Episode Four: Pretense
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The drive to the crime scene took less than ten minutes in mid-morning traffic. Chloe drove the streets of Metropolis with extraordinary ease, and Clark wondered how often she traveled through the city on a daily basis. Certainly having been born in Metropolis had something to do with her knowledge of its streets and buildings. When he read the name of Julie Thompson's neighborhood, he realized he had never heard of Black Creek before. However, Chloe knew exactly where to go, and pointed out the immediate similarity between Julie's murder and Erika Lawson's murder, the victim of the first case. Both took place just minutes outside of the city on a mostly vacant road, where overgrown brush could hide the assailants approach on his prey.
Clark mulled over those conclusions as Chloe drove close to the crime scene. Police cars lined in a row on each end of a one-mile radius created a perimeter to keep all bystanders and curious spectators away. The perimeter was also created to keep the press out, as well, though Chloe didn't let that stop her. She brought her VW bug to a halt a few feet from the closest police car, it's lights flashing to warn oncoming traffic to use the detour set a mile before the crime scene. Some cars tried to drive through, but officers were able to stop them before they ventured too far into restricted space. It would be some time before they opened the road to street traffic.
As Chloe shut the car down and fumbled for her purse, her door suddenly swung open. She looked up and saw Clark standing there with a huge smile. "Coming?" he asked.
She smirked. "Aren't you afraid someone will see you when you run around like the Road Runner?"
Clark glanced over his shoulders. "No one's around us really. Plus, I go so fast, no one ever sees me anyway."
A small, brisk breeze rushed past them while Chloe stepped out of the car. Impulsively, she tugged her jacket around her slim form just a little tighter to guard against the chilly air. Too bad she couldn't do the interviews inside her nice, warm car. Luckily Clark was mostly immune to heat, because she was sure any normal man would have begged her to turn the air down to a more livable temperature during their drive. Cold never did suit her well.
Chloe studied the atmosphere of the police scene as they started to walk towards the edge of the perimeter. Clark stood very close to Chloe, though she didn't mind at all. He always stood close to her when they investigated a case together, like he feared what might happen if he let her out of his sight. Of course, he had reason to be worried, because she has been known to find dangerous situations very quickly while alone. It was a gift, really, and one Clark didn't appreciate.
One Jimmy didn't appreciate for that matter, either.
Clark started to run through scenarios and statements they could use to earn their way through the police line. He considered his speed, but that would only bring them more trouble. Though they carried their Daily Planet ID tags and press pass, they were hardly well known reporters. It was likely the police would see them more as a nuisance and insist they leave.
However, his worries were quickly squashed when Chloe shouted to the nearest officer, dressed in a long, brown coat with a badge of his own pinned to his left shoulder.
"Hey, Carlos!" she shouted lightly, their distance still twenty feet from the line.
The officer in the brown coat looked up, and smiled the moment he saw the two of them walking his way. "Chlo ... what are you doing here?"
Chloe sped up her pace to reach Carlos a bit quicker. Clark stayed back from her and watched as the two shared a warm hug. Carlos looked very attractive, to say the least, with dark brown hair and dark eyes. Along with the tip-off from his name, Carlos' dark complexion was a sign of his Latin American background. And Clark suddenly discovered a new reason to be jealous – how many attractive men does Chloe have in her life? He also wondered how often Carlos came to see Chloe, and, as a result, pondered upon Jimmy's reaction to the other man's presence. Apparently by their greeting alone, Chloe and Carlos were close, or had known each other for quite some time. Perhaps their friendship was merely platonic - in the same way Clark was with Chloe.
Yet as he came up closer to them and noticed Carlos' gaze centered completely on the woman of his dreams (more specifically a few centimeters south of her lovely face), Clark knew he wanted nothing more than for this officer to leave.
"Clark," Chloe said, slipping from the officer's grip, "This is Carlos Sanchez. One of the new detectives on the Metropolis Police Department."
Clark smiled and extended his hand. Carlos returned the gesture, and Clark could clearly feel the other man's attempt to squeeze too tightly, to show his superior masculinity in their handshake. Clark merely turned the corner of his mouth in a smirk and squeezed back, forcing Carlos to take his hand away far sooner than he had wanted to, and with more than just a throb of pain coursing through his arm.
Chloe noticed Carlos' jerk, like a reaction of his hand on a stove, and gave Clark an angry glare. He simply shrugged, as if he didn't realize the strength of his grip, though he knew Chloe would never fall for such a lame excuse.
