SSJBowser

The Detective Prince Chapter 68 Uncertain Results The clock continued to tick from the wall above. What was expected to be a short wait turned into minutes. He kept his eyes on all of the guests who were standing on the other side of the room, watching as Officer Celek made his way back along with the other four at his side. "What's this all about," Aldon asked upon reaching them. "Did you find out who stole the diamond?" "We have a good idea who did," James said in response. "But first we'd like to have a look through all of your accessories." "You mean our belongings," Matthew questioned. "Do you think one of us is the one who took it?" "The evidence seems to be pointing into that direction," James replied. "The sooner we get through this process the better, I'm sure most everyone would like to leave at this point in time." "Truly spoken," Catheron said stepping forward. "Here, you can start by checking my bag." "Officer Herman, would you take the honor of getting us started?" James asked looking to his side. "Of course." Herman agreed before sliding on a pair of plastic gloves. He took the purse from her hand before walking it over to the table to examine all of the contents inside. Everyone patiently waited as the process began. He took this time to watch her, not seeing any hesitation or concern in her posture. "None of this seems to be bothering her, not even a bit," Heiji thought to himself. "It gives you a solid vibe she didn't do it." Officer Herman returned a short while later, handing her the purse back before zipping it shut. "She's all cleared," Officer Herman said. "I found nothing suspicious from within her bag." "That's one down," James said. "Who would like to go next?" "You can check mine next," Matthew said pulling up a large blue back from down at his side. "I have a lot that I carry around, so you might as well get mine out of the way." "Good idea." Officer Herman said reaching down to grab it. "Here, let me help you," Heiji said lifting it up from the other end. "We'll get done a lot faster if we search his bag together." Herman then turned to Gordon who gave him the go ahead nod. "You heard the man, we'll get through this much sooner if the two of you work together." "Understood sir." The two of them took the bag over to the table, placing it beside the glass case before zipping the top pocket open. The first thing they laid their eyes upon was a long cloth, removing it to come across several jars. Each were filled with a different type of metal. Neither knew what to think, carefully taking them out one by one before laying them out across the table. "What do you think is the meaning behind this small collection he's got here?" "Don't know," Heiji replied. "That's something we'll have to address with Mr. Thompson once we're done here." After emptying out the jars from the bag he turned his attention to the side pocket, pulling it open to find a couple more items. "What do we have now?" Officer Herman asked watching from across the way. "Things I was expecting we'd find." Heiji replied. He pulled out a set of head phones along with a music device, followed up with an empty spray can. He continued to feel his way around, pulling out a compass and a half used pack of gum. "Is that it?" Officer Herman asked. "Still looking." There was one last thing in the far corner of the bag, bringing it into his hand to find a hankerchief wrapped around something. The two of them shared quick glance, wondering what could be wrapped away inside. "Could this be it?" He slowly removed the hankerchief, unraveling what was hidden from beneath. "What is it?" Officer Herman asked coming to his side. "Most certainly not a diamond," Heiji said. "It's some kind of rock, and from its condition I'd say Mr. Thompson has taken good care of it." "You wait here, I'll go and get him," Officer Herman said. "I think we both would like an explanation for his jar collection he's got going." "Take your time." He rechecked all the pockets, wanting to be sure there was nothing he missed. "Looks like he's cleared as well." Heiji said before focusing his attention back to the items upon the table. It was the empty spray can in particular that caught his eye, leaning in closer to see exactly what was inside. "Oven cleaner," Heiji thought. "Who carries around oven cleaner, or any empty spray can for that matter?" He then checked the tops of each of the jars, discovering just how tight the lids were locked down. Officer Herman returned moments later with Matthew at his side. "You wanted to speak with me?" "We've searched your entire bag," Heiji said. "We didn't uncover the diamond, so that means you're all cleared." "But we have a few simple questions." Officer Herman added. "Go right on ahead, I'm listening." "Alright then, how about we start with the jars," Heiji began. "What's with the collection of metal's you've got stored away?" "I actually plan on running a small experiment," Matt replied. "That is once I get all of this stuff back to the lab." "A lab?" "We