A couple of hours later, another limo shows up at a rented house outside of town, this one s slightly nicer.
Stromwell, have you thought any more about my offer? You could not only get revenge on the little circus brat for putting your cousin Tony Zuckio in prison but make enough cash to mount a proper defense For him. I thought about snatching The kid before, but there s always too many people around. By the time I got finished, he d regret testifying his new dad s rolling dough. Why shouldn t I get some too? Al says. You can ask for ransom; But revenge is more important. They both must suffer. Do you have qualms about doing this to a small child? The man says.
NAH , A little boy ain t nothing but a small man . I hate most guys. Tony is the only guy I trust. Not my dad. Not my brothers. That s why I call myself Antonia, Real name s Sophia, she says how far can I take it? she asks.
As far as you like, as long as you keep my name out of it; he says.
I have a feeling Mr. Wayne will know who is Behind the disappearance of his dear boy, but he ll never prove it. IF he says anything to anyone of any importance , it will be my word against his, he laughs evilly.
Why you hate him so much She asks Why Do you hate men? He counters Will you make sure I m not caught? She asks
I ll Take care of you, my dear. In the meantime here s everything you need to know about your target, He says.
Thank you, she says, taking a folder with Dick s photo and information. A few days later at Wayne manor Kent, I hate asking favors; but I need you to help me keep an eye On Luthor. I think he s not only a business threat to Wayne Industries but also a personal threat. I can protect myself But Dicky isn t as skilled in protecting himself, Bruce Wayne says.
Luthor doesn t usually do things that way; he usually hits his target in the bank account of lawmakers, or bribes them; but I wouldn t Put anything past him, Clark says. I will Help you keep an eye on him. That would Be appreciated, He says. In the meantime, my boy and I have places to be On the other end of the phone, Clark smiled at the thought of the change the little boy had brought to his friend s world. He hoped this was one time The Bat was wrong and the Evil Billionaire wasn t out to harm Dick. Dick, are you ready for the carnival? It s all you ve talked about since YOU got the note from School . No, Alfred I won t let him eat too much junk. He ll have milk not Zesti Bruce says. Dick Starts to pout.
We ll Still have fun! Bruce insists. But remember, we have to be home By Dark Can I be Robin Tonight? Dick Begs No, Dick. You need a lot more training, Bruce tells the boy. Maybe, but I wanna show you what I can do, Dick whines.
The first thing you can show me is you doing what I say, and not whining about it, He says YES sir, Dick says as they walk to the car. BY the way, did you want cheese to go with that whine? Bruce says.
BOO, Dick groans. Bruce smiles when the boy s back is turned to him.
After a scenic drive in the autumn afternoon they arrive at the carnival, not a moment too soon for the hyper nine-year-old. Even though it s just a school fair, the surroundings feel like home for the former Flying Grayson.
The Teacher said it'll be fun but It s nearly as big as Hayley s or at Least the smaller shows, Dick says. Much to Bruce s chagrin Dick heads straight to the caged circus animals. Dick, these are strange animals, not the ones you're used to, Bruce yells, trying to keep his boy from danger.
By the time Bruce catches up to the boy, he s already made friends with an elephant. You okay in there, Bessie? Dick says, looking at her name plate. I wish you could run free or at least have a bigger cage like you d have at Hayley s, he whispers in her ear.
Thank goodness they re in a cage, Bruce says. Then Dick tries to pat a male lion. This grabs the attention of the trainer, a balding man in his fifties.
Hey, kid you can t do that. That lion could take your arm off, the trainer shouts. But I grew up around animals like him, Dicky says cheerfully. Still, Kid, it s not safe the guy says.
He s right, Chum , Bruce says, leading the boy away from the lion. but I haven t said 'hi' to the monkeys, Dick says Sometimes, I think you are a monkey, Bruce says, smiling. He lets him feed the monkeys . He is Good with animals , another trainer concedes
Now do you want to ride Something ? Bruce asks. How about the bumper cars? he asks.
Yea! Dick says, running to the bumper cars They get in one that almost looks like a mini version of the bat mobile .
The two have a great time crashing into teachers and classmates and the older kids which really makes Dick laugh. What you want to do first, eat or go on The Tilt-a-Whirl? Dick asks.
I think It d be safer to do the Tilt-a-whirl, Then eat Bruce tells his boy. Bruce looks at the ride nervously.
Come on, you re Batman. The bravest guy in the world, The boy whispers. Again, Bruce smiles at the boy and boards the ride. If this keeps up, people will start confusing me with Kent Bruce thinks. He puts his arm around Dick as the Ride starts.
After the ride, even Dick - a trapeze artist from the time he could walk - is wobbly-legged. Bruce has to sit down on a bench. When he s rested, Bruce offers to let Dick ride on his shoulders. The boy decides to walk . They both agree it s time to Eat. They keep their promise and have a healthy bowl of vegetable soup, grilled cheese sandwich, and milk. Dick begs his guardian for a candied apple. We ll see later, He says Dick, of course, pouts Not going to work little man, Bruce says. Hey Dick, want to Go to The Fun House? a Blonde boy his age asks after they eat OH YEA, Luke. Can I, Bruce? Dick asks.
You Can Go, but be back as soon as possible. It ll be dark in less than hour. I ll GO look at the kids' Art, he says.
As much fun as Bruce is having with his boy, he can t get the thought Luthor might be a threat to Dick off his mind. Bruce scans the crowd For suspicious characters and traps. He even discreetly checks the trash bins. He looks at the exits. No security guards. This place has an appalling lack of security. If Dick hasn t returned in 20 Minutes , I m going after him even if it embarrasses him.
He tries to calm down and look at the 4th Grade art . He finds a few Dick drew. He chuckles when he sees a drawing of Batman his son did. He s quite talented in more than one area, it seems, Bruce says to himself.
Back at the Fun House, Dick Is having the time of his life with his friend, giggling when he jumps every time something pops out at him. When something big seems to fall, it s Dick s turn to jump in surprise The Kid's not alone, a male voice says from behind the scenery. Yea, but it s dark, A female voice Says next to him. We can still do it. They'll never see it coming. I hope not. Wayne deserves what s coming to him, The guy says.
When Dick gets to a particularly dark part of the fun house, two sets of arms grab him by the Waist. He fights with every bit of strength he has. He bites the woman as they carry him to the exit. As he sees a rag headed toward his mouth, he removes his St. Clarence medal his parents gave him the last Birthday they had together. If I can t GET free right now, at least I can leave a clue to show Bruce/Batman I m In trouble, He thinks. As he sinks into the darkness, The Beloved medal falls into the dust.
THE Kid Dropped Something, Tony says.
That could be a good thing if the playboy isn t too blind to see when he notices the kid s not back. In a while we ll call with our demands. I saw Wayne had his cell phone with Him, she says.
At the same time, Bruce is getting concerned. He looks at his Watch It's been 30 minutes since he left with the kid. I need to check on him, He says; his heart already racing. He races to the fun house. He runs into Luke, who looks scared. Mr. Wayne, is Dick with you? Luke asks.
No. You didn t stay together? He asks. I thought we had until I came out. Maybe he just started over, Luke says. I told him to meet me before dark. If he s not in danger, he s still In trouble, Bruce says to the boy. He looks around the area for clues, and sees something gleaming in the late afternoon sunlight.
Dick's St Clarence Medal. He d never just drop it unless he was in danger, Bruce thinks Luke, why don t you go back to your Parents. I m sure Dick's okay, he lies.
If Luthor s behind this, he s dead! Bruce says when he s alone To be continued Author s note: Clarence, the patron saint of circus performers, is real. I looked it up