***** Chapter Fourteen
Lois wasn’t happy. Her most recent story assignment was stopped cold, waiting for a state appellate court judge and his ‘secretary’ to return from a ‘business trip’ so she could interview them about the rumors concerning their affair and possible marriage, and what might happen to their current spouses. The gun-running story was waiting for a break that might come in the next five minutes or the next five years. Her Jeep had had a parking ticket on the windshield when she’d left the Planet. What was the big deal if she parked beside a fire hydrant for ten minutes? The source she was supposed to meet downtown hadn’t shown up. And she’d settled for a salad for lunch because the sub shop was out of Italian wheat bread. The day wasn’t one of her best.
As she finished her not-quite-satisfying lunch and stood to leave, someone bumped into her. Reflexively, she muttered, “Excuse me,” and looked up to check on the other person.
It was Lana Lang-Kent.
They both froze in place and stared at each other for a moment, until Lana’s companion, a tall, slender woman with long dark hair, touched her shoulder and asked, “Is something the matter?”
Lana shook herself out of the locked gaze. The incident gave Lois a feeling of déjà vu, like the first time they’d seen each other at Lana’s wedding reception. Once again, the impression that the reception wasn’t the first time they’d met persisted in her awareness.
Lana turned to her companion and said, “No, Phoebe, I’m fine.”
Phoebe answered, “Very well. Since you said you have not eaten here before, shall I order for both of us so that you may converse with your friend?”
They both snapped their eyes to Phoebe, who stood waiting placidly for Lana to respond. Lois opened her mouth to tell this – person – that she and Lana were definitely not friends, when Lana smiled and nodded. “Sure. Something spicy, okay?”
The woman smiled and nodded. “Remember your meeting at two-thirty today.”
“Thanks. This won’t take long.” Lana turned back to Lois. “To respond to your original statement, I am uninjured and you are excused.”
“Oh, good, I was really worried for a minute that I’d damaged you.”
“I’m sure you were. Will there be anything else? I’m hungry.”
Lois felt an evil urge well up inside her. “No.” As Lana began to turn away, she added, “Oh, wait, tell Clark I said tomorrow night’s fine.”
Lana stopped and turned back, frowning. “Fine for what?”
Lois schooled her features to be as open as she could make them. “The stakeout, of course.”
“You and Clark?” Lois nodded. “On a stakeout?” She nodded again. “Together?”
Lois tilted her head to one side. “I’m sorry, I was sure he said he’d tell you about it.” She sighed and tried to look sympathetic. “But then, you know how men are. Sometimes one woman just isn’t enough for a guy.”
Lana tensed and clenched her fists. As she leaned forward, Phoebe appeared behind her and took her by the arm. “Lana, our food has arrived. I think we should not take too much time. They will want to clean our table as soon as we are finished eating.”
Lana resisted for a moment, then allowed herself to be turned and pointed to their table. Phoebe looked over her shoulder and said, “It was nice meeting you, Miss. I hope we see each other again soon.”
“Me too,” Lois called. Then she smiled brightly and waved jovially. It gave her a measure of satisfaction when Lana refused to acknowledge her salutation.
As she walked out of the eatery, her evil urge departed, leaving her wondering just what had gotten into her back there. Did she really dislike Lana that much? Was Clark’s wife so distasteful to her?
She closed the driver’s door and put the key in the ignition, then hesitated. Surely it had nothing to do with Clark! Nice guy or not, she wanted nothing to do with him as long as he was married to Smallville’s – now Metropolis’s – resident harridan.
She pulled into traffic, determined to put both Lana and Clark out of her mind. But the question of which one of them had acted more like a harridan niggled at the edge of her conscience.
*****
Phoebe impaled her salad’s remaining cherry tomato and held it before her as she examined her new friend. If Lana’s fork were plastic, she would’ve snapped it in two. Phoebe put her own fork down and touched Lana’s hand.
Lana started. “What? What is it?”
“I think you are not good friends with that woman.”
Lana finally relaxed and began poking at her meal. “What was your first clue?”
“When you thought about leaving her dead on the floor just now.”
Lana smiled and shook her head. “Yeah, I did, actually. I guess she and I just don’t get along.”
Phoebe smiled back. “Please, eat. Do not allow her to rob you of your meal.” She suited her actions to her words as she chewed and swallowed her last cherry tomato. “I will not.”