also found this empty bottle amongst your belongings," Officer Herman pointed out. "Is that something you do often?" He couldn't help but laugh at this. "I didn't even realize that was in there," Matt said. "Where did you find it?" "In the side pocket along with your head phones, compass, and a pack of gum." Heiji replied. "So you had no reason for keeping the empty spray bottle?" "Not at all officer." "I guess that means you wouldn't mind if I take it?" "Be my guest," Matt responded. "I have no further use for it." "You're free to go back and rejoin the others," Officer Herman said. "We'll get your bag back to you as soon as we repack everything." "Thanks, I'll be waiting." With that he headed back to where the others awaited. They took no time in setting everything back in place before zipping the bag shut once again. "So what do you think?" "He was cooperative enough, regardless of some of the questionable continents in his bag," Heiji said. "That means our thief is one of the other two." "Earlier you said you had an idea who it was, has anything changed since then?" He didn't get the chance to respond, looking over his shoulder to see Gordon heading over with Aileen at his side. "She has volunteered to go next." James said resting her purse atop the table. "I'll let the two of you handle this one," Officer Herman said. "I'm going to go ahead and return Mr. Thompson's bag to him." "And while you're at it, go and see if they've collected all surveillance camera's just like I asked." James added. "Will do Commissioner." He lifted the heavy bag from there, steadily positioning over his shoulder before making his way to the other side of the room. James then turned to Heiji who did the same in return. "What do you say we get this over with?" "I helped with the last one, would you like to handle this one yourself Commissioner?" "You've done a good job up till this point, I think you're entitled to finishing it." "Loud and clear," Heiji said before turning to Aileen. "And you're ok with me searching your bag?" "I didn't know I had a choice." "You always have a choice." "Permission granted, I have nothing to hide from you or anyone for that matter." "That's all I needed to hear." He tightened the gloves around his hands before reaching down to grab the zipper. As expected there was much to be found inside, taking his time to carefully maneuver his way through. The first thing he came across was a crumpled receipt and and a bottle of perfume. He placed both items aside after removing them from the bag, followed by billfold and a container of chapstick. He froze at what he saw next, not expecting to see what came to his eye. "What's wrong," James asked taking notice of the hesitation. "Is that all she had in her purse?" It took a few moments for him to recollect himself, looking toward Gordon as he lifted the eye grabbing gem from inside the bag. "This is it," Heiji informed. "This is the diamond that went missing after the lights blacked out." "Are you sure?" James asked. ".. Positive." He then turned to Aileen who still stood at his side, coming to find a surprised look on her face. Not only surprised, but just as shocked as he seemed to be. "I swear I had nothing to do with this," Aileen said. "I didn't even know it was in there." "I'm sorry to say, but I'm going to have to ask you to come on a little ride with me," James said. "One which will take us down to the police station, unfortunately." "You have to belive me," Aileen plead. "Why would I want to take something I have no use for?" "There's not much I can do at this point, especially since the diamond was discovered within your belongings," James stated. "We'll discuss this further once we get to the station, but right now I'm going to have Officer Celek escort you out to the car." "You don't believe me, do you?" "You're innocent until proven guilty," James replied. "And that's where I stand on the matter." He called for Officer Celek who almost immediately responded. "What's going on Gordon," Officer Celek asked upon reaching him. "Have you retrieved the missing diamond yet?" "As a matter a fact we did," James said holding it up. "Turns out it was hidden at the bottom of Ms. Aileen's purse." "I see," Officer Celek said. "What do you want me to do?" "I want you to take her down to the station," James replied. "We'll begin further procedure from there." "How long should I expect until your arrival?" "No longer than an hour," James replied. "I'd like to make sure everyone is cleared out of here before I leave." "Understood, then I'll see you then." The others watched on from where they stood, speechless at the sight of her hands being cuffed together. She kept her head down the whole way out, too embarrassed to face any of her comrades. He shook his head as he looked on, feeling a strong hand touch down to his shoulder from behind. He turned, not surprised to find him standing before him. "What's wrong, you don't look too satisfied with the results." "That's because she wasn't the one who did it, someone