“Why, the ones Nigel hired for our little welcome home party for Lois. They have just enough time to set up before the guests begin arriving. We’ve invited everyone you care about, my dear.”
Suddenly, bustling domestics were everywhere, filling the room with flowers, setting up a portable bar, removing canapés from boxes and arranging them on silver trays. One placed a large crystal bowl filled with caviar in the center of a tray layered with small toast bits and crackers and set the whole thing at one end of the bar. Bottles of champagne icing in tubs magically appeared along with various wines, whiskeys and soft drinks. Clark and Scardino stood helplessly watching as the room transformed into party central.
While Clark and Dan were distracted, Luthor took Lois aside for a quick conversation. When they parted, he was smiling broadly.
The guests arrived almost as soon as the room was ready. Perry was scowling when he entered and, after giving Lois a big hug and a kiss, took Clark aside for a heated discussion. The mayor was there, along with sundry notable characters and celebrities who had been peripherally in and out of Lois’s life. Only Lucy, Ralph, Cat Grant and Jimmy could be considered close to her. No other news people had been invited so the Daily Planet still had an exclusive, if only for a short time.
Lucy was hardly speaking to Lois except to inform her that their parents were furious and had refused to come. Everyone was busy talking with each other and ignoring Lois, so she dragged Lucy into the bedroom, and a short time later they emerged, all smiles, arms around each other. Clark, observing the reconciliation, once again mentally acknowledged Perry’s sagacity.
When the noise level had reached its loudest, Lex Luthor tapped a glass and demanded everyone’s attention. “It’s a happy day for all of us who love and respect Lois Lane. She has come back to us, and although we are saddened that another has died, we celebrate the miracle that has returned Lois to us. A toast to our beloved Lois Lane!” All raised their glasses and drank. Lex held out his hand and drew Lois closer to him.
“To add to my personal joy, I am delighted to announce that Lois has consented to be my wife.” There was scattered applause as he took her hand a placed a small ring with a very large diamond on her finger. And then they kissed.
Shocked and paralyzed, Clark was unable to move from where he stood. How could she? He looked at Scardino who, like almost everyone else in the room, was smiling and congratulating the couple. Only Perry and Jimmy seemed to be unenthusiastic. Gradually the crowd broke into small groups again, with Lois and Lex making their separate ways around the room chatting and smiling. Clark stood out of the way next to the fireplace. Someone had taken the portrait and placed it on the mantle. How fitting, he thought, that the flat canvas depiction should preside over this farcical deception, fantasy blessing hypocrisy.
As he expected, Lois eventually found her way to him. “Aren’t you going to congratulate me, Clark?”
“For what? Selling yourself for a story? I thought we agreed that you weren’t going to do this.”
“No, you wanted me to agree. Dan and I decided this was the best way to get to Lex.”
“You and Dan. When are you going to learn that he’s just not good for you? He has no scruples; I thought you were better than that. I hope Henderson takes him into custody when he finds out what he persuaded you to do.”
She pressed a placating hand on his arm. “Clark, I know you’re upset, but you’re supposed to be working with us. We can be a good team. Can’t you try to go along instead of getting in the way?”
Before Clark could reply, Luthor, with Nigel hovering behind, joined them, putting an arm around Lois and saying, “This is certainly a reversal of fortune since we spoke yesterday, Mr. Kent. I’m the world’s luckiest man. If my persuasive powers are in working order, it won’t be long until Lois is Mrs. Lex. Luthor.” STAMP. He pulled her against him and kissed her cheek.
Clark flinched inwardly. Lois feigned an imitation of a happy bride-to-be. Scardino, who had wandered over to join them, said, “What a special day. Don’t you agree, Kent?”
Inspector William Henderson of the Metropolis police department chose that moment to arrive at the party. He stopped to speak briefly with Perry, and made his way to the group at the center of everyone’s attention.
“Welcome back, Lane. I’m sorry to be late for the party, but we discovered some new information about your death. We found out you’re alive. Like good police detectives, we’ve been busy looking into it. You’re just a basket full of surprises, aren’t you? I understand congratulations are in order for you and Luthor.” He was exhibiting an unnatural joviality with what Clark supposed was intended to be a smile but which more resembled a death grin.
Luthor responded, pre-empting any reply from Lois. “Thank you, Inspector. It’s a great day for all of us.”
“There’s a dead woman who might disagree with you,” shot back Henderson. He went on, “I’m sorry to rain on your parade, but I’m here to take someone into custody.”
The room was suddenly hushed. Henderson looked at each of them in turn: Nigel St. John, Luthor, Lois, Scardino and Clark. Then he said, “Daniel Scardino, I’m taking you in for questioning concerning your actions in obstructing justice and as an accessory after the fact to the crime of murder.”