Lana speared a chicken strip and held it in front of her. “You got it.”
They ate in companionable silence. Phoebe had always been a people person, but her Native American upbringing had instilled a respect for others in her. She liked to talk as she ate, but if the other person preferred not to, she had no problem with eating instead of talking. Besides, she always disliked what she considered the rude practice of talking with food in one’s mouth. She didn’t do it and didn’t like it when others did it.
Lana sat back and dabbed at her mouth with her napkin. “That was good. You ready to go back now?”
Phoebe looked at the clock on the wall. “We have a few minutes. Perhaps we should invest that time in deepening our new friendship.”
Lana grinned. “Sounds good to me. What do you want to talk about?”
Phoebe hesitated. “If you are comfortable in telling me, I would like to know about the dark-haired young woman with whom you had words.”
Lana’s face fell. “Ah. Yes.” She sat back and crossed her arms. “She wrote a news story on me back at the first of the year. I guess you didn’t see it.”
“I saw it.” When Lana’s eyes widened, Phoebe explained, “I did not think it proper to judge you by someone else’s words. And I am glad that I did not.”
“Oh. Okay, so you know about that.”
“Yes, but I suspect there is more to tell.”
Lana frowned and exhaled through her nose. “There is. She works with Clark now. They’re both reporters at the Daily Planet.”
Phoebe waited for a moment, then prompted her. “Perhaps she does not like your husband?”
Lana shook her head. “I don’t know if she doesn’t like Clark, is jealous of him, is afraid of him, or likes him and doesn’t want to admit it, but the end result is that we can’t be around each other without going at it like gangbusters.” She leaned forward on her elbows. “I’d hate to be trapped in a small room alone with her. We’d probably kill each other.”
Phoebe nodded. “Do you dislike her so much?”
“Just what she does and what she says. And the way she acts around me or Clark. Other than that, she’s okay.” Lana chuckled ruefully. “Of course, it might be better if she were working at the Gotham Gazette instead.”
“A different place of employment would ease the tension so much?”
“That, and the fact that she’d have to live in Gotham City.”
“I see. Odd that you two seem to meet so often, given the size of this city.”
“If she’d pick a side, I’d pick the other one, and then we’d never see each other again. Wouldn’t break my heart.”
Phoebe smiled warmly. “Perhaps that will happen. Perhaps something will occur to bring the two of you together as friends. Perhaps you will remain as you are now. You cannot control the future, Lana. You can only control your reaction to the situations in which you find yourself.”
“You’re right, of course, but that doesn’t make her easier to take.”
“If making peace were easy, then there would be very few enemies. I think you have within you what is necessary to make peace with that woman, assuming she will allow herself to consider it.”
Lana nodded. “Thanks, pal.” She glanced at her watch. “I think we’d best get back to the museum before we get in trouble.”
Phoebe stared at her blankly. “How might we be in trouble for having an off-site business meeting?”
“Business meeting?” Lana grinned. “Phoebe, I think you have a little streak of evil inside you.”
Phoebe stood and shouldered her purse. “We all do, Lana. And that is why we spend so much of our time repairing our mistakes.” She smiled down at her companion. “Shall we go now?”
*****
That night, after the dinner dishes were clear, Lana sat on the couch, lost in dark thoughts about Lois. Despite the excellent dinner Clark had prepared, the night seemed destined for disaster, and she couldn’t figure a way past it.
Clark sat down next to her and said, “Nickel for your thoughts?”
“What happened to the penny?”
“Inflation gets to everything eventually.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “Want to take a minute and tell me about it?”
She glanced up at him. “Not sure my thoughts are worth a nickel.”
He gentled his voice even more. “You want to tell me about them?”
“Not really.”
He squeezed her shoulder. “I’m here. If you’re having a problem, I’ll listen, and if there’s anything you want me to do about it, all you have to do is ask me and it will be done.” He reached up and gently rubbed her neck for a moment. “You’re the most important person in my life and there’s very little I wouldn’t do for you.”
She lifted an eyebrow at him. “’Very little’ as opposed to ‘nothing?’”
He shrugged. “I’ve pretty much ruled out bank robbery and kidnapping.”
