A gift for the star [Laverne Bullock]

[Deleted]

In the dressing room of Laverna Torello sat a giant wrapped green box with a single white rose on top of the package and a simple note in his handwriting.

Miss Torello,

Your voice has transported me into a world I never thought existed. I hope this present is a gracious enough way to say thank you.

Sincerely,

John

The package was large, but once she opened it, she would see it was mostly filled with tissue paper. At the bottom of it she would find an iPod that used to be popular ten years ago, but it looked brand new. On top of it, was another note.

Can you follow the clues to your escape?

Sincerely,

John

The iPod only had one song. Escape (Pina Colada Song) by Rupert Holmes. The song would play and one lyric would lead her to where her next gift.

I got to meet you by tomorrow noon, cut through all this red tape, at a bar called O'Malley's where we plan our escape.


Edward Nigma had listened to Miss Torello during her tour through Europe. She was quite talented, and for her age, he was extremely impressed. However, her talent and her voice was not the reason he was reaching out to her. No, he had recently learned some interesting news about her family, and the more he researched, he found the rumors to be true. After all, he located the birth certificate online on the hospital's website. Her real name Laverne Isabella Bullock held far more importance than her performance. As most would suspect, Edward had a poor relationship with the fat chubby copper, but it was about something far more personal now. The man had helped destroy his only friendship with a woman that had always been there. He would do the same to him, and let's be honest, probably bring the rest of the police force down with him. She was merely a cog in his overall masterpiece to tear Gotham apart, but to create a masterpiece it requires time.

[Deleted]

Still coming down from the high of her performance, Laverne eventually managed to sift through the crowded lobby and into her spacious dressing room. The wide smile was undeniable on her freckled face as she moved gracefully to her sanctuary, despite her complicated ensemble. Once inside, it was hard for her eyes to land anywhere else but on the large green box that sat at her vanity. The young starlet paused for a moment before starting toward it excitedly. The only other occupant in the dressing room had been the make-up artist prior to her performance, who also eyed the box eagerly. “Did you see who left this?” Verne asked the older woman who seemed to be arranging her plethora of brushes. “Nah, I stepped out for a smoke. When I came back it looked like a green house in here and that box was there.”

Laverne had been so distracted by the out of place gift that she hadn’t even noticed that dozen or so other arrangements that were scattered across the room. Teddy was going to kill her if she brought any more home; his living room was already beginning to look like he was living with Poison Ivy. Her focus quickly turned back to the green parcel and she moved quickly to lock the door. “Okay, here’s the deal.” She began, looking at the make-up artist with all seriousness. “Last time I got a box this big; there was a life supply of foreign chocolates inside of it. If my agent sees it, he’s going to take them away from me. Now, if you don’t tell him I will give you one of the boxes- do we have a deal? You tell him and you're fired. Not really, but still don't tell.” She attempted, as she moved toward the box and reached forward the note.

She read it with a smile before setting it and the single rose down delicately on the vanity. Her nose wrinkled with confusion. “John? John who? It’s a sweet note, but that’s….different.” She looked at the box for another moment before tearing into that large gift. She began to pull out sheets and sheets of tissue paper; concerning her as to if the box did contain anything other than the material. Finally, when she reached the bottom she pulled out a classic, older version of an iPod and another note.

This was getting slightly weird and she raised an eyebrow as she read the words on the paper. “What the-“ She turned the small device on and noted there was only one song. “Been a while since I have seen one of these bad boys.” Her make-up artist began to ask a deal of questions that Laverne quickly halted. “Would you mind giving me a second alone?” She sat down at her vanity and simply starred at the bit of paper. Was this a joke? Did someone seriously arrange some scavenger hunt and just expect for her to partake in it? What was going on – and should she tell Teddy? Was it really that big of a deal?

