Chapter 574: All Stitched Up (Part 1)_1

When Thomas finished roaring this out, both Batman and Cobblepot were taken aback.

Batman was momentarily unable to respond to what he was saying, while Cobblepot, who knew nothing about the previous murder, thought that Lex was the killer in the serial murder case Thomas was talking about.

Thomas panted heavily and said in a hysterical tone, "This is beyond my plan! I didn't commit those murders, it wasn't supposed to be like this, I had planned everything out…"

Seeing Thomas become somewhat unraveled, Batman sensed that it may be a good time to uncover the truth and he asked Thomas, "You mentioned that your fiancée is in danger and there's a serial killer on the loose. What's all that about?"

Thomas's voice trembled a little. He seemed very reluctant, but he knew that the only one who could stop this now was Batman, so he began to speak:

"I killed Doris. I borrowed a javelin from the sports equipment room and pierced her chest with it. But I didn't mean to kill her. I merely wanted to use this case to…"

"….create an alibi for yourself." Batman calmly interrupted, "You had yourself put in prison, then had your accomplice murder Mr. and Mrs. Elliot to establish your alibi, then planned to find a way to clear your name so you could inherit the Elliot estate with clean hands."

"Your method for overturning your conviction was to have your accomplice continue creating murders similar to Doris's outside, making it look like a serial murder case and thus proving you weren't the one who killed Doris."

Thomas was dumbfounded, but he soon wore an expression of hateful gritted teeth, which quickly changed into a complex emotion. He said: "Batman... Batman... you're a genius. I should also... I should also..."

"So what's this about your fiancée and the serial killings?" Batman asked.

"Yes… yes! Go look for Belennera! She could be in danger! Someone is targeting her…"

His arms trembling, Thomas said: "It's true. I did kill the second cheerleader. As long as the serial murders continue to occur, it means I'm innocent in prison..."

"But, but the third crime wasn't me... there is another murderer! His next target is my fiancée Belennera!"

Thomas was all over the place. Batman couldn't follow his logic. All he could make out was that Thomas admitted to killing the first and second victims, yet denied killing the third.

Logically speaking, if he admits to killing two people, there is no reason to deny the third. At this stage, Thomas is inescapably guilty, so it's unnecessary for him to assert that he didn't commit the third crime.

"First, you need to tell me who your accomplice is and how you all committed your crimes," Batman said, completely disregarding Thomas's anxious emotions. He wasn't buying this act, not before he figured out what was truly going on.

Though desperate, Thomas launched into his confession: "About two weeks ago, I needed to see a doctor due to anxiety. I must have left my phone number somewhere because not long after, a mental health expert named Dr. Hugo called me…"

"He said he was very experienced in dealing with my condition. I didn't want my parents to know I had mental issues, so I couldn't go to a regular hospital for treatment. Since he claimed to have the backing of experience, I decided to give it a shot."

"Once I arrived at the agreed location, I found there was no clinic there. Later, I discovered they were hiding in Gotham's sewers."

"There was an excavated freezer storage unit, but it was deserted for some reason and they were hiding out there."

"I wanted to leave at the time, but the man who called himself Dr. Hugo stopped me. We talked for a while. I felt like he really was a skilled psychologist, probably fallen on hard times for some reason. So, I offered to bankroll him, but only if he could cure my anxiety."

"We spoke a lot. I revealed many of my innermost secrets to him. He said my anxiety and stress stemmed from my parents, and without the sources of stress, my anxiety would naturally disappear."

"He urged you to kill your own parents?" Batman asked, eyes narrowed.

"Yes." Thomas swallowed hard and said, "He planned a series of actions and told me to follow them closely. But now, none of it is going according to plan!"

"He told me that after my imprisonment he would kill my parents. He would then commit another crime, picking a girl with a similar background to Doris, establishing a similar crime scene, creating the illusion of a serial murder case. This, he said, would clear me of all charges and secure my release from prison."

"He said he would only commit one more crime. But then I heard of a third case, so I did everything I could to contact my lawyer and get in touch with Dr. Hugo. But he told me he did not commit the third crime."