Chapter 147: Mysterious case on a rainy night (Part 2) (Patreon)

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"When outsiders entered Living Hell, they couldn't possibly be friendly tourists, and Fish Mooney wouldn't be willing to let them take over her territory. At first, she was resolute and wouldn't back down, so there were several shootouts that occurred."

Batman continued with Gordon's voice, "The Gang Shootouts in Living Hell have been getting out of hand, and I've had to rush over there for several nights to stop them from blowing up the newly renovated buildings. In fact, the first day I went there, Fish was planning to do just that."

"When Living Hell was being renovated, I updated the water supply system there, but Fish wanted to use the device as a bomb to threaten other Gang leaders and make them leave. I stopped her."

Batman stood in the shadows of the room, wrapped in his cape, as if he didn't exist. Only his deep voice echoed in the room. Schiller asked him, "So you found out that Fish was murdered when you went to maintain law and order in Living Hell?"

Batman continued, "I had been patrolling Living Hell for several days, and today was supposed to be the last day because the Gangs' territories had already been divided, and they were about to return to peace."

"But on this night, I heard some commotion on the rooftop. When I rushed over, there were only two people in the room: Fish Mooney, who was already dead, and Oswald Copperpot."

Schiller turned to Gordon and asked, "So, Detective Gordon, why are you so concerned about this case? As far as I know, at least ten Gang leaders have died in Gotham this year alone. I don't think Fish was that special."

"Indeed." Gordon nodded and answered, "Mooney's gang is not very large in scale in Gotham. In fact, Living Hell wasn't very profitable, and Fish was one of the poorer Gang leaders."

"Brock told me that he just had dealings with Fish a few days ago. It was a murder case that happened on Greene Street. Of course, that case didn't amount to much."

"The key is that Brock told me that Fish was completely crazy. She had serious mental problems and was a sadist."

"And the reason I'm paying so much attention to Fish's death is that it involves an important figure."

"Who?" Schiller asked.

"The Godfather's son, Evans Falcone."

"Evans? How did he get involved in this?" Schiller asked in confusion. "Two days ago, I called him to the office to guide his thesis, and I didn't feel that there was anything wrong with him."

Gordon sighed and said, "Living Hell is the first step in Gotham's renovation project, and the old Godfather is very concerned about it. The heads of the Twelve Families are also the same. It's such an important matter, so the old Godfather would naturally send someone he trusts to keep an eye on it."

"I don't think Falcone would send Evans, even I know that Evans isn't mature yet."

"But what if young Falcone wanted to go?"

Gordon paused and said, "I heard this from our new police chief. You know he's Falcone's man."

"He told me that young Falcone was acting a bit impatiently. He proposed to the Godfather that he wanted to personally supervise the situation in Living Hell. The Godfather didn't say no, but it seems that in the end, he agreed."

"Perhaps he is starting to feel a sense of crisis." Batman's low voice came from the corner of the room. Unlike Gordon's anxious tone, his tone was always calm and certain.

"New Mayor Roy is Falcone's protégé, and he's doing quite well."

Gordon nodded, and Batman continued, "Roy is not much older than Evans. He doesn't have a high level of education, but he's a pragmatic doer. Gang leaders like this kind of person more. After all, Roy's background is more similar to theirs, and they have more to talk about."

"But this makes the original heir, young Falcone, a bit awkward." Gordon shrugged and said, "It's normal for him to feel anxious."

"So he convinced the old Godfather to let him participate in the affairs of Living Hell?"

"Yes, that's why I'm feeling the pressure now." Gordon rubbed his forehead.

"As I said before, Fish was a crazy woman. She had a violent temper and didn't listen to anyone's advice. She was also reckless and didn't even care about the Godfather's son."

"When Evans arrived in Living Hell, he naturally wanted to mediate the conflicts between the Gangs. He had several conflicts with Fish."

"Evans, of course, hoped that Fish would sit down and talk with the other Gang leaders to peacefully resolve the matter and demonstrate his mediation skills. But Fish refused outright."

"We have a informant in Mooney's gang, and he reported to us that Fish is almost completely insane. She started beating her subordinates and even wanted to kill people indiscriminately..."

"Wait." Schiller interrupted Gordon and said, "Could Copperpot be one of the victims?"

Gordon sighed again, looking a bit tired. He said, "That's what I suspect too. Although I don't know what that kid was doing under her thumb, he definitely seemed like a target for the madwoman's outbursts. He had no resistance at all, and sadists like to torture people like that..."

Schiller didn't say anything, just gestured for Gordon to continue. After taking a sip of water, Gordon continued, "The conflict between Fish and Evans is getting more and more intense. There have been several close calls where things almost escalated."

"Technically, Evans shouldn't be afraid of Fish. He's the heir to the Falcone family, and all Twelve Families have to listen to him."

