《I am the Night》Chapter 8: The roommate
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Wayne felt Bruce's routines and obsessive attention to detail kick in as he looked over the Wayne Entertainment report. After meeting with Commissioner Gordon he went back with Alfred to the Batcave and sat down at the computer and started to do an intense search through the Wayne Entertainment footage. He watched an hour of CCTV footage just on the staircase that led to the walkway. He watched as the only camera that had a direct look at the stairs was disabled two hours before the incident. He knew that in the days before the camera was disabled there would have been a shot of the killer looking for the camera locations. He needed more to go on before he went through the footage.
He started to look through Julie's records. Was it someone in her life that wanted her dead? He needed to know about her friends. He pulled up her current address and then saw a name that jarred him. He checked the clock, not too late, but not early. He stood up and walked to a nearby motorcycle. This was a vehicle Wayne had not driven before, but Bruce was a regular rider. He shook off the sense of anxious fear that gripped him for a moment and then started up the bike and raced out of the tunnel that led to the downtown streets.
Bruce had long ago memorized the map of the city. Getting to Julie's apartment was as easy as going to the bookstore he worked in his world. Wayne swallowed his anxiety and walked up two flights of stairs before reaching the apartment Julie had shared with another woman. He knocked loudly and waited before the door opened slightly, the chain latched from inside only allowing the door open two inches. An attractive woman stared at Wayne through the crack, "Yes?"
"Hello, I'm Bruce Wayne, I was a friend of Julie's may I speak with you?"
The door slammed shut and no sound was heard for two long minutes before the sound of the chain being unlatched was heard. She hadn't opened the door for him, but Wayne could tell it was now open, did she want him to come in? He waited a few more seconds and then tried the door. As he walked into the room he could see that the apartment was messy.
He walked into the living room and saw the woman sitting on the couch watching TV. Two cats peeked into the room before hiding in the back rooms. She was sitting with her legs pulled up against her chest her arms around her knees her head tucked between her knees. There was something very defensive about the way she was curled up in a ball.
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"You are Selina Kyle, right?"
She nodded without looking at him, "Julie was talking about you a lot since that night."
Wayne took a seat in a chair next to the couch. He had to move aside some clothes first. He looked around the apartment and then asked, "Have you two lived together long?"
"What do you want?" Selina seemed to have run out of patience.
Wayne looked at Selina with an emotionless face, "Who wanted her dead?"
Selina looked at Wayne with an 'are you serious?' face, "I don't know, Bruce Wayne, who might want Bruce Wayne's woman dead? Maybe... I don't know, every living mobster in the city?"
"You think this is my fault?" Wayne raised an eyebrow.
Selina raised her head and stared daggers into Wayne as she responded, "Until she went to your little party, the most she ever complained about was some bitches fucking the directors of the shows she was in, so you tell me?"
"Why do you think every living mobster in the city wants my woman dead?"
Selina made a derisive noise, "Are you fucking serious with me right now? I have ears, I have eyes... It's all over town. Wayne is killing mob bosses because the Joker fucked with his party. Guys that aren't afraid of even the Bat are shitting themselves when they see Wayne trucks drive past." Selina smirked and then said, "There's this guy, Fat Tony Zucco used to come into my bar all the time, all his guys are fucking afraid to fart in the bar right now because the bar is owned by Wayne Enterprises."
Selina turned back to the TV and her angry face slowly turned into one of grief. She started to sob and then while crying managed to say under her breath, "Fuck. I lost my fucking best friend and the asshole who got her killed has no fucking clue. I don't even know how I'll make my rent next month."
Wayne smacked his lips and then pulled out his phone and called a number, "Kate. Bruce Wayne, you know that residential building you own in the East End by Robinson Park..." Wayne listened for a few seconds, "Yeah that's the one. Apartment 9c, I'll be taking care of the rent for the next year. Yes. Thank you, Kate." He put his phone back in his pocket. "You don't have to worry about the rent here for the next year, now, could you tell me about the women Julie had issues with, I know one of them was Katherine Karlo."
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Selina looked at Wayne with disbelief in her eyes, "I didn't ask you to do that."
Wayne nodded, "The women. Tell me anything you know. Please, it's very important."
Selina sighed and then trying to control her emotions she wiped her eyes and said, "Katherine Karlo... They worked together on that Soap Opera, 'The Sun Also Sets'. Katherine had a very minor role and Julie was the female lead. Three seasons into the show Katherine started to be seen around town with the director. A month later Julie's character was written off and Katherine became the new female lead. Then Julie got this part in that horror movie and then Katherine started taking shots at Julie through the tabloids about how she can't act and only got the part because of her body. Typical slut shaming crap. Katherine made it very clear that the role should be hers since her grandfather was Basil Karlo and a Karlo should be in the movie."
Wayne nodded and then asked, "Who else?"
"Charlotte Rivers, although she dropped out of acting and was working at the TV station as a news reporter, she and Julie have gone up for a lot of the same roles. Julie used to complain about her every fucking day." Selina shrugged and then said, "Those are the ones she said by name... Oh well, she also got some nasty mail, mostly aimed at her character from the Soap. I think her agent has that though."
Wayne stood up and took out a business card holding it out for Selina until she finally reached out and took it from him, "Call me if you remember anything else, day or night."
Selina was looking at the card as Wayne smoothed out his suit and walked toward the door. "Thank you. For the rent, I mean, thank you, that's a huge burden off my back."
"I'm sorry about Julie, she was... Important to me as well. Good night, Selina." He closed the door softly. Once he started down the stairs case he made a call, "Lucius, get Julie's agent on the phone. I need access to the letters she was sent. Yes, all of them. The police already asked for them? Ok, don't worry about that. Ask if there were any that stood out, yeah bad ones. Thank you, Lucius." Wayne slipped his phone back into his pocket as he left the building he saw some teenagers standing on the corner.
As he walked to his motorcycle he noticed the group of boys was following him so he turned and faced them, he looked at each of them until he locked eyes with one of the smaller ones and asked, "It's a little late to be out, isn't it boys?"
The boy he was looking at said, "Give us your wallet, and keys and then you can fuck off."
Wayne smiled and then took a step toward the boys and said, "Oh? Are you criminals then?"
The boys started laughing except for the shorter one Wayne was looking at who said, "Yeah, we're fucking criminals, so you better give us your wallet before we fuck you up good."
Wayne laughed and then said, "You want to rob... Me? Are you sure?"
One of the boys in the back said, "Hey, isn't this guy Bruce Wayne?"
The kid staring into Wayne's eyes said, "Shut up Danny, ain't no way Bruce Wayne would be caught dead on the East End."
Wayne smiled and stepped closer to the boys, "Well, I'm not dead, and I'm definitely Bruce Wayne, so there is some truth to that statement."
The shorter boy turned and sprinted away a few seconds later the other boys joined him running as fast as they could as if they had met the devil himself on their corner.
Wayne laughed and shook his head. Years of being the Batman in order to scare criminals and now after just a single day of Gotham Renewal and his Bruce Wayne persona was able to surpass the Bat. He wiped his brow and shook his head, "Why did he bother with the dumb outfit?"
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