In Another Life V

Chapter 10

"So you can't confirm whether Sal Valestra perished in the fire at Ace Chemicals or not?" asked Commissioner Gordon. Harley sat opposite him in his office, wrapped in a blanket and drinking a cup of coffee.

"No, I'm sorry, I can't," she whispered.

"I've got units searching the debris for the bodies, but they haven't found anything yet," said Gordon. "You can confirm that Jack Napier perished, however?"

Harley nodded slowly, tears filling her eyes again. "Yes. He fell into the acid. He...he was trying to save me."

She buried her face in her hands. "It's all my fault!" she sobbed. "It's my fault he died! If I had just told Sal what he wanted to know in the first place..."

"You tried to do the right thing, Dr. Quinzel," murmured Gordon, gently. "There's no shame in that. You performed very bravely in exceptional circumstances..."

She shook her head. "No, Jack did," she whispered. "All I did was get him killed."

Gordon handed her a box of tissues. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Were you and Mr. Napier...intimate at all?" he asked, gently.

She looked up at him. "Is that really any of your business?" she muttered.

He shrugged. "I like to have as many facts as possible when I have to report on a case."

"I was in love with him, if that's what you want to hear," murmured Harley. "But no, we were never...intimate. He was married. And he took that responsibility very seriously."

"Strangely honorable man, for a gangster," replied Gordon.

"He was a wonderful man," agreed Harley. "That's why I loved him."

Gordon went to go pour her more coffee. "Mr. Dent's on his way," he said. "He's been told Sal Valestra might be dead, and I think he wants to thank you personally for bringing it about."

"Does he know I betrayed him to Sal?" asked Harley.

"I don't really see what that matters, if Sal's dead," replied Gordon.

"And if he isn't?" asked Harley.

Gordon shrugged. "It's good that Harvey's warned anyway. You can't blame yourself, Dr. Quinzel. Nobody would have been able to resist talking under that kind of torture."

"I feel guilty about everything that's happened because of me," she murmured. "And everything that will happen. It's all my fault."

Gordon opened his mouth to say something comforting, when Harvey Dent entered the room. "Hey, Doc, you ok?" he asked gently, sitting down next to her and putting an arm around her.

"She's had a pretty rough few days," replied Gordon.

"I'm just glad she's safe now," said Dent. "Not just for her own sake, but for mine too. I couldn't have lived with your blood on my hands."

"Yes, it's a horrible feeling," murmured Harley, wrapping her blanket tightly around her. "And it's one I'm going to have to live with for the rest of my life."

She looked up at him. "If Sal's alive, he knows about Harv," she murmured.

Dent's face flickered slightly – his lip twitched downward, but then he resumed his charming smile. "Well, we'll just have to hope that he's dead, then. For a number of reasons."

He straightened up, facing Gordon. "Dr. Quinzel is going to need police protection," he murmured. "If Sal's alive, he's going to be looking for her to silence her permanently. In fact, the sooner she can get out of Gotham, the better."