Home: Murder By Earthlight - 13/?
by Nan Smith
Previously:
Outside, it was much darker. The little sliver of light at the edge of the dark blotch of Earth overhead had completely vanished. Around the spherical blotch of dull brown, stained with orange, was a halo of orange-red, but it did little to illuminate the landscape. Lori shivered slightly. The shadowy city looked intimidating, even though she knew it had the reputation of being safe.
John glanced at his wrist. "Oops, I'm late. I've gotta take off or my girl's going to be mad at me again. Nice meeting you, Lori."
"Nice meeting you," she said. "Thanks a lot for the help."
"Think nothing of it," John said. "'Bye." He took off, running. Lori glanced at Gary.
"I'm kind of turned around. Which way is the Luna Hilton?"
He pointed. "That way." He smiled slightly. "I know it's dark, but don't worry, Miss. There's no crime around here worth the name. I'd take you back myself, but my wife's expecting me in twenty minutes. Just follow that street until you hit Neil Armstrong Boulevard and turn left. You can't miss it."
"Thank you," Lori said.
**********
And now, Part 13:
The eclipse was almost complete, Lori thought as she strode quickly along the slidewalk in the direction of the Luna Hilton. It was just about as dark as it was going to get before the light started to return.
An actual eclipse could take hours to complete, but it probably wouldn't be completely dark for too long, she hoped. The actual time an eclipse stayed "complete" wasn't much, but it would be a while before the sun started to peek out from behind the Earth enough to matter. The crew working on the reactor might get the thing back online and the power could come back on soon, too, but she wasn't counting on it.
In any case, it couldn't happen too soon for Lori. Carrying the alligator-skin satchel gave her the sensation that someone had painted a bright red target directly between her shoulder blades.
True, it was unlikely that Talbot Grey or Stephanie would find out. What were the odds that they would encounter her during her return to the hotel, after all? The chances were that they had returned to the Luna Hilton immediately after leaving the Rainbow Caverns.
But logic didn't help a lot. The feeling that someone was watching her had taken root in fertile soil and begun to grow.
She made a point of walking on the outer edge of the slidewalk, as far from any form of cover for an assailant that she could manage, although there really wasn't much cover, she acknowledged thankfully, and there were still plenty of people around. Many of them had matter-of-factly produced small hand lights and were illuminating their way with them. It was a strange sight, watching all the tiny lights flickering about like fireflies as people traversed the streets. What were all these people doing out here when nothing was open, Lori wondered, and then common sense supplied the answer. Many people went places by foot and by slidewalk during a normal day in Luna City. People had been caught at work and at play by the meteor-triggered Moonquake and were undoubtedly making their various ways home. If the power stayed off for much longer, the streets would probably be empty within an hour or so.
The power wasn't completely off, though, she realized a few moments later. She could still hear the throb of the air pumps, and the temperature regulators were certainly still functioning. The less-essential services had been turned off in favor of powering the most important ones for the duration of the emergency.
Lori glanced over her shoulder. There were plenty of people, back there. Mostly she could see human silhouettes and now and then a face as a light flashed over someone.
A light flickered over her and then away as someone aimed a hand light in her direction, and she increased her speed slightly. It had probably been of no consequence -- no more than someone aiming a light incautiously at her as he walked, but it still made her neck crawl. She was definitely looking forward to getting back to the safety of the Luna Hilton. It was going to be a long walk, though, made longer by the fact that she was nervous.
With one hand, she fished in her small purse and located her own hand light. She didn't need it that urgently, as all that she had to do to get back to the hotel was to follow the street until it crossed Neil Armstrong Boulevard, and that was still some distance away. But, as her Karate instructor had taught her, even a little five-inch flashlight used correctly, could be a potent weapon. And the nice thing, of course, was that no one expected it to be used as such because it didn't look dangerous. In the right hands, it was a decent tool for self defense -- as long as an attacker didn't have a stunner.
