Chapter 20 - GCPD Briefing Room #4 11.12 am
"What were you thinking?!"
Gordon was furious, Batman had rarely heard him this angry, and had never had that anger directed quite so forcefully at himself before. He put down the file he'd brought with him.
"I asked you, as a favour, which I thought you understood and even, for some reason and after years of evidence to the contrary, agreed with, to leave the boy out of this case…"
"Jim…"
"Don't you 'Jim' me on this! Instead of this simple request, this reasonable simple request, what do I find? The very next night I find that same child lying handcuffed and unconscious in the middle of a multiple murder scene, having been assaulted by a serial killer. It'll take everything I have to keep reference to him out of this investigation, I've already had to tamper with evidence to remove the mask and gloves, and I've had to lie to the first two FBI agents I've actually liked in years!"
"Jim, Robin was not involved in the case in the way you're thinking. I did go to question Ma Graves about the boy who died, I'd found out he worked for her. Robin was there because they would be too scared of me. I left him looking after them so I could deal with the Firefly."
"Do you honestly think I would leave him in a position where I thought he would be in danger like that, never mind the others?"
Gordon heard something in his tone, even through his anger. Something he rarely heard from the Batman, could it actually be guilt? Given the circumstances, Gordon was prepared to accept it might be. It didn't make much difference to his mood, but he did moderate his tone just a little.
"You allow a teenager to go up against some of the most deranged madmen in the country on a regular basis and you ask me a question like that?" It was a longstanding frustration in Gordon's understanding of Batman. He had thought he understood him sometimes, had almost got to the heart of his obsession, but when the boy had joined him it had thrown his entire perceptions off. He tried to imagine how he'd feel if Barbara were to be regularly risking her life in that sort of situation, and couldn't imagine it.
"And you don't think it odd that the Corinthian struck at the one place which one of his victims considered to be home? That's not consistent with his previous habits, you've read the reports so you know that. There had to be another reason he ended up there last night."
There was a pause and Batman sounded as if the next words were being dragged out of him, Gordon could almost, but not quite, sympathise. "Yes, he deliberately followed us somehow. Or.." the pause was very noticeable this time, "..more likely followed Robin, since he didn't follow me on to the Firefly affair."
"And it gets worse. Did you check in Robin's belt for anything else that might be missing?"
"Like what?" It was clear from Batman's tone that he knew exactly what the answer would be, which didn't surprise Gordon.
"The bodies we found were strung up with fishing line, but their wrists were bound with something else. Preliminary reports suggest that it's what is technically referred to as a "deceleration cable", a very modern, possibly experimental type. It's only because one of the lab workers is an extreme sports buff that we identified it so quickly. What are the odds against it being from Robin's belt."
Again a pause, "There _was_ a length of line missing from Robin's belt, along with the spare mask he carries."
"So look at it from an outsiders point of view. We have the kid partner of Batman, found unconscious in the middle of a murder scene, next to a bunch of kids who are bound with the sort of cable Batman uses and with a mask and gloves belonging to said kid partner hanging up there WITH the bodies, in the house of a woman who runs a kiddie vice-ring that Batman has busted in the past, and who one of the _previous_ murder victims worked for. Do you see how that could be interpreted? Even by the Police who trust you here?"
"Of course I do."
"And it doesn't bother you?"
"You know me better than that, I don't care about my reputation. The sort of people I deal with assume the worst of me because that's what I want them to do. This won't do much."
"I can't think of any time you've ever been linked with a serial killer who focuses on children before, not like this. The innocents you help will be too frightening of you to trust you if word of this ever gets out."
When Batman didn't reply Gordon asked the question that worried him most, the one he hated to ask;
"How is he?"
"He'll recover, the Corinthian wasn't trying to kill him, just put him out of commission."
Gordon already knew that but it did nothing to make him feel better.
"He's young and he's strong, and he doesn't remember much about the attack, which may be for the best in the long term. I'll talk to him about it again once he's had a chance to rest, but I don't think he'll be any more help than any other eyewitness have been. I need to get back to him now."
Gordon nodded, he'd said what he'd had to say, for what that would prove to be worth.
Batman turned away, but stopped and turned back.
"Jim, if you feel you need to tell the FBI agents about Robin being there last night, you should, I'll deal with the consequences as and when they arise. If Robin provides any more information, I'll let you know, along with any other evidence I can find. And Jim…he won't be involved in this case again."
Gordon heard the sincerity in the voice and believed him, but felt he had to say something.
"He shouldn't be involved in any damn case with this lunatic on the loose. Especially not if he's targeting the boy."
Gordon was alone in the room, but he would swear he could hear a faint voice from somewhere overhead.
"I intend to deal with that matter too."
Gordon wasn't sure if he was talking about the Corinthian or Robin, and was even less sure which would prove the easier option.
Feeling no better about anything than when he had started, Gordon set out to locate Agent Pulaski, there were some things she needed to know.
