The Ides of Metropolis - Matchmaker Style
Rated PG-13
* * denotes emphasis
< > denotes thoughts
As always comments are welcome. (ken.janney@kjanney.com)
Previously:
Lois exited the courthouse and headed for her car pulling her keys out of her bag as she walked. As she approached the car she hit the remote door lock button to unlock the car. Glancing at the windshield she saw a piece of paper. Picking it up she let out a growl of frustration and muttered to herself, "
Another parking ticket." She shoved it into her bag, climbed in and put the key in the ignition. She put on her seat belt, turned the key to start the car and then looked in her rearview mirror prior to driving off. When she did she saw a shadowy figure in back. Suddenly .38 cal revolver protruded from between the front seats and Lois stared at it in fascination.
When he spoke, Lois recognized the voice and knew just who it was, Eugene. He said, "Drive."
Rather than do as he commanded, Lois turned around in her seat to confront him, "Eugene! What are you doing?"
In a deflated tone, he replied, "Just … drive."
Realizing that the front of the courthouse was not the best place to have this conversation, Lois put the Jeep into gear and drove off. Lois drove for a short time and then found an alleyway to pull into which she did. Once in the alley, Lois put the Jeep in park and shut off the engine.
Turning in her seat to face him, Lois said, "Eugene, this isn't going to work.
Everyone's looking for you."
Eugene tried to sound commanding as he said, "I said drive," and waved the gun around.
Undeterred, Lois replied, "I know what you said, Eugene. Now give me that gun before you get into even more trouble."
Eugene shrugged his shoulders and with a chagrined look handed it over. He said, "It wasn't loaded anyway."
Lois replied, "I know. I heard all about it."
After Lois had the gun, he said, "Even if it had been loaded, I never would have …"
"I know, Eugene. I know you wouldn't have."
Eugene sounded like he had reached the end of his rope as he said, "Ms. Lane. You're the only one I could turn to." He looked around before he continued, "You know all the evidence against me was circumstantial. You know I didn't kill Henry Harrison."
Lois had a sympathetic look as she said, "Eugene, I believe you're innocent. But you're also an escaped felon now, 'armed and dangerous.' What are you going to do?"
Eugene was a pathetic sight as he replied, "I don't know except ... I have to see Lena. Something's wrong. She didn't even look at me during the trial; she never visited me in jail."
The tone in Lois's voice was one of humoring an errant child as she replied, "Eugene, you were just convicted of killing her husband."
Eugene was desperate to prove his point as he said, "But she loves me! And I love her. Please. I have to talk to her. Help me."
Lois gave him a sympathetic look and started the car.
And now:
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Chapter 4
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
When Lois arrived home, she was surprised to find Jonathan as she walked in through the door. "Jonathan! Hi! Is Martha here too?"
In a somewhat embarrassed tone, Jonathan replied, "Uh, no. Martha is in Smallville."
Picking up on his tone, Lois inquired, "Jonathan … what's going on? Why are you here and Martha there?"
"Uh, that's a long story."
Lois crossed her arms and said, "We've got time. Okay, what's the story?"
Clark piped up, "Dad thinks that Mom is having an affair with a younger man."
Lois blurted out, "I don't believe it! Not for one second."
Jonathan asked, "How can you be so sure?"
"Look, I haven't been a member of this family for very long, but I think I know Martha well enough to know that she would never …"
Lois stopped speaking when Jonathan pulled out the picture and showed it to Lois.
Lois sputtered, "Mar … Martha?!?!?"
Jonathan asked, "You see?"
"Yeah, I see a picture. I don't see an affair." Lois looked at Clark and said, "I don't know that I would be so bold as to pose nude for an artist, but I do know that if I did it would only be if the picture was for Clark's eyes alone." She looked back at Jonathan and asked, "Did you ask her about that?"
Chagrined that he might have jumped to a wrong conclusion, Jonathan slowly shook his head.
Lois challenged, "Don't you think that you need to talk this over with her before you decide what to do?"
"I guess you're right."
Lois said, "Let's sleep on it."
"I'll help you with the pull out, Dad."
"Thanks, Clark."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
After they were in bed, Clark asked, "So, what happened today?"
"Would you believe that the jury returned a guilty verdict?"
