Harleen Quinzel!!!
Jay sprang up, snatched the memo he had just tossed aside, and reread it carefully.
Harleen Quinzel, who brought this psycho here! Even if she hasn't hooked up with the Joker yet, what normal person would be interested in someone like the Joker!!
Look at the other one, Jonathan—he sounds unknown, but at least he's a reliable guy who won't cause trouble. Why couldn't we have him in the East Precinct instead!
He buried his face in his hands, furiously rubbing it, then grabbed his thermos and took a big gulp, immediately spitting it out all over the floor.
Damn it, that's scalding!
Sure enough, nothing good ever happens on a Monday.
He grabbed the memo, ran up to the second floor, and started banging on the door.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
Bob's lazy voice came from behind him. Jay stepped aside, and Bob squeezed past, found his key, and opened the door.
"It's not time for work yet, is it?" Bob tossed his briefcase onto the desk. "Seeing you first thing in the morning means it's definitely going to be a bad Monday!"
"Alright, Boss, take a look…" Jay handed him the memo. "Can we swap people for our East Precinct?"
"Swap people?"
Bob flattened the memo on the desk, searching his pockets for a cigarette and lighter. "This… Harleen…"
Snap!
He lit the cigarette, took an eager drag, exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, and sighed contentedly. "Harleen Quinzel, is there a problem?"
"She…"
Jay was momentarily speechless. He couldn't exactly say that Dr. Quinzel would become a supervillain in the future. After a moment of hesitation, he stammered, "I think… her… qualifications aren't good enough…"
"Bullshit!"
Bob crumpled the memo and threw it back at him. "A guy with a high school diploma saying a university PhD isn't qualified? Stop worrying about useless things."
"The acquisition of the Star Trust building next door will be finalized in the next couple of days. I negotiated with the city government; we can start the renovations immediately. Here is…"
He pulled out a business card and tossed it over. "This is the number for the construction company."
"Tsk…" Jay took the card and looked at it, asking with a hint of concern: "Boss, I don't mind if you take kickbacks, but don't let their work quality be an issue!"
"Don't worry, they wouldn't dare." Bob blew a smoke ring. "Anything you need to buy, just submit a list to logistics and finance. Hehe… If those bastards try to steal any money, we'll arrest them!"
Uh… should you be saying that…
Jay's mouth twitched, but he managed to resist the urge to comment, nodded, and got up to leave the Chief's office. He hadn't been downstairs for long when the internal phone rang urgently.
"Get up here now," Bob's tone was panicked and uneasy. "Someone robbed Falcone's vault."
…
Just kill me now! Why is there so much trouble on a Monday!
Grumbling aside, Jay ran back to the Chief's office, taking the stairs two at a time. The moment he walked in, Bob pushed him into a chair.
"The Roman was robbed last night. That place was one of his gang's regional central vaults, and he lost over seven million in cash."
Damn it!
Although this amount wouldn't completely bankrupt Falcone, it was enough to severely damage his operation. Whoever was behind it, Falcone's retaliation would surely follow like a furious storm.
Jay felt like a cicada was buzzing incessantly in his brain. He asked Bob, "When did this happen?"
"Last night, between 3 and 4 a.m. They didn't care about being seen; they just shot out the cameras. Falcone had eight armed guards there. It looks like they were all taken out."
Bob sat down, pinching the bridge of his nose with two fingers. "All his men are on the streets. The whole city is in chaos. The Mayor just called and wants us to quickly settle this matter."
"Shouldn't Central Precinct handle this?" Jay was reluctant to waste a perfect scapegoat like Gordon.
"He called both Loeb and Brown. My biggest concern now is that Gillian will just find a few random people to appease Falcone. That could easily enrage him and turn his hatred toward the police force instead."
Bob lit his cigarette and sighed heavily. "It's all up to you!"
It's all up to my ass… I mean… Jay thought for a moment, organizing his thoughts, and asked, "What about the surveillance footage?"
"It's with the Roman. He demanded the police send someone over to view it. We can take copies, but not the originals."
"Tch, so he wants to lecture us!" Jay curled his lip dismissively. "If you ask me…"
He gestured at Bob. Bob shook his head helplessly, stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray. "Go on."
"If you ask me, we either put on a show. Falcone won't sit by for a provocation. Let him stir up trouble on his own. With Central Precinct taking the lead and the blame, the East Precinct stays out of it.
But afterward, neither the government nor the Roman will be happy with you."
"Or… we risk it for the biscuit!"
"Wait, wait, wait…" Bob held up his hand to interrupt him. "I get scared every time you make that face. I feel like you're about to talk me into doing something again. Let me take a breath."
He composed himself, took a few deep breaths, leaned back in his boss chair, practically ready to buckle up. "Okay, continue."
"You're such a buzzkill…" Jay rolled his eyes and continued, "We find a way to solve this case and take the opportunity to extort the Roman for some cash. Also, if the robbers haven't spent all seven million yet…"
He and Bob simultaneously looked up at each other, sharing an unspoken, knowing smile.
"But speaking of which, no matter which path we choose, people will die, many people will die. You better be mentally prepared."
"I got it!"
Bob picked up his lighter and started fiddling with the flint. Jay stood up and walked out. At the door, he suddenly remembered something.
"Boss!"
"Hmm?" Bob looked up at him. "What is it?"
"Otis's case should get a verdict this afternoon, assuming no surprises. You should go to the courthouse, and also anonymously notify a few reporters. You know, about the whole 'clearing a wrongful conviction' thing…"
"OK!"
…
——————
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