Wrong Place, Wrong Time, Wrong Clark TOC can be found
Here Where we last left Chuck and Minha in As the Cape Flaps... in Part 159 …“Now, I’m asking you to come away with me and put some distance between us, Luthor, Metropolis, and this whole mess,” Clark said. “Let’s start fresh. A new beginning.”
“Are
you asking?” Lois inquired, glancing down at his Suit and then back to his eyes. “Or is Clark Kent?”
“We both are,” he replied with a smile.
“What about the Daily Planet?”
“Destroyed.”
“Lex will rebuild it,” she said, but even before the words were out of her mouth, she knew they were false. “No. No, he won’t.”
“Exactly. What do we have keeping us here?”
“The investigation, proving Lex wrong, memories of what could’ve been,” Lois replied. “I don’t want that life, Chuck. I want what you want… I want you.”
His smile turned into a beaming grin, as he tilted his face towards her. “I have me. I’d rather have you,” he murmured, sealing their newfound deal with a kiss.
Lois nudged him in the shoulder for that smart aleck remark before tightening her hold on the remnants of his cape. She never wanted to chance losing Clark again. He was her rock in the boundless ocean, and he had almost slipped through her fingers, causing her to fall into the depths of Lex’s sea. Lex’s strong undertow would have swept her beneath the surface. Without Clark’s strength, she would’ve had to kick and fight as never before just to keep her head above the water. She never wanted to let him go. Being in Clark’s arms was the best way she knew how to protect him from Lex’s eroding forces.
“I love you,” she whispered as she felt her feet leave the floor.
A knock at the door interrupted them, dropping them back to Earth.
Part 160“Not now,” Clark grumbled, refusing to pull his lips away from hers.
Lois’s hand rubbed up and down his sleeve. She stepped back as she suggested, “You’d better go change.”
He glanced towards his front door. “Yes, I’d better. It’s the Chief,” he said, letting go of her slowly before disappearing into his bedroom. He reappeared two seconds later in jeans, t-shirt, his glasses, and his hair Clark-fluffy again, causing her jaw to drop in surprise. He wrapped his arms around her waist once more and asked, “Do you still want to run off with me?”
She gave him a quick kiss, in which their glasses tapped against each other, before pushing him towards his front door. “Don’t be daft!”
He grinned. “I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.”
Lois rolled her eyes and went to check if Clark still had those cream sodas in his fridge from Nightfall. It had been quite a while since she had been to his apartment. Maybe he had thrown them out. It wasn’t as if he would’ve drunk them.
Clark opened his front door. “Chief,” he greeted Perry, and from that one word Lois knew their flying-off-into-the-sunset buoyancy had been pushed to the recesses of his mind.
“Oh, good. You’re here, Kent, I… oh! I didn’t realize that you had company,” Perry said, his voice changing to something more guarded.
“Don’t worry about her,” Clark replied. “That’s Wanda, my girlfriend. You can speak freely in front of her. We don’t have any secrets.”
She couldn’t believe him.
That lunkhead had better not have read her novel! Lois turned, waved at the men, and then pulled a cream soda out of the fridge. Clark must not have given up on her completely.
“Wanda?” Perry stammered. “What about….?” Their boss swallowed her real name with a cough.
“Lois? She’s ancient history,” Clark scoffed. “Anyway, she’s engaged to Luthor.”
The jerk was going to give the Chief a heart attack.
Clark led Perry down the steps and into his apartment. “Wanda, come meet my editor-in-chief at the Daily Planet.”
She took a gulp of her soda and set it down on the dining table before crossing over to them.
“Wanda, this is Perry White, my boss, or he was up until a couple of hours ago. Chief, meet Wanda Detroit.”
Lois waved her hand instead of holding it out for him to shake. “Hi, ya. Actually, it’s Dane, Wanda Dane. Detroit’s my stage name,” she said with her best imitation of a Brooklyn accent.
