Chapter Three- "A Father's Love"
Lois looked up at the Metropolis Veteran's Retirement Home and soon took the steps she needed to reach the clerks desk saying, "I called a few hours ago to see Joe Carter, My name's Lois Lane. My father is an old friend of his."
The nurse handed her a visitor's badge and said, "I don't see what Mr. Carter could tell you."
"Why's that?"
"He has Alzheimer's Disease, anything that he does remember is in that old scrapbook he keeps with him." The nurse said escorting Lois past the cafeteria, lounge, music room and towards the rooms.
Once the nurse left Lois was free to walk around Carter's room and look at the old black and white photos especially one that looked as if it had been taken in the early 1950s.
It had a 30 something man dressed in military clothes, he stood at 6'0" with the smile and face of a woman charmer as well as a father. To his left was a young girl who had her arms wrapped around her and smiled at the camera, it was clear that it was Lola.
"Lo?" a husky voice called out causing Lois to turn around and see the once great Captain Joe Carter as a 80 year old wheelchair old man who stared up at her with horned rimmed glasses.
Lois watched the nurse wheel him towards the window as she leaned into whisper, "Don't push him too hard, he's been through a lot."
Lois nodded and walked towards the captain as she pulled out a chair and sat down next to him saying, "You probably don't remember but we've met, my father was Sam Lane."
Carter pulled out his scrapbook and flipped towards the end saying "Three Star General Samuel Lane, Served in Desert Storm and Vietnam. Received the Purple Heart and Medal of honor during two tours of duty."
Lois nodded as she rose to her feet and took the picture frame of Joanne before she died and showed it to him saying, "Can you tell me about Joanne and Charles?"
Carter looked over at Lois and touched her face saying, "I'm so sorry Lo, I only wanted the best for you and that bastard Charles would have taken you down if you ran off with him…
1968- The day before Lola's murder…
Charles fell to the floor spitting out blood as Captain Carter punched him in the face then kicked him in the stomach rolling him onto the ground.
"I want you to get on your bike and get out of this town without seeing or speaking to Lola or so help me I will kill you…" Captain Carter says as he begins to walk away until Charles rises to his feet saying "I've already proposed to her, what's to stop her from running off with me?"
The captain reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of money, he turns to face Charles saying "$500 if you leave town and break it off with Lo, she deserves better then some thug like you."
Charles grabs the captain by the collar, the man just stood still and said "Either you leave or I tell her the truth about you, tell her how her precious Charles is nothing more then a lie."
He let go of him and slowly backed away saying, "What do you want me to do?"
The captain put the $500 dollars in Charles's jean jacket and said "Make her think that you don't love her and I'll make sure she finds someone who will love her"
Charles nodded and turned to his bike and rode off…
Lois looked at the captain surprised and asked, "Why would you do that?"
Tears streamed down his face as he replied, "I was doing it out of love for my daughter, Charles was a hopeless lowlife."
Lois took Carter's hands saying, "I'm sorry you had to do that Cap, but I understand why you did it."
She rose to her feet and walked out leaving Carter to flip through his scrapbook as if they brought back old memories.
The Talon:
Chloe, Lois, and Clark all sat in a triangle each one going over what they've gotten so far…
"Our first suspect is Noel Delany, she was friends with Lola." Chloe said as Lois cut in saying "She also had a fling with Charles before Lola and him ever got together, so that gives her Motive to kill."
Clark reached over to grab the box of shrimp fried rice saying, "True, but Marc Kirby was Lola's Ex and has been bitter about losing her to Charles, but he says that him and Charles became friends by time they where shipped back home after the war."
Chloe and Lois nodded before Lois soon grabbed an egg roll saying, "So aside from two lover's scorned, Captain Carter has the most motive. He paid off Charles to leave her the day before the murder and he's also plotted to get Marc and her back together."
Chloe interjected asking, "Who else has something against Lola?"
Clark pulled out a mug shot of 17 year old boy who sported a cut on his chin and his eyes stared blankly at the camera man, "Meet Joel King, back in 1971 he was arrested for robbery. In 1972 he was seen picking up Charles King from the bus stop the day he got home."
Chloe grabbed the picture from Clark asking, "What does he have to do with this?"
Clark took a sip of water before replying, "I talked to a few people about Joel and found out that he works down at the docks, he's the only one that can tell us where Charles is."
TBC…
I know its short but its so we could push onto the story, I've given you three suspects along with motive…where almost to the truth…REVIEW!
