Seb left a ten-dollar note on the counter as they passed. "I thought you were only doing weekend match reports."
"This is a huge story," Lois said over her shoulder as they stepped from the cafe. "If it breaks, it will be the biggest story of my career."
"So this has nothing to do with the drugs, nothing to do with why you need info about ecstasy, nothing to do with why Chris thinks you're with a Hawthorn footballer, and nothing to do with why you came to my shop in the middle of the night asking for a chunk of opal?"
"No."
"Lois," Seb said, lifting his hands in exasperation. "You make my life look simple."
"Tell me about it," she said wearily.
He put his hand on her shoulder to halt her footsteps. "You know I'm always here for you."
Lois smiled, but Seb could tell it was strained. "Thanks, Sebby Boy."
He watched her walk away, wishing she would let him help her.
Part 54
Clark quickly tightened the knot of his tie and reached into his pocket for his cell phone. When he saw that he had a received message, his heart accelerated a little.
Those few moments after Lois had returned to his apartment had replayed time and again in his mind. He'd tried to convince himself that it was a minor disagreement which could be - and would be - easily resolved, but he hadn't been able to decide the best course of action. Should he contact her? Should he wait for her to contact him? Should he arrive in Melbourne after his work at the Daily Planet as if nothing had happened?
A series of emergencies had decided for him - and he hadn't contacted Lois. Now, he wondered if that was a mistake.
He opened the message and read it.
'I love you and I'm sorry I worried you.'Clark reread the message twice as relief washed over him. He replied quickly.
'I love you too and I'm sorry for how I reacted. Should finish here in about 2 hours.'He sent the text and turned on his computer to begin the work Clark Kent should have been doing while Superman was rescuing people from a multi-car pile up, foiling a drugstore robbery, and clearing a massive fallen oak tree from the road.
||_||
Lois was shown to a plush room with expansive windows that overlooked the sprawling city. Three people were already seated at the large timber table - two AFL representatives dressed in business suits and a police detective in smart black trousers and a short-sleeved blue shirt.
Lois wondered if it would have been wise to change out of her jeans and into something more formal.
The older of the AFL representatives made the introductions. Lois smiled tightly, hoping she didn't look as out of place as she felt. They nodded back, and it seemed to her that all three considered this a waste of their time.
"Mr Brown has made the terms of the agreement very clear," the older AFL administrator said to Lois.
She settled more comfortably into her seat and eyed him steadily. She didn't know what part - if any - these particular administrators had had in pushing forward the merger between Hawthorn and Melbourne, but right now, she didn't trust any of them.
"The deal is that you tell us what has led you to making allegations, and we refrain from commenting to any other media organisation until tomorrow after the morning edition of your paper."
"I haven't made any allegations," Lois said.
The younger AFL administrator pinned her with hard, cold eyes. "Mr Brown said you have information concerning impropriety within the AFL," he said. "We are all busy men, and so far, we've heard nothing that necessitates this meeting."
Somehow, Lois managed to refrain from retorting that if he had something else he needed to do now, he could read about this in tomorrow's Herald Sun.
The eyes of all three men settled on Lois. She took a deep breath.
"Mr Clark Kent, a reporter from the Daily Planet in Metropolis, USA, was here on exchange for five weeks," Lois said, keeping her words cool and unemotional. "He has returned home, and yesterday, he was in a library in Metropolis when he overheard a conversation between two men. One of the men claimed to know the result of this year's Brownlow."
Both AFL administrators gaped with indignant protest. "This is ludicrous," the older one said. "You've brought us here based on an unsubstantiated rumour heard in a library in America?" He smirked. "Next you'll be telling us what the drunken lout said when he was propped up in a bar in Timbuktu."
Lois said nothing as she tried to sweep away her annoyance so she could concentrate on presenting her information in a professional manner.
The detective spoke. "Was anything said about how they knew this information?"
"Do we really need to go any further with this?" the younger AFL representative said. "I think we've established that these claims are nothing more than an inexperienced reporter who got overexcited thinking she's stumbled on her first big story."
