Visiting Hours

Part Five

 

Six Years Served

“So it look like you made a few decisions.” The Boss held up a paper with a front-page article about the new vigilante, Nightwing. “You and the Bat split for good?”

Robin—now Nightwing—gave a half-hearted shrug. “’Just growing up and getting too old to wear shorts.”

“Going solo—flyin’ the nest. ‘Past due, if you ask me. You’re not a kid anymore; you’ve earned the right to go out on your own. I guess I’m glad I’m in here and don’t have you on my case; you’ve learned your stuff too well.” He put the paper down and sat on the old plastic chair behind the clear shield separating them. “I don’t know how to say this without sound patronizing, but I’m proud of you, kid.”

It was sincere and Nightwing nodded his head with a simple ‘thank you’. “So, what’s going on with you, John? You doing all right?”

“Yeah, sure. ‘Another parole hearing next week which will be turned down, same old story.”

“’You have anything to do with that hit over in Bludhaven last month?—between you and me.”

“Yeah, sure; ‘tried to stop it ‘cause I know that friggin’ new chief down there is tryin’ to make a name for himself and I don’t see any reason to give him a hand up in the press, if you know what I mean.”

Nightwing looked thoughtful; this could be true or John could just bet trying to cover his butt since he had a hearing coming up. It was possible he didn’t want to open a turf-war. It was. It was also possible that he was lying. No matter, he’d find out soon enough since he was working the case. “I saw Karen last week, she’s decided to go for her master’s. Did she tell you yet?”

The Boss smiled, proud. “She’s a pistol, that one. ‘You two ever hook up like you were talkin’ about?”

“You wanted us to hook up and yes, we had dinner a few months ago. And you know that. We also saw a concert in the park last week. I haven’t proposed, she’s not carrying my baby and we haven’t signed a lease. We just went out a couple of times and spent the whole time talking about you, if it’s any of your business.”

“Boy, I have to give you lessons in women if I’m the only thing you two can think of to talk about when you’re out with a pretty girl.” Gadolfalo was laughing but happy to hear that his little girl was out with a nice young man even if there was almost no chance of it going anywhere. “So, you and the Bat doin okay? I heard you two were kind on the outs—I don’t like to hear things like that. A father—that’s important, you gotta lot of people in your life but you only got one father, y’hear what I’m sayin’?”

“I told you, we’re fine and he’s not my father. He’s my mentor, my boss but he’s not my father.”

“Hey, no reason to get testy.” So there was problem in the cave. Interesting. ‘Could be important. “You have any plans to see Karen again?”

“We’re meeting for dinner next week. John—seriously, this isn’t going anywhere you want it to; we’re just friends and colleagues. She’s a lawyer, I’m a cop; we talk shop.”

“Yeah, sure. Let’s get back to you and this new ID you’ve decided on. How come ‘Nightwing’? What’s that?”

“It’s from an old legend Superman told me a while ago that I happen to like. And we’re friends—Superman and me, I mean. I thought he’d like it so…you know.”

“And it works as a ‘fuck you’ to the Bat, right? Don’t bother denying it, kid. I was your age once, and I remember wanting to tell my own father to go screw himself.” He held up his hand to stop Nightwing from protesting. “I know, he’s not your father, don’t bother.”

“’There any books or anything you want, John?”

“I get it, change the subject. I’ll let you know, thanks.”

Nightwing shifted a little in his chair, he never was one for sitting a long time. “I wanted to let you know that I may not be by for a while, ‘have some work to do that may take some time.”

“Anything you want to tell me about?” No real answer. “’Dangerous? I mean more than usual.” Another half shrug as a non-answer. “’Take care of yourself, don’t do anything stupid, okay? I mean it—you get hurt who’s gonna come all the way out here to bring me books and shit? Besides, you’re about the only guy I’d trust my daughter with, y’know.”

The younger man laughed. “I think you may be overestimating me.”

“Yeah, probably, all young guys like you are the same, all wanting to get lucky, right?”

“I can only speak for myself…”

“And?”

“And, yeah, I guess you’re right.”

 

* * *
 

As he’d said, Nightwing didn’t show up at the prison for a while and five months went by with no word from the young man himself. When asked, Karen mentioned that she hadn’t heard from him either and he hadn’t been in the papers that she’d seen, well, the Boss started asking questions.

It seemed that Nightwing hadn’t been seen in either Gotham or Bludhaven. He didn’t seem to be working with the new Titans, the Justice League or even that new group, the Outsiders. He was just sort of gone. The papers, gossip sites and newsweeklies speculated that he might be off-planet, that he might have been injured and was recovering somewhere in seclusion like maybe Atlantis, Paradise Island (lucky dog!) or even Kandor.

No one would comment. Batman, of course, never said anything to anyone. The man’s old friends, the old Titans like Troia and Red Arrow fobbed off questions with non-answers. The Justice League simply put out that Nightwing, while a respected colleague, wasn’t a member of that group and so would have no comment on his possible whereabouts.

Maybe he was hurt.

Maybe he was dead.

Maybe he’s decided to go underground.

Maybe he’s gotten tired of risking his life day after day.

Maybe he’d opted for a career change.

Maybe he was on his honeymoon (that was a popular answer in the superhero fanzines catering to teenaged girls).

Maybe he was recovering from plastic surgery.

Maybe he had decided to finally put his energies into his athletics and was in training for the upcoming Olympics.

Maybe he’d gone back to school for his Master’s degree.

Maybe he’d finally been busted for skirting too close to the edge of the law and was awaiting trial for overstepping the legal boundaries.

Maybe he’d decided to change identities again and was around and working but in another new costume and using yet another name without anyone realizing it.

The list of potential reasons for his disappearance was long and growing by the week. TMZ had devoted an entire half-hour to the theories followed by Entertainment Weekly upping the ante with a weeklong series exploring the possibilities.

Then John Gadolfalo heard a few things…
 

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