"Um, Clark? Do you want to tell me again why we're in the middle of
nowhere in the middle of the night?" Pete whispered loudly as he followed
his friend down the deserted road. Pete held a flashlight so they could
see where they were going, although Clark didn't really need it. He could
actually see pretty well in the dark, although he wasn't sure if that was
part of his alien origins or just all the carrots his mother had fed him
over the years.
"There's Chloe's car," his finally whispered back as they spotted Chloe's old pink Dodge by the side of the road. Chloe was bundled up in a fur-lined jacket and a hat, and she was grinning from ear to ear.
"Clark, I don't say this very often, but I think you're on to something here."
"Shhh," Pete hissed, but Chloe rolled her eyes.
"Pete, were a mile from the Winters' place. No one else lives out here- relax."
"You're not the one whose own mother is going to stick him behind bars for breaking and entering," Pete groused.
"Trespassing, Pete. Just trespassing," Chloe corrected. "Did you bring something to hold the soil samples?"
Clark held up a box of baggies. "It's not very scientific, but it should do."
"Good. There is still a deputy stationed in the Winters' driveway, but he's off at eleven."
As they started walking Clark raised his eyebrows. "How do you know that?"
Chloe had the graciousness to blush. "I kinda pretended I was lost and kinda stopped to ask him directions. We got to chatting."
"Smooth, Chloe," Pete offered.
"Anyway, it's almost that now," Chloe said, shining her flashlight on her watch. "So we should be ok. Clark, are you sure you know where we're going?"
"Yeah. See that fence up ahead? That's the western property line."
"OK." Chloe handed her flashlight to Clark to hold while she clambered over the low fence; Clark followed, holding Pete's backpack as the other boy carefully avoided getting his clothes snagged in the wire barbs.
"Man, Pete, this backpack weighs a ton!" Clark complained. "What's in here?"
"More bags, an extra flashlight, some rope, and a bottle of water in case we're out here awhile." He looked defensively at the other two. "I just wanted to cover all our bases."
"Good thinking, Pete," Clark sighed, heaving the backpack back over to his friend.
The night was perfectly still, broken only by the occasional hoots of an owl and the rustle of the trees. In the distance they could see the dark shape of the empty Winters house huddled against the horizon.
"Here's what we should do-if Clark is right, and the soil is contaminated with run-off from the quarry, then there's no telling were we'll find the greatest concentration. So we need to take some random samples, but be sure to remember where they came from."
Clark frowned. "And how, exactly, do we do that?"
"I dunno, make a note or something," Chloe shrugged.
"Uh, Chloe, are you sure you know what you're doing?" Clark was starting to wonder if maybe he should have called Dr. Carter, or even Lex, instead of involving Chloe.
"Sure. I looked "soil sampling" up on the Internet."
Pete shot his friend a knowing look. "Oh, she looked it up on the Internet. We're in good shape, then."
"Get going, you two. I'll cover the area closer to the trees; you two try to get some samples closer to the house."
While Chloe heading for the tree line, careful to keep her flashlight beam close to the ground, Pete and Clark moved closer to the house.
"Do you think anyone can see us from the highway?" Pete fretted.
"They'd have to have on night-vision goggles," Clark told him. "Let's just get this over with."
The two young men chose a spot about a hundred yards from the Winters' tool shed. Pete shook his head.
"Better let me do this, Clark. If the ground is contaminated with meteor rocks it might make you sick, and you're too heavy to carry out of here."
Clark held the flashlight while Pete carefully scooped some of the loose black soil into a bag.
"You know, Pete, I'm starting to think I was wrong about this."
Pete stood and brushed off his hands.
"How so?"
"Well, I've been out here a couple of times, and I've never felt sick."
"Not even a little?"
"No. So maybe it's something else; not the meteorites."
Pete frowned as he stowed the bag of dirt in his backpack.
"What about back in the woods? Where you and A.J. found Mr. Jasper's body? That's a lot closer to the quarry than we are now."
Clark thought carefully. "I don't think so," he said finally. "Maybe I felt a little sick, but that was more from finding the body than anything else."