“Stage name?” Perry said, a look of alarm crossing his face as he glanced over at an entirely too-serious Clark. “Dane?”
“Yeah, I didn’t think it has the presence Detroit does; although, I must admit, Dane is much easier to spell,” Lois replied, returning to retrieve her soda. “But I didn’t want people confusing me with my sister Lola. You might have heard of her. She used to headline at the Metro Club, before Toni Taylor was arrested. She never knew it was a mafia club, tho’. What a fool!”
Clark covered his mouth to hide his laugh.
“Lois?” Perry leaned forward slightly to get a better look at her. “Gosh darn it, Lane!” he exclaimed, pulling her into his arms. “You two!”
“Hi, ya, Chief,” Lois said in her normal voice.
“What have you done to your hair?” Perry asked, stepping just as quickly out of their embrace as he had into it. “I must say I like it.”
“It’s a wig,” she admitted, pulling off her glasses. “You know, a disguise.”
“Oh, thank God! You look strange as a blonde.”
Lois shook her head.
Men. She set her hand on Perry’s arm and then hugged him briefly again. “I’m sorry about the Planet.”
“Me, too, honey. Me, too,” Perry said, sitting down at Clark’s dining table. “Jimmy’s been arrested.”
“What?” she exclaimed.
“Why?” Clark asked, which Lois had to admit was the better question.
“For burning down the Planet. Apparently, they found bomb making materials at his apartment and…” Perry said.
“That’s ridiculous! What cause would they have to search his apartment? That sounds like an illegal search, if you ask me,” Lois said. “We’ll have him out in…”
“The bomb had been in his lunchbox,” Perry went on.
Lois’s jaw dropped. “No.”
Clark came up behind her and put an arm around her shoulders, but she still slid into a chair. “How could they have known the origin of the bomb already?” he asked.
“The arson squad must’ve found something early on. They moved in the instant Superman cleared the building,” Perry explained. “Jimmy didn’t do it.”
“Of course not!” Lois agreed.
“Lois and I believe that Luthor was behind the bomb,” Clark said.
“I’m listening,” Perry said.
“It’s more of a hunch at the moment, than a provable fact,” she admitted, taking another sip of soda.
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Perry responded. “It might have something to do with Lex being slicker than a politician’s backside. First, he wanted to arrest Jimbo for the crime and only switched to Jimmy when the boy offered himself up in exchange. If I didn’t know better, I’d have guessed he didn’t know that they’re two people. The bomb-making evidence was clearly planted at their apartment. At least, you all and I are on the same page. I couldn’t think of a better candidate myself, except Daitch.”
Clark looked confused. “Why Daitch?”
“We’re… we
were investigating him for the Nightfall virus,” Perry clarified.
“He’s as much a victim of that virus as Superman and the rest of us,” Lois insisted, glancing back at Clark and setting her hand on his, which was still resting on her shoulder.
“Which drops my suspects down to Luthor, Ralph who was upset at me for taking back the story he stole from you and giving it to Kent, or some random crazy sports fan who didn’t like Pete’s take on the Metro’s chances this year,” Perry said. “It’s up to us, and the best lawyer we can find, to prove that boy’s innocence. He’s counting on us.”
Lois squeezed Clark’s hand before standing up. “Well, I better get going. I’ve got to get back into my business suit before Lex notices I’m missing,” she said, turning to face Clark. She set her hand on his cheek. “It was a nice dream while it lasted, Clark.”
“We’ll find some other…” Clark said, his eyes pleading with her to stay.
“It’s not what I want either,” she said. “But you know as well as I do that the best shot Jimmy has is with me working on the inside and you two working on the outside to prove his innocence. We can’t leave him to be Lex’s scapegoat on this.”
“I know, but…” Clark’s shoulders fell as he sighed in what sounded like defeat. “How will you contact us?”
