Chapter 4
Fragrant Clues
Thanks to everyone who has left a review and who have read my story. Got bored with it for a bit, but shifted some things around and am excited about where it might go now. Forgive anything that seems too "quick". I have a problem with skipping through to the "good stuff" but also know that the trivial crap in between makes for a good story, so hopefully I can find a happy medium. Also, feel free to leave a review since seeing reviews helps me realize that people actually read this crap and want more. Anyway…let's see what the caped crusader is up to now, eh?
The night air of Gotham swirled amidst the smoke and ash rising from the stacks that jutted from the Axis Fragrances. A rusted gate topped with razor wire stood silent vigil over the concrete, steel, and iron garden within. The Batmobile hummed and whirred as its security system was enabled, locking it tight behind armor stronger than that of a tank's.
Batman surveyed the scene of Axis Fragrances and mulled over the landscape before him. Things were too quiet. The caped crusader pulled a tool from his belt and quickly cut through a portion of the fence and pushed himself through. With a few quick movements, the fence was back in place and Batman had blended into the shadows among the industrial center's courtyard.
A quick toss sent a batarang around an overhang and gave Batman access to the roof. After silently measuring distances, he moved to a spot in the roof and removed a piece of sheet metal, giving him entry to the ductwork.
"You sure about this?" A large man in a brown leather coat held up some papers and vials.
"You heard The Joker. He said to destroy everything that could be considered evidence, and that's what we're gonna do!"
"Yeah, but Tony-"
"Tony don't know nothin' about nothin' when it comes to The Joker. We work for the kook now, not that dim-witted, bad-singin', Tony."
In the ducts above, Batman listened, absorbing the conversation. Tone-Deaf Tony was partnered with the Joker. Batman smiled to himself. That could be a seriously bad career move for Tony. Batman had been after Tony for awhile, as had Commissioner Gordon, but Tony had been nigh Teflon…as nothing ever seemed to stick to the mobster. It was one of those situations where everyone knew who Tony was and what he did…just that nobody could ever prove it and Batman always seemed occupied with bigger problems.
"But what about what he was workin' on?"
"He said he don't need none of this stuff anymore…he's got what he needs now."
Batman made his move then, wanting to salvage any evidence that he could of whatever the Joker was planning. He kicked the grate out of his way at the end of the duct and landed atop one of the desks in the office. As he landed his foot squashed a file that had been set on top of the clutter strewn about the desk, and wet flatulence blasted from beneath the pile. Batman wasn't surprised by the odd placement of the whoopee cushion, but he did lament that his entrance had been made a bit less severe than he'd originally planned.
The man in the leather jacket drew a pistol and aimed it towards Batman, only to have it knocked from his hand by a streaking blur of black that carried through its flight and disarmed the other mobster as well. Both men stood holding their hands in pain and gaping as the batarang Batman had thrown returned to his hand. This he folded and placed within his belt.
The man who'd been barking orders previously hefted a vial andthrew it at Batman, who turned and caught the vial within the folds of his cape. He thenspun andlaunched the vial back towards the two men by whipping his cape in a loop around him as a toreodor would.
The vial smashed against a desk and sent the liquid inside splashing against the man in the leather jacket. The wave of fluid hit him in the chest, neck, and face and immediately began making a hissing noise. Acrid smoke filled the room, causing the other mobster to cough and Batman to pull a respirator from his belt and put it over his mouth.
The man in the leather jacket began screaming and thrashing around, the skin on his body that the liquid had touched burning. Batman tossed a flash bomb towards one of the fire sprinklers, causing it to burst and blind the other mobster. As water began drenching the three men, the caped crusader took the blinded mobster by the shirt and elbowed him between the eyes. The man grunted and fell to the floor unconscious.
Batman moved to check on the man who'd been burned. As his body rolled over, even the Dark Knight had to grimace. The man's teeth were showing through his left cheek and his eyes had gone milky white…the lids having been burned away and the orbs inside the sockets having been rendered useless. His pulse showed him to be near death in apparent shock. There was nothing that could be done for him now.
After gathering several folders and papers and some other vials, Batman placed samples of the vials into small flasks and took pictures of every document he could find in the room. After he'd finished, he placed the camera and flasks into his belt. He finished by taking a sample of the caustic soda that had burned the mobster.
Batman heard footsteps outside the door of the office and moved to the vent he'd entered the office from. He attached a line to the vent cover he'd knocked free and swung himself back up into the vent. He then pulled the vent cover up to him and pulled it back up into its pressure fitting within the duct.
Moments later four men burst into the office.
"Holy Mary Mother of God!" One of the mobsters leaned down to the man who'd been burned as another man ran to a trashcan and vomited.
"Whoa…the Joker wasn't kiddin' around when he said that stuff was dangerous…" This man checked the other mobster Batman had knocked unconscious. "Hey…Jake's still alive…and he's been worked over…"
"Who the hell could've gotten in here without us seein' em and done this?"
The four men exchanged silent glances then simultaneously drew their pistols, casting nervous glances around the room and out of the windows.
"Get the rest of this shit burned, get Jake woke up, and drag Bob-O's corpse out of here and put it in the trunk. Keep your eyes peeled and let's get this done and the fuck outta' here."
"You think it's him…I mean…The Batman?"
