Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic ...I Knew The Truth 8/?

From Part 7:

“Sidney Burke is a good man,” Jim said emphatically. “But his wife was recently diagnosed with a rare, life-threatening disease. I don’t know any more details than that. He loves her dearly. I’ve hardly ever seen two people so happy with each other as the two of them. If he really let himself be bribed, he certainly would have done it to help his wife.”

“Could someone else be responsible?” Lois asked.

“A number of people,” Jim replied. “But if it was someone else, it wouldn’t be like Sidney to stay silent about it.”

“He could be afraid to lose his job over this,” Lois pointed out.

“That might be the reason, indeed,” Jim agreed, drowning the last bit of his beer and already lifting his hand to order a new one.

He turned towards the bar again, effectively ending their conversation. Lois put her notepad back into her handbag, feeling that it would be futile to ask any more questions. They had returned to the starting point and once again were only two strangers in a bar who happened to sit next to each other, only a chair between them. Lois emptied her glass of coke and slipped off her chair. Her stomach growled angrily and she decided that it was time to grab a bite to eat before she headed to bed.

As she left the bar, Lois thought that she saw a figure in the shadows close to the entrance. But as she looked closer, the figure was gone.

... I Knew The Truth

Part 8:

***Flashback***

“Morning, Lois. Searching for your career?” Cat purred mockingly as she caught Lois crawling under her desk, trying to retrieve the documents one Samuel Platt had waved at her earlier.

Her first day into work after breaking the car-theft story had been a turmoil, even by Daily Planet standards. Samuel Platt had stormed into the newsroom claiming that the Messenger was going to explode, which in turn set the security in motion. The mention of an explosion drove them to the conclusion that Platt himself might be carrying a bomb. He had seemed pretty delusional, but Lois was too much of a professional not to follow every lead that presented itself, even if it might turn out to be a dead end. After all, it was impossible to tell what could turn out to be her Pulitzer. Admittedly, Platt’s story probably was not going to be it. Still, she felt compelled to look into Platt’s files, which she had swept off her desk by accident.

After Cat’s taunting, Lois stood up with as much grace as she could muster given her awkward position, holding the files in a firm grip. She gave Cat a once over, taking in everything from her three inch spiked heels to the skimpy excuse for a jump-suit she wore. Her whole outfit seemed carefully chosen to make any men in her immediate area stop thinking about anything or anyone else but her. It certainly was not something Lois would chose to work in, at least not in her profession.

“Isn't it a little too early for you to be in, Cat?” Lois asked sweetly, having no intention to mince her words. “I thought ladies like you only worked nights.”

“Part of my job as a society columnist …” Cat replied, smiling at her completely unfazed.

“... mud-slinging rumor monger,” Lois corrected her.

Cat chose to ignore the comment. “… is to maintain an active social life. You remember what that's like ... or do you?” she continued smugly, studying Lois’ appearance in turn and clicking her tongue disapprovingly at what she saw. “I guess that’s a solid ‘No’.” She smirked. “I’d recommend a complete make-over in the ladies room before you try to impress Perry’s new guy. From what I hear, he’s been working for important newspapers all over the world.” With that, she swaggered past Lois, her hips swaying suggestively.

Lois watched Cat as she made her way through the newsroom, leaving a bunch of drooling men in her wake. She headed straight for the coffee machine, where Clark Kent was just pouring himself a cup of coffee. It was as sure as death and taxes that she was going to hit on him, like she hit on any new male who dared to enter the newsroom, may he be employee or not. She was sort of marking her territory that way. Lois snorted in annoyance.

“What do men see in her, anyway? Don't they realize she's just looking for another notch on her garter belt?” she asked no one in particular and started a little as Jimmy appeared at her side.

He shook his head. “Pathetic,” he agreed, sounding not completely sincere though. “Have you actually seen this garter belt?” he then inquired curiously, giving away that he was not immune to her charms, either.

Lois rolled her eyes and continued to watch the scene that unfolded just a few yards away from her at the coffee machine. Kent just put the pot down and added sugar and cream to his coffee, before he turned and practically ran into Cat. His eyes widened in shock and he barely managed to keep his coffee from spilling all over Cat. Lois could not help to feel a little disappointed at his dexterity.

“Excuse me,” Kent muttered, either ignorant of the hungry look Cat threw him, or he was enjoying that she undressed him with her eyes. Lois was not completely sure, which of the two it was; all she saw was that Clark Kent did not squirm in the least. That kind of surprised her, given that he was from a town not even big enough for a proper name.

