Leslie Thompkins

On the way back, Alan sat in the passenger seat while Anna watched the children in the back. The patrol car sped out of Narrow Island and stopped beside the glowing arches of a McDonald's in the Burnley District.

"Here, go in and get something to eat together." Li Jie took out an olive-green twenty-dollar bill and handed it to Alan. "You can get toys, too."

The two rookies exchanged a glance and opened the doors, taking Harper and Karen with them. Cold air rushed in, and Harper instinctively hugged her little brother tighter. Li Jie watched them lead the children toward the restaurant, then thought for a moment, rolled down his window, and called, "You two can get toys, too."

All four immediately broke into delighted skips, racing toward the bright lights beneath the arches. The doors closed, shutting out the noise outside. The silence inside the car suddenly seemed several times deeper, leaving only his heavy breathing and the faint electrical hum of the dashboard. Li Jie sat in the car and dialed a number. After a few rings, a warm, irreverent voice came through.

"Hey, brother. Finally remembered me?"

"Honestly, I really do kind of miss you." Li Jie sighed. "I took two rookies out this afternoon. They're nowhere near as good as you. I honestly never thought there were people even dumber than you."

"Of course! I'm... wait!" Wilson abruptly stopped, apparently thinking something over. "Something doesn't feel right. Are you... complimenting me?"

"Uh... of course. Let's not get hung up on the details. I need a favor." Li Jie hurriedly changed the subject. "I just made a follow-up visit on a domestic violence case we handled before, over on Narrow Island. Remember?"

"Of course I remember that hellhole... but I can't remember the guy's name. All I remember is what a drunken mess he was. He probably couldn't remember his own name either." Wilson sounded fairly cheerful. "Taking two rookies to Narrow Island was pretty dangerous. What do you need me to do? Give them some pointers?"

"No. I got his two children out, and I'm looking for somewhere to put them."

"Are you crazy? Procedure says you have to report it to CPS immediately. Otherwise, if they accuse you of trafficking or... something even worse..."

"I know it's against procedure, but you should also know that over the past five years, at least twelve hundred children handled by CPS have gone missing because their files were 'technically corrupted,'" Li Jie interrupted. "For a six-thousand-dollar placement bonus per child, God knows where they'll shove these kids."

The other end went silent, leaving only Wilson's heavy breathing. A long while passed before he let out a heavy, helpless sigh, as though setting down an enormous weight. "Fuck... damn it... you're right. I know." He paused. "Tell me what you need."

"Have your girlfriend Lisa... whichever Lisa! Make an anonymous call to the Gotham Gazette or Gotham TV. Tell them the Eastern District Precinct cracked a child abuse case, and the victims are in a terrible state. They'll be interested."

"No problem, but you'll need legitimate documentation from a medical institution." Wilson considered it for a moment. "Want me to seduce some female doctor at General Hospital?"

"Fuck, shut up and listen." Li Jie felt as though he was about to have a heart attack. "You once told me some gossip about Doctor Leslie Thompkins at Gotham Charity Clinic having a thing with James Gordon from Central Headquarters. Is that true?"

"Absolutely! One hundred percent! Everyone knows Doctor Leslie is a good person. I bet Gordon was just too much of an asshole!" Wilson immediately perked up. "Listen, back when those two..."

"Thanks, bye! Get on what I asked you to do!"

"Hello... hello?"

Listening to the disconnected tone, Wilson looked deeply disappointed. "I heard the two of them were in the Police Department locker room..."

Li Jie sat in the car for a while, watching the two adults and two children emerge from the warm glow of McDonald's, each carrying a Teddy Bear toy.

"You all got kids' meals?"

"Yeah, they have limited-edition toys right now." Anna carefully handed him a separate little cardboard box. "Sir, we brought you an apple pie, too."

"Huh? Oh, thanks." Li Jie put the pie on the passenger-side dashboard, too embarrassed to open the cluttered glove compartment. "Listen, you two. Take a taxi back to the Police Department right now." He pulled out two ten-dollar bills and pressed them into their hands. "Anna, as soon as you get back, give the photos you just took to the technical unit and have them developed. Alan, go see the chief immediately and tell him everything that happened today. Then tell him the media already knows, and I'm taking the children to Gotham Charity Clinic for a medical assessment. He'll know what to do."

"Yes, sir!"

They saluted him and got out with the camera. Li Jie glanced into the back. "Can you sit safely back there?"

"I think we'll be okay, but you have to drive slowly, Officer." Harper gripped the door handle with one hand and held her little brother with the other. "If you drive too fast, the seat belt will cut my head off."

"Okay. I'll be careful."

Li Jie slowly started the car and merged into traffic, keeping right at the minimum speed limit. Thanks to his position, few drivers dared lean on their horns behind him. After crawling along for more than an hour, he finally stopped outside an old clinic in Old Town.

