A Joke By Any Other Name by L. D. Manning (free children's online books .txt) 📕

not be wise. It would only shut him down. So I stood there and told him. "Not only are you documented as lying about your background before. I know that serial killers who have mother issues, often are more violent to women than to men. You, Mr. J, are someone focused on one person and one person only and that person is not a woman."

"Really and who is that dear doctor." Again I could see I had his interest, now I just had to keep it. "So please tell me, who." Shaking my head I walked to take a seat in front of the glass. pulling out my black notepad, I informed him. "To tell you isn't helping you, I need you to know and to come to the conclusion yourself. I also need you to understand why is it that you find yourself so focused on this person."

"Oh that's no fun, why can't you tell me, wouldn't that be more fun?" He gave a Glee filled laugh as he leaned back in his seat and kicked his legs out, clearly enjoying the conversation. at least that's what he wanted me to think.  "So let's start with your childhood." Instantly he weaved a long and sad story, one that would have most in tears with him. It was his parents who made him like this... the loss of his wife that made him like this and most of all it was Batman and his brutal beatings, that made him like this. woe is me, no one understands boohoohoo. Really touching, But Harris was no fool, he had written down three tells that gave away when the Joker was lying.

One: He looks you square in the eyes for far too long, long enough to make a sane person uncomfortable.

Two: He laughs at the beginning, and end of every lie.

Three: He shakes his leg.

As he spun his web of lie, week after week, I grew more and more angry. Even as I tried to keep it together by checking off my list. But it didn't help, so I put down my notepad and leaned back and looked at the clock. This man was good, even believable in his tale. If it wasn't for Harris's notes I would have thought I was making real progress with this madman. But clearly, that was his game. That is how I knew he was sane and how I knew he had something to do with Dr. Harris death.

Slamming his foot against the glass, to draw my attention. The Joker grumbled out to me. "Are you even listening girl?" His pale green eyes locked on me in rage. For such a skinny man he had a way of intimidating you. Of making you feel small, it was one of the things I found most interesting about him. The man clearly had some self-hate going on, which often shown with abused children. But he showed no signs of timidness or even random fits of rage.

Yes, he lashed out, but it was always thought about beforehand. I could see it in the way he always destroyed things that would not inconvenience him in any way. Someone who truly lashes out doesn't think about what he's destroying, just his emotions in that moment. This man was clearly playing a role... or rather more to his speed, the Joker loved to put on a show.

"Be what they think you are and no one will ever question you." I said crossing my arms and leaning back.

"Can't disappoint the fans now can we." He said crossing his legs and bowing deeply.

“Is that what you call your followers.” I asked truly interested in what he had to say. If there was anything the Joker was known for, it was convincing people to do what he wanted.

Wither they new it or not.

It was a talent I wished I had master like him.

Though some were easier to manipulate than others. Like Harris, he had a way of seeing though my bullshit. Of holding me accountable, something few had ever done.  

Realizing that I wouldn’t get any information from him through conventional ways. I did the only thing I could do. I tried the unconventional way.

"Let's play a game, we'll tell each other two things about our past, one statement will be the truth and the other a lie. If we guess which statement is the truth, we get a point. If we get the statement wrong we have to start from zero all over again. Who ever gets to five questions first wins.
I could see his interest was peaked, the moment I was done talking.
"And what does the winner get in all this."
"I don't know . . . what do you want?" I said smiling as I sat up more in my set.
"How about a kiss." The joker said all of a sudden he seemed bigger, more in control of the moment, than I was.

My back strained as I frowned and looked around me. Yes, the Joker was isolated in a cement room in side a glass cage. There was no chance of anyone hearing us, but there were cammers. Not that I had been considering kissing him.
"I Can't, that's unethical. And professionally speaking I could get fired."
He gave a big wide tooth smile, his head turning as he laughed. "I won't do it, not without a kiss. . . Hell I'll even tell you what really happened with the doctor before you."
I jumped out of my sit, almost blind in my rush to the glass. " What do you mean, what really happened! It was you wasn't it, you killed him."
He didn't say anything just looked at me with that odd wide tooth grin of his. "I'd tell you but I don't remember you winning any games."
He was trying to manipulate me.
I walked back to my sit and sat down. Knowing that if I let him think he was in control, or that he could control me, then I may just find out more about his pass and more importantly Harris's death.
"Find but you go first." I took out my notebook.
"No, no books, no trying to get in my mind," his hands came up and started hitting on the side of his timpul. The blows hard enough to cause a concoction. "Especially when I'm trying to get out, of my mind."
"Ok, ok stop." I said my hands coming up to show I had stopped writing.
Again, he smiled big and bright. Oddly enough it looked joyful even with all the tattoos and the faint glow of what I could only assume, was drug withdrawal sweat. I found myself really wondering what made him like this . . .