“Catherine Grant, ‘Cat's Corner.’” Cat introduced herself, inching herself even closer to her victim.

“Yes, I've read your column,” Kent said politely.

Cat offered her hand, arching her back in quite the right way to allow Kent the full view of her ample chest. Lois watched this uninhibited display of femininity with a mixture of fascination and disgust. Should she ever need to go undercover as a slut, Cat was the right example to learn from. Kent shook hands with Cat, keeping his smile formal. From Lois’ point of view, it was impossible to tell whether he took the bait. But since Jimmy, who was standing next to Lois, was already mesmerized, it was a sure bet that he did.

“Then my reputation precedes me,” Cat purred, fluttering her eyelashes.

“Among other things,” Lois could not help but add under her breath, which earned her a soft chuckle from Jimmy.

“I know what it's like to be new in town. I'd be happy to show you around,” Cat upped the ante, placing a perfectly manicured hand square on Kent’s chest.

“That's very nice of you, Ms. Grant,” Kent replied, withdrawing ever so slightly.

“Cat,” she said in a husky voice as if her words were only meant for him.

“Cat,” he repeated, sounding a lot less self-assured than he earlier had. “Maybe when I get settled,” he replied vaguely.

Cat smiled in satisfaction. “It's a date,” she stated, patting Kent’s chest in confirmation, before she turned, leaving him to admire her curves as she walked off with a trade-mark sway of her hips that left no man unaffected.

***End Flashback***

*****

“I got your tea and those donuts, chief,” Jimmy said, as he entered the conference room, opening the door with a push of his back.

He was juggling a cardboard tray that held three steaming styrofoam cups, one of them filled with the herbal tea Perry had wanted because of his blood pressure. The other two were cups of coffee, low fat cream and no sugar for Lois, black for Jimmy himself. Under his arm, he carried a carton the size of a shoe box with an assortment of donuts. Jimmy put the goods on the only free edge of the conference table, proud that he had fulfilled his task without dropping any of it and more importantly, without losing any of his donuts to hungry co-workers.

“Thanks, Jimmy,” Lois said as Jimmy handed her the coffee.

Perry gave off a soft grunt. “Sit down, son,” he muttered rather impatiently, not even taking the time to look up. Instead, he continued skimming through the folders, Lois had compiled. “What did you find on Sidney Burke?” he asked eventually.

Jimmy looked somewhat like a deer in head-lights. His gaze darted between Lois and Perry as if he was not quite sure if Perry had actually addressed him. Lois heart went out to Jimmy. She knew exactly how Jimmy felt right now. It was a rare occurrence that Perry got involved in stories beyond the act of editing after the story was written. To see the chief in the conference room outside of a staff meeting was unsettling to say the least.

During her time at the Daily Planet, Lois had only seen Perry do that once – when a story of a former co-worker had led to the White House. Back then, the lead had turned out to be a dead end, but understandably, Perry preferred being involved in the investigation over printing false accusations. While the NTSB was not the White House, alluding to bribery in the organization was dangerous terrain. A paper like the Daily Planet could not afford to lose its reputation over rumors.

While Jimmy stood frozen in spot, crouching in a strange position between standing and sitting down, Perry slowly looked up and closed his folders.

“Great shades of Elvis, Jimmy!” he barked, his gaze turning even more intense, as if he was trying to look right through the younger man. “Sit down and tell me what you’ve got.”

Jimmy hastily complied, almost missing the chair that was right under him. “Nothing much that Lois wasn’t already told by your source,” he admitted, sounding guilty. He fell silent again until Perry let out and exasperated sigh and made an impatient motion, urging him to continue. “Sidney Burke; married to Rachel Burke for fifteen years. She grew up in Vegas, where he met her. No children. Recently, she was diagnosed with cancer. Apparently, her insurance does not pay for the treatment. Their attempt to get a second mortgage on their house was turned down by their bank,” Jimmy rattled on.

Lois looked at Jimmy, secretly in awe of his research talents. Most of the time, she wondered how he even got that sort of information. Maybe, if it came right down to it, she probably did not really want to know.

“So, they’re having financial problems,” Lois concluded thoughtfully.

“Perhaps even more so than it might appear on the outside,” Jimmy added cautiously. “There was a charge against him because of illegal gambling that was dropped for lack of proof. Burke met his wife in Vegas, he married her there. During his time as a college student he was rumored to be into gambling. I believe that he might actually be addicted to it.” He harrumphed at the statement, seemingly afraid of his own boldness and shrinking under Perry’s scrutiny. “It would certainly explain why he would be susceptible to bribery,” Jimmy stuttered nervously.

