Doctor Arkham tapped his fingers on his big oak desk as he waited for Edward to be brought up to him. He already had the tape recorder set up and the chair opposite his desk was fully capable of restraining any problem patient that came his way.
There was three knocks at the door.
"Come in" the door opened and Edward was escorted in, with a guard on each arm. "Well, Edward, take a set" he signalled for Edward to be place right in front of him. "How are we feeling today, Edward? Any better than we did on Wednesday?"
Edward didn't respond. He was looking down at the handcuffs and wriggling his wrists to get them more comfortable. Then his mind went back to Tuesday and how Batman had caught him with little effort.
"Are you not going to respond to me Edward?" Dr Arkham left that hanging in the air for a few moments. Then he decided a different approach. "You cannot have the cuffs off yet Edward, maybe in a few sessions when I know where you're at and what you intend to do while here. So after a few sessions you can prove to me that you're not going to be a problem, the restrains will be negotiable, until then, the cuff stay on."
It wasn't the answer Edward had been looking for, but it was enough to clear up the question and not have to ask more on the subject.
"Now, Edward, I asked, how are you feeling today?" Dr Arkham pressed down on the tape recorder and officially started the session. "Patient Interview One. Patients name is Edward Nigma, also known as the Riddler. So Edward, how are you feeling today?"
With the session officially started, Edward knew that if he complied with what was going on he would be a step closer to more privileges and getting out of these restraints.
"I feel a significant amount better than I did the night I was returned here. I'm still slightly angry on the matter of how Batman knew where to find me, but I'm sure there probably isn't an answer." He looked down at his cuffs and wished about having them off again.
"Actually I might be able to answer that." He reached into his desk and pulled out a plastic sleeve with a tiny little bat shaped tracking device. "This was found on your costume after it was taken off you. So this was probably the reason Batman was able to track you."
Edward looked into the sleeve. He didn't know how Batman was able to get that into or onto his suit, but it was obvious that Batman not wearing a mask had been at the bank on Tuesday, but who?
"So that little GPS was the reason Batman was able to track me back to my hideout and well, bring me back here?" Edward signed. "I guess the clears that up." Edward trailed off. He wanted to know who at the bank had been Batman in his day life.
The session continued, but not as well as Dr Arkham had hoped. He wanted to get more out of Edward, but Edward was keeping everything close. Sure he had interviewed Edward many times before, but he had hoped that this day might be different.
"Well that's the end of the session, is there anything that you'd like to ad before we finish?" Arkham asked as he waited for the tape to run out.
"No, I'm fine with what we talked about today Doctor." Edward faked smiled at the Doctor. The tape ran out and began rolling on the reel.
The door opened then Aaron Cash and William North walked in to take Edward back to his isolation cell.
"See you again on..." Dr Arkham paused and looked down at his diary on his desk. He was all booked up until next Tuesday. "I'll see you again on Tuesday. Is nine am fine with you Edward? Or would you like a more convenient time? If you're busy all you have to do is say." He joked.
Edward looked at him. The joke had been noted but not noted as being funny. "See you on Tuesday at nine then doc." Edward was escorted out of the room.
When the door closed, Dr Arkham breathed a sigh of relief. He was worried about the joke he had made at the end. He was worried that Edward might have retaliated in a violent way, but thankfully his fears were not realized. He reached into his desk and pulled out a small bottle of whisky and a glass. Pouring himself a generous amount, he lifted the glass to his lips and let the alcohol wet his lips. After one session with Edward Nigma, he needed the pick me up.
After the restraints were taken off and Edward was alone in his cell in the dark. He sat down on his mattress and decided that he was going to figure out who had been at the bank robbery and who was Batman.
Edward closed his eyes and concentrated hard. He needed to look into his memory for something. True he had a photographic memory, but he needed quiet and concentration to be able to call back an image from a few days ago when he had been high on adrenaline. Then the image he had been looking for came to mind. Clear as day.
Ok, there are ten people all together, the three people that were working at the windows. All wearing the bank issue red jackets. Then there was six old ladies paying their bills and withdrawing money. The lady with blond dyed hair, then the lady in the pink top next to her, sitting in a chair by some plants was a lady in a pleated skirt. Two women wearing the same ugly hats were being served, the one staff member that had been taken down to the vault and finally. BRUCE WAYNE.
"Bruce Wayne..." Edward said quietly to himself. It all made sense. He had crawled up to him and planted the tracer on his suit. Sure Bruce might have gotten close enough to do it and he was the only other man in the building apart from the Riddler's henchmen and himself. BRUCE WAYNE WAS BATMAN.
Edward had finally solved the greatest riddle of all. He stretched out his arms as wide as the cramped cell would allow him. He had done it. He was a genius. Edward Nigma was truly the World's Greatest Detective.
Sunday afternoon, shower day at Arkham. Edward and the Joker were taken out of isolation and given fifteen minutes to have a shower. Edward quickly went into the stall that had a working lock and a hot water tap. It was one of the few showers in Arkham that had this luxury.
"Oh Edward, I need the hot water to keep my hair all nice and green." Joker said as he leaned over the door and tried to unlock the door.
Then a daytime guard tapped him on the back with his baton. "Just get into an empty stall and get showering." Joker stopped trying to get into the shower stall with Edward and went to the other stall with a hot water tap and started up his usual singing routine.
Edward then continued undressed and turned the hot water tap on all the way. This was his second shower since he got here. He had been here since Wednesday and was sure that he smelled bad. Using the tiny bar of soap to clean his body and wash his hair he managed to get most of the dead skin off and the smell of the soiled mattress off him. Edward always took pride in preening himself. In the few days that he had been in isolation he had started to get a little bit of shadow. If left any longer it might turn into a fully fledged beared, something he didn't want.
He quickly got out of the shower, as not to use up all of his time and give Joker more hot water, he got dressed and stepped out of the stall. "Guard, is there a razor or something available?"
The guard looked at him shocked. It wasn't something out of the ordinary. Whenever Edward had a shower he always shaved. The guard rummaged around in the cupboard and found a clean safety razor. It was blunt as anything but it was better than nothing. Edward went back into his stall and used the tiny mirror to shave. Edward wiped his face down with his towel. He looked good when he was clean shaven, better than the rest of the Rouges that for sure.
"That's it you two, times up." Announced one of the guards and turned off the main water tap, then Joker stopped singing.
"I wasn't done. I need a few more minuted to get all of Batsy out of my hair. He always does a number on me when he's going to bring me back.
"I said times up Joker." Then Joker stepped out of the stall fully dressed and dry. He clearly just had the water running even though he wasn't in the shower.
"You know it's a waste of water Joker." Joker only smiled in response.
Edward and Joker were locked up in their isolation cells respectively. Edward waited for his eyes to adjust. Then he did something he had wanted to do since last night. He sat down next to the hole in the wall between his cell and Joker's and leaned a little closer and whispered into the hole.
"Joker, can I ask you something?"
"YES EDWARD, I WILL TAKE YOU TO THE BALL, BUT I GET TO WEAR THE DRESS." The Joker let out a deafening and began kicking his door.
"No, I'm serious. I need to ask you something that is really important."
"Go on Edward."
To be continued...
R&R? PLEASE?