CHAOS - JEROME VALESKA GOTHAM

Chapter 5

Maze pov

I had to hide my amuzment, watching the look of panic on Jerome's face. He knew deep down that the snake will lead us to his mother. I walked closely beside his, watching his every move and body actions. He knew I was watching him, he kept on giving side glances. He knew I got underneath his skin and he didn't like it. He knew I was onto him. He knew that I could read him and now I was a threat.

We watched the snake slither under a dirty sheet on the truck. Jim looked back at everyone, I nodded my head to him.

Jerome started picking at his nails out of nervousness. People from the circus circled around us.

"Anybody want to say something! Speak up now!" I shouted so they could hear. Looking round, some looked confused to what I was saying. Some wouldn't meet my eye.

Jim raised his eyebrows at me.

"Gut instinct." I told him.

Jim nodded and pulled the sheet back. I heard a woman gasp and another scream. Some were hushed whispers.

There, inside the truck was a dead Lila. Her snake wrapped its body around her, resting its head on her face. Like it was mourning over her death.

"Oh, my God." Lee gasped in shock. I held back my emotions.

I wanted to roll my eyes as he started his act. Pretending to be shocked, upset that his mother was dead.

He fell to his knees looking at his mother. I watched Lee rush over to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as comfort.

"And the best act goes too..." I mumbled.

Jerome frowned at me, his eyes seemed to be a little bit darker. If I haven't seen Gotham, I would believed him. I would be Lee right now. Clueless.

"You knew." Jim snapped, looking at the ring master. "You knew she was here."

"No." he lied.

"Look at me." Jim hissed.

The ring master sighed, looking at the dead woman. "She was like that when we found her."

Where did you find her? "I asked.

The ring master led us up a hill to an open field. I could see all of the circus from here and I could barely hear the music. We stopped, and there was blood on the grass.

" A couple of riggers found her right here. We decided to hide her on the truck. We were going to give her a proper burial as soon as we got back on the road." the ringmaster told us.

"Decent of you. Who's we? Who knew?" Jim snapped grinding his teeth. He kept his flashlight on the spot where the blood was.

"Just me and the head of the families. If an outsider killed her, what can you do? An act of God? If it was one of us, we always find out. And we make sure they're punished."

"How?" Jim asked.

"We have our ways."

"And we have ours." I spoke up with my hands on my hips.

"Hook him up. And the rest for questioning." Jim told the other officers.