The Reveal
The excitement of the sudden turn of events was undeniable. Perhaps that was why Bruce liked being a detective so much; though he did not really feel like a detective; he felt like someone just stating the obvious, he felt like he understood the fun of deduction in a real setting. Even though the clues were sitting there for him to find, and he had to draw on knowledge he had about biology that fortunately applied in the current context, it was still a real case that someone had to solve. The fact that he had pointed out the prime suspect, however, did not mean that the case was closed.
“It is true that there have been cases of murder victims having died at the hands of loved ones, but we do not know that such has happened here,” Uruzuk said, perhaps by way of defending himself, though he did not take on that kind of tone, not by Peter’s estimate. I wouldn’t know whether he’s acting worried or confident. Even if I did know that, though, that wouldn’t determine whether he was guilty or innocent.
“Well, if it wasn’t a loved one, who did it?” he asked. “I’m not the D.A. here, I guess, but he had to have opened his mouth for someone to get the ring off, and that’s the only way he could’ve been killed without anyone harming him. I don’t know much about the yellows, but the reds would’ve torn him to shreds. Anyone without as much power as a lantern would probably have lost the fight; he would’ve just beat them with his fists.”
“The victim had a reputation as a gentle giant. He was rather quick to blame himself for conflicts. At the same time, he would not have allowed himself to die, and there is already biological evidence that the victim was betrayed.” Saint Walker sighed. “As little as I like it, Batman is most likely correct in suggesting that the perpetrator is a Blue Lantern.”
“Perhaps I was the first to cross your mind, but I was not the only one who loved him,” the other alien stated, still neutral as far as he could tell.
“Indeed... there were a few others that we must question. At the same time, you will not be permitted to be part of the investigation. Am I to assume that you knew of none other who was likely to have killed the victim? Were you not concerned?”
“I had hope that things would work out for him,” Uruzuk said. “Perhaps, if you felt for him as I did, you would expect the same.” He turned and walked out of the room.
“I had a feeling it wouldn’t be this easy,” Peter said. “Just because we know it was a blue, we can’t prove which one it was just from that. Is it okay to let him walk around the space station?”
“I assure you, entrances and exits are closely monitored. There is no chance that he will leave without anyone noticing.” He pressed a few buttons on a nearby console. That must have been the order not to let him out.
”Okay, well, I trust that we’ll be able to eliminate some of the other suspects before any of them can think of any way of getting out of here,” he said. “It’s usually supposed to be easier to eliminate suspects than it is to confirm that one of them actually did it.”
“I am indebted to your wisdom gained from the countless mysteries you must have unraveled at this point.”
“Right.”
It was closer to the truth that he had watched a few cop shows and legal dramas here and there, and even his occasional brush with the criminal justice system told him that the fiction was not even close to the reality. He was getting some memories of having to try to get criminals arrested; though they were not that clear, there were always complications, always inconvenient rules, and frequently he dealt with the same enemy more than once. A high-pitched scream echoed through his mind.
Before long, they were going over a list of suspects, including this blob-thing named Iris who was willing to answer questions about the others. Saint Walker used female pronouns to refer to her. He’s so thoughtful.
“So, you were in the space station, and you’ve been in here since the Blue Lanterns arrived to help adjudicate the dispute between the reds and the greens?”
“Well, more accurately, the dispute is between the Red Lanterns most interested in tracking down Larfleeze and a handful of human Green Lanterns.” Is she really obsessed with accuracy? That might actually help.
“Okay, well, do you know whether or not the other suspects left? Are there logs we can check?”
“Both Nize and Uruzuk left the station. It’s quite certain.”
“When?” he asked. “Did they have the opportunity to fly out to where the victim was found, and then fly back?” He shook his head. “Which version of the story is that one guy even using at this point? Is he claiming that he discovered the body, or that he was informed of the death?”
“When next we ask him, we can know for sure,” Saint Walker said. “Can you describe his motive?” That’s right. We were talking about these three because they all have some connection to the victim, some potential reason to want to harm him. The blob seemed to consider before responding.
“Uruzuk may be playing the part of a scorned lover. Perhaps your human friend does not realize this, but there are several races throughout the galaxies that have more relationships than the biologically defined, parent, child, mate, sibling-”
“It’s complicated on Earth too,” he said. “I just need to know if he’d be able to get the victim’s mouth open.”
“For him, the mouth is a vulnerability. With a hard exterior, his race would only open the mouth around someone he trusted. Their mouths do not even hang open when they are unconscious, or when they are dead, though it may be easier to wrench them open at that point.”