Beneath the clinic's broken neon sign, James Gordon stood in the cold wind, his face tinged blue. Apparently, he had been waiting a while. When he saw Li Jie get out with the two children, he hurried over.

"Hi, J... Officer." Gordon looked a little awkward. "You're here to see Doctor Leslie?"

Li Jie gestured toward Harper and Karen with his chin. "I need a medical assessment for them."

"Right, right... uh..." Gordon walked ahead, rubbing his hands together. "I heard your speech at Central Headquarters this morning... sorry, I... misjudged you before. I thought you were another person Falcone could buy off... um... but now I know..."

"Of course I can be bought. He just offered too little, so negotiations fell through."

"Huh?"

Ignoring Gordon, who stood rooted to the spot in shock, Li Jie took the two little ones by the hands and walked into the clinic. "Could I see Doctor Thompkins?" he asked at reception.

The nurse at the front desk nodded, and Gordon hurried in behind them. He opened his mouth to argue further, but caught sight of the unhealed bruises on the back of Harper's hand as she clutched the corner of Li Jie's shirt. In the end, he merely rubbed his face in defeat. "...Les is upstairs."

"Ha!" Li Jie raised his eyebrows at him and smiled faintly. "'Les' is upstairs!"

"That's all... all in the past."

"Yes, that's all in the past," a voice chimed in from the top of the stairs. Li Jie looked up and saw a female doctor in a white coat standing there, smiling at them. She might have had some Latina ancestry, with her slightly dark complexion. Beneath her short black hair, her lovely features had a touch of boldness. Though a few fine crow's-feet had crept into the corners of her eyes, they did nothing to diminish her distinctive blend of toughness and gentleness.

"Hi, Jim." She nodded to Gordon, her tone as casual as if she were greeting an ordinary colleague, then turned her gaze to Li Jie. "And this is...?"

"Uh... hi. This is a colleague from the Eastern District Precinct, Officer Li Jie." Gordon awkwardly extended a hand. "Hi, have you... been well?"

"I've been fine. How are you and Sarah?" Thompkins came calmly down the stairs and gave Gordon's hand a brief shake. "Li Jie... may I call you Jay? Leslie Thompkins. You can call me Leslie. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The honor is mine, Doctor Thompkins." Li Jie tried to make his handshake firm and respectful. "I have an extremely urgent matter that requires your professional help."

"I know. Jim mentioned on the phone that two children suffering domestic abuse needed a health assessment." She crouched and gently brushed the backs of her fingers against Harper's and Karen's cheeks. "Hi, little ones. Don't be afraid. You're safe here. You can call me Doctor Leslie. Could you tell me your names?"

"I'm Harper, and this is my little brother, Karen." The little girl tugged her brother forward, but the little boy shyly shrank back. Harper sighed and shook her head at Thompkins. "See? You can never count on boys."

"That's not always true, Harper." Thompkins couldn't help laughing as she took the little girl's hand in hers. "Aren't Officer Jay and... Officer Gordon dependable?"

"Are they?" Harper gave Gordon a doubtful look, then suddenly asked, "You just asked, 'How are you and Sarah?' Who's Sarah?"

"Whoa, whoa!"

For a moment, none of the three adults knew how to respond, and an awkward, deathly silence settled over them. Gordon's face turned scarlet, his gaze darting about in panic. Li Jie stepped forward to change the subject. "Doctor, I have another request concerning these two. At present... I haven't formally notified Child Protective Services. I need your medical report to certify that if CPS takes these children away, or if they leave the direct supervision of the Police Department and me personally, their lives will face an... 'immediate and severe' risk."

"You... you haven't notified Child Protective Services?!" Doctor Leslie abruptly stood up, the warmth in her expression instantly replaced by shock. She looked at Gordon, who appeared equally incredulous.

"No, Jay. Medical personnel are mandatory reporters. I have to..."

"So are police officers, Doctor," Li Jie interrupted. "But I also believe you know what a goddamn mess Gotham's CPS is."

"..."

Thompkins opened her mouth but couldn't find anything to say. Under the clinic's stark white lights, she paused before insisting, "The law is the law, Jay. I... have to notify CPS tomorrow as required. But before then... I'll examine them very, very 'carefully.'"

She placed particular emphasis on the word "carefully." Li Jie hadn't caught on yet, but Gordon beside him had already understood the implication: Leslie was hinting that she might "massage" the report. His expression changed drastically, and he immediately reached out and grabbed her arm.

"No, Les. That's a serious violation of regulations. I know Child Protective Services may have plenty of problems, but if everyone handles things privately based on personal likes and dislikes, on a 'feeling,' that will create even greater chaos and more backroom dealings! Are we going to let child traffickers bypass official jurisdiction simply by claiming they don't trust CPS?" He cast a suspicious look at Li Jie. "And where do you intend to put them? The Police Department isn't qualified to take children in! Besides, there are plenty of abused children in Gotham. Why are you only concerned about these two?"

