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Wrong Place, Wrong Time, Wrong Clark TOC can be found Here

Where we left off in Part 109 …

“See, Lex, I didn’t come alone,” Lois said weakly, almost embarrassed. “Lex Luthor, this is my friend James Olsen. Jimbo, this is…”

“No need for an introduction, Lois,” Jimbo said, pumping a shocked Lex Luthor’s hand. “I attend M.U.T. on a Luthor Foundation scholarship, and I must say that it’s an honor to finally meet you, sir.”

Clark looked between Lois and Jimbo. What in the world? Jimbo was Lois’s date? It felt like the Kerth Awards all over again, only with the other Jimmy. Wasn’t he supposed to be Lois’s non-official date for this ball?

“In that case, I’ll bid you adieu,” Lex said, barely acknowledging Jimbo’s presence other than the handshake, as he went to kiss Lois’s hand.

“Oh, man! Am I interrupting something?” Jimbo said in horror. “Oh, gosh, I am, aren’t I? No, no, don’t bother about me, Lois. CK and I can hang. Can’t we, bro? Lois, feel free to go off and do your own thing. I remember Lucy telling me how much you enjoyed Mr. Luthor’s company last summer.”

They all turned in dumbfounded unison to stare at Jimbo, one stunned, one in annoyance, and one with delight.

“It’s all settled then,” Luthor said, offering his elbow to her. “Lois?”

“Thank you, Lex. Clark, I’ll see you in the office tomorrow morning, and you can catch me up to speed then on our new investigation,” she said.

He thought for a moment that she sounded a bit peevishly melancholic, but then realized it was probably more the wishful thinking from his heart.

*

At the doorway, Lois was able to pause and pretend to watch a magician do some stuff with a scarf. She glanced back at Clark, caught his eye, and told him with her eyes that she would much rather be with him. She needed to do this investigation to put Lex away, otherwise she would have told Lex where to stuff his invitation. No matter where her body went, no matter what she said to Lex, and no matter how many lies she told, her heart remained with that man from Krypton.

Unfortunately, she didn’t think Clark would see it that way.

Part 110

Lex took Lois’s elbow and guided her towards the gates of the Magic Club. Another magician jumped out in front of them, pulled a bunch of flowers out of thin air, and held them up to her, while he fell to bended knee.

Lois hated that the magician surprised her. It wasn’t that she didn’t like surprises. She was perfectly fine with them as long as she received advance notice they were coming. She especially hated being startled like that and accidentally stepping into Lex’s embrace. She grimaced a fake, yet polite, smile at the magician, but stepped quickly around him to get out of there as fast as possible.

“Is everything all right, darling?” Lex asked, taking this opportunity to allow his arm to remain around her waist and rest on her hip. At least, he didn’t try to touch the base of her back as Clark did. She wouldn’t allow that.

“Fine,” she said, but knew from her tone that the gig was up. She was going to have to come clean. “I hate magic.”

They stepped out to the sidewalk and Lex raised his hand. A limousine down the block turned on its lights and pulled out into traffic. “I told my driver to stay close as I didn’t expect to remain long.”

Lois glanced at him with curiosity. “Then why did you come?”

“To see you, of course,” Lex replied smoothly. “After you mentioned last night that you would be attending this event against your will, I thought I might come rescue you.”

Her jaw dropped. Lois couldn’t recall saying that she was coming to the ‘Magic of the Night’ ball against her will. Actually, she had been excited about her unofficial non-date with Clark. Wait. Rescue her? What was it with men in Metropolis? Did they all have a hero complex? “I didn’t come against my will, and I certainly didn’t need rescuing.”

“Didn’t you?” he said, stepping up to his limousine. The driver jumped out and opened the door for them. Lex waited for the door to close behind them before speaking again, “You just admitted to hating magic, and last night you said that Cat had forced her co-workers to each buy a set of tickets for her charity ball, ergo you’re here against your will.”

Lois pursed her lips. He wasn’t going to let her win this argument, was he?

“Why did you go?” he asked, turning and pulling a bottle of champagne from where it was chilling in a carafe of ice.

“I thought it might be fun,” Lois lied. Well, seeing Clark and learning about his hatred of magic had been fun. Leaving early with him would have been fun too.

Lex looked at her doubtfully, poured a glass of champagne, and handed it to her. “You don’t have to lie with me, Lois.”

“Excuse me,” she said, and happily took a sip of the drink.

