Disclaimer: I don't own Batman

Chapter Fourteen

Batman skimmed the rooftops of a neighborhood smoothly, skimming over alleys and passes, many of which were dead ends. He followed the information he had on hand. (Christopher Martin Baker, 9 Glennwood Lane). Observing the apartment from across a nearby building, he could make out that it was dark in most of the rooms in the apartment building, except for one. The one which held his target of information. Swinging to the building, he crept inside the unlit room. He landed silently on to the floor. He waited for a few seconds, listening to his own breathing in the dark emptiness. His ears picked up the officer's voice, but another one, a higher-pitched voice was also heard from the other room.

"You like it?" Baker asked a well-dressed brunette.

"Oh, of course I do, Chris," she squealed. "Look at it, it's beautiful," she said, admiring the ring with the diamonds intertwined with gold, making the diamond trail wrapped itself around on her long, graceful fingers in an endless coil.

"Well, what do you say? What are you going to give me?" he asked, pulling at the hem of her shirt.

"Not that again," she teased. "Go easy on me, I'm feeling too e-"

The brunette's voice stopped in her throat as a dark form emerged from the shadows in the corner of the room. The man, started to turn around, his hands frisked towards his arm pit. Batman was quick – the gun never left the holster. Batman had already gripped his wrist, twisted it sharply and struck a quick strike to the man's solar plexus. He then kicked the man behind the legs, forcing him down. Before he could realize what was happening, the man found his face pressed to the floor as Batman looped restraints around his wrists and ankles. He was then dumped unceremoniously onto an armchair nearby. The brunette stood with her mouth hanging open, her throat was so dry that she could barely make a sound, and, when she did; it came out as an unpleasant wheeze. He turned his attention toward her. "Stay there." She nodded and asked, "What are you going to—"

"I'm just going to talk to him," Batman said. "He answers my questions and then I leave."

"Oh," The brunette said quickly. "You're not going to break his fingers or anything like that are you?"

"No."

"What do you want from me?" Baker snarled.

"Some answers," he replied. "And I want them tonight."

"What if I don—"

"I'm going to ask you some questions; you are going to answer them."

"That's it?" Officer Baker asked. "Then you're out of here?"

"Yes."

"Then fire away, pal."

"Daniel Qiao," he said quickly. "Who paid you to kill him?"

"Kill him? What are you talking about?" Officer Baker demanded. "He died in the hospital from injuries sustained in a car accident."

"He was hit full speed."

"Drunk drivers, you know?"

"No, it wasn't. Witnesses said it went straight towards him. No swerving, just a straight plow through."

"Hey, there are hit and runs all the time out there."

"I won't ask again," Batman said. "I know about the evidence disappearing; I know about you. If you don't tell me voluntarily I have other methods of making people like you talk."

"Alright, alright! You just want information right?"

"Yes."

"You'll just leave?"

"You have my word."

"Alright, lay'em on me."

"Why did you kill Daniel Qiao?"

"It was just a job- I mean I was only supposed to give him a few broken bones. A warning you know?"

"Who paid you?"

"Salvatore Maroni."

"Why?"

"Because the moron took those required anti-money, fraud prevention, and information security classes way too seriously. In keeping up with the federal banking regulators, he was going to report it."

"And Rene Qiao?"

"What about her?"

"Why go after her?"

"I had nothing to do with her!" He rambled on. "Well, it kinda went to shit, when she saw everything and found the files he stole. I mean if she kept quiet, nothing would have happened to her."

"You knew what you were doing?"

"Well, yeah," he asked, his eyes kept darting back and forth very fast and he looked as if he was not sure how he should have answered. "What do you mean?"

"You knew that her husband was doing what would be expected of any employee by reporting illegal actions and that these people would attack a lone pregnant woman?"

"How was I supposed to know he kicked the bucket?" He tried to explain and sounding more exasperated. "Besides, I'm not the one who attacked her."

"Officer Christopher Baker," Batman said softly. "Didn't that job and uniform…mean anything to you?"

"Cooome ooon. Don't get all sappy on me," Baker sneered. "My loyalties are for money and whoever is the higher bidder. I got paid. Big deal. Damn, lots of people get paid off. Besides, there are plenty of others like that woman's husband, who do the same thing, and look at what happened to them."

Batman stayed quiet. Outwardly staying calm, even though a war of rage was fighting and ready to erupt within him. A cue for Officer Baker to continue.

"Are you trying to tell me that I'm the only bent cop you've ever seen?"

"No, you're the first one that admits it so proudly."

"Anything else?"

"No. I have enough," Batman said and walked past the man and addressed the woman. "You can move now." The woman stood there the whole time during the ordeal, her face had become white as chalk.

"Hey, he said you can move now!" Officer Baker shouted. "Help me out!"

The woman looked up towards Batman and nodded. She then closed her eyes for a few seconds and Batman had vanished.

"All I need is a little time to get out of Gotham. Hey babe, are you going to help me out of this?"

The man twisted his head around, but he could not see the woman. "Where are you?"

"Me? I'm leaving," she said quietly, stepping into view, flinging the ring at him before leaving. "I hope you have your heater on or else you'll freeze."

A/N: Thanks for reading!

-Thank you for adding this to your Fav/Follow alerts!

-Every time I see a Fav/Follow or comment alert, it always makes my heart sing!

-It will be some time before the next chapter, maybe around fall or winter break.