Chapter Sixty-Four: The Penny Drops

In the following week, Ed continued to work diligently.

While the case with Tabitha and Butch had grown cold and no other killers perceived to be linked to Isabella (that he knew of), Ed figured he'd press on. Some days were better than others where he could stay focused, prepare a few highlighted points for Oswald to share with the city, and his life seemed to be in working order.

Other days…He sought companionship between Oswald and Sylvia for their sympathy, their friendly banter, and infinite supply of compassion.

To his benefit, this was one of the better days.

In the mansion, Ed perused the agenda for the Mayor (while Sylvia currently tended to the one for Penguin at her own base of operations). He leaned over the desk, preferring to stand rather than to sit as it engaged his mind further—also, allegedly, it helped with his posture.

"No rest for the wicked."

Hearing and seeing Barbara enter the living room, and in his general bubble, Ed glanced up and held the pen dangerously like a weapon. As she approached with her high heels clicking along the tile, she smiled politely.

Raising her hands, she reassured him, "Relax. I'm not here to get revenge for lopping off Tabby's paw."

She took a seat in the armchair across from his desk, glancing at him pointedly as she indicated the error with her own hand.

"Although I am surprised to see you back at work and not tracking down who really did kill your lady love."

"That's because you don't see the full picture," Ed returned pointedly, tracing a 'square' in the air with his pen, which was now more operational for its intended purpose rather than for home defense. "The Mayor has many enemies. These enemies understand that I am a fundamental part of this operation. They weaken me: They weaken him."

"That's similar to what Lark says."

Ed rolled his eyes as he mindfully peered down at the current workload on his desk, muttering, "And to what, may I ask, is remotely similar?"

"The both of you are the pillars of Penguin's temple. If one of you falls, the temple does too."

Ed's ears perked at the subtle tone.

"I'm sorry. Was that a threat?"

"Not at all."

"Hmm. Why are you here, Ms. Kean?"

"Just coming over to ask how you've been doing since you found out that Tabitha and Butch weren't responsible for killing your love interest. Granted, I hear you're doing a lot better. Especially since you have Lark tending to your needs that Isabella might've originally been able to meet. Not her fault though…she's dead."

Ed closed his eyes before he exhaled a deep sigh of patience. He tilted his head, saying, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't you?" Barbara asked knowingly. She stood slowly, her hand caressing the arm of the chair just momentarily before she stepped towards him. "You, Oswald, and Sylvia…When the orderlies hear that the Mayor, the Lady of Gotham, and their Chief-of-Staff gang banged one night, people do consider that gossip worthy." She shrugged with a sly smile. "Politics are brutal."

Ed frowned: "Not that it's any of your business, but it was only one night."

"Hmm?"

He turned away from her, penciling in a few forgotten details of topics that he predicted would come up later in a future conference for the Mayor to answer easily; when he'd started to ignore Barbara, the woman became apologetic, but her mannerisms were no less intrusive.

"One night with all three—I can't see that happening. But I can't imagine you'd only spend one night with Lark. She's not exactly someone you can say 'yes' to only once." She drawled, smirking when Ed's shoulders rolled back uncomfortably.

"Or 'no' for that matter." She whispered.

Ed glared at her: "What do you want, Ms. Kean? There has to be another reason for your inexplicable visit, however insufferable it has already been proven to be."

"Ooh…touched a nerve, did I?"

"I figured that might be evident to you."

"Well, call me a little envious. You know, I tried escalating my friendship with her and she barely gave me anything. Anyway," Barbara continued (although Ed's glare didn't soften one bit), "If it bothers you talking about your sexual conquests with Penguin's wife, let's talk about something else."

"By all means."

"What are you doing about finding Isabella's killer?"

"Nothing for the moment. As I said, the clear intent for killing her was to weaken me. It doesn't matter though."

"It doesn't?"

"No. I have spies all around this city," Ed reassured coolly. "Soon enough, whoever killed Isabella will reveal themselves, and I will strike. Now…" He closed the binder with finality. "If we are through here, I think it is best that you leave. Before Liv comes back and sees you here; from what I gather, the last two visits you made unannounced were not met with equity."

Barbara shook her head as Ed placed the binder in a crook on the bookshelf.

"Poor blind baby. It's always hardest to see what's right under our noses…" She put her hand over her mouth and forcefully coughed, "Penguin."

Ed turned slowly, looking at her with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Did you just fake cough 'Penguin'?"

She smiled guiltily.

"Needless to say, that is absurd on a number of levels."

