What JP's bedroom lacked in character, his barn fortress made up for it in spades. The loft was wide and spacious with plush couches in the corner covered with brightly colored blankets. Several Rolling Stones and Metropolis Sharks posters were plastered on the walls, along with a slightly suspicious East Kansas State Phi-Beta Phi girl of the month calendar. Abby rolled her eyes at the cliché, but was surprisingly relieved to see that JP was in fact a typical red-blooded male.
The room was complete with a pool table, a big screen television and X-box, it was a haven. The only object that seemed out of place was a lowly telescope by the window. It seemed out dated, practically an antique, yet it was in good condition so had obviously been taken care of. Abby walked over to the telescope and peeked through the hole but the lens was blurry and she couldn't make out any shapes.
"Don't touch that" JP said as he walked into the loft
"Why? It's broken anyway?' Abby replied
"Exactly, so I don't need you to damage it even more than it already is"
"You know, you really have been nothing but hostile towards me since I got here. You didn't say anything at dinner; you just sat there with a scowl on your face"
"I'm not sure how you actually expected me to get a word in edgewise. I've never met anyone before who can eat three helpings of chicken pot pie while talking sixty miles a minute. It's amazing you didn't choke to death"
"You sound slightly disappointed that I didn't"
"Your words, not mine" he smirked
"Look I know we sort of got off on the wrong foot with the whole breaking and entering thing, but like I told you before I'm just trying to get some answers. This whole week has been one long crazy blur and all I really want is a Swedish massage and an endless chocolate fountain. So how about cutting me a little slack?"
"You're a real piece of work you know that? You are the one, who comes barging into my room, snoops through my stuff, lands a bombshell on me and then just goes and has dinner with me and my grandmother chatting up a storm like nothing happened. Now you want me to just cut you some slack? You know you really are a spoiled Metropolis brat" he said harshly
Abby stared at him, surprised at how much his words actually stung. She wasn't used to feeling so disarmed, and she didn't like it one bit. Still, she had never been one to take things lying down and she wasn't about to start now. Who did he think he was? Anger began to swell inside her and she did what she did best, she snapped.
"Where do you get off calling me a spoiled brat?" she asked "you need to take good look in the mirror because seriously if anyone is spoiled it's you. Your right I did drop a bomb shell on you and then enjoyed a civilized dinner with your Grandmother, but what would you have liked me to have done? Do you think any of this is easy for me? I hated having to sit there and lie to your Grandmother and pretend nothing was wrong. My whole life all I've ever wanted was for someone to make me chicken pot pie and ask me about school and you had to ruin it by looking at me like some sort of leper. Now you have a decision to make, you can either sulk or you can get off your high horse a help me figure out what the hell is going on"
JP's hard face softened slightly and she knew she hit a nerve. He gazed at her earnestly and said "truce?"
"Truce" Abby agreed.
His gaze lingered slightly longer than needed and Abby felt her heart skip a beat. Ignoring the feeling she quickly averted her eyes.
JP broke the silence and said "Ok, tell me exactly what you know about my Mother's death"
"Unfortunately it's all still a bit of a mystery, but clearly Oliver knew something wasn't right" She pulled out large folder from her bag which she had thrown on the couch earlier. "This is an article from June 25, five days after Lois's death. It's the autopsy release to the press. The autopsy was performed by a Dr. Emil Hamilton she said handing him the article"
JP's eye brows shot up "Emil Hamilton? Are you sure?"
"That's what it says in fine print. Why do know him?"
"He was my pediatrician. I only saw him every couple of years for a physical and what not. I've never had any health issues so I haven't seen him in a long time."
"Why would you go see a Doctor all the way in Metropolis?"
"He was my Mom's doctor when she was pregnant with me. He was a personal friend of my parent's so as a favor to them he would never charge my grandmother for physicals so that's why she would bring me to see him. But why would a pediatrician be performing autopsies?"
"Dr. Emil Hamilton isn't just a family physician, he's a Harvard educated genus responsible for a lot of break through medicine. He was personally employed by Oliver Queen to help run Queen Industries medical research foundation. He retired two years ago but he's still on the Queen Industry payroll as a medical consultant"
JP read over the article. "All this says is that my Mother's injuries were conclusive with a direct impact car accident. It clearly says that due to the autopsy results the police found no evidence of foul play and declared her death officially an accident."