She didn't really think that anyone would be so stupid as to try to stun her with so many people around. Even in the darkness it was bound to draw attention and whoever she and Clark were after had to be desperate to stay anonymous. As long as the suspicion focused solely on Marilyn, Mr. X had been safe but the minute people got the idea the idea that someone else might be involved that safety became a lot more precarious. The fact that Lori and Clark had found Johnson's body, and it was fairly obvious that he had been murdered, must already have thrown a scare into their quarry but he still might believe that it was barely possible that Johnson's death might be chalked up to a random crime -- especially since he hadn't had the incriminating information in his possession when he died. Certainly, law enforcement couldn't be sure that it wasn't. But if Lori was assaulted and the bag she carried stolen, it would no longer be considered random.
And most likely no one even knew that she had the bag. Clark didn't know it, of course. Probably Johnson's killer didn't even know it. If he did, and something happened to her before she could inform someone of what she now had in her possession, he might still be able to cover his tracks. Which meant that she had to get back to the hotel without being caught.
But, she reminded herself, she hadn't seen any indication that anyone was following her. She was probably as safe here as anywhere else in Luna City. Still, it would be nice if things were to get back to normal soon. She missed the security of Clark's presence. True, Superman was doing what needed to be done for the residents of Luna City, but the urge to call him was strong. Lori had done dangerous things in the past, things that those who knew her claimed gave them prematurely gray hair, but that didn't mean she was oblivious to the possible results of her actions. She didn't want to pull Clark away from his job but, she decided, if she had even the slightest hint that someone might be targeting her, she was going to scream his name as loud as she could. He'd be there instantly, and maybe catch their killer red-handed to boot.
Satisfied on that point, Lori increased her pace to a jog, clutching the satchel close to her body so that no one could unexpectedly snatch it away.
It was interesting, she thought, how quickly her reflexes had adapted themselves to the lunar gravity. Each step took her several feet, but she didn't lose her balance and she found that jogging on the Moon was a whole new experience.
She aimed the beam of the little light ahead of her to be certain that there was nothing in her way. She wasn't the only runner -- a number of the shadowy figures on the street were jogging along in the low gravity. It wasn't a tiring exercise to someone who was used to running every day just to keep in shape. The distance seemed to fly by and before she knew it she was approaching Neil Armstrong Boulevard. Even in the darkness she recognized it by the dimly visible sign across the street, announcing Aldrin Park.
She slowed to a walk as she reached the corner and turned left. The Luna Hilton was only half a block away and so far no one had tried to stop her. Five minutes later, she stepped cautiously into the little building that was the entrance to the Luna Hilton.
Naturally the elevator platform wasn't running but there was a hitherto closed door to one side that now was braced open and Lori saw that there were steps inside.
Carefully, flashing her light before her, she entered the narrow stairwell and began her descent. At the bottom of the stairs was a door that opened on the Lobby.
The Lobby wasn't entirely dark. A number of battery-powered lights here and there illuminated the room, although the light level was somewhat lower than its usual state. Lori drew a deep breath and relaxed for the first time since she had found the bag.
The desk clerk was the same carrot-topped youth who had checked Clark and her into the hotel when they had arrived, and he was moving about the room, checking various monitors on the walls when she stepped through the door. He turned and smiled at her. "Hello, Ms. Lyons. I'm sorry about the inconvenience. I'm told the power should be restored in two or three hours."
"That's okay," Lori said, "but I'm happy to know the repair work will be finished soon. I heard it was a meteor strike that triggered the quake. How close to the city was it?"
"Not close at all," the young man told her. "Apparently it hit near a previously undetected fault line. There isn't any danger to the city, though. The emergency crews checked out the dome first thing, and the power should be back online very soon."
"I know. Somebody said the quake damaged the nuclear reactor that supplies power to all the Moon cities, but that it isn't serious."
"No," the man agreed. "Just inconvenient. I hope this hasn't given you a distaste of Luna City."
"Not at all," Lori told him. "I was on the Rainbow Caverns tour when it happened. I just hope I'll be able to go back and see the rest before I have to go home."
"And you weren't scared? I'm impressed."
"Well, I was a little nervous," Lori admitted with a slightly shamefaced grin, "but not enough to make me never want to come back."
"They'll probably have the tour up and running again inside of 36 hours," he said. "They'll just have to inspect it for any possible damage before they let tourists back down there. Impressive, aren't they?"