"Hey, it's still a pretty good theory," Pete consoled. "Even the EPA said they thought it could have been some kind of environmental contamination. Everyone was just so sure it was at LexCorp no one thought to look out here."
"Maybe." Clark had been so sure, when his brain had finally assembled Chloe's comment about the quarry with his father's about the poor drainage on the Winters' property, that he'd solved the mystery. Now, however, he felt more confused than before.
They moved in a zigzag pattern, taking a half a dozen more soil samples, but Clark still felt fine. It was probably the first time in his life he was disappointed that the meteor rocks weren't around to make him sick. After a while they took a break and split the bottle of water Pete had brought with him from home.
"Maybe LuthorCorp dumped some chemicals out here, like they did at your place," Pete continued to theorize as he took a swig out of the bottle. "Or maybe it's some kind of air-born pollutant from the fertilizer plant; we're only a few miles away."
Clark only shrugged.
"Or maybe something's leeching out of the old granite mine; Dad says hard rock mines used to use all sorts of chemicals and explosives."
"Which we used to swim in," Clark winced.
Pete polished off the bottle, and stood. "I used to swim in, anyway. That place used to give you stomach cramps so bad you couldn't go in the water, remember?"
"I remember." The other boys had teased him about being afraid of the murky water. "At least now we know why I couldn't go near it."
"Guess so," Pete grinned. "I'm gonna refill the bottle."
Clark nodded, thinking gloomy thoughts to himself. Chloe suddenly reappeared, shining her flashlight in his eyes.
"What's this, Kent? Slacking off already?"
Clark shielded his eyes. "We've got a bunch of samples. How'd you do?"
Chloe flopped down next to him in the damp grass, shoving the samples she had collected into Pete's backpack. "About the same. I didn't see anything unusual-just a couple of pebbles and a few worms. And they didn't look mutated or anything."
Clark was tempted to laugh at the disappointment in her voice, but didn't. Instead he rubbed his neck. "Sorry. Maybe this was a wild goose chase."
Pete reappeared and held out the bottle to Chloe. "Want a sip? It's from the outdoor pump, so it's nice and cold."
"No thanks. And don't give up yet, Clark; I'll ask Dr. Carter tomorrow who we should send these to, and we'll see if they can come up with anything. We'll get to this bottom of this, I'm."
"Hey, you kids!"
A beam of light, much brighter than their own battery-powered flashlights, suddenly flashed in their direction. A small figure was standing on the Winters' front porch. All three of them froze.
"Chloe, I thought you said no one would be here!" Clark hissed.
"I guess he lied," Chloe said back. "What a creep!"
The beam of light was getting closer.
"What do we do?" Pete asked.
"Um.run!" Chloe grabbed Pete's backpack and took off in the direction of the road.
Clark and Pete stared after her for a split second, and then ran after her.
"Unbelievable," Pete huffed.
Clark, who didn't have to put much effort into running, glanced over his shoulder.
"He doesn't seem to be following us," he offered as they all hastily scaled the fence again.
"We were done-ouch!-anyway, Clark." Chloe rubbed her elbow where she'd caught it on the fence. Both she and Pete were out of breath and panting, and Clark was careful to imitate their labored breathing.
"He probably thought we were out here smoking or something," Chloe told them. "He was just trying to scare us off."
"Mission accomplished, then," Pete said shakily.
Chloe proudly held up his backpack. "Look, the important thing is that I saved the samples. If there's any evidence here, I'll find it."
"Oh, I'm so pleased," Pete said sarcastically. "Can we go now, or do you want to give the sheriff's department a chance to catch up to us?"
"No, I'm good." Chloe smiled. *************************************
"I still think that was an incredibly risky thing you guys did, Clark," Catherine frowned as she spoke into her cell phone. She was sitting on the end of her brother's hospital bed, and A.J. watched her with a curious expression.
"I know you meant well, but you should have let me handle it. Well, what's done is done." She placed her hand over the mouthpiece as spoke to her brother.
"Chloe wants to run the samples into Metropolis this morning."
"She isn't one to let grass grow under her feet," A.J. nodded his head, and then winced. He still didn't quite have this concussion thing down yet.
