Home: Murder By Earthlight: 16/?
by Nan Smith
Previously:
"It won't help," Pete said. "I had to bring charges. Anyhow, if anybody brings up anything about either subject, you can rely on me to quash any gossip."
"Thanks," Clark said. "I'm not particularly worried, though. What she's implying isn't true and what she's doing is going to backfire. I guarantee it." He glanced around the room, aware that a number of persons were watching their table and several had their heads tilted toward the conversation. He shook his head. "Care to eat with us?"
"Don't mind if I do," Pete said.
"Great. You won't mind entertaining Lori while I wash my hands."
"No problem," Pete said. "I've wanted to get better acquainted with her since we met." He winked at Lori. "I made a point of looking you up the other day. I knew you had a terrific reputation, but I hadn't realized how fast you'd racked it up."
"Why don't you tell him about it until I get back," Clark said. He got to his feet and strolled toward the restroom.
**********
And now, Part 16:
When Clark returned to the table ten minutes later, Lori looked questioningly at him, but he shook his head slightly. She turned back to Pete, wondering if the shake of the head meant that he hadn't found Decker yet, or that he didn't want to talk about it in front of Pete.
The New Zealander was grinning slightly. "So that's what really happened," he said.
"Which time?" Clark inquired.
"I was telling him about the arms conversion operation," Lori said. "The one just before we got married."
"Yeah," Pete said. "I paid attention to your stories after the Alta Mesa thing, but you never put in the juicy details. You should."
"Then the story would be about us rather than the important stuff," Clark said mildly. "It didn't really matter that we got our first lead because somebody tried to mug Lori and she cleaned his clock with a spray bottle of canned air. That's where we found the first converted stunner, and it went from there." He withdrew his own palm computer from a pocket, made a short note on the screen and passed it to Lori. "Here's that information I intended to give you earlier."
Lori took the little device, and glanced at the note. "Can't find Decker. Possessions still in room," it said. "Thanks." She handed it back and he tucked it into his hip pocket.
"Anyway," Clark said, continuing the earlier conversation, "we spent the next couple of weeks on stakeouts until we got the name of a fairly prominent citizen that turned out not to be quite as clean as his reputation said, Lori hacked into the guy's computer, and we were able to alert the police to a major shipment that was waiting in a warehouse near the docks. You saw the rest in the Planet."
Pete broke out laughing. "I love it! Have the two of you ever considered writing a book about some of this stuff? You'd make a fortune."
"When do we have time to write books?" Clark inquired. "Between reporting and raising a daughter, we're lucky to have time to breathe."
Pete grinned. "You'd find the time," he said. "I think you owe it to the rest of your colleagues to do it. It might give a few of us some tips so we have a chance to win the Kerths occasionally. Didn't you win a second Kerth last year?"
"On the Tahitian drug cartel," Lori said. "What I'd like to know is why they always decide to set up shop in Metropolis. I mean, this batch was based in Tahiti of all places. We got a hint about it on our vacation, but it didn't go anywhere at first -- and the next thing you know they start up a branch in Metropolis. If they hadn't, they'd probably still be in business."
"Probably a death wish," Pete said. "Not only does the place have six super heroes operating there, it's also got Kent and Lyons. They could probably have made a better choice."
A liveried waiter had appeared at the table. Apparently the restaurant kept track of things, and the man had been waiting until Clark returned. "May I take your orders?" he inquired.
"Sure," Pete said. "I'm going to have the Chicken Fettuccine, with all the trimmings. Minestrone soup, and I'll have a house salad as well. And we'll have a bottle of your house red wine. I'm buying that," he added to Clark and Lori. "I figure you've had a rough day."
"That's for sure," Lori said. "Even we don't find bodies in our bathtub every day."
Pete snorted.
**********
When they finished eating, Clark and Lori left the table, Pete in tow.
"There's going to be a little get-together in the bar," he said. "It would probably be a good idea for you guys to attend for a little bit -- just to let the others know that Steph is full of it, again. She practically had Lori arrested and frog-marched off to the local hoosegow when I talked to her."
Clark made a face and looked at his wife. "What do you think, honey?"
"I guess we should," Lori said with equal reluctance. "But if Stephanie gets within arm's reach, I won't be responsible for the consequences."
