New Gods of North America.

Chapter 555 Signature
Having roughly understood the tax-related matters, and more importantly, "made connections," Wayne had accomplished one of his planned goals for attending the ball tonight.
Then, taking advantage of the fact that the mayor and several VIPs had all tacitly disappeared, Wayne temporarily cut off his socializing with the veterans and went to the long table full of food, intending to have a bite to eat first.

The tax officials, seeing that Wayne was also an invited guest and seemed to have come to the attention of the mayor and the Beeton family, made promises regarding this matter, something like, "You can come to me if you encounter any problems."
The next small goal is to find the people at the police station and see what they think of the gangs in the dock area. If it really is a "no man's land," then the detective agency can actually "sneak up" on them when fighting for territory, in addition to seriously investigating cases.

However, Wayne always felt that the detective agency should exercise restraint in this regard. If they really opened a door, then according to the slippery slope theory, the detective agency would eventually turn into a new gang.
It's best to stick to the proper path for now. If no one resorts to underhanded tactics, Wayne is confident of winning the competition. At least for now, the detective agency has a "relatively friendly relationship" with the church, the city hall, and the Beaton family. Wayne isn't worried that he'll be kidnapped by just a couple of peripheral members of a gang.

In any case, the approach of "supporting industries" is more aboveboard and sustainable than methods like "collecting protection money."
Even Amway says that direct selling is more legal than pyramid schemes. The key is whether you have your own products and industry.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Wayne? Can I get your autograph?"

As Wayne was thinking, he piled food onto his plate. Hearing the sound, he turned around and saw a young woman he didn't recognize, holding a drawing board that she didn't know where she had gotten it from.
According to the etiquette of the South at that time, it was a bit "out of line" for young men and women to have private conversations at a dance party. The proper way was for family members or elders to introduce them first, or for the man to invite them to dance first, and then take the opportunity to talk. There were two companions not far behind the young lady, who were not only watching and gossiping, but also, in a sense, bystanders.

Seeing Wayne hesitate for a moment, the young lady quickly explained, "I've recently read a lot of reports about Mr. Wayne in the newspapers, and I've also looked up some of the previous ones. I admire righteous detectives like you very much, and I think fighting crime is a remarkable thing."

I never imagined I'd have a little fangirl, but you can't always trust everything advertised...

Wayne wasn't too opposed to this, readily agreeing and even displaying a rather helpful attitude.
"No problem. Should I add something like 'For Miss So-and-so' or another note?"

The young lady's face was already flushed. Personally speaking, the reserved and conservative atmosphere of the South, closer to the Kingdom of Windsor, was, in some ways, more in line with Wayne's aesthetic than the "passionate and unrestrained" atmosphere of the West—though sometimes "passionate and unrestrained" was obviously more enjoyable.

Faced with Wayne's gaze, the young lady quickly shook her head. "I'm already very satisfied with just an autograph. If you don't mind, I might create a few more portraits of you, which may be published in the newspaper."

Well……

This seemed to have both advantages and disadvantages. Wayne thought about it for a moment and didn't completely refuse. "It's possible. But for professional reasons, I hope your portrait won't be too realistic. If the portrait is too lifelike, it might hinder my subsequent investigation."

Limited by the printing technology of that era, newspaper prints were mostly in a sketch style. Of course, there were some very skillful ones, but the cost of engraving them was very high, so not all of them were.

If it's just a not-so-realistic print, it's not that easy to recognize the person; otherwise, the wanted posters wouldn't have so many additional descriptions of their appearance.

"Ah..." the young lady exclaimed softly, "I didn't think it through. I'll pay attention to that. Actually, I only thought of having a portrait painted because I saw so many news articles in the newspapers lately, but they were all just text."

“It’s alright,” Wayne reassured her slightly. “Just don’t make it too realistic. You can also add some artistic touches, like drawing a deerstalker hat on my head, a magnifying glass in my hand, or even a monocle.”

The blank drawing board, signed and handed over, immediately started murmured and jeering from the girls watching. The young woman, blushing, was about to leave when a figure approached. This time, it was a familiar face. Sheriff William first gave the young woman a slight reprimand, "Harley, that's not polite. Go home with your friends."
Then she turned to Wayne and apologized slightly, "She is my aunt's daughter, and I am her cousin. She is used to causing trouble at home. I hope you don't mind, Mr. Wayne."

“It’s alright, Miss Harley just wanted an autograph, it’s no trouble at all for me,” Wayne said, both responding and explaining that “we really don’t have any problems.”

Sheriff William was well aware of this and nodded in agreement.

No matter what, this is still in the ballroom. He probably came over shortly after he saw it, mainly because he felt that this "didn't have a good impact," and he wasn't too worried about "anything going wrong."

And it's perfect that the sheriff was brought here; Wayne was wondering where to find people from the police station anyway. Although Sheriff William's background seemed a bit strange, it was still a good fit for his profession.

Wayne also imagined that the young lady who was running away with her friends while holding a drawing board was named "Harley," and wondered if her last name might be "Porter."
I was careless just now and didn't notice if there was a lightning bolt-shaped scar on her forehead.

So the "younger cousin" can leave, but the "older cousin" has to stay.

Wayne then continued his conversation with Sheriff William, "It's perfect timing that you're here. I've been investigating things in the dock area recently, and I have some questions I'd like to ask the police."

"The dock area?"

Sheriff William muttered something under his breath. To avoid drawing too much attention, he picked up a plate and pretended to select food, while casually asking, "Mr. Wayne, you've already started investigating a new case? What are some things you'd like to know?"

There are quite a few things I want to know... For example, the police deployment in the dock area, the standards for daily duty, and how they handle situations like "gang fights"—these are all insider details that only people on the inside would know.
However, after a moment's thought, Wayne decided to satisfy his curiosity first. "Perhaps it would seem a little strange and impolite to ask this, but I actually have a more serious reason—may I ask if Miss Harley's last name is 'Porter'?"

Sheriff William seemed completely taken aback by Wayne's question, pausing for a moment before shaking his head.
"No. Actually, Mr. Wayne, you were just chatting with her father, that Quinn tax officer over there."

That's a shame, it didn't create a Wizarding World reference...

But wait a minute.
The name "Harley Quinn" sounds familiar, doesn't it?

(End of this chapter)