Squeak!
The female police officer next to Gordon inserted the USB drive into the computer.
"It's loading... it'll be there in a moment. We're slowing it down... watching it frame by frame."
“Here I come.”
Gordon sat in the lift-up seat of the Gotham Police Department and adjusted his glasses.
"This was a few hours ago. That's John Peterson, the murder victim. There he is."
The screen gradually lit up. The black and white, blurry picture with occasional signal interference had a sense of absurdity and horror like a pantomime.
"Our victim would normally take the subway back home, but that day he decided to take a taxi."
"Now look to the left."
Jim Gordon narrowed his eyes.
"That's the Riddler. When the surveillance camera caught him, he had already pulled out his gun. See? On his left hand. I remember the Riddler was not left-handed."
"It actually happened in a split second, there was no hesitation... or anything like that."
The female police officer's voice rang out: "It's not clear whether he spoke or not - we looked carefully, and his lips didn't seem to move, so based on what we know so far, we infer that he probably didn't speak."
Gordon had already guessed what would happen next, but he was a little hesitant to believe it.
“Here is the moment of firing.”
Commissioner Gordon pursed his lips.
He saw the Riddler in the picture, pointing a pistol at the back of the innocent victim's head.
Bang!
The gunshot seemed to explode in Jim Gordon's ears, although there was no sound in the surveillance video, as silent as a tombstone.
"One shot to the head, killing him instantly. The crowd began to panic and fled from the place where the noise was made." The female police officer said: "The Riddler dropped his gun and did not aim or attack anyone else."
"The crowd was still running away in panic. He threw the gun next to the victim's body and did not touch it again until we arrived at the scene."
"Very calm, no screaming or anything like that, very professional, up to this point ... he hadn't said a word."
"This is the first patrol car that comes rushing in. We happen to have an officer named Sean who's half a block away, and he gets out of the car... and he's yelling at the Riddler."
"He heard it," Gordon said. "There's no doubt about it."
"That's all the information on the Riddler's shooting of John Peterson in the street."
Commissioner Gordon saw the Riddler turn around and look at the camera, and took out a card with the Batman logo from his pocket. He smiled gently, and then said-"
"Where is he?"
Interrogation room.
The desk lamp was turned on, and the Riddler turned his head slightly to avoid the glaring light.
Commissioner Gordon sat down across from the Riddler.
"He's not coming. Edward isn't worth wasting his time."
"Do you know what the oldest riddle is? It was in ancient Sumer, about 4,000 years ago."
He raised the shackles on his hands slightly:
"I am everywhere, but I can't be seen. I can often get away with it, but I never escape. I will find you at the intersection, even to the next street corner. What am I?"
"die."
"I can be broken, spoken, made, played with, what am I?"
"I don't have time to play riddles with you."
Commissioner Gordon interrupted. "Nygma. You shot poor John Peterson in the head in broad daylight and waited for the police to arrive."
"Is there a reason you're doing this? He owes you money? You owe him some money? You lost him a poker game or something? Maybe he slept with your girlfriend—"
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
"The answer is a joke."
"So... about the girlfriend, does this mean it's a no?"
"Don't you like jokes?" said the Riddler.
He smiled gently, as shy as a student answering his teacher's questions in school, and even his eyes seemed to be filled with clear stupidity.
"How about guessing the other one?"
"How did the Joker know that Xiaoba was at home that day? How did he know where you lived? How did he get through your security system? We both know him. He's a strange guy - crazy and complicated, but not good at planning."
"… "
The Riddler made a phone call gesture and imitated the conversation between the Joker and him:
"Hey, dear Ed, how's the plan going? I want to have a 'bad day', but I have no idea where to start."
"Well, here, Jack - how about starting with the Sheriff and his daughter? I've got it all planned out, but it's so easy, I'm getting bored. Sing me a song and I'll give it to you."
"Wow, that's perfect, Ed. Listen, I'll give you another free dance."
"Ha ha ha ha!"
The Riddler spoke lightly, and the fate of a girl was smeared maliciously, like a black stain on the wall.
Gordon slowly clenched his fists.
He kept reminding himself that the Riddler was just trying to irritate him.
He couldn't let his emotions be so easily manipulated by the other party. This would mean a complete loss of initiative and a complete shake of mind. This was an extremely dangerous situation when facing the Riddler..."
"You bastard - how dare you?" Gordon jumped up from his seat and grabbed the Riddler by the neck. "How dare you bastard in front of me!"
But the next second Gordon forced himself to control himself and did not continue to vent his anger.
"Cough, cough, cough!" The Riddler coughed bitterly behind him. "Are you okay, Godot? You don't look very happy."
"Oh no… did everyone find out about Sergeant Sarah? How did you… you know, *##%%@#* her and then get her transferred?"
"So you can hide your affair from your pregnant wife?"
"She worked for you, man, and she had her own business, and then… well, we know what happened, don't we? Poor woman."
Jim Gordon calmed down. Rage was gradually replaced by shame, and just as he was about to immerse himself in it, he suddenly realized that in front of the Riddler, his emotions were as easily shaped as porcelain.
Then he turned away from facing his prisoner.
But all this is not normal. Over the years, whenever the Riddler committed a crime, a riddle would be left at the scene.
A murder of passion without a puzzle? This was contrary to the Riddler's criminal pattern. Edward Nickmar should have looked down on such low-end crimes the most.
Gordon had a vague feeling: something seemed to be wrong. The Riddler... seemed to be no longer the Riddler of the past.
But no matter what, he has been caught now.
Gordon said, "You will be transported to the rebuilt Arkham Asylum. You can wait there and perhaps Batman will have time to question you."
He looked at the Riddler, and the sinister smile on his face was reflected in his pupils:
"Do you believe it?"
He heard Edward Nygma say, "Escape from the cage... it only takes 20 seconds."