Lois shrugged. “I don’t know.” She rubbed her brow, and then put her glasses back on. “I’ll figure out some way.” She took hold of his hand. “I promise it will be different than before.”
He nodded, and she could tell he wanted to believe her, but he wasn’t fully there yet. She hated that she needed to prove herself, but he needed to prove that he’d honor their agreement as well. She didn’t want to rely on him only to turn around one day and find he wasn’t there.
“Don’t give up on me, Chuck,” she insisted. “I need you to liaise with Superman. Could you ask him to keep an extra close eye on me?… only, not
too close. I wouldn’t want him to get exposed to Kryptonite again.”
From the slight shift of expression in Clark’s eyes, she could tell he accepted her concession.
“What the blue blazes…?” Perry interjected.
Lois glanced over at the Chief. Right, with everything that happened at the Daily Planet, he wouldn’t have heard about her adventure. “Some men jumped me at lunchtime when I went to meet Hicky Ricky in Suicide Slum. Superman rescued me, but then we crash-landed on a nearby roof,” she said. “According to Dr. Klein at S.T.A.R. Labs, my engagement ring from Luthor was coated with Kryptonite dust.”
“Oh, my goodness, Lois, are you okay?” Perry asked, his eyes darting to Clark for his follow-up question, which he then swallowed. “His torn cape. I thought it was from the bomb…”
“From what I understand, the Daily Planet bombing happened not more than an hour later,” Clark explained. “Off the record, from what Lois told me and how Superman acted while at the Daily Planet, he must’ve still been recuperating from his exposure.”
“State it on the record or off, son. There won’t be an edition of the Daily Planet in the foreseeable future, or however long it takes Luthor to claim the insurance funds and start to rebuild, which could take…”
Lois met Clark’s gaze and then they both turned away as Perry continued to lament their dear departed newspaper. Would it be better for the Chief to have hope for the Daily Planet or tell him their theories on that front? Clark wrapped his arm around her shoulders once more, and she put her arm around his waist. Until Lex said anything about the future of the Planet, their guess was merely a hypothesis. It was better for Perry to keep his hope alive as long as possible.
“Where’s the ring now?” Clark asked her.
“Inspector Henderson and Dr. Klein have joint custody of it at the moment. Dr. Klein wanted to study the Kryptonite, first hand, and Henderson said he should keep it as evidence, but I don’t see how that’ll be possible. If I told Lex that the men who attacked me had taken the ring, he’d wonder how the Kryptonite was still able to affect Superman, especially at such a distance. I left it with them to duke it out, because I refused to take it with me to the Daily Planet after I heard it had been bombed. I didn’t want to chance Superman being hurt again, especially when he needed all his strength to deal with the rescue.” She gave Clark a slight squeeze at his waist. “When I left S.T.A.R. Labs, Henderson and Dr. Klein were discussing a method to remove the glued-on dust from the ring without harming the band or diamond.”
“No pressure or anything, but I like the idea of Henderson keeping the ring in evidence,” Clark stated as he followed her towards his front door.
“And I’m sure it has nothing to do with you not wanting me to put that ring back on,” Lois returned wryly. “Despite the fact that it means
nothing.”
Clark shrugged nonchalantly. “I didn’t say that.”
“He has nothing on you,” she reminded him. As if Lex could ever win any competition for her heart over Clark.
“Let’s keep it that way,” he said, sounding as if he took her words literally… and about his secret.
“He’ll never hear about it from me,” Lois returned, catching a skeptical expression shooting cross Perry’s face. Thankfully, Clark was looking at her and didn’t see it, but she must’ve moved her head slightly to see Perry as Clark glanced back over his shoulder at their boss.
The editor suddenly became very interested with the newspaper sitting on Clark’s dining room table. There was no fooling the Chief.
