"No cheating?" Bella says. "I've gotten very accustomed to cheating." She thinks. "Are the cops a threat to me, or just potentially embarrassing? My first idea isn't a problem either way, I'm just sussing out option-space."

"Batsy shoved a chair under the door before she started throwing me around. So no, not a threat."

"Wait, was that the first thing she did? She didn't expend twelve seconds on saying where is the lady I have the hots for first just in case that worked?"

"Hah! Actually, one'a the cops asked me a couple questions first. Great guy. I like him. He turned his back on me, and you gotta have some balls to do that, if you're a Gotham cop." He quirks a smile. "Bats, though, the first thing she did was slam my head into the table."

"No wonder you like her," Bella says dryly. "I take it you didn't answer the cop. Would you have answered... Bats? Is that what we're calling her?"

"I did," he says, smirking, "eventually."

"I'm sensing there's more to this."

"Bingo. But we'll get there. You haven't told me your angle yet."

"Sure I did. I would have tried asking where she was first. You want to know what step two would be if all you did was stare at me with a smug look on your face? I'd ask you what you wanted."

"Well, that's less useful than some possible answers. Honestly, as long as I'm not cheating, I don't belong in an interrogation room in the first place. I'd be more useful trying to find the lady directly and letting the cops handle you. I'm very good with magic. I have no special skill at getting kidnappers to talk, relative to police officers. Especially if said kidnapper's motive is something that inconvenient, since I imagine Bats is predictable once she knows where her ladyfriend is and unpredictable until she finds out. Skewing the incentives somewhat."

"Want me to give away the twist?" he offers.

"Go for it."

"The girl in question was assistant DA," he says. "She was dating the DA. I kidnapped 'em both. And after I let the Bat smack me around for a while, I told her she could find the lady at this address, and the gentleman at that one. Opposite directions, equally far away. Almost like a math problem." He grins. "And I told her she'd better hurry up."

"Some combination of," Bella guesses, "they were already dead, they were rigged to get that way or close to it, they were at other addresses, they were at each other's addresses, or you'd managed to convince at least one of them that Bats was somehow at fault."

"...Did she not even send cops to the other address? Did the watching cops not go on their own initiative, even if she didn't try to send them?"

"They went," he says. "But cops only have cop cars. The Bat's better funded. I knew she'd be faster."

"Cop cars are pretty fast, if they're trying," frowns Bella. "The bat costume's not expensive and unfestive enough to fly, is it?"

"Well, she can fall with style," he says, flicking his fingers dismissively. "But nah, she has some kinda custom motorbike."

"Ooh. I have one of those. I could beat a cop car in it, sure. Although mine is just riddled with cheating. All right. So she tried to rescue the lady, cops failed at doing same, she successfully rescued the guy. Unhappy endings all round. What's next?"

"Well all right, smarty pants," he sniffs. "I blew up a hospital—don't worry, they evacuated it first. Well, they almost evacuated it," he corrects himself. "I did have to shoot a couple of cops on the way out. And of course, the man himself, our glorrrrious new District Attorney, was left in the building juuuust long enough for me to have a quick chat with him. Boy's a looker even with half his face burned off." He winks. "Don't tell anybody, but I woulda gone for it in a hot second. 'Specially when he held a gun to my head. That was definitely a highlight of the evening."

"I don't think you'd previously mentioned the face burning," Bella says.