Notes: This is a special week! Two days early than I had intended to post. We have SuperBek and KSaraSara for that. And all of you that have been reading and leaving feedback, that fuels me to try to get this posted early. Thank you to all you who make me feel welcomed.
Murder Over Metropolis
Part Four
Clark woke up to the sound of a neighbor’s radio announcing that a Category 4 hurricane was about to hit the Bahama islands. Although he’d only gotten about three hours of sleep after doing a quick patrol over Metropolis earlier that morning, he didn’t hesitate; he jumped up out of bed, spun into his Superman suit, and took off toward the Bahamas.
While he was saving hundreds of people from the disastrous flooding and damage caused by the hurricane, he let himself forget about his problems back in Metropolis, especially how he was going to investigate Luthor’s murder without Lois. She was the best investigative journalist he knew, but Clark wasn’t sure he wanted her help. It would only complicate things.
As he flew back into his apartment two and half hours later, he remembered he still hadn’t called his parents. They didn’t know what was going on in Metropolis, and for once, Clark was glad his parents lived so far away in Smallville. Yet he knew he needed to call them and tell them what was happening. It would be great to have their support and get their advice, particularly since they knew how he felt about Lois. So, after he changed back into his regular clothes, he picked up the phone and dialed his parents’ number. His dad answered after only one ring.
“Clark, hi, son,” Jonathan said. “How is everything?”
“Okay. Is Mom around? I need to tell the two of you something,” Clark said as he sat at the kitchen table.
“I’m here, Clark,” his mother said a minute later.
“Have you watched the news yet this morning?” Clark asked, knowing his parents loved reading the paper first thing in the morning or catching the first ten minutes of the morning news on television.
“No. The Hawkins kid is late with the paper this morning. We had a lot of rain last night,” Jonathan answered. “Why?”
“Lex Luthor was murdered. And I’m the prime suspect,” Clark admitted, cringing as he said the words out loud for the first time.
His mother shouted a few obscene words he hadn’t heard from her in ages, and he heard his dad trying to calm her down, assuring her things would be okay.
“What happened, Clark?” Jonathan asked.
“Remember how I told you the other day that Lois and Luthor were going to have an engagement party? Well, it was last night. Afterward, Luthor invited me to his penthouse, said he wanted to talk. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I went, even though I knew I wouldn’t be able to talk him out of marrying Lois. He offered me a large sum of money if I promised to leave Metropolis and stay away from Lois,” Clark explained as he twirled the telephone cord around his hand.
“That’s absurd, thinking he could bribe you to leave!” Martha declared.
“Exactly, Mom,” he replied immediately. “I tore up the check and left. And then sometime later, he was shot and killed.”
“Why are you the prime suspect then?” Jonathan inquired with worry in his voice.
“A security video was altered showing that I left his penthouse later than I actually did,” Clark said. “And I was sort of busy at the time of the murder.”
“Clark?” Martha asked, clearly confused with his vague explanation.
“I was busy with my other job,” he clarified. He didn’t want to say much about his other job in case the Metropolis Police Department was close by or listening in. Clark still needed to be sure to search for any bugs in his apartment, and he silently reminded himself to keep a look out for anyone who might be watching him more closely than usual.
He talked a few more minutes with his parents, then stood up and got ready for his day. Perry had left a lawyer’s name and address on the kitchen table last night. Maybe it was time to talk to a lawyer just in case the police decided to charge him.
As he was getting ready to leave for the lawyer’s office, hoping they’d be able to fit him in today given Perry’s name and the case’s notoriety, there was a knock on his door. Using his X-ray vision, he checked who was there, and then he shook his head with resignation as he jogged up the steps.
“Lois, what are you doing here?” he asked as he opened the door. Lois stood on the front porch, her arms crossed over her chest and a look of concern in her eyes.
“When I got home earlier, there was a message on my answering machine from the police station. They wanted me to come in early this morning,” she explained as she tentatively walked down the stairs, following him into his living room.