It was more or less what he figured about opening the mouth and what that represented. There was still another suspect to investigate, but while he had a personal connection in front of him, he might as well ask her a few more questions. He thought for a moment about how to phrase it.
“Nize might have motive too. Would you say he has more or less motive than you and Uruzuk?”
“Oh, more, to be certain- though he counts himself as a brother to the victim, he had no end of criticism for him, especially lately. Every rotation, there was another complaint about his attitude or his motivations. I doubt he would have done anything, though, he always hated violence. Go ahead and call him, though; you might as well question him.”
Iris the blob left the room after giving her explanation, sliding out with the ring floating in the ambiguous center of her gelatinous body. I didn’t say we were done. It seemed Saint Walker was going along with the suggestion in summoning the third and final suspect.
“Hey, does she have some weird thing about her where she can’t lie?” he asked.
“It’s a mental condition that rarely appears in humans, if ever,” the leader of the Blue Lanterns explained. “With her race, however, it’s quite common. She is obsessed with accuracy and can only speak the truth as well as she understands it.”
“Why don’t we just ask her if she committed the crime?”
“She could not have; she never left the space station. To tell you the truth, I never suspected her in the first place. Criminal activity is more or less a foolish prospect for someone who cannot lie.”
Batman had to admit that there was a point there; in order for her to commit a crime, she would have to count on never being questioned properly. He had learned from his own allies that in an interrogation, the detective would be asking more questions than what seemed strictly necessary to an outsider. The point was to ensure that the witness was telling a consistent, honest story, and to do that he had to ask questions that he or she was not ready to answer.
“What is all this?” Nize asked as soon as he entered. An arthropod, he had quite a few legs, and his exterior was this bizarre motley of red and brown. Peter could only imagine what manner of planet had produced him. “Have you found any suspects yet?”
“Yeah; I hate to say it, but you’re one of them.”
“Why?” he asked, annoyed and surprised at the same time. There was nothing to be gained from his head; he did not have expressions that a human could decipher, but his voice was clear. “That big lug was one of my works in progress. I was putting everything I had into training him into being the best new blue in the corps.”
“You must be trying to leave a legacy.”
“Nize is a skilled instructor,” Saint Walker supplied. “He has taken it upon himself to train those with longer remaining lifespans, and his high standards have done wonders for us.”
“So, really all he was doing was criticizing one of his trainees? That’s nothing; how is that a motive?”
“I’d guess it’s just because I knew him well enough and I was frustrated with him,” the arthropod said. “Not having an alibi doesn’t help.”
“Where were you?”
“I was doing patrols, like the victim. We understand why the humans of Earth don’t want the reds tearing through their sector, and as long as we’re here, we might as well look around ourselves. The Guardians should not be able to call us hypocritical as long as we can justify our patrols as necessary for the security of our space station.”
“What was Uruzuk doing?” he asked. “Do you know?”
“It was his turn to go out on patrol around the time that the victim would have died. He was the one who discovered the body; I know because he informed me before he was a suspect.”
“Could he have been there?”
“Yes, he could have done it as well.”
“How would he do it? How would you?”
Nize looked over the body. It was clear enough to anyone who laid eyes on the victim that no overtly violent method had been used. As an instructor, he would have known where his trainee kept his ring.
“I would have insisted on training him outside the space station, which would have been unusual, and he would have regarded it as unusual, but there would still be a good chance that he would do it. I would have sparred with him, and I would have put a hand in his mouth, and he would know that if he bit down on my hand, my own protective field would likely break, and then I would be in danger. Taking advantage of his trust in me, I would have subtracted the ring.” He shook his head. “I cannot say how Uruzuk would have committed the crime.”
“We’ve already heard some speculation on the subject,” Batman said. “I need you to realize something, though. If I can’t prove that you didn’t commit the crime, I’m going to have to prove that someone else did.”
“How do you intend to do that?”
“I’m working on it. I need your help. I need the help of all the suspects. You still know the victim better than I did, and you’re going to have to help me figure out who killed him. I want all three suspects in the room.”
“Would they not simply agree, if only subconsciously, to work against you by establishing that it was not any of them?” Saint Walker asked.
“Not in front of the body. We’ve got to take a chance before more evidence disappears.” In truth, he did not really have much evidence at all. The leader of the Blue Lanterns was correct that he was inviting a moral hazard, and he knew it was a risk, but he had to believe there was a way for it to work out. Saying that something’s impossible is just passing the buck. I have to solve this.
