Chapter 575: Lex's Gotham Journey (Part II) (Patreon)

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At this moment, Batman stood in the doorway, facing a menacing Thomas, who had Lex's neck in a vice-like grip. On one side of the two men, Copperpot held a blood-stained dagger aloft.

The cold low light made the scene freeze, time momentarily halted, and then began to rewind.

As the soft morning light bathed Wayne Manor, Bruce was already in his study. He had placed the Ark Reactor model he obtained from Schiller within arm's reach, but at this moment, he wasn't examining the model. Instead, he focused on his previous work.

He hadn't forgotten that he was investigating the deaths of the Elliott couple, which had led him to look into Falcone.

However, the investigation into Falcone had hit a dead end. Every event in this city seemed connected to him, yet unrelated at the same time.

This train of thought had stalled, so Bruce switched to another approach. He revisited the crime scene, collecting numerous clues and details. One particular detail caught his attention—the footprints of the Elliott couple.

It had rained recently, and some of the ground's mud and dust hadn't completely dried. This allowed for the collection of information on tire and footprints.

The tire marks indicated that the Elliotts had parked their car on the main road, exited the car, and walked into the alley leading to the location where they were killed. Their walking appeared entirely normal, with no signs of haste or anxiety in their strides.

In other words, they hadn't been chased or forced into the alley; they had entered it willingly.

Bruce examined the photos of the footprints, narrowing his eyes as he envisioned the scene. In a dimly lit alley, the two figures gradually made their way toward the end. Bruce turned his head slightly and noticed one unusual thing—the alley's end housed a music store.

If the Elliotts had willingly entered the alley, their destination could only have been that music store.

However, the purpose of the Elliotts' visit should have been to meet with the Falcone Family. So why would they go to a music store?

Such stores primarily sold cassette tapes, and even the better records weren't typically found there. Falcone wouldn't have shown an interest in such items.

As far as Bruce knew, the Elliott family wasn't in a position to challenge the Falcone Family. Even if they were angry, they would bring a suitable gift when visiting the old godfather, as was customary.

The Elliotts weren't so hard-pressed that they could only afford low-quality gifts. Even if they were buying records, they would have chosen high-quality ones, not browsing a music store.

Bruce recalled a detail from a certain party where Thomas had invited others to his home to listen to CD tracks, claiming to have a CD player and a collection of recorded discs.

Discovering the CD could be a clue, Bruce set aside the materials in his hand and headed to the music store at the end of the alley.

Upon entering the store, Bruce realized it didn't carry many CDs; it primarily sold cassette tapes and vinyl records. After questioning the owner, he learned that CDs weren't in stock.

CDs had only started gaining popularity in the mid-1990s, and it was now the early 1989s. CDs were still a novelty, and the owner didn't stock them to avoid being stuck with unsold inventory. To purchase one, customers had to place an order and come back when it arrived.

Bruce chatted with the owner, mentioning his interest in CDs and wanting to place an order for a batch. The owner was enthusiastic and dropped some valuable information.

As Bruce had expected, the last person to place an order here was Thomas, and the scheduled pickup date coincided with the day the Elliotts were killed.

The Elliotts had entered the alley to pick up their son's order, but before they could reach the music store, they were fatally shot.

At this point, the answer was becoming clear. The only remaining question was: What was the killer's motive?

The Thomas Bruce knew was an ordinary person, generally kind-hearted, polite, and of average achievement. He attended parties and was a typical rich second-generation individual.

To Bruce's knowledge, Thomas had a good relationship with his parents, being their only child. His parents had invested heavily in his upbringing, providing both material and emotional support. There were no reports of major conflicts, and Thomas had no apparent reason to murder his own parents.

To unravel this mystery, Batman visited the Gotham Police Department to find Gordon and request another interrogation of Thomas.

Batman shared his deductions regarding the Elliott couple's death with Gordon, who found them reasonable. Gordon also noted something else, saying, "Have you noticed that the murder case in the dormitory where Thomas was arrested seemed a bit too straightforward?"

"I rarely encounter such simple cases in Gotham. Even if gangs commit crimes with brutal methods, they're skilled at covering their tracks. The remaining lunatics always leave various clues to draw people's attention..."

"Moreover, when Thomas was arrested, he didn't resist, which is exceptionally rare in Gotham. If everyone behaved like him, our interrogation rooms wouldn't be in such a sorry state."

