Witness - Matchmaker Style
Rated PG-13
* * denotes emphasis
< > denotes thoughts
As always comments are welcome. (ken.janney@kjanney.com)
Previously
The next day, Lois and Clark, Jonathan and Martha all showed up at Lois's old apartment with paint, brushes, drop cloths and ladders.
It wasn't very long until the bugs were ‘found' and Lois placed a call to the MPD, "MPD, Bill Henderson"
"Hi, Bill, Lois Lane."
"Oh, no, I thought I would have some peace now that you and Kent are married."
Lois laughed and said, "No rest for the wicked, Bill. Look, Bill, we're at my old apartment. We were starting to repaint so that we could move back in and we found something very interesting."
"What happened, did they move your first floor apartment to the fifth floor suddenly?"
"No, nothing like that, but we did find that someone has bugged my apartment. Could you come down and take a look?"
"I'll grab a forensics squad and come over. Any idea as to who would do it?"
"We'll talk to you when you get here."
"Okay. Don't touch anything until we get there."
"We know all that, Bill. What do you think we are … rookies?"
"No, I think you're a royal pain in my tookis, but I put up with you."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Within half an hour Bill and the forensics team were there. They pointed out the bugs that they had found and the forensics team went to work. They found that wires ran from the video cameras to the basement. In the basement they were tied into the telephone patch panel. A trace was placed on the signal and they followed it to a warehouse across town. There was evidence of equipment having been set up, but by the time they got there almost everything had been removed.
Once she was given the address, Lois called Jimmy, "Jimmy, I need you to find out for me who owns the warehouse at 1530 Bessolo Blvd. Give me a call when you have something."
"You got it. I'll call you back."
Five minutes later, Jimmy called back, "Hey, Lois, I got the information. That warehouse belongs to Farbin Industries, Inc."
"Never heard of them."
Jimmy was chuckling as he said, "How about the rest of the name, a subsidiary of Luthor Enterprises?"
Lois smiled, "Just what I thought. Thanks, Jimmy. Good work."
Turning to Bill, Lois said, "Okay, it was Lex Luthor. The first charges are home invasion, invasion of my privacy, illegal monitoring and illegal wiretap. Of course those are chump change and with the kind of lawyers he has available he could get out of them. We need something heavy duty and enough proof to make it stick."
And now:
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Chapter 03
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The next day Martha and Jonathan moved to Lois's old apartment so that they could continue the repainting and Lois and Clark could have some alone time.
For the next week Lois and Clark were busy doing follow-ups on the aftermath of ‘Nightfall.'
Meanwhile at Lois’s old apartment, Jonathan was busily occupied working on repainting while Martha was adding some other touches. After getting Lois’s permission she had worked on replacing drapes and some other accessories so that they would coordinate with the new color scheme. The work on the apartment took the rest of the week and Jonathan and Martha lived there while they did the work. Lois and Clark were with them on a nightly basis visiting and eating together. In due time, Jonathan and Martha finished the work on the apartment and MPD had removed all of the bugs.
Jonathan had started worrying about the farm so the decision was made for them to return. During the day, Jonathan and Martha packed their bags. That evening, Lois and Clark moved their clothing to Lois old apartment as the first step of their move and after dinner, leaving Lois and Martha together, Superman gave Jonathan a lift to Wichita to pick up his truck.
After dropping Jonathan off, Superman returned to Metropolis and picked up Jonathan and Martha’s bags and took them to Smallville and then gave Martha a lift to the farm. After seeing to it that there were no problems and feeling that Martha would be safe Superman left.
Returning to Metropolis he landed in an alley and spun back into Clark. At a leisurely pace he walked to Lois’s old apartment which would now be their apartment and opened the door to find his wife waiting for him, posed enticingly on the couch in a negligee.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The next morning, Lois decided to wear something a little provocative to tease her husband. They had enjoyed their time together the previous night and Lois had it in mind to have a repeat performance and a little visual foreplay was just what the doctor ordered. She was very careful with picking her wardrobe and selected a business suit which had a skirt and jacket that were almost the color of Superman's cape. The jacket had a yoke neckline which dipped down and actually allowed the very top of her lacy black bra to peek out when she moved. The skirt was one of her shortest. It was so short that thigh highs were out of the question, it had to be pantyhose or nothing. She decided on the pantyhose. Even with that she would have to be careful when she sat down. Her pumps had enough heel to give her legs definition As she was looking at herself in the mirror she was thinking, <Lois Lane, what has gotten into you? You've turned into such a tease.> She smiled at her image and thought, <But Clark loves it.>
Clark had been working on breakfast while she had been dressing and when she stepped around the corner and Clark could see her he stopped what he was doing and stared. A low whistle escaped his lips and he said, "Wow!'
