It wasn't yet evening when an unannounced guest, unlisted in the phonebook, paid a visit to Shiller's new home.
Gordon examined the furnishings in the living room through the crack of the slightly ajar door that Shiller had opened, and said, "Congratulations on your new home, Professor. I brought back a set of horse gear from my trip to Texas State. It's not valuable, but I believe you'd like it."
Gordon handed over a box, Shiller noticed the quality of the box and saw the exquisite hardware, so he opened the door a little wider, allowing Gordon to enter.
However, it wasn't just Gordon who stepped in; a little girl followed him. Gordon pushed the little girl forward, saying, "This is Nemocine. Five years ago, her parents met with a tragic fate. She was taken in by the Beca Welfare Institute and then sent to the Andriao Orphanage."
"Recently, the Errimu Charity Foundation visited the Andriao Orphanage and chose Nemocine as one of the three lucky children to be adopted by a new family."
"Unfortunately, Nemocine comes from a family with a history of mental illness. Once in the new home, she fell ill and the adoptive family felt incapable of treating her mental disorders. As a result, she returned to foster care. Yes, she was the last child to be returned. The other two have already made their way back to the orphanage."
"The Andriao Orphanage is an ordinary one without psychiatric staff. In Gotham, only the Beca Welfare Institute can accommodate children with mental issues. I asked Nemocine if she would like to return to Beca, but she refused."
"Currently, she's staying in my house temporarily. But her mental state is worrisome, and Barbara and I are not well-versed in this area. We can't send her to the Arkham Asylum either. Besides that place, you are the only psychiatrist I know. Could you offer any suggestions about the mental treatment this poor child might need?"
Shiller looked down at the child standing behind Gordon. She was a little girl of seven or eight years in a washed-out denim dress with her red hair styled meticulously into two braids.
She had a pair of brown eyes that focused intently on Shiller. This was a characteristic gaze indicative of the mentally disturbed; overly focused, indifferent, and neurotic.
"Her condition isn't great." Shiller pulled a fountain pen from his suit pocket and spun it gently in his hand before saying, "Come in."
Gordon breathed a sigh of relief, guiding Nemocine to the couch in the living room. The little girl remained silent throughout. Gordon had her seated on the couch.
Shiller asked some basic questions about her age, family background, living environment, etc. Gordon answered most of the questions while Nemocine just sat quietly.
Once he had gathered enough information, Shiller said to Gordon, "Generally speaking, medication isn't prescribed to children so young. Nemocine doesn't need medication. Family environment greatly affects them, and frequent changes are not conducive to their sense of security."
"My suggestion would be to take her back, take good care of her, and don't subject her to any further changes in environment. If she exhibits stress symptoms in response to new environments, give me a call and I will provide advice."
After saying that, Shiller looked at the phone upstairs, shook his head, and said, "You'll have to ask Batman for my phone number, I don't know it myself."
Suddenly, both of them froze. They realized that nemocine trembled upon hearing the word "Batman".
Gordon was about to kneel when Shiller made a sign suggesting him to freeze. Gordon stopped, successfully controlling himself to avoid any overreaction.
Then, Shiller fixed his gaze on Nemocine's face undisturbed. He noticed the sigh of relief on the little girl's face. She seemed to be delighted that no one noticed her odd reaction.
The name Batman was renowned in certain circles, not including the orphanage. The Dark Knight did not help orphans, let alone reveal his identity if he ever saved a child.
The children in the orphanage weren't allowed to read newspapers and were virtually living in isolation, thus couldn't know about Batman. But Nemocine definitely heard the name from someone.
At this point, Gordon understood that he had found the clue he needed. As expected, Batman hasn't made a mistake; in this case, the little girl was the key figure, as was Shiller. Their meeting would certainly offer new clues.
Before coming here, Gordon had some doubts. Bringing such a small girl to meet an unstable madman seemed like a risky decision.
But now, Gordon noticed that everything was still under Batman's control. Shiller was not like those uncontrollable, mad killers; rather, he was more akin to Batman.
So, Gordon decided to take a further risk. He stepped forward and said to Shiller, "Even if companionate care is important, I believe professional treatment and guidance are also necessary. Can I arrange a regular appointment to bring her for psychological treatment?"
Shiller gave it a thought and then said, "Yes, we can schedule it every Tuesday afternoon. Please confirm the appointment 24 hours in advance. If there is no confirmation call, I will ring up two hours before the appointment."
Gordon nodded, he understood. Before leaving, Nemocine looked at Shiller, moved her lips as if to say something, but ultimately remained silent.