For long moments, Perry said nothing except for an occasional sigh that was as non-descript as anyone could possibly sigh. Lois’ own mind raced a mile a minute, while she was teetering between being excited and disappointed. On the one hand, this seemed to be the first real lead; on the other hand, she could not imagine how she would get Sidney Burke to talk, if all of this was really true. He was never going to risk the life of his wife and give away who had asked him to tamper with the investigation. It was frustrating to have a second big scoop drop into her lap she did not really want to write, all things considered. At the end of the day, she was not sure if uncovering the truth was actually the right thing to do.

“Well done, Jimmy,” Perry finally said, a heavy southern drawl tinting his voice. “Is there anything else you found out?”

Jimmy’s face flushed at the praise. “It seems that Burke comes to Metropolis regularly. In his spare time, he holds safety workshops at the local flight training center.” Once more, his eyes darted between Perry and Lois in obvious discomfort. “I know it’s just a stretch – but maybe, just maybe, he is gambling here, too?”

“That’s a great idea, Jimmy,” Lois said, excitement winning over again. “Do you know when his next workshop is scheduled?”

Jimmy’s face fell a bit. “I’m afraid, he won’t return for another month,” he replied apologetically.

“Oh,” Lois mumbled disappointedly as the lead seemingly slipped right through her fingers again. She was about to give up hope of ever finding something solid, when an idea crossed her mind. “I think I know just the right guy to ask. If Burke is anywhere around any illegal gambling here in Metropolis, Bobby Bigmouth will find out.” She jumped up from her chair, only barely waiting for Perry to end the meeting.

“Get on it, kids,” he said, closing the folder and got up as well.

Lois did not wait for a second invitation to leave and rushed towards the door, stopping in the last possible moment before she would have crashed into it. She turned on her heels and darted back to grab her folder that also contained a photo of Mr. Burke, courtesy to Jimmy Olsen. Only seconds later, she left the office. In her mind, she was already dialing the number of the restaurant Bobby was currently working at, and simultaneously compiled the menu she was going to offer in exchange for his help.

In the meantime, she tried not to think about how slim the chances were that Bobby could actually help her. She was clutching at straws, desperately so. Granted, they had a photo of Sidney Burke. But walking into gaming dens and asking for players, possibly showing the photo around was not the way Bobby usually worked. At least Lois was pretty sure, he didn’t. The sheer amount of information he gathered sometimes made her wonder, as did his seemingly unquenchable appetite. Bobby heard a lot, rumors the backstreets of the restaurants he worked at, sometimes as a dish-washer, sometimes as an assistant. He did not care what he did, as long as the food was for free.

Lois sat down and picked up the phone. Just as she was about to dial the first number, her gaze wandered to the pile of yellow press papers she had accumulated on her desk. Leaning back in her chair, she stared at the pile thoughtfully, the receiver in her hand completely forgotten. With a sense of disappointment, Lois realized that she was no closer to unraveling the truth about Clark than she had been before. Involuntarily, she wondered what he would have to say to the new lead. Would he be excited about it or would he laugh at her for being so foolish to believe she might actually be onto something? After all, he had spent years trying to expose Luthor. It was not likely that the billionaire was going to start making mistakes now.

Lois realized with sudden clarity that she was walking down a dangerous path. She pinched the bridge of her nose. This whole story held so many unknowns it was giving her a headache. Realistically, she could not even be sure there was a story in the first place. She should not let herself be dragged into what might be just a private vendetta between Clark and Lex. All she had so far was what Clark had told her plus the words of a woman who was willing to sabotage her own space program. It was important that she did not base her investigation on the premise that Luthor was guilty. Clark’s plea to keep investigating the man still tore at her heart. For that very reason she needed to be extra careful to remain objective.

That notion in mind, Lois leaned forward again to pick up the receiver, only to realize that she was already holding it in her hand. She pressed the button to end the current call and this time dialed the number. Moments later, someone answered the phone. Between the noise in the kitchen and the speaker’s meagre knowledge of the English language, Lois could barely understand what he said.

Even so, she tried her luck. “Hi, this is Lois. Can I speak to Bobby, please,” she tried her luck.

“Huh?” she heard, followed by a string of words, she was not even sure were supposed to be English.

“Bobby,” she repeated, more firmly.

“Si, si,” the man on the other end of the line said and Lois heard a thud a he put down the receiver on his end of the line. She only hoped that ‘Si’ actually meant ‘yes’ in his case.

Seconds ticked by that seemed to stretch into minutes.

“Yeah…” the sound was muffled.