"If I hadn't reviewed his file and learned he was a local from Gotham, I wouldn't believe he could be so calm when arrested."

Batman narrowed his eyes and said, "Unless he intentionally staged this case to cover up another murder.""When the Elliott couple died, he should have been in prison with ample evidence of his absence. Therefore, even though I have gathered some clues, with these clues, I can't convict him," said Gordon, frowning. "But it doesn't make sense," he continued. "Murdering the members of the La La Dance Troupe is one thing, and murdering his own parents is another. He has no reason to commit one murder to exonerate himself from another because the sentencing for both murder cases would be similar, with only a slight difference if he were convicted of killing his parents."

"If he killed the La La Dance Troupe members to create an alibi for himself, he might spend decades in prison. If he doesn't create that alibi and goes to jail for murdering his parents, he would also spend decades there. So, why bother with an alibi when he'd end up in prison either way?" Batman speculated. "Unless he's confident that he can overturn the La La Dance Troupe murder case," Batman deduced. "Remember, shortly after Doris was murdered, another member of the troupe was killed, followed by a third..."

"This looks very much like a serial murder case. The initial case's culprit, Thomas, is in jail, but the case continues, and new victims keep appearing. People might start thinking that Thomas is innocent, and the real serial murder case perpetrator is still at large," Gordon covered his forehead and said, "Indeed, everyone is saying it's a serial murder case now; the characteristics are too obvious."

Batman, however, shook his head and said, "No, it's quite the opposite. This isn't a serial murder case."

"How do you know?" Gordon asked. "I remember Schiller saying that serial murder cases have commonalities among victims, as well as similarities in the locations and methods of murder. This case seems to fit those characteristics perfectly."

Batman shook his head again and said, "Did Schiller tell you that real serial murder cases are intentionally linked, with the culprits deliberately creating those connections?"

While Gordon was still contemplating, Batman continued, "And these killers are desperately erasing evidence. They are different from those psychopathic lunatics; they don't kill for pleasure, but solely to kill."

"I think Thomas likely has an accomplice. After he was arrested for one murder, his partner continued committing crimes on the outside to exonerate him," Batman explained.

At that moment, an unexpected visitor arrived at the police station—Harvey Dent. When he entered Gordon's office, Gordon walked up and embraced him, saying, "Long time no see, you're back from your vacation?"

"Yes, in fact, I was called back. Can you guess who called me back?"

"Who?"

"The Elliott family's lawyer. They want me to defend their client, Thomas Elliott, and prove his innocence."

"As expected," Batman spoke in a low voice. "Is their defense argument based on the idea that the murders of the La La Dance Troupe members should be considered a serial murder case? We arrested Thomas, yet the case is ongoing, suggesting he's not the perpetrator."

Harvey raised an eyebrow and said, "How did you know? His statement matches what you just said."

"Can the defense be successful?" Gordon asked.

"If I handle it, there's a possibility," Harvey replied without false modesty, simply stating the facts.

"This is getting a bit complicated," Gordon frowned, feeling the pressure. However, at that moment, a police officer rushed into his office and exclaimed, "Commissioner! Something's wrong! Thomas Elliott escaped while being transferred from the police station to the prison!"

All present were stunned for a moment. Gordon immediately asked, "Why? Why would he escape? Wasn't he planning to defend himself?"

Clearly, they all realized that Thomas's actions were contradictory. If he refused to acknowledge guilt and sought legal representation to prove his innocence, he should have stayed put, waiting for legal proceedings to take effect. Escaping through violence meant he had lost any chance of defense and essentially admitted to the murders.

His behavior was inconsistent, leaving them puzzled. However, Batman knew he had to stop Thomas; they couldn't allow a crazed murderer to roam freely in the city.

Following the clues provided by the police, Batman tracked Thomas's escape. The process was far from smooth for Thomas; his head was injured, and he had sprained his ankle, leaving behind numerous traces. Batman followed these traces and arrived at Gotham University's laboratory, where he encountered Lex and Copperpot.

At that moment, with Lex in his grip, Thomas uttered a shocking statement, "I didn't come here to kill! I came to protect my fiancée! There's a crazed serial killer on the loose! She's in danger!"

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 576: Stitched Together (Part 1)