Epiphany
Folc4evernaday
Part 31
***
Lois stretched her arms over her head, rolling over as she slowly awoke, recalling the previous night with a smile. After weeks of walking around on eggshells around each other she and Clark had finally talked ….and a lot more. He was still hesitant about crossing that threshold after everything that had happened he didn’t want to spook her, but for the first time in a long time, they’d fallen asleep in one another’s arms not afraid the other was going to break.
The sound of the door closing perked her interest. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and padded her way to the living room where Lucy was still sleeping, and Clark was carefully placing a few rows of file boxes in the kitchen.
“What’s all this?” Lois asked, looking around as Clark pulled out a stack on the table.
“Henderson just sent these. Copies of Detective Harris’ arrest warrant and the police report and his statement to the DA and the Commissioner; plus, IAB’s file on him.”
“Nice,” She grinned, “How’d you swing that?”
“Discovery. Constance will be by to pick up her copies in a little bit.” He explained, leaning in to kiss her. “How’d you sleep?”
She smiled back at him, “Good. You?”
He brought her hand to his lips, “Better than I have in weeks.” He whispered, pulling her toward him.
“Me too.” She whispered, leaning back to kiss him as he ran his hands up her sides.
He nuzzled her cheek, running his hands up her ribcage, “I’ve missed this. Missed…us. Last night was incredible.” He pressed his lips against her cheek. He moved his other hand up her ribcage and joining it with the other, “I love watching your face when you’re that happy.” His hand slid up and down the front of her knit top seductively.
She grinned back at him, hearing her sister stirring from the next room, “You better behave. Lucy’s right in the next room.” She pulled away from him, “Tonight?”
He leaned in to kiss her before releasing her from his embrace, “Anytime. Anyplace. Anything you want, baby.”
“Anything?” She wiggled her eyebrows at him with a heated gaze.
Lucy padded her way into the kitchen, searching for a cup of coffee. “Coffee…” She smiled, pouring herself a cup, unaware of the flirtatious teasing she’d interrupted.
Lois took a seat across from Clark and smiled at him. He mouthed,
‘Anything,’ to her and she grinned, bringing her own cup of coffee to her lips to sip.
“Did these file boxes triple overnight?” Lucy asked, looking at the new boxes on the counter.
“New discovery files. I made us a copy. Constance will be on her way to pick them up this morning.” Clark explained.
“Great.” Lucy sighed, “I just finished going through all those stills.”
“No video stills I promise.” He smiled back at Lucy, “Just fun reading.” He opened the top file box and showed her, “Everything on Detective Harris’ involvement with the Planet bombing.”
“No clue why Clemmons won’t drop Jimmy’s case when he’s clearly got another defendant with a pretty solid case,” She eyed the boxes warily.
Lois shook her head, “Not a…”
The lights flickered on and off for a minute then restored themselves. Lucy looked around, “Another power surge.”
“I wonder what’s causing them,” Lois commented.
Clark shook his head, “No clue.” He read through the report in front of him, “Either of you heard of a John Black?”
***
Lex paced around the underground lair, watching the lever hooked up to Resplendant Man and a rat they were testing the power transfer on. It had been weeks since they’d begun testing but they were getting closer. A blinding flash filled the room, and he stood back, staring at the lever once more.
Gretchen Kelly turned the switch off, “Still nothing. I don’t understand.”
“I don’t understand either.” Resplendent Man added irritated, “With all the money you have couldn’t you afford a more decent lab than this?”
“Shut up.” Lex hissed, turning to the dial and cranking it up.
“What are you expecting that rat to do?” He added.
“Shut…
UP!” Lex snarled.
Dr. Kelly glared at Resplendant Man, “I’d do what he says.” She pointed to the metal plate he was standing on. “Shut up and concentrate.”
“I don't think concentration has anything to do with it. It's just the electricity and the conductor playing off each other somehow.” Resplendent Man argued.
“Just shut up anyway.” Lex hissed, pulling his protective glasses down again. “Do it again!”
