Hush (A Joker Story)

27: Harley's Journal

“Babe, where is my tie?”

“What do you mean ‘where is my tie’, you have like, twenty of the same color! Don’t tell me you lost all twenty.”

“Thought you put them somewhere else.”

“I don’t touch your things, ask Harley.”

“Harley isn’t home.”

“Well then I guess you have to go without a tie then, hm?”

He groaned. “But I like the tie.”

I shook my head and sighed. 

“I do too, but it won’t look that bad.”

He shrugged, putting on his suit, then turning to me. “How is it without the tie?”

I stared at him for a long moment. “. . . . . . Let’s go find your ties.” I turned the house upside down looking for ties, and finally found them in Harley’s room. “What the-. . . .” her journal fell out and lay on the ground, opened up and begging to be read. I bit my lip, curiously.

I gathered up the ties and put the journal in my back pocket. Her fault for being stupid, I guess.

After Jack left with his tie, I started to flip through Harley’s journal.

Dear Diary,

 

So like, I totally think Mr. J loves me but doesn’t want that slut to know. Sally. Ugh that name. So innocent. Well, I don’t buy it! Mr. J is using her! That’s what Gordon tells me, which is exactly why I’m going to go tell him to find her! She needs to stay away from my Joker!

. . . . . .I closed the rancid journal and gasped. She was going to snitch on me?

Where was she now?

I ran downstairs to find her walking in, trying to pretend like nothing was wrong, but I could see it through her thick makeup. She was guilty of something.

I ran up to her and glared. “Better tell me what you did or I’m going to kill you.” her eyes widened.

“I uh. . . . Was talking to Arkham Asylum doctors, they were talking to me about what Mistah J was saying to them the last time he stopped by.”

“Stopped by?”

“They catch him for a second and he’s gone as fast as he possibly could go, that is usually what happens!” she was shaking. I probably looked like I was really going to kill somebody. “They told me how Mistah J is always talkin’ about a special little lady, you of course, but sometimes he doesn’t say nice things.” she was whispering now, I frowned.

“That’s probably why the GCPD thinks he’s faking a relationship, and obviously you too. Did you tell them about my whereabouts? Did you snitch?” I was frantic now.

“Well. . . . . No, I figured you’d be kicked out, heart broken and lonesome by the end of the month. Sorry, but Mistah J loves me.” she walked to her room, I watched her leave with a sort of superiority I only remembered her flashing when she knew she was right. She was not the smartest person around, but she usually had a set idea on things, which ended up coming true. Maybe she was right, she had been around longer than I have, maybe Jack will kick me out. . . .

No, he loves me, I don’t think he’ll do that!

“Hey, Sally.” I turned to meet the crystal blue eyes of a henchman. He was about a couple of inches taller than me with black hair that swooped over one of his eyes, an eye that had a scar running from the bottom of his eye to the middle of his cheek. He was an attractive man, probably a year or two older than me with tan skin and a muscular build. He wasn’t from around here, he was from London, where he helped steal things from local markets, same as here but a little less complicated, as he always tries to say. I don’t really believe that.

This boy never usually talked, he goes by the name of Ace, and he is one of the few that Joker has kept around. I was surprised to even hear his voice. He still had a clean, untainted British accent.

“Yes?” I asked, taken off guard. He hesitated, then folded his arms.

“What Harley was just sayin’ to you. . . . Do you think Joker is cutting workers? I don’t know if I can lose my job, and obviously you know him better than Harley does.”

He was right, I did know him better.

But this time, I really wasn’t sure.

I smiled at him. “If anything, I’ll try to protect your job for you.”

He let out a relieved sigh, and smiled charmingly. “Thanks, love.” he flinched after the words left his mouth, quickly putting his hand on his mouth and looking around.

I frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“Joker will kill me if he hears me calling you that. He’s always telling us to back off of you, since you’re his girl. Well, see ya later.” he walked away.

I thought for a long and hard moment.

I didn’t know what to believe.