Part 13

The court recessed for lunch, a somewhat quiet and stilted affair for the defense. Sandwiches went uneaten, coffee and soda ignored.

"Dick, look, we've had this conversation; if you can't come up with a reasonable explanation about why you were pulled into this thing, why you apartment looked like a meth lab and why you were an inch away from ODing I'd love to hear it. You could park trucks in the holes of the BS you're trying to get this jury to buy for the love of god."

Dick shook his head, he knew this, they all did and short of whipping off his civies and showing everyone his Nightwing costume he was probably well and truly screwed.

"Bring in Superman as a character witness." Bruce was grasping at straws and they all knew it.

But..."Why not and also bring in Batman and, like I said before, Nightwing. They were working on the case with me, or, okay, I was working with them. Jesus, it's even the truth."

The lawyers managed not to shrug or roll their eyes. And it wasn't like they had anything to lose, except that case. "You know how to get a hold of these people?" He looked at the others. "Let's make some phone calls."

A cell phone rang, one of the lawyers took the call over in a corner to not disturb the others. He listened for a minute said "Are you sure about this?" A moment then "Well fuck, this means we may not be screwed after all—I mean, you're really sure, right? Everyone will cooperate?...Dammit, you just earned your pay if this pans out."

"Jimmy, when you hear this you're going to kiss me." For the first time in weeks the man looked like things might, just might have turned around.

Maybe.

If they were lucky.

Back in his office at Wayne Corp, the building still smelling of smoke after the fire, Lucius was meeting with Guy Moran, head of security. It wasn't the first time they'd discussed this but now it seemed that a few pieces might be falling into place.

"But Guy, please; why is this just coming to light now?"

The man shook his head in frustration. "It was the fire, Mr. Fox. Everything was compromised or burned, the wiring, the drives were a mess and it took this long to even start to get it straightened out. I swear, we've been working day and night but it didn't look like anything would work. I just got the call at home this morning around seven and I called you right away."

Thanking the man, "This stays between these four walls Guy, I don't have to remind you."

"Of course." A nod and the man went back to his own office.

Lucius picked up the phone.

Lunch over everyone was back in his or her place in the courtroom. The Judge entered, everyone rose and a general sigh settled over the crowd as they started again. Or tried to. The head Wayne lawyer spoke directly to the judge before proceedings could continue. "Forgive me, Your Honor, but some new evidence has just been presented to me and I request until Monday to review it. I regret that I and my team will need the weekend to familiarize ourselves."

"Objection, seriously?" The prosecutor complained, "What about discovery? Whatever this mystery evidence is, if it even exists—we need to see it as well."

"Counsel please approach the bench." A whispered conference then, before the judge could say anything a bailiff handed him a note. It was silently read then, "I've been informed that we've been asked to vacate the building, though there seems to be little cause for alarm. Please leave quietly and in an orderly manner. Court is in recess until Monday morning at 8 AM."

Everyone filed out as asked, no one seemed surprised or alarmed, just relieved that they could go home. The bailiffs ran interference against the reporters and groupies trying to crowd around as Bruce and Dick made their way down to the parking garage. Finally in the car and headed to the Manor they could talk privately. "Any idea what that was about?"

Bruce shook his head, "None." Twenty minutes later he heard the not totally unexpected news that there had been a threat made against the judge and both teams of lawyers and, supposedly, a bomb had been planted somewhere in the courthouse. The bomb squad, FBI and several K-9 units were checking the building though nothing had been found and the fact that a warning had been sent suggested that nothing would be.

"Why clear the building?"

Bruce shook his head. "So someone would be away from the relative protection of the courthouse, maybe to give someone a chance to go through something in the building, maybe to buy some time?"

"Or maybe, if our guys weren't bullshitting, to stop whatever they've discovered from coming out."

Dick nodded, obviously a little dubious. "But since this concerns us—especially me—maybe it would be a good idea to let us inside the loop? 'Just sayin'."

Taking out his cell, Bruce called Lucius, spoke for less than a minute, ended the call, turned to Dick and almost smiled. "I think the ball just landed in our court, so to speak."

Monday morning, with no bomb or anything else found which shouldn't have been there, it was 8 AM as the bailiff asked everyone to stand as the judge walked in and took her place. "Now, may we continue?"

The head Wayne lawyer stood. "Your Honor, I'd like to present new evidence if I may."

"Please do but be aware that I'm not inclined to have either my or the entire court's time wasted."

