Questionable tactics- part 8 (final)

Read Part 1 - here

Read Part 2 - here

Read Part 3 - here

Read Part 4 - here

Read Part 5 - here

Read Part 6 - here

Read Part 7 - here


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I pointed at the picture of a group of people that Master Dick had previously mentioned and tapped on a face ‘Is this the person that looked like you’d seen before master Dick?’

He peered at it and threw his hands up ‘Alfred how did you know?’ he was crying out with amusement and disbelief, no doubt this final disentangling of mystery was at its most engaging.

‘This, Master dick, is Madame Isabeli’ and I waited for him to react.

‘Isabeli of Isabeli trust fund? She got Poison Ivy to synthesize that toxin? I mean, I don’t get it.’ 

‘Then I’ll explain as best as I can master Dick. She is the prime reason why we find ourselves mixed in this business,  also among the many people who have now taken a trip to Brazil for a series of politically charged and fiercely motivated forest conservation lecture tours’ I looked at Master Dick who now began to understand the whole truth of it.

‘This is a group of eco-terrorists then? Isabeli trust fund is run by an eco-terrorist and she wanted to poison Bruce for setting up a chemical plant?’ He looked confused.

‘That might seem like the case at the very immediate glance but the poisoning was driven by a more personal agenda and Poison Ivy though the person hired to synthesize the toxin was not the one responsible for the execution. 

The toxin formula found in the glass wasn’t deadly but singularly harmful still, capable of grievous infliction, and meant to serve as a means to impart some vague sense of justice and intentional hurt by the perpetrator’ 

I paused to marshal my thoughts, hoping to put this across as coherently as I could

‘After the announcement of the joint venture between Wayne industries and the French conglomerate to set up a chemical plant near Gotham, Isabeli trust fund was threatened to be cut off from receiving any further compensation or monetary support from the French conglomerate by Michel Marc and he saw to it that this disengagement was brutally enforced’ I drew in a deep breath.

‘Ok, wait a minute’ interrupted Master Dick ‘why did he want to do that?’

‘I believe it was because Michel Marc and his wife Bubs Marc parted on rather severe terms’ I pointed.

Master Dick jumped off his chair, ‘Of course’ he smacked the palm of his hand against his forehead and exclaimed wildly ‘the woman in this photo, she looked so familiar because she’s Little Jean’s mom. I was blind Alfred. This is Isabeli Marc or Bubs for short.’

‘Indeed. Master Jean was rather forthcoming in his honesty and mentioned how the divorce was a result of Michel Marc’s uncooperative stance towards Isabeli trust fund, a fund which had been established by Bubs or rather Isabeli Marc’s father. 

Michel Marc was adamant in his postulation that her fiercely dedicated ultra conservative ecological beliefs would bring about unneeded attention to his life and negatively impact his political career, not to mention the regular compensations that served as a constant source of distress to Michel and the company.

The final straw came after the announcement of the joint venture to set up a chemical plant near Gotham, which gave Michel Marc the perfect reason to cut off Isabeli from his life due to her association with other eco-terrorists thus ending in a divorce, as he didn't want Wayne Industries picking up on that thread and cutting ties on the venture. 

This move on Michel’s part no doubt greatly hurt Bubs Marc and so she largely blamed Wayne Industries or rather master Bruce for this sudden severance and thus sought revenge by trying to jeopardize this entire enterprise or at least hurt Bruce Wayne the best way she could’

Master Dick was listening attentively and had undoubtedly been taken aback by this revelation just as I had earlier that day.

‘But what about the poison? and the windows that were open in that smoking room? there’s no accounting for that yet.’ 

I smiled ‘I shall come to that Master Dick. You see Michel and Bubs still made social calls as a couple since their official divorce announcement was still a few months off, and during these frequent social calls that they made in Wayne Manor, Bubs Marc a personage of rather astute abilities had shrewdly ascertained master Bruce’s usual habits, something he had fallen into during his recovering period after your last battle with Bane.'

'His habit of a usual nightcap in the smoking room?' said master Dick with a start.

'Indeed. She then employed the services of an unwitting master Jean to plant the toxin in master Bruce’s smoking room. He complied and was an important pawn in the plan except he was too curious and he had sneaked in his father’s cat. 

Under express instructions by Bubs Marc to leave the windows open so as to make this incident look like it was an outside job done by master Bruce’s enemies, master Jean followed to a T, except once the windows were open his cat made a quick escape thus putting him under some dilemma, which he sought to overcome by having a sip of the drink that was supposed to be an anonymous gift of rare wormwood alcohol for Mr. Wayne. 

He must’ve been curious regarding this precious drink meant as a secret gift I suppose’ I poured master Dick another cup of tea.

‘Jean told you all that?’ he was still processing this information.

‘Yes master Dick’ I continued. 

‘He had apparently been misled by his peers about the strengthening properties of alcohol in manners of boosting confidence especially during moments of distress, and confidence is something he fairly lacks in.

You no doubt recall that time I informed you about hearing raised voices from master Jean’s room while he was recuperating from the after affects of toxin?’ I asked master Dick, who nodded in response.

‘Well, master Jean among his other confessions came clean that he was in conversation with Bubs Marc that night to update her on how their little plan went, while she was on the way to the airport, leaving no doubt for Brazil, and it was then that he informed her that he couldn't convey that gift as planned which sent Bubs Marc into a torrid frenzy of angry castigation.

He failed to inform her about another folly he’d committed, viz. taking a sip of that supposed gift and sneaking in his father’s cat,  and was resolved to rectify the last mistake by retrieving the little creature in the dark of night, except’

‘except’ master Dick chimed in ‘you stood in his way.’ He clapped his hands. ‘Fantastic. This is just perfect. I don't know if I should feel happy that this mystery is resolved or sad that my opinion of human behavior falls a new low each day?’

‘The former master Dick’ and we both smiled.

The weather like the streets of Gotham wouldn't relent, and as much as I’d like to believe on the contrary, I knew there would soon be a time when the bat-suit would find its owner again, but until that time I was content to see master Bruce looking healthy and oddly cheerful.

‘Had a good golfing session master Bruce?’

‘It was good. Better than last time, Alfred. Michel’s cat came back. Some good samaritan left it at his doorstep he told me, and that put him in uplifting spirits. 

What are you brewing?’ Master Bruce glanced a curious look in my direction while I was setting up an elaborate table.

‘Darjeeling, Master Bruce. I’m expecting some company’

‘I’ll leave you to it then’

‘Very Well master Bruce’ and with these words I saw him repair to the smoking room.