Catherine spoke into the phone again. "No, it's ok, I've already made a few calls. The guy you want to talk to is Kevin Thalos, at Metropolis University's applied chemistry lab. I knew him in college-he should be able to get you some kind of answer right away. Yeah, I'll tell him to expect Chloe by noon. Uh huh. And, Clark? Please be more careful next time. Right. Bye."
She hung up the phone and eyed her brother.
"Man, I thought you were a lot of trouble."
"Gee, thanks." He was thoughtful for a long moment. "Do you really think they're on to something?"
She sighed. "Could be. If Kevin finds anything I'm sure it will all have to be re-sampled and re-tested a dozen or more times before anyone's convinced." She studied her fingernails for a moment. "I'm still wondering about the mode of transmission, though."
"Transmission?"
"Well, if the soil is contaminated, that might make a person sick, sure. Lead, or arsenic, or any other of the heavy metals will put someone in the hospital for sure. But from what Clark tells me the Winters weren't farming the land. Mrs. Winters didn't even garden. So how did Winters and Jasper absorb enough of whatever substance it was to kill them, and kill them in such an unusual way? No, something's still not adding up." Cate paused to smile at her brother. "But I'm sure they'll get to the bottom of it, even without our help."
A.J.'s faced became shadowed. "Guess they'll have to."
Catherine sighed. "A.J., you know Lex wants you to go back to Metropolis because he's worried about you, right? We talked about it last night, and I have to say he's right."
"Fine."
"No, it's not fine. I don't want the two of you parting on bad terms."
"You never liked him anyway."
She tried to gentle her tone a bit. "Be that as it may, if you're going to accept him as your brother you have to expect him to treat you like a brother. And that means worrying about you and wanting you safe."
"And treating me like a baby."
A.J. looked so petulant as he said this that his sister had to stifle a laugh.
She shook her head. "A.J., sometimes I forget how young you really are."
He frowned. "What does that mean?"
"It means I want you to forgive him."
"From what I hear forgiveness isn't a real strong Luthor trait."
"But you're not a Luthor." She squeezed his foot. "You're a Carter, remember?"
Catherine stood. "Think about what I said, ok? I have to go get your stuff packed if we're leaving tomorrow."
After his sister left A.J. rolled on to his left side, careful to avoid putting pressure on his bruised ribs. He scrunched his pillow but couldn't seem to get comfortable in any position. He finally gave up and just stared at the ceiling. **********************************************
"Hey, Lex? Have you got a second?"
Lex turned, car keys in hand, to find Pete Ross standing outside the Talon's back door. The sun had already started to set, turning the clear sky a rosy orange. Lex had opted to park his car at the back of the building, not the front, where scorch marks still marred the street. He shifted his cup of coffee to his other hand.
"Yes, Pete?"
It was a strange moment as the two men stood facing in other in silence for a long moment. Lex knew Pete didn't like him, had never liked him. In fact, he didn't think the two of them had exchanged more than a few dozen words since he'd come to Smallville more than a year before. And those words were usually either about Clark or to remind Lex that his father had once cheated the Ross family out of their creamed corn factory.
As if anyone in this town has ever left me forget that, Lex thought to himself. He braced himself for another barrage of criticism, but it didn't come. Instead Pete just stood there, looking very thoughtful.
"Look, um, Lex," Pete finally began. "I know you and I don't see eye to eye on much. Well, I guess there's Clark, but that's about it."
"I know." Lex raised his eyebrows. "Do you have a point? My latte's getting cold."
Pete straightened his back a little. "You don't need to be rude. I'm trying here."
Lex sighed and set the cup on his car's roof. "You're right, Pete. Sometimes I don't think before I speak. Sorry."
A ghost of a smiled flitted across Pete's face. "Sometimes I don't either. Look, maybe you heard that somebody chucked a brick through our living room window the first night of the hearing. And my mom's been getting hate mail."
"I'm sorry to hear that. You don't think I'm involved, do you?"
"No, for once I don't." Pete shook his head. "But, after what happened to Carter, I'm worried. And I guess.I was hoping."
Lex let the younger man fumble for words for a few seconds, and then took pity on him.
"You want to know what I know about the investigation?"