must be setting her up," Heiji said. "Though the diamond was found amongst her belongings, I there's not much evidence that supports she was the one who put it there." "Then tell me," Bruce said taking a step back. "Out of the four, who do you think put it there?" "I thought for sure I would find it in Mr. Thompson's bag." "What lead you to believe that?" "A series of things, but most in particular the cut on his cheek," Heiji replied. "He claimed he received it after the glass case was broken in the dark, but the angle of his cut tells another story." "What do you mean?" "The cut on Matthew's cheek is slanted downward, so wouldn't that imply that shards of glass fell down at him instead of upward like he's claiming?" "You make a good point," Bruce said. "After all Matthew did say he stood up from his seat after hearing the window shatter, so I don't see how the glass case being busted could have got his cheek cut if he was standing." "Which means he could have only gotten the cut while standing under the window after using the rope hook to shatter it." "But that still doesn't explain how or why the diamond wound up in Aileen's hand bag." "I see, you're not sold on it are you," Heiji asked. "You think that she's the one who actually set this all up." "No, there's just one small detail you've neglected to pay any mind to up til this point." "One small detail?" "Their foot attire," Bruce said. "Out of the four of them Aileen was the only one wearing high heels, I doubt she would have been able to shatter the glass window and then run all the way back to the glass case to do the same in such a short time." "You're right," Heiji said. "It was only a matter of seconds in between each incident." "That's not the only thing," Bruce said. "I came across a few foot prints on the ground when I went to go check out the fuse box, they belonged to someone wearing a pair of shoes, not high heels." "In other words, you think our thief visited that room before you did?" "Exactly," Bruce said before reaching into his jacket. "I found this on the ground after running a search of the room." "A piece of glass?" "That's what I first thought as well," Bruce said. "But after giving it a closer look I've come to find it's actually part of a light bulb, whoever was in that room before Officer Celek and I arrived must have knocked it down." "Why would someone want to do that?" "To hide the trick they had set in place," Bruce replied. "I don't know the full extent of how they got the lights to go off for that brief amount of time, but I know it all begins and ends with that room." "Besides the foot prints and light bulb piece you found, was there anything else eye grabbing?" "I did come across some tape on the wall, not to mention the lever to the fuse box was wet." "I'm guessing the floor was wet as well, considering you were able to make out the shoe prints," Heiji said. "But what do you think caused the floor to become wet?" "I didn't have enough time to figure that one out," Bruce replied. "My search was cut short after Officer Celek returned from his phone conversation." "You knew from the beginning didn't you," Heiji asked. "You knew she wasn't the one who took the diamond, so how come you didn't say anything before they took her away?" "The same reason you didn't, the lack of conclusive evidence," Bruce replied. "But don't worry, I'll have her out as soon as we can." "Which means the true thief is either Aldon, Matt, or Catheron," Heiji thought to himself. "But if that's the case, why hide the diamond in Aileen's bag where it could easily be discovered?" "I have no idea what that means, but that was most incredible to watch." Someone said from behind. The two of them turned at the sound of her voice, looking to see who had joined them at the center of the room. "Ms. Fournier," Bruce said. "I was wondering when I'd see you again." "Sorry about that, I got caught up in something." "Who's this with you?" Bruce asked taking notice of the man next to her. "Nathan Bennet," Bernadea replied. "My fiance." "Nice to meet you Wayne." "To you as well," Bruce said shaking his hand. "How long have the two of you been engaged?" "Next Monday makes a month," Bernadea replied. "But enough about that, who's your detective friend?" "His names Heiji, he's actually here on a little trip from Japan." "Long way from home I see," Nathan said. "Though I must say it was more than entertaining to watch you handle that case." "You were watching?" Heiji asked. "Weren't we all?" Bernadea remarked. "Wasn't there something you wanted me to see Ms. Fournier?" "Bernadea, call me Bernadea." "Of course." She reached down to her side from there, pulling out a small card which she handed to him. "What's this?" "My fathers business card," Bernadea replied. "I would love to further elaborate, but we're running late as it is." "Where to?" "We agreed to meet with some friends at at a theater across town," Bernadea replied. "But you'll be hearing from me soon, as early as tomorrow even." "I look forward to it." "See you