Disclaimer
The characters used in this story belong to DC comics and Warner Bros. I have used them in this story which is a product of my own imagination
Any other names and characters created in this story do not have any resemblance with the original persons or characters, if they exist.
Chap 28
In the bat-cave
"Tell me you've got good news!" Superman heard a weary voice as he entered. For a moment , he did not believe that it was Batman's voice, although he could see him right in front of me.
"Well that depends on what you call good!" Superman said, "I see you don't have good news. Was your line broken?"
"Well, that depends on how you define a broken line!" Batman said, as he moved to the computer , "I've learned some things which are of interest."
"Well, I've learned a few things too!" Superman said, as he pulled the chair towards him, "And to me, they were baffling!"
"What about you, Nightwing?" Batman spoke, his eyes fixed on the screen.
Nightwing stepped out of darkness. "Thank God, you're here, Superman!"
"I beg your pardon!" Superman frowned.
"Bruce…I mean Batman wouldn't let me share what I've got until you came. I've been dying to share what I've found out!" Nightwing said, almost jumping with enthusiasm.
"Go ahead!" Superman nodded.
"Turns out, there are no records of the case whatsoever!" Nightwing slapped his wrist, trying to draw batman's attention. But he was too busy staring at the screen.
Superman thought that he should humor the kid, although it was very much the gist of his own experience. "What! Where have you been, and how did you find out?"
"Well I hacked into the Metropolis police records!" Nightwing said, visibly excited.
"What!" Superman shook his head in disbelief, "and you let him do that, Bruce!"
"The means are not important, Superman!" Batman replied calmly, "What we need is information, and in order to obtain the reliable information in a short time, some unethical means need to be adopted."
"Hey! I only read the data!" Nightwing protested, "It would be unethical if I had changed the data. Being a citizen of this country, I have the right to information!"
"Certainly you do, but this is not the way to exercise your right!" Superman interjected.
"Comm'on!" Nightwing was disappointed.
"Don't worry about him, Nightwing! I think your piece fits into the puzzle at the right spot." Batman said, "So, you are sure that the case hasn't been recorded."
"Yes, I am!" Nightwing nodded.
"And you, Superman?" Batman turned to him.
"Well, I still don't approve of your methods, but, never mind! Even I learned that there is no real case, and that advertisement was a hoax."
"And…" Batman nodded, encouraging him to continue.
"How do you figure that I have more?" Superman frowned.
Batman took a step forward. "Well, there are many signs, but let's not get into that. What else have you got?"
"Ok, I'll tell you what I have, and you decide whether it is important. First, the paper never came out in print that day. Second, it was supposed to be an ad, given by a lady, and the editor who approved the ad has been removed from the job. The chief editor is not happy about it though. And thirdly, the woman who gave the ad was 6 feet tall and blonde. Now blonde hair can be a wig and 6 feet tall clearly suggests that…"
"Diana…" Batman completed the line for him.
Superman stared at him for a while, and then resumed, "Or, her sister, of course, if that's what you want to point out. But it is highly unlikely that her sister would've given the ad, because she was the victim!"
Batman nodded. "Do you know where this editor who was fired lives?"
Superman shook his head slowly, "I'm afraid I didn't ask him!"
Batman sighed. "Well then do you know what time of the day the lady walked into the office with her ad?"
Superman grew frustrated. How could he have missed that!.
"No, I didn't! That Chief editor was sucking the life out of me, and I couldn't just ask him anything I wanted!"
"Cool down, Clarke! This is not to intimidate you! I just wanted to know if you had any additional information." Batman spoke in an appeasing tone, but Superman could only see the sarcasm in it.
"All right, Bruce! What have you got?" Superman asked.
Batman cleared his throat and began "I talked to Mark…I mean..talked to, Mark. And unlike what we'd expect, he was frightened to death!" he turned to Superman, "Now, I don't want to jump to conclusions, but I believe that Mark had nothing to do with the attacks on Bruce Wayne. It was someone else. But, let's come back to that later. I did ask him about the hospital. And he said - Charge me with anything you want, send me to any prison in the world, but don't let her get me! He almost begged me to take him into my custody."
"And by her…he meant…" Superman raised his eye brows.