The three suspects were assembled before long.
“My first question that I would like to direct to Uruzuk with all of you present is whether the victim was showing any signs of mental anguish before death.” It was basically his last test; if he turned out to be right, then he at least knew what angle to pursue. The floating, still strangely fetal alien took a moment before responding.
“I do not know why, but he seemed to believe he was not good enough to make it as a Lantern,” he said. “There was nothing wrong with his performance, but it seemed like he was getting criticized more frequently, lately.”
“Why didn’t you mention this before?”
“I wanted to see his killer brought to justice. I know him, and even if it may not make sense to you- I know that there was no way he could have killed himself. He would have come to me if he had even considered it...”
“If you’re the only one who’s certain that someone killed him-” the blob thing started.
“That’s enough, Iris,” Nize said. “You’ll get a turn to answer questions.”
“It’ll be your turn first, though,” Peter said. “Was the victim’s performance adequate, even to your high standards?”
“Yes. You may not know this, but one of our weaknesses as Lanterns is that we need the help of Green Lanterns in order to reach our true potential. The fact that the victim was a competent, strong fighter put him above much of the rest of the core. I gave him the business sometimes, because he still had a ways to go, but he was an asset to the entire corps.”
“I would be inclined to agree,” Saint Walker said. “I have always considered him a valuable member.”
“Then my last question is for you, Iris. Where on public record are your conversations with the victim?” Everyone looked at the blob-like alien.
“Perhaps I should at least know what you accuse me of doing-”
“This ring still has power in it,” Batman said, picking up the blue ring. “That means that he didn’t die by accident, and that’s why it was investigated as a murder. It’s not. You drove him to suicide. You used the way he felt like he wasn’t performing well enough against him by making him think that he didn’t have the hope that a Blue Lantern should have, and that basically undermined his hope. The anxiety that everyone witnessed wasn’t brought on by anything objective, it was brought on by a backwards logic trap; you exploited his imposter syndrome and turned an imaginary problem-”
“Where is the evidence?” she asked. “Where is the evidence- either of these two could have murdered him, or it could have been an independent suicide-”
“That’s why I’m asking you. You know whether or not your conversations with him were part of public record, and you have to answer questions of fact accurately. That’s why you set up these other suspects; it was a smokescreen so that no one would ever look at you.”
“I can give the order to search through our records,” Batman,” Saint Walker said. “On a relatively small space station, I doubt there are many conversations that are not overheard or recorded. What made you consider this possibility?”
“I found it suspicious that she knew who our other suspects were,” he said. “Even if you were obsessed with facts, no one knows everything, not right when it becomes convenient. If we find anything to suggest that they were out on patrol at the same time as the victim because of her-”
“I’m sorry I didn’t think of this when you were questioning me,” Nize started. “I was only going out at the time as a favor to Pordai. I don’t know if you’ve been introduced to her, but she was overworked and I received a note from her asking if I could cover her patrol.”
“That’s okay, I didn’t ask about that; I didn’t think of it either. I don’t know how things work in your system,” he obviated, turning to Saint Walker. “If you formally arrest the suspect, does that mean that you can go through her things? Can you go through recordings with her in them?”
“Yes, as soon as she is the most likely suspect, then I can say that I have what you might call probable cause. With many suspects that are each no more likely than the other, a search through personal affects and personal conversations would be unreasonable. It is for this reason that I, as the leader of the Blue Lanterns, arrest you, Iris, for the crime of murder.”
Silently, Peter observed that they had a strict standard, if driving someone to suicide was considered murder, but he supposed that they had asked him to help enforce the rules of their own system, and he was not terribly sympathetic to the perpetrator, who was now saying that there was not enough evidence, and that he had only come up with a possible explanation.
“It’s a possible explanation, and I’m asking you for the rest of it. You’re avoiding the questions.”
“What is this? Are you not supposed to be some detective from Earth? Is this what detectives do, make obvious observations and then demand that the suspects convict themselves?”
“What does it matter?” he asked. “If I’m right about this, then it should be something that I can explain based on the evidence that I have in front of me, which is the same as the evidence you have. I still think you’re avoiding my questions.”
“What is my motive?”
“I don’t care. If I find you standing over the body with a smoking gun, I don’t need to figure out what your motive was. I don’t need to do anything more to raise the probability that you did it; it’s already basically at a hundred. I have something that I think it is, though.”