Clark stopped suddenly and turned to her, worried that she might have made his case worse. Both of them stood for truth and justice, but Lois had a tendency to say exactly how she felt. Clark knew Lois didn’t believe he had committed the crime, yet she could have told the police things that would suggest he had a motive. Plus, she could have told Henderson and anyone else that they were crazy, that Clark wouldn’t have hurt Luthor, and while that was true, Clark certainly didn’t want the police thinking maybe Lois had something to do with Luthor’s murder either.
Lois might have lied to the police a few times in the past, but this case was different in the sense that it wasn’t for a story she was working on. And it wasn’t that he wanted her to lie to the police for him; that would be wrong. No, he just didn’t want her to complicate things. Deep down, he was also concerned she might uncover his secret if she dug too much. He had trusted Lois before — before she had accepted Luthor’s proposal — but he wasn’t sure what he thought anymore, and more than anything, he just wanted her to stay as far away from the case as possible.
“What did you tell them?” he asked after taking a deep breath.
“I’m sorry, Clark!” she blurted out, looking down at her shoes. “I screwed up… Well, not screwed up, because I had to tell the truth…can’t lie to the police, and they asked about our talk that day in the park, and I had to tell them… I’m so sorry!”
“Lois,” he sighed, and he turned away. He knew it had looked bad enough before, but now… “It’s…it’ll be okay. I mean, yeah, you couldn’t lie. But now they could think I had a motive to kill Luthor. I bet they think I went there in a jealous rage or something.”
“Crime of passion,” Lois murmured.
“You know it’s not like that. I wouldn’t. I couldn’t,” he stammered, turning around.
“Of course not! You are the last honest man on Earth,” she replied as she stepped closer to him. “I guess my question is, what are we going to do now?”
“I’m going to go find myself a good lawyer because who knows what other evidence they might have to make me the prime suspect in Luthor’s murder,” he stated. Somehow, Clark just knew Luthor had to be behind this. Maybe Lex Luthor was faking his death to make Clark pay for turning down his money. But he’d have to look into that after he found a lawyer, Clark thought.
“Did you want to get breakfast first? Or did I ruin your appetite?” Lois asked, frowning.
“I’ll get some coffee, then go meet with a lawyer Perry recommended,” he responded. He adored Lois, but when it came to matters of the heart, they weren’t always on the same page. And right now was one of those instances.
“Are you shutting me out?” she questioned as she put her hand on his forearm. The familiar touch was almost comforting in the moment, but he noticed her tension in the tilt of her head and the quickening of her heartbeat.
Clark really didn’t want to shut her out, but right now, he felt as though had no other choice. “I think it’s better if I do this by myself, Lois,” he admitted, running his hand through his hair. “I think you should just go see Perry about the Daily Planet. He said something about a meeting with Franklin Stern. He thinks Stern might buy the paper.”
“Fine, but this isn’t over, Clark,” Lois responded, her voice filled with sadness. She turned on her heel and left.
With a sigh, Clark finished getting ready and then headed out.
Forty-five minutes later, Clark sat in the waiting area of the office for the lawyer Perry had suggested. He looked up at the receptionist, who was on the phone and kept looking over at him. The receptionist reminded him of Cat. Right now he could definitely go for hearing Lois and Cat argue over boundaries and the social society. That would be much better than listening to all of the negative thoughts running through his head. But Cat had run off to California right after Luthor had bought the paper. She had told them before she packed up her desk that she could sleep with billionaires, write about them, but not work under them — it just wasn’t quite her style.
Clark had quickly felt at home when he had started working at the Planet nearly a year ago. They were a family, even if none of them would admit it except maybe Perry and Lois, who had a father-daughter relationship like nothing Clark had seen before. He hoped Perry was successful when he spoke with Mr. Stern about getting the Planet rebuilt so they would all have a place to call home again.
He’d seen Perry’s determination first hand in the last few weeks when they’d been working on the Luthor investigation, and, like father, like daughter, Clark knew Lois was also a force to reckon with, one that he got to see close up. It really had pained him when he’d told her he didn’t need her help. After all, her relentlessness was something he adored about her. However, right now, he knew what he needed the most was to stay grounded and focused to get through this meeting, and having her here would have definitely distracted him.
