Batwoman #31

Issue Details

Synopsis

WEBS: BLOOD MONEY After three days of waiting at the intersection of the map points collected from clues hidden in Eisenstad's paintings, Batwoman has seen no sign of Wolf Spider. Nathan Grantham has not left his penthouse downtown in as much time - Kate's cousin Bette has assured her of that. While waiting for anything to happen on either side of their surveillance, Bette asks how Kate's relationship is going with her fiancée Maggie. Uncomfortably, Kate offers no comment.   Thirty-six hours ago, Kate had accompanied Maggie to the courthouse to convince Damon Matthews, a lawyer, to take on her custody case against her ex-husband Jim. Unfortunately, Matthews was busy and had told his secretary that he didn't intend to take on any new clients. When he left his office, Maggie chased after him, and watching her, Kate's eye was caught by a media scrum outside the courthouse. Natalia Mitternacht had been acquitted of murdering her husband, Alex Witherspoon. Kate had only just seen her at Arkham Asylum, and apparently, Natalia had chosen not to escape when Wolf Spider gave her the opportunity.   Kate's spying distracted her enough that Maggie had to shout at her to get her attention. She had caught up with Mr. Matthews, who explained that he couldn't take the custody case. Kate was confused, given that he specialized in gay custodial issues. She and Maggie fit that description. He explained that he was overbooked as it is, so Kate offered to pay him double his regular fee. He warned that he was not up for bid, so Kate changed tack, offering to donate to the charity of his choice - The Trevor Project - instead. Sighing, he agreed to look at their case and think about taking it on before hurriedly excusing himself.   Kate spots Wolf Spider from the opposite roof just as Bette warns that Grantham is also on the move. Batwoman attacks, nearly subduing her prey, but she forced to abandon that tactic when Grantham's car speeds toward her. As she leaps out of the way, the car collides with a statue at the site, and the impact knocks loose the hidden treasure Grantham had been searching for all this time. Unfortunately, the impact also damages the statue, and it topples over, pinning Grantham to the ground. Kate attempts to enlist Wolf Spider to help her remove it, but he runs off with the treasure, to her dismay. The statue's weight begins to crush Grantham beneath it, and he dies holding Kate's hand. Disappointed, she escapes before the police backup that Bette called arrives.   Later, Kate explains what must have happened: Eisenstadt was disgusted with Grantham's business tactics and stole his ill-gotten gold, hiding it in the statue. The mystery must have driven Grantham to distraction, and his grandson Nathan had inherited the obsession. Kate had managed to keep just one coin from the stash, while Wolf Spider had escaped with the rest.   Meanwhile, in Slaughter Swamp, Wolf Spider dismisses the gold as blood money, and opts to toss the treasure into the murky water rather than accept the bad karma that might come with keeping it.   Kate takes a walk in the Fashion District and happens to run into her friend Evan Blake, who is in need of a new pair of shoes after stepping in some particularly dirty water. She can't stay to talk long, as she receives a call from Maggie joyfully reporting that Mr. Matthews has accepted their case. She hopes that Kate will join her for lunch, but she has a prior engagement, seeing her therapist Dr. Huss, whose advice she has finally decided to take seriously.