MB: I was thinking about the bat Ang sent to spy on Barnabas in 1795. Maybe her Tim Burton counterpart had similar tricks up her hooker boots? (I was going to say "sleeve," but I like hooker boots more.)
I definitely prefer "hooker boots" as well.
And yes, I can see Angie using a bat henchman rather than a human one, particularly because it would easily be able to get into places where a human would have problems. Though I also like the idea of a potential human informant at Collinwood. In fact, wouldn't it have been fascinating if that informant had been Julia. We were told that there was some connection between Julia and Angie, but in the film as edited there isn't the slightest hint of it.