Pete looked relieved. "Yes. Just.have the cops made any headway with Erickson? Do they know more about."
"Look, Pete, I'd be happy to talk to you about it. But I need to swing by the mansion and then head out to the hospital to see A.J. I'll tell you what, if you don't mind coming with me we can talk in the car. Then I can drop you home on the way to Smallville General."
Pete clearly looked torn between wanting information and not wanting to spend any more time in Lex's company than he had to. Lex was pretty sure he would say no, but then Pete glanced behind him at the Ferrari. That seemed to clinch the deal.
"OK, as long as it's not out of your way."
"Not at all."
Lex unlocked the passenger door, grabbed his coffee and slid behind the steering wheel. Pete was looking around him at the leather interior and the solid wood dash.
"Nice," he admitted, somewhat grudgingly, as Lex started the engine.
"I had it imported from Italy. They only made a hundred."
"Hmm," Pete said non-committaly as they made a right turn onto Main Street and drove northeast towards the mansion.
"So, listen, Pete, I really don't think you and your family have anything more to worry about," Lex said, breaking the awkward silence. "You've been through a lot, and your mom's taken a lot of heat, and I'm sorry for that."
"She was just doing her job," Pete shrugged.
"I know, but she still doesn't deserve harassment. She and I have never met, but my own lawyers speak very highly of her abilities." Lex sighed. "If nothing else, the bombing has convinced the police they need to take a serious look at the EDAL. They've been harassing my workers, and I suspect the police will find the letters came from them as well."
"The police aren't telling us anything."
"Maybe not, but that's often how they work," Lex commiserated. "Erickson may have a good lawyer, but not better than mine." He smiled grimly. "I intend to make sure whoever hurt A.J. is punished to the full extent of the law."
They were passing through farmland now, past the Kent and Lang properties. Night was falling fast, and lights shone in the houses far back from the road.
"OK." Pete regarded him steadily. "Let me ask one more question, and then I promise I'll never bring it up again."
"Shoot."
"Did you have anything to do with what happened to Mr. Winters and Mr. Jasper? Even unintentionally?"
It wasn't the question Lex had been expecting. He glanced over at him.
"No, Pete. I swear to you I did not."
Pete weighed this in his mind for a long moment.
"I'm not sure why, but I believe you. Still doesn't mean I like you, but I believe you."
"Thank you, I guess," Lex said back. He knew he should be offended at Pete's words, but he wasn't. He still didn't particularly like Pete either.
"So how fast does this thing go?"
Lex smiled. He didn't expect his detente with Pete Ross would last long, but it was nice to know they could be civil, if they needed to be. "Legally? Or otherwise?"
"Otherwi.look out!"
A battered Ford sedan had just pulled out into the road in front of them, and Lex slammed on the brakes just in time. He expected whoever was driving to give him an apologetic wave and pull out of the way, but the car just sat there.
A second too late Lex realized what was happening. He slammed the car into reverse, grinding the expensive gears, but another car quickly pulled up behind him. With both cars sitting lengthwise on the narrow, two-lane road, they were pinned. His only option would be to pull off into a cornfield, but they wouldn't get far.
Pete looked over his shoulder.
"What the hell's going on?"
Lex already had his hand on the door latch, but a figure jumped out of the driver's side door of the old Ford, pointing a shotgun at the windshield.
"Go ahead and get out," Brody Winters told him. "I dare you to."
Pete made a strange sound, half-laugh and half-gasp.
"Brody, man, what are you doing? What.?" Pete moved to get out, but Brody swung the gun in his direction.
"I'm sorry, Pete, but you'd best keep your hands where I can see 'em. You know what a good shot I am."
Pete gulped and dropped his hands back in his lap.
"Stay still, Pete. Don't give him any reason to shoot you," Lex advised.
The younger man looked at him in amazement.
"How can you be so calm? Brody's flipped out!"
Lex was watching in his rear-view mirror as the driver of the second car stepped out. This one, too, carried a shotgun, slung casually over the crook of his arm as he approached the car. But Lex could see the hammer was cocked.
"Well, well, two birds with one stone, huh? What are the odds?"