***
It had been a long and tiring day. After meeting Headmaster Winslow and basically getting the typical line and brush off she and Clark had been sifting through the mess that was their research on Lex’s background to see if there was anything that could point them in the right direction. Lucy was getting dinner with her study group while she and Clark were finishing up a stir fry he’d thrown together. After finishing up dinner, they’d begun sorting through what they had on Lex’s past to see if anything lined up. So far nothing stood out.
Lois ran her hand through her hair with a long sigh, “Another dead end.”
“Well, it was a long shot.” Clark reasoned aloud as he set his phone down. “We do have that interview with Samuel Hale tomorrow.”
“Yeah if he doesn’t stonewall us like the rest of the former faculty. What is it that makes everyone want to shut down when you mention Lex Luthor’s name?” Lois hung her head, burying it in her hands.
Clark moved his arm to wrap around her shoulders, leaning in next to her, “We’ll figure this out.”
“When?” Lois asked, allowing herself to be pulled into his arms, cradling her head in the crook of his shoulder. “Jimmy’s basically sitting there rotting ….waiting for what will probably be a fixed trial for something he didn’t do. The police are no help. The DA is too busy padding his conviction rate to care.” She let out a long sigh, “It doesn’t make any sense.”
“I know.” Clark sighed, leaning in to kiss her forehead. “I’ve been trying to connect him to some of these mysterious deaths and still haven’t heard anything back from STAR Labs.”
“The mysterious heart failure,” Lois commented. “What a mess.”
“Mysterious heart failure. Mysterious power surges that I have a feeling Luthor is behind and don’t even get me started on that Batman character…”
Lois giggled, “Well, maybe you can partner up and take shifts.”
“No way.” Clark shook his head, “I may not approve of the things Luthor did but stringing him up from a jet and flying him around the city hog tied like that was…”
Lois laughed harder,
“Tempting?”He smirked, “
Very, but it still wasn’t right. I just…don’t know if I can trust someone that’s willing to do something like that.”
“Did you ask him why he did it?” Lois asked, turning to look at him.
“He said something about justice then left.” Clark rolled his eyes.
“I would have loved to have gotten a picture of that.” Lois laughed harder.
“It took a lot of restraint not to leave him there,” Clark admitted sheepishly.
“I’m sure,” Lois whispered, leaning into him, running her hand up his chest. “It is nice to be able to laugh about it though.”
He gave her a weak smile, “Yeah.” He turned to cup her cheek. “It’s good to see you smile.” She grinned, leaning in to kiss him. He smiled back at her, "What was that for?”
“For being you.” She whispered back, stroking his cheek. “It’s been a rough few weeks for….the both of us.” She leaned in to kiss him again, linking her arms around his neck, “You’ve been wonderful.” She ran her hands through his hair, holding him close as she kissed him again, “Understanding.” She ran her hands down the front of his chest. “Generous.” She murmured against his lips, grinning as he pulled her on his lap.
“I really like where this is going…” He whispered, brushing his lips against hers, running his hand down the small of her back.
She sighed happily against him as he nibbled at the nape of her neck. She rotated her neck to give him better access. She could feel that familiar tightness in her belly. His touch remained gentle as her hands moved up and down his chest. She shifted slightly, trying to find a comfortable position on the couch. “Clark…”
“Hmm?” He murmured against her as she ran her hands through the dark silky strands of his hair.
She took a deep breath before she found her voice to croak out what her body had been demanding for the past week, “Bedroom. We need more room…”
He nodded mutely, standing up and carrying her toward the bedroom, not losing contact with her mouth as she wrapped her legs around his torso. “More room.” He echoed, walking her into the bedroom.
“Good.” She sighed happily, tugging at the top button of his shirt. “I miss you. I…” She sighed happily as he laid her down on the bed, careful not to put all his weight on her, rolling on his side. She shook her head, pulling him toward her, “Make love to me, Clar….”