Clark noticed the receptionist answer the phone and look over at him. She nodded and then put the phone back down.
“You can go in now,” the young woman told him.
He stood up, straightened his tie, and started toward the closed door at one end of the waiting room. With a deep breath, Clark opened the door and stepped into the office of Constance Hunter. A shorter lady in her mid-to-late thirties with long, dirty blonde hair, Constance sat behind her desk, which was covered with stacks of law books and notes.
Although Clark knew Perry had recommended her because she was a straight shooter who could help the good guys out when needed, he was still quite nervous and wasn’t sure how this would go or how he would pay.
“Mr. Kent, I heard great things about you,” she said as she stood up to shake his hand. “Perry called me this morning and said you were coming by.”
“I hope you can help me, Ms. Hunter,” he responded. “I’m being set up.”
“Tell me what happened.”
***
Lois felt defeated that Clark didn’t want her help. She got into her Jeep and headed for downtown Metropolis. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do to help him, especially since he’d told her to stay away from the case. Lois knew she was partly to blame for this whole mess. They were partners, though, and she had hoped he would trust her enough to help him.
Just as she was almost ready to turn around and head back home, resigned to having to wait until Clark would accept her help, she passed the police station, and an idea popped into her head. There was a way she could help, after all!
Fifteen minutes later, Lois rushed into the district attorney’s office. She knew one of the receptionists and had a few sources at the courthouse, and she’d managed to find out that the new district attorney was assigned to Clark’s case. Now Lois needed to ensure the DA knew just what type of man Clark Kent was.
“Is the district attorney in?” Lois asked the older, dark-haired woman at the reception desk.
“Yes, but—” The woman stood as Lois rushed to the office door. “Ma’am, you can’t just go in there!”
Lois stopped instantly when she stepped into the office and noticed the new district attorney was a woman — a young lady in her late twenties with shoulder-length blonde hair.
“Yes, can I help you?” the woman asked as she hung up the phone.
“I’m Lois Lane from the Daily Planet. I’m here to talk about the Lex Luthor case,” Lois explained as she stepped farther into the office.
The blonde-haired woman didn’t look up for several seconds, clearly not fazed by Lois’s intrusion.
“From what I understand, Ms. Lane, the Daily Planet was destroyed. And if I recall, you were also engaged to Lex Luthor, and your partner is the prime suspect in his murder,” the woman stated. “Have a seat; I’ve wanted to speak to you.”
“Me too,” Lois said as she sat across from the woman. The nameplate on the desk identified the woman as Mayson Drake, and Lois immediately noticed that her office was neat and organized. The bookshelves were full but contained no personal items except a small photo of the district attorney with two older gentlemen.
“I’m sorry about your loss, Ms. Lane,” Mayson said as she stood up and reached for Lois’s hand.
“You’re quite young to be district attorney, Ms. Drake,” Lois said, shaking her hand and hoping her voice wasn’t too obviously dripping with flattery. “How did you move up the ladder so fast?”
“Well, Ms. Lane, hard work and determination, just like you, I guess,” she answered as she sat down again and grabbed a pen and paper.
Mayson had a point, Lois thought. Indeed, she was no stranger to being young and attractive and having to work hard to rise to the top of a male-dominated field in a large city. And like Lois becoming one of the Planet’s top reporters, Mayson had somehow managed to break through that glass ceiling and become the first female DA of Metropolis. Lois definitely shouldn’t underestimate this woman, and she could only hope that Ms. Drake would see the truth of who Clark was and not try to make some example of Clark just because it was a high-profile case.
“Yeah, I suppose we have a bit in common there,” Lois admitted congenially.
“What can I help you with, Ms. Lane?”
“Clark Kent. I want to know if you plan on formally charging him,” Lois said, hoping that Clark wasn’t in more trouble.
“Ms. Lane, I believe you need to talk to Captain Elliott Benson. He’s the one compiling the evidence.”
“Why? I thought Inspector Henderson was?”
