"Thank you for seeing us, Mrs. Housman," Clark said to the older woman as he shook her hand. "I realize how difficult this must be for you."
"I've read your work, Mr. Kent, and I know that you and Ms. Lane have actually solved quite a few cases yourselves. That's the only reason I agreed to talk with you." Ruth Housman was petite and had dark hair, cut to just above her shoulders. The large curls bounced around her neck as she turned to look at Lois then back at Clark. She appeared to be in her mid-forties and she nervously wrung a handkerchief as she spoke.
"So, you don't believe John and Jamie drowned?" Lois verified.
Mrs. Housman turned to look back at Lois again. "Do you have any children, Ms. Lane? I know you and Mr. Kent are married…"
Lois took a deep breath before answering. She glanced over at Clark who was staring down at his hands. The miscarriage had been just over a year ago, yet the emotional pain for both of them was still very fresh. However, this woman didn't need to hear about Lois' pain. "No, we don't," she answered simply.
"Well, someday I hope you'll understand when I tell you that if my son were really dead, I'd know it."
"Was John an only child?" Clark asked.
"Yes," the distraught mother replied. "He's my whole life. I probably spoiled him terribly, but it didn't matter. He's such a good boy. Did you know he's an honor student?"
"Had he ever been sailing before?" Clark continued.
"Oh, many times. He and Jamie went out nearly every day last summer. If that boat really did capsize, I doubt it was anything they did or didn't do."
"What *do* you think happened?" Lois asked.
The old woman closed her eyes and shook her head sadly. "I just don't know."
Abruptly, all three were startled by the slamming of a door. Mrs. Housman stood and wrung her handkerchief even more nervously, if that was possible. A large man in his early fifties, probably 6'4" with broader shoulders than Clark, entered from the kitchen.
"This is my husband, Benjamin," Mrs. Housman introduced them quickly. "Dear, this is Clark Kent and Lois Lane…you know, from the Daily Planet."
Mr. Housman ignored the younger couple as they rose and looked directly at his wife. "Dammit, Ruth. I told you no reporters," he snapped at her.
"But, Ben. They may be able to find out where John is…"
"Mr. Housman," Clark started, hoping to difuse the man's apparent anger. "We just want to help."
"You can *help* by leaving us alone," the larger man bellowed. "My son and his uppity girlfriend are dead, and the sooner my wife accepts that, the better."
"Ben, please," Mrs. Housman pleaded.
Mr. Housman turned back to face his wife. "No. I'm tired of this. Now, get rid of them." With that, he stormed out of the room and slammed another door.
"I'm sorry," Mrs. Housman said to Lois and Clark with teary eyes. "My husband…"
"It's all right," Lois interrupted her.
"Just one more thing and then we'll go," Clark promised. "Did John and his father fight a lot?"
"Well, what teenager doesn't fight with his parents?" Mrs. Housman asked, defensively.
"And were most of the arguments about Jamie?"
"Yes," she admitted. "Ben felt that Jamie thought she was better than us, but it simply isn't so. She's such a kind person. Please Ms. Lane, Mr. Kent, if you find my son, please tell him how much I miss him.
~*~*~*~
Lois sat in the Burkes' living room and understood why Mr. Housman might resent Jamie so much. She had definitely come from money. Mr. Burke was a high profile attorney and close friends with the mayor, which explained why the Police Commissioner herself had been involved in the search. Although Lois also knew that social status had very little to do with love. She and Clark were the perfect example; her father was a doctor and his was a farmer; yet they had been married for over two years now and knew they could overcome anything to stay together forever.
"Our daughter was an excellent swimmer," Mrs. Burke was telling Clark. She was a tall blonde in her early forties but could easily pass for much younger. Her husband was sitting beside her holding her hand. He was average in height and stature, but he looked like the type who never let anyone take advantage of him. "Both our girls had a private swim coach. Tim insisted on it when we got the pool in the back yard," she continued, indicating her husband. "I just don't understand how something like this could happen to my baby…" Mrs. Burke sobbed openly while her husband tried to comfort her with his free hand.
"I understand that John and Jamie usually sailed during the summer," Lois started. "Do you have any idea why they went out yesterday?"
"Because it was Valentine's Day. John thought it would be *romantic* to watch the sunset from the middle of the lake," Mr. Burke answered with a sneer. "If that no-good kid had any sense at all, my daughter would still be alive."
Clark's next question was interrupted by the telephone ringing. Mr. Burke excused himself to answer it. As the others waited for him to return, they could easily hear his half of the conversation.
"Yes, this is he. No, that's my daughter's account. Why would we…? No. No…alright, fine. I'll be there this afternoon." Mrs. Burke dried her eyes, excused herself as well, and rose to join her husband in the hallway. "Did you empty Jamie's savings account?" he asked his wife.
"No," she answered. "Why?"
"That was the bank informing us that they will be closing the account because someone came in on Saturday and withdrew everything in it."
"You don't think Jamie would do that, do you?"
"Now why would Jamie need $3500 just to rent one lousy sailboat? God, woman. If you had a brain you'd be dangerous," Mr. Burke insisted.
Lois and Clark sat uncomfortably as they heard the entire conversation, followed by Mrs. Burke sobbing again as she hurried away in the opposite direction. Mr. Burke returned to the living room to inform the reporters that his wife was too distraught to finish the interview at this time.
Outside, Lois and Clark were just about to get into their Jeep when Clark saw a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl riding her bike up the driveway. He looked over at Lois and indicated the girl with a tilt of his head. Lois understood his meaning and followed him to the garage where the girl was putting her bike away."
"Are you Jamie's sister?" Lois asked her.
"Maybe," she shrugged.
Clark squatted down in front of the girl so she was now taller than him. "I'm Clark Kent," he started with a hand on his chest, "and this is Lois Lane," he continued, waving toward Lois. "We're reporters for the Daily Planet."
"I'm Rachel," the girl said timidly.
"It's nice to meet you, Rachel," Clark said. He held his hand out and waited for Rachel to shake it, which she did. Lois was still amazed at how quickly Clark could put children at ease, even without his "other" suit. Realizing that Rachel now trusted him, Lois hung back and let Clark ask the questions.
"Did Jamie and your dad fight a lot?" he asked, getting right to the point.
"Well, yeah," she admitted, still a little timid.
"And were the arguments mostly about John?"
Rachel nodded. "Daddy thought John was dating Jamie because of our money."
"What do you think?"
Rachel shrugged. "I liked John. He was always nice to me."
"Thanks for your help, Rachel." Clark stood up and followed Lois back to the car.
Once inside, Lois turned the car on. "I'm starting to form a theory," she told Clark, turning to look behind them as she backed out of the driveway, "but there's one more thing I need to check out."
tbc...
