1991_ _Batman_ _Captured_By_The

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nothing to be scared of. Well, yes, you do. Not from me, of course---"
"I never thought to be scared of you."
"---but Abner, maybe."
"Abner?"
"My brother."
"Brother? You never told me you had a brother. Long as we've been together, you never said
anything about a brother."
"Not only do I have one, I think he's a brick shy a load. I think he could be dangerous, and I fear
because of me, you're in danger. And something else: I never told you about my father either." He
nodded at her painting. "The Pyramid of Cars. My family owned it."
"What?"
"Still owns it. Abner does, anyway. My father ran it when I was growing up."
"You should have told me, baby. Does my painting it somehow distress you?"
Pale Boy rubbed his head, found a stool and sat. "Maybe. I don't know, really. I feel kind of
detached from my whole past. Like I didn't really live it. Like I read about it. Know what I'm saying?"
"I think so."
"No. No, you don't. You couldn't. I don't mean that like it sounds, Angie. It's just that I'm . . . well,
I'm confused. I've been having bad dreams. This hit-and-run business seems to be part of it, but the
headaches . . . I haven't had them like this in a long time. Not since I got my head busted. I told you
about that. And this dream I've been having, it makes no sense to me. Yet somehow I feel it should.
Hell, I'm not sure I know what I'm saying."
"It's okay, baby. Just take it slow and explain. Start at the beginning."
5
Events Beginning 6:58 P.M.
Batman passed the Pyramid of Cars.
As he passed, he turned his head to see the sun, a rotting plum going soft at the bottom, dripping into
the mountains, leaking juice onto the pile of rust, making it appear blood red. Night's first shadows
began to creep down from the mountain range like grim reapers.
As he drove, Batman considered his dream, its car motif. He mentally reviewed the video from
Gotham Boot and Leather. Linking the video with his dream, he was certain now he knew what was
going on. His dream and his subconscious were ahead of his rationale. They were telling him what his
logic wanted to deny.
He put his foot to the floorboard. The black dart of a car leapt forward.
With his last rot of the plum-sun soaking into the mountains, the shadows crawling out of their day
graves, he raced the Batmobile into Cold Shepherd, and on over to the Sheriff's office.
When Batman entered, Herkemer, who was sitting behind his desk with a magazine turned sideways
and a foldout dangling from it, stopped checking Miss August's anatomy and put the magazine on the
desk. He cranked his bottom jaw up and swallowed.
"My God . . . you're the real one? Batman?"
"One of one," Batman said. "Is Sheriff Pale Boy in?"
"No, he said he was going over to see Dr. Meadows . . . over at the hospital . . . Cupp Street, you can't
miss it---"
"I know where it is. I memorized a map before I came."
"Oh, well, yeah, okay . . . I can't believe it. Batman."
"I'll go over there, then. I miss him, tell him I'll catch up with him later."
"Yeah, sure---I mean, whatever. There's just the one of you, right? Not a bunch of guys who do the
stuff they say you do?"
"No one does all the stuff they say I do. But yes, like I said, I'm one of one."
"That thing with the guy called himself Two Face. That story in the Gotham Times---"
"You mean Harvey Dent. It was exaggerated. Goodbye for now, Deputy."
"Yeah, okay . . . sure. Bye . . . for now. Hey, hey, wait a minute!" Herkemer looked at his watch.
"Time it is, Meadows would have gone on home. Fact is, Pale Boy's supposed to have relieved me by
now so I can eat some dinner. No telling where he is."
"Doctor Meadow's address?"
"Raisor Street. Biggest house there, got a lot of oaks around. I gues Raisor Street's on the map you
memorized?"
"It is."
Batman turned to leave.
"Hey, you see Pale Boy, tell him I need to eat something. I'm so hungry I'm starting to see
hamburgers walking on the ground."
"I will," Batman said, and he went out and closed the door.
Herkemer went to the window, watched the big man get in a dark-looking car at the curb. He thought,
The Batmobile. It really is him. Man, wait till Karen hears about this. But one guy, I don't know. One
guy would be awful busy to do all he does. Got to be a bunch of them with matching suits.
The door to the Batmobile closed. Batman was no longer visible. The tinted glass and the dripping
night took care of that.
The car edged away from the curb into the thickening dusk.
Herkemer ran to the phone, dialed hastily, vibrated on the balls of his feet while he waited for it to
ring.
When the phone was picked up on the other end he spoke immediately. "Hey, you won't guess who
just came in here. Go ahead, give it a guess."
"Jack the goddamn Ripper. Who is this?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, sir. Wrong number."
He hung up and dialed more carefully.
The phone rang.
And rang.
No one was home.
Herkemer hung up. "Typical."
6
Fully night now.
The house on Raisor Street looked Gothic, lights like yellow cat eyes behind two windows. A great [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]