Lana didn’t respond to the joke as he’d hoped. Instead, she wrung her hands together for a moment, then stared at the floor. “I’m gonna say this just once and then I’m not bringing it up again, not ever. And I don’t want you to say anything back to me, okay? Because I’m not worried, not about you, anyway.”
He frowned. “Honey, what are you talking about?”
Still facing away from him, she lifted her hands and said, “Just listen, okay? And don’t say anything to me about it. It’s stupid and idiotic and I don’t even know why it’s on my mind but if you ever have an affair we can work through it unless you have an affair with Lois Lane and if you do I’ll kill both of you!”
She stood abruptly and faced him. He sat there, astonished and unable to speak. “I told you it was stupid and I love you and I trust you and I don’t think you’ll ever have an affair because I don’t ever intend to leave you that much energy but if you do don’t do it with Lois Lane, okay, because I couldn’t take that!”
She spun and ran across the living room to the bedroom. Clark sat, still astounded, until he heard a police call about an armed robbery in progress not far from their apartment. He bounded to the bedroom door and knocked sharply.
“Lana? Honey, I’m sorry, but I have to go out for a few minutes. It’s an emergency. I’ll be back as soon as I can and we’ll talk, okay?” She listened for a moment, but she didn’t answer. “I promise, I’ll be right back.”
He spun into the suit and flashed out the living room window.
*****
He easily apprehended the suspects for the police and was back within fifteen minutes. Lana had changed into sweats and was going through a Pilates routine in the living room when Clark reentered and spun back into his civilian clothes.
He stood behind her for a moment, waiting for her to end a thigh stretch, then touched her hand. “Lana? Do you want to talk about this?”
“What, my workout?”
“No. My affair with Lois Lane. The one that isn’t happening. The one that will never, never, ever happen. The one I’ve never even thought about.”
She turned to face him. “You don’t have to, Clark. I trust you completely. I know you’d never cheat on me, any more than I’d ever cheat on you. It isn’t anything you’ve done, or not done, it’s just my own insecurities at work again.”
He cupped her face with both hands and kissed her gently. “I don’t know why you’re even thinking about something like that. What could have put that in your – Lois Lane.” His face hardened and he stepped back. “It was Lois, wasn’t it? Lois said something to you, didn’t she?” He punched his hand with his other fist. “I’ll take care of it. She won’t bother you any more, I promise.”
Lana reached out and grabbed his hands. “No, Clark, please! Just let it go! It’s okay!”
“No, it’s not okay! Anyone who makes my wife think I’m going to cheat on her isn’t going to get away with it! I’ll – ”
“No!” Lana shook her head. “Please, darling, calm down. It’s okay. Really.”
“Calm down? After that – that woman told you whatever it was she told you to make you think I’d ever – “
She pulled his hands to her chest. “I don’t think that! I don’t! And I trust you, no matter what happens. You’re my husband and my lover and my partner for life and you’d never do anything to hurt me.” She kissed his hands. “Please don’t do anything or say anything to her.”
He put her arms around her and pressed her close. “Are you sure? Because it’s no trouble for me to – “
“Shh.” She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her face against his chest. “No. Just make believe you don’t even know about it. Pretend I never said anything. Please.” She pulled herself closer to him. “I love you so much!”
“And I love you.”
“I know,” she whispered tearfully. “I know.”
Later, as she lay close to Clark’s bare skin and listened to his gentle breathing, she reflected that, on balance, it hadn’t been such a bad night after all.
*****
Except for Lana’s mysterious lunch conversation with Phoebe, and her encounter with Lois, their first three weeks passed uneventfully. Clark kept getting ahead of his regular assignments, so Perry teamed him with an older reporter who’d proven herself. He found Paula Young to be bright, funny, and more than a little cynical.
“Stick with me, kid,” she told him, “and I’ll learn ya how ta report the news.”
“If you say so. I’ll keep my spell-checker handy, if you don’t mind.”
She guffawed and reached for a fresh package of Carolina Longs. “You don’t take any guff from anybody, do you, Kent?”
“Well, our apartment’s pretty full and I really don’t have any place to put it.”
She laughed and coughed at the same time, blowing smoke into Clark’s face. “Ha-ha-ha! You got a good sense of humor, at least. Not like a lot of rookies these days. Not like when I was just startin’ out.” She leaned back and took a deep drag. “Yeah, those were the days. Me ‘n’ Perry wrote an expose on fake employees in the city water department when we were just young pups. He had quite a crush on me back then. Course, that was before Alice. That gal blew into his life and snapped him right up.” She blew several smoke rings, then sighed deeply.
