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TOC From part 6:
Earl reached for his jacket at a more polite speed and looked at Gendell to say goodbye, but Gendell spoke up first.
“Have you figured out what the hell he’s up to?”
“Not yet, sir. He was already long gone by the time I tried to follow him last night, but he did seem a bit less paranoid tonight.”
Gendell thought this over. Denzler might be less paranoid, or he might have just given up showing it. In any case, he wasn’t annoying the heck out of him anymore.
“You’re right,” Gendell said. “Never mind trying to figure out what he’s up to. Maybe it’s nothing. After all, he’s paid to be paranoid.”
Earl nodded. “If you say so, Mr. Gendell. Have a good night.”
“You too, Gregg. You too.”
* * * * *
**~Part 7~**
Late Saturday morning, Sarah walked off the elevator and looked around the busy newsroom; her were eyes red and splotchy. She was an emotional wreck, recovering from a devastating loss, and the Daily Planet was a bustle of activity with phones ringing, copiers copying, and people typing, talking, and running every which way. She didn’t know where to start.
She took a deep, but shaky breath and opened her mouth to the first friendly looking guy who walked by. “Excuse me, I’m looking for Clark Kent.”
“Clark? He’s right over there,” the guy said, pointing to a tall, dark man leaning over the desk of a petite brunette.
She thanked him and made her way down the ramp and into the chaos below. Tentatively, she spoke his name. “Clark Kent?”
Both he and the woman turned to face her. “Yes, I’m Clark Kent. What can I do for you?”
She stretched out her arm and shook his hand. “Hi. I’m Sarah Wenchel. You wrote an article about my… husband’s….” She choked back a sob.
The brunette, who had yet to say anything, stood up and offered Sarah her chair and handed her a tissue. “Here. Sit down. I’m Lois Lane, Clark’s wife and partner. How can we help you?”
Sarah sniffed, dried her eyes, and blew her nose. “Thanks. I talked to the police for hours last night, and then again this morning, and they can’t tell me anything. I just don’t know who would want to do this to Seth. He didn’t have any enemies. Everyone liked him. He’d just been promoted to project leader at work and was getting commendations from his employees and his managers. I… I just… don’t under…stand.” Sarah sputtered the last sentence as she began to lose control of her tears again.
Lois and Clark each put a hand on her shoulder.
“Did anything unusual happen recently? Anything out of the ordinary?” Clark asked.
Sarah shook her head and regained enough control to respond. “I don’t think so. He’d been so busy with his new promotion that I hadn’t seen much of him for a couple of days. He was working hard to get everything in order with the new position. I was so proud of hi…i…im…” The tears prevailed once more.
* * * * *
Lois looked at Clark and their eyes spoke a wordless conversation. Sarah was obviously distraught, but didn’t know much information that could help them track down the murderer. Clark would keep looking, but unfortunately, that was all they could promise her at the moment.
“Mrs. Wenchel, I’ve been following this case for a few days now, and I’m doing my best to find out who’s behind the murders,” Clark assured her. “If you want, we can give you the name of a counselor you can talk to.”
“Yes,” Sarah sniffed. “I’d like that. Thank you so much for your help.”
Lois gave her a card with Dr. Friskin’s number, and Sarah left, looking like she felt a little better about the situation.
* * * * *
Early Saturday afternoon, Juliana breathed a sigh of relief as she exited the Gendell Technologies Chemistry Laboratory. She’d had a horribly busy morning and was glad to get out of the building for some fresh air. Better yet, she was on her way to meet Lois at the mall for some shopping and some good old-fashioned girl talk.
As she rounded the corner of the building and headed to her parking space, she spotted a large man in a sweat suit coming out of an unmarked door in the side of the building. Having only met the man once years ago, she barely recognized him, but since Earl talked about him on a regular basis, she felt like she already knew him.
“Well, Mr. Gendell, how nice to see you again.”