The detective turned to him. "Any attempt to procure information that could be used for advantage in placing bets is a police matter," he said unwaveringly. "I will be asking Ms Lane questions about this matter. We can do it here, in your presence, or Ms Lane and I can continue this discussion at the station, and the AFL will be duly informed of the outcome of my investigation."
Both administrators gasped.
"Please continue, Ms Lane," the detective said.
"He said that the sound technicians who worked on the umpires' mics had placed hidden surveillance equipment in the umpires' rooms and listened as they discussed their votes after the games."
The detective jotted some notes. "This involves all grounds?" he asked. "The 'G? Waverley? The 'Gabba? Subiaco? Football Park? SCG?"
Lois nodded.
"OK," the detective said. "I'll organise simultaneous raids at the AFL grounds."
The older AFL administrator lurched to his feet. "Hold on," he said. "This needs to be handled very carefully. We can't have a bunch of cops running around saying there's been a Brownlow leak."
"This is no longer an AFL matter," the detective said. "It's a police matter. And you can be sure that our members will conduct themselves in a professional manner."
"But -"
The detective smiled at Lois. "Would you mind accompanying me to the station?" he asked. "It shouldn't take too long to organise the raids, and when the results come in, you'll be on hand to get the information you need for your story."
"There might not *be* a story," the older administrator said derisively.
"We have an agreement with Paul Brown about what can and can't be printed," the younger AFL administrator added, looking more than slightly flustered.
"And I'm sure that agreement will be honoured," the detective said smoothly.
"The AFL expects to be kept fully informed of the outcome of the investigation."
"Naturally," the detective said.
Lois stood and followed him to the door. The older AFL rep barred their way. "If there *has* been a leak," he said. "The AFL need assurance that no sensitive information will be released to the public."
"I'm sure that was addressed in the agreement between Ms Lane's editor and the AFL legal team," the detective said. "Excuse us, please."
The man stepped aside, and as Lois followed the cop out of AFL House, she pulled out her silenced mobile, hoping Clark had replied to her text.
He had.
'I love you too and I'm sorry for how I reacted. Should finish here in about 2 hours.'Lois smiled, optimistic that the disagreement with Clark could be overcome with a little communication - of both the verbal and physical variety. Except - she groaned inaudibly - there was no way she was going to be finished in two hours.
At the car, the cop opened the passenger door for her.
"Thanks, detective," she said.
"Call me Ben," he said with a smile.
"Thanks." She had been given the names of the three men at the beginning of the meeting, but in the stress of being in the spotlight, she had forgotten almost immediately. "I'm Lois."
Ben climbed into the driver's seat. "I'll need to know everything you have on the two blokes in the library," he said. "And we'll have to deal with a few issues such as you not profiting from anything you might know. I thought it best we didn't do that in front of the AFL reps."
"Thanks."
"You can't trust 'em as far as you can kick 'em," he said with sudden vehemence.
Lois looked at him questioningly.
Ben pulled up the short sleeve of his shirt. On his bicep was a tattoo. It was the proud lion logo of the Fitzroy Football Club.
||_||
Seb knocked on the door next to Lois's, still tussling with indecision. There was definite potential for this to backfire horribly, but he needed to alleviate some of the pressure on Lois, and getting the nosy neighbour off her back seemed like a start.
The neighbour opened the door and stared at him in surprise.
"Hi," he said.
"Seb," she said. "I don't think Lois is in."
"She isn't. But it's you I wanted to see."
Her immediate spark of interest nearly caused Seb to turn and run, but he held his ground. "What can I do for you?" the woman asked with a suggestive wink. "You know you're always welcome to park your shoes under my bed."
"You told me about the guy in Lois's unit?" Seb said.
The woman's immaculately shaped eyebrow arched. "She's finally admitted to having some on the side? Are you going to tell Clark?"
Seb lifted his hand to silence her. "Lois is on the verge of a really big story. She works in footy - most of the people in footy are male."
"So she's *sleeping* her way to a story?" the woman squeaked. "With a footballer? Or a coach? Or one of -"
"No!" Seb dropped his hand and slipped it into the pocket of his jeans. "No, she's not sleeping with *anyone*."
"It *sounds* like she's sleeping with -"
"She's working on a story - and if she's seen in public with her sources, that's going to be a problem."