“Paula, do you – do you regret being a reporter?”
Her head snapped around. “Wha’d’ya mean, regret?”
“I mean, you never married, you say you don’t have many friends, you pretty much live to work, so do you wish you’d done things differently?”
She leaned back in her chair, then took another deep drag and blew it out in a long stream. “Kid, there’s not a day goes by that I wish I’d made time for people when I was young. Look at me. I’m fifty-seven years old, I have reduced lung function, and yes, I know these coffin nails don’t do me a bit of good. My knees ache no matter what I do or don’t do, my ears ring all the time, I’ve got cataracts forming in my left eye, my blood pressure is too high to measure, they took away my driver’s license, and when I die I’ll probably have to pay the mourners. What do you think?”
She stared him down. He dropped his gaze and said, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you such a personal question.”
She waved the apology away. “Ahh! Don’t sweat it. You gotta know who you’re working with, right?”
“Yes, I suppose so.”
She slapped the desk. “Well now you do! You take that pretty little wife you got. I saw her yesterday when she came to pick you up after work. You two been married almost a year, right?” Clark nodded. “Okay, so she’s still got the glow. You do too, for that matter. Boy, don’t you ever do anything to make her doubt you. You don’t have to be Superman, for cryin’ out loud! Just be yourself. Make her know she’s the number one human being on the planet in your heart and in your mind. You got all that?”
Clark smiled. “I think so.”
“Good.” She stabbed out the cigarette and sat up. “Now let’s get this story written. Gimme your notes.”
“There’s a draft of the article in the folder, too.”
“Good. I’ll check it out.” She started glancing through, then stopped and read it again, more slowly. “Kent, you wrote this?”
“Of course.”
“Mmm.” She read more. Finally she put the file on the desk and picked up her phone. “Perry? Paula. Come over to my desk. I need to show you something.”
Clark was puzzled by her behavior, and he was even more puzzled when Perry White popped out of his office and made a beeline for Paula’s desk.
Perry stood beside Paula opposite Clark’s chair. “What is it?”
She handed him Clark’s folder. Perry leafed through it, nodding. Finally he put it down. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“I think so, Perry.”
“You want to tell him or should I?”
“It would be better coming from you.”
“Okay.” He looked at Clark, who by this time was troubled. “Kent, you wrote the sample story in this folder?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You sure?”
“Absolutely.”
Perry nodded. “That’s what I thought.” He sighed deeply. “Kent, you just earned your first co-byline.”
“What? I what?”
Paula looked at Clark’s amazed expression and guffawed. “Perry, we blindsided him! Look at the boy!”
Perry smiled warmly. “This article is going on the bottom of page one in tomorrow’s morning edition. And it will be credited to Paula Young and Clark Kent.”
Clark was astounded. “You – you’re not kidding me, are you?”
“Nope! You’ve earned it.”
Paula fished out another smoke. “Kid, three weeks is the quickest any rookie got a byline in my experience. Lois Lane had the record before you.”
“Oh.” Clark tried to sound nonchalant. “What was her record?”
“Four and a half weeks. It was a solo credit, which yours won’t be. But hers wasn’t quite page one material, either.”
“Wow! I – is it alright if I call Lana and tell her?”
Perry nodded. “Just as soon as you finish up with Paula. You two are a good team for now, and I want to get as much out of you as I can before you move on to bigger and better things.”
“Wow. A page one byline. Wow!”
Lois had chosen that moment to linger at the coffeemaker, which was within earshot of Paula’s desk. When she heard that Kent’s name would be on page one the next day, she almost dropped her mug.
Page one, huh? she thought. I’ll give him page one experience. I’ll show him just how to get a fifty-four-point banner. I’ll show him and his little porcelain bride how it’s done in the big city.
*****
Lana also had an interesting day. She finished her paperwork quickly and decided to head downstairs to the prep room. That morning at breakfast, Clark had mentioned briefly that he’d seen a couple of trucks pull into the museum delivery area the previous night while he’d been on patrol. He’d left almost immediately to help at a car wreck on the interstate, and he’d almost forgotten about it. Lana hadn’t been told about a delivery, so she was more than curious.