"You're right that is exactly what it says."
"But you just told me my Mother was murdered."
"That article wasn't something I found in Oliver Queens box of mystery" she said as she pulled out another paper "but this….is" handing the paper to him
"What's this?"
"That is Dr. Emil Hamilton's official autopsy report. I had to browse through several medical journals to make heads or tails of it but it seems that there were traces of some kind of toxin in Lois's system. Emil managed to trace it to a drug called Glycosin"
"I've never heard of it."
"That's because it's strictly black market only and certainly not FDA approved. It's almost untraceable once it enters the bloodstream and it would most likely be missed on any common autopsy, but Emil was thorough"
"What does the drug do?"
"It takes muscle relaxers to a whole new level. It causes complete paralysis in its victims, dulling there motor senses completely. It takes a while to take effect but once it does it comes on quickly and someone wouldn't have much time to react"
"Meaning if my Mother did have it in her system it could have caused her to lose control of the car"
"Exactly"
"Why would someone drug my Mother?"
"Why isn't the question, the question is who. I dug up everything I possibly could on Glycosin, but the only thing of any interest I could find was a small research study done by Wayne Enterprises over fifteen years ago. It was a failed attempt to dilute the drug to still have the same effect, only slightly less extreme. My guess is the Bruce Wayne wanted it as some sort of disarming weapon he could use for his extracurricular night time activities dressed as a bat"
"So your saying Batman had something to do with this?"
"Not exactly, you see using the study I was able to trace the drugs original origins. Back in 2017, Wayne Enterprises and Queen Industries were the head honchos in buying out all Luthor Corp stock when Lex was arrested. Eventually they took over the Company but before they shut it down they had an all access pass to any research done by Luthor Corp. Of course Lex was no fool; before he was locked up he had most of his research destroyed so deep that even moguls like Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen could not touch it. Still, he hadn't managed to get rid of everything and I was able to dig up an article about a research lab Lex had developed right here in Smallville. I couldn't find much but there was a young Scientist employed there named Jonathan Crane who specialized in manipulating chemicals in order to provoke physical and mental reactions in people."
"Where have I heard that name before?" JP asked
"Jonathan Crane made his way to Gotham City ten years ago where he was employed as a psychotherapist. It was in Gotham that he created a toxin that manipulates fear. He turned on the people of the city and tried to use the toxin for evil, the press called him 'The Scarecrow.' Batman put him an institution and threw away the key."
"I remember that. It was all over the news. He made the whole city re-live there darkest fear, it was awful"
"One of the many reasons I would never live in Gotham. It's as creepy as it is smoggy"
"So you think this Jonathan Crane had something to do with developing Glycosin?"
"I don't think, I know. Due to police records I was able to find copies of Jonathan Crane's medical journal that had been put into evidence when he was institutionalized. Lex must not have known about the journal's existence otherwise I doubt it would have seen the light of day. Jonathan Crane was specific in his journal about his time in Smallville. He helped Lex create many different lethal toxins and he specifically mentioned Glycosin. Luther Corp was directly responsible for funding its creation and Lex was the only person with direct access to it."
"Why didn't Oliver Queen expose him? He had to have suspected that Lex was involved or why bother hiding the autopsy?"
"This theory is far-fetched as it is. The journal is the only real piece of evidence that links Lex to a possible murder, and given the fact the journal didn't surface until ten years after Lois's death, I'm guessing Oliver didn't have much to go on at the time."
"None of this answers why Oliver would want to keep this hidden, or why it has anything to do with him in the first place?"
"Like I said, it's all still a mystery, but whatever his reasons may be he wanted me to find out. This autopsy is just the tip of the iceberg; I mean we are talking over twenty years of secrets, and somehow they have to be connected."
"What other kinds of secrets are being hidden?"
