Rainy Night Mystery (Part 2)

"When outsiders enter the Living Hell, they certainly can't be as friendly as a tour group. Fish wouldn't be happy to let them take over the territory at will. At first, her attitude was very firm and she would never back down, which led to several firefights."

Batman continued Gordon's voice, saying, "The gang fights in Living Hell are getting increasingly out of control. I've had to go there several nights in a row to stop them from blowing up the newly renovated buildings. In fact, Fish was planning to do just that the first day I went there."

"When the Living Hell was being transformed, I upgraded the water system there, but Fish wanted to use the device as a bomb to blackmail other gang leaders and force them to leave. I stopped her."

Batman, wrapped in his cape, stood in the shadows in the corner of the room, as if he didn't exist. Only his deep voice echoed in the room as Schiller asked him, "So you found Fish had been murdered while you were maintaining order in Living Hell?"

Batman continued, "I've been patrolling this Living Hell for a few days now, and today was supposed to be the last day, since the gangs have divided up their territories and they're about to return to peace and quiet."

"But that very night, I heard some noise on the roof. When I rushed over, there were only two people in the room: one was Fish Mooney, who was already dead, and the other was Oswald Cobblepot."

Schiller turned to Gordon and said, "So, Detective Gordon, why are you so interested in this case? As far as I know, at least a dozen mob bosses have died in Gotham this year alone. I don't think Fish is any different."

"Indeed." Gordon nodded and replied, "The Muni Gang isn't very big in Gotham. In fact, Living Hell can't squeeze much money out of that hellish place, Fish is one of the poorer gang leaders."

"Brock told me that he had just dealt with Fish a few days earlier in connection with a murder that took place on Green Street, but of course, there's not much to say about that case."

"The key point is that Brock told me that Fish was a complete madwoman. She had a serious mental disorder and was a sadist."

"The reason I'm so concerned about Fish's death is because I have no choice, since this case involves an important figure."

"Who?" Schiller asked.

"The Godfather's son, Evans Falcone."

"Evans? How did he get involved in this?" Schiller asked, somewhat puzzled. "Just two days ago, I called him into my office to tutor his thesis, and I didn't sense anything wrong with him."

Gordon sighed and said, "Living Hell is the first step in Gotham's transformation project. The Old Godfather is very concerned about it, as are the heads of the Twelve Families. For something so important, the Old Godfather would naturally send a trustworthy person to keep an eye on it."

Schiller shook his head and said, "I don't think Falcone will send Evans. Even I know that Evans is not mature enough right now."

"But what if Little Falcone initiative?"

Gordon paused for a moment, then said, "I heard this from our new Director, who, as you know, is one of Falcone's men."

"He told me that Little Falcone. was a bit impatient. He asked the Godfather if he could personally oversee the Living Hell. The Godfather was noncommittal, but it seems that he eventually agreed."

"Perhaps he's starting to feel threatened." Batman's deep voice came from the corner of the room. Unlike Gordon's somewhat anxious voice, his tone was always calm and confident.

"The new Mayor Roy, has become Falcone's godson, and he's doing a pretty good job."

Gordon nodded, then continued in Batman's voice, "Roy isn't much older than Evans. He doesn't have a high level of education, but he's an experienced and pragmatic person. People like that are more likely to win the favor of mob bosses. After all, Roy's background is more similar to theirs, and they have a lot to talk about."

"But this Little Falcone., in a somewhat awkward position," Gordon shrugged. "It's understandable that he would feel anxious."

"So he persuaded the Old Godfather to get involved in the Living Hell?"

"That's right, that's why I feel stressed right now," Gordon said, rubbing his temples.

"As I said before, Fish is a crazy woman. She has a bad temper, doesn't listen to advice at all, and is reckless. She doesn't even respect the Old Godfather's son."

"Evans came to Living Hell, of course he wanted to mediate the conflict between the gangs. He had clashed with Fish several times."

"Evans certainly hoped that Fish could sit down and talk with those outside gang leaders and peacefully resolve the matter to demonstrate his mediation skills, but Fish was simply unwilling."

"We have an informant in the Muni Gang, and he reported to us that Fish has almost completely gone mad. She has started beating her subordinates and is even trying to kill people indiscriminately..."

"Wait a minute," Schiller interrupted Gordon. "Could Cobblepot be one of the victims?"

Gordon sighed again, looking somewhat tired. He said, "That's what I deduced too. Although I don't know what this kid does for her, he certainly seems like the kind of person that crazy woman would vent her frustrations on. He's completely defenseless, and sadists love to torture people like that..."