She walked onto the loading dock area and greeted several of the workers there. She’d made a point to learn their names and something about each of them, so their smiles seemed more and more real as she heard about Bill’s daughter and her veterinary practice, Callie’s husband’s golf game, and Manuel’s son’s college plans.
“Hi, Ms. Kent. You down here slummin’ again?”
Lana gave the older man her most winning smile and held her arms out wide. “No, Lamont, I’m here to bask in your intoxicating presence.”
He laughed. “You won’t get very high on me, I promise.”
She patted his arm. “I guess not. Hey, how come I wasn’t notified about the delivery last night?”
Lamont’s entire demeanor changed. Lana almost thought she’d scared him. “No delivery last night, Ms. Kent. No deliveries for almost a week now.”
“Really? I was sure I heard someone say something about a truck coming in last night.”
“No! No, ma’am, no trucks. I swear.”
Lana nodded. “Okay. I must have misunderstood. Sorry, Lamont.”
“No problem, Ms. Kent. Maybe you heard someone say something about the new Madagascar diorama. That stuff’s due in on Friday.”
“Friday, huh? Not Tuesday?”
“No, ma’am. Friday, about two in the afternoon.”
“Okay, Lamont. Sorry I got confused.”
“No problem, Ms. Kent. Everybody gets confused sometimes.”
She smiled her most disarming smile and turned to go back to her office. The elevator door had barely closed when Lamont picked up the phone and punched in an extension that wasn’t in the company directory.
“Ms. Kent was just down here. She heard about last night. I don’t know! No! Okay, I won’t say nothing. Yeah, I understand.”
Lamont shook his head. He hoped Kent had bought his story. The extra money he was paid – tax-free – when he unloaded the ‘special’ trucks was important to him. He could pay for his wife’s in-home rehabilitation care with it, but if it dried up she’d have to move to a rest home or have her mother come and live with them. Neither of them liked either of those options, so Lamont looked the other way and told himself that if he didn’t do it, someone else would, and at least he was using the money for something good.
*****
The man at the extension Lamont had dialed sat and pondered for a long moment, then made a decision. He picked up the phone again and dialed an outside number, one he’d been given for emergencies. He figured this was an emergency.
“Hello? We have a slight problem. The new staff archaeologist is asking awkward questions. Of course I have! No! She’s married to a reporter from the Daily Planet! Because he didn’t work for the Planet when we hired her! Very well. Yes, I agree. Observe her closely and report back. I’ll see to it.”
He put the phone down. They couldn’t allow anyone to disrupt their plans at this late date. Just twelve more days and they’d be home free. He’d take the two million dollars he was owed and go to France. They idolized American criminals over there. Maybe he could catch up with the Unicorn and swap stories over a good French burgundy. Unless, of course, white wine was the beverage of choice when discussing one’s murder victims.
*****
Lana was quiet at dinner, except when Clark repeated the news about his byline. She ate the meal Clark had prepared, then cleared the table. Their agreement, for the time being, was for one to cook for a week and the other to clean up afterward. Lana had nearly decided she preferred Clark’s cooking to her own. She’d learned a lot since high school, but she’d never be a culinary genius like Clark almost was.
She sat down beside him on the couch and let the movie wash over her and flow past. Clark had picked a romantic fantasy adventure comedy for them, but she couldn’t focus on it.
He picked up the remote and paused the VCR. “Honey, is something wrong? Have I done something to upset you?”
She frowned. “Clark, I love you dearly, but you don’t rule every single aspect of my world. There are things in my life that upset me over which you have absolutely no influence.”
“Oh.” He nodded. “Then, if it’s not me, what is it?”
She opened her mouth, then closed it and shook her head. “I really don’t know. People are still acting goofy around me at work.”
“Maybe you should read a different joke book.”
“Doggone it, Clark, this isn’t funny! Something hinky is going on at the museum and I have no idea what it is!”
Clark drew himself up and focused on her. “Maybe you should tell me exactly what you’re talking about.”
She ran her hands through her hair. “Okay. Remember those trucks you saw last night?”
“At the museum?”
“Yes. You said there were two?” He nodded. “The dock supervisor assured me that no trucks arrived last night. None, zero, zip, zilch, nada.”
Clark frowned. “Let me think a minute. No. There were two trucks there, I’m sure of it. They were both backing into the loading docks at the same time.”