“Mrs. Gregg, this certainly is a surprise. Where are you off to on this beautiful, sunny afternoon?”
“Shopping with a friend. I have to admit I’m a little surprised to see you. I thought you kept behind closed doors if at all possible.”
“I do, Mrs. Gregg, I do. But I’m beginning to realize how much I’ve missed by cutting myself off from the outside world. Look at the sky, for example.” Gendell gazed up at the blue expanse with a dreamy look on his face. “It’s so blue and so clear, and if I’d stayed inside today, I’d have missed it.”
Juliana raised an eyebrow just slightly, but Gendell was too distracted to notice. “Well, I’m glad to hear of your new lease on life. I’d love to stay and chat, but like I said, I’m meeting a friend for lunch and a shopping trip.”
“Of course… of course.” He looked back at her for a moment before returning his gaze upward. “Have a good time.”
As Juliana turned and started toward her car again, she wondered what on earth had gotten into Grant Gendell.
* * * * *
Denzler sat in his black Lincoln Town Car and watched the encounter. No doubt Gendell was attempting to be charming and friendly. No doubt he was foolishly trusting Gregg’s wife to protect the knowledge of his whereabouts. No doubt she’d have to be removed from the equation.
It would have to be a different M. O. than the rest. He had too close of a personal connection with her and Gregg. He couldn’t have the police checking into Juliana’s friends and family and acquaintances and linking him to her death, and her death to the others.
He started up the engine and then pulled his .357 magnum out of the glove compartment and checked its bullet chamber. All six were loaded and ready to go, but if all went according to plan, he wouldn’t need any of them.
Easing into traffic, he situated himself behind the burgundy Jeep with the curly-haired brunette at the wheel. He was prepared to follow it to its final destination, wherever that might be. He would finalize his plans when he discovered where the Jeep and its driver were headed.
It would only be a matter of time.
* * * * *
As Juliana drove down Bessolo Boulevard toward the mall, she looked forward to meeting Lois. They had a lot in common, and she could see that they were becoming good friends. They liked the same books and the same foods. They were both deeply dedicated to their jobs and had husbands who were the same way. She was glad to be meeting a friend that she could talk to about her day, and who understood what she was thinking nearly all of the time.
With a smile on her face, she picked up her cell phone and dialed Earl.
“Hey, honey, I just wanted to let you know that I’m headed to the mall to meet Lois. Are you at the park yet?
“Yeah, Clark and I just got here and we were about to start a game of one-on-one. How’s your day been?”
“Ugh, this morning was awful. It was one thing after another, and as soon as I thought I might actually get something done, I’d have to correct another of someone else’s mistakes. I managed to teach a couple of the interns what not to do, but other than that, it hasn’t been a very productive day.”
“Oh, honey, I’m sorry.”
“Thanks. Everything’s okay now. Actually, since you asked, there was one strange thing that happened as I was leaving the lab just now. I ran into Grant Gendell.”
* * * * *
“What? Really?” Earl knew he would be hearing about this tonight. Denzler wasn’t going to let Mr. Gendell hear the end of it. “What did he say?”
“We just said ‘hi’ and went our separate ways. I couldn’t talk long because I was on my way to meet Lois.”
“That’s all? Just ‘hi’? He didn’t say anything else?” Earl wondered if all of the other encounters had been just as quick. What was Denzler getting so upset about?
“Yeah, pretty much. He did seem a little…distracted, I guess. But I didn’t really think anything of it at the time.”
“Distracted? How so?”
“He was looking up at the sky and talking about how blue it was. Nothing really. He just seemed very… *interested* in the world around him. Kinda dreamy, almost.”
“Huh.” Earl pondered this. Was that why Gendell was so anxious to get the interview over with? Did he just want to get out and see some blue sky a little more often? What was the harm in that? Why was Denzler getting so worked up about it? So all Mr. Gendell wanted was to see a little bit of sunshine? Earl was more skeptical than ever of Denzler’s ranting and suspiciousness.
