55 Mystery Murder

The cloudy sky was gray with precipitation. The streets were damp and puddles of water could be found on every corner. Winter had fully set in. The rain was constant, with cold winds and occasional sounds of thunder.

A few months had gone by since his run in with the Teen Titans. Puppet Master was interrogated and lots of information had come up. Work had been nonstop since then. Luckily, the rainy weather caused a lot of upcoming events to be canceled. The Lockharts would remain in their estate for the time being.

Sora and Alice could be found in the study room. The sleepy man gazed out the window while sipping a cup of hot chocolate. It was incredibly foggy, the sound of rain setting a calm atmosphere. The beautiful doll was going over a bunch of contracts. She was absorbed in her work.

It had been a while since he'd seen Harley. He knew that she always found a way to cure her boredom. Sora wished he could do the same. For the time being, he decided to list all of the companies Alice would meet in the coming months.

Time went by in comfortable silence. After a few hours, Alice got up from her desk and sat on Sora's lap, interrupting his work. She buried her face in his neck and closed her eyes.

"Mmmmnnnnn…" She hummed.

"...Did you already finish proofreading?" He asked.

"I can't look at another paper. My head will hurt."

"Don't work too hard."

"I won't."

Even though she was nibbling on his skin, he concentrated on his tasks. The hollow eyed woman ran her wet tongue from his shoulder to the back of his ear. Not a single day went by where she didn't lick him. Marking him was a habit at this point.

Alice unbuttoned the top of his shirt, revealing his sculpted chest. Her face dove in without patience. Licking him from his chest to his chin, he was quickly covered in her saliva. The feeling of her tongue made him shiver.

Sora immediately sped up with his work. Realizing how overbearing she was about to become, he needed to finish up. Barely two seconds went by and he was done. After leaning back against the couch, he let the doll have her way with him.

"I had the maids prepare a tray of chocolate strawberries." He commented.

"Mnn."

"...Make sure you eat today. Whenever you work in the study, you miss your meals."

"Mnn."

"Are you listening?"

"Mnn."

The young Lockhart sighed before gazing at the ceiling. By this point, his shirt had been thrown to the side. Alice was tasting every inch of his body. Such was her way of relieving stress.

Eventually, there was a knock on the door. A maid entered the room and set down a food tray on the desk. It was the same maid that Sora had spoken with before. Her glasses gave her a serious vibe. After making eye contact with the half naked Sora, she gave a slight nod and left the room.

"Alice, the strawberries are here."

SHLICK

The sound of her lips leaving his skin created a wet noise. Without saying a word, the beautiful fairy rose from his lap and grabbed a few. Chocolate strawberries were a delicacy. They were her favorite snack.

"Sora…"

"Hmm?"

"Try this one!"

Alice put the strawberry in her mouth and leaned toward his face. With a slight smile, he grabbed it with his mouth. It tasted good. Obviously.

After eating snacks, she went back to her desk. There was a lot of work to be done. It was the opposite for Sora. He'd finished everything just so she could use him as a stress reliever. Now he had nothing to do.

"Sora, can you make a visit to Gotham Academy? Some murders have been happening recently. Since we own some of the shares, we have to show concern."

There it is. Something to do. Not a really fun task, but it would suffice. Sora rose to his feet.

"Alright. Call me when you finish. It's movie night." The sleepy man said.

Alice gave an excited smile. Drool almost fell from her lips as she pictured him in the bed. Only in his shorts. Work be damned!

"Okay. Shorts only!" She exclaimed.

The mistress didn't care about the movie. It was just another excuse to cuddle with him. Now she had motivation to finish working.

He didn't spend much time choosing his clothes. Warm and comfy would do the job. Once he was dressed, he made his way over to the Academy in a nice sports car. School wasn't in session. It seemed that the principal had a good head on his shoulders.

It was Gotham after all. People died all the time. Everyone knew it would be pretty dumb to stay open after such an incident. Even despite this, small study sessions were still taking place in some classrooms.

Police cars were crowded around the front entrance. Cops patrolled the perimeter, in case someone suspicious dropped by. Sora found himself in a large courtyard after walking through. His umbrella kept him dry. A few students in uniforms ran to their destinations, using their school bags to cover their heads from rain.

Despite the rain, a group of adults were standing in a circle. Sora approached this group. A few heads turned at the sound of footsteps. The first to turn was a muscular man in a brown suit. A red shirt peaked from beneath. His gaze was dull.

The young Lockhart gave a nod and joined the circle. Another man in a trench coat turned to the new arrival. Glasses adorned his face. It seemed as if he'd been deep in thought. There were bags under his eyes. He'd been working hard.

"You must be Sora Lockhart."

"...What are we dealing with here?" Sora didn't bother with greetings. The tired man didn't even flinch at the blatant disregard.

