>>> Saturday, September 20th
Lois closed the folders before her and pushed herself away from the desk. She loved what she did, truly, but sometimes things just piled too high and toppled over on her. She was being asked to increase the size of the Saturday edition once again, but no additional money was being allocated for more writers. She had three choices: to do the additional writing and reporting herself, put the burden on her existing employees, or try to scare up some freelancers who were willing to write more for the recognition than for the pay. None of those choices appealed to her, but that’s all she had to work with.
She sighed and rubbed her eyes, feeling old and worn. She’d figure it out somehow. She always did.
The knock on her office door startled her momentarily. She groaned and called out, “Come in unless you have bad things to tell me.”
Connie Hunter opened the door. “Is this a bad time, Lois?”
Lois stood. “No, of course not. Come on in. Is Blair with you?”
Connie pushed the door shut behind her. “Not today. She’s taking a well-deserved day of rest.”
“What about you? Don’t you get to rest up from your labors?”
She smiled. “Sure. I’ll take my vacation when you do.”
Lois’s eyebrows rose. “Touche, Connie. Have a seat. What can I do for you?”
They both sat. “Not too much, I hope. I wanted to ask what kind of press coverage you’ve planned for the start of the trial on Monday.”
Lois picked up a pencil and began tapping it against her desk pad. “Catharine Grant-Mooney and Jim Olsen will be there. I trust them completely. Why?”
She shrugged. “Wondering, mostly. I think Superman will be very glad for any moral support he gets for the next few weeks. Reisman is going to put some angry people on the witness stand, and they’re going to say some nasty things about him.”
“You can refute them, can’t you?”
“Sure, but the jury will make the decision to believe me or the prosecution witnesses. And it’s impossible to know how that will go until it actually happens.”
Lois nodded. “I know this is a tough job, Connie, but I have every confidence in you. I’m positive you and Blair will win this case.”
Connie tilted her head at Lois. “I thought the object of this exercise was to find the truth.”
“It is. And the truth is, Superman is not guilty of this charge. He’s going to go free.”
“I wish I had your confidence.” Connie sighed. “One other thing is bothering me. Superman will have to be there for the entire jury selection process. We can’t afford for him to not show up even one day.”
Lois frowned. “He said he’d be there, Connie. He’ll be there.”
“I know that’s what he said, but – “
“No buts.” Lois pointed a finger at Connie. “He does what he says he’s going to do. You can take that to the bank.”
“Good. I pretty much knew that already, but it’s still good to have confirmation.” Connie let out a long breath. “Blair’s going to interview the jurors instead of me.”
Lois leaned back in her chair and tried to relax. “Any particular reason?”
“A couple of them.” Connie shifted in the chair and set her foot up on the seat, putting her knee beside her face. Then she wrapped her arms around her leg as if she were holding a comfortable teddy bear. “She has more recent jury experience than I do, and she’s a bit more personable than I am. Also, if we hit any potential jurors who are uncomfortable talking to a young black woman, I don’t want them voting on the guilt or innocence of an alien from outer space.”
She lurched forward. “Oh, come on! That can’t still be an issue, not in this day and age!”
Connie sighed. “I hope not. But we have to be prepared. The last thing we need at this point is to hit a racist roadblock on the jury.”
Lois leaned back and put the pencil between her teeth. “Y’nw – “ she stopped and pulled the pencil out to look at it. “Oh, good, I’ve traded chewing my fingernails for chewing pencil erasers.” She leaned over the wastebasket and spat out eraser fragments. “And they’re almost as tasty.”
Connie laughed lightly. “I used to do the same thing.”
“How’d you quit?”
“I removed the source of the stress.”
“How did you accomplish that feat?”
“I quit doing courtroom trials.”
Lois nodded slowly, then picked up a fresh unsharpened pencil – with an intact eraser – from her desk drawer and offered it to Connie. Connie leaned her head back and laughed aloud, then took the pencil and stuck it behind her ear. “I’ll eat it later.”
>>> Monday, September 22nd
Blair was anxious. She tried to say something to Superman but her throat was too dry, so she reached for the water pitcher on the table. The weight of the pitcher combined with her nervous tension threatened to spill water everywhere, so when Superman gently took the pitcher and filled her glass, she was grateful.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
She drained the glass and set it down in front of her. “Aren’t you nervous, Superman?”
“Yes.”
She lifted both eyebrows in surprise. “You don’t show it.”
