A/N: First off... HAPPY NEW YEAR! Hope it's an epic one for all of you.

Another note, this chapter takes place right where the Epilogue from Through the Eyes of a Journalist ends. Hope you enjoy! I'll try and put up the next chapter tomorrow. Tell me what you think about it in a REVIEW!

"Written on the back of that paper was a riddle," he finished.

"A riddle," Sylvia asked observing the paper.

"Yup and ever since then we've been getting them. Each one different each one never cracked. They were never taken seriously. That is until the robberies started happening. The scenes always clean and always just one object taken. It wasn't until Batman put the puzzle together explaining to me that if we would have figured out the riddles we would have known what was going to be stolen, when and where."

"So the man leaving the riddles is the same man committing the robberies," Sylvia mumbled looking down at the new riddle.

"Yes, and the last riddle led us here just in time for Wayne's charity party," Gordon said, "and now this one, I just don't understand."

"The TOOL is a LIGHT that is as DARK as its ALIAS." was all that was typed in black ink.

Sylvia looked down at the riddle dumbfounded. How was a light dark? And how could it be a tool?

"It doesn't make any sense," she said her hand coming up to rub the back of her neck.

"They never do," Gordon confessed looking just as puzzled as her.

"If I may," Alfred spoke up at last taking the piece of evidence from Sylvia. Alfred's brows creased together as he read the riddle. It was very peculiar.

"Commissioner Gordon," Detective Murphy had just stepped out of the lift.

"Over here," Gordon said excusing himself to bring the detective up to speed.

"What do you think Alfred," Sylvia asked taking the riddle back from him.

"Well the tool could very well be the instrument we're going to need to read the next riddle," he said looking thoughtful.

Sylvia smiled at him in wonderment.

"Of course," Sylvia said, "That's what he wants. He wants us to solve his riddles. The light…"

Sylvia looked down at the riddle. A light bulb (no pun intended) lit up in her mind.

"So then it's a light that we use to see the riddle," Sylvia said.

"But the light is as dark as its nature," a raspy voice said from near the balcony.

The Batman stood by the curtain waiting for the elevator doors to slide closed with Detective Murphy standing inside it.

"Oh well look who decided to join the party," Sylvia staring at Batman while Gordon came to stand with them once again.

"Sylvia I really think-" Gordon halted his speech however when he saw who had joined them, "Nice of you to come."

"Commissioner," he rasped taking a step into the penthouse.

"Alfred and I think we might have this riddle," Sylvia said bringing attention back to the puzzle.

"Really?" Gordon asked waiting to hear the answer.

"The light is the tool that we use to see the next part of the riddle," Sylvia revealed.

"The light is as dark as its alias," Batman repeated stopping their train in its tracks.

"So then maybe we see the riddle in the dark," Sylvia said agitated.

"The tool isn't a flashlight," Batman argued.

"Well then night vision," Sylvia argued back turning to Gordon.

"Well there are two types of night vision, one scope using infrared light and the other thermal imaging," he said everyone thinking hard at this new information.

Sylvia shook her head when she repeated the last part of the riddle to herself.

"It's neither of those. None of those names have anything to do with 'dark'," she sighed in frustration. That is… "Wait a second." Could it really be that simple?

"It's a black light," she said. The other three looked skeptical but Batman didn't say anything. "You know, black lights. They use them at clubs and raves. Investigators use them to see stuff they couldn't see with normal lighting? They're used in the dark, the name of it is black light. The light is as dark as its alias. Alias is another word for name."

Gordon grabbed his radio from his side and began to speak into it.

"Murphy," he called into it.

"Yes, sir," he got as a response almost instantly.

"I need you to bring a black light up here, now please," he said.

"Right away, sir," Murphy answered back.

An exhilarating feeling seemed to surround Sylvia again. She felt like a reporter again. It almost brought a tear to her eye, but she knew that right now was not the time.

Shortly, Murphy came with a black light and handed it to Gordon. Murphy either didn't notice Batman which was impossible or chose to ignore him.

"So the question now is where do we look," Gordon said looking around the huge penthouse. "This place is pretty big."

"Well we can rule out the kitchen, dining room, and Bruce's bedroom because all were sectioned off. The only person allowed in the kitchen is Alfred usually," Sylvia said.

"That is still a big range Sylvia," Gordon told her.

"I'm sure someone would have noticed that someone was drawing something on the wall or anything else," Sylvia tried and Batman seemed to be on the same trail of thinking.

"The person needed to find a way to leave the riddle in a way that would not call for attention," he elaborated. The two of them always seemed to come to the same page.

"Exactly," Sylvia breathed taking the light from Gordon. "Going dark!" she shouted as a warning.

"Whoa, whoa," Gordon shouted back running to her before she could flip the switch.

"What?" she asked looking confused as Gordon tried to take the light from her.

"I'm sure we would all feel much more comfortable if you left now Sylvia," Gordon said trying not to make her upset, but he could see that it wasn't working. "We don't know what will happen when you shut off those lights, Vee."

"Oh, please-" she began but didn't get to finish.

"The Commissioner is right Ms. Juarez," Batman said stepping further into the room.

