EPISODE 9: The Penguin Appears!
Time seemed to slowly drag by until the fateful day of the next weapons deal in North Gotham. Given that the deal was to take place during the day, Bruce had decided that it was best that he not make an appearance as The Batman. Harvey had told Bruce that the GCPD had found evidence confirming Bruce's testimony, so now the GCPD was ready to intercept the deal in front of Lorenzo's Italian Restaurant in North Gotham. So Bruce opted to cover himself in a large winter coat and a hat to disguise his identity. That said, the heavy coat hid Bruce's bat suit underneath. He had brought it along, with his mask in tow just in case things did get out of hand.
Bruce arrived at Lorenzo's at twelve thirty for ravioli and reconnaissance. He spoke with Lorenzo, who often insisted that Bruce take off his coat, but Bruce refused. Lorenzo was a nice man in his forties. He was short, skinny, with thinning hair and a halo shaped bald spot on the back of his head. After the meal was finished, Bruce left him a generous tip, left the restaurant and disappeared into an alley down the street.
It was now two fifty-five. Bruce began to see a number of GCPD officers emerging from the bustling sea of people in North Gotham. A smile crept onto his face as he knew the time was near. Now they were going to catch Oswald in the act and prove his guilt.
The minutes trickled by as more and more officers awaited the arrival of the Penguin's gang. Finally, from a few blocks down the street, Bruce saw the Cobblepot Shoe Company truck, albeit with new tires this time. He saw the truck slowly move closer and closer to Lorenzo's restaurant, as it moved through the traffic lights on 72nd Street. Out of the corner of his eye, Bruce saw one of the police cars lurch out into the street, blocking off the road and stopping traffic in its tracks. He heard horns blaring and he saw another police car come from behind the Cobblepot Shoe Company truck and block the other end of the road off. Bruce slowly walked towards the action to get a better look. The Cobblepot Shoe Company truck was stuck. Cars on all sides of the truck pinned it in. With nowhere to go, the police officers began closing in on the white and red truck.
"GOTHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT. Open up the truck. We have a reason to believe that there are illegal weapons in the back of this truck." Shouted an officer. With seemingly no other alternative, the two men driving the truck raised their hands and stepped out of the vehicle. A couple of officers rounded the truck and opened the back door, the lock flying off of its position in the process.
Bruce had now made his way so that he was behind the truck and could see all that was going on. When the doors of the truck flew open, the crates filled with weapons packed the back of the truck could be seen. Ten men were also a part of the truck's cargo. Nine were dressed in shabby clothing, but the tenth was decked out in the finest clothes of the day.
"Is that Oswald?" Bruce asked to himself.
"OUT OF THE TRUCK. NOW." Shouted an officer. The men inside pulled fire arms from their vests and began shooting. Bruce ducked out of sight into the alley closet to him when he heard the shots. He reached for his mask hidden inside his coat when he saw the old theater at the end of the alley. Bruce's jaw fell and he dropped his mask into a small puddle. Despite the shoot-out filled with screams and gunshots that was happening around him, Bruce could only hear the scream of his mother on the night she died. Bruce was standing in that same alley now. Bruce knew that the old theater in North Gotham was where he spent his last night with his parents, and he took special care to not go down this alley. But the frantic nature of the shootout sent him into the nearest alley he could find; and it happened to be the last place in the entire world that Bruce wanted to be in right now. Bruce began to breathe became faster and more shallow. His heart raced as the gun shots continued to go off behind him. It was all too much for him.
"I'm sorry. This is all my fault…" Bruce said to no one. Tears began to fall down his face. He couldn't hold it together anymore. He collected himself and walked towards 72nd Street. He heard the gun shots stop and the sound of officers arresting the men. When Bruce emerged from the alley, he saw that only six of the men were in hand cuffs. Bruce saw an ambulance coming and realized what happened to the other four. Lorenzo's front window was now filled with bullet holes and he heard Lorenzo crying out in grief for the damage that had been done to his restaurant.
"I could've stopped this. All of this…" He said under his breath. Bruce walked towards his car that was parked a couple of blocks away until he was stopped by an officer.