The thin young man with pale eyes squinted through the open driver's side window.
"Hello, Mr. Luthor. You and Brody have met, of course, but you and I haven't. My name's Rich Erickson. And we have a score to settle."
"There's Chloe's car," his finally whispered back as they spotted Chloe's old pink Dodge by the side of the road. Chloe was bundled up in a fur-lined jacket and a hat, and she was grinning from ear to ear.
"Clark, I don't say this very often, but I think you're on to something here."
"Shhh," Pete hissed, but Chloe rolled her eyes.
"Pete, were a mile from the Winters' place. No one else lives out here- relax."
"You're not the one whose own mother is going to stick him behind bars for breaking and entering," Pete groused.
"Trespassing, Pete. Just trespassing," Chloe corrected. "Did you bring something to hold the soil samples?"
Clark held up a box of baggies. "It's not very scientific, but it should do."
"Good. There is still a deputy stationed in the Winters' driveway, but he's off at eleven."
As they started walking Clark raised his eyebrows. "How do you know that?"
Chloe had the graciousness to blush. "I kinda pretended I was lost and kinda stopped to ask him directions. We got to chatting."
"Smooth, Chloe," Pete offered.
"Anyway, it's almost that now," Chloe said, shining her flashlight on her watch. "So we should be ok. Clark, are you sure you know where we're going?"
"Yeah. See that fence up ahead? That's the western property line."
"OK." Chloe handed her flashlight to Clark to hold while she clambered over the low fence; Clark followed, holding Pete's backpack as the other boy carefully avoided getting his clothes snagged in the wire barbs.
"Man, Pete, this backpack weighs a ton!" Clark complained. "What's in here?"
"More bags, an extra flashlight, some rope, and a bottle of water in case we're out here awhile." He looked defensively at the other two. "I just wanted to cover all our bases."
"Good thinking, Pete," Clark sighed, heaving the backpack back over to his friend.
The night was perfectly still, broken only by the occasional hoots of an owl and the rustle of the trees. In the distance they could see the dark shape of the empty Winters house huddled against the horizon.
"Here's what we should do-if Clark is right, and the soil is contaminated with run-off from the quarry, then there's no telling were we'll find the greatest concentration. So we need to take some random samples, but be sure to remember where they came from."
Clark frowned. "And how, exactly, do we do that?"
"I dunno, make a note or something," Chloe shrugged.
"Uh, Chloe, are you sure you know what you're doing?" Clark was starting to wonder if maybe he should have called Dr. Carter, or even Lex, instead of involving Chloe.
"Sure. I looked "soil sampling" up on the Internet."
Pete shot his friend a knowing look. "Oh, she looked it up on the Internet. We're in good shape, then."
"Get going, you two. I'll cover the area closer to the trees; you two try to get some samples closer to the house."
While Chloe heading for the tree line, careful to keep her flashlight beam close to the ground, Pete and Clark moved closer to the house.
"Do you think anyone can see us from the highway?" Pete fretted.
"They'd have to have on night-vision goggles," Clark told him. "Let's just get this over with."
The two young men chose a spot about a hundred yards from the Winters' tool shed. Pete shook his head.
"Better let me do this, Clark. If the ground is contaminated with meteor rocks it might make you sick, and you're too heavy to carry out of here."
Clark held the flashlight while Pete carefully scooped some of the loose black soil into a bag.
"You know, Pete, I'm starting to think I was wrong about this."
Pete stood and brushed off his hands.
"How so?"
"Well, I've been out here a couple of times, and I've never felt sick."
"Not even a little?"
"No. So maybe it's something else; not the meteorites."
Pete frowned as he stowed the bag of dirt in his backpack.
"What about back in the woods? Where you and A.J. found Mr. Jasper's body? That's a lot closer to the quarry than we are now."
Clark thought carefully. "I don't think so," he said finally. "Maybe I felt a little sick, but that was more from finding the body than anything else."
"Hey, it's still a pretty good theory," Pete consoled. "Even the EPA said they thought it could have been some kind of environmental contamination. Everyone was just so sure it was at LexCorp no one thought to look out here."