Pete grinned. "I think I'd bet on Lori, if it comes to that," he remarked, raising an eyebrow at Clark. "Don't worry. Steph hasn't managed to spend ten years in the business without racking up a bit of a reputation."
"He means," Clark said, "that people know her tendency to exaggerate. Before she joined the investigative journalism community, she was a gossip columnist."
"I prefer Andrea," Lori said. "She has better ethics -- and I think she'd be ashamed of Stephanie. All right, we'll mingle for a while. But you'd better keep her away from me, or they really will have to arrest me for murder."
Pete snorted again but didn't say anything. They made their way to the bar.
Several of their colleagues were already there, and a couple of heads turned toward them as they entered. Clark glanced casually around. "I don't see her anywhere," he remarked. "Maybe she won't show up."
"I wouldn't count on it," Lori said.
Clark glanced at her with a slight frown. "If you don't want to --"
"No," she said. "I'm darned if I'll let her scare me off of anything. But you might have to get me a lawyer if I tear her limb from limb, the way I want to." She pasted a smile on her lips. "Here comes Joanna."
Joanna Prescott appeared at Clark's elbow. She raised her eyebrows at Lori. "I see Stephanie is having illusions again," she said dryly.
Clark glanced at her in mild surprise. "Illusions?"
"She's telling anyone who will listen that Lori killed Tal," she said.
Lori made a faint growling noise in her throat. Clark smothered the distinct sensation of irritation, keeping his expression noncommittal. "Lori found Tal," he said. "He was already dead."
"I figured she was indulging in wishful thinking," Joanna said. "I'd watch out for her, though."
"Oh?"
"She been dropping hints about you and her," Joanna said.
"I wouldn't call that thing with the shorts this morning as exactly a hint," Lori said.
Joanna laughed. "I saw it," she said. "Subtlety isn't exactly her specialty." She looked back at Lori. "I don't need to tell you not to trust her an inch, do I?"
"No," Lori said.
"Good. Then we'll leave it at that," Joanna said. "What exactly *did* happen?"
Lori summed up the incident in a few sentences but gave no other details. Joanna shivered. "So there really is a killer in the hotel," she said. "Do you have any idea *why* he was killed?"
"Let's say we have a strong suspicion," Clark said.
"I imagine so," Joanna said. "After you two found that man murdered out on the Moon's surface, I looked up some information. Murder is pretty rare on the Moon." She was watching both of them. Neither Lori nor Clark commented.
"Is there a connection?" Joanna asked.
"Maybe," Lori said finally. "The police asked us not to discuss it."
Joanna made a slight face. "I'd say there is," she said. "It's too much of a coincidence, otherwise."
Lori stiffened slightly. Clark looked at Joanna, who, like Lori, was facing the door. "Stephanie?"
"She just walked in." Joanna said. She smiled at Lori. "It looks like she's coming this way. Don't let her upset you, honey. She isn't worth it."
Lori moved closer to Clark, and he saw her raise her chin. He slipped an arm around her. Her shoulders were tense, but only he knew that. Maybe, he thought, they shouldn't have stayed. Lori was ready for battle, and it made him profoundly nervous.
"Hello, Clarkie," Stephanie said.
"Hello, Stephanie," Clark said. He squeezed Lori's arm.
"Are you ready?" Stephanie asked.
"Ready for what?"
Stephanie looked at his arm around Lori's shoulders and pouted prettily. "I thought a walk would be nice. You won't mind, will you, Lori? Clark and I have things to discuss."
"No, we don't," Clark said. "You and I have already said everything we need to say."
"But haven't you told her?" Stephanie said. She glanced significantly at the position of his arm and her eyes narrowed slightly, although she continued to smile.
"Told me what?" Lori asked.
"That he's leaving you. He's going back to Earth with me."
"I'm doing nothing of the sort," Clark said.
Stephanie's smile grew wider. "It's just like you to try to shield her," she said, "but she's going to be arrested anyway. You don't need that, Clarkie."
Lori shook off Clark's arm and took a step forward. "You're delusional. Get away from us, now."
Stephanie's smile wobbled. "You really haven't told her?" she said. She turned to Lori. "Tal was in your room, dead. That should be enough evidence for anyone. Why aren't you under arrest?"
