"Sir... I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you! Please don't kill me!" Lars immediately fell to his knees, bowing in a submissive pose and praying to all the gods at once, hoping to save his life. He had seen the attack on the bank on TV in a store window, so he knew exactly what a psycho back to his roots was capable of.
"Ha-ha-ha, you're funny! Your pathetic life is of no use to me at all. I'm more interested in the strange owl ninjas that have been popping up all over town lately.
~Knock~
With a thud, the tip of the cane hit the pavement, making the tramp wince.
"I don't know... Rumor has it that the Claws are the assassins of the Court of Owls, an urban legend..." he whispered faintly, licking his parched lips.
"Ha ha, that's a great rumor. Is there anything else you'd like to say?
The cane had lifted and was now thrust in next to the ear of Lars, who was in no hurry to answer, dislodging a stone chip that scratched his cheek lightly.
"No, there's nothing more about them. Maybe Ron knows more; he lives in the red brick house on Forty-second and Ninth," the frightened bum said. - I don't know anything else! Aah! Aah!
He squeezed his eyes shut in horror and screamed as the maniac's weapon raised again.
"Aaaaaaah! Huh?" After ten seconds, lasting an incredibly long time, Lars stopped yelling, discovering that no one had punched his head yet.
When the man lifted himself up, he saw only an empty alley, and only a couple of neat round holes in the asphalt told him that he had not imagined it all from white fever.
"Fuck it, I gotta get outta town, or Ron's gonna kill me if he finds out who tipped him off about the Joker," the drifter pulled out an open bottle, took a good swig, and strode east, glancing around warily from time to time.
***
It's come to this... The Joker scares the homeless and the local drug dealers, ha ha ha ha! The idea partially paid off, though, and I now know that the attack happened around six or seven this morning, and the ninja and his body disappeared into the sewers. I even figured out exactly where it happened, but trying to follow the trail was doomed to failure, despite my best efforts to detect any drops of blood that should theoretically be present.
Once on the surface, I hurried to leave the neighborhood, fearing the appearance of Bats. I'm not sure that the superhero will sort out whether I'm the right or wrong Joker, and just give me a slap on the wrist and put me in a locked box under an abandoned movie theater. Huh, of course that outcome is unlikely, but I have absolutely no desire to waste time on unnecessary fights.
You'd think I'd wasted a lot of time, but that wasn't the case, as I managed to test two spells. Okay, it was one spell, but it was used twice: to change the color of my clothes and to change my facial features. Judging by the reactions of various marginalized people, it turned out pretty well, though in the process I had to replenish my mana reserves, having emptied two diamonds (I'll have to charge a couple of dozen more from Zee), but that's the price of a dynamic and detailed image. Otherwise, what's the point of disguising yourself as the Joker if your face looks like a porcelain mask? Heh, got it, the Joker masquerading as the Joker...
After picking up Sahark from the veterinary clinic, where his broken paw was successfully plastered, we went to the library together with our four-legged friend. It's time to start delegating authority, because I'm struggling with all this stuff going on, trying to do ten things at once.
The building, as usual, greeted me with silence, coziness, and a redheaded cutie who was happy to see me.
"Mh, Jay, there are visitors in the library-" the girl broke the kiss for a moment, looking at me with a hazy look.
"It's a bummer," I sighed sadly, pulling away from the young heroine's taut, seductive buns. - Okay, I have a lot to talk to you about anyway.
I pull a chair over to the charming caretaker's desk, on which I land, and Saharok climbs under it, curling up in a bagel at my feet.
"A dog?" Redhead just now noticed her four-legged friend. - No pets allowed in the library.
"It's a guide dog, you can use it. It's my friend's dog, he goes by the name Sakharok," I calmly answer the unspoken question.
"Ummm... Okay, let's say... Although it's weird that a person with a guide dog would come to the library for some reason. Oh, where's Harley?
"Either still asleep after a late-night sex marathon or visiting a sorceress.
"A real one?" Mousey asked, her eyes rounding amusedly, becoming even cuter. She blushed a little at the first part of the sentence, moving her legs tighter together.
"You bet! Now, don't distract me with your seductive looks. Do you know anything about the Court of Owls?
My question definitely confused her, but after a little thought Batgirl told me about the urban legend and that James Gordon was also very interested in them in recent days, digging through the city archives, but so far without success. Unfortunately, there was nothing new to learn, so I moved on to the next item.
"Here's all the information on Towers," I took out a flash drive from my pocket and handed it to the girl. - The demo is working, also I tried to describe the whole concept and added some ideas for three-in-a-row. If it's not too hard, can you finish both projects, no time limit?
"I'll take a look, of course, but I can't promise anything. Work, studies, you know what kind of activity, it all takes up a lot of time and energy," she waved her hands guiltily.
"Well, I had originally planned it to make money, but thanks to the treasure I found and the recent auction, Harley and I don't really need the money anymore. Think of it as a personal project that I'm willing to fully sponsor," a pile of hundred-dollar bills lay on the table.
"It's... I can't accept...
"Mouse, consider it payment for the exploitation of your adorable head," the redhead blushed again after my words. - Ha-ha-ha, not like that. You know about security systems, don't you?
"A little," she mumbled, covering her flaming face with her hands, realizing that I really didn't mean anything by it.
"Fine. Then visit me and Harley in the next few days, um, just preferably in the evening, and call at least an hour in advance," I asked.
The VSO workers will have to completely renovate the mansion and we'll be able to check what they've done there. I'm sure Mousey won't mind working with the WayneTech equipment that I promised her, but I won't talk about it, or she'll faint from happiness.
"You're leaving already?!" The cutie was outraged to the core as I started to leave. - Don't you have anything to tell me about the doppelganger who killed a woman and robbed a bank, about Strange, about the Swamp Thing?! About magic, after all!
"Shh..." I put my finger to my lips and squinted toward the reading room. - I'll be sure to tell you everything... When you come to visit.
I sharply close to Babs and passionately kiss her sweet lips, and while Batgirl digests what happened, I pick up the phlegmatic Sugar and swiftly get away, like a real hero.
Now my way lay toward a familiar car dealer, where I planned to buy an ordinary car, parting with a relatively small sum of money. And this I successfully managed to do, as I drove up to the Shadow Peak in a brand new sixth-generation Ford Taurus in silver coloring.
The car was almost a year old since its release on the American market, and it turned out to be relatively popular, so it shouldn't be hard for me to blend in with the flow of cars. In addition, no one canceled illusions, allowing me to change color at any time, but I just need to apply the necessary runes, because on my own mana I will not be able to do such a thing, at least not for a long time.
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