"Maybe." Clark had been so sure, when his brain had finally assembled Chloe's comment about the quarry with his father's about the poor drainage on the Winters' property, that he'd solved the mystery. Now, however, he felt more confused than before.
They moved in a zigzag pattern, taking a half a dozen more soil samples, but Clark still felt fine. It was probably the first time in his life he was disappointed that the meteor rocks weren't around to make him sick. After a while they took a break and split the bottle of water Pete had brought with him from home.
"Maybe LuthorCorp dumped some chemicals out here, like they did at your place," Pete continued to theorize as he took a swig out of the bottle. "Or maybe it's some kind of air-born pollutant from the fertilizer plant; we're only a few miles away."
Clark only shrugged.
"Or maybe something's leeching out of the old granite mine; Dad says hard rock mines used to use all sorts of chemicals and explosives."
"Which we used to swim in," Clark winced.
Pete polished off the bottle, and stood. "I used to swim in, anyway. That place used to give you stomach cramps so bad you couldn't go in the water, remember?"
"I remember." The other boys had teased him about being afraid of the murky water. "At least now we know why I couldn't go near it."
"Guess so," Pete grinned. "I'm gonna refill the bottle."
Clark nodded, thinking gloomy thoughts to himself. Chloe suddenly reappeared, shining her flashlight in his eyes.
"What's this, Kent? Slacking off already?"
Clark shielded his eyes. "We've got a bunch of samples. How'd you do?"
Chloe flopped down next to him in the damp grass, shoving the samples she had collected into Pete's backpack. "About the same. I didn't see anything unusual-just a couple of pebbles and a few worms. And they didn't look mutated or anything."
Clark was tempted to laugh at the disappointment in her voice, but didn't. Instead he rubbed his neck. "Sorry. Maybe this was a wild goose chase."
Pete reappeared and held out the bottle to Chloe. "Want a sip? It's from the outdoor pump, so it's nice and cold."
"No thanks. And don't give up yet, Clark; I'll ask Dr. Carter tomorrow who we should send these to, and we'll see if they can come up with anything. We'll get to this bottom of this, I'm."
"Hey, you kids!"
A beam of light, much brighter than their own battery-powered flashlights, suddenly flashed in their direction. A small figure was standing on the Winters' front porch. All three of them froze.
"Chloe, I thought you said no one would be here!" Clark hissed.
"I guess he lied," Chloe said back. "What a creep!"
The beam of light was getting closer.
"What do we do?" Pete asked.
"Um.run!" Chloe grabbed Pete's backpack and took off in the direction of the road.
Clark and Pete stared after her for a split second, and then ran after her.
"Unbelievable," Pete huffed.
Clark, who didn't have to put much effort into running, glanced over his shoulder.
"He doesn't seem to be following us," he offered as they all hastily scaled the fence again.
"We were done-ouch!-anyway, Clark." Chloe rubbed her elbow where she'd caught it on the fence. Both she and Pete were out of breath and panting, and Clark was careful to imitate their labored breathing.
"He probably thought we were out here smoking or something," Chloe told them. "He was just trying to scare us off."
"Mission accomplished, then," Pete said shakily.
Chloe proudly held up his backpack. "Look, the important thing is that I saved the samples. If there's any evidence here, I'll find it."
"Oh, I'm so pleased," Pete said sarcastically. "Can we go now, or do you want to give the sheriff's department a chance to catch up to us?"
"No, I'm good." Chloe smiled. *************************************
"I still think that was an incredibly risky thing you guys did, Clark," Catherine frowned as she spoke into her cell phone. She was sitting on the end of her brother's hospital bed, and A.J. watched her with a curious expression.
"I know you meant well, but you should have let me handle it. Well, what's done is done." She placed her hand over the mouthpiece as spoke to her brother.
"Chloe wants to run the samples into Metropolis this morning."
"She isn't one to let grass grow under her feet," A.J. nodded his head, and then winced. He still didn't quite have this concussion thing down yet.
Catherine spoke into the phone again. "No, it's ok, I've already made a few calls. The guy you want to talk to is Kevin Thalos, at Metropolis University's applied chemistry lab. I knew him in college-he should be able to get you some kind of answer right away. Yeah, I'll tell him to expect Chloe by noon. Uh huh. And, Clark? Please be more careful next time. Right. Bye."