“You ‘hate magic.’ You must have gone to the event for another reason,” he said, pouring himself a glass and clinking his against hers. “To us.”

“I have no idea what…”

“Let me clarify matters, Lois. I know you didn’t go with that young pup.” Lex took a sip of his champagne.

Had Lex seen right through her whole act?

“You went because Clark Kent asked you to go. He’s young, handsome in an athletic sort of way, and ambitious, and I believe you still harbor some feelings for him,” Lex went on.

Lois flushed, hating that her plan was crumbling around her. “I don’t…”

He gazed at her like an errant child. “Lois, I may not live down amongst the common folk, but I still see and feel as well as other men. I know the irrational reasons why young people do things. I was naïve myself once, and not very long ago. I can see that he’s hurt you, and badly.”

Just my ego, she wanted to say, but didn’t. She glanced down at her drink, not wanting to discuss this with Lex. He was her investigation. He was not her friend, nor her confidant. It took all of her reserves not to outwardly bristle at him calling her young and lacking world experience.

“Kent didn’t go to the ball with Cat Grant either, did he?” Lex inquired.

Lois shook her head. That much had been clear from Cat’s actions.

“Did he ask you to go as his date to try to make Cat jealous?”

Her gaze jumped up to his. What? Where had Lex gotten the absurd idea that Clark and Cat were an item? Certainly not from her. Lex had mentioned something about Cat another time as well, but Lois had thought that he had been speaking in general... women like Cat. Why was he under the misguided belief that Clark had broken up with Lois because of Cat?

“Cat has moved on. You and I know what kind of woman she is, a beautiful butterfly who flits from flower to flower, never wanting to stay too long in one spot. She used Kent, and now has her eyes set on Arthur Chow,” Lex said this with as much confusion as Lois felt for Cat’s interest in Chow.

Lois hadn’t realized how familiar Lex and Cat were to one another. They did both inhabit the charitable event circuit, her as a reporter and him as a philanthropic benefactor. Of course, Cat did nothing to hide her true nature. It was quite surprising that Cat thought Arthur Chow wouldn’t hear of it.

“But Kent, he still desires her, and he wants her back, doesn’t he?” Lex went on when Lois didn’t speak.

Lois stared at Lex, wondering where he was going with his strange hypothesis.

“Kent doesn’t want you. He wants Cat, and yet you haven’t given up hope that he’ll change his mind,” Lex said. “And remember what it was once like between you.”

Was this what Lex meant by he came to ‘rescue’ Lois? He thought Clark was using her? Oh, no. That was the opposite of what Lois wanted Lex to think about Clark. She didn’t want Clark in Lex’s bad books; she wanted him off the radar completely. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Lois sputtered. She took a deep breath and spoke more calmly. “Clark and I are just friends.”

Lex patted her hand and gazed at her with pity. “It’s okay, Lois. You don’t need to hide your true feelings from me.”

“Lex,” Lois insisted. “Clark and I didn’t go to the ‘Magic of the Night’ ball together.”

“So, you went to the ball by yourself?” he said skeptically. “Now, why would you do that? Certainly not to ‘have fun’ as you said. No, you planned to leave with someone else. Did you think that Kent would take notice of you again once he saw how beautiful you look tonight and that Cat had no real interest in him? I’m afraid men’s desires aren’t so flighty, my dear. Once we have set our sights on a particular… goal, it’s difficult to dissuade us.”

She glanced back down at her champagne flute. Had she been that transparent? Lex was completely off base on Clark’s feelings, but hers he had pretty much nailed. Moreover, what exactly did that sexist pig mean about ‘men’s desires not being flighty’? Did he think all women were like Cat? Maybe not as promiscuous as Cat, but that their interest in a man could easily be swayed? Did Lex think he could bring Lois’s interest around to him again? She had to say that she didn’t share this idea, but she might be able to make it work in her favor.

“When I showed up tonight, you felt too embarrassed to admit that you didn’t have a real date, so you actually tried to get me to believe that you came with that young man. Maybe you also wanted Kent to suspect that you had moved on. We both know you would never have agreed to a date with what’s-his-name unless it was a cry for help. No, no, you didn’t want me to feel sorry for your lack of a real date,” Lex said.

He reached over and, setting his finger on her chin, tilted her face up so that she had to look at him. His smile was so charming she almost believed it.