Looking into his face Abby saw the need in his eyes to know everything and in that moment she wanted nothing more than to tell him. The biggest secret of all was on the tip of her tongue but yet, she hesitated. This was about being a good reporter and a good reporter would never divulge their most important information to a source they didn't know anything about. No, she had to get handle on him first, find out what he knew. She couldn't get emotionally involved, it was the only way she was going to be able to crack the story of the century.
Luckily before she could answer the sounds of a female tumbling loudly up the stairs distracted them both.
"Alright JP, you're in big trouble! Ditching me at the movies on a Friday night is so not cool…" the girl stopped when she saw Abby and JP huddled on the couch. "Oh sorry, I didn't mean to uh…interrupt"
Abby noticed it was the same girl from the photographs. She was just as pretty as the pictures with a tall slender form and long raven hair. She was the picture of Midwestern beauty with a peaches and cream complexion and sky blue eyes. Even in a simple cotton shirt and jeans she looked amazing and Abby suddenly felt slightly intimidated.
"Movies…right…I'm so sorry I completely forgot. I was…distracted"
"Yeah I can see that" she said
The girl looked at the two of them on the couch and Abby realized they were huddled together very closely. She obviously thought she had caught JP and Abby in the middle of a romantic interlude. Seeing the look on her face JP immediately set the record straight.
He blushed slightly and said "Not THAT kind of distracted"
"Aren't you going to introduce me honey bun?" Abby said fluttering eyelashes mockingly
"Riley Ross, meet Span of Satan."
Abby jabbed him in the rib cage. "I usually go by Abby Olsen actually, nice to meet you."
"Likewise I'm sure" Riley said with an amused smile
"Abby is Jimmy Olsen's niece from Metropolis. She's in town visiting."
"The one he had to bail out of Juvie?" Riley asked incredulously as JP smirked.
Abby sighed. "Well it's nice to see my reputation has preceded me all the way to Smallville."
They stood in awkward silence for a moment.
"Sorry I've obviously interrupted something. I'll just stop by later" Riley said and headed towards the door.
"No, Riley wait, we were just talking" JP said
"Yeah, sorry if JP missed the movies, I'd be royally pissed too but it's totally my fault. I was waiting for my Uncle and Farmboy here was nice enough to keep me company but frankly he's getting on my nerves so please stay if for no other reason than for my own sanity's sake"
JP rolled his eyes and Riley laughed obviously enjoying JP's frustration. Abby immediately decided she liked Riley Ross.
"So how long are you in Smallville? Riley asked Abby
"I'm not really sure. I'll have to go back before my finals in a couple of weeks."
"Oh yeah, we have finals coming up soon too. I don't want to even think about studying." She said dramatically. She then looked over at JP and a worried expression came over her face. "Hey are you alright? You look a little pale" she said as she lightly brushed the hair out of his eyes.
For reasons she couldn't explain Abby felt a stab of jealousy at the intimate gesture.
"I'm fine. It's just been a very long day" he said giving Abby a knowing look.
Riley glanced between the two and said "ok what exactly am I missing here?"
Abby looked at JP and he nodded.
"Funny you should ask…" Abby said as she began to tell Riley the whole sordid tale.
oOoOo
"Wow" Riley said
"I know right" Abby replied
JP had listened to Abby regale the saga again to Riley, and he still couldn't believe it was real. His whole life he had believed one thing only to learn that it was something different entirely. His mind was overloaded with confusion and disbelieve as he tried to wrap his head around the events of the past week. His World had gone from meek and mediocre to crazy and intense practically overnight and it was a lot to take in. It didn't help that Abby Olsen was a pain in the ass. He watched her telling the story and boy did she have a flair for the dramatic, Riley was riveted. She had conveniently forgotten to mention her breaking and entering scheme making herself sound like some kind of wounded hero instead of a snoop. Still, he had to admit she was a damn good reporter, which he respected. JP never would have been able to research and connect the dots quite as easily as she did. He knew he was going to need her help to solve this mystery and that drove him crazy.