Lois did a slow pirouette and asked, "You like?"
His brain was stuck and all he could manage was another, "Wow!"
She stepped over to him and put her palm on the side of his face gently and said, "I like to dress for my husband. I like him to like what he sees. Do you?"
"Wow!"
Lois laughed and said, "I'll take that as a yes. What's for breakfast?"
"Uh, legs and, uh that is eggs … eggs and bacon, toast with honey …"
In a husky tone, Lois teased, "I think I'll have my honey tonight. I'll use jelly this morning."
The implications of her words and the tone of her voice served to send his blood rushing south and she smiled at the effect she was having on him.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
On one of the city streets an older woman approached a newsstand. She was wearing a long coat with a silk scarf around her neck. She had a brown clutch purse under her left arm and she was looking around as if looking for something or someone. She checked her watch and then stepping to a magazine rack pulled out a copy of ‘TEMPO' which had her picture on the cover. The title of the article on the cover was "Can She Save the Rain Forrest?"
As she was contemplating it a voice interrupted her, "Nice picture."
She looked up as she slid the magazine back into its rack and looking up at the man that had spoken said, "You're late."
He replied, "Power's made you very impatient. You should try to relax."
Her expression was one of exasperation at his ‘joke' as she replied, "I'll relax when Winninger's no longer a problem." She clutched her coat closer, not necessarily from the cold, "He called me. He's threatening to talk to the media."
"Let ‘im. Who's gonna believe that bag of wind?"
"He has proof. I need you to get it back for me." She stepped away a few paces so that they wouldn't be overheard, "And I need you to see to it that he's in no condition to talk to anybody about anything."
"You were lovers. Are you sure?"
She gave a sardonic laugh and said, "That was a long time ago, Sebastian. He's nothing but a memory now. Getting dimmer every day."
"Hmmm, this can't be worth it, can it?"
"He can stop me from taking over the consortium. If he does that … we lose our business opportunities. We're talking about billions of dollars here, Sebastian. Erase him."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
When they got to the Planet, as they were riding up in the elevator, Lois threw her arms around Clark's neck and started a kiss. As she did she hooked her right leg around the back of his legs and pulled him in close. The contact was almost too much for him to bear. Since seeing her first thing he had been in a constant state of arousal and he knew she was doing it purposefully. He was looking forward to the evening when they would be able to relieve the frustration.
Seconds before the door opened, Lois straightened up and pulled her skirt back down. As they exited the elevator they were each sipping from their travel mugs and Clark had a sheen of perspiration on his forehead.
They made their way to their desks and Lois made sure that Clark was looking at her when she sat and slowly crossed her legs, in an exaggerated way so as to hike the hem of her skirt just that much farther before sliding under her desk. She smiled as she did because of the look on Clark's face. He was almost drooling with desire. Lois felt sooooo terrifically sexy. It was a real boost to a girl's ego to have someone like her husband want her so much. It helped that she wanted him just as much. Her thoughts drifted back to the pheromone incident and she wondered if she could pull a Cat and take Clark into the copy room. She started smiling a wicked smile in anticipation of that as her phone rang, <rats!> Picking up the phone she said, "Daily Planet, Lois Lane."
"Ms. Lane, my name is Vincent Winninger. I assume that you've heard of me."
Lois was immediately all business, "Of course, Dr. Winninger, who hasn't? How can I help you?"
"Well, Ms. Lane, something has come up and it makes it important that I speak to the press. I am aware of your reputation and felt that you and the Daily Planet would be the paper to talk to as opposed to the Star. They are too sensationalist and this is a serious topic."
"Dr. Winninger, I appreciate the confidence you have in me and the Planet. When would you like to meet?"
"Could you join me in half an hour?"
"Let me check with my partner."
"I'd prefer if you would come alone."
"Well, my partner happens to be my husband. He prefers if I don't conduct interviews with men alone."
She could hear the disappointment in his tone as he said, "Oh, I see."