Clark took the faux opportunity to place a soft kiss on Lois’s lips. “Take care, Lois, and if you ever need
anything…”
“I’ll be sure to call Superman,” she finished. “What? You were hoping I’d say ‘you’?” She winked, patting Clark’s face in a patronizing manner. “I promise you’ll always be one of my top three phone calls.” She went to open the door, paused, and waved down to Perry. “Bye, Chief. I’ll work on getting Lex to see the error of his ways.”
“Good luck with that,” Perry scoffed as he returned her wave.
Lois set her free hand on Clark’s chest again and lowered her voice so soft that Perry wouldn’t hear her. “I’ll never stop loving you.”
Clark briefly set his hand over hers and smiled. “And I, you. I wish things…”
“Me, too,” she said, opening the door and jogging down his front steps. She glanced back to catch his eye once more before disappearing down the stairwell.
*
Clark closed his front door, despite wanting to watch Lois until… well, forever. “So, Chief, do you know any…?” His words were cut off by a yelp by Lois. He threw open the door and rushed as quickly as humanly possible to her side.
Lois sat on the landing one floor down. She raised a scuffed palm towards him. “I’m fine.”
“You didn’t even make it down my stairs,” he corrected, taking her hand in his and tilting down his glasses as he pulled her to her feet, scanning her quickly to see if she had any other injuries. Her face had a red line along her chin from where she had scraped it, either against the stairs or against the wall. Maybe she really did have a concussion from their earlier crash. “Your jaw…” he sputtered, wanting nothing more than to apply cooling breath to it and kiss it better as he held her safe in his arms. He cleared his throat to calm the shake from his voice. “It will bruise. Come on back inside. I’ll apply ice.”
“I fell on purpose,” she exclaimed to his bafflement before pulling her hand free. “At least, now, I look like I was the victim of an attack. Sometimes all one needs is the appearance of weakness to fool one’s enemies.”
He shook his head. “You’re insane, Wanda. How are you going to sing with a swollen jaw?”
Lois reached up and ran her hand through his hair. “Chuck, I’ll never serenade anyone but you,” she said, pressing her lips to his before jerking instantly away. “Ow. Ow.
Oowww! Well, so much for kissing anyone anytime soon.”
Clark couldn’t stop the smile that came to his lips. He was more than okay with that development.
***
“What do you mean you want it back?” Inspector Henderson asked Lois. He had already given her the once-over due to her new bumps and scrapes. “It’s evidence.”
“It’s my engagement ring,” Lois replied.
“It’s evidence,” he repeated.
“Did you remove the Kryptonite?” she asked.
“Yes, Dr. Klein was able to remove the green flecks from the ring, but…”
“But what, Inspector? Did you take photographs of the ring?”
He crossed his arms. “You know I did.”
“Then you have all the evidence you need. It has no bearing on three men attacking me in Suicide Slum on the stairwell to the elevated train this morning,” Lois said. “It’s my ring and I would like it returned.”
“But… But…
why?” he asked exasperatedly.
“Because I’m engaged to Lex Luthor and he gave me that ring, that’s why.”
“What about the case against him in regards to his attack on Superman?” Henderson said, plopping down into his chair.
“What case?” Lois asked, shifting her seat in his guest chair. The bruise on her thigh was darn uncomfortable. “There isn’t one and until there is I am still his fiancée.”
Henderson adjusted his glasses. “I can’t condone this.”
“Who I associate with or what I do in my private life is none of your concern.”
“You know what I mean, Lane. I can’t knowingly let you go back to Luthor to gather evidence to be used against him in a court of law. Any evidence you obtain could be considered entrapment on my part,” Henderson explained.
“I don’t see how it could be, if I’m acting against your wishes,” Lois replied, shifting her position again in hopes to find one without discomfort. “I’m not seeing the problem here, Inspector. First of all, I’m not ‘gathering evidence for the court of law’; I’m working on a story. Secondly, I called you this morning due to being attacked and fearing that my life might be in danger. Is that not correct?”
“All except the ‘fear’ part, yes.”