Carlos, on the other hand, never kept his eyes off Clark, his stare one of intense study. "I thought you were going out with that quirky photographer?"
"I am," Chloe said. "But this is my partner, Clark Kent. We're working the case together."
With that explanation alone, the contempt in Carlos' face drained into genuine kindness. Apparently he had a soft spot for Chloe, specifically when other men were involved. And what the other man saw in Clark was not competition for Chloe's affection, but just another like him - a friend who secretly longed for more. And since Carlos, a detective on the police force, found reason to suspect Jimmy, Clark could stand working with the man for the next few days.
"Hate to break it to you two, but Daily Planet reporters have already been here. So have ZNN reporters, and a few of the other networks," Carlos stated, gesturing to a few news vans on the other side of the perimeter. "A few of them came in last night when the call went out. Luckily the police had gotten here first."
Chloe reached back and gestured for Clark to follow. "Well, we're not the average reporters," she said lightly, making Carlos smile. "Can you tell us anything?"
Carlos started to walk towards the nucleus of the perimeter, where police officers and investigators protected the crime scene itself. Much of the area had already been swept through. Julie's car, a Saturn Vue, still sat idle on the side of the road, with the driver's side door open just as she left it. A few forensic investigators were inside the vehicle checking for prints, and gathering other personal belongings. One object in particular caught Chloe's attention - a necklace Julie's husband had given to her for her birthday. It was wrapped neatly in a plastic bag, ready to be used for evidence in the days to come.
Chloe vowed to retrieve it and give it back to Julie's husband after the case was through.
"You know I shouldn't be saying anything to reporters," he said quietly. "Any reporters."
He stopped them just short of the crime scene, and both Clark and Chloe looked out over the large space. A yellow "Do Not Cross - Police Line" ticker tape, propped about four feet off the ground, engulfed the scene in a twenty-foot radius. Chloe could tell the spot where Julie's body had been found due to the amount of attention drawn to the area from photographers and investigators; right next to her car on the left side and in the middle of the road.
Chloe reached inside of her jacket and revealed her digital camera, and immediately Carlos placed a hand on it.
"You're lucky I'm letting you see this. You're boy from the Planet was here last night with those hotshot reporters. They already took enough pictures. They're lucky we even allowed them to last night."
Chloe's stomach dropped. "Jimmy was here last night?"
"Yeah," Carlos replied. "That's why I was surprised you weren't with him, and thought this guy next to you was your boyfriend."
Clark scanned the crime scene with his super vision, and tried hard not to listen to the conversation. Yet a slice of satisfaction drew his pain away when he heard the news. So Jimmy was here last night? And didn't tell Chloe or invite her?
Score one for the farm boy.
Chloe sighed irritably. "Well, then, if we can't take pictures, how about giving us the unedited version of what happened last night? The made for newspaper version probably won't be enough to go on."
Carlos walked closer to the vehicle, but kept Clark, Chloe, and himself behind the yellow ticker tape. "I guess I can give you a little rundown."
"Great," Chloe said, her fingers drawn to the trigger on her camera to shut the flash off. "Whatever you can tell us."
Clark continued to scan the area carefully. He listened to Carlos as he explained the events of the night before, listing a few basic facts Chloe decided to write down in her notepad. All the while, he looked for anything suspicious or missed in the forensic sweep of the crime scene. Police, no matter how careful, were certain to miss something, especially if the object was too small to see.
"Her body was found by a neighbor who heard screams while she was washing the dishes at her kitchen sink. The witness ventured out of her house, came down this long hill right here, and saw the car with its lights still on. The driver's side door was still open, and she figured the driver might have been hit by a car, or perhaps suffered from a medial condition of some sort. When she came around the front, she screamed. She thinks she remembers hearing rustling of those bushes over on the other side there," Carlos explained, turning to point to the line of brush and woods on the far side of the road.
"What did the body look like?" Clark asked from a few feet away, his eyes still cast in concentration across the large area.
Carlos suddenly tightened up a bit, forcing Chloe to step to him with curiosity. "Don't want to tell us the rest?"
Sadness crossed the officer's face. He looked slightly pale, and Chloe could only imagine what might be going through her friend's head. Police officers often witness some of the most gruesome cases known to man, and cannibalism was certainly an evil not easily handled. Chloe had no clue how she would react if she came across something so horrible. Though she's had experience dealing with evil cases, she was sure nothing would have prepared her for this. She had no wish to see any pictures of the body - Julie or Erika's.