"Lois, he did sign a confession, after all."
"I still believe he was innocent."
"So, you filed your story. Why were you so late?"
"They had the courthouse locked down."
Alarmed, Clark blurted out, "Why did they have the courthouse on lock down?"
"Eugene escaped."
"He escaped?"
"Yeah. And he stole a gun."
"Great! You should have told me earlier. I should be out there looking for him."
He started to get up, but Lois grabbed his arm and pulled him back down. "No need. I know right where he is."
"What??? How do you know where he is?"
In a small voice she replied, "Because I took him to his hideout."
"You what?"
"I took him to his hideout. Look, it's only until we can prove his innocence."
"Lois, the man is a confessed killer."
"He says he's innocent and I believe him."
"But he signed a confession."
"It might have been under duress."
"Lo-is, he needs to turn himself in. This is just making things worse. Where is he?"
"You have to promise not to take him in. I want you to talk to him yourself before you make up your mind."
Clark released an exasperated sigh before he said, "Okay, but if I'm not convinced you have to call the MPD and turn him in or he has to turn himself in."
Lois cuddled up to Clark and said, "Let's sleep on it. Maybe things will look different in the morning."
"You didn't tell me where he is."
"I'll tell you in the morning. Goodnight, Clark."
"Aarrrggg. Okay. Goodnight, Lois."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
At five-thirty Lois and Clark were both awakened by noises from the kitchen and the smells of food cooking. They were both bleary eyed from lack of sleep because of the early hour. After donning robes they made their way out only to find Jonathan at the stove with an apron on and a spatula in his hand.
As Lois emitted a jaw cracking yawn, Clark asked, "Dad? It's five-thirty!"
Jonathan, looking chastened said, "Oh, sorry. Guess I'm used to getting up with the chickens."
Running his fingers through his hair, Clark asked, "Was the pull out okay?"
"Oh, sure, fine. I guess I'm just not used to sleeping without your mother."
Seeing his downcast look, Clark reached over and patted his dad on the shoulder and asked, "So … what's for breakfast?"
Jonathan, in a desultory, flat tone said, "Ham 'n eggs, hash browns ... you want some hotcakes, too?
Lois said, "I don't think so. What I need right now is coffee."
Clark said, "This'll be fine."
Jonathan reached for the handle of the skillet and picked it up only to let out a yelp of pain and drop it immediately. He started fanning and blowing on his hand while he quickly moved to the sink and put his hand under the cold water.
Clark and Lois had looked on in shocked surprise while this had been happening.
Jonathan looked at Clark and explained, "I'm used to insulated handles. You don't even have pot holders!"
Clark said, "Sorry, Dad. I didn't think. I never need one." Clark reached for and picked up the skillet by the hot handle and transferred the food to plates before depositing the pan back on the burner which he turned off.
As they sat down at the table, Lois and Clark could both tell that Jonathan was still upset. Clark tried to comfort him, "Dad, it's going to be fine, I promise."
Lois added, "Are you sure you don't want to call Martha? I'm sure there's a logical explanation."
Jonathan's reply spoke of his stubbornness, "She knows where I am."
Clark asked, "What'd she say when you left?"
Jonathan shook and lowered his head, "We had a big fight."
Lois asked, "About the painting?"
Jonathan nodded and said, "And …"
Clark asked, "Did you ask her ... I mean, if there was anything ..."
Jonathan looked shocked as he replied, "Not in so many words." His tone and countenance were both miserable, "I couldn't ask her."
Lois reached out and put her hand over Jonathan's and said, "I wish you had. I bet that her answer would have been, no."
Just then the phone rang. Knowing the time, Clark said, "That can't be the office. Even Perry doesn't get in this early."
In a rhetorical way Lois asked, "I wonder just who that could be," as she looked pointedly at Jonathan.
Clark asked, "You want to answer it, Dad?"
Jonathan looked at the phone like it was a snake about to strike and said, "No, I'd better not."
Clark jumped up and picked up the phone, "Hello?" Clark listened for a few seconds and then answered, "HI, Mom! Yes, we're fine. How're you?" Clark listened some more.
The tension was getting to Jonathan and Lois could see it as could Clark. Finally, Jonathan stood and moved over to stand next to Clark. Clark held the receiver away from his ear so that Jonathan could hear.