"Oh don't you Ms. Juarez me," Sylvia said through clenched teeth.

"Sylvia," Gordon tried but Sylvia lost her temper.

"No damn it! I'm going to figure this out!" she shouted instantly silencing the arguments around her.

Before anything more could be said the lights were off and the black light turned on.

For a few minutes the four men including Murphy, stood by and watched her look along the walls. It wasn't until she began asking for a ladder to reach higher above the walls that Batman spoke.

"You don't need a ladder," he spoke coming forward to Sylvia.

"Oh?" Sylvia asked not turning toward him but still focusing on her search.

"It's like you said Ms. Juarez, the man couldn't have done anything too suspicious and that includes drawing higher up the wall," he said simply his voice the same gravelly tone.

Sylvia stopped her movements and thought about it. He was right. She had forgotten her own clue because of her focus on finding the next puzzle…and her anger.

"Okay then Mr. Smart guy, where would you look?" she questioned.

Batman took the light from her, his Kevlar covered hands brushing hers and walked away. Sylvia loved that suit. It gave him this aura of mysteriousness that was just too overwhelming to ignore. Even to her, who knew who he was, the suit was still a turn on…

There! In her once again desire induced thoughts, Sylvia failed to notice what exactly Batman was doing. He had been walking back and forth over the dance floor and found a letter that reflected brightly under the influence of the black light.

"He had the stuff under his shoes," he said looking over at Sylvia who looked positively elated.

"Brilliant," she said softly coming to stand next to him. Her previous thoughts gone.

Eventually the riddle was copied down onto paper and read aloud by Gordon.

"I was framed, but there was no crime committed by neither I or the framer…how is this possible?

Have fun driving home this one.

Go Van!," Gordon read looking up as he finished.

"That's it," Sylvia spoke looking miserable.

"Afraid so," Gordon said followed by a heavy sigh.

"Oh this is ridiculous," Sylvia groaned.

"Take it in pieces," Alfred suggested.

Gordon nodded and began once more, "I was framed, but there was no crime committed by neither I-"

"Stop there," Batman spoke, "'I was framed', it's a picture."

"No," Sylvia said, "it's a painting. Those people from the museum were here. They said that a new exhibit was going to be opening tomorrow."

"She's right," Batman said while the others allowed the information to sink in.

"Which painting?" Detective Murphy spoke up this time.

"Well that's the question isn't it?" Sylvia said before looking to Gordon to read the rest.

"Have fun driving home this one. Go van!" he read.

"He'll be using a van to move the painting," Murphy offered.

"Under a disguise most likely," Sylvia said agreeing with Murphy.

"He could be but I think he's trying to tell us something else," Batman said concentrating on his spinning theories.

"Detective Murphy," came a voice through the radio.

Murphy quickly picked it up and spoke, "This is Murphy."

"An object has been reported missing," said the officer, "A gold plated pocket watch-"

The group looked to each other all wondering the same thing.

"-belonging to a guest that was at Mr. Wayne's," the officer continued, "he says he works for the museum."

"We should probably find that watch," Gordon said. The group split up looking around the area. Batman staying close to Sylvia.

"Oh by the way, I really appreciate you keeping me in the loop," Sylvia whispered to him. Fake gratitude dripping from every word.

"I didn't want to worry you," he whispered back.

"Worry me?" Sylvia snapped quietly. "And me finding out this way is better, how?"

"I found it," Murphy called out interrupting Batman from anything he was going to say.

The four, minus Alfred who had gone to the kitchen to begin 'cleaning up', gathered together as Murphy held out another note.

"This was folded inside," he said holding out the grey paper.

"What word can be written forward, backward or upside down, and can still be ready from left to right," Gordon read.

The other three listened intently thinking hard.

"It's obviously a time," Sylvia pointed out.

"Explains the watch," Batman said.

"And it's a word not numbers," Gordon put in.

"Right," Sylvia replied sending Gordon a smile.

"It's noon," Murphy said, "If you write in all capital letters," he continued taking out a pen and notepad and scribbling the word down. "See."

He lifted the paper to show the others, 'NOON'.

"How is he planning to steal a painting in broad daylight," Sylvia asked confused.

"I don't know, but I think it's safe to assume he'll do it tomorrow," Murphy replied to her before he walked off to tell the officers the new developments.

"Alright, Sylvia it's time to go," Gordon told her.

He was ready to put up a fight but Sylvia's response stopped him in his tracks.

"I think you're right."

She walked to a table at the far end of the room to pick up her purse and then turned to Gordon.

"Ready?" she asked him.

Murphy was standing by the elevator waiting for it.

"Yeah, get downstairs I'll be there in a sec," he told her. She nodded and went to the now open elevator, Murphy holding it for her.

She smiled to him gratefully before the doors sealed and it began to descend.

"I'm sorry," Gordon told Batman sincerely, "I thought she had known about the thief."

"No apology needed Commissioner," Batman assured him.

"I was just really surprised when she had no idea…" Gordon turned around to find Batman gone. The Commissioner sighed and walked to the elevator.

A/N: Please, please, pretty please review! It'll brighten my new year :P