“Never think I feel sorry for or pity you, Lois,” Lex continued. “You are a strong, capable woman with powerful emotions. You’re a spirited, determined, and, I cannot lie, very attractive woman. I’ve always thought so.” His thumb caressed her cheek in a more than friendly manner.

Lois wasn’t quite sure how to respond. “Thank you for saying so, Lex. And, yes, I was a bit embarrassed at having been caught at such an event without a proper date. I didn’t want you to think that I couldn’t get one. I’m sorry I lied to you.” Sorry that she was caught was more like it, and even more sorry that he had showed up to intrude at all. “But I guarantee you that I wasn’t there because of Clark…” she said, trying to think of another idea he might buy.

He reluctantly removed his hand from her face and sat back in his seat. “No? Are you sure about that?”

“Yes, well, actually, I guess you could say I was.” She laughed. “But not for the reason you think. This goes without saying and is strictly between us. If I hear a word of this repeated on LNN, I’ll never speak to you again.” She gave Lex a sharp look, knowing that he wouldn’t repeat this nonsense to anyone, not that anyone at LNN would buy it anyway. Well, they might look into it because of who gave them the information but that was it.

“Lois, I’m hurt that you think I would ever reveal any of your confidences for personal gain,” Lex said, frowning slightly. “Or use anything you might say against you.”

Lois reached over and rested her hand on his knee in reassurance she did not feel. “Lex, I’m sorry. I should know that you wouldn’t, but I’ve had men use me for personal gain enough that I have a tendency to not trust their motivations.” She paused, hoping that this lie didn’t blow up in her face. “Clark thinks that the kidnappings of wealthy children might be tied to the Magic Club somehow. You know, using their power of illusion and hypnotism to confuse people into not seeing and not remembering. I told him that I’d meet him there and we’d check out the Club together.”

“You went there on business?” Lex echoed in disbelief.

She shrugged. “You know me, all work, no play. I told you I had come with Jimbo, because I knew you would know that there wasn’t anything romantic between us, and I was afraid… I didn’t want you to get the wrong idea about Clark and me. We’re partners, nothing more.” How many more times would she have to say it before it began to sink in, Lois wondered.

Lex scooted closer to her, and she realized her hand was still on his knee. She sat back, but he caught her hand before she could get it away. “You didn’t want me to get the wrong idea about you and Clark?” he repeated, a smile tugging on his lips as he brought her hand to his mouth. “Were you afraid I’d get jealous?”

Lois jerked her hand away, blushing. “No!... Yes!...” she sputtered to Lex’s delight. “I’m flattered, Lex. Truly, I am, but…” She glanced down searching for the right words, any words, actually that would keep their relationship platonic. She had no desire to go that deep undercover with any man, let alone Lex Luthor. True, she had dated him under such a guise last summer, but she wouldn’t again. “Right now, I’m focusing on my career and myself. Romance is the last thing I need. I don’t have time for it.”

“Of course, Lois. I understand completely,” Lex said, sitting back in the pretext of refilling his champagne flute.

Lois hoped she hadn’t given him the wrong impression, which was that she was turning him down because of Clark. She was turning him down because of how she felt about Clark, and because Lex was a bad, bad man who wanted Superman dead and had given her a watch with a Kryptonite band to accomplish that feat. Against every fiber of her being, Lois knew that she needed to give Lex some small encouragement to convince him that he was making some sort of headway with her. She lifted up her glass. “To friendship.”

He clinked his glass to hers, and they both sipped.

“Besides, Lex, I prefer to have you all to myself,” she replied, gazing directly into his eyes and giving him a big smile. She knew he would be able to take that two ways. She meant that she didn’t want to be seen in public with him. “If we dated, it would be a media circus, and I’d have to deal with the press. We both know what horrible people they are.”

He laughed. “Give you a chair and whip, and I’m sure you’d have those lions eating out of the palm of your hand.”

The chair and whip sounded good. It was only the gilded cage which came with them that she wanted to avoid.

***

“Clark, about last night…” Lois said, the next morning after arriving at the office.

Clark held up a hand to stop her. “It’s okay, Lois. No explanations needed. Let me tell you what I’ve learned so far about the kidnapping.”

“Clark.”

He crossed his arms and looked at her with annoyance. “You want to talk about last night, fine. How was your date with Luthor?” he asked through thin lips.

“It wasn’t a date,” Lois tried to correct him.