"Because I didn't kill him," Lori snapped. "Just why are you so sure I did?"
Stephanie's smile turned sly. "But you could have," she said.
"Well, I didn't," Lori said. "And the police know it."
"Leave me alone," Clark said firmly. "Leave *us* alone. I'm not leaving my family for you. I'm not going to have a one-night stand with you, either. I told you the first night we were here: I'm in a monogamous relationship for life. Nothing you can do or say is going to change that. I don't play around on my wife, no matter what and that's final." He met her eyes directly. "You need help, Stephanie, and I hope you get it, soon, before your delusions get worse."
Stephanie's expression went instantaneously from smiling to anger. "After all I've done for you! You'll pay for this, Clark Kent. Your whole family is going to pay. Nobody takes advantage of me like you have and walks away." She whipped around and stalked toward the exit.
Clark watched her go, vaguely disturbed by what she had said.
"That sounded like a threat," Joanna said.
"It certainly did," Pete said. He had been a silent witness to the whole scene. Abruptly, Clark became aware of the silence around them. There were at least fifteen of their colleagues present, and all of them had witnessed the confrontation.
"Are you sure," Joanna said, after the silence had stretched for several seconds, "that Stephanie couldn't have killed Tal?"
"Why would she kill him?" Lori asked.
"Maybe she wanted to frame you," Pete suggested. "She sure seems fixated on Clark. When she was stalking me, it got so I was kinda worried about my safety. That was why I took out the restraining order."
The conversation in the room swelled suddenly, and Clark heard Stephanie's name repeated a number of times in different parts of the room. More of their colleagues were drifting in, and it was inevitable that the story was going to get around. Oh well; maybe that was just as well. If Stephanie hadn't established herself as at least a little unbalanced in the eyes of her colleagues, it wasn't for lack of trying.
Joanna said as much a second later. "I think she's completely lost it," she said frankly. She smiled at Lori. "Just in case you have any doubts, Clark here had the reputation as impossible for a woman to seduce, and from what I hear it wasn't because women weren't interested. I doubt he's changed any, either." Clark could feel his face growing warm and knew that he was flushing. Joanna had always been frank, but that was a lot less embarrassing than Stephanie's behavior.
"I'm not worried," Lori said, and the smile she gave Clark told him that even the tiny worry that he had been entertaining in the back of his mind was unnecessary. "Stephanie needs help. I hope she gets it."
Pete grinned and abruptly changed the subject. "Well," he said, "now that that's over, can I buy everyone a round of drinks?"
**********
They left the bar an hour later. Neither Joanna nor Pete brought up the incident with Stephanie again, although Clark had heard several conversations involving other witnesses to the little showdown, and he was aware that the story was spreading rapidly.
"I'm beat," he told Lori, as they made their way toward the elevator platform. "This has been an busy day."
"Have I ever told you how good you are at understatements?" Lori said. "I hope you're not *too* tired. Our plans sort of got disrupted last night."
"I'm never too tired for that," Clark said. He took her hand and lifted it to his lips. "I was afraid maybe you were."
She shook her head. "Nope. That's one of the things I was looking forward to at this convention," she said. "Why the heck does trouble come looking for us so often? Don't we do enough to hunt it down on our own?"
"Apparently not," Clark said. "I think it's part of our karma. Lois used to jump in all the time without checking the water level, but I think trouble would have found her anyway, without her help. It was just something that happened to her."
"I remember, Inspector Henderson said something about being terrified of two Lois Lanes running around Metropolis," Lori said thoughtfully. "Maybe that's what he meant."
"Probably," Clark said. "Henderson and Lois had an interesting relationship. They respected each other a lot, but neither one of them ever admitted it. It was kind of a game with them."
Lori nodded. "Yeah, I could tell," she admitted. "You know, I'm glad I got to meet him. You've mentioned him once in a while. He sounds like he was a good cop."
"He was. They don't come any better than Henderson."
The platform came to a stop in front of them and they boarded. "Fifth," Clark said.
The platform slid into motion. Clark put an arm around her again. "As I said in the note I gave you, Decker isn't in the hotel as far as I could see, but his stuff is still in his room -- which means exactly nothing."
