Dianne pulled Harvey into a hug, and Bruce did the same, savoring their company. This, right here, was everything. They didn’t have to come over today, he thought; both of them had suffered in their own way last night, and they were probably as exhausted as himself. But here they were anyway, at his side, trying to cheer him up, and he found himself feeling deeply grateful for these friends with whom he could simplybe.
The world would always have the liars and traitors and thieves, but there were still those who were good at heart.
They stayed until Alfred came back outside, telling Bruce he had another visitor. Bruce excused himself, rose from the table, and left Dianne and Harvey listing out what concerts they could catch before college started. He headed back inside the mansion, where a tall figure waited for him in the foyer.
It was Detective Draccon, standing with a stranger Bruce hadn’t met before. She turned at the sound of Bruce approaching, then held her hand out to shake his. In one of her hands, clutched awkwardly, were a bundle of flowers and a card. “Hello, Bruce,” she said. She nodded to the man at her side. “This is Detective James Gordon.”
The detective offered Bruce a kind look as they shook hands. He was young, but something about him—his thick brows, his deep-set eyes against his weathered, fair skin—made him look wiser than his years. “An honor, Mr. Wayne.”
“You too, sir,” Bruce replied.
“Gordon’s coming in from Chicago,” Draccon added. “He’ll be filling my space at GCPD.”
Bruce looked sharply at her. “Filling your space?”
“I’ve been offered a promotion in Metropolis and will be leaving GCPD at the end of the month to head their security force.”
At that, Bruce couldn’t help but smile a little. “Congratulations, Detective,” he said.
“It’s thanks to you, really.” Draccon waved the flowers uncomfortably, until Alfred put her out of her misery by taking them and going off to find a vase. “The guys at the precinct wanted to send that,” she said as she adjusted her glasses. “Once you’re feeling better, we’d like to invite you down to formally accept a certificate of honor for your actions.”
Bruce looked down at the open card. Inside were scrawled a bunch of signatures. “After all I’ve put you guys through?” he said, offering Draccon a wry grin. “This is too much.”
Draccon put a hand on her hip, but she was smiling, too. “Just take the damn flowers, Wayne, before I change my mind.”
“What’s the certificate for?”
“For taking decisive action and saving both officers’ and civilians’ lives,” Gordon answered. “That took serious courage, Mr. Wayne, disabling the drones.”
Draccon shrugged as if unsure how to praise him. “For your heroics,” she added. “We couldn’t have accomplished any of this without your help.”
“Well done,” Gordon said.
Bruce hesitated. “And Richard Price?” he ventured. “What’s going to happen to him?”
“There will be charges against him,” Draccon answered. “But he’s been very cooperative in helping us track down any Nightwalkers who escaped. We’ll make sure to adjust his sentence to match what happened to him. I know he’s your friend, Bruce, and he’s been quite remorseful.”
Bruce imagined Richard’s life going forward, without a father, with guilt hanging over his shoulders after falling in with a crowd that had changed his life. Maybe after serving his time, Richard could find some solace and peace with his remaining family. “Thank you, Detective,” Bruce said.
Draccon gave him a kind smile. “Look, Bruce—I know I originally came down hard on you. When you first landed yourself in community service, I wanted to remind you that you can’t just go around doing whatever you like.” She paused. “But you have your reasons for seeking out justice. I’ve actually enjoyed working with you these past couple of months, through all the ups and downs. You’re a good kid, Bruce, with a good heart. And with what you’ve seen and suffered, that’s not nothing.”
“Thank you, Detective,” Bruce decided to say.Washe good? He had hurt those he loved before; he had disobeyed orders a hundred times over. But perhaps there was something at the end of all that, something that would make more sense to him as he stepped into his parents’ legacy.
One edge of his lips tilted up. “So…do I have more probation to look forward to? Not that I don’t enjoy probation.”
At that, both detectives let out a chuckle, and for a moment, Draccon sounded more like herself. “Not this time, no,” she confirmed. “Given the situation you were involved in, and what you contributed, you’ve been granted a full pardon and your record will be cleared of anything from this case.” She fixed Bruce with a stern frown. “Don’t push your luck, though. Let’s make this the last time you cross hairs with GCPD.”
“The last time,” Bruce said firmly. “I doubt I’ll ever be involved with anything this intense again.”
Draccon pursed her lips. “I suppose not.” This time, Bruce noticed an uneasy expression pass on the detective’s features, as if there was still something else on her mind.
Gordon leaned forward. “We found evidence linking Cameron Wallace to the three murders originally put on Madeleine—we didn’t know he was alive, so our DNA evidence against her is looking less conclusive. She was there, but she likely didn’t commit the murders.”
Bruce nodded numbly, trying not to picture Madeleine’s still body. When he looked at Detective Draccon, he noticed the grimace on her face again. The curious part of his mind flared up. “What aren’t you telling me, Detective?”
From behind Bruce came Alfred’s voice as he returned from the kitchen. “You might as well tell him, Detective,” Alfred said. “He’ll find out on his own, one way or another.”
Draccon rubbed her temple once, then straightened her blazer. “Madeleine…her body vanished from the hospital an hour after we took her in.”
