Chapter X
Smallville Municipal Airport
Smallville Municipal Airport wasn't very big. It had a single runway of about 3000 feet, and a little terminal with an agricultural dusting business at one end, the office for Hakes Air Transport Company at the other end, and the FBO in the middle. The FBO was Smallville Flying Services. They provided "Learn to Fly Here" lessons, ran a small diner (specializing in burgers, fries and ice-cream), had somebody listening in to the Unicom very nearly all the time, rented out a few planes, and let people use their phone.
Jonathan Kent didn't bother to go into the terminal; he just pulled the dusty farm truck up to the hangars on the side. "Hey, Jerry!" he shouted. "You around? We brought you a pie!"
A tall, dark-haired man with a thin mustache came out of the hangar, wiping his hands on a rag. "Mr. Hakes is up at the terminal," he said. "I'm Nick Johnson."
"Jonathan Kent," Clark's dad introduced himself, juggling the pie so that he could shake hands. "Reckon we'll just go up and look for Jerry, then. Much obliged."
Clark and Lex tagged along behind Mr. Kent up to the office. Clark noticed Lex look searchingly at Mr. Johnson, and wondered what the older boy had seen that he'd missed.
The conversation with Mr. Hakes proved disappointing. He didn't have anything more to say about the missing parts than what he'd told Lex already over the telephone. If the investigation made any progress at all, it was just to find out that Mr. Hakes wasn't really a suspect. He was jumpy, and sad, and clearly out-of-it in numerous ways. If he was to blame for the problem, it was only in that he was too distraught to pay much attention to his business. He was pathetically grateful for the pie, and for Mr. Kent's friendliness. Even Lex felt sorry for him.
As the three men left Hakes Air Transport Company's disordered little office, they caught sight of a familiar face in the airport diner. Chloe Sullivan was sitting at a little table with a round-faced, curly-haired boy. They were laughing and eating ice cream sundaes.
"Hey, Chloe," Clark greeted her.
Chloe looked up from her tete-a-tete and smiled. "Hey, guys. Hey, Mr. Kent. This is Andy Wilson. Andy, this is Mr. Kent, and Clark Kent, and Lex Luthor. Lex is the one whose stuff disappeared."
Andy stood up to shake hands. Clark could tell that his dad was impressed with the college-boy's manners. "I'm pleased to meet you all," he said. "Would you like to join us?"
Jonathan Kent had to get back to his farmwork, so he left the youngsters to their investigation and headed on home. Clark and Lex said they could catch a ride back with Chloe, whose little red Ford was parked right outside the terminal.
Clark and Lex settled down at the table with the reporter and her friend. Lex ordered a cup of coffee, and Clark ordered a vanilla ice cream cone.
Chloe took another bite of her sundae as the boys got settled around the table. "Tell them about the mechanic, Andy," she prompted.
"Yeah," the student pilot replied. "Well, I don't know why, but Mr. Alvin, my boss at the FBO -- that's Fixed Base Operator, by the way; it means a business that's permanently located at an airport -- he won't refer customers to Hakes's mechanic anymore. He always tells people to go to the Ag -- that's agricultural -- guys' mechanic instead, even though he takes forever to get around to working on other people's planes. I asked him about it, and he said that Nick Johnson just gives him a creepy feeling, and when I've been flying as long as he has, I'll know to trust that feeling, too."
Clark remembered the look that Lex had given Johnson when they met the man briefly outside. He supposed that living with Lionel Luthor for twenty years might well be the equivalent of twenty years of flying a plane when it came to developing the ability to pick up on something creepy.
"Where's Mr. Johnson from?" Lex asked.
"Gotham City," Andy answered. "John Rankin, the new pilot Hakes hired after his wife died, is from there, too. Johnson was the one who recommended him, and I know for a fact that the only other guy who applied for that job got in a car crash the day of the interview."
Clark and Lex looked at each other, but it was Chloe who said it. "That seems really suspicious."
"You don't know the half of it, Chloe," Clark said. He told her all about the adventures he and Lex had encountered after Lana's party the night before.
"Pete came around to the house first thing this morning, so I knew about part of it," Chloe said, "but somebody blew up your car? That's awful!"
Lex smiled sadly at her. "Thank you."
Andy looked at his watch. "Man, is that the time? I gotta go. I have some work I promised to finish before my flying exam this afternoon. If I do well, I'll be a licensed pilot by this time tomorrow!"
Chloe beamed at him and wished him luck. He looked like he was hoping for a kiss or something, but he had to hurry back to work without one.
"There's definitely something going on here," Chloe declared.
The two boys agreed. They all finished their snacks and paid for them. Then Chloe drove them back to the Kent Farm.