“We discovered that there was a harmful substance on my ring and had it removed. Therefore, the ring is now perfectly safe to all inhabitants of Earth, is it not?”
Henderson sucked in his cheeks with annoyance. “From a certain point of view, yes.”
“Are you saying that I am perjuring myself by saying that I no longer wish to pursue a course of action against Lex Luthor at this time, either for bringing harm to myself or to Superman?”
“I can’t protect you,” he stated baldly.
“Can’t or won’t?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Jeez, even that hurt.“I mean any more than anyone else in the city of Metropolis,” Henderson clarified.
“Who asked you to?” she retorted. “Are you telling me that I can’t marry... I mean, be engaged to Lex Luthor? Is that your stance, because I’m sure LNN viewers would love to hear about MPD’s interference with my engagement to a prominent citizen of Metropolis.”
Henderson ran a hand down his face. “No, you know that it’s not. On the other hand, we both know it isn’t wise to do so as an undercover operation…” He left that option hanging open.
Lois pressed her lips together. “Since we both know that neither you nor anyone else that either of us know is in a position to do it; therefore, if we really want to get this criminal off the streets, we don’t have much leeway in the matter. Now, you and I both know that you have no cause to keep the ring, Henderson, so give it back.”
He sighed, pulled a plastic bag out of his pocket and set it on the desk. “It just so happened that I didn’t have a chance to log it into evidence yet.”
“A ring worth five-hundred thou ‘just happened’ to be left in the safety of your pocket? Good thing that I know you’re not on the take, Henderson, or you’d be under indictment within the hour.” Lois pulled the ring out of the bag and examined it from every angle.
Henderson’s eyes bugged. “It’s worth
how much?”
She ignored his question, as she knew it was rhetorical. “You promise that I can wear this near Superman without him even knowing I have it?”
“I doubt it. He’s a pretty observant fellow,” he said, eyeing her for some strange reason. “According to Dr. Klein, all the Kryptonite has been removed.”
“Thank you,” she said, slipping on the ring. It felt just as stifling as before, if not more now that she knew it had been the means to hurt Clark.
Inspector Henderson’s phone rang. He picked it up and, after a moment, glared at Lois. “Yes, she’s here. No, I’d… well, very well then.” He set down the receiver. “Your fiancée is on his way up.”
“Lovely,” she grumbled under her breath.
For a glorious two minutes that afternoon, Lois had seen a future with just her and Clark in it. Sadly, that pipedream was back on hold. She knew that they needed to find a way to prove Lex was behind…
something, whether the attempt on Clark’s life, the bombing at the Daily Planet, one of the other numerous criminal pies into which Lex had stuck his fingers, or, better yet, all of them. It needed to be something big enough to wipe out Luthor’s power, his influence, his money, or freeze it until he was let out of jail two hundred and twenty years in the future. The difficult part would be making a case that was provable.
Her mind shifted as she recalled how wonderful it had been to be held by Clark, kissing Clark, freely with no secrets holding them back from expressing how they truly felt about the other. She loved that kissing her made him float as if he were full of happiness bursting to escape. She knew that his kisses made her feel like that. Lex seemed to be a tailor-made foil, ready to prick their happiness bubbles with one swoosh of his mighty sword. A few more kisses from Clark, as the ones he had given her that afternoon, and she might start believing in fairy tale endings. One of the best things about Clark’s kisses was his ability to wipe Lex Luthor from her mind.
“Okay, Lane, if that’s the way you want to play this, let it not be said that I didn’t try to warn you,” Henderson said, breaking Lois out of her daydream of kissing Clark.
Lois looked over at him to see his trademark wry smile; only this time, it wasn’t there.
Great. Just what she needed, another man worried about her safety.
The door to Henderson’s office flew open, and Lex strode in with Mrs. Cox, Sheldon Bender, and Nigel St. John at his heels. Lois hadn’t realized she qualified for a three-gun salute.
