Detective | ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀᴛᴍᴀɴ

𝒕 𝒘 𝒆 𝒏 𝒕 𝒚 - 𝒇 𝒊 𝒗 𝒆

The shuttering of cameras brought Bruce back to Don Mitchel's crime scene. He took in the cluttered mess of Edward's apartment in disdain. It wasn't until he thoroughly examined the chains in the bedroom that Bruce grew even angrier at the fact Jess had been chained to the wall like a dog in a backyard. Equally upsetting and deserving of a punch in the face.

"Martha called," Jim started, now standing beside Bruce. "She's being treated by a doctor now. From the looks of it, she has some brain bleeding."

Bruce kept his sight stuck on the chains on the floor with a tight jaw. "He chained her up... like a dog."

Jim sighed. "That would explain the bruising on her ankles and wrists."

From behind them, Martinez huffed. "You know, as a cop, I can't condone violence, but as a father, she should've shot him." Bruce and Jim turned their irritated eyes towards the mustached officer. He gulped with a nervous smile. "I'll... get back to work."

Jim nodded his head with a slight glare. "Good answer, Martinez." Bruce walked out of the room to continue searching for any more clues. In a way, Bruce looked like he belonged as part of the room. The ones that genuinely stuck out were the boys in blue. He walked up to a bookshelf with a stack of books towering over to the left as the right side did the same thing. A book with the same writing scribbled handwriting as the cards stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Got anything, Mercy?" Jim asked upon noticing a wallet in her hands.

"Name's Edward Nashton. Works as a forensic accountant at KTMJ."

"He's an accountant?"

From across the room, another officer booms. "Hey, Lieutenant, are you okay with this?" He asked with furrowed brows. He jabbed his thumb in Bruce's direction, who was examining the book he found on the bookshelf. "What about chain of evidence?"

"You should see this." Bruce's gruff voice spoke, completely ignoring the officer beside him.

Jim walked up to Bruce in three strides. He felt the officer staring a hole into his head before pursing his lips. "He's wearing gloves." He took the book from Bruce's hold and looked at the highlighted paragraph. "July 16th, my life has been a cruel riddle I could not solve... suffocating my mind, no escape. But then, today, I saw it, her, them. A single word on this ledger sitting beside me... Renewal. An empty promise they delivered to me as a child in that orphanage. One look inside, and I finally understood until she strolled. Waltzing into my meager life with her beautiful smile, I just knew she was the one. I didn't want her to suffer as I had. I wanted her to walk in the sun, unafraid of what lurks out to get her. So, if you want people to really understand, you can't just give them answers. You have to confront and torture them with the horrifying questions just like they did me. I know now what I must become in order for them to see... for her to be free..."

Jim flipped the page to see hundreds of repeated phrases that truly showcased Edward's sociopathic tendencies. "Jesus..." The lieutenant grumbled. "This is how it all started." Screeching from the corner room caught Jim's attention. Almost everyone stopped to see Bruce staring inside the cage. "I don't think that rat likes you all that much, man."