"Uh..."
"Mm..."
Li Jie and James Gordon, who had hurried over, stood outside the Eastern District Precinct, staring at each other in silence.
"Um... Barbara... she..." Gordon's face flushed as he struggled to get the words out. "It really is her, isn't it?"
Li Jie nodded, then shook his head. "That's what the others said, but I don't know Barbara. You'd better take a look yourself."
"Right, right!"
A sudden spark of hope rose in Gordon's heart. He followed Li Jie briskly to the interview room and peered through the one-way glass. The room was sparsely furnished, but the table was covered in snacks and late-night food. The girl wasn't wearing her makeshift mask. She and Harleen were eating potato chips and chatting animatedly about something.
Li Jie glanced sideways at Gordon. The middle-aged detective's features had scrunched together, twisting his entire face into a mask of anguish.
"Oh God... oh..."
He sighed deeply and buried his face in his hands. "How did it come to this..."
"Come to this? Come to what?"
Li Jie shook his shoulder. "Seriously, what's wrong with you? Your daughter's safe and sound. Even if she was a little reckless, she was still doing the right thing. Why do you look like the world's ending?"
"Jim," he said solemnly, "you need to stay strong, okay? I haven't even told you the worse news yet."
"All right, Jay. Thank you." Gordon took a deep breath. "I'll... what? Worse news!!!"
"Yes, worse news." Li Jie nodded earnestly. "Barbara broke a clay pot at the museum. Apparently, it was worth two hundred thousand dollars."
Before his eyes, Detective James Gordon of the Gotham Police Department rapidly turned into an ice sculpture struck by a hammer. He practically shattered on the spot.
"Two... two hundred thousand..." Gordon trembled all