"Because they're the two I personally pulled out. Because this is my case, you..." Li Jie forcefully exhaled, suppressing his irritation. "I'll find somewhere suitable and trustworthy for them."

"No. We can't handle their placement privately. We have to let CPS take over. We can follow up on the case and oversee every step of the CPS process to ensure they're properly placed! That's the only legal way, and the only way to give their futures the greatest possible protection."

As Gordon spoke, he took out his phone to dial. Li Jie scoffed and nodded helplessly.

"Fine, Officer Gordon. You're right." He opened the door to an empty examination room nearby and smiled down at Harper. "Hey, Pingu. Could you take your little brother inside for a bit? Just a little while. The doctor, Officer Gordon, and I... need to discuss some grown-up stuff."

Harper looked at Li Jie and nodded firmly. Holding her Teddy Bear in one hand, she dragged Karen into the room with the other. Li Jie gently closed the door.

Click.

The instant the sound faded, the helplessness and dejection on Li Jie's face shattered like a mask. He spun around and lunged forward, his right hand shooting out like an iron clamp to seize Gordon by the collar of his trench coat.

Thud!!!

With a muffled impact, Gordon was slammed hard against the examination room wall. Stars burst across his vision, and his phone flew from his hand, clattering to the floor.

"James Gordon, honestly, I've had enough of you, you self-righteous idiot." Li Jie stared viciously into his eyes. "You'll monitor the CPS process? So did you deliberately lose all those children who accidentally went missing every year? What happens after CPS takes them? Some midnight, you wake up feeling something's wrong, spring decisively into action, and conduct a meticulous investigation. After layer upon layer of flawless deduction, you finally track them to some brothel in Eastern Europe. Then you brave every hardship, cross the ocean, and heroically storm the gang's den to rescue them from being child prostitutes."

"The gang is destroyed, the children are rescued, corruption is punished, the Police Department is praised, and you achieve your lofty justice, all perfectly legal and procedurally sound, admired by thousands."

"And all of that..." He abruptly released his grip, throwing the limp Gordon to the floor like garbage, and looked down at his body as it curled up in a coughing fit. Each word pierced like an icicle. "Could! Have been avoided! From the very beginning!"

"Both of you, calm down. Stop acting like a pair of fifteen-year-old hotheads." Doctor Thompkins had rushed over the moment he attacked. Now she desperately squeezed between them, using all her strength to push against Li Jie's rock-solid body, like an ant trying to shake a tree.

"Enough! Are you going to keep fighting here until one of you ends up in the hospital or prison, or are you going to listen to my solution?" She stood in front of the violently coughing Gordon and glared up at Li Jie. Li Jie silently took a step back. Gordon climbed off the floor, clutching his throat, and instinctively reached toward his waist.

"Jim! You'd better fucking not make this worse!" Doctor Thompkins immediately noticed Gordon's movement, spun around, and spread her arms between them. "He's right! We shouldn't take that risk!"

Gordon's hand froze beside his holster. He looked at the anger burning in Leslie's eyes and her unyielding resolve, then glanced at the closed examination room door and took two dispirited steps back.

"Officer Li Jie," Doctor Thompkins said, turning to him, her voice calm again. "I'll issue a medical certificate that meets your requirements, stating that Harper's and Karen's lives are in 'extreme danger,' and that they temporarily cannot leave a specific medically supervised environment. But let me make one thing clear: this does not mean I approve of the way you trample the rules!"

"It's because my clinic," she said, stressing every word, "Gotham Charity Clinic, has legitimate, compliant certification to provide emergency shelter and short-term guardianship. Under Article 17 of the Gotham City Children's Emergency Protection Ordinance, under certain circumstances, doctors have the right to provide up to seventy-two hours of emergency shelter for children in 'immediate and severe danger.' During that time, the clinic is fully qualified to take both of them in! I'll be personally responsible!"

Oh, yes! Just as planned!

Li Jie nodded expressionlessly. All his fury vanished in an instant, leaving only a faint glimmer of relief deep in his eyes.

"Thank you, Doctor Thompkins." His voice was level. "I'm sorry, Detective Gordon. You... are a good man, but..."

He shook his head, gave a cold laugh, and turned toward the clinic's entrance. James Gordon stared after him. Only when the patrol car's engine started outside did he turn to Thompkins and ask:

"Les, you know I'm right, don't you?"

"Yes, Jim. You're right." Doctor Thompkins smiled at him and slowly led Harper and her little brother upstairs. "Good night, Jim. Get some rest. Sleep well."

"Good night."

James Gordon answered softly. He looked out the clinic's window. Beneath the cloud-covered night sky, only the cold wind's intermittent wails reached him, seeming to mock him in chorus.