"It was just not something I had ever seen before," Carlos finally said, his voice thick and low. "Half her face was missing, most of her neck, chest, and arms eaten away."
Chloe felt her chest tighten with disgust. But she had to ask. "Are you sure it was a man? Are you sure we're not dealing with some rapid bear who hasn't been getting his daily regiment of bird seed and garbage out of the neighbors' backyards?"
Carlos shook his head. "Maybe ... but I've never seen a bear act like this."
Suddenly a huge gush of wind rushed between them like a tornado, sending fallen leaves from the road swirling around them like a geyser. Chloe instinctively placed a hand over her eyes, just as a Carlos cowered to the right, away from the source of the spontaneous windstorm. Yet in the next second it was completely gone, and the air stood still around them. Investigators from inside the vehicle rushed around to grab the instruments forced from their hands during the freak wind gush. Chloe and Carlos finally looked up once they realized the wind had disappeared just as quickly as it had come.
And Chloe caught a glimpse of Clark, his hair tousled, with a knowing smile on his face.
"What the hell was that?" Carlos asked, brushing away the dirt from his coat.
Chloe smirked and looked back to him. "Nature's way of telling us to wrap this up, I guess."
"Probably a good idea, Chlo. There's not much more I can tell you. If you need anything else, give me a call. I might be able to help, but I can't promise it. You're boyfriend has all the pictures you want. Don't forget that. Though the pictures won't be too exclusive since we didn't let reporters in very close."
"Oh, I won't forget," she promised with an irritable glare in her eye.
They gave each other a small hug, and Clark watched from a few feet away as they said goodbye. He wondered when the two of them met, and under what circumstances. Perhaps another case, or maybe in some random coffee shop in the city. Nevertheless, Clark sensed a history between them. Maybe they dated for a little while, though Clark never remembered Chloe ever mentioning a boyfriend in the past. By the way Carlos ogled her throughout their interview, Clark figured their connection might be as simple as a one-night stand.
Clark swallowed hard with the thought, and his stomach churned with sadness.
"Take care of yourself, blondie," Carlos murmured in her ear. "I don't want to come out here again, and find you as the next victim."
Clark stepped up behind her and watched as they exchanged goodbyes. In his pocket, he held on tightly to the object too small for police eyes.
Chloe pulled back from him. "I'll be careful," she said, and then gestured to Clark's large form behind her. "And I have my trusty sidekick. But you be careful, too. You're closer to this case than I am."
"Will do." Carlos looked to Clark and extended his hand. The handshake this time came off well, as neither tried to out due the other. Clark felt a strange sense of dread for this man standing strong in front of them. Oddly, any jealousy he formed when they first met was long gone, replaced only by a fear he couldn't place. Chloe was right - Carlos Sanchez was very close to this case. And Clark worried he might not be fast enough to safe the younger officer when the time came. "Nice meeting you, Clark."
"You, too."
Carlos gave them one more nod before he turned and walked towards the crime scene. He dipped underneath the yellow ticker tape, and Chloe watched with concern as he began to talk to the investigators. Clark started to tug on her elbow to make her move backwards, but she refused him and kept her eyes glued to the tall officer, now shrouded in danger.
"We should go back to the Planet," Clark said to her, his mouth to her ear.
Chloe nodded, and then replied, "I don't have all warm fuzzies when I think of him involved in this. I mean he's only a first year detective."
"Just like us?" Clark asked.
Chloe glanced up to him, knowing he was right. Her journalistic career was just beginning to take form, and Clark's had not even truly started yet. Neither of them was qualified for a case of this magnitude. Just like Carlos told them, the Planet had already assigned two reporters to the case, with a professional photographer and all. And here they were, struggling to make their way past an official police line. It occurred to her then the reason why Jimmy chose to keep his involvement a secret - because he didn't want to scare her. What Clark and Chloe tried to do for him before was true; keep him separated from the murders so he wouldn't be in danger.
Now they all were.
Clark reached down and grabbed her hand. "Ready?" She nodded and let him pull her towards the direction of her VW bug, her face still drawn in deep concentration. Perhaps she was still mulling over Jimmy's sudden role in this case, or perhaps she had not stopped pondering Carlos' safety. Further still, she might be thinking about her lost friend, her death still a shroud of darkness on her heart.