“Oh, that’s right, because you were really on a date with Jimbo,” he returned. “So, it’s okay that you ditched him and left with Luthor, even though you had just arrived.”

Yep. Clark was hurt, but unfortunately Lois didn’t back down from a fight. It wasn’t in her DNA. “Come on, Clark, you and I both know it wasn’t a real date. I gave Jimbo my spare ticket for helping me out on the Laderman investigation,” she said. “And it was the ‘Magic of the Night’, Clark, after five minutes I had had enough magic to last me a lifetime, even Cat left early, and Chow never even showed up! Also, it said on the invite it was the ‘Magic of the Night’ Ball. Where was the ball, Clark? I didn’t see a band. I didn’t hear any music. Nobody was dancing. That isn’t a ball.”

“You should’ve stuck around, Lois,” Clark said, and she couldn’t tell if he was being serious or sarcastic. “There was a terrific big band which played. Alice showed up and Perry convinced them to play some Elvis songs, including my favorite ‘A Fool Such as I’. I met a nice woman, several nice women in fact, but one in particular, who gave me her phone number. I’m thinking about calling her up for a date, since I’m currently not dating anyone. Cat and Arthur returned and closed the place down. Now, if we’re done rehashing last night, can we get on with our investigation?”

Lois’s jaw dropped open. He met someone. Of course, she had left with Luthor, but that hadn’t meant anything. She told Clark that he had to trust her. This was all part of her investigation to prove to everyone that she hadn’t lost her edge when she had fallen in love with Clark. She was so edgy now, she was cutting herself with her two edged sword. She cleared her throat. “Sounds fun. I’m sorry I left,” she spit out, staring at him and hoping he didn’t misread the apology in her eyes. “So, what have you learned?”

“I… I found out… Is everything all right, Lois? Nothing happened, did it?” Clark asked, clearly misinterpreting her expression as she saw panic show up in his. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?” His voice took on a deeper tone and his posture stiffened.

“No, of course not, Clark. Lex just drove me home,” she said. And he asked me out again for next week.

Her investigation, her ‘in’ with Luthor, was going well. Not that she had actually learned anything as of yet, but it was a process, a slow and painful one, apparently. She didn’t know why Lex kept asking her to dinner, one night a week, just as he had promised. He treated her with the utmost respect. Neither of them was learning anything important from one another. She wasn’t disclosing any investigations happening at the Daily Planet, and he hadn’t told her anything interesting happening within his huge multilayered corporation cake. Yet, Lex kept wanting to see her. Lex kept asking her out. He seemed to truly like her. Was he merely biding his time by wooing her slowly? She didn’t want to intensify her relationship with Lex just to learn about the Kryptonite, but she was beginning to suspect that might be the only way to earn his trust.

“Oh,” Clark murmured, the fire leaving his eyes. “That’s good.”

“So, what have you learned so far on the kidnapping?” Lois asked.

***

No amount of phone calls and questions had brought Lois and Clark any closer to who may have kidnapped Nick and Chris. Clark’s investigation on the grounds of the Moskal estate the previous afternoon, before he was interrupted and kicked off the property by Mr. and Mrs. Moskal, led Clark to believe that the boys disappeared into thin air, just as Dr. Muldoon had. He couldn’t believe that the disappearances were related, though. The kidnapper had returned all the other children unharmed with the exception of a lack of knowledge of what occurred while they had been abducted. With that as the criteria, even he could have been kidnapped by this same person, still having no memory of what happened after Joe Rory and Mr. Jones had taken him forcibly from his apartment.

Clark had looked out the same window Mrs. Collins had seen the boys when they were out pretending they were Superman, and he saw how the lawn descended out of sight of that window. When he had walked the great lawn, he noticed a slight impression on the grass and dirt, which indicated a large rectangular item had been there recently. Mrs. Collins had said that no fixtures had been placed or parties held on the lawn since the previous autumn. Clark couldn’t understand how anything could have been there without anyone seeing it arrive or depart. The gate was automatic, but other than some vendors, on whom the Moskals had already done a thorough background check, nobody had been admitted onto the grounds that morning.

At the Magic Club the night before, Ronick had made that couple and the cow disappear. Clark hadn’t been paying close attention to how Ronick had accomplished that, because he had been talking to Lois about his hatred of magic. Anyway, he doubted the kidnapper had anything to do with actual magic. That would be too much of a coincidence.