guys around." Nathan said. The both of them headed toward the exit from there, waving back to the two of them before walking out. "They seemed like a nice bunch," Heiji said looking over at him. "Any idea what she plans to call you about?" "Your guess is as good as mine." "So where's Kudo," Heiji asked. "I thought for sure he'd be here tonight, at least that's what Grayson said." "I didn't think we'd need his assistance, so I had him stay behind at the manor," Bruce informed. "But you'll see him when we get there." "But I thought I was staying with Drake?" "Did Dick tell you that as well?" "Why, does Drake not know I'm here?" He did his best to hold back a smile as he turned to walk. "What do you say we go and find Dick," Bruce suggested. "I'm sure he's found a parking space by now." "You lead the way." "Of course." To Be Continued

The Detective Prince Chapter 67 Assist from the Hatted Man That was the question that lingered on his mind as he watched him from a distance, taking note on every move he made. "What exactly is he doing over there?" "I better go have another word with him, he obviously didn't get the message the first time around." The security guard said. Just as he began to walk forward the sound of the door from behind swinging open caused him to stop, turning to see a number of police officers enter the room along with the head man himself. Bruce stepped aside as they approached, not wanting to be in the midst of it all. "Commissioner James Gordon," The security guard said as they stopped before him. "I wasn't expecting you'd be coming as well." "It's not every night an incident like this occurs at the city hall," James said in response. "Something like this calls for my attention." "Can't argue that." "Has anyone been released?" "Not at this point in time." "Good, I want written statements from everyone on what they were doing leading up to the black out," James said. "Once that is taken care of then, and only then will anyone be allowed to leave, is that understood?" "Loud and clear Commissioner," He said with the nod of his head. "If there's any place to start, I'd start with that man over there." "Who is he?" James asked after spotting him examining the broken glass case. "Don't know to tell you the truth," The security guard replied. "But ever since things started, he seems to be trying to run his own little investigation." "I'll have a word with him, in the mean time I want you to go retrieve the surveillance camera from the roof," James instructed. "If the thief in fact used that as their escape route we should have a visual on them." "I'll get on it right away." Without further question he took off. "You two with me," James said to to two officers at his side. "I want the rest of you to begin collecting written statements." They nodded before heading off as well. Commissioner Gordon along with the two police officers made their way toward the glass case. Bruce followed from a few feet away, wanting to find out who this man was just as much as they wanted. "This is it." They didn't get far before being engaged by Aileen who was standing directly in front of the glass case. "Are you here to help find out what happened?" "That's the plan," James replied. "Are you the one who was hosting this bidding event?" "Me and three others." Aileen confirmed. "What about him," James asked pointing to the man looking over the broken glass case. "Was he helping to host this whole thing?" "No, he's actually here to help find out what happened," Aileen said. "I thought he was with your unit, he claims he's a detective." "Thanks for the heads up." "I just don't understand how someone was able to break the glass case." "What makes you say that?" "It's made out of tempered glass," Aileen informed. "Much stronger than anything you normally come across." "I'll see what I can find out." She stepped to the side from there, allowing for the three of them to step around the table to the other side. He was kneeled down with his sights set to the broken glass upon the ground as they approached. James raised his hand which signaled for the two of them to come to a stop. It didn't take long for him to notice their presence, smiling as he continued his examination of the glass. "Eight minutes and thirty two seconds," The hatted man stated. "You guys move quickly, I wasn't anticipating your arrival for at least another six minutes." "Would you mind standing to your feet?" "Not at all." He said with full cooperation. "So tell me," James asked looking directly into his eyes. "Who are you?" He continued to listen on from a few feet away, moving in closer to hear what was being said between the two. "I'm a detective." "So I've heard," James said not one bit sold. "Do you have a name, I'm going to need it if I'm going to clarify what you've just claimed." "Now for the moment of truth." Bruce anxiously thought to himself. He reached for the tip of his cap, slightly tilting it upward as a grin became visible across his face. "Hattori," He replied. "Heiji Hattori." "Hattori