Chapter 3029: Dense Green Trees and Long Summer Days (27)

"Do you believe me if I said I have no idea what's going on either?" Gordon said into the phone, "This is all beyond my comprehension, I've been in this line of work for over 20 years..."

After hanging up the phone, Gordon heaved a long sigh, turned to his subordinate, and asked, "Is Mr. Nigma alright now? Has he woken up?"

"He woke up when there was still business to be done," Brock, the chubby detective, entered as he removed the cigarette from his mouth and said, "He might want to see you. You'd better think about how to explain things."

"What do I need to explain? He was practically dead at that time." Despite saying that, Gordon tried to calm his emotions, then said, "I admit this was a failure on our part, but he better provide some useful clues, or I won't spend much more time with him."

Brock shook his head, said nothing, and went down to drive. On the way to the hospital, he asked, "Are you investigating something from ten years ago?"

Gordon immediately turned towards him, scanned him up and down with his eyes, and asked, "What about it?"

"Nothing, just surprised you're digging up that old case. I must remind you, not all investigations that dig deep reveal good things."

"For whom is it not good?"

"For you, of course," Brock said after exhaling a puff of smoke, "Someone has their eyes on you."

"Am I scared of being watched?" Gordon scoffed. "In the days when the mob put dozens of guns to my head, I was never scared. And now you're telling me a few rats from the gutters want to threaten me?"

"It's different now. Back then, you had only yourself." As Brock turned the steering wheel, he said, "Now you have a family, your wife, and your daughter..."

Gordon's heart suddenly clenched, and he stared hard at Brock, "They would dare touch my family?!"

"They're not the mob. The only thing missing in their operation is loyalty. As long as it serves their purpose, they aren't afraid to use any means necessary, James. I'm not trying to stop you from doing anything, but I must remind you, rats will eat anything."

Gordon's Adam's apple bobbed, Jane's fresh and lovely face kept appearing in front of him, then he looked forward and said, "If I give up on what I'm doing now because of this, that means I see them as a burden. But not only are they no burden, they are my motivation, they're not the stumbling block in my career, but rather they give me the real determination to shed blood and sacrifice."

"Only by truly becoming a father have I understood what really decides which path people will choose at the crossroads of their life. To make sure millions make the right choice, it's essential that the faces of their loved ones come to mind during these decisions, not blood, death, and tears."

"Only then can I peacefully enjoy the warmth my family brings me and face my daughter without any guilt. If ensuring my happiness means forcing countless people into darkness, then the education I provide my daughter will never allow her to make the right choice, and will only lead to another tragedy."

Wanda was pacing in the living room, holding her child, her eyes nearly brimming with laughter. She kept clicking her tongue, swinging her arms to make the child in her arms giggle.

Another woman in pajamas came downstairs; Wanda turned to her and said, "How do you feel, Mrs. Gordon? Massages are definitely beneficial for pelvic floor recovery. I'll introduce a yoga class to you later..."

"I've told you, call me Barbara." The woman laughed, holding her waist and said, "Actually, my OB-GYN also recommended that I do massages, but I've been a bit busy and haven't had the time."

"No matter how busy, you must make time for it. Poor recovery can affect you for a lifetime. What's more important than good health?" Wanda stressed.

"Alright, I got it. Since I'm doing yoga, should I buy a yoga mat or something? Or will a carpet suffice?"

"You don't need those. If you buy them, they'll just end up as mats for the kids to crawl on. I still have bite marks on the yoga mat I bought earlier, and I'm definitely going to bring it up at their wedding."

Barbara laughed, stretched lazily, and Wanda put down the child, hesitated, then Barbara took the initiative to ask, "What is it?"

"Mr. Gordon... I mean, he hasn't been home for a few days, right? Nicole just had a baby not long ago..."

"Would you believe me if I said I expected this situation before giving birth? But really, I was already prepared for it; that's just how his job is."

Wanda obviously didn't take it as lightly as Barbara, she pursed her lips and said, "I would never allow a child's father to be away this long, but maybe that's just how tough police work is. It's just poor little Jenny..."

Barbara shook her head, "If you had seen Gotham a few years ago, you wouldn't think it's a pity. Actually, when little Jenny grows up, she will definitely be proud of her father."

Wanda felt the difference in their parenting. She and Jarvis focused more on presence, their parenting was not about setting examples but providing meticulous care.

But Gordon's family was clearly more old-fashioned, believing the best way to educate a child was by setting an example. As long as the parents are upright, hardworking, and tolerant, the child couldn't possibly turn out badly.

