Chapter 750: Bat Night Talk (Part 1) (Patreon)

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In a room within the Gotham Grand Theater, Schiller sat across from the troubled theater owner, who introduced himself as Andover, the proprietor of the Angelica Troupe. He began, "I am Andover, the owner of the Angelica Troupe. Angelica was the name of my great-grandmother, and my grandfather founded this troupe using that name. Initially, we were just a small theater group, but by the time it reached my father's generation, the Angelica Troupe had gained considerable renown."

"I've been in charge of this troupe for over twenty years now, and we've toured the entire East Coast, including some cities in the west. But we've never encountered such a dangerous situation before..."

The theater owner sighed deeply and continued, "A few days before the play was scheduled to begin, one of our lead actresses passed away. This is not a good omen, considering we've already distributed our playbills throughout the city. If we were to postpone the performance now..."

Schiller placed his hands on the desk, fingers intertwined, and looked at the theater owner. "I'm sorry to hear that. But may I ask, what led your troupe to decide to perform in Gotham?"

"It was my grandfather's dream," Andover replied. "He wanted the theater troupe he founded to conquer the entire East Coast, and Gotham City was the last piece of the puzzle. We needed to deliver a perfect performance here. But who could have known..."

Schiller nodded, understanding that Gotham City had a way of making the least-desired scenarios come true.

"Let's talk about the deceased. I've heard of Miss Vicky. Did she have any enemies within the troupe, or was she particularly close to someone?"

The theater owner hesitated for a moment, then said, "Vicky was well-liked by everyone in the troupe. Many of the female actresses admired her, while the male actors were impressed by her beauty and acting skills."

"As for close relationships... Well, as the rumors suggest, she was actually in a relationship with Alex, but they never wanted to make it public. Not many people within the troupe knew about it, but I happened to stumble upon it once, and I promised to keep their secret..."

As Schiller took notes, he nodded and asked, "So, what about those individuals who weren't part of the troupe?"

"Oh, it's like this," the theater owner explained. "In the circle of theater troupes on the East Coast, it's customary to allow backstage visits before a performance. People who have an interest in the play can come backstage to meet the actors."

"When they see the actors and the backstage props, they might go back and talk to their friends or family about it, generating more interest in the play. It's a marketing strategy for selling tickets."

The theater owner continued, "Just yesterday, Mrs. Goth contacted the theater through our telephone line. She claimed to be a passionate theater enthusiast and wanted to visit the backstage today to meet the lead actress. I agreed."

"But I didn't expect her to bring so many people with her, including her daughter, a shipping merchant named Vit, Vit's son, and that overweight man, Leon. Although I wasn't too happy about so many people entering backstage, I still courteously received them. After all, Mrs. Goth wields a lot of influence."

"Is that so? What does she do for a living?" Schiller inquired.

At this point, Gordon, who had been standing nearby, chimed in, "The Goth family has a background in shipping as well. However, after Mrs. Goth took over, they expanded into shipbuilding. In Gotham, aside from the Wayne Family, the Goth family is one of the prominent shipbuilding families."

"So, what's the relationship between Mrs. Goth and Mr. White?" Schiller asked.

Gordon checked his notes and said, "According to previous inquiries, Miss Goth and young Vit are in a romantic relationship. This time, Vit came from another city to assess the Goth family's capabilities."

"In general, the Vit family might become a significant customer for the Goth family's shipbuilding business because Vit's shipping business requires a constant supply of cargo ships. Both Mr. White and Mrs. Goth are aware of this, so there's a tendency for these two families to form a connection."

Schiller nodded in understanding and then stood up. "Let's go take a look at the crime scene."

The theater owner was escorted away by another officer for further questioning. Gordon and Schiller proceeded to the room where Miss Vicky had died. At that moment, they heard footsteps approaching from behind.

Schiller turned around and saw a police officer leading Bruce up the staircase. He asked, "You're back so soon? Don't you want to rest a little longer?"

Bruce shook his head. His expression had returned to normal, no longer as vacant as before. Although he still looked a bit tired, his spirits had improved considerably.

"What did Selena want from you?" As the three of them walked towards the room, Schiller inquired.

"Dick wanted to come home from school, but since Alfred and I were both away, Wayne Manor's telephone couldn't be reached. So, his teacher called Selena, and she brought Dick back."

"I thought it was something important," Gordon commented as he pushed open the door to the room. "Turns out, it was just you forgetting to pick up the children from school."

The three of them entered the room. Vicky's corpse had already been removed. Gordon stood next to a chalk outline on the floor and said, "The preliminary results from the medical examiner should arrive in about ten minutes. Until then, we can investigate the scene."