huh, I don't believe I've ever heard of you." "No big surprise, I'm not exactly from around here," Heiji informed. "In fact, I just arrived a little over two hours ago." "So you say," James said taking a step forward. "How about we drop the shenanigans and jump straight the point, who are you really?" "I've already told you." "So I see you're sticking with the whole detective bit," James said becoming impatient. "You said you're not from around here, so tell me.. where are you from?" "Osaka Japan." Someone said from behind. It caused the four of them to spin around, watching as he came to a stop before them. "Mr. Wayne," James said in surprise. "What are you doing here, I didn't see your name on the guest list." "It was a last minute thing." "You just said he was from Japan, is that true?" "That is correct." "He also claims to be a detective." "That is also true," Bruce confirmed dropping a hand to Heiji's right shoulder. "I've read up on some of the cases he's handled, you'd be wise to let him help you solve this one as well." "I'll have to get word from the Osaka police department first," James stated. "If they clear what you've said, I might just consider it." "Would you like me to go retrieve the number for you?" The officer to the left of him asked. "That will be just fine," James said before turning back to Heiji. "I won't be gone long, I want you to stay here until I return, got it?" "I won't move an inch." Heiji assured. "You two," James said looking to the officers next to him. "Come with me." The three of them headed back to the other side of the room, leaving the two of them alone for the first time. "So you're Bruce Wayne, it's good to finally meet you," Heiji said looking up at him. "Oh, and nice save by the way." "Don't mention it," Bruce said in response. "So tell me, what brings you here?" "What do you mean?" "What are you doing here in Gotham?" "Grayson didn't tell you?" "Never mind that," Bruce said. "Where is he now?" "He was supposed to go park the car, been waiting for him ever since." "We might not see him for awhile, at least not until this whole thing is cleared." "You're right, no one's allowed to leave and I doubt they'll let anyone else in unless they're here to help with the investigation," Heiji stated. "You said that you didn't know I'd be here, so how'd you know who I was?" "I recognized your name when you were speaking with Gordon, not to mention your accent," Bruce replied. "It shouldn't take very long for them to come back, in the mean time you stay here." "What about you," Heiji questioned. "Where are you going?" "To find where the fuse box is located," Bruce answered. "There's always a chance something from inside that room triggered the lights to go off." "My thoughts exactly." "I won't be gone long." Bruce said as he turned to walk. "Hold on," Heiji said. "Do you think they'll actually let you leave this room?" "As long as I have a police escort with me, I don't see why not." "Makes sense," Heiji said. "Tell me what you're able to find, I'll keep an eye on things here." "I trust that you will." He wondered off from there, heading over to the right side of the room where a police officer could be seen gaining information from of few bystanders who surrounded him. "Excuse me," Bruce said walking up to his side while glimpsing down at his name tag. "Officer Celek, there's something the Commissioner asks of you." He turned away from those jotting down their written statements, giving Bruce his full attention. "What is it Gordon needs me to do?" "He wanted me to tell you to go check out the room where the fuse box is," Bruce replied. "The lights went out before the glass shattered, he wants to know if it had anything to do with the fuse box." "But I thought that was Earl's assignment," Officer Celek said looking down at his watch. "He should be here any minute now." "That's just the thing," Bruce said stepping forward. "He's run into somewhat of a traffic jam, which resulted in Gordon appointing you to the task in his place." "I see," Officer Celek said before tuning back to the others in front of him. "I want you all to continue with your statements, I'll be back to collect them shortly." With that he turned for the right side of the room, heading straight for the door on the opposite side. Bruce followed him once again. "Would you mind if I came along?" "I don't think Commissioner Gordon would approve of that." "I could help you," Bruce stated. "I'm relatively good when it comes to Electronic Mechanics." "And it's not exactly my strong suite," Officer Celek said giving it some thought. "I'll tell you what, you can come along, but we keep this between you and me." "Fair enough." It didn't take long to make their way across the room, coming to a stop after reaching the side door. Officer Celek was the first to make his way past the door, entering a long hallway that spanned from one side to the other. "Which way do we go from here?" Bruce asked after quietly closing the door from behind. "To the right," Officer Celek said