Listening to the song, at first she missed what she was supposed to find and simply hummed along with the lyrics as she got dressed, her eyes occasionally lingering to the second note. She put the song on repeat, and finally a lyric mananged to stand out to her. Laverne froze as she looked back at her reflection in the mirror, a debate raging a war in her head as to whether or not she should discard this whole thing, or indulge in it? Maybe she needed to sleep on it. Besides, her public awaits!

-----

Still with her doubts, the curiosity of the once-aspiring detective was peaked. She knew what he brother's reaction would be to what she was considering a scavenger hunt - so she didn’t inform him. Instead, the quirky brunette started off throughout the busy city. She had attempted to search for ‘John’ in as many databases that she could, but the results were simply endless and inconclusive. Despite her stubbornness, she might have been able to find a better lead with the help of her brother. From the clue she had gotten ‘tomorrow noon’ and ‘bar’ – that was obvious. Though she couldn’t remember any bar called O’Malley’s but she sought one out regardless. The ‘red tape’ part of the song left her clueless but hey - she found the bar.

Upon entering it, she had no idea what to expect. Her feet seemed to carry her as she glanced down at her phone and took a brief moment to check in with Teddy and Selina. Seriously, she wasn’t a child anymore. With a small roll of her eyes, she glanced around the place subtly; half tempted to indulge in a drink while she was here. Why not? She was already on some weird wild goose chase, maybe the scotch would help.

outfit: click here and behold!

[Deleted]

As she took a sit at the bar, the bartender came up to her delivering her a scotch without her even needing to order it. “A gentlemen came in earlier and purchased this for you. He also asked me to pass along this,” the bartender said with a smile on his face, finding the whole thing rather humorous, though it wasn’t the first time he had been handed a hundred dollar bill and been asked to do something romantic. He handed her an envelope. On top of the envelope was a lowercase “j”. After opening it she would find a notecard with the same handwriting she had seen before.

Hello Miss Torello,

I feel delighted that you have decided to play this little game with me. You are a strong captivating woman and through your eyes, I know you possess a strong sense of intelligence and integrity. I hope not to disappoint you, however, I was unable to meet you here for I had to prepare the escape. Enjoy your drink, and after, I hope you will travel two blocks down. There you will find our connection, a connection that has unfortunately destroyed the need for beautiful letters such as these, but a connection I feel we must find.

Sincerely,

John

Edward had everything in place before he had even placed the present in her dressing room. She would be going on quite an adventure today, that was certain. By connection, he meet a telephone, and after traveling two blocks down, she would see a café, a souvenir shop, a clothing boutique, and a Verizon Store. It didn’t take a genius to know the next clue would be in the Verizon Store.

[Deleted]

The brunette slid into the bar which was rather empty considering what time of day it was. He started toward her with a bit of a goofy grin resulting in an unknowingly funny look from her in return. What the hell was he smiling at? Maybe that was just the way his face looked –still, there was something about him. With her order at the tip of her tongue and sounding better with each passing moment, she paused when she noticed the familiar glass in his hand. The dark liquid was more than recognizable and she looked from the beverage to him.

Her eyes darted down to the envelope as she stood up suddenly, clearly not amused. “Who gave you this?” She demanded, the smile now replaced with a startled look on the man’s face. Though he claimed not to know, she still eyed him before taking her seat once more and raised the tumbler to her lips. “Keep them coming.” She insisted as she began to open the letter. Holding it in one hand while she read, Verne didn’t bother to savor the scotch and was more than eagerly awaiting the next one before he served it to her.

This was insane, flattering- but insane. She wasn’t a romantic, but it was hard to hide a blush from her cheeks at the continuous compliments that the letter provided. Whoever was sending her these notes and on this little adventure, she knew she couldn’t trust them. At the moment, Laverne had simply discarded them as an over-zealous admirer who wanted her attention. Still she was a bit weary of whatever escape this ‘John’ character continued to refer to.