Down on the ground below him, Superman saw Lois and Jimmy arrive and hide behind one of the booths at the Hob’s River Carnival. Once again, Lois hadn’t listened to him. Clark had specifically suggested that she remain away so that she wouldn’t get hurt or distract Superman from guarding Mr. Moskal and rescuing the boys.

Clark was beginning to think he needed to use reverse psychology with Lois to get her to do what he wanted, being that she always seemed to do the opposite of what he recommended. Unfortunately, with his luck, he could picture Lois being thrilled at that development and figure that he had finally seen the light of her brilliance, whichever light that might be. If Clark had told her that it was a terrific idea to come down here and interrupt the ransom drop, instead of the truth, she probably would have dragged him along and Superman wouldn’t have been available for security. As it was, she brought Jimmy along with her. At least, she hadn’t come alone.

He wasn’t quite sure what was going on with Lois. She was acting most peculiarly. She said that she loved him, Clark him, but she still flirted with Superman, and then ditched Clark at the ‘Magic of the Night’ ball to accept a ride home with Luthor. Why would she do that, if she truly loved him? According to her, that was all it was, a ride home. Why couldn’t Lois have told Luthor that she had just arrived at the ball and wasn’t ready to leave, yet? Surely, it would do the rich jerk some good to be turned down every once and a while and learn that he couldn’t order everybody around. True, Clark could see her not wanting to offend her source, but as far as Clark could tell, Luthor wasn’t supplying much in the way of information.

Since he didn’t have any actual proof that Luthor was the horrible criminal and murderer that he knew in his bones the billionaire to be, warning Lois about Luthor again would just cause another argument. Clark didn’t know why he told her that he had met someone at the ball and planned to ask her out. Now, to make his statement lean closer to the ‘truth’ he would have to call the woman and make a date. Perhaps that was what Lois needed, a good dose of jealousy. He was sick of all these games.

Clark sighed, remembering back when they broke the cyborg boxing case and Luthor had invited her to dinner. Lois had turned him down, because she said that she already had made plans with Clark, even though she hadn’t. Good times. Of course, then Luthor ended up shooting her in the arm less than an hour later. Was that why Lois had accepted the ride home with Luthor the night before? Not because she preferred his company to Clark’s, but because she was afraid of what might happen if she didn’t do what Luthor told her to do or turned him down? If that were true, his heart ached for her, but deep down he knew that Lois wasn’t afraid of Luthor. If Lois were truly afraid of Luthor, surely she would have said something to Clark or Superman about it. Wouldn’t she have?

Was dating Luthor part of the misdirection to hide her relationship with Clark? He was beginning to suspect that his first misgivings on his ‘break up with Lois for her safety’ plan were right. Nobody had attempted anything on him since Superman took care of Nightfall Minor. He needed to tell Lois that he was ready for their relationship to come out of hiding. At least, she would be safer by his side, then going off alone with Luthor. Together, he and Lois were stronger. The question was, was she ready? Had she finished sorting through her feelings about cheating on him with Superman? He needed to get Lois alone and have a serious talk with her about himself and about Luthor, before she forgot that their ‘break-up’ was just a ruse.

He saw a pair of headlights approaching the carnival and figured it must be close to midnight, if Mark Moskal was arriving with the ransom money. Superman had been at the carnival for the last hour, hovering and waiting to see who would arrive. He wasn’t able to discern if Mr. Moskal would be paying double ransom to ensure that the kidnapper would return Nick as well, or not. Mrs. Collins had said Mr. Moskal was paying the ransom, but she hadn’t said if the ransom would include extra money for her son, or if Moskal had just assumed that the five million dollar price tag was for both boys.

From where he hovered in the clouds, Superman scanned the entire carnival grounds once more. It was dark, damp, and chilly, and he hoped that the discomfort would be punishment enough for Lois disobeying him, but again he doubted it. She was a professional, and danger was part of their job. He just didn’t have to like it.

Moskal opened the door to his light colored car and called out to the kidnapper. Naïve fool! Once the kidnapper had the money, what guarantee did Moskal have that his son or Mrs. Collins’s son would be returned unharmed? None.

The lights of the carnival unexpectedly turned on, causing everyone down on the ground to wince from the brightness of it. There standing alone next to the merry-go-round and waving was Chris Moskal. Only, it wasn’t Chris; it couldn’t be. Clark hadn’t seen the boy arrive and unless the kidnapper had Superman’s abilities, there was no way he could appear in an instant like magic. Despite Superman being tempted to fly down and grab the boy to safety, he took another glance around the carnival grounds. He saw a navy blue sedan under the trees, on the edge of the carnival, which he hadn’t noticed before. A quick scan told him that Nick was sitting in the front seat of the car.