"You're trying to tell me Lois has guys in her unit so she can talk with them to get this story she's working on?"
Seb nodded. "And I know you're concerned about Clark getting hurt, but it would be really nice if you could -"
"*That's* why Clark wasn't upset when I told him? He knows about this?"
"Yeah."
"How do they get into her unit without being seen?"
"Lois needs to protect her sources. They can't just waltz up the driveway."
Esmeralda hesitated. "It's a *big* story?"
Seb had the feeling he was being sucked helplessly into a whirlpool that kept getting bigger and bigger. "I'm not sure when it will hit the papers, but -"
"Why didn't Lois tell me this when I accused her of cheating on Clark?"
"She has to keep it quiet," Seb said. "She doesn't want some other journo stealing her story."
"Then why are you telling me?"
This was firmer ground. "Because I've just had coffee with Lois, and she's under a lot of pressure. She's been working with Operation Payback, and she's really worried about the merger vote, and she's scared that she's going to lose her club."
"And she's probably missing Clark," the woman said with a level of empathy that was truly surprising.
"She is."
There was a silence, and Seb wondered if there was a way to leave without advertising his eagerness to escape.
"Thanks for telling me," she said.
"You'll keep it under your hat?"
"Yeah."
"And you'll cut Lois a break? She really needs it right now."
"OK."
"Thanks." Seb turned to go.
"My name is Esmeralda."
He shrugged with a self-conscious smile. "Sorry. I should have remembered."
"You might not remember my name, but if you come in, you'll never forget my -"
"Gotta go," Seb said. He turned and sprinted down the driveway without a backward glance.
||_||
"OK, the raids are organised and will happen simultaneously at two o'clock," Ben told Lois as he replaced the phone. "I still need to ask you some preliminary questions about the two men your friend overheard - we'll probably have to talk to him when he arrives in Melbourne." He smiled. "But I think it's well past lunchtime."
Lois nodded her agreement. She hadn't bothered with breakfast, and her only food today had been one third of a vanilla slice.
"What would you like?" Ben asked. "There's a milk bar down the road that will deliver to the station. Usual fare - pies, pasties, sausage rolls, hot dogs."
"A chicken pie?" Lois asked.
He grinned and picked up the phone again. "I'll order it."
||_||
"My flight leaves in two hours," Seb said mournfully. "Mum'll be here soon to take me to the airport."
"I know."
The only heartening aspect of his imminent departure was that Chris seemed equally crestfallen by their coming separation. Seb picked a piece of bacon from the Aussie pizza they were sharing. "I've had three wonderful days with you."
Chris answered his smile. "Me, too. I'm sorry I had to work yesterday and today."
"I couldn't completely take over your life," Seb said. "And anyway, I had some other stuff to see to while I was here."
"And you'll be back Monday night for the vote?"
Seb nodded. "Will you go out with me on Tuesday?" he asked. "Whatever the outcome of the vote?"
"Yes," Chris agreed.
"Thanks." He wanted to steer the conversation away from Hawthorn's possible merger with Melbourne - it was the only subject they'd found where they disagreed. "Chris - there's something I need to tell you."
"OK."
Seb took a deep breath. This, too, could backfire - and this time, he could find himself under attack from two directions. "It's about Lois. She isn't with a Hawthorn footballer."
Chris tried to cover her surprise. "Lois's private life is none of my business," she said.
"Lois feels really bad that you jumped to that conclusion. There's stuff going on in her life that she can't tell anyone, so when you assumed, she didn't correct you."
A fine layer of pink had crossed Chris's cheeks. "I feel like a fool," she said.
"Don't," Seb said quickly. "Lois is one of the most honest people I know. But there's one thing she values more than honesty, and that's loyalty. That's why she's willing to lie to protect someone she cares about."
"But *someone* was with -"
"She's working on a huge footy story."
"Does it have anything to do with Hawthorn's merger?"
"I don't know the exact nature of the story," Seb said. "She wouldn't tell me anything other than if it breaks open, it will be the biggest footy story in years."
Chris released a low whistle. "She was with Browny this morning. I wasn't expecting her in the newsroom until the weekend. When she walked out, they both looked preoccupied."