Treating herself to another drink, she tucked the letter into her bag and took a few extra moments to reply to several messages on her phone. After sending a few more misleading texts to her agent, she started in the direction of her next ‘clue’. This was a bit of fun…slightly annoying, but fun. “Don’t think about it too much.” She muttered to herself. You are letting the ‘grown-up’s get to you. Think of it as a game. Chances are, that is all it is.

She read over the clue in her head, looking at all of the buildings that lined the street once she was two blocks down and attempting to see how they related. Groaning as her phone began to ring, the clue clicked. With a smirk she ignored the call and started into the Verizon store across the street. Instantly, she began to look around and seemed to be one of the only occupants of the building who wasn’t concerned with getting a new cellphone.


outfit: click here and behold!

[Deleted]

As she walked in, the woman helping another customer squealed in joy. “Oh yes, you came, he was quite worried you might not,” she said with a glee as she left the customer and went to the back of the counter and brought her a small box.

In the box, was a Samsung Galaxy phone with a note tapped to the top.

Hello Miss Torello,

I thought it would come off rude if I merely found your current phone number and reached out to you without even meeting you, so instead I decided to buy you a new phone. For this escape, we will need a map, of course. I hope to see you soon.

Sincerely,

j

If she clicked on the google map app already downloaded on the phone, she would see a pin in a location just around the block. It was to a luggage store where her next clue would be.

“You have quite a wealthy and attractive admirer, Miss,” the woman blushed slightly before going back to help the other customer.

[Deleted]

Used to people coming up to her, she hardly acted surprised at the shriek of excitement that left the woman’s lips, Verne turned toward the direction of the noise with what she hoped was a smile. “Uh really?” She asked, unable to match the woman’s excitement at the moment. The portly woman hurried around the counter and returned with a small, familiar box. Of course, her attention was instantly grabbed by the note on the top. A smile unknowingly crept onto her lips and she couldn’t help but laugh. The laugh ended with a bit of a sigh as she opened the box to confirm her assumptions. Surely enough, a sleek phone sat inside the box

She turned it on to find it had already been activated. Instantly she clicked on contacts only to find that there were none. With the woman’s excitement, Verne looked up once more. Part of her wanted to ask if she knew who it was, but the store was busy. By this point, she had accepted that this was all in good fun. Slightly overwhelmed and anxious to decipher the next clue, she simply thanked the woman and returned her attention to the phone.

Wealthy and attractive? That she could handle. Laverne mentally added ‘creative’ onto that list as well. Maybe Lex Luthor’s middle name was ‘John’ or something. Hah, doubtfully.

Referring to the clue she selected the google maps application and grinned when she seemed to have solved her clue. It appeared as though her destination wasn’t far off. With the phone in one hand and her other hand in the pocket of her high-waisted shorts the brunette continued on her way.

The phone informed her that she had approached her destination and she looked up at it only briefly before entering. The process repeated itself once more. The brunette didn’t bother to venture far into the building this time, half expecting someone to rush up to her.

outfit: click here and behold!

[Deleted]

The map lead her to a luggage shop, and when she entered an older woman nodded at her. “He said you would be by,” she muttered softly, grabbing a suitcase and rolling it towards her. The suitcase was a Louis Vuitton, expensive as it was classy. If she took time to open the suit case she would find it already packed to the brink full of new clothing, make up, hygienic materials, and jewelry, all design labels. If she took longer to look at the jewelry she might even realize that most of the items were worth over one hundred thousand, all that Edward had stolen for her. He knew how to sweep a woman off their feet, and this onslaught of compliments, mysterious, and presents was certainly captivating her.

Her phone would let out a single bing, signaling a text received from an unknown number. It stated two words.

Go outside. –j

Edward stood outside in front of a black sedan, wearing a clear cut black suit with a bright green tie. He leaned against the car, his one hand placing his phone back into his pocket, his other holding out a single white rose. He wore his usual arrogant smirk as he waited for her to venture outside. He might be famous in Gotham, but to the citizens who had not met him in person, he blended in like any elite.