She hung up the phone and eyed her brother.
"Man, I thought you were a lot of trouble."
"Gee, thanks." He was thoughtful for a long moment. "Do you really think they're on to something?"
She sighed. "Could be. If Kevin finds anything I'm sure it will all have to be re-sampled and re-tested a dozen or more times before anyone's convinced." She studied her fingernails for a moment. "I'm still wondering about the mode of transmission, though."
"Transmission?"
"Well, if the soil is contaminated, that might make a person sick, sure. Lead, or arsenic, or any other of the heavy metals will put someone in the hospital for sure. But from what Clark tells me the Winters weren't farming the land. Mrs. Winters didn't even garden. So how did Winters and Jasper absorb enough of whatever substance it was to kill them, and kill them in such an unusual way? No, something's still not adding up." Cate paused to smile at her brother. "But I'm sure they'll get to the bottom of it, even without our help."
A.J.'s faced became shadowed. "Guess they'll have to."
Catherine sighed. "A.J., you know Lex wants you to go back to Metropolis because he's worried about you, right? We talked about it last night, and I have to say he's right."
"Fine."
"No, it's not fine. I don't want the two of you parting on bad terms."
"You never liked him anyway."
She tried to gentle her tone a bit. "Be that as it may, if you're going to accept him as your brother you have to expect him to treat you like a brother. And that means worrying about you and wanting you safe."
"And treating me like a baby."
A.J. looked so petulant as he said this that his sister had to stifle a laugh.
She shook her head. "A.J., sometimes I forget how young you really are."
He frowned. "What does that mean?"
"It means I want you to forgive him."
"From what I hear forgiveness isn't a real strong Luthor trait."
"But you're not a Luthor." She squeezed his foot. "You're a Carter, remember?"
Catherine stood. "Think about what I said, ok? I have to go get your stuff packed if we're leaving tomorrow."
After his sister left A.J. rolled on to his left side, careful to avoid putting pressure on his bruised ribs. He scrunched his pillow but couldn't seem to get comfortable in any position. He finally gave up and just stared at the ceiling. **********************************************
"Hey, Lex? Have you got a second?"
Lex turned, car keys in hand, to find Pete Ross standing outside the Talon's back door. The sun had already started to set, turning the clear sky a rosy orange. Lex had opted to park his car at the back of the building, not the front, where scorch marks still marred the street. He shifted his cup of coffee to his other hand.
"Yes, Pete?"
It was a strange moment as the two men stood facing in other in silence for a long moment. Lex knew Pete didn't like him, had never liked him. In fact, he didn't think the two of them had exchanged more than a few dozen words since he'd come to Smallville more than a year before. And those words were usually either about Clark or to remind Lex that his father had once cheated the Ross family out of their creamed corn factory.
As if anyone in this town has ever left me forget that, Lex thought to himself. He braced himself for another barrage of criticism, but it didn't come. Instead Pete just stood there, looking very thoughtful.
"Look, um, Lex," Pete finally began. "I know you and I don't see eye to eye on much. Well, I guess there's Clark, but that's about it."
"I know." Lex raised his eyebrows. "Do you have a point? My latte's getting cold."
Pete straightened his back a little. "You don't need to be rude. I'm trying here."
Lex sighed and set the cup on his car's roof. "You're right, Pete. Sometimes I don't think before I speak. Sorry."
A ghost of a smiled flitted across Pete's face. "Sometimes I don't either. Look, maybe you heard that somebody chucked a brick through our living room window the first night of the hearing. And my mom's been getting hate mail."
"I'm sorry to hear that. You don't think I'm involved, do you?"
"No, for once I don't." Pete shook his head. "But, after what happened to Carter, I'm worried. And I guess.I was hoping."
Lex let the younger man fumble for words for a few seconds, and then took pity on him.
"You want to know what I know about the investigation?"
Pete looked relieved. "Yes. Just.have the cops made any headway with Erickson? Do they know more about."