“Chris!” Moskal dropped the suitcase of money and ran towards his son. As soon as he reached the boy and went to embrace him, the carnival lights turned off again and Chris disappeared. “Where’s Chris? Where’s my son!”

Amidst the darkness and confusion, a figure dressed in what could only be described as a holocaust cloak came out of the shadows, snatched the suitcase, and returned to the shadows. As the figure went back to the dark car, Nick Collins opened the door and ran towards Mr. Moskal.

*

“Mr. Moskal! Mr. Moskal!” Nick yelled, appearing from around the far side of the carousel.

“Nick!” Mark Moskal hugged Nick for a second and then clutched his shoulders. “Where’s Chris?”

“Chris?” Nick repeated, stunned.

“Didn’t you see him?” Mr. Moskal asked the boy, shaking him, and Nick merely shook his head. “Who had you?”

“Had me?” Nick repeated, almost as if in a trance.

“Something’s wrong,” Lois hissed to Jimmy. “Come on!”

“I… I don’t know,” Nick mumbled.

“Mr. Moskal, please!” Lois said, running towards him and pulling Nick away from Moskal. “You’re hurting Nick.”

Moskal stomped back in the direction of where he left the suitcase, only now it was gone. “Where’s my son?” he yelled to the unseen kidnapper. He turned to Lois. “Did you see him? Did you see who took my money?”

Lois glanced at Jimmy, who shrugged. Neither of them had seen the kidnapper take the money, and it had been too dark even for Jimmy’s camera to pick up anything.

Nick opened up his hand, and said, “I have something.”

Lois snatched up the piece of paper from his hand and, shining her flashlight on it, read, “'I have your son. If you want to see him alive, bring five million dollars to the Hob’s Pier Boardwalk tomorrow night.'”

Mr. Moskal grabbed the note from Lois, pushing Nick aside. “I paid that money for the return of my son, not for my housekeeper’s son! This is your fault! If you hadn’t interfered…”

Jimmy knelt down beside where Nick had fallen in the dirt. “Hi, I’m Jimmy Olsen, and that’s Lois Lane. We work for the Daily Planet. Your mother asked us to help find you.”

Lois heard a crunch of metal at the same time she felt a recognizable breeze. Seeing that Nick was okay with Jimmy, she ran towards the sound. Moskal followed her.

“My watch!” a deep mechanical voice whined. It sounded a bit like that magician from the Magic Club… Ronick, was it? “You destroyed my father’s watch!” the voice repeated.

Standing next to a dented blue sedan, Superman held the wrists of a person in a cloak. On the ground between them was a twisted piece of gold metal, which Lois assumed used to be the kidnapper’s watch.

“Is that the kidnapper?” Moskal yelled. “Where’s my money? Where’s my son?”

Nice priorities there, Moskal.

Superman glanced towards Lois. “He wasn’t in the car. Only Nick was.”

Moskal grabbed the hood of the cloaked person and pulled it down, ripping off the black mask with the voice distortion box. He revealed a blonde woman, who seemed vaguely familiar.

Lois pointed at the woman, announcing, “I know you! You’re that… that magician’s assistant from last night’s party.” Her eyes opened wide with shock. Her phony-baloney theory she had given Lex the night before had been right on the money.

“I’m nobody’s assistant,” growled the woman. “I am Constance, the master magician, and Ronick is my assistant. I hypnotized him into believing otherwise. He’s been doing my bidding. I would’ve hypnotized Superman here too, and taken over the world, if he were human.”

Lois glanced at Superman, and he had the nerve not to even look the least bit sheepish. It took every ounce of her restraint not to mention owls at that particular moment.

“Where is Chris Moskal?” Superman asked her.

Constance pressed her lips together and shrugged. “You’ll never get it out of me, and if you don’t let me go, he’ll die of starvation.”

Superman looked at Lois, and then shifted Constance to the side so that Moskal couldn’t strangle her. “I’ll take our master kidnapper, brainwasher, and thief to the nearest Precinct House and start my search for Chris.”

Lois had an inkling that Clark knew where the magician’s assistant was keeping the boy, but he wasn’t planning to tell her.