Before Vicky's body was taken away, Schiller had already examined the wounds. There was nothing particularly unusual about the deceased's injuries. She had been pierced through the left chest with a sharp weapon, which had ruptured her heart, causing instant death. Aside from this, there were no other injuries on her body.

Schiller turned his head to Bruce and asked, "At the time, what did you see?"

"I was downstairs..." Bruce walked to the window and pointed to the corner below on the left. He said, "It was right there."

"When I looked up, I happened to see a figure tapping the glass twice, and then she fell. I saw that her hand left a bloodstain on the glass."

"I wanted to save her, so I climbed up through the drainpipe. When I got up here, I found that the balcony window was locked, so I tried to forcefully open it."

Bruce opened the window and jumped onto the balcony, mimicking his actions from that moment. Because he had already broken the window lock, it didn't make much noise. However, Schiller and Gordon understood the actions he described.

"When I first arrived, my eyes couldn't adjust to the bright light inside the room. As I looked directly into the room, I vaguely saw a shadow. When I made the window produce a sound by pulling it, the person hastily ran away."

Schiller narrowed his eyes and asked, "A shadow? You couldn't make out any physical features at all?"

"I wasn't in the best condition at the time," Bruce paused and continued, "so I didn't look closely."

Schiller and Gordon exchanged glances. It was the first time they had heard the words "not in the best condition" from Batman's mouth.

Normally, Batman would remain tight-lipped about his current condition. Even if he were injured, bleeding, or incapacitated, he would only provide a series of strategies from his mouth.

"Based on what you're saying, Miss Vicky was able to move around before her death, even having the strength to tap on the window. This doesn't seem like something a person with a ruptured heart could do," Schiller noticed a discrepancy.

"A severe penetrating wound like this would cause intense pain and immediately render a person incapacitated. It's not just Miss Vicky, even a trained adult agent could very well lose their ability to move due to such an injury," Gordon said, rubbing his chin. "So, are you suggesting that Miss Vicky's condition may not have been as severe when she was tapping on the window? Could someone have inflicted a secondary injury?"

"It's a possibility. Don't forget, the victim had a penetrating wound, which is the type of injury most susceptible to secondary harm."

Gordon furrowed his brow, initially not understanding what Schiller meant. However, Schiller then mentioned the umbrella, pointing it at Gordon.

In an instant, the room's light dimmed, and the ground where Gordon and Schiller stood became a rotating disc, turning 60 degrees. Gordon was now positioned at the window, and Schiller faced him.

Schiller's umbrella had transformed, shedding its canopy and ribs, becoming a sharp sword. Schiller gripped the sword's hilt, took a step forward, and thrust the sword into Gordon's chest.

Gordon immediately stumbled back, instinctively clutching his chest, his hands covered in fresh blood. He felt intense pain and, faced with a ruthless attacker, he instinctively attempted to flee.

However, the assailant happened to block the path between him and the door, so he staggered and turned towards the window, tapping on it in an attempt to call for help, leaving bloody handprints on the glass.

At this moment, Schiller moved forward once more, grabbing Gordon's shoulder and pulling him around, withdrawing the long sword that had been thrust into his chest.

Instantly, blood splattered, and Gordon clutched his chest, struggling as he fell to the ground, convulsing twice before succumbing to death.

With a swift motion, the light returned, and Gordon realized he had fallen onto the pattern on the floor where the victim had been placed.

Gordon got up from the ground and stood in place, contemplating. He said, "The assailant thrust a sharp weapon into Miss Vicky's chest. At that moment, her vital organs might have been punctured, but due to the unique nature of a penetrating wound, as long as the weapon isn't moved, blood doesn't gush out immediately, allowing for some mobility."

"Because she couldn't escape through the door, she might have considered jumping out the window or attempting to attract help by tapping on the glass."

"As she reached the window, the assailant caught up to her, pulled her away from the window, and then removed the sharp weapon that had pierced her body."

Schiller and Bruce both nodded in agreement with Gordon's explanation. At this point, Schiller turned his head towards Bruce and asked, "When you were on the window, did you see only Miss Vicky, or was there anyone else?"

"Yes, when she was tapping on the window, I immediately arrived downstairs and then found the drainpipe on the east side of the building. I started climbing. If someone indeed pulled the victim away from the window nearby, they might have done so while I was climbing."

At that moment, a police officer knocked on the door and entered. He said to Gordon, "Boss, the forensic autopsy report is ready!"

Gordon hurriedly approached, took the materials from him, and glanced at them. He quickly found the most important piece of information and showed it to Schiller:

"According to the analysis of the wound's condition, was the weapon thrust from behind?"

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 751: Bat Night Talk (Part 1)