"Oracle, secure the line."
"Go ahead, Boss," Barbara Gordon responded.
"There's a new case in the GCPD database. Assault of a woman, Caucasian, 26 years old…"
Barbara cleared her throat. "We know about Rebecca," she said quietly.
There was a long pause, and then, "Download everything they've got. There's a fingerprint. Run it through and find out who it belongs to."
"The print is smudged, Bruce. It's only good as a comparison if a suspect is brought in," she reminded him having already accessed the information over an hour ago.
"I've put enough money into that system of yours, give me some results."
She blew a breath out and smoothed her hands against her jeans. "Bruce," she started, "I know you're upset…"
"I am not upset." It sounded as if the words had been put through a meat grinder.
"Well maybe you should be." Silence. "You've dated the woman for the past six weeks. I realize you may feel responsible for what happened, but perhaps it would be better if you weren't personally involved in the investigation."
"Responsible?"
Barb had known the man long enough to develop an ear for his nuances, he wasn't playing dumb. She sighed. "It happened right under your nose. And the perp apparently has a beef against you." She rubbed her forehead as the static of the line greeted her. "You must care for her a lot."
"I was going to break it off tonight," he replied tersely.
"What? Why?" she asked. "I thought…"
"It was convenient. Too convenient. I had gotten lazy. Now she's paid for it."
Barbara knew Bruce Wayne was anything but lazy. Maybe he was buying his own hype. "That's not true. Don't use this as another excuse to beat yourself up."
"Just get me an ID on this guy. Batman out." The line was dead. Barbara closed her eyes. She longed for a deranged psychopath holding a building of hostages or an invasion of space aliens, something easy.
Batman finally arrived back in the cave at a quarter past six, just as the sun was rising over Gotham City. Alfred met him with a pot of soothing tea in the hopes that Master Bruce would try to get a few hours sleep. He of course waved the tea away and demanded coffee. Very strong coffee. The aging butler obliged reluctantly, and after he'd left, Bruce stripped out of the suit and entered the cave's shower, taking longer than usual under the brutally hot water. He closed his eyes and tried not to see Rebecca's battered face.
After showering he was toweling off when the intercom buzzed. "Master Bruce, can you please come down here. There are some gentlemen here to see you, from the police."
Bruce checked his watch. It wasn't even seven yet. He thumbed the intercom and stifled a yawn. "Sure Alfred, I'll be right down." He put on a robe and made sure his hair was suitably tousled, then he took the elevator to the butler's pantry in the kitchen. Taking a service stairway to the upper floors he made his way over to the grand staircase and began his descent, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "Hey Alfred, where's that coffee?" he asked as he reached the bottom.
"Right away, sir. Can I bring you gentlemen anything?" the ever-polite servant offered the two men standing in the foyer. One of them was Commissioner Gordon. The other introduced himself to Bruce as Detective Grant Penway. Both men declined hospitality. Alfred retreated with a stealthness to rival Batman's.
"Commissioner," Bruce greeted the older man and then shook hands with Penway. "It is rather early for a visit isn't it? Unless something's come up with Rebecca?" he asked with a knot in his stomach.
"She's fine," Gordon responded.
"Can I ask where you were between 2 and 4 this morning, Mr. Wayne?" Penway asked severely.
"I'm sorry," he sputtered. "Why do you need to know that?"
Gordon sighed. "There was a murder." With a nod to Penway, the detective took a picture out of his coat and showed it to Bruce. "You recognize her?" Bruce only nodded. The glossy headshot showed a woman of about 23 with dark brown hair, crystal clear blue eyes, and a fashion model smile, fitting for the most sought-after cover girl in Gotham. He had dated Brandy Valentine exactly three times last year. He remembered well her love of chocolate-covered strawberries though she hated to eat them because they would ruin her figure, the snort she sometimes did when she laughed too hard, and the night she placed her hand on his leg and offered the most exquisite proposition he'd ever heard. He'd given her a story about a little 'problem' he had and elicited her promise that they keep it just between them. In return she was given liberty to expound on their liaison with whatever embellishments she chose.
His voice caught in his throat when he asked, "Was there a note?"
The commissioner nodded and took out a plastic bag, just like the one in the hospital from the night before. Bruce's hand trembled ever so slightly as he reached out for it, and he realized he wasn't acting.
Wayne uses them up and tosses them away like garbage. Someone has to take out the trash.
He cleared his throat as he handed the note back to Gordon. "How?" he managed.
Penway stepped forward. "Strangled in her bed. Coroner figures between 2 and 4. Her personal trainer found her about an hour ago."
"Was she raped?" Bruce forced himself to ask
"No," Penway responded slowly. "There was evidence of consensual sex though. We believe she went to a club last night and may have brought someone home with her. Now if you could just tell us where you were?" he said with an inclination of his head.
"Why Master Bruce was here in bed of course," Alfred announced brightly as he handed a delicate cup and saucer to Wayne.
"And you know this how?"
"After he came home last evening he was rather distraught over Miss Raven. I put him immediately to bed with some warm milk and brandy. I retired soon after."
"How can you be sure he was there all night?" Penway asked.
"The security system," Alfred replied immediately. "There is no way to bypass it without the proper code, which would be recorded each time it is entered."
"We'll be needing a copy of last night's log," Penway said.
"Of course."
"And Mr. Wayne, we'll need a list of any women you've dated or otherwise have been romantically linked in the past say three years. Think you can do that?"
"Sure, but why?" he asked densely, even though he'd already begun cataloguing them downstairs.
"Well," Penway responded slowly as if Bruce were the biggest dunce he'd ever seen, "any or all of them are potential victims, not to mention one of them may be the link to this guy. Any jealous boyfriends or husbands you are aware of?"
"No, detective."
"Even if you didn't know about them at the time, anyone with an axe to grind?"
"No," he said firmly.
"Thank you, Mr. Wayne," Gordon said finally, stepping between the two men and offering his hand.
"No problem, Commissioner. I'll fax that list over to your office this afternoon."
"Very good. Now if you'll excuse us, I have to be at the airport in less than forty minutes to meet the Ravens."