She called over to Clark, "Clark, Vincent Winninger, he wants me to interview him, half an hour from now, you free?"
He nodded.
Returning to the phone, Lois said, "Okay, Dr. Winninger. We'll be there in half an hour." He gave her the address and she wrote it down.
Jimmy overheard and said, "Vincent Winninger, the mad scientist?"
Lois replied, defensively, "He's not ‘mad.' He's eccentric."
Cat had just arrived. She was in the process of removing a full length leopard print coat as Lois was speaking and when she heard the name ‘Winninger' stopped and asked, "You're going to interview Vincent Winninger?" Cat had on a formfitting floor length gown in black with a slit up both sides in the front to allow both legs to be seen as she walked.
Lois was smug as she replied, "Yes."
Cat was talking to herself as she said, "That explains the attempt to look sexy."
Lois overheard Cat and replied, "I'll have you know that Clark finds me very sexy. She stood and did a slow turn, "I wore this for him. I have a husband to please and I try to do just that."
Jimmy had been drinking a bottle of orange juice and still had it in his hand and gestured as he cautioned, "Watch out, Lois. Vincent Winninger is notorious."
Cat interrupted, "Wolf. A womanizer. Maybe I should go with you or do you want me to take your place?"
In a matter of fact tone, Lois said, "Clark is going with me."
Cat looked at Clark with a raised eyebrow and said, "I could still take your place.
Clark looked at Cat and said, "No way," then he reconsidered her apparel and asked, "Wait a minute. Are you planning to exploit your femininity?"
Lois challenged, "To get the story of one of the strangest and most reclusive scientists of our time? You bet."
Clark said, "I'm just glad I'll be there with you."
Lois grabbed her pad and pencil, stuffed them into her camel colored bag and standing up said, "Let's go partner."
Standing, Clark approached and placing his hand at the small of her back in a very possessive gesture escorted her to the elevator.
For a change, Lois was good as they rode the elevator down concentrating on the questions she wanted to ask. They grabbed a cab and headed for Winninger's apartment.
As the cab was pulling to the curb Clark remembered an appointment. After Clark paid the cab he turned to Lois and said, "Look, I just remembered, Superman is supposed to be speaking at Career Day at an elementary school in," he checked his watch, "Five minutes."
She said only one word, "Go."
"But what about Winninger?"
"I can handle him. I'm a brown belt, remember?"
"Okay." He turned and looked for a convenient alley.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
After Clark left, Lois made her way to Winninger's apartment. When he opened the door he gave her a very close appraisal noting the short skirt and décolletage allowing the top of her bra to be seen. His eyebrows rose at the sight. He looked around. She had told him that her husband would be with her, but he didn't see him. If he in fact wasn't there, he might have a clear field. Stepping back from the doorway, he said, "Please come in. I thought you said that your husband would be with you."
Lois sized him up. He was a tall, slim, energetic man, not young, once handsome, still long-haired and charming. She could tell by the way he was looking at her that Cat's warning had been right on the mark. The first word that came to mind was ‘Wolf' with a capitol ‘W.' "I did and he was until the last second, but he was called away."
His insincerity was obvious as he said, "That's too bad. Shall I take your jacket?"
Lois knew what he was trying to do. The jacket wasn't really a jacket, it was the top of the suit and was the only thing covering her bra. She said, "No thanks, I prefer to keep it on."
Disappointment apparent in his voice, he said, "My materials are in my den. This way, please." He led the way to another room and offered her a seat which she declined. She was looking interestedly at a number of pictures on the walls.
Seeing her interest, he joined her to explain what she was looking at. He stood behind her, close behind her and his attention was split between the pictures and what he could manage to see of her chest over her shoulder.
Even before he said anything, Lois recognized a number of ex-Presidents, movie personalities and some ex-astronauts.
Winninger pointed at one particular picture. In it Winninger was with Marilyn Monroe. The picture was taken at such an angle that it was abundantly obvious that he was staring directly at her cleavage. He said, "Did you know that Marilyn never wore undergarments? She was braless in that picture and that soft fabric … you could tell the state of her libido … easily. You probably didn't know that she didn't like zippers did you? When filming, she liked to be sewn up in her dresses." As he finished saying all of this he took another opportunity to try to look down Lois's bodice.
Lois quickly brought up her hand and placed it over her cleavage, blocking his view.