"You know how it goes, mook…now get movin'."
Batman had heard enough, he moved back through the duct and out onto the roof, where he made his way down and back out to the Batmobile. Once inside he pushed a button on the dashboard.
"Alfred…"
"Yes, sir?" Alfred's face appeared on the LCD in the dashboard composed and well-groomed as usual.
"I'm on my way back. Place an anonymous call to the police…tell them they need to check out Axis Fragrances immediately."
"Of course, sir. Also, the tracer you placed on the briefcase in the alley has stopped transmitting."
"What was the last good signal you received?"
"I have the address and am sending it to you now, sir."
"Excellent…thank you, Alfred."
"Of course, sir."
Batman removed the vials and camera evidence he'd retrieved at the chemical plant from his belt and placed it in the fire-proof receptacle behind the console of the Batmobile. He then removed his mask and put it back into its spot in his utility belt. After a few twists in the seat, Batman had exchanged his old utility belt for a new one that contained different tools and weapons. After getting situated, the Dark Knight stomped the accelerator to the floor and tore through the night, racing towards the address Alfred had uploaded to his GPS.
"I done told you cops…we don't know what the hell happened!" The mobster who'd been insulted by Sammy "Stretch" Tutuola earlier that night had completely forgotten about the shot taken at his mother and stood amidst the rubble surrounding the white sheet covering the corpse of his friend.
"Right…right…just another case of randomly explodin' buildings." This gruff voice belonged to Sergeant Harvey Bullock. He was a rather large man with an almost perpetual 5 o' clock shadow. His slacks were faded in the fashion of a man who paid no attention to the "dry clean only" tags in clothing, he'd missed a few buttons on his shirt, his tie was askew and had what appeared to be a mustard stain on it, and his brown trench coat was the standard stereotype model for a beat cop in Gotham.
"When was the last time you saw Mr. Tutuola?" This voice was more refined, soft and melodic, with a hint of hardened street wisdom. Detective Renee Montoya was Bullock's partner, a dark haired, dark eyed detective that would have been attractive if not for her blatant attempts at accentuating the placement of her badge and gun.
"I told you…I saw Stretch about an hour and a half ago…he told me he was goin' ta take a leak."
"Come on, Frank…give us somethin' here." Bullock knelt and pulled back the sheet covering Stretch's corpse, causing the agitated mobster to wince and turn his head. Stretch's face and neck hadn't endured the flames of the explosion very well. His teeth and most of the bones in his face were visible through the charred remnants of his skin and his eyeballs had burst and left slimy trails down the sides of his skull. "Whew…smells like somebody mighta overcooked the noodles!"
"Show some respect ya friggin' bastard!" Frank rushed forward and covered the body again.
Sergeant Bullock was about to speak when an unmarked pulled into the lot. Commissioner Gordon stepped from the vehicle and walked towards the odd trio.
"What do we have, Sergeant?" Gordon stopped and nodded at Detective Montoya. "Detective."
Montoya nodded. "Commissioner, sir."
"We got a dead mobster. Looks like he was blown up pretty good. This mook here claims he didn't see nothin' or nobody." Bullock stood and gestured towards Frank.
Frank shifted his feet and eyes nervously…and looked about ready to speak when another voice interrupted.
"It is a terrible crime that has happened here." Tone-Deaf Tony was walking towards the group of four with three other men behind him. "Sammy Tutuola was a very close friend of mine and of every man here…you can be sure that we will help you however we can."
"Well…that's good, Tony, but we're going to need a statement." Commissioner Gordon's tone was curt and less than polite.
"Of course…of course." Tony smiled and waved his hand. "We'll come to the station now to talk…yes?"
"That may not be necessary." This voice came from the shadows near the entrance to the parking lot. Batman stepped forward a moment later.
"Holy Christ we only need a freakin' lion and a guy in a hat and we got us a circus!" Sergeant Bullock stepped between Batman and the others, his hand inside his coat.
"A pleasure, as always, Sergeant." Batman strode past Bullock, giving the man a passing glance.
"Batman…" Commissioner Gordon moved past the others and fell in step beside the caped crusader. "What's going on here?"
"The Joker." Batman moved into the blasted remnants of the room and began to sift through the rubble.
"You're certain?" Gordon gave a worried frown.
In answer, Batman held up a tiny piece of unburned material. "One of the Joker's special cigars."
"What are you going to do?" Gordon dug around inside his coat and finally held out a plastic bag for the evidence Batman had collected.
"I'm out of leads at the moment…was hoping to find something more here to go on." Batman sifted through the rubble a bit more, then stood and patted his gloves together to get the dust and soot off.
"We'll let you know if we find anything…for the moment I think we're going to take Tony and his boys downtown to talk while forensics looks for anything else of interest here." Commissioner Gordon looked back at the group of mobsters with a disgusted look on his face.
"Don't expect much of a conversation from them. If they're in league with the Joker, then they've already been burned…and they're probably not too happy about letting it get out."
"Why would any businessman as smart as Tony do business with TheJoker?"
Batman gave Tony and his crew a quick glance, then looked back to the Commissioner and said gravely. "There aren't many people who can say 'no' to the Joker and keep a straight face...or keep their face straight."
Gordon stood in silence mulling this revelation over as Batman walked back towards the end of the parking lot and into the shadows.