"I saw the news this morning that the Riddler was arrested by Batman last night." Vicki Vale says as a greeting to Kei. She holds a latte, for Kei, and a black coffee, for herself, in her hands near their office door.

Kei had woken up from a text from her co-worker asking if she would like to get some coffee as Vicki had some time that morning.

"Really? The Riddler was arrested?"
"Oh! You didn't know? I just assumed you did since you were there last night to meet that lead."
"No...I must've left by then. I did hear his name thrown around that night I think, but nothing else."

It wasn't a complete lie.

"Hm." Vicki hums absently as she takes a sip from her coffee.

"Find anything from the woman last night?"
"Phoebe Bloom?"
"Is that her name? I haven't looked it at the files in a while."
"Yeah. But I didn't find out much." Kei explains and hesitates as Vicki presses the floor button to their office in the elevator.

"What is it?"
"It's just...something Phoebe said that night was a little...weird."
"Weird how? You'll have to be more specific. We are, after all, living in the city where a man dressed as a bat fights crime every night."
"I know. But she mentioned that only was her family a member of the Court of Owls...but Violet Windermere was involved. And the reason she left."

Kei watches Vicki's face as she digests this information and the elevator dings, indicating that they are at their stop.

"You mean...the woman who owns Windermere Technologies?" Vicki finally says as they step out of the elevator. Kei nods.
"You sure Phoebe wasn't lying?"
"I don't know, maybe." Kei admits. "But that doesn't explain everything that happened."

She catches Vicki's eye and she still listening.

"Before she could tell me anything, she got really emotional and needed to go to the bathroom. But once she got up, she bumped into a waitress...and I think she handed her a note."
"A note? About what?"
"I don't know. But Phoebe looked scared from whatever it said. It makes me wonder if that waitress was even a worker at the lounge."
"Hm...maybe. But you never know. That place is filled with many unscrupulous types. It is ran by Oswald Copplepot after all." Vicki points out.

Kei nods along, not entirely convinced.

She next goes to her uncle and explains to him her interview with Phoebe and what she just told Vicki.

He tells her that if she has a hunch that he should go for it, he trusts her.

Kei has doubts about that—she is his niece after all. What if he's just saying that?

Regardless, she doesn't get a chance to ask before he gently pushes her out the door and she resumes her work and decides to research the Windermere family til 5.

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

Kei lets out a tired sigh as she closed the door to her apartment, letting her coat fall on the floor as she placed her keys into a tray filled with a few knickknacks.

Her apartment was small. It was mismatched furniture that Kei had managed to find at a garage sale a few weeks after she graduated from Gotham University.

There was a picture of Kei's family on her coffee table, along with her Gotham University graduation photo, followed by a selfie with some of her friends from college.

There was one thing that stood out however...

A black cat was currently perched on the windowsill by her window near the fire escape.

"Um...hi?" Kei says, cautiously coming over. The cat just meows back, titling it's head curiously at her before coming disinterested and cleaning itself.

A moment later, there was some movement from the roof and two stilettos heels appeared in front of the fire escape before Selina made herself known. She was clad in a black catsuit with her mask covering her face.

"Looks like Isis got here before me." She comments, scratching between Isis' ears as she purrs before Selina moves her green eyes towards Kei.
"Come on the roof. I have some information that might help with your article." With that, she's gone and Isis follows her owner out.

Kei shakes herself out her stupor and rushes over to the windowsill.

"Wait...how did you find my apartment??"

"I happened to be in the neighborhood and spotted you." Selina explains, sounding impatient and mysterious at the same time. Kei can practically hear the smirk in her voice.

Kei scoffs, rolling her eyes before going up the fire escape to hear what The Cat had to say.

Author's Notes

Things will pick up speed next chapter, I promise.

Just an FYI in case you didn't see my new writing schedule:

Mondays and Thursdays are days I will update Sharpened Claws and Midnight Visits (along with the other Letters series books).

So I'll see you all Thursday :)

BatgirlGeek❤