She truly was quite beautiful, especially for someone sharing DNA with that pig of a cop, and while his riddles were all fairly simple, she had manage to get through them which garnered a tiny bit of respect.

“Hello Miss Torello, you may call me John,” he stated, bowing slightly to her, “I hope you are far more amused by my clues rather than annoyed. I do enjoy a playful game on occasion.” His eyes locked on her, daring her to come with him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you in person,” he took her hand and brought it to his lips, giving it a soft kiss, “I’m quite a fan.”

[Deleted]

Her eyes scanned the room and quickly met with those of an older woman. She started toward Laverne and while she wanted to ask for the millionth time ‘who’, she simply refrained. The last few employees didn’t seem to provide her with a name, so she had grown to assume this woman wouldn’t either. Recognizing the brand instantly as one of her favorites, she had only recently been able to purchase it with her newfound fame. While her big brother did always provide her with what she needed, spending thousands of dollars on bags wasn’t exactly a priority when they were growing up.

The moment she opened the bag, her eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped. “No, I really can’t…I can’t accept this. This is just way too much. It’s excessive…I don’t even know this person….I don’t think anyway.” Laverne insisted with a laugh as she zipped up the bag, prepared to hand it back to the older woman. It wasn’t until her new phone sounded did she stop rambling. She was talking so quickly that the woman looked as though she was trying to keep up with what the young starlet was saying.

The next instruction seemed to halt her process and she turned instantly, starting out the door. It was hard not to assume that the first person she saw had been her admirer. The expensive car, suit and single white rose matching the one in her dressing room was a dead giveaway.

Was she blushing? Hell, she hoped not. An overwhelming mix of emotions consumed her. She wasn’t sure to smile or laugh but both seemed to happen right after the other. “It’s nice to finally meet you. It’s certainly been a journey; I guess I owe you a thank you for getting me out of the hotel.” She teased. While she had been staying with her brother for the past few days and would soon be staying at Selina’s place, she couldn’t exactly inform that to a total stranger. He kissed her hand, something she had grown used to with her fame and cultural experiences.

“Are you? Well, I’m completely flattered. Your gifts are just too much though. I couldn't except them” She attempted politely. Laverne assumed he wanted her to go with him, and she felt as though she needed to oblige seeing as he had gone through so much trouble for this process.

She smiled once more as she looked him over very briefly, “I feel a bit underdressed” But the woman had been correct, he appeared both wealthy and good looking. Not quite her type though, and there was still something she couldn’t put her finger on. “I’m sorry, but what did you say your surname was?” she asked politely “You know mine and I think it’s only fair I know my biggest fan’s name.” Laverne said with almost a sly smile as if not to give her suspicion away.


outfit: click here and behold!

[Deleted]

He caught the blush on her face immediately which only caused his smirk to grow. Oh women, why were they always such simple riddles. If he ever retired from his criminal career, he could be a match maker, not that he thought love even existed in that sense. “Oh trust me, it cost me nothing at all,” he smirked, which was the truth, since the majority of her gifts had been stolen or purchased with stolen money. He walked behind her taking the suit case and rolling it to the trunk of the car. He opened it and placed it inside before clicking the trunk shut.

“If anything dear, I am over dressed for what I have planned today, but I felt the need to make a great first impression,” he said taking her hand into his with a cool air of confidence, opening the car door for her, and waiting for her to slip inside. “It’s Denham,” he stated, “But please call me, John.” He caught the suspicion immediately. She was a police officer’s sister, and technically, he had just thrown a bunch of money on a random stranger, it would make anyone suspicious. However, he had nothing to fear. She would be far too distracted to make the connections she needed too.

