2017.01.26 - Cold Case Part 5
This log is part of the Cold Case Plot.
Robin is currently in the training area of the Cave, dodging random balls shot at him by one of the training devices - the youth gracefully leaps, tucks, rolls and uses cover as best he can to avoid getting hit as he moves from target to target.
With one final push and a quiet grunt of effort, Batman does the last of several bench presses and racks the weighted bar. Sitting up, he watches Robin dodge and weave through the training routine. After a moment, he gets to his feet and moves closer. "You always did have a natural affinity for this," he compliments Robin.
Robin hits the last target to stop the training devices, which retract upwards into their housings. "Well, I did start when I was four and Uncle Don would throw knives at me.." he says as he walks back to the control boards, checking his score on the exercise. 98% - he frowns and considers going again.. when the bat computer lights up and both heroes get a ping from their utility belts.
Someone has set off the Bat-Signal...
"I didn't start quite that young..." Batman begins, only to be interrupted by the notification of the Bat-Signal. He pulls a smartphone of his own make from a compartment on his utility belt and acknowledges the alarm. Tucking the device away, he heads for the Batmobile, settling into the driver's seat and waiting for Robin to get situated.
Robin is already running from the training area, and he vaults into the powerful car, clicking on his harness and checking the Batmobile's comm array.
The only place the Bat-Signal could be coming from is atop the Gotham City Police Department. So, Batman steers the powerful car into a nearby alley and parks it. A few moments later and he's ascending to the roof on a grapple line. He pauses for a moment in the shadows, looking around to see who is there to greet them.
Robin is right there with the Dark Knight, the lithe young man vaulting onto the rooftop in a coordinated move with Batman.
Standing behind the Batsignal is Jim Gordon, currently tapping out his pipe on the signal's casing before he walks forward. Behind him, arms crossed and scowl-faced, is Bullock.
"Batman and Robin," Gordon says as he approaches. He has a small manilla folder with him, which he hands to Batman. "Thank goodness you came so quickly." He pauses. "There's been an incident at Arkham..." he says with a weary shake of his head.
In the folder are pictures of a murder. A man in a lab coat lays half-way out of a door that leads out to the trash pickup area. "Forensics is still looking into this but preliminary report is that he was stabbed in the neck with a syringe and poisoned. His name is Peter McGill, Dr. Forrest's chief lab assistant and graduate student. Forrest is the chief pharmacist at Arkham," he says.
Batman studies the available material, looking for any clues that might be found in the pictures. He shows the photos to Robin and points out, "It seems odd that a chief lab assistant would be taking out the trash. Doesn't Arkham employ a janitorial staff for that sort of thing? Are all the patients accounted for?"
Robin takes the photos from Batman and examines them carefully.
"Everyone is accounted for," Gordon says. "Indeed, I wouldn't have even called you on this except for one thing: McGill was the replacement hired for Earnest Franks." The assistant who was fired months ago for stealing a key to the samples vault.
The Teen Wonder speaks up at this point. "I looked into Franks - he moved away from Gotham at the same time. He bought a nice townhouse in Coast City, and hey, he even bought one for his mother as well. With cash."
"Someone paid him well for whatever samples he stole," Batman surmises. "Who is waiting in the queue to be hired next now that the position of chief lab assistant has opened up? Has anything else gone missing in Arkham? More patient samples, perhaps?"
Bullock clears his throat and takes out his small notebook. "Right now, nobuddy is really waiting around to be hired there," he says. "Seems dey got a problem retaining people. So I asked around and yeah, there was something gone - Fries' latest blood samples. McGill was the guy what was in charge of that," he shrugs. "Seems he had like a quarter-mil in student loans to pay off."
Batman nods slowly, lips pursed in thought. "Has he paid them off? Being in debt doesn't automatically make a man guilty. But coming up with a large sum of cash suddenly is very suspicious."
Bullock shakes his head. "Nah, he's just barely completed all the paperwork ta get hired and all," the big man rumbles. "Ain't even got his first check. He has like a couple thou in his bank accounts, is all."
Closing the manila folder, Batman nods again. "Well take a closer look into him anyway," he decides. Even if it was a dead end, it wouldn't hurt to have more current information on an employee of Arkham Asylum. Far too often they wound up aiding and abetting patients in escaping instead of just doing the job they were hired to do. "Do you have anything else for us?"
Gordon starts to shake his head, then he pauses. "There was an incident with Pamela Isley the other day. Something set her off, and she injured two guards," he says. "They have her sedated now, but still... it was a little unusual for her, so the director called to tell me about it."