"Please don't be upset with her," Seb said. "She hates that she misled you."
"You know, there were times when I sensed she was unduly uncomfortable. I thought she just didn't want to talk about her private life."
"She does have someone ... someone I think she loves a lot," Seb said. "You might meet him this weekend - that's why I needed to tell you the truth."
"If I'd seen Lois with someone else, that would have confused me a lot," Chris said. "Lois doesn't seem like the sort of person who would be involved with two men at once."
"She's not," Seb said.
"Is he nice? The man you think Lois loves?"
"He's a good bloke. He's an American who worked at the Herald Sun for a few weeks." Seb smiled. "That was long enough for him to fall in love with Lois."
"Falling in love doesn't have to take a long time," Chris noted.
Her tone accelerated Seb's heart. "No," he said. "It can happen in an instant."
Their eyes met and held as his heart catapulted wildly around his chest. He swallowed, his mouth dry. "I was wondering if ... if you'd mind if I kissed you 'goodbye'."
Chris blushed a little, but she didn't look totally against the idea. "I'd like that."
His tongue ran nervously along his upper lip. "Perhaps we should do it now ...
She grinned. "Don't you want your mum to witness our first kiss?"
"Preferably not," he admitted.
Chris leant towards him, and her lips touched his.
||_||
Clark frowned as he read Mayson's story about the gunman in the hospital.
She'd managed to write it in such a way that the presence of Superman appeared to have been a hindrance to achieving the desired outcome. He read and reread her story and couldn't pinpoint a sentence that was unfair, but the pitch of her story was discernibly negative.
Of course, she didn't know that the reason he hadn't been able to see into the hospital was the jumble of lead pipes that ran through the walls. And because he didn't want that to become public knowledge, he was stuck with a report that made it sound like his ineptitude had caused the incident to go longer than it needed to - thereby increasing the trauma for the young patients.
Actually, that assessment wasn't completely unreasonable, Clark admitted.
No one had been injured, and the gunman had been captured, but for the first time, there had been disagreement between Superman and the police. He'd believed he had the speed to go in and keep everyone safe regardless of what happened. They had argued that he couldn't take out a bomb and prevent shootings at the same time.
They still didn't completely trust him - not when it involved the lives of their citizens. They hadn't forgotten that he wasn't like them. He was different.
Superman had appeared a lot recently, and Clark had begun to feel more relaxed when in the suit.
This had felt like a big step backwards.
He'd come away from the hospital feeling as he had so many times in the past - that whatever he did, he wouldn't quite fit on Earth. He'd tried to quell his uneasiness by thinking ahead to his apartment where he would find Lois's welcoming arms and soft mouth. Instead, it had been empty.
Paralysing fear had beset him as horrific possibilities attacked his mind. Someone had taken her. Someone was hurting her. Someone was going to threaten her in an attempt to control him.
He'd been negotiating with the police and pandering to a gunman whose bomb hadn't even been particularly well-made, while his wife had needed him.
He couldn't even put words to what they might do to her, but his imagination provided graphic pictures.
He'd snatched his phone and called her cell, hoping it would work in Metropolis. He'd heard it ring, and his heart had plunged when the call had been disconnected.
He hadn't known what to do. Then - his cell had beeped, and her message had come through, and Clark had sunk onto his couch, his head in his hands as his galloping heart had pulsed burning blood through his veins.
She was OK.
This time.
Clark pulled his mind from his recollections and refocused on Mayson's story. He wanted to put the paper to bed and get to Melbourne. He would arrive mid-afternoon, hours earlier than the time Lois usually returned from Operation Payback.
But perhaps today, she could come home early. Last night, she would have gotten only a few hours sleep.
He could hope.
Because his heart ached for her.
||_||
"Moke!?"
Lois jumped at the sharpness of Ben's question.
"Sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have shouted."
"You didn't," Lois said. "But you startled me."
He grinned. "Let's go back one step. The bloke in the black shirt, the bloke who was demanding money - the other guy called him 'Moke'?"
"Yes," Lois said. "That's what Clark said."
"Lois Lane," Ben said. "I think I love you."
"Excuse me?"
He just grinned wider at her confusion. "Have you heard of Marcus Kendray?"