leading the way. "It's just at the end of this hall." He took no time in following him, making sure he kept pace the whole way through. There were noticeable portraits along the wall as they walked, just like there had been in the main hall. The lights that filled the room were rather dim in comparison with the ones that occupied the foyer. "We're here." Officer Celek said as they came upon a large door. He reached for the knob, forcing the stiff door to the side with minimal effort. It was dark, making it hard to see anything in the room. He reached to the side, flipping up the light switch only to have nothing happen in the process. "Looks like the light burned out on us." Officer Celek said reaching for the belt strapped around his waist. "Just our luck." "Not to worry," Officer Celek assured. "I've got my handy flash light here, never leave home with out it." "I'm glad to see you've come prepared." "I try to anyway," Officer Celek said before handing him the flash light. "You can hold onto while I look over the fuse box." The two of them stepped into the room from there, listening to the door clamp shut from behind. He flashed the light from side to side as they searched the spaced out room. It didn't take long for them to catch sight of the fuse box on the wall directly in front of them. "Here we are," Officer Celek said walking forward. "Make sure you keep a steady grip, I need that light shining nice and bright." "That won't be a problem." Bruce said taking aim. The sound of his phone buzzing from the side of his belt put everything on hold, taking the time to see an incoming call from the station. "I have to take this," Officer Celek said walking back toward the door. "This won't take long." He headed out from there, letting the door close on his way out. "Nows my chance to find out what happened." He moved forward, inching closer to the fuse box with each step taken. He dropped to a knee once reaching it, taking the time to give it an in depth examination. "Doesn't look like anything has been tampered with." He placed his hand onto the cold concrete wall, trailing his hand downward. About halfway down his hand came into contact with something, flashing the light into place. "Looks like a piece of ripped tape, but what's it doing here?" He then took his attention to the upper wall, paticularly right over the lever next to the fuse box. It didn't take long for him to discover yet another small ripped piece of tape hanging a few inches up. "I'd say this is more than just a coincidence." He left both pieces of tape in position, pending further investigation. From there he rested the side of his hand atop the lever, feeling a sleek wetness. "I wonder how that got there." Bruce said standing back to his feet. He then took the time to search the rest of the room, finding a faint trail of foot prints leading out the door. "I'd say someone was in here before Officer Celek and I arrived, and recently," Bruce thought to himself. "The lever is still wet, and now these visible foot prints, something must have been spilled in here." Everything was slowly beginning to come together. He continued his search of the room, keeping his sights set to the ground as he came upon a small piece of glass. He stuck it into his jacket after taking a few moments to look it over. There was still one place he had not looked, focusing his attention to the ceiling. "Looks like there wasn't a light bulb in place to begin with," Bruce said. "If someone did indeed come in here to shut off the lights, they would have needed some kind of light to create a clear path to the fuse box." It was then that he heard the ring of the codec piece in his ear, which prompted him to press down on it. "What's going on in there, I've been trying to contact you for the past couple minutes." "Sorry, something has come up." "I'd say so, I kinda figured that much when the lights went out for that brief period of time." "The window that was shattered on the left side of the building, did you see anyone come out?" "Not at all," Tim replied. "The window fell to pieces, and that was it." "That's what I thought." "What about the woman," Tim asked. "Were you able to ever find her?" "That's been put on hold for the time being." "What about the man with the cap you mentioned," Tim asked. "Have you been keeping tabs on him?" "More than that," Bruce stated. "Turns out he's a detective all the way from Osaka Japan, I'm sure you know him well enough." "What," Tim exclaimed in surprise. "What's Heiji doing here?!" "I didn't have the time to discuss that with him," Bruce replied. "Maybe you can have a word with him when we're all finished here." "Do I ever know anything?" "This came as a surprise to me as much as it did to you," Bruce said. "I have some critical thinking to do, so I'm going to have to let you go." "What's going on in there anyway?" "Don't worry, we've got it covered," Bruce assuringly said. "You just keep on the look out, there's no telling what else might happen out there." "All covered." "Good, I'll