Jimmy and Nick approached their group.

Moskal turned to him. “Nick, where did she have you?”

Nick shrunk back as soon as he saw Constance, nervously stepping closer to Jimmy. “I… I don’t know.”

“He won’t tell you a thing. He’s under my spell,” bragged Constance. “Rudimentary hypnotism taught to me by Dr. Novak, and I’ve got the world at my fingertips.”

“There was a TV, and… the night’s sky… a moon and stars…” Nick said uncertainly, glancing at Moskal. “That’s… that’s all I can remember.”

“Thank you, Nick,” Superman said with a smile to the boy as he took off into the air with an arm wrapped around the kidnapper.

Moskal threw up his hands in disgust. “A TV and the sky! Well, that narrows it down. Well, Superman, make sure that you search every house with a TV and skylight in Metropolis for my son.”

“Hey, Mr. Moskal,” Lois said. “I know you’re upset because your kid’s been kidnapped, and you’re used to being in control, and right now you’re not, but don’t take it out on us. We’re trying to help.”

“Well, you haven’t been any help at all. It’s because of your investigation that I didn’t get my son back,” Moskal accused her.

“No. It’s because the kidnapper knew that she could squeeze more money out of you, so she returned Nick first,” Lois said, trying to keep calm, but it was difficult with Mr. Moskal yelling at her.

Superman landed again a moment later. “Mr. Moskal is right. Finding Chris is a priority,” he said. Opening Constance’s car door and jerking the seatbelt out of the front seat, Superman tied the magician’s assistant to a nearby tree. “Mr. Moskal, I recommend you use that handy car phone you have to call the police. I have a boy to find.” Then he took off into the air again.

“Take me with you!” Lois called, feeling as if she were a helpless female being left behind and not liking the situation in the least.

“Lois, I need you to handle things here,” Superman said sharply. “And explain things to the police. Can I trust you to do that?”

She glared at him. “You can always trust me, Superman.”

“I know I can, Lois,” he replied, and disappeared into the night’s sky.

***

Lois dragged her feet off the elevator and into the newsroom. It was past two in the morning and she wanted to type up what had happened at the Hob’s River Carnival while it was fresh in her mind. Superman had brought Chris to the Moskal estate, where Lois, Jimmy, Nick, and Mark Moskal had gone after the police took their statements and arrested Constance.

In the basement of the Magic Club, Superman had found Chris in front of some sort of hypnotic television channel with no memory of how or why he was there. Darren Ronick was wandering around too, but Constance had hypnotized him and Dr. Novak so that neither of them would notice the children she kept bringing and keeping there.

A part of Lois felt that she should call Clark and inform him what happened, because this had been his story for the most part. It was a very small part of her. She had joined in, starting that morning, on this particular investigation and had only taken over when he decided not to join them at the Carnival. Technically, she knew that he had been there as Superman. Therefore, she would give him credit…as Superman. He had made his bed and, therefore, could continue to sleep in it as Clark. Good-bye shared byline. Hello, Superman rescue.

She yawned. Of course, if she and Clark had been working on a story together and she had gone to bed and Superman ‘and Clark’ had tied it up nicely, she would want a head’s up phone call as well. Wouldn’t she?

Lois wasn’t feeling charitable at the moment.

I met a nice woman.

What was that supposed to imply? That Lois wasn’t nice? She was nice. To him. When he wasn’t lying and hiding things from her, and being an overprotective imbecile. Fine. Clark was jealous of Luthor. Banner headline there. She’d known that since the White Orchid Ball. But did he have to act all defensive about it? She had told him that she loved him, not Lex, not Superman… okay; she had said she loved Superman too, but – come on! – How could she not? He was Superman, for heaven’s sake! Half the women in the world were in love with him, and that was a low-ball estimate.

Anyway, not only had Lois told Clark that she loved him, but that he was the only man in the world for her, that their break-up was just a ruse, and to trust her. Clearly, he was still having trouble with that last one. She sighed. She trusted him, why couldn’t he trust her? How could she make him trust her?

Maybe she should go up to the roof and talk to Superman about her Daitch discovery. Lois glanced at the clock. It was around the time when night turned to morning. Clark had probably already gone to bed, and so should she. Tomorrow was Sunday, and she had the day off. She would talk to him then.

***End of Part 110***

Part 111

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(Now and Then There's) A Fool Such as I as written by Bill Trader and performed by Elvis Presley (1952)