"Ah ... yeah ... he's the bloke ... he was in the horse-betting scam a couple of years ago, wasn't he?"
"That's him." Ben replaced his coffee on his desk. "Marcus Kendray ... his *friends* call him 'Moke'."
"He has friends?"
"Not in the sense most people have friends," Ben said with a smile. "He was an illegal bookie who was always willing to give credit to anyone down on their luck."
"Except that usually makes the debt bigger?"
"Usually," Ben said. "And Marcus doesn't take kindly to being owed money."
"What did he do?" Lois asked, struggling to reconcile this conversation with the man she'd seen through the bookshelves in the Metropolis library only a few hours ago.
"The lucky ones, he strangles until they're unconscious," Ben said. "The unlucky ones never wake up."
Lois shuddered as she remembered the powerful muscles on the arms of the man wearing the black shirt. "You think Moke is *that* Marcus Kendray?"
"He had to go somewhere," Ben said. "We've been suspicious that he left Oz ... we stopped finding bodies with a pretty row of bruises around the neck." He chuckled. "He probably thinks he's quite safe in Metropolis."
"Probably," Lois said. "If it *is* him, will you be able to get him extradited from the States?"
"Shouldn't be a problem at all."
"That's assuming they can find him," Lois said, already thinking Superman could help.
Ben scratched his chin. "This bloke, Clark - you said he worked at the Herald Sun for a few weeks?"
"Yeah."
"Was it an exchange situation?"
"Yeah." Ben's meaning hit Lois, and she smiled as she reached into her bag for her mobile. She tapped in the numbers and waited.
"Dan Scardino," came the answering voice.
"Hi, Dan. It's Lois."
"Lois." His surprise was strong enough to stretch across the continent. "How are you?"
"I'm good, thanks. You?"
"Great. It's good to hear from you, Lois. What can I do for you?"
"Dan, I need some information."
"Sure. What do you need to know?"
"Where do the Aussies hang out in Metropolis?"
"At a place called 'The Undercurrent'," Dan said. "It's an Irish Pub with great beer and friendly barmaids."
"Thanks, Dan."
"S'OK, Lois," Dan said. "Good luck on Monday with the vote."
"Thanks." Lois hung up and grinned at Ben. "The Undercurrent," she said. "Do you think Kendray would be stupid enough to mingle with the Aussies?"
"Yep," Ben said with a grin. "Homesickness is a powerful thing."
||_||
Clark closed down his computer and left the dimmed and deserted newsroom. He climbed the stairs, emerged onto the roof, and flew to Melbourne.
||_||
Ben put another cup of steaming coffee in front of Lois and glanced at his watch. "We should hear something soon," he said.
"Thanks for letting me wait here," Lois said. "I'm on tenterhooks about whether I have a story or not."
"Even if the sweep comes up empty, that doesn't mean the bugs were never there. The case may take longer to work, but if there's something there, we will find it."
"This is my first big story," Lois explained.
"Do you only do sport?"
"Yeah."
"Get one of your colleagues to contact me tomorrow, and I'll make sure your paper gets the best of the information if we get Moke."
"Assuming it is Kendray."
"His name is 'Moke' and someone owed him money - that's a good start. It's the middle of the night in the US. We'll give them a call first thing in the morning for them. Hopefully Moke is spending his last few hours as a free man."
"What happens if you find evidence of bugs at the grounds?"
"We go from the AFL to the sound company to their technicians." Ben smiled. "It'll probably happen quickly. I'll keep you in the loop with emails."
"Thanks," Lois said. "Thanks for everything, Ben. You've made this really easy for me. Even when we were with the AFL administrators."
He smiled. "Us footy fans have to stick together."
||_||
"Lois? Honey?"
There was no reply. Clark looked through the wall and into her bedroom in the desperate hope that she was making up for her extremely late night, but the unit was empty.
He pulled his cell from his pocket and looked at it, undecided. She was with Operation Payback - trying to give Hawthorn a future beyond Monday. He really wanted to see her, but he didn't want it to appear as if he expected her to drop everything just because he was available to be with her.
Except he needed her.