“Henderson was taken off the case earlier this morning. I guess he’s too close to the case; friends with Mr. Kent,” Mayson stated as she wrote notes on a yellow legal writing pad. “I’m sorry, Ms. Lane, I’m really not at liberty to discuss the case any more than I have already.”
“I understand. Thanks for your time, Ms. Drake,” Lois said as she stood and gave the woman a quick nod. She paused just at the doorway and turned back. “Clark’s a great guy and a good person, you know. He wouldn’t do this. He didn’t do this.”
Mayson nodded, her face almost expressionless. “Sometimes good people make really bad choices.”
“Not Clark,” Lois said, hoping she didn’t sound too desperate.
The DA raised her eyebrows slightly. “We’ll see,” she said simply. “Have a good day, Ms. Lane.”
“You too,” Lois said, feeling defeated again as she headed out the door.
Well, that was certainly no help! she thought as she started back down the hallway toward the exit. Now how could she help Clark?
The courthouse wasn’t as busy as when Lois had arrived. It was lunch hour, so many courts were on recess and staff members were out of the office. Outside, people were standing around smoking, chatting, or eating their lunch. Lois wasn’t hungry and didn’t smoke; the only person she wanted to speak with didn’t want to talk. So, she decided she had to do something else. She had to help Clark.
There was someone she could ask, but asking him could make the predicament even more awkward. Clark had admitted how he felt about her, and after she’d told him no, she’d thrown herself at Superman. Lois knew that was a mistake now. Why did her crush on a flying man make her want to jump off a building? The real hero was Clark — the man who had been fighting injustices beside her the past year. He was the one who needed her help now. Asking Superman to try and find evidence to exonerate Clark could just dredge up those old feelings and make all the heartbreak even worse.
No, she couldn’t try to contact Superman. But maybe she could try to find out what else Lex had been involved in.
Perry had shown Lois all the evidence against Lex the night before. Maybe someone Lex had worked with wanted him dead. It had seemed like Lex had double-crossed many people throughout the years. He’d apparently been the one known as “The Boss,” the man everyone feared in Metropolis. There had to be a list of people who’d wanted to see him dead. Maybe some of this information could be found in his office. And what about Mrs. Cox? Where was she? Maybe Lois could find her at the penthouse or at one of Lex’s offices.
Fifteen minutes later, she walked into the lobby of LexCorp. She didn’t want the attention. So instead, she snuck past security as some staff walked through the lobby with boxes from their offices. Although some people seemed teary eyed since their CEO had just been murdered, many appeared to be continuing on as though nothing had happened. As she pushed the button to the elevator, she hoped she could make it into Lex’s office unnoticed and then maybe search for evidence to show Lex had had bigger enemies than her best friend.
However, when the elevators opened to a penthouse bustling with Metropolis police officers, she knew her plan wasn’t going to work; it would be impossible to search through Lex’s office with all the activity going on around her. She groaned in frustration, wishing she’d realized the police would be here, at Lex’s office. Though, considering the amount of activity here… Oh, God. Was this where he’d actually been shot? Neither the police nor the news had mentioned where Lex had been murdered.
In any case, her plans of finding evidence in his office would have to be postponed. Before she could push the button to close the elevator door again, she noticed a man in a suit walking toward her.
“Ms. Lane, please, come on in,” the man said as he set a hand on the elevator door to ensure it didn’t close. “I’m sure you know your way around.”
“Captain Benson, I assume,” Lois stated as she stepped off the elevator. She had seen him at the police station when she’d first arrived that morning. He had been talking to Henderson at a desk. The man was in his early forties, tall with broad shoulders and thin dark hair that receded. He looked friendly enough, but seemed like he could hold his own in a fight. And from what she’d heard, Benson was also a ruthless detective who could get even the most innocent man to confess.
“Yes, I’ve heard many things about you, Ms. Lane,” Benson said as he welcomed her into the lobby. His stern voice shook her a bit. “I have some questions for you.”
“I was already questioned this morning. I have nothing else to say to the police,” Lois stated as she stood taller.
“Yes, but I wasn’t there this morning. I have more questions and my own way of getting to the facts,” he said, waving his hand outward.