He leaned closer and spoke in a conspiratorial whisper. “Would you trust a nervous man to lift a car off your family?”
She grinned. “Good point.”
He nodded. “Same goes for lawyers, I would think.”
She lost her grin and grasped her hands together in her lap. “You’re saying I need to get hold of myself, right?”
He patted her shoulder. “Just be as good as I know you can be.”
She nodded just as the bailiff entered the courtroom. “All rise. His Honor Judge Charles Walter Fields, presiding. Court is now in session.”
Judge Fields adjusted his robes and sat. “Be seated, everyone.” He paused while the people in the packed courtroom resumed their seats. “Now, let me make clear from the outset that I will not – let me repeat, I will not – permit any demonstrations either for or against this defendant. If you have something to say about this trial, do it outside the bounds of this courtroom and within the bounds of the law.
“Now, would counsels for both the defense and the prosecution stand? All the attorneys, please.” Blair frowned at Connie, who frowned back and shook her head microscopically to indicate she didn’t know what was going on either. Blair glanced at the prosecution’s table, where Jack Reisman and Melanie Welch wore the same puzzled expressions.
Judge Fields sighed and spoke. “Look, people, we all know how important this trial is. We also know how volatile this situation might be if it gets away from us. I want to urge both teams of attorneys to remain within the bounds of the law, normal courtroom decorum, and my rulings. If one counsel objects to anything the other counsel says or does, everybody stops what he or she is doing until I make my ruling. And once I’ve ruled, don’t argue! There’s very little that irritates this old judge more than a contentious lawyer, so don’t try my patience. I don’t have that much left. Everybody clear on this?”
Connie answered, “The defense is clear, Your Honor.”
“Good. May I assume you speak for both yourself and your co-counsel?”
Blair said, “She does, Your Honor.”
Judge Fields nodded. “Thank you. How about you, Mr. Reisman?”
Jack’s normally smooth face furrowed. “Your Honor, this is somewhat – casual, don’t you think?”
“You mean, I presume, my instructions to the attorneys?”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
“It is, Jack. But you know me, I don’t stand on ceremony. As long as you remember I’m running the trial, and that the people will decide the issue of the defendant’s guilt, we’ll get along just fine.”
“I see. In that case, Your Honor, my co-counsel and I understand you perfectly.”
“I’m glad you see it my way. There is one other item I need to cover before we begin. Superman?”
Surprised, the Man of Steel rose to his feet. “Yes, Your Honor?”
“Are you planning to attend all the trial sessions?”
“Of course, sir.”
“What if there’s some emergency that you believe requires your attention?”
He started to cross his arms, but Connie caught his eye and frowned, so he settled for holding one hand in the other across his stomach. “I certainly hope that doesn’t happen, Your Honor.”
“Come on, Superman, we both know that such emergencies can’t be scheduled. Are you willing to remain available to this court for the duration of this trial?”
He fidgeted for a moment, then Connie lifted her hand. “Your Honor, if I may?”
“Please.”
“Thank you. May I propose that Superman remain in court while the trial is in session unless he feels he needs to respond to an emergency involving the saving of one or more lives? In which case, he will indicate this to me or my associate and we will request a recess while he deals with the situation. Is this acceptable to the court?”
The judge nodded. “That works for me. How about you, Jack? You willing to work with us on this one, too?”
Reisman stood. “Your Honor, that’s a highly unusual suggestion.”
“It’s not like the defendant is a flight risk, Counselor. Besides, if he really wants to leave, there’s no physical way for us to stop him.”
Reisman licked his lips and glanced at his sister and co-counsel. After a long moment, he said, “The people have no objection, Your Honor, as long as the defendant doesn’t abuse this rare privilege.”
Superman relaxed visibly. “I assure you, sir, I won’t abuse it. Your Honor, I thank you for your understanding and patience.”
“Good!” Fields favored them with a smile. “Everybody’s in agreement, everybody’s happy. A singular event in the annals of justice.” The lawyers and court officials shared a grin and a chortle, then the judge clapped his hands once. “Okay, you folks sit down so we can go back to work. Are we ready to begin jury selection?”
Both Jack and Connie answered together, “Yes, Your Honor.”
“Excellent. Bailiff, please bring in the first pool of candidates.”
Connie leaned past Superman and whispered to Blair, “At least he didn’t refer to them as ‘fresh bait’ this time.”