"The victim showed signs of struggle. Weapon of demise was a knife, cutting across the throat. The corpse was found in a lifelike pose. He was sitting at a desk while looking out the window. A textbook was on the desk."

"That's how you found the victim? Sitting in a chair and reading a book?" Sora asked.

"Indeed. It's pretty bad."

"I always knew Gotham was a shitshow. This place is trash. A city of misfits." The muscular man spoke up. His voice was full of contempt.

"Enough, Smith. We have a killer to catch." The detective responded.

"Hm. Fine. Go ahead with your work. I'll do mine. Good luck to both of us, Commissioner Gordon."

"Likewise, Mr. Smith."

With those words, the muscular man entered the building. Probably to check the crime scene. Sora gazed at his back before he came to a realization.

'That guy…'

A few memories rose to the front of his mind. If he wasn't mistaken, this man was a vigilante. Peacemaker to be exact. That would explain the eye-catching red shirt under his suit.

"Do you know him?" Sora asked. Commissioner Gordon shook his head.

"He's a private investigator sent from the victim's family. They might not trust us to find the culprit."

"A private investigator…"

'Bullshit.' He thought.

Sora could assume that he wanted to find the culprit. The Peacemaker was an effective killer. Anyone he went after would die. Maybe he'd been following this culprit's trail for a while.

"I'll leave you to it. Make sure you get some sleep. You look much more tired than I do, and I'm always tired." Sora joked while walking away.

Commissioner Gordan shook his head and continued his conversation with the others. The rich nouveau eventually made his way into the Academy. Cops looked at him with contempt, wondering what he could even do in this situation.

Ignoring the stares, Sora went up to the second floor. The crime scene was in a classroom toward the end of the hall. A student sat at his desk while leaning his head into his hand. It was as if he was studying.

The forensics team was doing what they did best, collecting samples and evidence. Sora raised an eyebrow at how lifelike the corpse seemed. Blood had soaked the desk along with the open textbook. Mr. Smith was also there. He walked up to Sora while cracking his neck.

"Mr. Lockhart. I'm not quite sure why you're here. You've shown your face. Now go back home and count your money." He mocked. Sora gave a slight smile.

"...I'd love to go home and count my money, but then you guys would never find the culprit. You must be new to Gotham. Things like this must be done by oneself."

"Yeah? And you would do better than us?"

"Of course. I mean, look at you. Do you even have a brain with all that muscle?"

The man frowned at the comment. After slapping a palm on Sora's shoulder, he leaned in close. Only then did he speak.

"This brain could come up with all sorts of ways to change your mind."

"Is that a threat?"

"No, I'm just letting you know."

"Hmm…Maybe you're the culprit. I could kill you and call it self defense."

Hearing that Sora also had no qualms about killing, the man smiled. He took a step back and raised his hand for a handshake. The young Lockhart scratched his head in confusion.

"The name's Smith. Christopher Smith." They shook hands.

"I'm-"

"Everyone knows who you are, buddy. No need for that."

"............"

The sleepy man almost crushed Smith's hand. People sure did love to antagonize him recently. What was with that?

Sora looked at the corpse one last time before leaving the room. As he walked down the hallways, Christopher caught up. Both of his hands were behind his head as he walked.

"Wanna hear a wild guess?" The muscular man asked.

"...I'm sure you would tell me either way."

"This isn't the first crime scene for this type of murder. It's a serial killer."

"I'm not surprised." Sora couldn't help but yawn.

"One thing about serial killers…they love to see the reactions to their deeds. There's a high chance that he's still here."

A smile had appeared on both of their faces. There was no telling what was going through their heads. A few students scurried past. They weren't allowed to be near the scene.

As time went on, they found themselves alone. This academy was old and so was the structure. There were no cameras. The silence stretched for a bit longer. Only then did a voice break the silence.

"It seems we're on the same page." Sora answered.

"Oh…so you're actually smart?"

"............"

BAM

"Oooof!"

Sora struck with a soft palm, sending him skidding into one of the empty classrooms. It wasn't enough force to cause suspicion. Smith slowly rose to his feet with a newfound understanding reflected in his eyes. The rich guy wasn't a pushover like he thought. The two looked at each other.

"You're strong."

"Enough with the bullshit, Peacemaker."

"Oh…You know me? Heh. Did I kill someone you know? Do you want revenge?" He mocked while preparing to fight. Sora couldn't help but chuckle.

"Dude, nobody cares about you. You're just annoying."

"Ah. My bad. Heh. Wanna play a game?"

"...No."

"Let's see who finds the culprit first. Winner gets the killshot."

Before Sora could even respond, Peacemaker ran down the hallway. He made a few turns before entering a janitor's closet and disappearing. The young Lockhart shook his head and continued his walk.

It didn't take long for him to be around people again. The cops gave him looks of contempt. To them, it seemed as if Sora was just walking around aimlessly. He shouldn't even be here. In reality, the sleepy man was strolling in a single direction.