“Don’t say another word,” Lex ordered her, which caused the hair on the back of Lois’s neck to stand on edge and her fingernails to bite into the metal arm rail of her chair. Then Lex turned to Henderson. “What’s the meaning of this?”
“The meaning of
what? I’m merely interviewing Ms. Lane and taking her statement,” the inspector replied.
“Without her attorney present,” Lex said.
“I insist that you halt this interview at once,” Bender instructed. “Have you even read Ms. Lane her Miranda rights?”
“Excuse me,” Lois tried to interrupt with no luck.
Henderson glanced at Lois and she saw that his smile had returned.
Terrific. At least, he was getting a kick out of this.
“May I ask why exactly I would do that? Just out of curiosity, what charges do you believe I should level at her?” Henderson asked smoothly.
“Don’t answer that!” Bender ordered.
“No.
Do answer that!” Lois demanded, rising to her feet. “Why do you think I’m here, Lex?”
“You’re not under arrest?” her fiancée asked. “When Mrs. Cox said that you were being held down at Inspector Henderson’s office, I assumed…”
“While I can’t speak for the rest of my comrades, please trust me, Mr. Luthor, I’m usually wise enough not to attempt
that move,” Henderson said wryly.
“I’m the victim here!” Lois yelled.
“An honest mistake,” Mrs. Cox purred, breezing back out the door. “Come on, Bender. You can have your cab drop me off at Lex Tower.”
Lex pulled Lois into his arms in the most unwelcome of embraces. “What happened, darling? Why did they call me down here if you aren’t under arrest?”
Lois pushed her way out of his arms. “I was attacked,” she explained. “Three men jumped me as I was headed towards the elevated train after meeting a source.”
Lex took her into his arms again. “Are you all right?”
“No! I’m
not ‘all right’,” she retorted, pushing her way out.
“I would have driven you, Ms. Lane,” Nigel said softly.
“My sources get a little closed-mouthed and antsy when I show up with an armed escort,” Lois snapped.
“Has she seen a doctor?” Lex asked Henderson.
“Hello? Standing right here,” Lois grumbled.
“Ms. Lane declined the medical exam,” Henderson replied. Of course, that had been before she had banged herself up on Clark’s stairs.
Lex grabbed her bruised elbow, causing her to yelp and pull away once more. “You must be examined by the doctors, Lois. Pictures need to be taken for evidence for the trial.”
Henderson shifted the weight on his feet. “We don’t have any suspects, yet, Mr. Luthor.”
“Didn’t you apprehend the men when the police rescued Ms. Lane?” Lex asked.
Henderson glanced at Lois.
“Superman rescued me,” Lois whispered.
Lex looked at Lois’s dirty skirt, torn and bloody stockings, scraped and purple wrist, and the gash running along her jaw as if he just noticed them. “Took his sweet time, didn’t he?”
Although Lois wanted to do nothing more than knock Luthor’s block off for the suggestion that Superman didn’t care about her, she knew she had a new role to play in her investigation. She dropped into the chair she had vacated earlier and burst into tears, turning away from the men.
“Lois?” Lex said gently and with some surprise. He knelt down beside her and set a hand on her back.
“It was awful, Lex, simply horrible…” She swallowed to wet her dry throat. “Superman lost control and we crashed onto a nearby roof.” She turned and buried her head into his neck, taking extra care to make sure she rubbed her dirty face against his crisp clean collar. “Oh, Lex! I was so scared. I could’ve been killed. Those men must…
they had Kryptonite. They must’ve been trying to kill Superman!” She burst into fresh tears.
She could feel Lex’s jaw tense. “You think those men were after Superman?”
“Of course! Why else would they have Kryptonite?” Lois gasped.
“Oh, darling. It’s simple. Those men were after you, to rob you of your engagement ring, or kidnap you to hold you for ransom, because of
me,” Lex corrected, running a thumb under her damp eyes. “It’s why I assigned Mr. St. John here as your bodyguard. Everyone knows that you’re acquainted with Superman. Those men must’ve brought it as backup in case he showed up.”
