Batman has launched his own, independent, investigation into his framing and steadily uncovers a conspiracy against Bruce Wayne after a run-in with David Said of Checkmate, subsequently having Said committed to Arkham Asylum under a false name in case he needs him later. A confrontation between himself and Catwoman prompts Batman to realize how important his Bruce Wayne identity is; he is moved to protect a wounded criminal during their meeting because that is what his father, Thomas Wayne, would have done. An earlier meeting with the detective who comforted him after his parents’ deaths also serves to reinforce the importance of Bruce Wayne in Batman’s life; as far as the detective is concerned, it was Bruce Wayne’s life that was forever defined by the death of his parents… and the detective is also convinced that, whatever Bruce Wayne became that night, he did not become a killer. After returning to the Batcave and apologizing for his past actions, Batman reveals to the Batman Family that the murderer is David Cain, which he had deduced based solely on the evidence that Huntress found earlier; the nerve strike that was used to immobilize Vesper is one that Bruce learned from Cain.