Lois gasped, and turned angrily to Clark. “You rat! We trusted you, and you squealed.”
“Lois, I didn’t....”
Henderson had not finished. “Lois Lane, You are required to accompany me to the station and answer questions regarding conspiracy to obstruct justice and conceal evidence in the crime of murder.”
Pandemonium took over the room.
Lois’s mouth dropped open and she yelled, “What?”
Lex Luthor said, “Now see here, Inspector, you’re making a ridiculous mistake.”
Perry howled, “Bill, are you crazy?”
Jimmy said, “Wow!” and began taking pictures.
Clark called out, “Henderson, you can’t do this.”
Everyone in the room was talking at once.
Henderson calmly opened the door for the officers he had brought with him. They handcuffed the detainees, and hustled them downstairs to the waiting squad cars. Clark followed close behind, and when they would not let him ride along, he found an alley and took to the sky. He was at the police station before they were and was forced to hover out of sight until he could arrive properly.
When he could finally go in, Scardino and Lois had disappeared. Clark started up the stairs to the squad room, but a uniformed officer stopped him. “I’m sorry sir, but unless you have proper authorization, you can’t go upstairs right now.”
“I have to see Inspector Henderson. Tell him Clark Kent is here.”
The officer went up to the squad room and returned moments later. “Inspector Henderson is not available right now. You can wait in the hallway, if you want.”
Of course, he would wait. There was nothing else he could do. Sitting down in one of the chairs opposite the Sergeant’s desk, he tried to listen to what was happening upstairs, but there was too much intervening noise, as the members of the precinct went about their daily routine of bringing in suspects, booking prisoners, hearing complaints from neighborhood citizens, pairing lawyers with clients, answering phone calls, and dispatching patrol cars.
An anguishing Clark noticed very little of the bustle around him. Why had Henderson arrested her? Scardino deserved it, but not Lois. Well, maybe she did, but what did the cop have to gain? He was just going to make her mad, and she would stubbornly refuse to cooperate. He wouldn’t get anything out of her. Clark didn’t like the idea of her spending the night in a holding cell with criminals and riff-raff. On the other hand, maybe a little scare would be good for her. This whole strategy of getting engaged to Luthor so she could get evidence against him was dangerous, not to mention insane. She didn’t have enough fear.
Fifteen minutes passed, and there was still no summons to climb the stairs. Henderson continued to ignore him. Suddenly, Clark’s pager went off. It was Perry. He went to the pay phone and dialed the Planet.
“Perry, it’s Clark.”
“Where the dickens are you? We need to get a paper on the street. This news isn’t going to be our exclusive for very long.”
“I followed Lois to the police station. I thought maybe I could help.”
“Lois doesn’t need your help right now. She’s with Henderson, and he’s not gonna do any serious damage to her, except, maybe teach her a lesson or two.”
“What kind of lesson?”
“You can find out later. Now get yourself back here and write me that story.”
The sound of the telephone slamming in his ear informed Clark that further argument was useless. Leaving a message for Henderson, he departed the precinct house. As he walked in the direction of the Daily Planet, he saw Lex Luthor arrive with an entourage of what could only be lawyers. It would be Luthor who rescued Lois and lent her support, not Clark Kent. With an unhappy and dispirited heart, he stepped into a nearby alley and hit the skies in the direction of the world’s greatest newspaper.
++++++++++
When they reached the precinct station, Henderson took Lois and Scardino upstairs to an interrogation room. Lois had been complaining almost constantly during the ride from her apartment, and when he pushed her down onto a straight-backed wooden chair she yelled, “What now, Henderson? The third degree? Go ahead, turn on the hot lights; deny me food and water; smack me around a little. You’ll get nothing outta me, copper.”
“You’ve been watching too much television, Lois. Calm down. We don’t do that kind of thing anymore except with incorrigibles. What do you think, Scardino? Is she incorrigible yet?”
Scardino, who had been enjoying Lois’s histrionics the whole way to the station house, grinned and agreed. “Yeah, I think she’s getting close to rubber hose time. Got any?”
“May be some still in the basement. We’ll have to take her down there to use ‘em.”
Lois’s breathing had slowed as she listened to their repartee, but she was still enraged and retorted, “Yeah, you and what army, you side-winding son of a-.”
“Shut up and hold your temper, Lois. It’ll save you a lot of apologizing later. I know it’s hard for you, but every once in a while, you should try listening instead of talking. It wasn’t much fun being handcuffed and dragged down here was it? I can guarantee you that spending the night in the lock-up will be even less fun, but you can avoid that if you’ll just tell me what’s been going on and what you know about the death of the woman in your apartment.