A loud hum echoed in the room and the lights flickered for a moment. “
No, no, no, no,” Clark hung his head in defeat. “Not now.
Please dear God not
now…”
Lois bit her lower lip to suppress the curse she knew was on the tip of her tongue. Everything went dark. “Crap.” Then just with every other power surge he got that familiar expression on his face.
Only this time it was more annoyance than anything as he looked at her with regret, “I’m
so sorry…”
She nodded, releasing him from her grasp, “It’s okay. Where is this one?”
“Underground Subway…” He sighed, standing up and taking his glasses off, setting them on the night stand.
The lights flickered back on, and she sighed, “Well, there’s something.” Lois observed wryly.
Clark spun into the familiar red, yellow and blue suit, leaning in to kiss her, “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Be careful.” She whispered. He nodded and within a blink of an eye he disappeared in a red and blue blur, flying out the window at super-speed.
Lois rolled over, grabbing a pillow from the bed and yelling into it in frustration as she hit the bed with her fist. “
So close…”
***
The next morning Lois frowned when she found Clark’s side of the bed empty. After he’d left last night, she’d stayed up to watch the coverage on the destruction of the latest power surge. She’d fallen asleep around one. Several subways were stuck on the track, and emergency crews were down there trying to free all the passengers. One of the trains had hit another causing a three train pile up at one station. The estimated injury count was in the thousands.
Lois finished getting dressed and began gathering her things, finding Lucy in the living room finishing up her coffee, dressed for the day. “You’re dressed early.” She commented.
“I’ve got to meet Constance for my deposition this morning,” Lucy explained off-handedly, staring at the news coverage on the television. “Have you seen this?”
“Yeah,” Lois nodded solemnly.
“They said Superman and the emergency crew are still down there trying to get everyone out of the wreckage.” Lucy shook her head, taking a sip of her coffee. “I wonder what caused all this. The power surges I mean.”
Lois shrugged. “I don’t know. They keep happening more frequently though.”
“You going into the office today?” Lucy asked.
“Yeah,” Lois said, grabbing her bag. “I’ve got an interview with one of the former headmasters of Westminster this afternoon.”
“Still digging huh?” Lucy grinned back at her. “I hope all of this lands right on Lex Luthor’s doorstep so we can lock him away for the rest of his miserable life.”
“Me too.” Lois gave a half-smile.
“Have you been able to get in to see Jimmy yet?” Lucy asked, changing the subject.
“Yeah. We talked.” Lois looked down recalling her conversation with Jimmy. “He’s hanging in there.”
“I still don’t understand why they’re making me wait ninety days just because I happened to misrepresent my relationship with him. It’s so…”
“Unfair?” Lois suggested.
“Yes!” Lucy sniffed. “I just want to know how he’s doing. Talk to him.”
“I know.” Lois took a seat next to her putting an arm around her shoulders. “You will. We’ll get his name cleared. I promise.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t deliver on,” Lucy warned.
Lois sighed, unsure of how to respond. “Uh, do you need a ride?”
“Sure.” Lucy stood up to put the coffee cup up. “Just give me a sec, and I’ll be ready.”
***
Lex took a long puff of his cigar, taking a look at the morning paper. “We’re getting closer.” He stated, letting out a long puff of smoke.
“Still nothing concrete?” Mrs. Cox asked.
“No, but the meter readings are promising.” Lex sighed looking over Mrs. Cox’s shoulder as she pulled up his calendar for him. “What do we have planned today?”
“Your meeting with Judge Stephens is in half an hour. You’re also scheduled to give a statement with the Mayor about the Power Surges and the underground subway accident from last night.”
Lex tapped his finger on the line highlighted in green. “Have we received the report back on the sample we sent to LexLabs?”
“Yes, our labs are working on turning the meteorite into a powdered substance as you requested. It seems to share some of Superman’s resistance to destruction, but the scientists have been successful in their latest tests. Would you like me to get a sample?”