He, however, had only one person on his mind. And he promised to keep her safe until the case was through.
Actually, he promised to keep her safe until the end of time.
"Still thinking about Carlos?" he ventured.
Chloe shrugged. "A little," she murmured. "And about us."
Clark's ears peeked with interest. "Us?
"Yeah ... our safety. You might be able to throw tractors into space, but even you haven't dealt with something like this before. Maybe this thing is wearing kryptonite when it finally catches up to us. Or maybe this thing started out as a hamster, stepped into some meteor rock slime, and is suddenly twice your size?"
"Well, either way, I won't let anything happen to you."
Chloe grimaced slightly, because her worries were not at all solved by his words. She worried about him, too. More than she was willing to admit. And she didn't even know why she worried so much. Clark did have super powers, and he could run faster than all but one person on this earth. Of all the people to worry about, Clark was the last person her heart should be concerned for.
Yet she was concerned. Very concerned. After hearing Carlos' description of the victim, how could she not be? No one knew what this monster looked like, or where it could show up next. They all had reason to keep one eye open at night.
"I do have something that will cheer you up," Clark said quietly, urging them towards the car again.
Chloe smiled with curiosity. "Do you all winds pick up inanimate objects?"
Clark reached deep inside of his coat pocket, and pulled out a large lock of hair. It was about eight inches in length, dark brown in color, and extremely thick in texture, though it was only as wide as a sewer's needle. Chloe took it from him with her thumb and forefinger, studying it carefully. "Where did you find it?"
"In those bushes across from the crime scene," he said.
"I think I've taught you quite well, Mr. Kent," Chloe replied, her grin beaming with pride. "Taking evidence from a crime scene. Very sneaky."
Clark shrugged. "Taking pictures of a crime scene after a detective told you not to? Very sneaky, as well."
She giggled next to him. "How do you know I did that?"
He took her hand once more and led her towards her VW bug, which was now less than twenty yards away. Her hand inside of his felt unbelievable, and for a split second he wondered how her hand would feel as it graced across his naked body. He dreamt of the scenario often enough - the minutes just after their lovemaking. The room would be moist with their desire, and he would listen as their hearts continued to beat as one. Her breath would linger on his cheek a mere whisper of air, but enough to give him goose bumps. The rain outside would pitter-patter against the windows and roof. And her hand would drop across his body, and follow the line of his chest, from his neck down to his abdomen. Then further down to his cock, stroking him, and her words in his ear a rhythm of 'love you' and 'fill me again'.
"Clark?"
Clark blinked a few times and realized they were back at the car - and not in her apartment making passionate love. A long sigh escaped his throat, and he glanced in her direction. Only her bewildered look matched his confused gaze.
"Earth to Clark? Listening to a frequency only super-powered Kryptonians can hear??"
Aware of his embarrassing daydream, he smiled sheepishly. "No," he said after a moment. "Just thinking."
"Ah," Chloe said, amused. "Well, I asked you how you knew I took the pictures."
Clark walked over to the passenger side of the car, just as Chloe proceeded to the driver's side. He pointed to his right ear with a little, knowing grin. "I heard it click."
Chloe nodded, as if she should have known, and dug into her purse for her car keys.
"Where to next?" he asked. He heard the beep from the unlock mechanism, opened his door, and climbed inside.
She did the same, and as she placed the key in the ignition and turned the engine over, she replied, "Well, we need to take the lock of hair to the crime lab. I have a source I trust there."
Clark nodded and settled back into his seat. It was best they didn't give the lock of hair to the police, only because he was sure they would never get a straight answer as to it's origins. More than likely, the murderer of these women was not completely human, whether physically or mentally. Clark wondered if the killer was ever admitted to a mental institution, and decided to give the idea a look when they returned to the Planet.
"But first," Chloe said, interrupting his thoughts.
He gazed up at her, anxious to hear what she had to say.
"I want to know which super model you were thinking about before, because she gave you quite the hard-on," she mused, gesturing to his groin.
Clark glanced down immediately to his waistline, and blushed profusely when he saw the large tent in his jeans. As he daydreamed about Chloe just minutes ago, he had no idea the thoughts were having this kind of effect on him. Of course, his morning relief in the shower should have given him some clue that he was highly tuned to Chloe today. No wonder she looked at him as if he had two heads. And actually, I was only thinking with one of them, he thought, blushing ever deeper.
If you only knew, Chloe ... I was thinking about the very best.
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to be continued ...