“We’d assumed it was you, but it was tough for your sister to confirm that definitely, so the lab was running a DNA sample to be sure. When we found out it wasn’t you, my detectives went back over their notes to see if there might be a clue to your whereabouts. The assistant travel editor at the Planet had mentioned that you and Carl Benson had talked about your using his lake house. We hadn’t checked it out before because we thought you were dead. When the local police investigated, you’d been there, all right; and, according to the phone records, you’d made several calls to Scardino. We were about to come looking for the two of you when St. John called to invite me to your party. So who *was* the dead woman in your apartment?”
Lois regarded him scornfully. “I don’t have to tell you anything.”
Scardino suppressed a guffaw. Henderson looked pained. “Lois, I’m trying to proceed reasonably here. I don’t plan to charge either of you with anything, but if you don’t tell me what you know, I’ll throw you in the slammer overnight and arraign you tomorrow morning. I don’t want to do that, but I will if you don’t cooperate. I’ve got you dead to rights, and there’s no way you can claim to be not guilty on these charges. You could end up spending a couple of years upstate. Now stop acting like somebody’s gun moll and tell me what I need to know.”
“Choke on it, Henderson!”
Scardino, as much as he relished Lois’s defiant spirit, decided to step in. “Lois, the Inspector is right. It’s time for us to talk.”
“Not for me. Haven’t you ever heard of the first amendment?”
Henderson regarded her sardonically. “You’d better check with a lawyer, Lois. The first amendment doesn’t apply here. Even the ‘free’ press” isn’t immune if they commit a crime, and technically, you and Scardino did.”
Lois looked uncertainly at Scardino, who nodded his head in agreement with their interrogator. “We have to tell him everything?” she asked.
“Unless you want to go to jail,” said Henderson.
“I don’t believe you. I demand to see a lawyer.”
“Okay, Lois, you said the dirty words. It’s out of my hands now. I’ll have you booked, taken downstairs to a cell for the night, and before a judge for arraignment tomorrow.”
“Take the deal, Lois,” Scardino said. “I’m going to.”
“What? How could you?”
“Think about it. You need to get close to Luthor. How are you going to do that from jail? He needs to think the police don’t have anything on you. When you’ve been charged and let out on bail, he’s going to be on his guard. You can’t afford that if you want your plan to work.”
“What plan?” asked Henderson, suspiciously.
Lois looked at Scardino then Henderson, considering Dan’s words. Her antagonism deflated. “Okay, what do you want to know?”
For the next half hour, Lois and Scardino explained what had happened to an increasingly angry detective. When they identified the body as Diane Goodman and said that her luggage was still in Lois’s bedroom, he immediately sent a squad car over to retrieve it and take it to the lab. When Scardino admitted to taking Diane’s purse, he almost lost his impassive demeanor. Another car was dispatched to get the pocketbook from Dan’s apartment.
Finally, when he heard the scheme just underway, Lois’s fake betrothal to Luthor so she could get evidence against him, he sat, incredulous, in an uncomfortable envelope of silence, just looking at them.
At last, he said, “You’re actually going along with this, Scardino? I’d expect some kind of hare-brained scheme from Lois, but you’re a federal agent. How can you agree to it?”
“It was her plan. Have you ever tried to stop her when she has a plan? If I didn’t help, she’d do it anyway. At least, maybe I can keep her from getting into too much danger.”
“Too much danger? What’s ‘too much’? If she gets hurt or killed it doesn’t matter if it was a little or a lot.”
“Excuse me, but would you mind not talking about me like I’m not here. I can decide for myself how much danger I’m in. I’ll decide for myself if I want to go after Lex, and I don’t need permission from either of you to do it.”
“Nailing Luthor as Mr. Big is important. How do I know you two won’t botch it up?”
“Look, Henderson, Daniel said it. I’m the only one who can do this, so back off and let us finish what we started. You can keep an eye on us, and if anything goes wrong, you can take over. But I don’t think Lex will like having you around nearly as much as me.”
“You think you’ve got me over a barrel, don’t you, Lane? What if I just shut down your whole operation?”
“Henderson, I’ve told you everything I know. Now, either keep your word and let me go, or put me in a cell.”
At that moment, a detective informed them that Lex Luthor was downstairs with a battery of lawyers demanding to see the man in charge. Henderson threw up his hands, saying “Go! But keep me informed. If you get proof that Luthor is Mr. Big, get it to me as fast as you can so we can arrest him. Somebody’s trying to kill you, and it could be Luthor, or it could be somebody we don’t even know about. Either way, you’re taking a helluva chance. I wouldn’t want to see you turn up dead because you did something stupid.”
Lois smiled sweetly. “Why thank you, Inspector. It’s nice to know you care.” And having had the last word, she strolled out of the room and down the stairs to Lex.
++++++++++
TO BE CONTINUED