"Is that so? What time was the incident?" Batman asks, not offering any information of his own.
Gordon checks his own notes. "About two-fifteen in the morning," he says.
Batman nods at Gordon. "Keep me informed if you learn anything else. I believe Robin and I will go pay a personal visit to Arkham and see what we can learn."
Gordon nods and Bullock stuffs his notes inside his ratty coat. "Good luck," Gordon says.
Without further ado, Batman takes his leave of Gordon and Bullock. Once back inside the Batmobile with Robin, he says, "Interesting timing of Poison Ivy having an incident and when he cut down that live tree that attacked in the park."
"Interesting, yeah, Batman," the Teen Wonder says. "I knew she was connected to her plants on some level but I didn't know it went that deep or lasted that long."
"Definitely something to keep in mind," Batman says in a thoughtful tone. "What do you make of this murder at Arkham? Could it be related to Arnold Taylor?"
Robin settles back into his seat. "Too much of a coincidence not to check it out. It probably does - I wonder if they've talked.." he says, pulling up one of the data consoles and tapping on it. "Or not. No record of either calling the other, at least. Huh. They did share an alma-mater - both went to Gotham University, but then so did half the other staff, at least."
"I don't think that's enough to tie them together. But make a note of it in the file anyway," Batman says, steering the batmobile into the almost deserted parking lot at Arkham Asylum. He gets out of the vehicle and stands there for a moment gazing at the ominous looking building. A chill wind blows, stirring his cape about him. "Why did someone murder Peter McGill?" he asks softly, the words snatched away by the breeze.
"Motive seems to be the only thing missing," Robin says. "The assailant had means and opportunity." He looks up at the building, then to the sides, where the service entries are. "He was found over there, where they pick up the trash. Out of the way, and also one of the few entrances or exits to the building. There are two guards present whenever the trash is being moved because too many people have tried escaping or smuggling something in or out, that way. Other times, though, totally deserted. Some of the staff use it as a smoking area."
"I'm still doubtful about why Mr. McGill was there at the service entrance," Batman says, finally setting off toward the front door of Arkham Asylum. "Let's see what the staff have to say before we take a look for ourselves."
The Teen Wonder dutifully follows his mentor, the boy's masked face glancing here and there as they approach the grim edifice.
There's no sign in for the Dynamic Duo. The staff aren't entirely surprised by their appearance either. After all, there's been a murder.
Batman systematically works through the staff, questioning them about Earnest Franks, Peter McGill and Dr. Forrest. He asks everyone's whereabouts and if there have been any other unusual occurrences besides the firing of Mr. Franks and the murder of Mr. McGill. Most importantly, he questions the janitorial staff and tries to figure out what placed Peter at the service entrance.
Finally it comes down to one middle-aged Hispanic woman who cleans floors on the lowest level - she's an actual employee of the asylum and not part of a contracted cleaning staff. "Si, I see Mister Franks often here, at night," she says. "He come every Friday like, how you say, um, clockwork. He say he come to smoke but ... I never smell him like smoke, you know? He talk to man one time, I see him." The woman shudders. "He odd one. He just shut door but I see him look at me. I almost quit, then." She pauses. "Then Mister McGill come down last Friday. I see him on stairs later. He look angry," she says. "Very angry."
"Could you identify the man Mr. Franks met with? Do you know if Mr. McGill also met with the same man?" Batman asks the woman, trying to get as much information as possible.
The woman shakes her head. "I do see him one time before I think, but I not know him. He is not doctor or staff; them I know," she says. "Been here many years. I did not see if McGill met the same man, but it was at same time and same day.."
Batman nods slowly. "Thank you," he says to the woman. "If we have any more questions, we'll come find you."
Turning to Robin, the Caped Crusader says, "I think we need to take a look at the security video footage."
Robin nods quickly and they take a trip up to Arkham's security center. There, the people are glad to help the Dynamic Duo, but the camera aimed onto the loading dock is designed to show who enters and leaves, and not much else. Going back to a Friday when Franks worked, it shows him exiting the door and moving to the side of the dock - then returning less than a minute later - at least once he's seen putting a fat envelope into his lab coat.
Last Friday, though, McGill shows at the door and clicks a flashlight twice. Minutes later he advances to the same out-of-shot area and stays there for several minutes. Then he returns to the door, shaking his head. He's followed by a slender man in a dark cheap suit who grabs his arm. They argue. For a second, the camera catches the suited man's face, and security is able to pull up a grainy poor quality zoom
It's still enough to ID the man, at least to the Caped Crusaders: they've dealt with him before: Professor Achilles Milo. Chemistry genius. And Criminal.
