Chapter 93 Gotham Unexpected Events Inside Gotham, even...
The holiday passed by in a blur. Holding the books she had borrowed from the school library, Enid used the portal back to Gotham. Bruce had arranged everything flawlessly, and today Enid unusually wanted to go back by herself.
In the chaotic moment amidst the smoke, dust, and even other odors, Enid keenly caught a strange smell. She thought of the smell of pig's blood from last time, but the bustling street was clearly after get off work, with everyone hurrying to and fro. No one was injured or anything seemed amiss... She frowned.
“Father…” Enid paused, “I smell blood, a strong smell… Okay, I understand!”
Bruce was busy when he suddenly received a call from Enid. Tim happened to be nearby, so Bruce messaged Tim, saying he'd be there soon. And since Connor was there too, the two of them went together.
When Connor and Tim arrived at the street where Enid was, less than five minutes had passed since the phone call ended. Enid was relieved to see familiar faces and excitedly ran over to greet them. Connor was also quite familiar with Enid and didn't stand on ceremony. After exchanging pleasantries, he quickly used his Kryptonian abilities.
The subtle, lingering scent of blood, hidden in the air, was captured just as it was about to dissipate. Together with the walls that were not contaminated by lead, they became transparent glass panels that left nothing to hide. Connor could clearly see the corpse in his field of vision.
“I saw it, Enid wasn’t mistaken,” Connor replied calmly.
After saying that, the group hurriedly headed towards that location. Hidden behind the door and wall, the empty house was revealed thanks to Tim's excellent door-opening skills. Inside the spotless house, only a woman in a formal dress lay on a black silk bed in the very center. The woman's bleached long hair contrasted perfectly with the silk.
The pattern beneath her was composed of roses and thorns, creating an asymmetrical artistic effect with the corpse, as if this were not a murder but an exhibition artwork drawn by an artist on paper. Even the bloody smell in the air began to weaken, as if the blood of the corpse had been drained and specially treated, and even lividity had not yet appeared.
Tim crouched down, his eyes sharp, his gaze penetrating the obvious marks on the skin. He gently touched the exposed surface with his gloved hand; the degree of rigor mortis still indicated the approximate extent of the corpse's condition, and...
"The concealer she's wearing is from Wayne Enterprises. It's a new product, not officially on the market yet, but you can find it as a free gift in some stores." He knew, of course, that this concealer was more waterproof and effective than the previous generation, since he had used it before.
“Hey, it’s that…” Enid remembered which product it was. It was a discarded household item that had been released to Wayne Corporation to be sold as cosmetics. “But why did the murderer kill her?”
Enid was saddened. The passing of life, especially one that didn't follow the natural order, was the most unbearable fact, and she would grieve for every life that left her. Tim noticed her sadness and softened his voice slightly to comfort her.
"Don't worry, we'll find the killer."
"Yes, I know you can definitely do it."
Connor was also looking around at the setup. His keen senses were especially useful at this time, because there would always be some parts that were missed in the cleaned places, but unfortunately there were none here. It was as if this place had just been created, with nothing but the corpse in the very center.
“It’s strange…” Connor said, stating his discovery.
"No, that's not surprising. In fact, the absence of it is the best clue."
Upon hearing about Connor's hairstyle, Tim also looked around. Indeed, there were no clues whatsoever, neither fingerprints, footprints, nor any other skin flakes. Even using instruments yielded no reaction, not even a bloody reaction. This level of professionalism was itself a clue.
Moreover, this may not be the first case, but it certainly won't be the last.
“Searching one by one is too slow. Does Lyra have a special sensitivity to the smell of blood?” Tim frowned and looked at Enid.
Enid summoned Lyra, who was wandering outside. Lyra obediently perched on her shoulder, scanned the scene with magic, and then flew away with a clear chirp.
"Layla has already written it down."
“Very good.” Tim nodded. “I’ll film this. The next thing… well.”
Tim had to admit he was being a bit cheeky; he wanted Enid to go back first, promising to take charge of the matter until the end. Enid realized this and shook her head in disagreement.