talk to you soon." He turned at the sound of someone approaching from the other side of the wall, watching as the door slowly slid open. "Sorry, I didn't know it'd take that long," Officer Celek said rejoining him. "Did you find anything note worthy?" "I think it would be better if you took a look yourself officer." "And I will, but right now they've asked for my assistance back in the main room," Officer Celek said. "That means you'll have to come with me, I'd hate for anyone to becoming suspicious upon finding you alone in here." "I don't think either of us would want that," Bruce said making his way out. "You lead the way." They headed back into the direction they had come, coming to a stop after reaching the door near the other end of the hall. "Before I forget," Bruce said holding out the flash light. "I better return this, I appreciate you letting me use it." "Any time." They made their way back in, coming to find most of the commotion that had been going on earlier had settled in for the most part. He took the time to skim the room, catching sight of Heiji who stood across the room with a notepad in hand. He maneuvered around a few people who stood around, walking up to Heiji who looked up just in time to see him come to a stop before him. "How'd things go with the fuse box?" "Something defiantly went on in there," Bruce replied. "To what extent is a mystery, there was a minimal of light in the room so it made it hard to really see what was set up, if anything." "Enlighten me," Heiji said becoming interested. "Tell me exactly what you saw." "You first," Bruce stated. "I'd like to know what you've been jotting down in that book of yours." Before another word could be spoken between the two, the sound of someone whistling out from the side of them instantly caused them to spin around. "Why are you slacking off," Commissioner Gordon asked as he approached along with two other police officers at his side. "We've got a case to solve." "So does that mean?" "That's right kid, you've been cleared to help with this investigation," James confirmed. "We caught your father over the phone at a perfect time, he just awoke not too long ago." "What did he say?" Heiji asked. "We didn't talk very long, but he spoke very highly of you," James said. "And with that in mind, I've set a high standard for you in accordance with his wishes." "I wouldn't have it any other way." "Good, now what do you say we start with interviewing each of the promoters of tonights event." "Already taken care of," Heiji said holding up the notepad in his hand. "I took the liberty of getting written statements from each of them during your brief absence." "A quick worker I see, great trait to have," James commented. "So what were you able to find out?" "We'll start with Mr. Boomer," Heiji began. "He claims to have moved here from San Francisco a couple months ago." "That's a long way from the west coast." Officer Celek stated. "According to him, he helps with a lot of promotions," Heiji informed. "Particularly with theater and magic shows." "I see," James said. "What about the others?" "Then you have Catheron Edelman, the CMO for the company she's currently working at." "CMO?" Officer Celek questioned. "Chief Marketing Officer," Heiji clarified. "Aileen simply works as her assistant in that department." "And how long has that been for?" James asked. "A little over two years now," Heiji said before looking down to the notepad for reference. "Last you have Matthew Thompson, the CCO, or chief creative officer of the company." "What about their statements," James asked. "Do any of them recall seeing, or hearing anything before or after the lights went out?" "Sorry, but no," Heiji replied. "They all said the same thing, once the window was shattered it caused the four of them to jump from their seats." "Leaving the glass case open for the thief to make his move." "About that," Heiji said dropping the notepad into his pocket. "There was no clear path for someone to get to and take the diamond, so how were they able to make their way through the dark room without bumping into anyone?" "You're sure that's not the case?" "Positive," Heiji nodded. "I already asked several of the guests if they came into contact with anyone rushing by in the dark." "That's a good question you pose." James said giving it some thought. He then turned to walk, letting them absorb in what they had just learned. No one knew where he was going, but decided to follow him none the less. They didn't come to a stop until reaching the glass case where the diamond had been taken from. "What are we doing here," James asked. "We've already got down everything we need to know." "Are you sure?" "What do you mean?" "Why don't you take a closer look Commissioner," Heiji said. "Particularly around the area where the glass was shattered." He stepped back from there, allowing both Gordon and Celek the chance to get a closer look. At first he wasn't sure what he should be looking for, then he felt it. Around the edges of where a margin