"But he's eager to prove himself and wants to resolve this on his own, so he doesn't want anyone else to help him. But he's too impatient, and as a result, he hasn't resolved the issue with Fish and the other gang leaders from out of town don't have a good impression of him either. They think he's dragging his feet and not acting like a true Gotham gangster."

"But the result is that Fish is dead, and all the out-of-town gang leaders think Evans did it. They're all scared and won't listen to him anymore. Some of the Twelve Families are also unhappy with Evans' actions."

Gordon spread his hands on the table and said, "He dawdled at the beginning, holding unrealistic fantasies of peaceful evolution, and in the end, he got angry and resorted to assassination. That doesn't look good at all."

"Our new commissioner is an old associate of the Godfather, and he's still not sure about the Godfather's attitude. After all, he's his biological son, and the Godfather can't just give up on him."

"So, the new commissioner hopes I can solve the case quickly, even if it means finding a poor scapegoat, to clear Evans' name and keep the heir to the Falcone family from looking so foolish and affecting the Godfather's prestige."

Gordon slapped the table with his palm and said, "That's why I asked you to come in the middle of the night. We want to find a breakthrough from that kid named Oswald."

"It seems that you don't want to exonerate Evans but want to find the real truth."

"I don't want to exonerate anyone, even if Fish was crazy and deserved to die, I still want to find the real culprit."

Schiller stood up, and Gordon followed suit. Gordon said, "Professor Rodriguez, I know that over the years, you've been tracking some brutal serial killers and have records of solving major cases around the world."

"I admit, I need your help now, but I can't offer you any decent rewards..."

Gordon sighed and said, "This case involves too much power, and if we can't solve it quickly, I'm afraid..."

Schiller turned to look at him, and Gordon's face looked a bit haggard under the light, and his expression seemed very embarrassed.

This detective was no longer young, and his face had wrinkles that showed signs of age. Schiller said to him, "You should be more aware than I am. This is a struggle between the heirs of the Falcone family, and it may also involve the next candidate for the underground king of Gotham."

"Anyone in Gotham could be shattered in this vortex, including you, Detective Gordon." Schiller's tone was very serious, and he said sternly, "Trying to investigate the truth in such a vortex may mean that tomorrow, you will be lying dead on the street..."

"He won't." Batman's voice came. "If there's only one good person left to protect in Gotham, I can at least help him survive the next day."

Schiller stared at Batman, and Batman looked back at him. A silent atmosphere pervaded between the two, and Schiller had almost forgotten when was the last time he had a conversation with Batman like this.

Finally, he sighed and said to Gordon, "This matter does have something to do with me. Living Hell is the first step in Gotham's transformation, and it's of great importance. If there's any violent conflict at this critical moment, even if you don't invite me, Falcone will invite me. If Evans has a problem, as his family's tutor, I still have to deal with Rotten's mess."

Gordon opened the door for him as he walked ahead. Schiller walked out of the door with his head down, muttering to himself, "I knew I wouldn't be able to live peacefully here for long..."

When they arrived at the morgue, the forensic doctor had already left. Gordon dragged Fish's body out of the freezer, and Schiller lifted the white cloth to take a look. Fish's head had been hit by a bullet.

Gordon uncovered the white cloth and said, "The fatal wound was the bullet to the head. There were no injuries anywhere else on the body, and the forensic report basically ruled out other possible causes of death."

"Well, he was shot in the head, and the person who did it was quite civilized."

Gordon shrugged and said, "This sounds like a black joke, but it's also the truth. In these years in Gotham, the bodies I've seen the most are the ones that have been riddled with bullets. If only the head was shot, then the person who did it is already considered civilized."

Schiller silently stared at the body for a while, and Batman also walked over, equally silent. Finally, Gordon couldn't stand the atmosphere anymore. He tilted his head to the left, looked at Schiller, and then tilted his head to the right, looking at Batman, and asked, "So, have you two figured anything out?"

"We see the same thing as you do."

"Okay, now let's organize our investigation plan." Schiller spoke first. "Gordon, you should follow the lead of Evans and continue the investigation. After all, your director is on Falcone's side. You can use the excuse of helping Evans clear his name to get assistance from your director. Batman will investigate the other gang leaders to see if they have any suspicion of committing the crime."

"As for me, I am the only possible eyewitness at the scene and I am currently suffering from acute stress disorder. I need to go see a doctor for treatment. If I can get his testimony, things will be much easier."

"Also," Batman stared at Schiller, "we cannot rule out the suspicion of Copperpot committing the crime. After all, besides the victim, he was the only one present. It's possible that he killed Fish first and then pretended to be unconscious."

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Next Chapter >>Chapter 148 The Mysterious Case of a Rainy Night (Part 3)