"What? Oh, the caverns," Lori said. "They sure are. I've never seen anything like them before. I want to take some pictures so I can give the readers a hint of what they're like when I write about this trip for the Planet. People on Earth don't have any idea of what it's like here, and they should."
"We'll appreciate that," the clerk said. "Luna City is trying to expand its economy, and tourism will add a lot to it."
"Well, I'm more than happy to help," she said. "It can only improve my standing at the Planet. By the way, what's your name?"
"Huh?"
"You know my name," Lori said, "but I don't know yours."
The clerk grinned. "Oh. I'm Gerard Patterson. Call me Buzz."
"Okay, Buzz. I just figured I'd mention you in my article and it helps to know your name, rather than refer to you as 'the red-headed guy that checked us in'."
He snorted. "Good point. I'll watch for the article. Do you need anything right now"
"Actually, I'm going down to my room, and I was wondering if you could have someone walk along with me," Lori said. "Call me paranoid, but I don't like to wander around in the dark by myself. Clark won't be back for a while, so --"
"Not a problem," Buzz told her. "The emergency lights are on but they're kind of dim. The bellboys are sitting around with nothing much to do right now, so Joey can go along with you." He turned, placed two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. "Joey! Escort Ms. Lyons to her suite, will you?"
Unlike the youthful image that his name conjured, Joey was probably about seventy years old. His hair was silver, but he moved like a much younger man. That might be one of the benefits of living under low gravity, Lori thought. The man sauntered toward them and looked at Buzz. "Is that it?" he inquired.
Buzz nodded. "Ms. Lyons is a little nervous of walking down there by herself. Just go along with her."
"Sure," Joey said. He smiled at Lori and she could swear that his gaze lingered on her legs for a second or two longer than necessary. "I never mind walking along with a pretty young lady. This way, Ms. Lyons."
Lori smiled and opened the door to the stairs. Joey kept pace with her as they descended. The older man held a hand light that he flashed ahead of them as the proceeded, for which Lori was thankful. The emergency lighting was adequate, but just barely.
"The last time we had a power outage like this," Joey remarked, after a minute, "I was about your age. I guess we're lucky to have Eclipse here to help us this time. I heard on the radio that Superman is here, too. If he was going to visit, the timing couldn't have been better."
"I guess not," Lori agreed. "Did the report say what he was doing?"
"Last I heard, he took a lady who decided to have a baby in the middle of the street over to Crescent General," he said.
"Good heavens," Lori said.
"Well, things like that happen, even on the Moon," Joey said, a twinkle in his eye. "You're that reporter for the Daily Planet, aren't you? I'd heard that you and your partner, Mr. Kent, were here for the journalists' convention."
"We are," Lori said.
Joey nodded. "I used to read his articles when he was an independent reporter -- always enjoyed his writing. I always wondered why he suddenly decided to go to work for the Daily Planet."
"He had his reasons," Lori said, wondering what else the chatty hotel employee was going to ask. "We partnered up not long after I was hired by the Planet."
"Seems to me I read something about the two of you getting married," Joey said.
"We did," Lori said.
"Sounds like Mr. Kent is a pretty smart guy," Joey said. He flashed the light around the landing beneath them, and they turned to descend the next flight down. "Watch your step. You aren't likely to get hurt much if you trip, but you can bruise yourself pretty badly."
Lori nodded. "Have you worked at the Luna Hilton long?" she inquired.
"Nah. I got this job 'cause I was going crazy being retired," Joey told her.
"Oh? What did you do before you retired?"
"I was on the police force," Joey said. "Pretty easy job, here in Luna City, but everywhere humans go there's going to be some crime."
"I guess so," Lori agreed. "I guess that's why Buzz chose you to walk me to my room."
"Maybe," Joey said. "Like I said, there isn't really much crime here, but I guess you already ran into some, didn't you? I saw that thing on the vidcast yesterday, about how you found that fellow who'd been killed out on the surface."
Lori nodded. "Yes."
Joey glanced speculatively at her. "Don't tell me that was an accident."
"No, it wasn't," Lori said. "Although we didn't really expect to find a body. We sort of expected to find out he'd faked that accident at the solar collector."
"Well," Joey pointed out, "he must have. But how did you know?"
"We didn't know," Lori said. "It was kind of an educated guess."
