The Gales Of November

From the diary of Penelope Halwind:

Thanksgiving:

Family: Can’t live with ’em, can’t live without ’em.

The Harlequin, humming a few bars of ’Everlasting Love’, took the turkey and gravy TV dinners out of the oven. She set them on the table and looked at Joker. He was absorbed in some paperwork, so she cleared
her throat.

“Ah, hem.”

Joker looked up, scowling. What did the girl want now? She pointed at the TV dinner in front of him.

“What’s this?”

She started blubbering about how it was a holiday and she tried so hard to make it nice. Right, it was Thanksgiving. Her whining was getting on his nerves. What to do: he could kill her, but she had the
makings of a first-class patsy. Not to mention she just might be useful…in other ways. So, with a smile whose sincerity came from his opinion of himself, he lied.

“Sorry, pooh. I forgot all about Turkey Day.”

As he started to eat he watched her ’light up like a Christmas tree.’ What a twit!

Bruce really didn’t like all of these people or the fact they were in his house. He was a private man; so private some people teased him about being a hermit, or just called him a ’mimbo,’ which was fine by him. He had more important things to worry about. However, it was a tradition to hold the annual Wayne Foundation Charity Dinner at Wayne Manor. He made his way over to his friend Leo Janus.

“Hey, Leo. How’s the motion picture biz? I hear they are considering giving you your own franchise.”

“Bruce! Good to see you! It’s been, what, a whole year? Already? Hey Ivy, come here. Bruce, this is Ivy Sinclair. Ivy, Bruce Wayne.”

Bruce decided Ivy had the most unsettling green eyes he had ever seen. He could also tell she was just another gold-digging status seeker. He politely excused himself from their company.

Lady Panther could see that Pigeon was talking to someone on speakerphone. She quietly let herself into the office.

“My condolences, Miss Halwind.”

“Thank you, Commissioner.” I stood for a moment, letting my feelings subside: what I was feeling, what I thought I should be feeling.

“Hello, birdie.”

I hadn’t noticed Lady Panther come in. She was looking at me as if to say ’what’s going on?’ “How much did you overhear?”

“Someone giving his condolences. Is someone you know gone?”

“My parents” I sneered. “Tonight, during one of their constant arguments, my father went after my mother with the carving knife. She got away long enough to get his gun and when he did stab her she shot
him. Like this is fuc……Jerry Springer.”

“No! I am so sorry. I know you weren’t crazy about your parents…”

I sat down at my desk and rubbed my eyes. “The tabloids are going to have a field day with this.”

“I wish I knew what I could do to help. I feel so bad for you.”

I sighed and tried to smile at her. “Did you ’catch’ anything tonight?”

After I finished doing business with Lady Panther I had my ’boys’ tow the trailer to a secluded spot, where I burned it and everything in it.
.