Who was the man behind the joker.
"Now that we cleared all that up." He said waving his hands around his head, as he took a few steps back.

"We can get to the game...As a child I had two loving parents. . .until bat man came along." He clapped his hands. "Or mommy and daddy played cruel, cruel games." He stopped then gave her that intense unmoving stair, the one that made you want to shift uncomfortably. "Truth or lies truth or lies, give me your lips and I'll give you mine." The joker's voice rang with enjoyment, as he waited for my response.
I opened my mouth, wanting to say that it was the second statement that is true but I stopped myself. Both could be a lie, and yet the tell Hoggus had wrote about clearly showed on the jokers second statement.

The only problem with saying so, was the clear denial he would have. His obsession with batman will be the only thing that's true. Are at least, what the Joker believed to be true.
"The first one is true." I said watching him closely now. His smile didn't waver or thin as I thought it would. "Current now your turn."
I opened my mouth only to shut it. My thoughts drifting to the 'talk' me and my new pycolages had three days ago.
"What is that sound, I had asked annoyed with just being in the room with him, let alone having to hear that God awful tapping sound.
"Oh that's just my Newton's cradle, I use it with all my patients. . .you should try it. " He said pointing to his desk where five silver balls held up my nothing but silver strings and two rods stood. The middle three balls still as the two ends bounced back and forward.
What were we in a movie  
"Quinzel what is your relationship with Dr. Harris?" I found myself straightening my back, as I looked just to the left of him. " I viewed him as a respected colleague."
I didn't look at him, but I could see that eyebrow lifting as Gillen spoke again. "Really . . . There was nothing more, between you two."
"I mean I looked up to him as a mentor but that's all."  
"So you never invaded his home . . .gone throw his personal belongings. . . None of this was done."
I closed my eyes, not wanting to think about that talk ...or those lie he had spoken. No, I need to focus on this moment, on this man before me.
"I never really knew my father. Or I only got attention from my parents when they were using me to control each other."
"Oh oh oh I like the last one it gives you spice." He kissed his fingertips as if he could taste me. I shifted uncomfortably, angling myself away from him.
"Wrong, my father was killed when I was young, now your turn." He looked at me, a look so long and hard, you would think he knew that I was lying. I laughed even as I looked just as hard back at him.
"I was kidnapped once, or Daddy likes little boys who fight back . . ." He looked off then clearly lost in his past. With an aggressive slap to his face. I watched as the joker rubbed his hands through his hair.

As if he were snapping back to the moment. I frowned wondering if he realised the mastak or if he planned it out. "both", I said watching him grab hold of his hair and pulling it back until he was sitting in his chair.
A laugh slowly came from him then, a low breathless weeze of a laugh that made me shift uncomfortably.
"Let me see if I got this right. The score is one to two right.” He was staring me down, his gazes intently watching me as if daring me to lie again.

Unable to keep eye contact I turned away from him and walked to my chair.

“Let's continue this tomorrow.”

“What the game was just getting good.”

Shaking my head, I looked back at the joker, who now had his face hard prest in to the glass. Before I could response, the room went dark, before the lights turned back on.

Frowning I looked up at the ceiling, When I finally made it to my set, I began looking for my phone in my bag.

"What, scared of the dark?" I didn't answer, No point in telling him that it was just a snowstorm. Not like this underground holding cell would tell him anything about the outside world.

Which meant I would be spending the night here. Looking down to check the time on my phone. I turned to leave the room."Well, same time tomorrow Mr. J."

The sound of a door opening froze me. My heart stop as I looked up at the open door before me. There standing at the open cell door, with a calm sadistic smile was the joker. . .

With a burst of energy I ran to the door. A laugh of maddening joy, filled the air around me, as he came closer. My hands fumbled with the key card as I