He decided to have a shower and change into some jeans and a casual shirt. He'd do it at normal speed. By then, perhaps it would be late enough in the afternoon that he could call her and ask if there was any possibility of her coming home early.
||_||
"This is my wife," Ben said as he showed Lois the photograph in his wallet. "And those two little cuties are our twin daughters."
Lois looked at the photo of the indigenous woman and the two girls with light-brown skin. "They are adorable," Lois said, not having to exaggerate at all.
Ben grinned proudly. "Lucky for me they take after their mother," he said. "Even luckier for them." He snapped shut his wallet and replaced it in his pocket. "Sometimes people are surprised when I show them that photo. I guess that's not what they expect from a white guy."
"I think love is more important than anything else."
He smiled. "So you'd consider a *mixed* marriage?"
Lois chuckled. Was marriage to an alien considered 'mixed'? "I'm in love with an American," she said.
The shrill of Ben's phone cut across their laughter. He lifted the phone to his ear. He listened for a moment, his smile growing wider. "Thanks." He replaced the phone. "Got 'em," he said to Lois.
"Got 'em?"
"Bugs at every ground." Ben shook his head in bewilderment. "They left them there - they probably intended to use them again next year."
"Will you need to talk to Clark?"
"Probably not. How we knew to look for evidence is not as important as the evidence itself - particularly when it's this conclusive." He smiled. "It was a lucky break for both the Victoria Police and the AFL when your friend overheard that conversation."
Lois stood. "Thanks, Ben."
Ben shook her hand. "Good luck with the vote on Monday. I hope Hawthorn survive."
"Are you gonna barrack for the Brisbane Lions?"
He thought for a moment. "If it were just me, I might," he said. "But I want my girls to barrack for a local club."
"Have you chosen one yet?"
"Tell you what," Ben said with a smile. "If the Hawthorn Hawks are still in existence on Tuesday morning, you send me a membership application, and you'll have yourself four new members."
Lois beamed. "How old are you daughters?"
"Three years old."
"I'll send you two little Hawk jumpers, as well."
||_||
"Browny?"
"How's it going, Flinders?"
She stood back against the shop window, her mobile phone tight against her ear as the noise of the late-afternoon crowd flowed past her. "The story held up. Everything."
"Everything?"
"Yep. And a possible bonus that no one expected."
"Struth, Flinders. That's amazing - and to think Clark heard it ..." Lois could easily imagine her editor shaking his head. "Are you coming in now to write it up?"
"I'd like to do it at home," Lois said. "If I come in, there are going to be questions, and I think I'll do better without a lot of interruptions. Is that OK?"
"Lois - you can write it up on the moon if you want to. Can you have it to me before seven?"
"Sure."
"Great work, Flinders."
"Thanks, Browny."
||_||
Clark secured a towel around his waist and wandered from the bathroom and into Lois's bedroom. He heard a noise behind him and a few seconds later, the key slipped into the lock of the front door.
It was Lois. It was her heartbeat.
Clark walked out of the bedroom.
She saw him and stopped.
She quarter smiled as their eyes met.
He half smiled - it was so good to see her.
Her smile widened to three quarter strength, and her eyes dropped lower.
"You're home early," Clark said in a voice that wasn't quite steady.
"I have a story to write up," she said, her gaze meandering up to his face. "I'm hoping you will help me with it."
"Of course. What -"
"I have a deadline, but I reckon we have a few minutes to spare before getting started."
"OK."
"But only a short time," she said with an evocative look that sizzled his blood. "We're going to have to choose whether we want to talk over what happened last night, or whether we want to push that aside for a while and find other ways to make up."
Clark swallowed, not wanting her to know how much he *didn't* want to talk. Not right now. "Ah ..."
Lois grinned. "Considering how you're dressed, I like the second option."
Without waiting for his reply, she reached forward and yanked the towel from his body.
||_||
Aussie pizza - tomato paste, cheese, bacon, and egg
http://figjamandlimecordial.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/aussie-pizza-003.jpg?w=500&h=375 A/N
I have deliberately remained vague when describing the AFL officials and not given them names because my characters cannot be indicative of any RL person. The meeting between Lois, the detective, and the administrators is complete fabrication and nothing more than how I *imagine* such an occurrence would be handled.
