The Batmobile raced through the dark, snow-covered streets of Gotham- such was its speed that, to either side, the amazing machine threw up a huge mountain of filthy snow. As he drove, Batman silently berated himself for his blindness. How many people, guilty of no more than an unfortunate addiction, had died because of his failure to make this simple connection? Beside him, Robin squirmed under the weight of his curiosity. Up until a few moments ago, Batman had been baffled by this case- you could see it in his every movement. Anyone who saw him would note the tension in his body, the uneveness of his movements, the concern and anger in his body language.But now, the Dark Knight seemed to be completely in control of himself, as though he had the entire affair solved. His partner had not explained what he had learned from his encounter with the blonde junky a few moments ago- what could the young addict have said that so energized the Dark Knight? Finally, he could take it no longer.

"Batman" he said, forcing his voice to be firm. He was honestly puzzled by t "What happened? Where are we going? What did that guy say to you?"

Batman grimaced. He realized that he had not explained things to Robin yet, and that could have proven very dangerous. Tim Drake was a better partner, in many ways, than any of his predecessors- he took orders easily, he was cool-headed and patient, and he had all the makings of a fine detective. But he wasn't a machine, and had to be told things in order to function properly.

"We're headed back to the Batcave to resupply ourselves for heavy combat. As for what happened…"

Batman let the boy yell at him for a while, partly because the dealer was already too far ahead to catch on foot and partly because the boy NEEDED to yell. Batman was familiar with the young man's state of mind- frustrated, scared, and angry- and knew it to be dangerous in a healthy person. In an addict suffering withdrawl, such feelings could easily turn violent, even murderous. Better to let him vent steam at him than at some unsuspecting innocent. More than that, though, this was WHY he had come out here tonight- to see what the mood on the street was. His intuition- the intuition every detective develops after a number of years- was telling him to listen. So he listened to the outpouring of frustration, need and vitriol until he caught something.

"…not like any of YOU care! HA! We're human beings, dammit, we're CITIZENS but no one really cares about whether we live or die! So what if a few junkies are dead, so what if all the rest are living in fear, just means the streets are that much cleaner right? RIGHT?!" Paul Krystoveraktes paused in his tirade, to marvel at a sight seen by very few. The Batman stood with his eyes wide and his mouth open, plainly in shock. " Hey, are you okay?"

The vigilante placed a hand on Paul's shoulder "Fine. Thank you." He said, and his voice was completely sincere "You've just given me the clue I need to end this nightmare." With that, the Dark Knight fired off his grapple and swung away into the night.

Robin scratched his head. "Call me thick, but I don't get it. What did he say that was such a revelation?"

Batman slammed his fist into the rim of the steering wheel "Can't you see? He said 'all the rest are living in fear'. We've been going about this all wrong! This has never been about causing death- the killings are just a means to an end. The real goal here has been to make the survivors afraid! And that, Robin, leads us to…"

"Scarecrow!" Robin shouted "But, you said it didn't seem like his sort of crime"

Batman shook his head "I was short-sighted. I couldn't see the effect because I was too focused on the means. I dismissed Crane because this crime didn't, on the surface, fit his modus operandi. I should have given it more thought, seen beneath the surface."

Robin sighed "Crane…We don't even know where he is, do we? I mean, he got out of Arkham legitimately this time."

Batman shook his head "That's because of the new rules the state put into place. Due to Arkham's soaring budget, the governor wanted to find a way to minimalize expensive hospitalization and treatment time. So a committee of experts drew up a series of 'sanity qualifications' and decreed that once a patient met all the criteria, he or she was to be released immediately. If I had to guess, I would say that Crane found out about this somehow, and feigned exactly those qualities he needed in order to be released. The asylum doctors knew he was still dangerous, but the rules were clear- Crane met the criteria and had to be released. They let him go, but sent word to myself and Gordon that Scarecrow was out. I've been having Oracle track his movements ever since."

Robin sighed. He wished that the government (state and federal) would stop interfering at Arkham. Most of their new rules and reforms only made it easier for the Rogues to escape and made life more difficult for the staff. "How long do you figure the new rules will last?"

Batman gave a brief half-smile. "After it comes out that the man they released a few months ago started killing dozens of people? You tell me."

Once back at the Batcave, the two heroes restocked their utility belts, while Oracle briefed them on what the Scarecrow had been doing for the last few months. There was little to tell- Crane appeared to be keeping his nose clean. He hadn't hired any muscle, nor purchased any of the chemicals to create his trademark fear toxin. All he had done was go to bars and walk around the docks and railyards- all perfectly legal. Oracle had checked and found that Crane had taken ownership of a warehouse a few weeks ago, as part of his new business- Bird Imports. Robin had smirked at that- Jonathan CRANE alias the ScareCROW had set up BIRD Imports.

Midnight found Batman and Robin waiting on the roof of the large dockside warehouse of Bird Imports. Presumably, this was the heart of his operation- yet there was no sign of any hired thugs patrolling the building. Nor were there any obvious traps or alarms. That made Batman concerned- the deadliest perils were usually the least obvious. He turned to his partner, and made ready to enter.

"You both have your rebreathers?" The Boy Wonder nodded and held up the small device. No larger than a hospital oxygen mask, the rebreathers were a new technology created by Wayne Industries. Powerful, miniaturized scrubbers located on either side of the device would suck in air and purify it of any harmful chemicals or diseases- thereby allowing the wearer to safely enter quarantine zones or chemical spill sites without danger.

Batman nodded in approval and said "Good, I want you to put them on now. Crane doesn't seem to be using conventional security- that means less combat, but also that he won't hesitate to douse the area in his fear gas the moment he becomes aware of our presence. Oracle wasn't able to find a recent map of the warehouse, so we don't know where Crane will be hiding, so speed and stealth are our priorities. Once we're in, maintain complete noise discipline, keep moving and stay close to me. Ready? Let's go"

Silently, Batman picked the lock on one of the windows and leapt down to the ground. Robin followed immediately thereafter, and both crimefighters landed silently. They began to move through the cavernous building, their eyes moving constantly as they searched. The warehouse was filled with large shipping crates, some wooden and some metal, which seemed to predate the current company. Dust lay thickly on the boxes, and here and there the crates had deteriorated due to time and lack of care. Eventually, the dynamic duo reached the far side of the building, and from there they saw a light in the foreman's office. Silently, they made their way up the stairs- Batman in the lead, with Robin following a few feet behind.

When they reached the top of the stairs, they peered into the large window that overlooked the warehouse floor. Inside, they could see that most of the large room was covered in laboratory equipment. Strange chemicals bubbled over bunsen burners, and a small still produced refined poisons. One whole wall was covered by a large blackboard, on which were written names and dates though what it meant was not immediately clear. In one corner, the Scarecrow- in full costume- poured a clear liquid into a large plastic drum.

Batman signaled Robin to put on his rebreather and cover him and then kicked in the door. Whirling quickly, the self-proclaimed master of fear produced a gas grenade from somewhere inside his costume. The grenade burst, but the two heroes took no notice as they rushed the spindly sociopath. Batman grabbed his enemy, and quickly had him in the Batcuffs. "It's over, Crane. Your murder spree ends now"

The Scarecrow snorted and said "What took you so long?"

A/N

This may strike you as anticlimactic. No big fight scene and so forth. But this story was meant to be a mystery- the challenge was finding who was doing it, not putting a stop to it. A big battle really didn't fit the mood of what I was trying to do.
Next chapter- All is revealed.