"Really? All a crime requires is means, motive, and opportunity. And between his current finances and with people like Lark backing him up on his every single desire, your beaky little buddy certainly has the means and opportunity."

"But no motive."

"Oh, I would say he had the oldest motive in the book." When he didn't say anything, she said softly, "Rich men want it. Wise men know it, the poor all need it…"

"Love." Ed answered, annoyed. "What does that have anything to do with…"

As he trailed off, Barbara smirked and walked a few paces towards him. He turned to look at her suspiciously.

"And the penny drops."

Ed gave her the most ironic of expressions and said slowly, "You are suggesting that Oswald is in love with me."

"Obviously."

"That is ridiculous."

"I know. I mean, I consider you bit of a cold fish."

"Liv would have—" Ed began.

"—Told you?" Barbara interrupted with a grin. "If she doesn't know, that's pretty much a given. But if she does know…Why wouldn't she have told you? Now, that's what I want to know. I mean, unless she had already told you, and you took it as 'platonic love' rather than the most obvious 'romantic love'. Granted, social cues were never your strongest suit."

"No. That doesn't make any sense."

"No? It makes perfect sense if you step out of your smitten shell for just a second."

"No."

Barbara held up a finger: "Follow me on this, huh? At least, consider the hypothetical seeing as it's the only other clue you're going to get in order to figure out who killed Isabella. This is a riddle you don't want getting away."

Ed said nothing so she took it as a positive response.

"Hypothetically, Ozzie sees you being taken away from him by that bookish vixen," Barbara said logically. "Naturally, he's upset. Sylvia sees this. All of us know her only ambition in the world is to see her darling husband happy, which frankly outweighs any monetary value or her need for self-preservation, so she goes out of her way to make sure Isabella doesn't succeed."

Ed gritted his teeth: "Go on."

"While we know she's got bit of a temper when it comes to carrying out Oswald's every little whim and desire, but she isn't going to take it out on some librarian of all people. Even for love, she isn't going to go to that extent, unless, of course, if Oswald convinces her to do it. She'll do it because she loves him and wants to see him happy with you."

"That doesn't mean she'd kill her." Ed reminded sternly.

"True, but stay with me on this. Hypothetically, she tries to convince Isabella to leave you alone, even gives her a way out. But Isabella, smitten with her own green suited, walking bean pole" (Ed glanced at Barbara sardonically for her sarcastic name calling) "refuses to leave. Things get violent and—knowing Sylvia—a little messy, then oops!"

Barbara pushed a book off of Ed's desk to indicate Isabella's fall off the bridge.

"And they couldn't put Humpty Dumpty back together again." She whispered with a small sadistic grin.

"No." Ed denied coolly. He stepped towards her. "In fact, I'm beginning to wonder what your motive is in all of this."

"That's for later." Barbara lightly touched his shoulder, picking a piece of invisible lint off, before smiling up at him. "Right now, I just want to see justice for that poor, sweet girl."

As annoyed as he was with her, his voice spoke calmly.

"Ms. Kean. I need you to understand two things." He held up two fingers indicatively. "One, Oswald did not kill Isabella…"

"Actually, I'm saying that Oswald gave the order and Sylvia killed her."

"Regardless," Ed emphasized coldly. "They weren't involved. And two, he's not in love with me."

"Is she?"

"No."

"Sylvia isn't in love with you?"

"No."

"You've talked about it?"

"Yes," Ed answered curtly.

"You know," Barbara said smoothly. "I do want to know something. Why did you three get together that night? Was it to experiment, or…"?

"Like I said before. It's not really any of your business."

"Perhaps it was Sylvia's way of getting you and him together in the same context? To kind of push you two together. She's clever that way."

"No."

"Maybe it was a drunken experience. It was that, wasn't it?"

Ed frowned. So, she smirked knowingly.

"You had just enough booze in your system to teeter the lines between friendship and sex, huh, Ed? Well, I guess I don't blame you, really. Oswald does have charisma on his side and with Sylvia driving the two of you by your" (Barbara clicked her tongue twice, glancing downward) "I guess it was bound to happen one day, huh?"

While Ed couldn't say much to the fact (mainly because it was more or less true), he watched her steadily get closer. Barbara lightly grazed the back of her hand along his jaw.

"Oswald isn't in love with me. And Liv didn't kill her. You're wrong."

"Are you so certain? Don't you owe it to her to find out?" Barbara asked. She smirked, patting his cheek. "Let me know how it goes."

As she left, Ed stared uneasily at the wall across from him.