More work for the weary, Tag: Barbara

[KAYLEIGH DOYLE]

Her right hand was wrapped around a steaming cup of coffee, and her left hand held an open brown folder, which she was casually perusing as she walked. It was late morning, and the department was bustling with activity. Phones were ringing; there was even the occasional shout as someone being charged with something got tired of waiting. Absently, Kayleigh mumbled a “good afternoon” in response to a passing officers greeting.

She turned the corner, sidestepping to avoid crashing into someone, then holding her cup up a little higher as she wove through the desks, all without looking up from her folder. She knew the layout of the department like the back of her own hand, a sad testament to that amount of time that she spent there. Finally she reached her office and set the cup down on one of the few clear spaces on her desk.

It was a bit cluttered, so say the least. Crime scene photos covered one side of the desk, and scribbled notes the other. In the center was a computer with a colorful array of post -it notes lining the edges. Kayleigh sunk into the seat and finally closed the folder, dropping it unceremoniously onto her desk. Out of habit, she removed her hip holster and placed it in the top right drawer before picking up her coffee again and taking a good long sip. Paperwork first or casework first? Kayleigh shook her head as she reached over and grabbed a folder containing crime scene photos. The paperwork could wait.

[BARBARA GORDON]

Barbara was becoming a usual sight to be found in the Gotham Police Department. Not that she really minded it. She truly loved the place and the people inside, and whether or not they believed it Barbara knew that she could be of use to them. So Barbara had talked to the only other person in the PD that she knew overly well, next to her father. Kayleigh Doyle. Or just Kay as Barbara had begun to call her. The redhead was perhaps too good at smoothing over the cops and despite not really intending on it, Babs had made herself a good friend in Kay, something she truly was happy to have now.

Walking threw the department, running somewhat late for her meeting with Kay due to her daydreaming back at home, Babara couldn't' stop herself from replaying the events from last night. It was one thing to be at the scene of a crime but totally another to be watching it from behind a cowl. She'd been careful, no one had seen her with the exception of Catwoman and truthfully Barbara didn't want to even begin to think about what that woman had said to her. But it was hard to stop thinking about it all and the accomplished smile that was settling onto her face. One might have thought she'd found the cure to the common cold by the way that she was grinning, but if anything Barbara was just super happy that nothing had gone wrong.

Stepping into the third floor, Barbara took a quick glance around before spotting Kay at her desk and slowly made her way over to her making sure to avoid running into anyone. Sliding into the chairs on the other side of her desk, Barbara merely cleared her throat her gaze catching the cluttered mess of Kay's desk. "Busy night?"

[KAYLEIGH DOYLE]

Kayleigh looked up and smiled at Barbara. "Yeah, Gotham has become the spot to cause a little mayhem." She waved a hand at the stack of folders that she hadn't touched yet. "You certiantly seem cheery this afternoon." She remarked as she finished the last sip of her coffee and set the photos off to the side. Something must have made her excited, you could see it plain as day on her face, although Kayleigh couldn't even begin to guess as to what had inspired it.

Barbara was a regular face at the department, her father was the commisioner, after all. Over the past few months, Kayleigh had gotten to know Barbara well, she was a nice girl, very smart and intuitive, her father should be proud. The police academy would be fools if they turned down her application, not only was the force stretched thin, but, in her opinion, Barbara would make an excellent cop.

"Well, what can I do for ya?" Kayleigh leaned over and began tidying up her notes into a neater pile, as if she had just realized how messy it looked. Most of the papers weren't even complete sheets, rather they were jagged pieces of notebook paper, a few napkins could even be seen in the pile. Satisfied, she took the pile and dropped it into a drawer on her left and closed it quickly. Much better, she thought, before returning her attention to Barbara.

[BARBARA GORDON]

She supposed that perhaps she did seem a little more cheery this afternoon than usual and wished it was because of something she could talk about. But knowing that she wasn't ready to hear stories about another vigilante, Babara merely shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose I just a good feeling about today." She answered keeping her tone as normal as it could go. Thankfully with Kay she was never once to press an issue. Unlike another cop in the place that she could name.

Shifting her bag and setting it down on the floor, she laughed softly at her comment about Gotham being the new 'cool' place to stir up some crime and mayhem. Ever since Joker had come to town, well things had gone out the window persay. All in all, Barbara was tired of watching stuff not happen. It was the main reason she'd gone and hit the streets in the first place. Things just never seemed to be happening. Her application in for the PA seemed to be stuck in one large holding pattern. Something Barbara knew far more about than she should, but that's what she got for being a hacker with extreme skill. Even the PA database wasn't off limits to her if she really wanted to get in.

Blinking, Barbara pulled her thoughts together and let a small smile form on her lips. "I was just about to ask you the same thing. Want a hand? So you can get out of here at a decent hour tonight?" She teased although it was all in fun. She understood first hand just how hectic a life with the PD could get, after all watching your father work for hours at a time, well that tended to clue one in rather fast.

[KAYLEIGH DOYLE]

Kayleigh chuckled. "Right, I wouldn't want work to interfere with my flourishing social life." She joked. Things were pretty busy however, she had been staying pretty late, even by her standards. For the past week, Kayleigh had actually begun to toy with the idea of giving in and getting a new partner. While she enjoyed working alone, having a partner certiantly had its perks too.

