Gil allowed his mind to wander as the conversation between Bright, Powell, and JT droned on. It wasn't he found the topic unimportant. Getting the kid out of his predicament was important. Just as figuring out how far and deep Endicott's reach went. The only way to do either rest on the files Ian Turner and Sorcha's father put together.

Files, Gil learned before joining everyone in the conference room that had quite possibly been placed in the hands of a man he met after someone else from Martin Whitly's past tried to destroy his family. He had worked with Batman on a number of off-the-book cases over the years.

Like James Gordon, the police commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department, he came to rely on Batman's help with cases the line of the law refused to allow him to cross. Batman could do what he was blocked from doing, investigate the places and people he couldn't, focus on suspects in ways he wasn't able to.

Gil hadn't considered the former Deputy Chief might also have turned to the Dark Knight for help. I should have though, he realized as JT grunted softly at something Bright said. It made sense for Turner to place such important files into Batman's hands. Not only was the man the World's Greatest Detective but the resources at his disposal allowed him to protect the files in ways the rest of them couldn't.

If anyone could figure out how Endicott framed Bright, it was the Dark Knight. He could work the case without worry or fear of reprisals or retaliation from Endicott or any of his henchmen. Raya was correct in Batman being the one person Endicott couldn't intimidate or control. He wouldn't be able to use his money, social standing or retinue of associates to bring the grim hero to heel. Batman, and more specifically, Bruce Wayne , was equal in terms of power, money, and control.

Bruce's decision in 2011 to announce himself as the Dark Knight's financial backer surprised him. At the time, Gil thought it a colossal mistake that'd come back to bite Bruce on the ass. Now, though, he could see the benefits that came from publicly announcing Wayne Enterprises as not only supporting Batman but aiding his endeavors by creating the tech he uses in his war on crime.

While Nicholas Endicott also had an unspecified number of politicians, high ranking government officials, law enforcement, business people, and assassins at his disposal, Batman had his proteges, friends, and a host of associates he could call on for support.

If Gil was a betting man, he'd call Vegas and put his life savings, meager as they might be, on Batman.

Having Batman, and, by extension, the rest of his family involved with Bright's case bolstered Gil's confidence greatly. Gave him a spark of hope they'd not only bring Endicott to his knees, but put a lot of corrupt men and women in jail cells right along with him.

Maybe, just maybe, they'd finally put Martin Whitly somewhere where he couldn't get access to a phone or computer. An excited grunt from JT snagged Gil's attention. He had no clue what had been said to cause such a reaction, deep within his thoughts as he had been, but clearly it was something he should have been paying attention too.

"Eddie being dead before Bright got there opens up our suspect list to doctors, nurses, even a few techs." JT glanced around the table with renewed vigor. "All of them came through earlier that evening."

Any one of which could have killed Eddie. Excitement coursed through Gil as he pushed to his feet. Finally, after days of nothing to work with, they had something they could actually go off of.

"We can make a list of everyone who went in that room." His eyes met Bright's warily optimistic ones. "This is good, kid."

It was beyond good, actually.

"But..." Bright paused; frowned. "What was Endicott doing?"

"You said it before, Bright." Dani's tone was as somber as her expression. "Endicott only fears one man." Gil steeled himself for when she said, "Your father."

Last person Gil wanted involved in this case was the man who created the situation in the first place. He didn't dare tell Bright that. Not after what happened at Claremont between Eddie and Martin Whitly.

"Problem is," Bright said somberly. "Nobody can talk to him. Claremont's cut off all comm..."

"No, no," Gil interjected. "He's not at Claremont."

"If he's not at Claremont..." JT said slowly. "Where is he?"

"They moved him to Rikers about thirty minutes ago."

What color was in Bright's face drained away.

"Gen pop?" Gil nodded. Fear burned in the kid's eyes. "That's Endicott," he said. "He's breaking their deal." Bright silently begged him for his help. Something Gil couldn't give him. Not even if he wanted too. "Gil, this is serious."

As if he didn't know how serious things were at this point for Martin Whitly. There was just nothing he could do for the man. He used up all his favors to get him hired as a consultant. Something he tried to convey to Bright. "Kid..."

"My father has the answer and he might not..." Bright wet his lips with the tip of his tongue. A clear indicator of his rising anxiety. "He might not last long in Rikers."

Least of all since they had no idea who Endicott had on the inside of the prison.

"I know he won't." Much as Gil wanted to see Martin Whitly removed from Bright's life once and for all, the man getting killed in prison wasn't the way he wanted to see it happen. The stale coffee Gil drank before coming in to skewer Bright sloshed around in his belly as he walked around the table to unlock the kid's cuffs. "All right, I can cut you loose for now. Say we don't have enough to charge you. But..." he firmed his voice. "I can't get you into Rikers."

"Don't worry." A small smile flitted across Bright's face, worrying Gil. "I know someone who's good at getting into all the wrong places."

"I know I'm not about to hear you say you're going to go see your father in Rikers."