"Actually, I could get it from him! But yes, that is one possibility!" Batman nodded.
"But why would she do that? She is a superhero!" Nightwing said.
"Vengeance, I suppose!" Superman said, as his fists clenched.
Batman remained quiet, lost in thought.
"You don't believe it's her?" Superman asked.
"I don't know what to believe! Perhaps I am prejudiced!" Batman spoke.
"Prejudiced towards her?" Superman asked.
"May be!" Batman nodded absently, "I don't know why, but I have this feeling that I am missing something – something very obvious! If it is evidence that Diana wants, then this man is ready to confess, and so there is no point in pursuing him and complicating things so much, unless she's really up to something else! Well, it can happen that Mark is lying. But why does he need to lie? He confessed to me, and looked as if he would confess before the court of law too. And then there is the case of his mother, to further complicate the things."
"Well, I thought the mother's case was established. She must've tried to come forward as a witness, and hence, was put out of the way. I see they are fairly disconnected." Superman remarked.
"Well, under the present circumstance, yes! And if this is the final state of our investigation, then Diana…" Batman stopped abruptly, "This is not right, Clarke! Something is not right…I REALLY AM MISSING SOMETHING ABVIOUS HERE!"
-
Hawk Girl and team, as they agreed to call themselves, reached the address given by the maid.
"Well, the door is locked!" Flash said, as he inspected the entrance.
"Not for long!" Hawk Girl said, lifting her club.
"Wait!" GL shouted, "This might be booby trapped. Let me check first!"
"All right!" Hawk Girl sighed, "Go ahead!"
Just then, they heard the door knob click. Someone was trying to open it from inside.
"Stay back, everybody!" GL signaled as he held his guard.
The door opened slightly , and a short elderly man popped his head out of the door. He stared at them for a while, and then all of a sudden, jumped in joy.
"I don't believe you are here! God has answered my prayers!" the old man said in exhilaration.
"We are the Justice…" Jonn began to introduce them.
"I know…I know…" the old man interjected, "You came from the heavens to save me! Please come in, please!" He held GL's hand and dragged him in. The others followed.
"We wanted to clarify a few things!" GL said, authoritatively. "It'll be good if you can cooperate with us."
The old man sank into his armchair and lit a pipe. "How can I help you?"
"I want to…"GL started, but was interrupted by Diana.
"No, first you tell us, in what way can we help you? Were you anticipating our visit?"
"I was," the old man coughed a little, and resumed, "I was hoping that you'd come! I was praying that you'd come! Is Superman on his way?"
They looked at each other.
"Are you in some kind of trouble?" Hawk Girl asked.
"Someone wants to kill me!" The old man shivered.
"What? Who?" Hawk Girl demanded.
"I..I don't know! But I get these letters, like everyday! You see," he pulled out a bunch of letters from his drawer and handed them to Hawk Girl. "I don't know who he is, or what harm I ever incurred to him, but I get one of these everyday."
"So you're still alive! Don't you worry, today is going to be the last day of your life! - "Hawk Girl read the contents aloud, "Strange! What time do you get these letters?"
"Every morning!" he replied.
'Who delivers them to you?"
"I don't know. I see them in my mail box. And then, when I asked the mail guy about it, he said he didn't know!"
GL took the letters from Hawk girl. "This is remarkable! See," he held them to Diana, "It's like one letter has been photocopied multiple times, but actually it has been written down, every single time. Such precision!"
The old man sat back in the chair and puffed his pipe and then coughed heavily. For some reason, Hawk girl found the pipe and the smoke very distracting.
"And look at this! There is a watermark on the paper!" Jonn pointed out, "The Smiths!"
"You mean…" Hawk girl pulled the papers back from Jonn to get a better look.
"We've talked to Berta, your faithful house maid!" Flash began.
"Berta!" the old man raised his eye brows, but before he could speak, his cough grew violent and the pipe dropped from his hands. He vomited blood on his arm chair and before Hawk Girl could hold him, he crashed onto the floor.
"What the devil…" Hawk Girl swore as she took him into her arms. The man had passed out.
"Is he…" Flash shuddered to complete.
Jonn felt his pulse and then heart.
"He's gone!