"But help would be nice. Here, take a look at this." She replied, pushing a file across the desk. It was a case that she had already closed, but she wanted to see what Barbara thought, just for fun. It had seemed like a simple robbery, but it was actually a cover up for a murder. The wife killed her husband in a fit of rage when she found out about his affair. "What do you think?" Kayleigh asked, thumbing through the stack of files on her desk before choosing one from the bottom and flipping it open.

She made a little mental note to pay a visit to the admissions officer for the PA, just to see if there was a reason Barbara's application was still pending. She had a fleeting suspicion that Commisioner Gordon had something to do with it. If he did, she couldn't really blame him, fathers were always protective of their daughters. Kayleigh peered down at the file, patiently waiting to hear Barabara's thoughts on the case.

[BARBARA GORDON]

Barbara cracked a slight smile at her comment about working late ruining her social life and Barbara knew first hand the strains of working for the PD. She'd lost count, or perhaps rather had just stopped keeping a tally of the nights her father had stayed well past his alloted time or never came home. It was safe to say that number far outranked the number of days where he'd gotten home earlier or even at a decent hour. There was no doubt that crime never slept. There was always something to do somewhere.

"Well it was a thought at the very least. A girl can dream right?" Barbara commented softly before reaching forward and taking the file folder that Kay had handed to her. Apart from the signature on the bottom that indicated that she was looking at a closed case, something she wasn't about to admit just yet, Barbara slowly let her eyes wander threw the items and papers collected here. After skimming threw the witness reports and the notes that she'd taken on the case, Barbara's first impression was to go with robbery. It was what seemed to fit, at least at a first glance.

However because of her photographic memory, Barbara could easily see a few details that just didn't add up in her mind. Reclining in her seat and flipping back threw the file folder for a moment she flipped back and force between a couple pages, obviously comparing something. Judging from the initial witness statement taken and then the later confession written down by the accused, it seemed that someone somewhere had their lies crossed.

"If it was me, and this is just from a quick glance I'd have to say that it's not a robbery at all. Looks like the deceased;" She paused flipping over to the autopsy report to make sure she had the name right. "Mr. Millers, was clubbed to death with a rather blunt object; my guess a champagne bottle he'd left on the counter." She glanced up to Kay for a moment. "If I was smart I'd focus on the wife, who called 911 as it's obvious you've got a murder here, brought on my an ugly affair." Or well at least that's what kept adding up in her mind.

[KAYLEIGH DOYLE]

Kay was, in a way, lucky. Since she had no family and no current love interest, she had no guilt about staying late at the department, sometimes even staying overnight. She felt sorry for the people with families and children. It wasn’t easy for anyone in the family, for some children, it was almost like growing up missing a parent. Kay could only imagine what it was like for Barbara. Her father wasn’t just a cop, he was the commissioner.

As Barbara gave her assessment of the case, Kay smiled. She had nailed the case almost immediately, and all she had was the photos and statements, she had never even seen the crime scene. In fact, Barbara had pieced it together even faster than Kay had. “Very good, you have a sharp eye.” She leaned back in her chair. “It was a murder; the husband was having an affair with the janitor of all people. The wife confessed to everything.” Kay took the file back and put it on top of another closed case. “Truth be told, while I’d love the help, I can’t really give you details on any open cases. As long as your application is pending, you’re still considered a civilian.” She shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry."

[BARBARA GORDON]

As Kay confirmed her suspicions, Barbara merely nodded absently. Her thoughts returning to every possible place they could be but the present. She found herself suddenly back in a place, a point in time where she was unsure of what she was doing. Being stuck in limbo was never something that Barbara liked and the fact that everything in her life well, it seemed to be on a stand still it as driving her insane. Shifting in her seat, Barbara's gaze snapped over to Kay when she started speaking again and although part of Barbara had known that this talk would have happened sooner or later, she hadn't been able to hide the momentarily crushed look in her blue eyes before they disappeared behind the studious mask that Barbara seemed to be keeping up now.

"Hey I get it. Don't worry. I know the rule book by heart." She told her, forcing a smile to find it's way onto her lips and hoping that it was coming threw half decent. The last thing Barbara wanted was for Kay to do something that could jeopardize her career. Having that on her shoulders would have destroyed her. Maybe she'd do well to put some space between this place and herself for a little while.

[KAYLEIGH DOYLE]

Kay saw that fleeting look in Barabara's eyes, that moment of brokeness, before it was quickly erased. There had to be something she could do, it just wasn't fair. Barbara would be ten times better than most of the cops here, but they weren't making a decision for some reason or another. Kayleigh leaned forward, resting her elbows on her desk.

"Listen, for what it's worth, I think you would make a great cop, the department could use you. I can't really think of a reason why they wouldn't put your name at the top of the accepted list. So don't think that their indesicion is because of you being inadequate. Sadly, it's probably some stupid beauracratic reason." Kayleigh sighed, she wished that she could do more than offer condolences, but she just didn't have enough power in the department yet. Maybe in a year or so, but for now, she couldn't think of anything that she could do.

[BARBARA GORDON]

Barbara knew that it was stupid to be blaming herself for not hearing back from the Academy. But still one would think, especially in a place like Gotham, and with who her family was, that she'd be on the top of the list. Either way, it was just frustrating for her. Nodding slightly to Kayleigh, she merely sighed softly before resting her head on her hand.

"I just don't understand why such a long gap. I mean it's not like they don't know who I am." And it wasn't as if a she was a mystery to them. In fact Barbara probably knew at least a few people from the selection committee by name anyway. Perhaps the biggest lesson here, was to just be patient and wait. Good things came to those waited right? "And hey thanks. That means a lot."