However, Wanda was not the type to point fingers or meddle, perhaps because she hated that her own father did just that, so she was always cautious and changed the subject.

"Has anything significant happened in Gotham recently?"

"I guess there might be," Barbara said, biting her lip. "Especially these last few days, he wouldn't just not come home without a reason. I guess there might have been another murder case involving a major figure."

"It's too dangerous here," Wanda shook her head, adding, "By the way, did you buy the formula milk you use? The kind I used before..."

Ding-dong!

Wanda turned her head toward the door, or more precisely, the bell outside in the yard had been rung. Gordon lived in the North District Manor that had been gifted to him by the former Mob Boss, and the house was enormous. Thus, Wanda first crossed a large living room, opened the door, then crossed the front yard, passed the fountain, before finally reaching the door.

A person dressed in a delivery uniform stood at the door and asked, "Is this Gordon's house? Your order has arrived."

"Oh, give it to me," Wanda extended her hand to receive it. The delivery man took a box off the vehicle, smiled at Wanda, and said, "You bought baby products, right? You look quite young."

"Yes, but how did you know?"

"Oh, the packaging for mother-and-baby products is different; they use better germ-resistant materials. I realized it when packing, God bless you."

Wanda smiled back at him, took the box, and walked back inside the manor. Once inside, she hummed and said, "I thought you hadn't bought it; it seems that online shopping here is pretty developed. What all did you buy?"

Barbara asked with some confusion, "What?"

"I mean, what did you order by delivery... never mind, I'll just open it myself."

Wanda didn't need a knife; a gentle flick of her finger slit the box open. However, instead of mother-and-baby products, Wanda saw a doll inside as soon as she opened the box.

She took out the doll with a puzzled look but didn't notice anything special—it was just an unusually ugly doll.

"Could it be a mistaken delivery?" Barbara suggested.

"Possibly, I guess it might be for someone else's child on this street. To want such a doll, that child must be a few years old by now. No wonder he said I looked a bit young."

Wanda threw the doll back into the box and left it outside the door, not bothering with it anymore. She glanced at her watch and said, "Jarvis has gone to Wayne Enterprises to help out; he's probably too busy to take care of us now. On my way here, I saw a Chinese restaurant that looked pretty decent. I'll go get you some Chinese food."

"It's too hot outside," Barbara said. "That's why I didn't have much of an appetite and just ate a sandwich. The dishes in Chinese restaurants are always steaming hot; I really can't eat them."

"Oh, right, would you like some Japanese sushi?" Wanda quickly thought of another option and said, "Sushi is usually served cool, not hot, and the protein from fish sushi would be good for you."

Barbara appeared somewhat resigned, but having spent these past few days together, she understood that Wanda was just restless by nature. Miss Witch had spent the past few days either caring for the children or cleaning the house. This huge manor, she had managed to tidy it all by herself without using Magic, proving that Alfred had met his match when it came to housework.

Wanda quickly changed her clothes and left the house, not forgetting to move the box containing the doll from the front of the house to the front gate, thinking if it were a wrong delivery, the neighbor might come looking for it.

Since there was a large supermarket not far from the manor, and many food outlets nearby, Wanda didn't drive but walked there instead.

However, she hadn't gone far from the block when she felt someone following her. Wanda initially thought she had encountered a robber, but since no robber could possibly rob her, she didn't pay much attention and kept walking.

As she passed by an alley, someone suddenly grabbed her, causing her to stagger into the alley. Turning around, she was met with the dark muzzle of a gun.

Wanda was stunned as she exclaimed, eyes wide, "Who are you? What do you want?!"

"Don't play innocent, Mrs. Gordon, you know what your husband has done..."

Just as Wanda was about to retort, she quickly realized they might have mistaken her for Barbara, meaning they were after Barbara.

At that moment, she wasn't thinking about her own safety but was immediately concerned that someone might be heading to the manor to target the children. Wanda gently rubbed her wrist and sent a message to Jarvis, pretending to be somewhat frantic as she said,

"What do you mean? What have you done to James? He's the Chief of the Gotham Police Department. If you hurt me, he won't let you get away with it!"

"Don't be nervous, madam, we won't hurt you, but you're going to have to cooperate with us, don't make any sudden moves."

Wanda felt herself being grabbed from behind. She resisted the urge to fight back, feeling a bag being slipped over her head and her hands being tied. She was then pushed into a car.

The restraints put on her posed no threat, but Wanda decided to play along with them. They better truly not intend to harm her; otherwise, she would have to show these lawless brutes what the Scarlet Witch is capable of.