"I guess not," Lori said. "He may just be investigating things on his own. Maybe he's contacted Brown about Johnson's murder by now. Just because Brown didn't say anything to us doesn't mean he hasn't." She hesitated. "Do you suppose it's possible that *Stephanie* killed Tal, and that Decker just found him in our room? I mean, it seems sort of unlikely to me. Do you think she'd go that far to try to get rid of a rival?"
"I don't know," Clark said. "I don't know her well enough to say what she'd do. I don't think she's completely in touch with reality, but that's a far cry from murder. And somebody did kill Johnson. I don't think that was Stephanie."
"Neither do I," Lori said.
The platform slid to a stop on the fifth level and they stepped into the hallway. The carpet was soft beneath their feet, and Clark was aware for the first time that it deadened the sound of their footsteps so that it took his super-hearing to detect them. Here and there on the floor he could hear the heartbeats of hotel patrons, but otherwise the area was quiet.
He put his arm around Lori again. Whatever they might speculate about the earlier events in their hotel room, the fact remained that his wife was quite possibly in danger from whoever had been in their room, and he had no intention of allowing anyone the opportunity to silence her as a witness. Together, they started in the direction of their room.
Someone was waiting at the intersection of the hallway with the one that crossed it at the end. A quick glance with his x-ray vision told him that Stephanie was standing there, just around the corner. Her face was tear-streaked and her nose was red and running, and she clutched a dressing gown tightly around her body.
Lori apparently read his expression, for she stopped. "What is it?"
"Stephanie is waiting ahead."
Clark heard her grind her teeth. "What does it take to get through to her?"
"I don't think anything is going to at this point," Clark said. "I guess we'll just have to face her down again."
Behind them, there was the sound of an elevator platform arriving.
"Yeah; I guess so," Lori said. "Let's go."
Clark pulled her back. "Just in case, walk a little behind me," he said. "If she decides to go after you, I want to be in the way."
Lori frowned but did as he asked. They continued on toward the intersection. Behind them, low-voiced conversation told Clark that the passengers of the elevator platform were also headed in the same direction. He hoped that Stephanie wouldn't cause another scene. That was the last thing he needed right now.
As they rounded the corner, Stephanie stepped forward to confront them. She still clutched the dressing gown around herself. "You betrayed me," she began accusingly. "I offered you everything, and you turned me down. Nobody does that."
The voices behind him stopped abruptly, and Clark knew without looking that the people behind them had caught up. "Stephanie, calm down," he began.
She smiled at him oddly, especially considering the tears rolling down her face. "I offered you my love," she said, dramatically, "You rejected me for Another. If I can't have you, *no* one will!" She lunged at him, a steak knife in one hand.
For the bare fraction of an instant, shock held him motionless. The knife had been concealed by the dressing gown, he realized belatedly. Behind him, Clark heard a chorus of screams as the blade came straight at his chest. For another split instant he hesitated, torn between the desire to catch her hand and the ingrained reluctance to reveal his superhuman speed to witnesses. The knife contacted his invulnerable chest and stopped dead. Stephanie's hand, still in forward motion and with nothing to stop it, slid forward onto the blade, and blood spurted. Stephanie screamed.
The knife fell to the carpet. Lori lunged forward and caught Stephanie's hand, clamping down on the other woman's wrist with all her strength. Clark whipped the handkerchief from his pocket and wrapped it around the wound. "Call Security!" he barked at the appalled spectators, while he lowered the shrieking woman to the floor.
The next few minutes were complete chaos, but Security arrived quickly. One man bent to slip a pair of handcuffs onto Stephanie's wrists, confining them in front of her. Another took over the task of applying pressure to her hand and the third man bent to lift the hysterical woman lightly from the carpet. He glanced quickly at Clark and the bloodied tear on his dinner jacket. "Are *you* all right, Mr. Kent?"
"Yeah," Clark said. He reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and withdrew his palm computer. "The knife hit this." He saw Lori give him an odd glance, and then a little smile.
The Security man shook his head. "We'll need everyone to come down to the Security office," he said. He glanced respectfully at the slim little computer. "Some of us were born under a lucky star."
"That's for sure," Lori said.
**********
tbc