Martha's question was obvious from Clark's next answer, "Yeah, he's fine. We're having breakfast. When? Oh. Okay, that'll be great. See you then. Bye, Mom." Clark hung the phone up.
It became obvious that Jonathan hadn't heard what Clark had intended because he asked, "Well? What'd she say?"
Clark's answer was disappointing, "Not much. Said she wanted to talk to you in person. She's coming in."
Lois offered, "That's a good sign."
Jonathan brightened somewhat and asked, "When? Tonight?"
"No, day after tomorrow."
Downcast, Jonathan said, "Probably doesn't want to miss her life drawing class."
"Maybe we should move you to Lois's old apartment. We were going to give it up, but her sister, Lucy, said she was planning to return to Metropolis so we kept it for her to use."
Lois gasped and blurted out, "No! No, we can't … he can't!"
"What? Why?"
"Remember that thing we were talking about last night?"
"What thing?"
"That thing I told you I'd tell you today. That's it."
Clark's frustration was growing, "What's it?"
"That's where Eugene is."
"What?!?!?!?!? We're harboring a criminal?"
"No! He's innocent, I tell you."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Later, at the Daily Planet some of the staff were gathered in the conference room around the conference table. On the table, prominently displayed for all to see was the front page of the Daily Planet. The headline read - "Convicted Killer Escapes!" Immediately below the headline were pictures of Eugene Laderman, the convicted killer, Henry Harrison, the victim and Lena Harrison, the victim's wife.
Lois and Clark were a bit nervous, knowing that Eugene was in Lois's old apartment.
All eyes turned toward her when Perry asked, "Lois, you doing a follow-up on Eugene Laderman's escape?"
In her distress, Lois had been looking at Clark for support and Perry perceived that she was distracted, but misinterpreted her look, "Lois, this is work time, not play time. Save that for when you and Clark are at home."
Realizing that she had to say something, Lois replied, "On it, Chief."
"All right then. Let's get to it people."
Before they had a chance to disperse, Clark said, "Lois is bummed out over the verdict."
Lois offered, "The man is innocent. He's no more a killer than I am."
Perry pointed out the obvious, "Man signed a confession, didn't he?"
Defensively, Lois retorted, "He was under duress when he signed it, didn't even have his attorney present."
This was the conversation that Clark had wanted to have with Lois, but she had been avoiding. In a reasoning tone, Clark offered, "Lois, the guy shot his boss, then set fire to the room to try and hide the evidence."
Jimmy started going through the evidence, "Fingerprints on the gun. His clothes had Harrison's blood on them. Not to mention that he and Harrison's wife were 'doing the deed.'"
Lois was itching for an argument, "Jimmy, it's okay to have an affair when your husband is a brutal sociopath."
Clark quipped, "No, it's not. It's not okay, but I guess I'm safe then."
Lois's argumentative mood was broken by his remark. She couldn't help but look at him and smile.
Clark asked, "Should we assume that it's true?"
Perry had been trying to follow the byplay, but was somewhat confused with how fast things were happening, "What's true?"
Clark explained, "That they were having an affair."
Perry couldn't help, but seize the opportunity to launch into an Elvis story, "Well, you know, when Priscilla left Elvis, February '72, she went straight into the arms of her Karate instructor, Mike Stone, also married at the time. The King was devastated -- he was the one who introduced Priscilla to Mike a year before."
Lois interrupted Perry, "Chief, forgive me, but I am not in the mood for another Elvis yarn. Besides, what does Elvis Presley have to do with an innocent man fighting for his life?"
Perry's face fell with her outburst, "You're not in the mood for an Elvis yarn?"
As if trying to explain to a five year old, Lois started to say, "Chief, Eugene and Lena …"
Lois was interrupted by a whistle from Jimmy and, "Speak of the Devil …"
Lois turned toward Jimmy and seeing this he nodded in the direction of the pit. Seeing this Lois turned in that direction and saw Lena Harrison entering. Lena Harrison was an attractive woman in her late forties dressed in a conservative pantsuit. Lois had seen Lena at the trial, but a thought crossed her mind, unbidden, <Why are they always blonds?>. Grabbing Clark's arm, Lois said, "Let's go see what she wants."
comments go here TBC