*****
The bailiff gestured to the next man in line. “Sir, please come forward and take the stand.”
He did so, then extended his hand towards the bailiff. “Aren’t you gonna swear me in?”
“No, sir, not now. The attorneys only want to interview you for jury service.”
“Oh, okay. I’m ready.”
Blair stood and stepped towards him. “Sir, my name is Blair Collins, and I’m with the defense team in this trial. Please state your full name.”
“Arthur D’Angelo.”
“What is your occupation, sir?”
“I own a couple of construction-related businesses. I supply builders with plumbing fixtures and carpentry hardware, door and window fittings, stuff like that.”
“Mr. D’Angelo, are you personally acquainted with the defendant?”
“No, not really.”
“Not really? Would you explain, please?”
“Sure. My mother lives in the West Heights nursing home. She lost her legs to complications from diabetes about nine years ago. Back just before all this Intergang stuff happened, Superman put out a fire in the nursing home and saved a bunch of people, including my mother.” Arthur grinned. “He gave her an autographed picture of himself. She’s still got it on the wall of her bedroom.”
Blair smiled. “I’m glad Superman was there to help your mother. But, Mr. D’Angelo, you understand that this trial has very little to do with that incident, right?”
“Course I know that.”
“Good. Now, the district attorney is almost surely going to ask you this question, Mr. D’Angelo, and you’ll have to answer it truthfully. That question is this: Can you render a judgment in this case based on the facts in evidence, the law, and the testimony of the various witnesses, despite whatever personal feelings you might have for or against Superman?”
Arthur nodded soberly. “I think I can, ma’am.”
“Are you sure? Because we all want to get to the truth here, and we all want a fair and just verdict in this trial.”
He nodded again, more energetically. “Sure! I understand. We don’t want to lock up a hero who can help us if he’s not guilty. We also don’t want a murderous super-powered vigilante running around loose. I got a family to look out for. I want the truth too, and I’m tellin’ you that I can give you an unbiased rendering of the evidence.”
Blair nodded. “Your Honor, the defense is satisfied with this juror.”
Judge Fields nodded. “Very well. Does the prosecution have any questions?”
Melanie Welch stood. “Just a few, Your Honor. Mr. D’Angelo, you just said that – and please correct me if I repeat this wrong – you can give us an ‘unbiased rendering of the evidence.’ Is that the way you normally talk?”
“No, I – I guess it ain’t.”
“Then why did you use that particular phrase? Where did you hear it?”
Arthur frowned. “It was in the Daily Planet’s front page editorial this morning. Why? Is there a problem with that?”
“Mr. D’Angelo, what is the paper’s position on this trial?”
He shrugged. “They don’t think it’s necessary. They think Superman is innocent of the charges and should be set free.”
“What do you think, sir?”
He nodded. “I see where you’re going with this. I don’t think Superman should be on trial either, but since he is, it’s every citizen’s duty to look at the evidence and decide whether he’s guilty or not.”
Melanie stepped closer to him. “Do you think he’s innocent or guilty, Mr. D’Angelo?”
“You’re askin’ me to vote right now? Where’s the paper so’s I can mark it?”
Melanie smiled as a chuckle trotted around the gallery. “No, sir, no one’s asking for your vote right now. I only want to know if you have a bias to either convict or acquit the defendant.”
“Okay, okay. Look, you’re gonna hafta work hard to convince me Superman’s a bad guy, but if you got the goods on him, lay ‘em out so’s we can all see ‘em. If he did the crime, lady, he should do the time.”
Melanie hesitated for a long moment, then nodded. “Very well, Mr. D’Angelo. Your Honor, the prosecution has no objection to this juror.”
Judge Fields looked pleased. “Very well. Mr. D’Angelo, for better or worse, you’re in.” He looked at the clock on the far wall above the doorway. “We’ve seated seven jurors already, and it’s fairly late in the day, so I think we need to resume this process at nine o’clock tomorrow morning. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury pool, we need you to be back in your places with bright shining faces at that time.” A low groan rolled around the prospective jurors. “Hey, hey, hey! None of that, now, none of that! You folks be back here at nine sharp or I’ll have no choice but to issue a bench warrant for the arrest of anyone who isn’t here on time.” He whacked his gavel on the bench. “This court is now adjourned.”
As he stood, the bailiff called out, “All rise.” He waited until the judge disappeared through the door to his chambers, then lifted his hands and called out, “Thank you, thank you, I’ll be here all week. See you tomorrow morning at nine.”
