Chapter Four


Encrypted Journal Entry -- Barbara Gordon

August 30th

Two weeks … and no fires.

Dinah and Helena have been following Henry these past two weeks … and all three of us are getting frustrated. So close … so close we can almost touch it … and yet, so far away.

I've noticed that our arsonist tends to strike at a lot of older buildings (That is, buildings lacking modern fire suppression and detection equipment -- smoke detectors, sprinkler systems, et cetera).

Is he aware of our presence? Surely that must be the case by now. Is that the reason why he hasn't acted? Is he waiting for us to turn our backs on him?

I'm convinced Lazenby's our guy. It's not a matter of if -- but WHEN -- he'll strike again.


Come on, come on, a frustrated Dinah thought as she shadowed Henry from across the street. You know you want to … hell, WE know you want to. Henry and Dinah were walking the streets of the Lower East Side. They had been walking in circles around the block for over two hours now.

"How much longer am I going to have to play 'Ring-Around-The-Rosey' with this creep?" Dinah muttered to herself, not really intending for anyone to hear.

"I know the feeling," said Oracle over the comm. "He's like a mouse that's toying with the cheese in the trap." Oracle paused. "He may be casing another hit."

"Or trying to lose me, one." Dinah looked across the street. In front of her lay a row of small shops: an Italian restaurant, a shoe store, a mini-mart, an office supply store, a barbershop, and a shop that sold men's clothing. She glanced away involuntarily for a second. When she looked back towards the row of shops on the other side of the street, Henry had disappeared from sight.

"Dammit, I've lost him!" Dinah interjected.

"Stay calm," said Oracle over the comm. "Keep a cool head. Keep your wits about you." She paused. "Where'd you last see him?"

"In front of the barbershop, I think."

"Do you know if he made it to the corner?"

"I don't think so."

"He may have ducked into one of those stores."

Dinah sprinted across the street. The air was suddenly filled with the sounds of squealing tires, honking horns, and drivers shouting profanities in several languages as they slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting her. She ducked inside the barbershop and looked down the row of chairs … no sign of Henry was to be found inside. She then ducked inside the office supply store and looked down the aisles … nothing. She now had visions of the entire block going up in flames as she ducked inside the mini-mart to look for Henry.

She looked down one aisle after another, searching for Henry's distinctive lanky physique and red hair. She finally found him in the dairy aisle, examining a gallon jug of milk and checking its expiration date.

Dinah ducked into the next aisle and away from Henry. "Oracle, I found him," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Where is he?" came the reply over the comm.

"In the mini-mart."

"Stay with him this time."

"Roger."


"I'm sorry I lost him," said Dinah to Oracle back at the Clocktower. "I know I shouldn't have done that."

"Don't worry about it," said Oracle. "It happens to the best of detectives sometimes."

"I shouldn't have let my attention wander."

"OK, you lost him for a bit there," said Oracle. "You also picked up his trail again. That's the important thing."

"I'm not even sure we've got the right guy."

"There haven't been any fires ever since we've been following him," said Oracle. "A guy like Henry is a smoldering volcano." Oracle paused. "Sooner or later, he's gonna blow."