Chapter II
An Air Disaster
"Hey, Dad!" Clark yelled as he barreled into the neat, cheery kitchen of the Kent farmhouse later that afternoon, his chores finished. "Do you know anybody down at the airport?"
Handsome, athletic-looking farmer Jonathan Kent looked up from his seed catalog. "Sure I do. I've lived here all my life, you know. Where's the fire? And did you wipe your feet?"
"Um," said Clark. He went back out to the porch, wiped his boots, and then came in again, less boisterously.
Jonathan took off his wire-rimmed spectacles and put them away. He gestured for Clark to take a seat, and the tall boy folded himself into a chair at the kitchen table. "What do you want to know about the Smallville Airport?"
"I want to know about Mr. Hakes's air transport company."
"Why?"
"Lex hired him to bring some parts from Gotham for the factory, and they disappeared."
Jonathan gave a little shake of his head. "Lex Luthor. Don't you go giving poor Jerry Hakes trouble, now. He's had a hard time."
"What do you mean?"
"Several weeks ago his best plane went down without a trace. His wife was piloting it. Poor Jerry hasn't been the same since."
"Gee, that's rough. It might explain why he's had things go missing, though," Clark mused. "Maybe he's just too upset to keep track of his business."
Jonathan pursed his lips disapprovingly. "Clark, when your reaction to hearing about a man losing his wife is to worry about how it'll affect his business, I know you've been hanging around with Lex Luthor too long."
Clark blushed. "I didn't mean it like that, Dad. But Lex really needs those parts, and I told him I'd help figure out what happened to them."
Jonathan sighed. "Well, I haven't seen poor Jerry in quite a while. Tomorrow's Saturday. Tell you what, in the morning after chores I'll drive you out to the airport and we'll bring him some of your mother's homemade pie. You can ask him about the missing cargo, but be nice. Lex can come, too."
Clark beamed. "Thanks, Dad. That would be great!"
An Air Disaster
"Hey, Dad!" Clark yelled as he barreled into the neat, cheery kitchen of the Kent farmhouse later that afternoon, his chores finished. "Do you know anybody down at the airport?"
Handsome, athletic-looking farmer Jonathan Kent looked up from his seed catalog. "Sure I do. I've lived here all my life, you know. Where's the fire? And did you wipe your feet?"
"Um," said Clark. He went back out to the porch, wiped his boots, and then came in again, less boisterously.
Jonathan took off his wire-rimmed spectacles and put them away. He gestured for Clark to take a seat, and the tall boy folded himself into a chair at the kitchen table. "What do you want to know about the Smallville Airport?"
"I want to know about Mr. Hakes's air transport company."
"Why?"
"Lex hired him to bring some parts from Gotham for the factory, and they disappeared."
Jonathan gave a little shake of his head. "Lex Luthor. Don't you go giving poor Jerry Hakes trouble, now. He's had a hard time."
"What do you mean?"
"Several weeks ago his best plane went down without a trace. His wife was piloting it. Poor Jerry hasn't been the same since."
"Gee, that's rough. It might explain why he's had things go missing, though," Clark mused. "Maybe he's just too upset to keep track of his business."
Jonathan pursed his lips disapprovingly. "Clark, when your reaction to hearing about a man losing his wife is to worry about how it'll affect his business, I know you've been hanging around with Lex Luthor too long."
Clark blushed. "I didn't mean it like that, Dad. But Lex really needs those parts, and I told him I'd help figure out what happened to them."
Jonathan sighed. "Well, I haven't seen poor Jerry in quite a while. Tomorrow's Saturday. Tell you what, in the morning after chores I'll drive you out to the airport and we'll bring him some of your mother's homemade pie. You can ask him about the missing cargo, but be nice. Lex can come, too."
Clark beamed. "Thanks, Dad. That would be great!"