Smallville Municipal Airport
Smallville Municipal Airport wasn't very big. It had a single runway of about 3000 feet, and a little terminal with an agricultural dusting business at one end, the office for Hakes Air Transport Company at the other end, and the FBO in the middle. The FBO was Smallville Flying Services. They provided "Learn to Fly Here" lessons, ran a small diner (specializing in burgers, fries and ice-cream), had somebody listening in to the Unicom very nearly all the time, rented out a few planes, and let people use their phone.
Jonathan Kent didn't bother to go into the terminal; he just pulled the dusty farm truck up to the hangars on the side. "Hey, Jerry!" he shouted. "You around? We brought you a pie!"
A tall, dark-haired man with a thin mustache came out of the hangar, wiping his hands on a rag. "Mr. Hakes is up at the terminal," he said. "I'm Nick Johnson."
"Jonathan Kent," Clark's dad introduced himself, juggling the pie so that he could shake hands. "Reckon we'll just go up and look for Jerry, then. Much obliged."
Clark and Lex tagged along behind Mr. Kent up to the office. Clark noticed Lex look searchingly at Mr. Johnson, and wondered what the older boy had seen that he'd missed.
The conversation with Mr. Hakes proved disappointing. He didn't have anything more to say about the missing parts than what he'd told Lex already over the telephone. If the investigation made any progress at all, it was just to find out that Mr. Hakes wasn't really a suspect. He was jumpy, and sad, and clearly out-of-it in numerous ways. If he was to blame for the problem, it was only in that he was too distraught to pay much attention to his business. He was pathetically grateful for the pie, and for Mr. Kent's friendliness. Even Lex felt sorry for him.
As the three men left Hakes Air Transport Company's disordered little office, they caught sight of a familiar face in the airport diner. Chloe Sullivan was sitting at a little table with a round-faced, curly-haired boy. They were laughing and eating ice cream sundaes.
"Hey, Chloe," Clark greeted her.
Chloe looked up from her tete-a-tete and smiled. "Hey, guys. Hey, Mr. Kent. This is Andy Wilson. Andy, this is Mr. Kent, and Clark Kent, and Lex Luthor. Lex is the one whose stuff disappeared."
Andy stood up to shake hands. Clark could tell that his dad was impressed with the college-boy's manners. "I'm pleased to meet you all," he said. "Would you like to join us?"
Jonathan Kent had to get back to his farmwork, so he left the youngsters to their investigation and headed on home. Clark and Lex said they could catch a ride back with Chloe, whose little red Ford was parked right outside the terminal.
Clark and Lex settled down at the table with the reporter and her friend. Lex ordered a cup of coffee, and Clark ordered a vanilla ice cream cone.
Chloe took another bite of her sundae as the boys got settled around the table. "Tell them about the mechanic, Andy," she prompted.
"Yeah," the student pilot replied. "Well, I don't know why, but Mr. Alvin, my boss at the FBO -- that's Fixed Base Operator, by the way; it means a business that's permanently located at an airport -- he won't refer customers to Hakes's mechanic anymore. He always tells people to go to the Ag -- that's agricultural -- guys' mechanic instead, even though he takes forever to get around to working on other people's planes. I asked him about it, and he said that Nick Johnson just gives him a creepy feeling, and when I've been flying as long as he has, I'll know to trust that feeling, too."
Clark remembered the look that Lex had given Johnson when they met the man briefly outside. He supposed that living with Lionel Luthor for twenty years might well be the equivalent of twenty years of flying a plane when it came to developing the ability to pick up on something creepy.
"Where's Mr. Johnson from?" Lex asked.
"Gotham City," Andy answered. "John Rankin, the new pilot Hakes hired after his wife died, is from there, too. Johnson was the one who recommended him, and I know for a fact that the only other guy who applied for that job got in a car crash the day of the interview."
Clark and Lex looked at each other, but it was Chloe who said it. "That seems really suspicious."
"You don't know the half of it, Chloe," Clark said. He told her all about the adventures he and Lex had encountered after Lana's party the night before.
"Pete came around to the house first thing this morning, so I knew about part of it," Chloe said, "but somebody blew up your car? That's awful!"
Lex smiled sadly at her. "Thank you."
Andy looked at his watch. "Man, is that the time? I gotta go. I have some work I promised to finish before my flying exam this afternoon. If I do well, I'll be a licensed pilot by this time tomorrow!"
Chloe beamed at him and wished him luck. He looked like he was hoping for a kiss or something, but he had to hurry back to work without one.
"There's definitely something going on here," Chloe declared.
The two boys agreed. They all finished their snacks and paid for them. Then Chloe drove them back to the Kent Farm.