It was the worst day of the year for Bruce, one in which he had, historically, kept to himself.
Almost every other day of the year, Bruce kept busy with work of some kind or another, but on this day, he put aside all work for the bulk of it and instead spent his time reading, or alone in the attic with the detritus of his childhood.
At 10:21 PM, he was in Crime Alley. When he was eight years old, it had been called Park Row, but since the murder of his parents, the upscale area containing the movie theatre in which they had seen 'The Mark of Zorro' that night had degraded into a slum.
In the alley where his life had changed, every year for the last fourteen years, Batman had placed two roses on the spot where their life had bled out of them. This year was no different, and after spending a moment in respectful silence, he moved on.
He had only been at Gotham Cemetery a little over a week earlier for Father's Day, but this time was different. On this visit, Batman didn't say a word. Two more roses were left in the arms of the stone angel, and if he'd been in the mood to smile, he would have at the sight of the thimble sitting at her feet - a sign that at least one person had been here to pay their respects and show him support.
Before he left, he turned, as always, to the third grave in the series - that belonging to Jason. He intended to say nothing, but when he noticed the brightly wrapped package in front of the tombstone, Batman frowned.
Looking it over carefully before picking it up, Batman checked it before unwrapping it.
'Catcher in the Rye'.
First Edition.
He started at it for a long time. His personal collection of first edition books was not well known, given that Bruce Wayne's interest in reading was famously minimal, but the library was full of them. What was of more interest was that when they were younger, Bruce had started both Dick and Jason on their own collection of first editions.
Even more unlikely a coincidence was the fact that this particular book had ended up on Jason Todd's grave. It was a book that so perfectly encapsulated his son's spirit.
Delicately opening the cover, Batman turned a few pages and noticed the brightly colored piece of paper sticking out of the top like a bookmark. It was a coupon from an all-night diner Jason had loved, where the two of them had gone sometimes for chili dogs, one of the boy's favorite foods. They'd been out of business for years, he couldn't imagine where someone could even find one of these.
A chill went down Batman's spine as he backed up a few feet to stare at the grave. The photograph he'd received earlier had made him curious, but he'd tried to deny his suspicions. Now, he was afraid he couldn't anymore. That conversation with Damian he'd been avoiding was long overdue - and he needed a favor from a friend, also.
He'd be getting no work done tonight. At least, not the kind he thought he would.