When she got into the car, he shut the door and walked around to the other side. Allen was up front, and when Edward got in as well, he started to drive without needing instructions. “I am quite a romantic at times, so I understand if this can be a bit daunting in a way, but you always seemed like a woman who would enjoy the challenge. I suppose you would like to know who I am before continuing this escape I have planned for us,” he stated, turning his body towards her and giving her his full attention, “I had an abusive father and drunk mother as a child, my brilliant intelligence help me leave the poor home situation. I graduated college early, worked on Wall Street until being transferred to Gotham where I eventually made my billions. I consider myself confident, intelligent, and attractive, if I don’t say so myself, but the characteristic I pride the most, is that when I see what I want, I make certain I have it. I saw you in Italy, and I was blown away. I would have introduced myself then, but you were in the middle of tour. I am not the type of man to interrupt a woman so focus on her career, but when I heard your tour was over, and you were back in Gotham….well I couldn’t help myself,” he smirked, “I know you don’t know me or who I am, but I hope you can get to know me.”

An act couldn’t be successfully pulled off unless you layered it with truth, and blaring such personal information bothered him to the core, but he hope it would trick her into his sincerity.

[Deleted]

She pursed her lips for a moment when he so quickly discarded the price. Growing up she could only dream of having such nice things. Even when she left for Europe the one thing that she actually carried with her of any value was a necklace that belonged to her late mother. He began to rub her the wrong way, but his silver tongue seemed to temporarily ease her thoughts. She watched as he went for the suitcase and moved it to the back of the car. Part of her was uneasy. Should she really go with this total stranger? He seemed harmless, but seemingly harmless and actually harmless were two very different things. It wasn’t like she couldn’t handle herself and she did have a cellphone at her side –well, now two.

“And what is it that you have planned?” Laverne asked, trying to hide the fact that she was a little put off by this entire process – mostly because it was so out of the ordinary for her. “Denham. Is that Scottish” She repeated, attempting to link the name. “Are you originally from Gotham?” She asked, unable to trace it. The moment that she didn’t appear to be rude she would google it. Surely someone with that much money would be noted for some kind of charity ball or event that would pull up a link.

“Alright, John it is then.” She said with a bit of a smile, slipping into the tinted black vehicle before look both directions down the street. Unsure what exactly she was even looking for, she fastened her seat belt and reached into her bag to retrieve her original phone. “Sorry, I’ve got to let my agent know that it looks like I won’t be around for lunch and reassure him that I won’t break my diet.”

She listened to him speak as she searched, unable to hide the devilish smirk as he referred to her being up to a challenge. He had no idea, but she wasn’t willing to elaborate at the moment. At the mention of the escape once more she looked up from her phone. “Before we go any further I need to know what this ‘escape’ you keeping talking about is. It sounds exciting, but I’ve never been a huge fan of surprises. I’m a bit of a control freak.” The brunette reached for her mother’s necklace out of habit and began to simply twirl it as she searched the web for John Denham, adding in various keywords in order to find some information.

She was polite; she listened to what he had to say. He almost seemed to be opening up to her, but why so eager to do so? Verne quickly learned he had a troubled past and rose above it, but wasn’t originally from Gotham. As he listed off words to describe himself, she certainly couldn’t picture him adding ‘modest’ to the list of adjectives. However, she was very well aware by now that men with money felt as though they could have anything they wanted, especially in her industry. Laverne Bullock wasn’t for sale. He was charming and attractive, but his ego was blinding.

Still, with her phone down she waited to pass a zone with proper service for her search, it seemed that even in the middle of the city she was struggling to get signal, or maybe she was just too impatient for the page to load. Verne nodded occasionally to show she was listening, she opened her mouth to reply when his last statement caught her off guard. “Wait- did you say back in Gotham?” She asked. They young starlet was very secretive with her previous life in the city, and she found it somewhat unusual for a man who had only discovered her in Italy to be aware of her background. Laverna was a stage name and persona she had taken on via her agents instructions so that she would blend better in Europe. Now that she had returned, Laverna was also who her big brother insisted she remain to keep her out of harm’s way.

She still had no clue what she was doing. Her brother would kill her, but this was rare and kind of fun. Did she have a right to be slightly paranoid?
outfit: click here and behold!