"So you have no idea why Oliver Queen sent you any of this?" Riley asked
"Not a clue" Abby replied
"Ok, well this may sound like a stupid question but did you just try asking him? He lives in Metropolis so I'm sure you could find a way to track him down" Riley said
"Trust me, I've tried everything but breaking down the door of his mansion. And even then I only didn't because the door was made of iron"
"Well JP can take care of that" Riley replied matter of fact
JP threw her a warning look as Abby replied curiously "what do you mean"
Riley ignored the look obviously not talking about his iron strength to knock down the door. "I mean JP might be able to get Oliver to talk. His parents were good friends of Oliver's so I'm sure he would explain everything to JP. He obviously cares about JP or he wouldn't give him such awesome gifts every year" she said pointing to the pool table and big screen TV.
"Oliver Queen bought you a pool table? You made it sound like he just signed a card every Christmas" Abby said accusingly
"Well he may as well have" JP said defensively "sure the Guy buys me nice gifts but he has never once made any attempt to contact me or my Grandma what-so-ever. Now I find out he's been hiding things from us? Sorry but I have no interest in talking to him, he may have sent all of this stuff for a reason but I can figure it out myself" Trying to change the subject he asked Abby "so what else you got?"
Abby pulled out her folder. "There is something else I haven't been able to figure out" She grabbed several articles and gave them to Riley and JP "these don't seem to fit with the stream of everything else, and I haven't been able to find a clear connection"
JP read over the first article. It was just an announcement from 2009 about the renovation of some old building in downtown Metropolis. Apparently the building was a city landmark that had been around since the late 1800's and had once served as some sort of religious temple. It was known for having a wide window that you could see the entire city of Metropolis from the top. The building had fallen in to a bad part of town and had simply been abandoned and left for graffiti artist and squatters. However, do-gooder Queen bought the building and paid for its renovations in order to have a downtown office. It wasn't exactly ground breaking news. The second article was similar in theme except it was from only a few months after his Mother's death, stating Oliver's intention to close the office which he claimed was due to a slight economic downturn.
"I did some research and Queen still owns the building, but it hasn't been used since it closed. The city even offered to buy it back from Oliver in hopes of turning it into a small historical museum, but he refused. For whatever reason he is still holding on to it so it has to mean something." Abby said
"Have you been able to make any kind of connection with my Mother's death?" JP asked
"Well, it's a total long shot but I did find the buildings old phone records"
"How could you find those? Phone records aren't public record" Riley asked curiously
"I have a friend down at the police station whose usually keen on doing favors if you sneak him a case of beer" Abby replied
"Oh" Riley replied, clearly baffled
"Anyway, there was one phone call made on the night of Lois's death that was slightly suspicious. It was made from a pay phone only two blocks from the car crash and only about five minutes before the eye witness claimed to have seen the crash. It's a long shot I know, but it's all I've got so far"
"So you think that Lois could have made a phone call to the Oliver Queen's building?" Riley asked
"It's possible, but I can't prove it. The weird part is according to my friend at the police station the office had two numbers. One was the main line to Queen Industry's reception and the other was restricted. The phone call from the pay phone was made directly to the restricted line"
"Any clue who could have had access to the restricted line?" JP asked
"Well the phone line was connected to the top floor which according to employee records was key coded and only authorized personnel could access the floor via a security card"
"Is there a way to find out the employees who were authorized?" Riley asked
"That's the other weird thing, only one employee on the payroll besides Oliver Queen was shown as having security clearance but it's a total dead end"
"What do you mean dead end?" asked JP
"Meaning there is not a single record of this person. I've looked in every data base possible and I can't find so much as bus pass, it's like she simply doesn't exist"
"What was the name?" Riley and JP asked at the same time
"Somebody named Chloe Sullivan"
A/N-Thanks again for all the support I've had so far for this story! It's really been fun writing it. I wasn't going to post this chapter yet because it technically isn't finished, as this barn scene does continue. However, I haven't quite finished the second half yet but I was anxious to post something so I decided to just leave you with a cliffhanger instead! I was a big fan of Chloe on the show but I wasn't sure how she was going to fit into this world so I didn't think I was going to bring her in. Then the more I thought about it the more I decided it just wouldn't be the same without her. So I hope you'll be pleasantly surprised by her character arch and her involvement in this story. Again I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors that you may come across; I promise I'm working on it. Thanks for reading!