Lois followed him, her mind racing. Her plans had been foiled. And now she had to answer even more questions. She needed to do something to save Clark — not answer more questions.
“Have a seat Ms. Lane,” Captain Benson instructed as they stepped into one of the side offices, where Lois thought Mrs. Cox had likely worked. The office may not have been Lex’s, but it still had expensive furniture. Boxes were scattered about and filled with files. The desk was clean except for a pen holder, a calendar, and a few yellow notepads. Lois knew firsthand that the yellow notepads were not what Lex typically used.
“Why was Inspector Henderson taken off the case?” Lois asked, hoping she could take control of the situation. “Who packed up the offices?”
“You do know that I’m the one who’s supposed to ask the questions. This isn’t an interview for the Daily Planet,” Benson responded as he took out a little gray tape recorder and hit play.
“I’m more interested in suspects—” Lois stammered, cutting off abruptly as she realized she had to find another way to get her information. “I mean, in finding out more about the death of my fiancé.”
“How about you tell me about Mr. Kent?”
“What do you want to know?” Lois countered as she clasped her shaking hands together in her lap. She could feel beads of sweat forming on her forehead, and her heart quickened. She’d already thrown her partner under the bus today; she didn’t need to do it again.
“Now, from what I recall, he had only been at the Daily Planet for less than a year,” the captain stated. “Do you know where he was before that?”
“He told me he traveled around a lot after college,” Lois answered, wiping her forehead as surreptitiously as possible.
“When Lex bought the Planet, was Mr. Kent upset?”
“I guess. I mean, he was never a fan of Lex,” Lois mentioned as she remembered the day Lex had announced he was the new owner. Clark definitely had definitely been upset. She swallowed tightly as she wondered why she hadn’t taken him more seriously at the time.
“And didn’t Perry White get an assistant when Mr. Luthor came on? Plus, Jimmy Olsen and Jack Milner got demoted. Was Mr. Kent upset about his boss and co-workers leaving?”
“Well, of course he was, but so was I. I mean, Jack wouldn’t blow up the Daily Planet. Clark and Perry found evidence that it was Lex,” Lois responded before she realized what she had said. She quickly added, “I mean, Clark couldn’t have done it.”
“How well do you know him? You’ve only known him a few months?”
“Well, I knew Lex even less, and I was engaged to him,” Lois interrupted. She suppressed a grimace as she put her hand on her forehead, realizing she’d made yet another mistake. “I’ve been to Smallville, where Clark grew up. I met his parents; hell, I even met his high school prom date.”
“And he’s a good guy, right?” the captain questioned while he wrote some things down. “Didn’t this same guy admit he had feelings for you and told you not to marry Luthor?
“Yes,” she answered quietly and looked down at her hands in her lap.
“As a result of your relationship with Mr. Luthor, you were able to get a job at LNN, correct?”
“No! I mean, I guess that’s…probably true, but I was well qualified for the position,” Lois said indignantly.
“I have no doubt, Ms. Lane.” Benson eyed her, his expression inscrutable. “Did Mr. Kent get a position at LNN?”
“No, but I gave him a tour and hoped he would come work with me there,” Lois stated as she remembered her excitement about getting the new position.
“He didn’t accept?”
“No. He told me he could never work for Lex Luthor. He said LNN was sterile, soulless, and superficial and that I had given up on the Planet,” Lois admitted, unable to stop herself from babbling. “He told me he didn’t want to live without me, seeing me every morning, working with me, or being with me.”
“So not only was Mr. Kent in love with you, he was also angry with Luthor for losing his job, the Daily Planet, and his friends, and he blamed Luthor for the Planet’s destruction. He had more than one motive,” the captain said as he tapped his pencil on the pad of paper. “Thank you, Ms. Lane. Given all of this and the gun my officers just found in the dumpster behind Mr. Kent’s apartment, I think I have enough now.”
Lois froze with uncertainty. They’d found a gun in the dumpster behind Clark’s apartment? How? Why? None of this made sense.
“Enough…for what?” Lois asked nervously.
Benson smiled at her. “Enough to charge your friend with murder.”