"I see," Joey said. "Well, considering your news articles, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you're following some kind of story." He shook his head. "Murder is pretty rare here on the Moon," he said. "Whatever it is, I'd be careful if I were you."
"I am," Lori said. "That's one of the reasons I didn't want to walk to my room alone."
"You think ahead," Joey said approvingly. "Sometimes it pays to be a little paranoid." They reached the landing for the fifth floor and he pushed open the door. "Here we are. You're in 504?"
"That's right," Lori said.
"Okay. This way, then." He flashed the light ahead of them down the corridor. Dim emergency lights on the walls made the hallway navigable -- barely. Lori was just as happy for Joey's hand light. It took only a very few minutes for them to reach room 504 and Joey waited while she took the room key out of her bag and triggered the lock.
"Thanks for the escort," she said, turning to him.
"No problem," Joey said. "By the way, I was wondering --"
"Yes?" Lori asked.
He reached into a pocket and withdrew a small note pad. "Could I have your autograph?"
"Sure," Lori said, slightly startled.
He extended the pad and a writing implement. Lori took it. "How do you want it addressed?"
"Just to Joey," he said. "You probably couldn't spell my last name."
"Okay," Lori said. She wrote a short note and signed her name. "How's that?"
"Fine," Joey said. "I should tell you, I have a hobby of collecting famous autographs. I have autographs from quite a few celebrities that have visited the Hilton over the last couple of years. Thanks."
"You're welcome," Lori said. "I don't think I'm that famous -- most people couldn't tell you a journalist's name, so I guess I should be flattered."
He chuckled. "I was still on the local police force when we got those two drug dealers you busted about three years ago," he said. "I was one of the guys that delivered them to the local mine. It was too good a story to forget." He tucked the notebook into his back pocket. "Good evening, Ms. Lyons. The power should be back on before long."
"It can't be too soon for me," Lori said, reaching out to open the door. The unpowered door came open with a faint squeal and she stepped inside, flashing her own light around.
The room had been straightened since she and Clark had left it, but other than that nothing had changed. Lori set her purse and the imitation alligator bag down on a chair and sat down on the bed. In spite of the fact that she was in her own room, she wasn't entirely comfortable -- and probably wouldn't be until the lights were restored. She glanced around the room again, listening intently, but only the faint hiss of air through the ventilator reached her ears.
Still, something wasn't quite right, and she couldn't put her finger on it. Something, perhaps instinct, was making the gooseflesh rise on her scalp and quite suddenly she got to her feet, reaching for the bag once more. Rather than stay in the room, she thought she would go stand in the hall. At least that way it would be harder for anyone to hide nearby or sneak up on her, unnoticed.
Only as she turned to push the door open, she heard the faintest scuff of a shoe on the carpet behind her and spun. The bathroom door was now open and, as she turned, bringing her hand light up, for a bare instant, the light flashed across a face as a man rushed at her, knocking her to the floor. There was a scrape as her door was wrenched open and a dark body hurtled through. Then he was gone.
Lori staggered to her feet and ran to the door, but whoever it had been had vanished. Instantly, she turned to look at the chair where she had dropped her purse and Edgar Johnson's satchel but both items were still in evidence. The intruder either hadn't seen the satchel or hadn't known its significance.
Whoever he had been had evidently been hiding in the bathroom, Lori thought -- but why? The only reason she could think of was that he must have been searching the room and had heard her opening the door, but why would anyone search her room? -- Unless, she thought, Talbot Grey -- or someone -- thought that she and Clark had the stolen information. Only that hadn't been Talbot Grey. She had caught only a glimpse of the face, not enough to identify it with any certainty, but it most definitely hadn't been Talbot Grey.
She looked again at the door. Probably she wasn't in any danger, but there was no way under the...Earth that she was going to stay in here without locking that door. She pushed it shut with one hand and fastened the chain lock, trying not to disturb any possible fingerprints and then turned to make her way across the room to the bathroom and stepped within.
There was something in the tub, a dark shadow in the shadowy room. Lori's breath caught and she flashed her hand light over it, already knowing what she would find.
Talbot Grey was huddled in the tub, but he wasn't moving. He was very dead, his throat cut from ear to ear.
**********
tbc