Lois sniffled and wiped her running nose on Lex’s handkerchief. “But, Lex, Kryptonite is
very rare, so rare that I thought it was a myth. It’s not as if it’s sold on every street corner for a dime, or they happened to stumble across it lying about somewhere. If they had it, they couldn’t have been some run-of-the-mill amateurs. They must be organized crime,” she said, glancing up at Henderson. He was shaking his head with reluctant admiration. “Why would some crime boss be after
you, an upstanding businessman?”
Lex smiled gently as he ran a hand down her hair. “Why wouldn’t they be, darling? I’m the second richest man in the world. Back me up here, Inspector. The easiest way to part a man from his money is to take what he prizes above all else and hold it for ransom.”
Henderson pressed his lips together. “Mr. Luthor is correct, Ms. Lane. By becoming involved with Lex Luthor, you have chosen a path which places you in the center of a very bright spotlight.”
There were many differences between Superman and Lex Luthor, but the main one, in Lois’s opinion, besides goodness versus evilness, would have to be that Clark changed his whole life to create another persona to shelter their love from the light of day. Lex would never have been willing to do that for her. Although Lex might have created a whole other villainous persona to hide behind. If the man in Gotham City didn’t fight against injustice, Lex’s calling card, she might have guessed Lex was the man behind that mask. He certainly had the money for all of Batman’s toys.
“This is why I have asked you to place restrictions on where you go alone and with whom you meet. It’s for your safety. Perhaps, now, you won’t be so eager to dodge Mr. St. John’s company,” Lex said softly. “If you’re done getting Ms. Lane’s statement, Inspector, I would like to take her to the hospital now. She needs to have her wounds verified and recorded as evidence, should you ever capture the men who attacked her. I would hate for them to get away with what they
almost accomplished.”
Lois noticed that Lex’s gaze glanced to his majordomo as he said this, and from out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Nigel nodded his head in agreement and opened the door.
“I wanted her to work with a sketch artist, but I’m sure I could bring one by her apartment this evening,” Henderson replied.
“For the time being, Ms. Lane will be staying with me at the penthouse…”
“No, I won’t,” Lois interjected, her spine stiffening.
“Lois, dear, you must see that…”
“Lex, I appreciate your concern for my well-being,” she said. With a quick glance at Nigel and over to Henderson, she lowered her voice and leaned towards her fiancé so that only he could hear her. “It is still
my life, Lex, and while I agreed to marry you, I will not stay the night in your apartment until we are husband and wife.”
Lex had the audacity to blush. “I would never presume…”
“Be that as it may, Lex,” Lois said, cutting him off again. “I’ll be at my apartment this evening, Inspector. Oh!” She gasped in makeshift alarm, knowing exactly what Lex would say in response. “My shift at the Fifth Street Mission!”
“Lois, on this you must concede. Until I can guarantee your safety,
please, darling, I insist that you no longer do charity work down in Suicide Slum,” Lex said.
Henderson gazed at her as if she had grown antennae, a third eye, and a set of scaly wings.
Very funny, she wanted to retort, but couldn’t with Lex and Nigel there. It wasn’t
so unlike her to volunteer at a charity. Instead, she focused back on the man she had agreed to marry.
“But I’m leaving them short-staffed, Lex. Perhaps if the Inspector agrees to visit my apartment before five, Mr. St. John can take over tonight’s shift and let them know I’ll be detained until further notice,” Lois said, looking over at Nigel and noting that his eyes narrowed as he politely nodded his assent.
Lex took hold of Lois’s sore elbow, once more, and pulled her to her feet. “Come, darling. I know an excellent plastic surgeon who will be able to make sure that your beautiful face won’t be scarred by that nasty cut.”
If they were able to pull this off, Jimmy owed her big-time.
***End of Part 160*** Part 161 Comments