"Understood. If we may have the lights out and the shades drawn I'd like to direct your attention to the screen."

The screen set up across from the jury glowed into light as a black and white, not great quality security recording came on. "This was taken in one of the small conference rooms at Wayne Corporation Headquarters here in Gotham. As you can see, it's date stamped four months ago. The people you're watching have all been identified as being middle management employees of Wayne."

"Objection, were these people aware that they were being taped?"

The judge, "Counselor?"

"Part of every Wayne employee's contract, which I have a copy of here which I'd like to enter in evidence, includes the clause that they may be recorded while on the premises as part of standard security operations. They should have all been aware and signed off on it to be working there."

"Overruled. Proceed."

The static filled soundtrack played; "So we're set with this? People over at GM and Smith Barney are on board and waiting for our call about the pickups and delivery details. Joey, you've arranged for the trucks, right?"

"Right and...(unintelligible)...private planes in the Midwest."

"And the drivers are...?"

"Reliable, experienced and expendable."

"And it's all a go Friday with the usual package pickups from shipping, the drops with be mixed in and then sorted at the warehouse then...(unintelligible)"

"Then they use secondary roads to the various destinations."

"Perfect."

Some static and another tape played, this time security tapes date stamped a week later and located in what seemed to be a parking garage.

"I told you not to kill the Grayson kid you fucking moron, just take him out long enough so we could get him back to his place."

"But he fought back and he's really strong, boss—he wasn't cooperating."

"Did you at least get his apartment set up?"

"Yeah, yeah boss, just like you said; it's a meth lab and his fingerprints are all over it, like you wanted. The cops will find it and he'll take the fall." the man laughed, "Man, I'd like to see old Bruce's face when he gets that call, right?"

"And if he OD's then shit happens to dealers and junkies. Okay, any word on if the kid is dead or alive?"

"You just said you don't care if he's dead."

"(Unintelligible)...fucking moron. I don't care but I care very much if I have to deal with the damn cops and have Bruce on my ass."

"Calm down, man. It's all good; Grayson looks like a hundred other users who developed too much of a taste for his own products, don't frigging worry."

"So, is he dead?"

"...Not yet."

Another location, the mail room, date stamped two days later. People talking in the shadows, half hidden by sorting bins and mail cubbyholes.

"Who the fuck gave the order to kill Benny?"

"Shit man, I dunno; that wasn't part of the deal."

"You don't know?"

"I told you, I don't know nothun', swear to god."

"Yeah? Okay, sure, fine, but you hafta understand that I can't just let that ride, right? You know that, right?"

Sounds maybe of feet scuffing and heavy, panicked breathing. "...C'mon, I mean. C'mon, I did everything you asked, everything, you know I did."

"Yeah, you did but sometimes that just isn't quite enough, y'know? Nothing personal." Sounds of a struggle, half shouts cuts short and half pictures of bins being violently shoved and a cubby rack tipping over.

The screen goes dark, courtroom lights come on. The defense lead attorney stands. "Everyone in these tapes have been identified as being employees at Wayne Enterprises and I submit the list of names as evidence adjacent with these tapes. I also wish to call Alan Franklin, head of Wayne security to the stand."

Sworn in, the man took his seat.

"Mr. Franklin, how long have you worked at Wayne Enterprises?"

"This is my twentieth year."

"And could you tell us your job history there, tell us what positions you've held?"

"I've always worked security, started as a guard on the night shift for about five years, transferred to the day shift for another two or three then moved to surveillance where I was promoted head seven years ago."

"Could you explain what exactly 'surveillance' entails at Wayne and how and why it's used?"

"Mostly it's things like the tapes you've just been shown, making sure that nothing illegal is going on, no employee theft, no one in the building who shouldn't be there, no violence of any kind, that sort of thing."

"And why would you have cameras in a conference room?"

"So that there can't be any questions later on as to what happened in some meeting."

"And who has access to the cameras and the recordings?"

"Mr. Wayne, Mr. Fox, Me. Anyone else would have to file a request and then get it approved before they could watch anything."

"And anyone legitimately inside the building should be aware that they could be recorded, isn't that correct?"

"Yes and every conference room and public area has signs which tell people that there are cameras around; a lot of them are in plain sight."

"Would there be any opportunity for someone to tamper in any way with these tapes?"

"Not without my knowing."

"So they're accurate as to their content?"

"As far as I know, absolutely, yes."

The lawyer turned to the prosecuting attorney. "You're witness."

TBC