of glass used to be, he felt a certain stickiness. It took a few moments for him to realize what it was. "Is that... glue?" James questioned. "That's right Commissioner," Heiji confirmed. "I found traces of it on some of the shards of glass on the ground as well." "But what does it mean?" Officer Celek questioned. "It means someone glued a different type of glass into place, that would explain why they were able to shatter it in the first place." "What do you mean?" Officer Celek asked. "I overheard what Aileen said about the glass," Heiji stated. "Tempered glass, that's what type of glass the case is made of." "Tempered glass?" "Nearly five times stronger than normal glass," Heiji replied. "You'd probably know it better by its more common name, safety glass." James's immediately looked to the ground, his eyes widening after laying his eyes on the glass across the ground. "What's wrong?" Officer Celek asked coming to his side. "It's the pieces of glass," Heiji answered. "If you have something strong enough to break tempered glass, it typically doesn't shatter into bits like you see here, maybe small pebbles but never shards." "So what does this all mean?" Officer Celek questioned. "I think it's self explanatory at this point," James said looking over at him. "The part of the case that was shattered is of a different kind of glass, that would explain the small amounts of Loctite we found around the edges." "So you're saying someone intentionally glued in a weaker type of glass?" "Exactly." "Not only that," Heiji said jumping back into the fray. "They knew exactly where the diamond would be, right where they wanted it." "So what are you saying?" Officer Celek asked. "It's quite simple, this whole thing was set up before any of us even arrived tonight," Heiji stated. "Which means our thief is one of four people, it can only be one of the hosters of tonights bidding event." "Are you sure," Officer Celek asked. "Do you really think they would steal from their own company?" "It happens all the time with many other large companies," Heiji said. "It's defiantly one of them, all the evidence points in that direction." "Do you have a good idea who it is?" James asked. "As a matter a fact I do," Heiji replied. "I can't be one hundred percent sure, but if we check their belongings we should find the missing diamond." "You think they would actually hide it in such an easy place where it could be discovered?" Another police officer asked. "Let's remember they weren't expecting we would include them as suspects," Heiji said. "The one responsible was probably anticipating we would release them before we had a chance to suspect them." "Well what are we waiting for," James stated. "Bring them all on over, I want to have a full search of their belongings." "Right away sir." Officer Celek said before running off to go and retrieve the four of them. He found himself taken in with all that he had heard, more than impressed with what was unfolding. "He's showing flashes of excellence, it's rare to find someone this disciplined and precise with each and every one of their deductions," Bruce thought to himself. "... He might just be as good as the other one." Everything had fallen into a complete darkness, yet part of his mind seemed to have remained conscious through it all. With little circulating through the mind his eyes peaked open, not aware of where he was. He sat up from where he laid, turning his head from one side of the room to the other. It was nearly pitch dark, making it nearly impossible to figure out where he was. It wasn't until the door to the left of him cracked open that he remembered where he was. "I see you've finally awoken." "Alfred," Conan said repositioning himself. "What happened." "That's what I've been trying to figure out," Alfred replied. "When I first arrived you were unconscious, with a body temperature roughly around 115." "Really?" "Strangely enough after I went to go and get a wet rag to place over your head, things shifted by the time I returned," Alfred informed. "Your temperature as well as your heart rate dropped back down to normal standards." "It doesn't get any weider than that." "Indeed," Alfred said. "I want you to stay in bed for the rest of the night, no use in taking the chance of any kind of relapse." "What about Bruce," Conan asked. "Did he come back with you?" "He's actually still at the city hall," Alfred replied. "I'm sure he's doing just fine." "Better than being stuck here, I hate missing out on all the action." "I think you've had enough to last you for the rest of the night," Alfred said. "Now, get some sleep." "You won't hear a peep out of me." Conan said before laying back. "I'll see you tomorrow then." He closed the door from there, leaving him to the darkness of the room yet again. He rested his hands to the back of his head as he laid there, rehashing what had happened leading up to this point. "I feel fine now, great even," Conan thought. "But what happened, what caused me to become so drained earlier?" To Be Continued