Shiller went to a nearby restaurant for dinner, and just as he walked into his new home through the garage door, the phone rang.
Shiller slowly walked upstairs to answer the phone, and as expected, it was Batman's voice on the other side: "Tomorrow night, there will be a high society banquet held at the Gotham Grand Theater. Bruce Wayne is sponsoring the event to strengthen the bond between Gotham's investors."
"The nature of the banquet is quite private, but there are individuals among the attendees whom I suspect. I might cause a stir during the ball. I hope you can cooperate with me as an attendee."
"Bruce Wayne will also be there?"
"Bruce Wayne will be there."
Shiller remained silent, and Batman on the other end of the call said, "Your new outfit for the ball will be placed on the third floor balcony tomorrow morning. There's a laundry shop across the street where you can get your clothes ironed. Your watch and accessories will be placed on the rightmost shelf in the garage. Please prepare a gift yourself."
"Understood," Shiller replied.
"Wait a moment." Barry, seated in the theatre, suddenly stood and raised his hand, "I've noticed, they've overlooked an essential point."
Everyone looked up at him, and Barry surveyed the room and said, "It's a private banquet. How is Shiller supposed to get in? He came out of nowhere, and no one knows him. How can he participate in a banquet of Gotham's investors?"
"I'm also a bit curious." Hal touched his chin and said, "This seems like a test of Shiller's abilities by Batman, but it also seems more complicated than that. It's as if they're hinting at something."
"The suspects." Bruce spoke. After detaching himself from his emotions, Bruce could view events from a more objective angle. He analyzed, "We're back to the original thought: Batman wants to see how much Shiller is like him."
"If the collection of items in the room was meant to observe Shiller's aesthetic sense, then this time, Batman wants to see if Shiller's reasoning aligns with his."
"The clues are insufficient," Diana said, her brow furrowed. The stunning princess had a unique appeal when she frowned. She uttered in a low voice, "Based solely on that body, it's impossible to determine who did it."
"Among the attendees there will be more than just high society. The suspects could be wait staff, security, parking attendants or even car valets. With at most one day and night for investigation, how will Shiller approach this?" Constantine, known as the Hell Detective, squinted slightly. His deduction skills were not frequently used, but he indeed had a detective's intuition.
"Unless, during their conversation, Batman has provided some additional clues," Jason pointed and said.
"Oh, I got it," Harley suddenly exclaimed, "The key is the new outfit, watch and accessories! It's like Batman is hinting that he wants Shiller to obtain a significant social status during the banquet."
"When my dad was alive, he took me to some social events. At some, I needed to dress as glamorously as possible. At others, I needed to dress modestly in order not to steal the spotlight."
"My mother told me that one's attire at a banquet depends on the social status one aspires to. If you want to be the center of attention, you must dress up completely. Ladies must wear splendid long dresses, gemstone-studded shawls, customized sets of headdresses, necklaces, and bracelets, even the shoes hidden under the long dress can't be sloppy, or it will be telling."
"Gentlemen should wear expensive, well-tailored suits. Vests or cummerbunds should be arranged according to the occasion. Watches, cufflinks, and badges are of utmost importance. Facial hair and sideburns should be appropriately trimmed to match personal style, and should never appear unkempt," Diana continued where Harley left off.
Clearly, they both came from different social classes. Harley's family was relatively wealthy, but not old money. Sometimes, she had to play humble and not overshadow others, or take opportunities to market herself. Therefore, she paid more attention to dressing up as per her gender.
On the other hand, Diana was born into royalty, with a noble background and extraordinary abilities. Thus, she observed and scrutinized men at such events, forming a habit of judging the degree to which men sought to please her.
Jason nodded and said, "In that case, we can rule out service staff and such. If Batman's target was one of them, there was no need for Shiller to attend the banquet in such an elaborate fashion."
"On the contrary, he needs a new face with significant standing to appear at the banquet, attracting people's attention. You could say this is a hint from Batman to Shiller."
Everyone nodded, thinking this analysis made a lot of sense. Barry frowned and seemed a little worried, stating, "
"But there's only a day and a night left. Where can Shiller acquire such significant status? He is an outsider in this universe with no backing. How can he fabricate a high-society identity in such a short time?"
Diana was apparently quite familiar with these types of situations. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and the beautiful princess flirtatiously toyed with her hair and said, "Perhaps, he doesn't need to fabricate a high-society identity. Or, perhaps someone will provide him with one."
"Who?"
"Whoever feels guilty is the one."