“Well, sweetie, I’ve gotta go. I’m pulling into the parking lot.”
They said their goodbyes, and Earl hung up the phone.
* * * * *
Lois and Juliana strolled through the NorthMet Mall, past shoe stores, clothing boutiques, and department stores, occasionally stepping into one after seeing something they wanted to take a closer look at.
“I love this,” Lois said, fingering the smooth fabric of a charmeuse blouse.
“I know. The color would look great on you.”
“What? Oh, no, not the blouse. I mean, yes, I love the blouse, but I meant I love… this.” Lois held her hands out in a grand gesture. “I love shopping… without men, and… without my mother. It’s fun to just hang out be a girl.”
Juliana smiled at the amazing knack Lois had for saying the exact thing that she was thinking. “I know what you mean. I don’t get to do this often enough. Between a husband, and work—”
“And housework.”
“Exactly! I don’t think I’ve hung out with another woman in… I can’t even remember the last time.”
“Me neither. Certainly before I was married and had this crazy job.”
“Exactly.”
* * * * *
“Nice shot!” Earl said, panting. “I don’t know how you do it.”
“That lay-up? It’s not that hard, I just—“
“No,” Earl said, laughing. “I mean you have a wife and a job and you still have enough energy to come out here and shoot hoops. You’re not even sweating.”
Clark laughed off the comment and tossed Earl the ball. He wasn’t sure how to respond to that, but he could say the same thing about Earl. The guy had a busy job and a wife, and Clark knew all too well how busy those two things kept him.
It was great to have a guy like Earl around. Clark loved Lois with all of his heart and soul, but he couldn’t shoot hoops with her. Earl was a great friend, and Clark liked having someone outside of the Daily Planet to talk to.
The Daily Planet, however, was at the front of his mind today. The unsolved murders had plagued him for days and he couldn’t get them out of his head, even for this game of basketball. In fact, Earl might be of some help on this particular case. He *did* work at Gendell Technologies, and that *was* the common link between the murder victims.
“You know, I’ve been following a series of murders for a story I’m investigating, and I came across something interesting.”
“Yeah?”
“All of the victims worked for Gendell Technologies.”
* * * * *
Denzler followed Lois and Juliana through the mall with his gun under his belt, hidden by his suit jacket. He watched from a distance as they weaved in and out of stores, through aisles, and between racks of clothing, knick-knacks, and kitchenware.
There were far too many people around. Considering that it was a Saturday afternoon, the mall was fairly empty and there were plenty of free tables in the food court, but there were still far too many people around.
How was he ever going to get rid of Gregg’s wife with dozens of mall shoppers watching? He’d have to wait until she was in a secluded part of a store. Hopefully he didn’t have to wait until she’d left the mall and then try to catch her some other way. It could be too late by then. She might have the opportunity to go blabbing her story about meeting Gendell to anyone who would listen. Including that idiot husband of hers.
No. He’d have to find some way of getting to her sooner rather than later.
But even if he could wait until there were less shoppers in their midst, he had an even bigger problem: Lois Lane.
Ms. Lane was a wild card in this situation. Would she follow his instructions if he threatened her? Or would she be so brave as to yell or use force against him, knowing that he wouldn’t want to attract attention by shooting her? He’d heard dozens of stories of her heroics in seemingly impossible situations. She was famous for it. He’d have to neutralize her as quickly as possible.
Ms. Gregg, on the other hand, had less experience dealing with life threatening situations. There was a good chance that she would be more submissive, especially if her life or the life of her friend was in danger.
Denzler knew what he would have to do.
* * * * *
Lois wondered through the back of Nieman’s department store, occasionally pulling something off the rack and adding it to the collection of things she wanted to try on. Juliana was nearby, her back to Lois, doing the same.
As Lois removed a navy blazer from it’s place on the rack, she felt something cold and metal press up against her neck.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Lane.”
She recognized the voice.
tbc...