“Really? They’re not supposed to do that. Museum traffic rules say only one truck moves at a time. They’re nervous about damaging anything irreplaceable.”
“That makes sense. The trucks weren’t there this morning?”
She rolled her eyes. “No trucks, nothing in the log. And the dock supervisor was fine this afternoon until I asked him about them, and then he got real antsy. Clark, there’s something really odd going on there, and I think I may be one of the few people in management who doesn’t have some idea of what that something is.”
He nodded. “Okay. I’ll start checking it more closely when I make my patrols. If I see any trucks, I’ll X-ray them to see what’s inside and I’ll let you know what I find.”
She held up her hand. “Just at night, okay? The daytime trucks can’t be hidden. I know when they come in.”
“Gotcha. You want to watch the rest of this? They’re just now climbing the Cliffs of Insanity.”
She leaned against him. “Sure. I think I can focus on it now.” She put her hand on his chest. “Thanks for listening, and for not laughing.”
“Who, me, laugh at my brilliant wife? Not in this lifetime.”
After the swordfight, Clark leaned down and kissed Lana on top of her head. “Hey, you know our one-year anniversary is coming up, don’t you?”
She looked up with clear, innocent eyes. “Really? I’d completely forgotten about it.”
“Uh-huh. Want to plan anything special?”
Still in innocent mode, Lana replied, “Oh, I don’t know, maybe you could save the world for me?”
“Wouldn’t you rather have a romantic dinner, followed by a night of passion and adventure?”
“Sure!” She sat up and grabbed a magazine off the living room table. “Let me call some of these guys and find out who’s available that night. You’re paying, right?”
“What! You little – “ He poked her in the ribs. She wiggled around and went for his stomach. Clark quickly gained the upper hand when he floated out from under her and hovered above the couch, just out of her reach.
His tickles caused Lana to alternate between laughter and screams. “No fair! I can’t fly!”
“I win! I win again!”
“Okay! Okay! Uncle!”
He dug in again. “Nope! You know what to say!”
“Aaahhh! Okay! Super-uncle! Super-uncle!”
He let her go and stayed floating over her while she spluttered to a halt, still smiling up at him. “Had enough?”
She reached up and drew him down to her. “Not yet, mister. You’ve won this battle – “ she kissed him deeply and passionately. “ – but I’ll win the war.”
Clark smiled tenderly. “How about I just surrender now and save time?”
She stroked his hair. “I knew you were a smart guy.”
*****
Lana went to work the next day, determined to behave as if she suspected nothing. It seemed to work. No one ‘acted funny’ around her, and she refrained from asking any suspicious questions. Her day passed without undue incident.
Clark received congratulations from various staffers on his byline, one notable exception being Lois Lane. As far as Clark could tell, she didn’t even acknowledge his existence.
And that was fine with him. Anyone who actively disliked his wife wasn’t at the top of his get-to-know-better list anyway.
Paula treated him to lunch and regaled him with tales of her misspent youth. Clark responded with a couple of high school stories of his own, and then they were ready to return to the salt mines.
As they walked to Paula’s desk back in the newsroom, Clark said, “Paula, I just remembered something. Do you know anything about the Museum of Natural History?”
She shrugged. “Only that there’s lots of old dead animals there. Why?”
“Lana works there. You knew that, right?” She nodded. “She thinks something fishy is going on there, something that a lot of the staff know is happening, but they won’t talk to her about it.”
“What kind of something?”
“Someone mentioned to Lana that a couple of trucks came in Monday night after hours, but there was no mention of it in the log, and the loading dock supervisor denied that any trucks were there.”
Paula frowned. “This someone who mentioned seeing the trucks is reliable?”
“Super reliable.”
“Hmm. I’ll keep my eyes and ears open, but I can’t think of anything at the moment. But if she learns anything solid, she should take it to the police. That many people involved in something means it’s big, and that increases the risk that some whacko will think it’s worth killing someone to keep it quiet.”
Clark’s eyebrows rose. “Yeah. I’ll sure tell her. Tonight.”
Lois stirred sweetener into her coffee and smiled a private and slightly predatory smile. The museum was a natural distribution point, and it was the kind of place where occasional large deliveries didn’t attract undue attention. Maybe it was time she checked this place out herself. It had the scent of banner headlines all over it.