“Oh?”
“It goes back to hope again. I don’t know much about the victim, but it seems like these people do, and it seems likely that he was in conflict with your beliefs about hope. I can’t tell whether he actually disagreed with you, or whether his actions-”
“I think I get it,” Nize said. “There’s no need to get into details, not for your purposes, but we’ll be able to produce the motive before such a time as the punishment is decided.”
“I see, so you factor the motive in the punishment,” he said, nodding along. “Well, I hope I was able to help you in some way. I definitely wish I could have solved the mystery just by snapping my fingers or something, but-”
“There’s no need to worry about that,” the trainer said, interrupting again. Either it was not rude according to some unknown social standard, or he was fine with being rude. Peter reminded himself that he really had no idea. Even though figuring out a mystery was more about using the information available, the fact that he was able to solve it without virtually any background information impressed him, somewhat. The voice of the blob-thing was questioning whether or not he even did anything as a detective, but he supposed that sometimes detectives would be asked to solve cases that were somewhat easy, and even in those cases they would still take time to make sure the case did not simply appear to be open and shut.
He offered to go with them on the way to the cameras, but they basically said that they had what they needed from him and he was good to go. Whenever there was a suicide, there was usually a note, and the victim’s personal affects needed to be checked. The Blue Lantern who was accused of being the perpetrator was getting progressively more frustrated with the proceedings.
“Who even is this human detective?” she demanded. “He’s not even a Lantern!”
Producing something that he assumed was a ray gun, he threw himself out of the way, not sure where he was getting the acrobatics. The other blues restrained the suspect, insisting that she could only make things worse. The fact that he was being protected rather than responding violently made her even angrier, for some reason he was still trying to figure out.
“You humans from Earth-” she started. “You’ve infected the Lantern Corps with your false hope- you can’t even solve the problems on your own planet and you think you can number among us?”
“As far as I know, there aren’t any human blues,” he said. “Worry about your own Corps and let the greens worry about theirs-”
“That, in itself, would be tolerable if you were not infecting the minds of our members. Did you know there are seriously those who join our organization just to protect their own worlds?”
“I don’t think that’s that bad of a reason.”
Saint Walker sighed.
“Perhaps you would not, but there is a legitimate concern that our Corps will be too focused on its many origin planets and forget the rest of the universe.”
“I think I understand that,” he said, walking out of the room with the leader. “Well, I understand why I wouldn’t see it the same way. Does that explain it?”
“More will come to light,” he said. “I have every confidence that we shall soon see the truth of these allegations, about whether the humans from Earth are ruining our organization or not.”
“It’s funny,” he said. “See, back home, there are actually a lot of people who don’t want the planet to be under the control of some massive entity made up of aliens.” He decided it was better not to mention Gotham specifically. “I guess I should have figured that you would have problems with us too.”
He thought about it for a moment, and from what he had understood so far, being a superhero was something that apparently only happened on his home planet, elsewhere they did not seem to practice it. Earth being included in the Lantern Corps, even if not in all of them, probably presented a mix of good and bad for the Lanterns, but he suspected that they would want to at least have a hand on the steering wheel with a planet so interesting. I don’t want to find out what might happen, but if Superman went up against the Lanterns, he could do a lot of damage all by himself, and then there’s the rest of the League. They consider the ‘local crimefighting club’ to be a challenge to their authority.
Peter could very well just dismiss their concerns and say that the dynamics of Earth very well should threaten them, and that they could simply stay away if they wanted to not have to deal with it, but had the various Corps done anything good overall? Did it matter, now that the reds had Zatanna? What horrors could they accomplish with someone so powerful under their control?
As he allowed himself to be protected by Saint Walker’s ring so that they could go back, seeing as Jordan was not there to pick him up, he considered telling them once more about how serious the situation was. Even after what he had just seen, he knew that many of them had good intentions, and would at least try to solve the problem, but that was the core of the decision. He could only accept their help if he wanted the Earth to be under them, and that was something he doubted even the Justice League wanted.
“It semes you have something on your mind,” the leader of the blues said to him as they went. “By the way, I think I do not have the authority to take you to your homeworld, so I hope it will be all right if I take you to the Green Power Battery.”
“Yeah, that’s fine. I think they might have a way to get back and forth from where I really need to be.” If I want to solve the problem of the reds myself, then I need something that I can use against them. The greens might know how to fight them. I can even bring it up like a normal thing.
After that, I just have to track them down.