“No, let them finish. I’ve waited long enough.” Lex said with a sigh. “I don’t want anything hindering my revenge on Superman.” He took another long puff of his cigar, taking the silver darts from his desks and throwing them across the room one by one. “Once I’ve taken his powers and everything he loves I’ll hold him captive as he withers away into the meager hack he is!”
“Super powers will only make you more charming Lex.” Mrs. Cox cooed, running a hand through his hair seductively.
“Yes, I will watch as he finally sees I have won. He took it all from me; now it’s time I return the favor…” He walked toward a picture on the bookshelf of his office. “Starting with the lovely Ms. Lane.”
Mrs. Cox frowned, “And you don’t think your last encounter with her will be a problem?”
“Once I explain my intentions and show her she can have the man with the powers and the debonair Lex Luthor she fell for all will be forgiven.” He said smugly. “If not, I’ll have to find another way to convince her.”
***
Lois leaned over the table, sifting through her files on Lex and his classmates on one side and sifting through the mysterious deaths Clark was sure were connected with Lex on the other side. In the middle was everything they had on Jimmy’s case.
“Detective Jenkins.” Lois wrote on a notecard, pinning it to the board. “Dead.” She turned back to the notecards and jotted down another note. “Detective Harris.” She wrote on another card. “In custody.” She tapped her hand on the file in front of her and wrote, “John Black.” She wrote on another card. “In custody.”
“Morning,” Clark’s arms wrapped around her from behind, his hands resting on her ribcage as he outlined the shape of her sides with his palms, leaning in to kiss her.
She grinned against his lips, tracing the dark silky strands of his hair with her fingertips, sighing against him. “Morning.” She eyed him appreciatively, turning to gaze over his muscular figure in a dark gray suit with a dark blue shirt. “You’re late.”
“I know.” He apologized, “But I did write up the story on the subway accident last night. Perry’s already putting it into copy.”
She grinned back at him, “Nice work, partner. I’m trying to sort through this mess and make some sense out of it before our interview with Mr. Hale this afternoon.”
“Looks good. You forgot his brother.” Clark whispered in her ear, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind.
She smiled, feeling his hands wander up and down her ribcage as his arms tightened around her. “Brother?”
He nodded, pointing at John Black. “His brother Pete Black was charged as a co-conspirator.” He leaned in to kiss her neck, “Sorry I couldn’t get back sooner.”
She turned to him, seeing the worry lines on his face as she stroked his cheek, “Clark, it’s fine. You were needed elsewhere. I get it.”
“I know, but…” He let out a long sigh.
“Oh, I plan on collecting.” She purred with a grin. “Barring any major disasters that is.”
He frowned, holding her close, “They’re getting worse.”
“I know.” She said solemnly. “You still don’t have any clue to what’s causing them.”
He shook his head, “Nope, but I guarantee when I do find out it’s probably going to be pointing somewhere other than Luthor just like it always does.”
***
“Your Honor,” Mrs. Cox opened the door to Lex’s hidden office, pointing him toward the tall staircase. “Mr. Luthor is in the lab. Just go straight down.”
“Lex?” Stephens called out.
“George!” Lex cheered happily. “Come on in…” He gestured toward the office with large screens on the wall displaying the latest results on project marked ‘K’ with a green crystal spinning on a forty-five degree axis.
“I see you’ve been
busy,” Stephens noted looking around. “What is this about?”
“The case against Mr. Olsen,” Lex commented. “It’s becoming more and more expensive to keep hiring people to clean up your dirty work.”
“Isn’t that what I paid you to do?” Stephens asked with a bite in his tone.
“You paid me to make sure you won this election. You were the one that wanted Olsen framed. I did that as a courtesy but keep pushing, and your little scheme is going to come undone. I won’t have my name connected to this. Find a decoy.”
“No, I’m not going to find a decoy!” Stephens spat. “He knows too much. If he gets out…”
“He could ruin you? Take away your fortune and good name?” Lex mused, “Maybe but if it comes back to me George you’re going to have punishments far worse than a sullied reputation.”
