THE BATMAN: HALLOWEEN KNIGHT

PART TWO

"HELL IS EMPTY AND ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE." — WILLIAM
SHAKESPEARE

HALLOWEEN NIGHT

GOTHAM RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT

8:00PM

Not a single house exceeds what seems to be a two-storey limit, to which others may consider too small. Bruce, on the other hand, would refer to it as COZY. Row after row, column after column, THE BATMAN passes by cozy houses in his mighty steed– THE BATMOBILE. The material of his gloves gives off a CRUNCHING sound as he grabs the steering wheel tighter; his mind dwells on the active case — the image of the boy's face haunted him. But his delusions would be dispelled by the familiar voice of ALFRED PENNYWORTH. Despite it being distorted by the limits of technology, he would hear the voice of his loyal butler with much clarity.

"Master Bruce." Greeted Alfred.

"I hear you, Alfred." Responded Batman.

"The tests came back on the sample of the chocolate bar you gave me. I've found traces of chocolate, sugar, peanuts and potassium cyanide. It seems the boy was running out of oxygen before he was drowning."

"And the boy ate half of it..." Batman whispers beneath his breath; the grip on the steering wheel had entered a new level of firm, as did his teeth — gritting.

A very heavy boot slams hard on the brakes while he simultaneously turns the wheel to park by the curb of the sidewalk. The Dark Knight had arrived on 54th, a few meters away from the house of their prime suspect — Ronald. The view from his windshield was nothing short of the description given by Jim Manchester. He'd take a brief moment to enact a series of breathing techniques to calm his own heart; the alternating inhale and exhale through the nose rivaled the engine's subtle, yet soothing purrs. 

"Did you find anything else on Ronald's profile?" Inquired Batman.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, sir. He has never been charged of kidnapping or murder, but he has been charged for assault and driving under the influence. Last account of this was five years ago." Replied Alfred.

"Do me a favor... get a background check on Jim Manchester, will you? I'll check in when I get back." 

"Will do, sir. Pennyworth out."

Batman disembarks from his vehicle and approaches the house in question. From the exterior, a plethora of implications and assumptions could already be made. All of which were under the bigger overarching theme — DANGEROUS. His boots creak upon stepping on Ronald's porch; he notices the porch to be empty, and the plate with the candy was no longer there. Approaching the door, something had told him to reach for the knob, a strong sense of intuition. Normally, he'd disregard such groundless urges. But this felt too strong to be simply swept aside. Gloved fingers curl around the metallic door knob, and he twists it — CLICK! The door was unlocked. The only light in the house had come from the moon's gaze. The open door was its entrance, as it was his. The Detective steps inside and closes the door behind him, going even as far as to lock it. The inside could only be described as a MESS. But trash is treasure, or so they say. Batman proceeds further into the humble abode of their prime suspect, immediately scanning around for anything that may tell him something of the person who lives here. 

The wallpaper in the hall had become rancid. Moldy, wet, and ruined. But then again, at a closer look, the design was one of quality. He pushes the wilted wallpaper back to further gaze upon its artistry, an odd wallpaper that contrasts with the current state of the house. The juxtaposition of these two things cannot be left to mere coincidence. Despite the rancid state of the wallpapers, the photographs remain on the walls. Batman takes the time to glance them over. They varied from graduation photos, to family trips and outings, and other celebrations. At the moment, the names of these featured men and women remain unknown, with the exception of the particular fellow who seems to be the odd one out.