Richard was the detective handling Ember's case so of course he was permitted to interrogate Evan himself. That meant the Bat vigilantes too would have full access to all the answers obtained in that interrogation.

Evan was kept in the interrogation cell at the GCPD headquarters, his hands cuffed to the table. Richard stepped into the cell, closing the door behind him. Two officers were in the room that offered a clear view of the cell through a glass.

He took the seat across from Evan Sinclair, his eyes observing the man in front of him with caution. They hadn't been able to find much on Evan's past but all they had managed to dig up on him hinted at a connection to both the crime families that were being targeted in Ember's article.

"Mister Sinclair, I will not beat about the bush and cut straight to the chase. You were supposedly abducted from your house last week and your acquaintance Ember Sullivan reported it to the police. Ever since then, we have been investigating your case but our investigation has turned up no evidence of that. Can you explain why you would fabricate such a story?"

He leaned forward, his voice steady as he replied, "Officer Grayson, I did not fake my abduction.  I understand how it might seem, but I didn't fake anything. I was genuinely abducted, and I managed to escape."

Richard raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Evan's unwavering stance, "and when did you manage to escape?"

He seemed to have thought of a reply to that as well, "three days after my abduction. On the nineteenth."

It was the same night Robin and Spoiler had broken into the warehouse where Evan was being kept hostage. Richard could see that Evan was trying to keep his statement constant without letting slip anything that could point to his involvement. 

"All I know is that the people holding me there got into a fight and I took that chance to escape," he resumed when Richard didn't ask anything further but kept his skeptical glance on him, "I think I saw the Bat vigilantes there but I'm not sure."

Richard nodded, his expression showing a hint of understanding. "And who were these abductors, Mister Sinclair? Can you describe them or provide any details about the incident?"

"I didn't get a good look at them, and I was blindfolded most of the time," he explained.

He leaned back, considering Evan's words carefully. "And after your escape, you did not return home nor did you report anything to the police. Why is that?"

He scoffed, "the police? I am not being rude but frankly speaking, when have the police ever been able to help us? And I wasn't stupid to go back to the very place I got taken from."

Richard ignored the sting in his words, quite accustomed to the general dislike Gothamite had for the GCPD. Instead, he took out a small plastic evidence bag and emptied it on the table in front of him. It contained the wallet retrieved from that warehouse as well as the photograph found inside it.

"Do you recognize this wallet?"

"Yes, it's my wallet," he seemed slightly fazed by the revelation of the two items. Perhaps he hadn't noticed that the police could have found that wallet as a piece of evidence.

"This photograph was found in your wallet and as we studied it, we were only able to identify Miss Krista Ranaldini in it. Can you please shed some light on who these two children are?"

His face paled but he kept his composure, "well... I am that boy in the picture."

"And the girl?"

He had paused as if weighing out his words so as to give Richard a reply that wouldn't put him in trouble.

"Mister Sinclair, we know that as the Ranaldinis seem to be involved, you might feel that you are risking yourself by telling us further. But I assure you, we can offer you protection in exchange for your cooperation. Please tell us the truth."

"The girl is Miss Krista's daughter," he spoke up at last after a considerable pause. 

Richard could see that whether or not his story was genuine, he did look worried at the mention of the Ranaldinis. Perhaps he wasn't really working for that family and was on the opposing side.

But whatever the cause, there was still a lot to figure out and Richard knew he would have to probe further.

"You seem to cherish this photograph a lot, judging by the fact that you keep it with you at all times. May I know the reason?"

"No," he replied stiffly, looking away as his fingers tapped the desk in frustration, "I have cooperated well with you so far, Officer Grayson, but I can't keep this up if you focus on irrelevant things."

"I don't think this is irrelevant. Is this photograph in any way linked to Miss Sullivan as well?"

Evan's eyes shifted in unease but he gave no reply to the question.

"Alright since you don't want to answer this, I will have to ask about this girl," he pointed to the picture again, noticing that Evan's discomfort had increased, "there are no official records backing up the existence of Krista Ranaldini's daughter. And even if she did exist and was not mentioned on record, how can you state with surety that the girl in this picture is Miss Ranaldini's daughter? Do you have any proof of her existence other than this picture? Do you know where she is right now?"

He shook his head, "I don't know. She must have died in the car crash with Miss Krista. And even if she survived, she would have been killed."

He detected a trace of remorse in Evan's tone so he tried to push one more time. "How can you say that so certai..."

"This has nothing to do with Ember or my abduction or the case the police are investigating," he looked frustrated and about to lose his calm as he interrupted the detective mid-sentence, "the photograph you're making so much fuss about was taken almost twenty years ago. I don't find it necessary to tell you why it is important to me because it's a personal subject that you as a police officer should not be dissecting. If there's any other way I can help you with the investigation, I will do so but please stop asking me questions that make no sense!"

Richard let him go off and said nothing, closely observing his facial expressions and body language as Evan got caught up in the outburst. He could see that Evan was being defensive and his reaction clearly hinted that he was hiding something. But he did not bring that up just yet, feeling that he would eventually figure it out himself.

After a while, the man finally calmed down and Richard passed him a glass of water, calculative blue eyes focused on him still.

"I'm sorry," Evan mumbled after drinking water and reevaluating his reaction, "you're just doing your job... I shouldn't have lost control like that."

"It's alright, Mister Sinclair. I can give you some time to yourself and come back after a while," Richard offered, naturally being considerate of the other person's well-being.

But Evan did not accept the suggestion. "No, if you think that interrogating me is going to help with solving this case then please carry on."

The interrogation continued but Evan's responses were still not enough for Richard to draw a clear conclusion. He vehemently denied any wrongdoing, providing alibis and evidence to support his claims. 

As a result, Richard Grayson found himself facing a complex puzzle where the lines between guilt and innocence were blurred, and the truth remained elusive.

***