***
Former Headmaster Samuel Hale was an elderly man in his early sixties. Short and athletic as he served tennis balls toward the wall, bouncing from one side to the other to avoid the ricochet. Lois and Clark approached him as he took a break, dabbing the sweat off his forehead with a towel. “Mr. Hale?”
He turned to face them with a warm smile, “Ms. Lane and Mr. Kent I assume?”
“Yes,” Clark held out his hand to shake, “I’m Clark Kent, and this is my partner, Lois Lane.”
“Lane and Kent.” He smiled, recognizing the names. “You two have made quite a name for yourselves.” He took a sip from his water bottle motioning for them to follow him to the bleachers. “You said on the phone this was about Westminster?”
“Yes,” Lois interjected, “More to do with some students that went there during your time there?”
“You got shut down by the Headmaster didn’t you?” He chuckled.
“Mr. Walace encouraged us to explore other avenues in finding the information we were looking for,” Lois explained meekly.
“And you thought an old retired headmaster might want to spill the beans to a couple of reporters looking for dirt on…” He motioned toward the envelope in her hand, “Who is it?”
“Lex Luthor,” Lois said, pursing her lips.
He chuckled, “Of course. That kid never knew how to stay out of trouble a day of his life.” Lois glanced back at Clark, and he nodded. Samuel Hale sighed, “Well, it’s no skin off my back. What do you want to know?”
Lois pulled out a photocopy of two pages from the yearbook. “These four. Seem like they’re friends here.” He nodded but didn’t say anything. She pulled out another photocopy, “Then here they’re hating each other. Bruce Wayne hinted that something happened but won’t say what.”
“Well, he wouldn’t want to point the spotlight on his own misdeeds,” Hale said with a sigh.
“But you would?” Lois asked.
“I never was good at that whole keeping a secret thing.” He smiled back at the duo, “but I’d really like to get changed and get some grub. The club’s got a great sushi bar. Meet me inside in ten, and you pay.” He winked at them heading toward the locker room.
Lois looked back at Clark trying to make sense out of what just happened, “What just happened?”
“I think he just agreed to spill the beans if we bought lunch,” Clark said.
Lois sighed, adjusting her wallet in her purse, “This better be good.”
***
Sam Lane looked around the tall building in confusion, “I don’t understand. Why are you doing this?”
“You’ll have to forgive Ms. Taylor, Dr. Lane. Keeping you in the dark was my idea.” Sam Lane’s eyes widened when he saw Bruce Wayne enter the room.
“You’re …. Bruce Wayne?”
Bruce nodded, extending his hand, “And you’re Dr. Samuel Lane. It’s an honor to meet you, sir.”
Sam looked around the dark room uneasily as he took Bruce’s hand, “Wh-What am I doing here?”
Bruce pointed to the long hallways in the room they were in. “Underground offices and bunkers. Stocked with food. You can call Alfred from the video call right here, and he’ll get you anything you need.”
“Anything I need?” Sam asked confused.
“You’re going to be staying here for awhile,” Bruce explained. “When we received word that Luthor ordered a hit on you and your family we took measures to prevent it from being taken out. Toni works for me.” He explained, pointing to the young blonde behind him. “She had to make it look like she was carrying Luthor’s orders out. Staying here will keep you safe.”
“But what about my family? My daughters?” Sam asked panicked, “Ellen?”
“Trust me, sir, your daughters are safer where they are now than they would be anywhere else in the world.”
“How can you know that?” Sam asked. “If he came after me he’ll come after them and…”
“I’m told Superman is keeping a
close watch over both of them,” Bruce explained. “As for your ex-wife, she’s safe. The man that was sent after her and the Kents was an undercover FBI agent. They’re laying low, but they’re safe.”
“How do you know all this?” Sam asked, confused.
“I have a vested interest in bringing down Lex Luthor. I've been working with one of the NIA's Agents to help build a case against Luthor and lock him up once and for all. He's done a lot of things to a lot of people over the years. Seeing him finally see justice is all I’m after right now.”
