Batman #196

Issue Details

Synopsis

THE PSYCHIC SUPER-SLEUTH! As Batman and Robin patrol Gotham City in the Batmobile, they get a call on the Batphone from Commissioner Gordon. Gordon tells them to go to the Apex Gem Bazaar where a gem robbery has just happened. Gordon further tells the Dynamic Duo that although there are no clues on the scene he anticipates the case being solved very quickly. Puzzled by this claim Batman and Robin rush to the scene to find Commissioner Gordon and another man. Gordon introduces him as Petru Dubrov, a psychic detective visiting Gotham City from Hungary. Although Batman and Robin have their reservations about abandoning proven detective methods for a supposed psychic detective, they decide to go along with Petru when he begins to follow the "psychic auras" of the crooks that robbed the Bazaar. Dubrov takes them to the apartment of Joey Tolliver, an ex-jewel thief and they find the stolen jewels hidden in a toolbox. Tolliver and his friends try to escape capture; however, Batman and Robin knock them out and turn them over to the police. The next evening, Batman spots a milk truck coming out of the Warren mansion. Knowing the Warrens are at the Montreal Expo Batman deduces that the truck must be a cover for something else. Just as they stop the truck the back end opens up and two masked men attempt to flee the scene. Batman and Robin attempt to apprehend them, but the two attempting a getaway were just another ruse so the driver could disable the Batmobile. Unable to chase down the milk truck Batman and Robin are joined by Commissioner Gordon and Petru Dubrov. The Dynamic Duo watch in amazement as Dubrov leads them to the supposed criminals once more. They arrive at an all-night pool hall and arrest a trio of bruised up hipsters who plead innocence. However, a search of their vehicles finds the stolen loot in the trunk and they are arrested. After the three men are arrested Batman is almost certain that the Petru Dubrov they have been dealing with is nothing more than an impostor. In a private meeting with Commissioner Gordon, they learn that prior to Dubrov's appearance in Gotham City he wrote to Commissioner Gordon telling the Commissioner that he intended to visit a fellow statesman that lives outside Gotham City. Taking the stationary and dusting it with graphite, they find imprints of the letter written to Dubrov's friend and learn the location of Petru's friend. Traveling there, and searching barn on the property, Batman is attacked by a strong man who throws him off the hayloft to the ground below onto Robin. Robin hears a voice warning of the falling Batman, and forces Batman into a hay bale before he crashes into him. Robin then knocks the man out with a batarang. Searching the barn, they find the real Petru Dubrov in bound and gagged in a wooden crate. Dubrov explains that his friend had turned on him in a plot to pose as Dubrov, have some thugs commit robberies and plant some of the loot to frame others for the crimes and make it appear that the impostor had psychic powers. With the real Dubrov, Batman and Robin capture the fake's accomplices just after they robbed an armored car, and then catch the fake in the act of once more misleading Commissioner Gordon. After the case is over, Robin admits to Dubrov that he was skeptical of ESP powers before but now is convinced that they exist. Dubrov surprises him however by admitting that his psychic ability is only 50% accurate most of the time and that the real reason he was able to help them track down the crooks was because he overheard them talking about what route they would take. He then tells the Dynamic Duo that psychic powers are nothing compared to the 100% accurate detective abilities of Batman and Robin. THE PURLOINED PARCHMENT PUZZLE A pre-trial hearing is underway at the Gotham City court house against Donald Connery, a museum curator who is accused of stealing a valuable parchment he was examining at the Clifford Marlowe Private Museum. District Attorney Denton questions the first witness, security guard James Frost. Frost explains that on the night the parchment was stolen he was guarding the Antiquities Room where Connery was examining the parchment. When James' partner Howie went to get a cup of water, James heard a thud come from inside the locked room and when he and Howie entered the room they found Donald knocked out and the parchment stolen. Danton then calls up police Lieutenant Bert Savelli and asks about his involvement that night. He explains that he was on the scene where Batman had captured a couple of museum robbers and asked him to come back to the private museum to investigate the crime scene. He reiterates how Batman noted that the windows were crime proof and no one could have gotten out of the room by the window and pulled down the window blind behind them. Savelli further tells that Donald Connery was put under by knock-out drops put in his coffee. Calling Batman to the stand, Danton hears the Caped Crusader's part of the story: How he chased a group of bank robbers to just outside of the private museum and attacked them. During the fight, Batman noted that window blind to the room where Donald was working was jostled allowing a flash of light to escape during his fight. After a brief recess in the courtroom, Batman explains further that he realizes that Connery could not be the thief and deduces that the real thief had knocked Donald out, and hid the parchment in the blind to be taken later. Batman then presents to the court the parchment itself and tells them that if they dust it for finger prints they will find their man. Suddenly, James Frost gets up and throws down a capsule of sleeping gas and attempts to take the blind to destroy the evidence. However, Batman had anticipated this move and has been wearing nose filters during the trial, and as a result is immune to the gas. He then easily defeats Frost, and turns him over to the authorities. When talking to the press and questioned on the many ways that Frost could have avoided putting his finger prints on the parchment or the blind, Batman explains that although he had concerns about that, he figured that Frost wouldn't have had the forethought to know these methods and was banking on calling the crooks bluff in the courtroom to catch him. Later relating the story to Robin, Batman explains to him how even with the best planning possible, there is no such thing as a perfect crime.