"Are you okay, sir?" He asked politely. Bruce nodded.
"I'm fine. Thank you." He replied as he moved to walk again.
"Are you sure? You look a little shell shocked. We can take you back to the station if you'd like." The officer replied.
"No, I'm…fine. Thank you. I'll let you do your job." Bruce said with a faint smile. The officer nodded and two men went their separate ways. Bruce finally made it back to his car and left the city. His heart was still pounding.
It was a long drive back to Wayne Manor. Bruce sat in silence for the entire drive back, all that could be heard was the rumbling engine of the bright red sports car that Bruce was driving. Once he had arrived at Wayne Manor, Bruce hopped out of the car and immediately went to the bat cave to remove his suit and clean up from the day. He took the suit off piece by piece. First the boots. Then the gloves. Bruce then removed the cape. After that came the pants. Then the padded chest piece and upper body gear. Then came the cowl. Bruce took it out of his coat and placed it on top of the pile made up of the rest of the bat suit. Alfred would come by later and put the pieces where they belonged. Despite having not thrown a single punch, Bruce was exhausted. By the time he finished showering and shaving away the black stubble that was sprouting up all over the bottom half of his face, it was time for the news broadcast. Bruce left the cave and entered the study.
Alfred had already tuned the radio to WGCR, a station that covered national and local news every day at six o'clock. Bruce heard the familiar masculine voice echo from the big brown radio in the corner of the room. He heard the usual pleasantries. Then came the horrible stories from around the country. Job lines wrapping about city blocks in New York. Soup Kitchens running out of soup in Detroit. Crime increases all over Kansas City. Then the man finally got to what Bruce was here for.
"And folks, we can finally put the crime spree of the Penguin to bed. After a shootout with the GCPD this afternoon at around 4 o'clock, the mastermind behind the illegal weapons dealing in Gotham City has been captured." Bruce and Alfred gave each other a look of surprise.
"The suspect is forty-five year old, William Walcott." Their faces quickly turned to ones of dread. The man continued. "Mr. Walcott is a former employee of the Cobblepot Shoe Company who was using connections with his old associates to operate this weapons deal under the nose of Oswald Cobblepot." Bruce's brow furrowed. "When asked for comment, Mr. Cobblepot said that he was glad to see the culprit had been brought to justice. He wishes the family of Mr. Walcott well, and he hopes that the good name of the Cobblepot Shoe Company can be spared throughout this horrible scandal. In other news-.." Alfred shut off the radio.
"I thought you got him, Bruce." Alfred said bluntly.
"I thought they had him too," Bruce replied flatly.
"They?" Asked Alfred. "Didn't you bring him in?" Bruce sharply turned his head to face the ceiling.
"I watched today's evets as Bruce Wayne. I didn't want to be seen in the suit during the day. And the police had it under control." Bruce replied, avoiding eye contact with Alfred. The old man noticed this, but decided not to push him. He had known Bruce ever since he was a baby, and he could tell that Bruce was upset. He could tell in the way that Bruce's eyes shot around. The way he stayed in the cave for far too long. Even the shallow breaths that Bruce was taking showed that something was not right. Alfred let him continue.
"Oswald must have used Walcott as a red herring to throw the police off of his trail. Unfortunately for him, I know where his next deal is going." Bruce said as he rose out of his chair.
"This is very troubling, Bruce. How can you prove that Mr. Cobblepot is indeed guilty?" Alfred asked.
"That, I don't know yet. I'll think of something." Bruce said, finishing his drink and then walking towards the door.
"Bruce." Alfred said. Bruce turned around.
"Yes, Alfred?" He replied with a stern look on his face.
"Perhaps his secretary could be of use." Alfred said. Bruce's face lit up at the idea. Alfred was relieved. It was the first time he had seen true excitement in Bruce's eyes since he returned home.
"Why, yes, Alfred. I'll look into that. Thank you." He said as he opened the door and slowly closed it behind him. Alfred turned off the lights in the room and left to his chambers with a smile on his face.