Gil didn't need to glance at the clock above the door to know they had surpassed the ten minute mark. She's at least patient , he mused as he looked over to see Sorcha framed in the doorway of the conference room, a look on her face he recognized as one of Jessica's, and her arms folded across her chest in a way that said, loudly, she wasn't open to discussing the matter.

"Oh, I know that look," JT muttered as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Seen it after I said I was gonna go somewhere or do something Tally didn't agree with."

"What look?" Bright asked curiously.

"The your ass best think again look that's on your girl's face."

Not that Bright would do that. When it came to Martin Whitly, his kid was blind. Gil tried to tell himself he understood why. The man was technically his father. Twenty-three bodies and years of manipulation and control couldn't erase the ten years of hot cocoa, hugs, bedtime stories, and camping trips.

Much as he might wish it would.

"There's nothing to think twice about here, though," Bright predictably said. "My father..."

"No, Malcolm."

"Sorch..."

"The answer is no." Soft, but firm. "I'm not budging on this. Not this time. No way."

"He's the one with the answers," Bright tried. As if that'd sway Sorcha to his side. "He's the only one who can tell us what Sophie had on Endicott."

"Or we wait for Raya to see if my father's files are in the hands of her mentor."

That worked to distract the kid. As she knew it would , Gil mused, hiding a smile. If anyone knew how to get Bright's mind off his father, even for a few minutes, it was Sorcha.

"Raya thinks Batman has your father's files?"

"She says Turner gave a set of files to her uncle when he was in Gotham, yes."

Bright's brow furrowed. "Ian Turner was in Gotham? When? Why?"

"He asked for their help with the Watkins case right before he was murdered."

"Why would he take a New York case to Gotham, though?" Dani asked. "All the victims were from New York."

"Not all," Sorcha replied. "One of the bodies found in the junkyard belonged to a cold case in Gotham."

"Who?" Bright didn't bother to mask his excitement. "Who did they find?"

"Marian Carter."

"I remember that case," JT said. "Wife of Andrew Carter , owner of Hill Bros. Went missing in 1996."

"How'd you know about that case?" Dani asked, one eyebrow tilted.

"Tally watched a movie based off her disappearance."

" Gotham by Gaslight: The Marion Carter story ," Sorcha said. "Malcolm and I watched it, too."

"Color me shocked," JT deadpanned.

"We watch more than movies about murder and murderers," Sorcha shot back with a twitch of her lips. "There's also wholesome old school classics like Harvey in there and Batman, of course."

"Bright always reminded me of Red Hood."

"Well..."

"Focus," Gil interjected before they got too far off topic. "Marion Carter."

"Whose body was found in the trunk of a BMW from another of Gotham's cold case files."

"Which one?"

"Helen Rochester." Sorcha laid her phone on the table so they could all see the photo of the crushed luxury vehicle. "I went down and talked with Dr. Tanaka while waiting for you to free my dope. She got the license plate from the photograph. Matches the missing BMW that belonged to Helen Rochester."

"Turner linked Watkins to these murders." Bright's eyes met Sorcha's across the table. "To my father."

"He also figured out Endicott was somehow involved." Sorcha picked up her phone and slid it back into her pocket. "Something he couldn't risk having exposed."

"That's why he had Watkins kill him." Bright positively vibrated from the energy pulsating through him. Gil couldn't blame him. He hummed with the need to get out there and do some old fashioned detective work himself. "He had to prevent Turner from exposing how far back his involvement was and who he was connected too."

"We can use that information to locate who else he might be working with." Gil placed his hands flat on the table to keep from curling them into fists. "Put together a possible list of his allies and associates by looking at those connected with Matthew Berkeley."

"Which could help in locating who got into Eddie Smith's room and killed him." JT made for the door. "I'm on it."

"Me too." Dani pushed to her feet. Hesitated before looking at Bright. "I want to trust you, Bright, I do," she said. "But..."

"The evidence points to me until we prove otherwise," Bright finished for her. "I know, Dani. If I was working the case, I'd be thinking like you."

"Bright, you've been working this case the whole time." Something Gil hadn't been enthusiastic about the kid doing because of the dangers involved. "Now, you need to let us work this angle." He halted Bright's objections before he could launch them by adding, "Go home with Sorcha. And go straight home. Do you understand?"

"Yes," he grumbled. "We'll go straight home."

"Guess we can't stop for won ton soup and gelato..."

"Straight home," Gil repeated. "After you pickup dinner."

"Yes, Dad."

Gil pointed to the door, unamused. "Go."

They did, Bright still sputtering protests and Sorcha refuting them as she pulled him along.

A/N: Hello, all! Hope this finds you well! I wanted to apologize for not updating this story on FFN. I have been locked out of my account because of whatever glitch is going on that won't let people flip from mobile back into desktop mode. I finally managed to get around it today on my iPad so that's why so many chapters. For those following this story, I have it posted on AO3 under the same name as here. Feel free to travel over there :)