Sadly, several weeks after the investigation had closed, Henderson had been shot and killed.

Oh my god, I clutched my pearls when I read this! Well, now we
HAVE to set the timeline back on track! Not Henderson!

I've been elevated to invoking pearl clutching status!!!! I feel honoured.
Oh, I just love the way you're popping Star into this story. I love when she gets the 'good friend' narrative. She really was.
Star was an absolute nut job... but I really liked her character.
Though in retrospect it was more mocking than teasing.
This is such a great distinction, and used so well here on someone remembering it 20+ years later.
Lois could be fairly cruel and cutting to Clark in that first year. Even though she hasn't lived her life with him, time and loneliness have smoothed some of those rough edges that Clark wasn't there to.
Thanks for the great feedback!