chapter 4
"Oh Bruce!! How WONDERFUL to see you again" Instinctively Bruce flinched . It was Sally Rider a woman whose affections often exceeded comfortable limits . Almost defensively Bruce held the woman in his arm in front of him " Uh Sally , meet my friend ...uh....(damn it he had forgotten her name ) "
"Samantha " the girl herself said , freeing her right hand of the glass she was holding to shake Sally's hand .
"Oh Bruce , I want you to meet a close friend of mine , Claire Hart " . Presenting a rather attractive woman ."She's just come to Gotham . Sally's new here so I brought her to the party to get her acquiented with the people . Oh Hiiiiiiiiiiii . How great to see .........." Sally drifted away, leaving Bruce to deal with the close friend .
"Soooo , what do you think of Gotham "
"I havent seen much of it, but from what I see , I like it . Especially these huge gothic statues . "
"Well yes it is a good City .And we do as much as we can to make it better "
"From what I hear , one person does more than others ."
"Really . And what have you heard "
"Come on Mr.Wayne . After all these years Batman can hardly be passed off as a myth anymore . "
"Im not trying to . So youre interested in Batman ?"
"Who isnt ?"
"Well in that case here comes the man who can be of the greatest help . Commisioner Gordon, Id like you to meet Claire Hart . Shes interested in the Bat ."
But Bruce intended to find out a little more about this Claire Hart . He drifted over to Sally and with a cheery " Hi Sally " drew her out of her current crowd . "Charming friend of yours , Miss Hart . Where did you meet her ?"
"Oh last week , on my way back from the Bahamas . I have been having a really depressing period lately , with all the problems ............."
After about 40 minutes of conversation, and he was still amazed at himself for keeping Sally talking to one person for that long , all Bruce learnt was that she had met Claire on the way back, that Claire was an unmarried "traveller" who was comfortably off with her father who was in the diamond business "She has an exquisite set of diamonds with her " and wanted to stay in Gotham for a month . But he was far from satisfied .
Alfred sat in the darkness of the batcave , thinking . Fancy Bruce wanting to know about John Cable's wife . Of course a man like John Cable deserved a wife way better than what this Sarah Woman had been . He threw his mind back to when he was in his late 20's , before Thomas Wayne had found him and employed him . He was walking back from his job at a local cafe while the goons had attacked him . In a locality where the police usually joined in the robbing of civilians, John Cable had walked in, fists flying, and had saved Alfred Pennyworth's money and life . Later John became a regular at his cafe , and although he wasnt much of a talker, they had formed a bond of friendship . And when John was posted to Detroit, Alfred had missed the silent man with a fierce loyalty to the law . And now he was dead and his wife running from the law . Well Well Well . How times change . He got off the oversized chair and slowly walked out of the batcave .
"Find anything ?"
It was the bat . sure he had Bruce's face, but that would soon be corrected .
"Some . Its in the computer "
Alfred suddenly felt very very old .