*****
Lois glanced at the wall chronometer and saw Mickey’s big hand point to the six and his little hand point between the seven and the eight. It was past time to go home. She reached out to turn off her monitor, but stopped. The next day’s lead story was, of course, the rapid jury selection for Superman’s trial.
The Planet’s circulation numbers would surely skyrocket. Her meeting that afternoon with Franklin Stern had been a curious mixture of positive financial anticipation and negative personal consternation. She wanted the paper to do well, but she hated having Clark in the situation he was in. Her loyalties were sharply divided for the first time in several years, and she didn’t like being pulled in opposite directions.
She reached out again and finally flipped off the monitor. Maybe some Chinese takeout would lift her mood.
Maybe, if she could testify soon and get it over with, she and Clark could spend some quality time together.
>>> Tuesday, September 23rd
At nine-thirty-eight AM, her phone rang. “Lois Lane, Daily Plan – “
A harsh male voice interrupted her. “Ms. Lane, we need you here at one-thirty this afternoon.”
“No problem. Where is ‘here’ and who are you?”
“Oh. Sorry. This is District Attorney Jack Reisman. You need to be here at one-thirty this afternoon, ready to testify in Superman’s trial.”
She blinked. “You’re kidding, right? The jury’s already seated?”
“We’ve got two more jurors and two alternates to go, so yes, I’m sure we’ll have a full jury by this afternoon. I don’t want to delay this trial any more than necessary, so we’re calling all the prosecution witnesses to be ready today.”
She sighed. “Okay. One-thirty, right?”
“Right.”
“In the courtroom or outside?”
“Inside if you get here early enough. Otherwise you’ll have to wait outside. This place is packed pretty tight.”
“Are you going to call me first?”
“No, but I hope to call you today.”
“Do you have any advice for me?”
Jack’s frown came through the phone line. “Tell the truth, Ms. Lane. That’s all I ever want a witness to do.”
*****
Lois tried, but she couldn’t eat her lunch. Her stomach was roiling like greasy pork in a hot wok. It was all she could do to keep down the antacids she’d bolted as she sprinted into the courthouse.
She passed a horde of reporters on the steps by the street. Dodging the cameras and ducking her head, she nearly made it past them before someone recognized her and headed her off at the top of the steps.
“Ms. Lane! Wait! Randy Parker, KMLS radio! I need a moment with you!”
Lois glanced up at the young man and shook her head, but he ignored her and fell into step beside her, pointing his pocket recorder at Lois’s face.
“Ms. Lane, are you coming in to testify?”
“I have no comment.”
“Do you have any prediction on how this trial will go?”
“No comment, young man.”
“Are you planning to visit Superman in prison?”
She stopped short. Parker took two steps before he realized she was no longer with him, and he scrambled to stick the recorder in her face again.
“Ms. Lane, are you planning to – “
“Hey!” she shouted. “What part of ‘no comment’ do you not get?”
“I’m just trying to – “
“I have no comment! Got that? That means I have nothing to say!” She tried to push past him but he jumped in front of her. “Get away from me, you pinheaded little sand flea!”
She dodged to one side. He skipped in front of her again. “Ms. Lane, can you tell us about your personal relationship with Superman?”
She faked left and cut right, leaving Randy Parker leaning the wrong way. She made it to the elevator doors before he intercepted her once again.
“Ms. Lane, do you – “
Lois snatched the recorder out of his hand and threw it along the floor across the crowded room. A very large man in a bailiff’s uniform – the kind of man who uses highway truck scales to find out how much he really weighs, the kind of man any sensible professional wrestler would go out of his way to placate – put his foot directly on the tiny recorder and crushed it, then continued on his way as if nothing had happened.
Parker turned to Lois with anger in his eyes. “Hey! That was my personal property, lady! You’re gonna pay for that!”
Lois stepped into the elevator and pressed the button. “Write me a letter.”
He grabbed the door and held it open. “I’ll do better than that, babe! I’ll sue your cute little WHOOF!”
He let go of the elevator and sat down on the tile floor, holding the part of his abdomen that Lois’s fist had just indented. She leaned out and said, “First lesson, kid, and it’s free. Don’t mess with Mad Dog Lane.” The doors began to close. “And don’t EVER call me ‘babe.’ Not if you want to see tomorrow.”
