Detective Comics #89

May 26, 1944

"Laboratory Loot"

The Cavalier is back and his continuing series of odd crimes. The story opens one evening as Bruce and Drake (who is the Cavalier) are listening to inventor Dr. Helstrom. Helstrom is doing work for the government and it looks for a moment that he is about to talk about it, when he points out he managed to get back a working model of one of the early forms of typewriter he invented. This, of course, gets the attention of Drake.

Cavalier makes his move, but he sets off an alarm as he tries to rob Helstrom's place, which alerts the police who call in Batman. They arrive to stop Cavalier, but he has his electric sword which he jabs at Robin. Batman counters with an electromagnet which repels the sword from Cavalier.

The three are interrupted by the arrival of Stinger Sloane and his gang who have come to rob Helstrom of his latest invention. Oddly, much to the Duo's surprise, the Cavalier helps them in taking down Sloane's men. But the three are taken down with Batman and Robin placed in a giant bell jar with the air being pumped out. They are able to get out thanks to a diamond tipped tool in the utility belt and take out the gang, but the Cavalier gets away.

Batman comes to the conclusion though that the Cavalier must be someone who is a member of his club as the only thing taken in all the confusion was the early model typewriter and nothing of the latest invention. Bruce is even surprised when he is looking in a Who's Who book the next night at the club and finds that the Cavalier has left an entry made up about him in the book.

Bruce watches as Helstrom tells of how the typewriter stolen was an assembly line model and not the original working one. While he doesn't see any telltale giveaways in the faces of those listening, he notes the blue hand of Drake. Robin had knocked a glue on the Cavalier the night before which would leave a blue stain.

That night, they wait for the arrival of the Cavalier and surprise him with their knowledge of his identity. He escapes and they try to catch him at his home. They discover his collection of items he's stolen, but no sign of the man. A telegraph arrives from Cavalier who says Batman may have won the round and uncovered his identity, but this isn't the end of the Cavalier.

I am really enjoying this character and enjoyed this entry. I hope he really does come back. I know eventually his story will end, but not like this. And what have we next, Citizens? We're back to the newspapers and the daily story.