“I also want to help, well, at least I need to translate for Layla, right? And…”
"Alright, but we need to go back to the Bat Cave first and investigate her."
“I’m with you,” Connor added quietly.
After the conversation ended, Tim took all the photos and recorded the video, then notified the police station, who hadn't even noticed anyone had been there. Back inside the Batcave, Tim skillfully used the computer to retrieve all the woman's biographical information.
"He was a doctor, and a very well-regarded one at that," Connor said, crossing his arms as he looked at the biographical information. "But unfortunately, he misjudged people."
Her biography stated that she had forgiven her cheating husband multiple times, refused help from other colleagues, and even repeatedly defended his reputation. However, everyone knew what kind of person her husband was, but unfortunately, she was too immersed in it to leave. Enid frowned, wanting to say something, but was interrupted by Lyra's message.
Leila brought new news: she had discovered two more bodies.
“Lyra has found another body. I’ve already sent you the coordinates,” Enid said immediately.
"Got it. Connor and I will head over there. You wait for us here."
Tim and Connor, fully equipped, nodded to Enid and quickly left the Batcave. Shortly after they left, Enid received a message from Jason.
Jason: I found it here too.
After Jason sent the message, he sent the video and photos to Tim, along with all the clues from the scene and information about the degree of rigor mortis in the body. Coincidentally, it was a woman who died barefoot on blue silk, wearing a white dress. Jason could clearly tell that the killer could mix the colors, rather than choosing commercially available paints.
After collecting information on the four deceased, setting aside public opinion and appearance, their biggest similarity was that they all had a cheating husband/lover.
The clues were like paint on a blank sheet of paper, beginning to become exceptionally clear and even blurring.
In fact, the murderer seems to be on the verge of being identified. Considering all the information, the murderer needs to have professional knowledge, a certain amount of wealth, and a large space, etc., after all, those silks are not cheap.
Gotham has no shortage of madmen, and even more so, no shortage of madmen who have a passion for art but no compassion.
The clues narrowed down the suspect to a few known individuals: a doctor, a lawyer, and a psychology professor. Well, upon seeing the word "psychology," Tim and Jason both had a bad feeling. After all, the last psychologist they knew was still at Arkham—and, of course, they were referring to Harley Quinn.
The most interesting thing is that all three of them have similar experiences: their fathers cheated on them, their mothers forgave them, and their mothers were eventually killed by their fathers. So the lawyer is a divorce lawyer, and the doctor is a surgeon.
“There is no fifth body in Gotham at the moment. These three people had contact with all four victims. There were no suspicious items in their homes, and their properties and places of residence were not deliberately chosen.” Tim calmly stated his findings and arranged for follow-up surveillance.
"May I?"
“I don’t recommend it,” Connor glanced at Enid. “I don’t mean to dismiss you, it’s just that he’s a madman.”
Of course, Tim and Jason agreed with Connor's opinion. To be honest, they didn't really recommend Enid to join the surveillance mission. The miniature surveillance equipment had already been arranged and was in place, and Tim would be responsible for monitoring all the equipment footage. However, Tim thought that maybe Enid could help.
"Just let Laila and Naya go with them."
"good!"
Enid was persuaded. After she spoke with Lyra and Naya, the two of them obediently monitored the other two as Tim had assigned them. Naya even volunteered to monitor all three, but Tim rejected her offer.
Night seemed to be rushing by as if being torn down, and the reckless rain after the fall almost soaked Gotham. In the night illuminated by the Bat-lights, Penguin, Two-Face, and others, Black Mask... of course, not all of them, just a few regular users, seemed to be planning to play a joke on Batman at night.
Busy, but thankfully no one was injured. The Bat-lights dimmed, the rain hadn't stopped, but it seemed as if Gotham's night had quieted down again.
Perhaps the murderer thought he could get away with it, so he opened his umbrella and dialed the number of the next victim.
The killer probably thought that Gotham, with its rain falling, could become another venue for art, then left the phone booth and slowly walked towards the designated spot, only to push open the door to welcome his next artwork.
The door opened...
He saw it, the shadows illuminated in the moonlight—Batman, and his assistants.
His art has come to an end.
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