They moved on to other photographs. There was a group shot and he said, "Scientists, philosophers, historians, hippies … That was the Elimont Center. The 'intellectual' commune. Named after ... I don't remember who we named it after, do you? Whoever he was, you can bet he was obscure."
There were a number of photos of the Elimont Center group both at work and at play. There were pictures from a conference, a dance and interestingly some theater productions. "We performed ‘A Streetcar Named Desire,' ‘Look Back in Anger,' ‘Marat/Sade' and others."
There was another group photo and Lois asked about it.
"That was the commune's theater group."
Lois peered closely at a particular photo and asked, "Is that …"
He supplied, "Frank Sinatra? Uh, no. That's Sebastian Finn. We called him, Mr. Make-up. He could make himself look like just about anyone." He stopped for a second to think before finishing, "His Bette Davis was … remarkable."
Curious, Lois asked, "What happened to him?"
He replied, "I really don't know, he sort of … disappeared." He stopped as if considering what to say and then decided on, "His make-up was a whole lot better than his acting."
Lois pointed to one of the women in the picture and asked, "Isn't that …"
Vincent nodded, "Yes, Barbara Trevino. She's come a long way. From radical hippie to ..."
Lois finished for him, "To chairperson of the Rain Forest Consortium."
Suddenly serious, Vincent replied, "Well, not until Tuesday. But we're going to change all that."
Lois's curiosity was aroused, "We?"
Still seriously he replied, "Yes, you and me. That's why you're here, Ms. Lane." He gave that a few seconds to sink in before he apparently changed the topic, "Did you know that I spent several years living with an Amazonian tribe?"
"I have had a chance to glance over your bio."
Vincent beckoned her to the sofa. On the coffee table was a box.
Lois sat, carefully and crossed her legs demurely, managing to keep her skirt from riding up too high as she did.
Vincent opened the box and took out some journals and notebooks. As he did, he narrated, "The Life and Times of Vincent Winninger. In this play, Barbara Trevino has a leading role. She's the femme fatale."
Lois slid forward slightly to see better. When she did her skirt rode up slightly revealing more of her legs.
Vincent Winninger was a very observant man and saw what was happening. Giving her legs a leer he reached down and put his hand on her knee and she gave him a startled look as her mouth dropped open to say something, he interrupted her and said, "You're a very good looking woman."
Feeling that it wouldn't hurt to remind him of her married status, Lois grabbed his hand and removed it from her knee as she replied, "Thank you. My husband would agree with you."
Apparently out of left field he suddenly asked, "How do you feel about increased male potency?"
Lois was flabbergasted and blurted out, "What? My husband is very potent. He's the next best thing to Superman." She energetically tugged her skirt back down before she continued, "Look, Dr. Winninger. I know your reputation with women is only exceeded by your scientific one, but I think it's best if we keep this meeting purely professional."
He nodded and replied, "I'm sure every woman feels that way about their husband, but what if I told you that was precisely the point?"
Lois was getting quite confused, "What am I missing here?"
The light of fanaticism came into his eyes as he said, "Barbara Trevino is going to sell all of us and the Ozone Layer straight down the river, and destroy our chances for increased male potency."
Lois thought about what he was saying and finally she said, "I guess the sixties were pretty good to you."
Feeling insulted, Vincent said, "Hear me out. It will all become clear." Picking one of the notebooks he handed it to Lois.
After she accepted it she looked at it in puzzlement. She was distracted when he asked, "Would you like some iced tea?"
She didn't answer and he took her non-answer as acceptance, since it suited his ends. Both of her hands were occupied holding the notebook and it was a surprise to her when Winninger grabbed a glass and pitcher of iced tea and started pouring. It was hard for Lois to tell if it was an accident or deliberate, but as he poured the tea he managed to spill a quantity on her skirt. Thinking back on it, Lois decided that it had to be deliberate because he had needed to move the glass away from the table and over her lap in order for it to happen.
He said, "Oh, I'm so sorry," and immediately grabbed a napkin to started wiping it up by putting his hands on her thigh. "I'm sorry."
She jumped up and away from him and said, "Uh huh, that's okay. I'll get it." She still had the notebook in her hand as she headed for the powder room that adjoined the den.
She was half way to the powder room when she heard a knock on the door. Looking back over her shoulder she saw Winninger rise to answer the knock.
Before Winninger was able to answer the knock, Lois was in the powder room with the door partially closed.
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