“Just justice?” Sam asked, not sure if he believed him.
“Maybe a little revenge too,” Bruce admitted. “He hurt someone I cared very deeply about. I wasn’t strong enough to do anything about it back then, and I regret it everyday. Seeing him pay for his crimes will bring this person justice. That’s all I want.”
An elderly man in a suit jacket entered the room, “Master Wayne?”
“Alfred!” Bruce cheered, “Alfred, this is Dr. Lane. He’s the one I told you about.”
“Yes,” Alfred nodded, “The doctor.”
“Not for several years,” Sam admitted sheepishly.
“Lucius will get you set up in the lab to continue any research you want,” Alfred explained, pointing toward the lab. “I’m told your fascination is robotics?”
“Uh, hmm, yes, robotics and bio-engineering,” Sam explained, following the elderly man toward the blue-lit room.
***
“Biggest scandal to ever take place at Westminster Abbey in over a hundred years. The brightest of the brights…if you can pay the bill that is.”
“Must be an exclusive list,” Lois commented, taking a sip of her coffee.
“It was.” Hale admitted. “You had to have an old rich background to secure a place for your child there. It was top of the line education…until it wasn’t.”
“What do you mean?”
“What I’m about to tell you will never get confirmed. The records are destroyed. The witnesses paid off.”
“We understand,” Clark said.
“Darlene Richmond. First year at Westminster she disappeared one night. The apple of everyone’s eye. All the girls wanted to be her. All the boys wanted to be with her. Last seen leaving the grounds with one Alexander Luthor the Third.”
“Who was she?” Lois asked, jotting down her notes.
“Daughter of an ambassador. Rumor was she ran away. Rumor also was that she changed her name and appearance that night….”
“Well, you know what they say about rumors.” Lois commented with a smile.
“Oh, I haven’t told you the best part.”
“Which is?” Clark asked.
“The night Darlene disappeared was the same night there was a fire at the Luthor mansion that killed both Lionel and Lillian Luthor in their sleep.” He smirked as he took a bite of his crumb cake. “Mmm Mmm, I love a good crumb cake. Don’t you?”
***
“How are we coming, Lucius?” Bruce asked, looking around the lab that had been set up for Lucius to examine the incendiary device found at the Planet. “I’ve got the Planet opening in less than eight weeks, and I’d like to be able to give some good news to Perry White on the Olsen case.”
Lucius typed in a few keys on his laptop, and the screen flickered filling with unending rows of binary code. “It’s still decoding, but we’re pretty close to finding where the signal came from.” Bruce frowned at his response and continued, “But I do have some good news on the compound you brought in a few weeks ago.” He pointed toward the other side of the lab, handing Bruce a pair of protective glasses.
“What are these for?” He asked.
“Just put them on, Mr. Wayne.”
Bruce did as instructed, and to his surprise, the room turned into a grid. “What in the world?”
“Sonar detection. Innovative science at it’s best. From what I was able to gather this substance here was sending signals off somewhere within a hundred mile radius.”
“And what would someone be able to receive from this signal?” Bruce asked.
“Everything. Audio. Visual. It’s like a live transmission straight into the recipient’s hard drive.”
“That’s what I was afraid of,” Bruce muttered. “Any ideas on removing it?”
Lucius smiled, handing him a large spray bottle, “It’ll smell, but it’ll do the trick.”
“What is it?” Bruce asked.
“Dish detergent and vinegar.” Lucius shuddered at the combination.
***
Lois propped herself on the edge of the desk, watching as Clark pulled out the files from the mysterious deaths over the past year. “What are you looking for?”
“Anything I can find that might link these guys with Luthor’s parents or with this Darlene character.”
“You think that’s the connection?” Lois asked curiously.
“It would make sense,” Clark observed with a shrug, typing at his keyboard at super-speed. Lois watched the display as images of each of the victims without a connection to Lex were pulled up. “All the deaths with ‘heart failure listed in the past year were at least somewhat related to a story we were working on with connections to LexCorp.” He pulled up an image of a young man in his mid-thirties, “John Reynolds. The helicopter pilot giving Dr. Baines her ‘ride to freedom.'”