"What were you thinking?!"
Gordon was furious, Batman had rarely heard him this angry, and had never had that anger directed quite so forcefully at himself before. He put down the file he'd brought with him.
"I asked you, as a favour, which I thought you understood and even, for some reason and after years of evidence to the contrary, agreed with, to leave the boy out of this case…"
"Jim…"
"Don't you 'Jim' me on this! Instead of this simple request, this reasonable simple request, what do I find? The very next night I find that same child lying handcuffed and unconscious in the middle of a multiple murder scene, having been assaulted by a serial killer. It'll take everything I have to keep reference to him out of this investigation, I've already had to tamper with evidence to remove the mask and gloves, and I've had to lie to the first two FBI agents I've actually liked in years!"
"Jim, Robin was not involved in the case in the way you're thinking. I did go to question Ma Graves about the boy who died, I'd found out he worked for her. Robin was there because they would be too scared of me. I left him looking after them so I could deal with the Firefly."
"Do you honestly think I would leave him in a position where I thought he would be in danger like that, never mind the others?"
Gordon heard something in his tone, even through his anger. Something he rarely heard from the Batman, could it actually be guilt? Given the circumstances, Gordon was prepared to accept it might be. It didn't make much difference to his mood, but he did moderate his tone just a little.
"You allow a teenager to go up against some of the most deranged madmen in the country on a regular basis and you ask me a question like that?" It was a longstanding frustration in Gordon's understanding of Batman. He had thought he understood him sometimes, had almost got to the heart of his obsession, but when the boy had joined him it had thrown his entire perceptions off. He tried to imagine how he'd feel if Barbara were to be regularly risking her life in that sort of situation, and couldn't imagine it.
"And you don't think it odd that the Corinthian struck at the one place which one of his victims considered to be home? That's not consistent with his previous habits, you've read the reports so you know that. There had to be another reason he ended up there last night."
There was a pause and Batman sounded as if the next words were being dragged out of him, Gordon could almost, but not quite, sympathise. "Yes, he deliberately followed us somehow. Or.." the pause was very noticeable this time, "..more likely followed Robin, since he didn't follow me on to the Firefly affair."
"And it gets worse. Did you check in Robin's belt for anything else that might be missing?"
"Like what?" It was clear from Batman's tone that he knew exactly what the answer would be, which didn't surprise Gordon.
"The bodies we found were strung up with fishing line, but their wrists were bound with something else. Preliminary reports suggest that it's what is technically referred to as a "deceleration cable", a very modern, possibly experimental type. It's only because one of the lab workers is an extreme sports buff that we identified it so quickly. What are the odds against it being from Robin's belt."
Again a pause, "There _was_ a length of line missing from Robin's belt, along with the spare mask he carries."
"So look at it from an outsiders point of view. We have the kid partner of Batman, found unconscious in the middle of a murder scene, next to a bunch of kids who are bound with the sort of cable Batman uses and with a mask and gloves belonging to said kid partner hanging up there WITH the bodies, in the house of a woman who runs a kiddie vice-ring that Batman has busted in the past, and who one of the _previous_ murder victims worked for. Do you see how that could be interpreted? Even by the Police who trust you here?"
"Of course I do."
"And it doesn't bother you?"
"You know me better than that, I don't care about my reputation. The sort of people I deal with assume the worst of me because that's what I want them to do. This won't do much."
"I can't think of any time you've ever been linked with a serial killer who focuses on children before, not like this. The innocents you help will be too frightening of you to trust you if word of this ever gets out."
When Batman didn't reply Gordon asked the question that worried him most, the one he hated to ask;
"How is he?"
"He'll recover, the Corinthian wasn't trying to kill him, just put him out of commission."
Gordon already knew that but it did nothing to make him feel better.
"He's young and he's strong, and he doesn't remember much about the attack, which may be for the best in the long term. I'll talk to him about it again once he's had a chance to rest, but I don't think he'll be any more help than any other eyewitness have been. I need to get back to him now."
Gordon nodded, he'd said what he'd had to say, for what that would prove to be worth.
Batman turned away, but stopped and turned back.
"Jim, if you feel you need to tell the FBI agents about Robin being there last night, you should, I'll deal with the consequences as and when they arise. If Robin provides any more information, I'll let you know, along with any other evidence I can find. And Jim…he won't be involved in this case again."
Gordon heard the sincerity in the voice and believed him, but felt he had to say something.
"He shouldn't be involved in any damn case with this lunatic on the loose. Especially not if he's targeting the boy."
Gordon was alone in the room, but he would swear he could hear a faint voice from somewhere overhead.
"I intend to deal with that matter too."
Gordon wasn't sure if he was talking about the Corinthian or Robin, and was even less sure which would prove the easier option.
Feeling no better about anything than when he had started, Gordon set out to locate Agent Pulaski, there were some things she needed to know.