"Look, Pete, I'd be happy to talk to you about it. But I need to swing by the mansion and then head out to the hospital to see A.J. I'll tell you what, if you don't mind coming with me we can talk in the car. Then I can drop you home on the way to Smallville General."
Pete clearly looked torn between wanting information and not wanting to spend any more time in Lex's company than he had to. Lex was pretty sure he would say no, but then Pete glanced behind him at the Ferrari. That seemed to clinch the deal.
"OK, as long as it's not out of your way."
"Not at all."
Lex unlocked the passenger door, grabbed his coffee and slid behind the steering wheel. Pete was looking around him at the leather interior and the solid wood dash.
"Nice," he admitted, somewhat grudgingly, as Lex started the engine.
"I had it imported from Italy. They only made a hundred."
"Hmm," Pete said non-committaly as they made a right turn onto Main Street and drove northeast towards the mansion.
"So, listen, Pete, I really don't think you and your family have anything more to worry about," Lex said, breaking the awkward silence. "You've been through a lot, and your mom's taken a lot of heat, and I'm sorry for that."
"She was just doing her job," Pete shrugged.
"I know, but she still doesn't deserve harassment. She and I have never met, but my own lawyers speak very highly of her abilities." Lex sighed. "If nothing else, the bombing has convinced the police they need to take a serious look at the EDAL. They've been harassing my workers, and I suspect the police will find the letters came from them as well."
"The police aren't telling us anything."
"Maybe not, but that's often how they work," Lex commiserated. "Erickson may have a good lawyer, but not better than mine." He smiled grimly. "I intend to make sure whoever hurt A.J. is punished to the full extent of the law."
They were passing through farmland now, past the Kent and Lang properties. Night was falling fast, and lights shone in the houses far back from the road.
"OK." Pete regarded him steadily. "Let me ask one more question, and then I promise I'll never bring it up again."
"Shoot."
"Did you have anything to do with what happened to Mr. Winters and Mr. Jasper? Even unintentionally?"
It wasn't the question Lex had been expecting. He glanced over at him.
"No, Pete. I swear to you I did not."
Pete weighed this in his mind for a long moment.
"I'm not sure why, but I believe you. Still doesn't mean I like you, but I believe you."
"Thank you, I guess," Lex said back. He knew he should be offended at Pete's words, but he wasn't. He still didn't particularly like Pete either.
"So how fast does this thing go?"
Lex smiled. He didn't expect his detente with Pete Ross would last long, but it was nice to know they could be civil, if they needed to be. "Legally? Or otherwise?"
"Otherwi.look out!"
A battered Ford sedan had just pulled out into the road in front of them, and Lex slammed on the brakes just in time. He expected whoever was driving to give him an apologetic wave and pull out of the way, but the car just sat there.
A second too late Lex realized what was happening. He slammed the car into reverse, grinding the expensive gears, but another car quickly pulled up behind him. With both cars sitting lengthwise on the narrow, two-lane road, they were pinned. His only option would be to pull off into a cornfield, but they wouldn't get far.
Pete looked over his shoulder.
"What the hell's going on?"
Lex already had his hand on the door latch, but a figure jumped out of the driver's side door of the old Ford, pointing a shotgun at the windshield.
"Go ahead and get out," Brody Winters told him. "I dare you to."
Pete made a strange sound, half-laugh and half-gasp.
"Brody, man, what are you doing? What.?" Pete moved to get out, but Brody swung the gun in his direction.
"I'm sorry, Pete, but you'd best keep your hands where I can see 'em. You know what a good shot I am."
Pete gulped and dropped his hands back in his lap.
"Stay still, Pete. Don't give him any reason to shoot you," Lex advised.
The younger man looked at him in amazement.
"How can you be so calm? Brody's flipped out!"
Lex was watching in his rear-view mirror as the driver of the second car stepped out. This one, too, carried a shotgun, slung casually over the crook of his arm as he approached the car. But Lex could see the hammer was cocked.
"Well, well, two birds with one stone, huh? What are the odds?"
The thin young man with pale eyes squinted through the open driver's side window.
"Hello, Mr. Luthor. You and Brody have met, of course, but you and I haven't. My name's Rich Erickson. And we have a score to settle."