“We know that was Lex we just can’t prove that,” Lois said, looking back at him as she watched the screen.
“Alfred Carlton. Johnny Taylor Senior.” Image after image pulled up and Clark turned to the mysterious disappearance of the woman named ‘Darlene’ from Lex’s past. “The list goes on and on.” An old missing ad with a black and white picture pulled up on the screen and Clark continued typing away at super-speed showing the history of Floyd Ryan, Anne Margot, and Mike Jenkins….and last but not least Beverly Cox.
“Oh my God!” Lois gasped staring at the image in front of her.
“The real Mrs. Cox. Murdered two days after Luthor’s parents.” Clark moved the window to another screen and showed the current image of the woman they knew as Mrs. Cox next to the missing ad for ‘Darlene Richmond.’
“Let me guess, everyone that we can’t link to Lex we can link to Darlene.” Lois guessed in a bitter tone.
“Yep, meet Darlene Richmond.” He gave a grim expression. “Her butler. Her childhood friend. Her former doctor…” He then pulled up the image of Mrs. Cox “And the real Mrs. Cox.”
“We’ve got to get this to Henderson.” Lois breathed shakily.
“My thoughts exactly.” Clark folded up the laptop and put it in i’s bag. Just as he was about to walk with her toward the elevator another power surge hit. He let out a long breath. “I swear someone’s doing that on purpose.”
Lois sighed, taking the bag, “I’ll get this to Henderson. Go. Be safe.” She leaned in to kiss him when the familiar expression crossed his face again.
“I will. You be careful too. If this is what we think it is…and she thinks you know…You could be in danger.”
“More so than I already am?” Lois teased.
“Just be careful.” He pleaded.
She nodded, and he gave her one final kiss goodbye.
***
Judge Stephens took a long breath as he entered his chambers, ready to start the day. “Julius?” He called out to the court services officer, “What’s the schedule this morning?”
“Oh, the schedule is clear, your honor.” An unfamiliar man that was sitting in his office said, standing up to greet him. He pulled out a badge, “Agent Davenport, FBI. I’m afraid you won’t be hearing any cases today your honor…or any other days until we get some things cleared up.”
“I’m sorry?” He scoffed, “What are you talking about?”
A thick folder filled with receipts was laid on his desk. “Caribbean Imports. HB Weapons. LexCorp. Carlin Industries. All paying for your honor’s very luxurious life style. How many vacation homes do you really need? Seventeen? Eighteen?”
“That’s none of your business!” Judge Stephens scoffed. “These companies mean nothing to me.”
“Really?” Davenport laughed, “Let’s see, it seems like every time you received a payment you made an order in one of these company’s favor. I’m not an expert or anything, but that sounds like bribery to me.”
***
“You two are out of your mind!” Henderson warned as Lois followed him into the empty mediation room in the courthouse. “Researching Luthor? Not just Luthor but his parents? Westminster? Do you have any idea what kind of heat I’m going to be against if I try to pursue this with a witness that has nothing to back his story up?”
“Bill he killed that woman. Are you really going to let him get away with another murder?”
“How do you expect me to charge him, Lois?” Bill mocked, “Oh, I know let me get the former
DRUNK Westminster Headmaster with a sullied reputation to write a note for the judge. I’m sure that’ll go over
great!”
“He was forced to cover up a missing person case and act like this girl didn’t exist. This girl that obviously helped Lex and is
STILL helping Lex get rid of witnesses that could prove she’d stolen this poor woman’s identity.” Lois spat back. “Do something!!”
“Get me the evidence!” Henderson shot back. “I’m already burning both ends of the candlestick.”
“So you’re not going to do anything?” Lois asked in shock.
“I didn’t say that. I said right now it’s not enough to take to a judge so I can’t charge him.”
“What do you need?” Lois asked.
***
TBC...
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