“Bobby?” Lois asked, imagining her source chewing on something or another he had found in the kitchen. “It’s Lois.”

“Niche to ..ear f..om you!” came the enthusiastic reply, confirming her suspicion. This could only be Bobby Bigmouth. She heard him swallow, before he continued. “How can I help you, Lois?”

She briefly told him about her suspicions concerning the investigation of the helicopter explosion in general and Sidney Burke in particular. “I want you to look around, see what you can find out about him - if he really is into gambling while he’s staying in Metropolis,” Lois said finally.

For a moment, all Lois heard was the clinking of dishes and pots in the kitchen. There were also chewing sounds, while Bobby hummed thoughtfully.

“That’s a tough one,” he said eventually. “I can’t make any promises.”

“I’m going to pay well,” Lois vowed, silently wishing she still had Clark’s help. The mere prospect of his Chinese take-out would make Bobby fall over himself to get her all the information she wanted.

“I certainly hope so,” Bobby replied mischievously. “Bye, Lois.” He ended the call and as she listened to the free line, so did Lois.

Leaning back in her chair again, Lois felt frustrated that there was little else she could do besides hoping that either Paul or Bobby would get back to her with new information. All that was left for her to do was another session of skimming through the tabloid papers she had accumulated, hoping that she would find anything on Clark. It was a daunting occupation, since she already knew that she was not going to find anything substantial. Clark had vanished into thin air – literally. So much so that she was starting to wonder if she might have dreamt him up in all his weirdness.

Maybe that was the reason she had become so focused on Lex Luthor. That and the fact that she felt she owed Clark her life. Her approach was anything but professional. Maybe it was about time she thought of another way to find her former partner besides leaving her window open and reading tabloid papers. Her gaze fell on the door to Perry’s office. She had sneaked in once to take a peek into Clark’s file; she could do it again. Maybe it held some answers.

“Lois, there is a call for you on line two,” Jimmy yelled through the newsroom, effectively waking Lois from her musings.

“Thank you, Jimmy,” she replied, straightening in her chair. With a flutter of excitement, she pushed the right button on her phone, before she picked up. “Lois Lane?”

“Good afternoon, Lois,” Lex Luthor replied affectionately. “It’s nice to hear your voice.”

“Hello, Lex,” Lois said a little stiffly. He was not exactly the man she had hoped she would be talking to.

“It’s been a while, Lois. I was a bit worried when I didn’t hear from you,” Lex went on.

“I was on an assignment in Washington,” Lois explained, half-heartedly. She did not want to give away too much, lest he might become privy that she was onto him. But was she really?

“I hope it went well,” Lex said, not sounding like he was all that interested in her talking about her work.

“Yeah, pretty well.” That was hopelessly exaggerated, but it sounded better than the truth and did not warrant any further questions. “What can I do for you, Lex?”

He chuckled softly. “Actually, I was wondering if I could do anything for you, Lois. How does dinner sound? My penthouse? Seven o’clock?”

“Oh,” Lois breathed, not completely able to keep her surprise to herself.

She felt a sudden pang of discomfort, urging her to decline his offer. First and foremost, she felt that things were progressing too fast. Three dates in the course of a week was not how she usually started seeing someone. The thought alone set her insides on fire, fuelling her uneasiness. Was she actually seeing him? She had to be, because she could not honestly claim that she had interviewed the man. Moreover, she was not sure that meeting him again mixed well with her earlier decision to remain objective. Lois could not afford to let herself be drawn into his world of luxury.

“I’m going to send someone to pick you up,” he said in a way that left no room for protest. He either was not used to being turned down or he simply would not take no for an answer.

“Sounds great,” Lois replied with a bravado she did not quite feel. It was the Mad Dog Lane part of her talking again, the one that dug her teeth into a story, refusing to let go before she got to the bottom of it.

“Then it’s settled,” Lex said and she could hear the smile in his voice. “See you tonight.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Lois heard herself answer and moments later she listened to a free line. He had ended the call, making it virtually impossible for her to change her mind.

Staring at the receiver in her hand, Lois wondered what that meant. Flattered as she felt at Luthor’s attention, she could not help but be suspicious of it. Would he be as forthcoming if she did not know Clark? Shaking her head to get rid of those confusing thoughts, Lois put her own receiver back in its place. Clark’s paranoia was clearly rubbing off on her. It was paramount that she stick to her plan – learn as much about Luthor as she possibly could and see where it led her. With that plan in mind, Lois pushed her lingering uneasiness aside. She was a reporter in pursuit of a story. It was completely irrelevant what Luthor hoped a third date might encompass, at his place no less.

to be continued...