Schiller didn't say anything, but gestured for Gordon to continue. After taking a sip of water, Gordon continued, "Fish and Evans' conflict is getting more and more intense, and they almost came to blows several times."

"Logically speaking, Evans should not be afraid of Fish. He is the heir of the Falcone family, and Twelve Families must obey his orders."

"However, he was eager to prove himself and wanted to handle the matter on his own, so he didn't want anyone else to help him. But he was too impatient, and as a result, he not only failed to deal with Fish, but the other outside gang leaders also didn't like him. They felt that he was slow and indecisive, which was not the style of the Gotham gang."

"But the result is that now that Phyllis is dead, all the foreign gang leaders think that Evans did it. They are all in danger and are even less willing to listen to him. Some people in the Twelve Families are also very dissatisfied with Evans's actions."

Gordon spread his hands on the table and said, "At first, they dragged their feet, harbored unrealistic fantasies, and wanted peaceful evolution, but in the end, they got angry and resorted to assassination. It doesn't look very honorable at all."

"Our new Director is one of the Old Godfather's men. He's not sure what the Old Godfather's attitude is either. After all, he's his own son, and the Old Godfather can't just give up like that."

"So, the new Director wants me to solve the case quickly, even if it means finding an unlucky scapegoat, to clear Evans's name and prevent this heir of the Falcone family from appearing so stupid and affecting the Old Godfather's prestige."

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

"It seems you're not willing to exonerate Evans, but rather want to find out the real the Truth."

"I am not willing to exonerate anyone. Even if Fish is a madman and deserves to die, I still want to find the real murderer."

Schiller stood up, and Gordon followed suit. Gordon said, "Professor Rodriguez, I know that you have been tracking down some ruthless serial killers over the years and have a track record of solving major cases all over the world."

"I admit, I desperately need your help right now, but I really can't offer anything decent in return..."

Gordon sighed and said, "This case involves far too many powerful forces. If it can't be solved quickly, I'm afraid..."

Schiller turned to look at him; Gordon's face looked somewhat haggard under the light, and he seemed embarrassed.

The detective was no longer young; the wrinkles on his face bore the marks of time. Schiller said to him, "You should know better than I do that this is a struggle between the heirs of the Falcone family, and it could very well involve the selection of the next King of Gotham 'King of Gotham's Underworld..."

"Getting caught in this vortex could mean certain death for anyone in Gotham, including you, Detective Gordon." Schiller's tone was solemn; he said very seriously, "Trying to uncover the Truth in such a vortex could mean you're lying dead in the street tomorrow..."

"He won't," Batman's voice came through. "If there's only one good person left in Gotham who needs protection, I can at least keep him alive until the next day."

Schiller stared at Batman, and Batman looked back at him. A silent atmosphere filled the space between them. Schiller had almost forgotten when he last had a conversation like this with Batman.

Finally, he sighed and said to Gordon, "This matter does indeed have something to do with me. Living Hell is the first step in Gotham's transformation, and it is of great importance. If any violent conflict breaks out at this juncture, even if you don't invite me, Falcone will. If Evans gets into trouble, as his tutor, I will still have to clean up the mess."

Gordon opened the door for him, Schiller walked out with his head down, muttering to himself, "I knew it, I wouldn't have a few peaceful days here..."

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

Gordon lifted the white sheet and said, "The fatal wound was the bullet to the head. There were no other injuries on the rest of the body. The coroner's report said that other causes of death have been largely ruled out."

"Well, I got shot in the head, but the person who did it was pretty civilized."

Gordon shrugged and said, "It sounds like a dark joke, but it's true. In the years I've been in Gotham, the most I've encountered are corpses riddled with bullets from Submachine Gun. If someone only had one bullet to the head, the person who did it was actually quite civilized."

Schiller stared silently at the corpse for a while. Batman stepped forward, equally silent. Finally, Gordon couldn't stand the atmosphere any longer. He turned his head to the left, glanced at Schiller, then to the right, glanced at Batman, and asked, "So, have you two figured anything out?"

"What we see is the same as what you see."

"Alright, now let's sort out our investigative approach." Schiller spoke first, "Gordon, you should be able to continue investigating along Evans' trail. After all, your Director is on Falcone's side. You can use the excuse of exonerating Evans to get help from your Director, and Batman can investigate the other mob bosses to see if they are suspected of committing the crimes."

"As for me, the One possible eyewitness at the scene, I am currently suffering from Acute Stress Disorder. I need to go and see him. If I have his statement, things will be much easier."

"Furthermore," Batman said, staring at Schiller, "We cannot rule out Cobblepot as the perpetrator. After all, besides the victim, he was the only one present. It's also possible that he killed Fish first and then pretended to be unconscious."