"Woman needs more fiber in her diet," Stonetree agreed.
Mulder stopped in a patch of sunlight and stretched. It was tiring, believing again that the world might be saved. His companion's truly impressive snoring when they'd stopped to sleep didn't help. "What now, Chief?"
"Don't call me Chief," Joe rumbled. "There's a reservation around here somewhere. The Kawatche should be able to tell us what we need to know."
The scent of coffee reached out from a nearby -- movie theater? Whatever. Coffee would be good. "Maybe they can tell us something in here," Mulder suggested. "Coffee Shop."
"Good idea."
The inside of the old cinema's lobby had been remodeled into an oddly-decorated coffee bar.
"Sort of an Art Deco/The Mummy's Revenge theme," Mulder commented.
"Fox, be nice," Joe muttered.
A tiny dark-haired girl in pink greeted them with a blinding smile. "Gentlemen. What can I do for you?"
"We'd like a table and a couple of coffees," Mulder said.
"And any information you can give us about the Kawatche Caves," Stonetree added.
She blinked at them for a moment. Then the smile returned. Mulder felt a definite shock. This young woman knew something; he'd half-convinced himself that Stonetree's lead was a total wild goose chase. Small Midwestern town with secrets -- it was familiar, and he felt his investigator's instincts waking up, pins-and-needles, like a sleeping foot.
"Right this way," she said, gesturing them to a small table by the kitchen door. "I'll have to make a ph -- I have some things I need to do, but someone will bring your coffee shortly." The girl disappeared into the kitchen.
"Toldja somebody'd know something," Stonetree gloated.
"I picked the coffee shop. Think she'll talk to us?"
"I'm sure we can rely on your natural charm," Joe retorted, almost with a straight face.
The girl didn't come back. At least the coffee was good.
"I'm Lex Luthor, here to visit Lionel Luthor. Someone should have called earlier."
The woman at the desk checked some papers. "Yes, Mr. Luthor..."
"Lex."
She darted her eyes up at him, and he forced a smile. She smiled back. "Lex. Follow the purple line to the elevators. It's 437, on the fourth floor. Please don't stay more than half an hour."
"Don't worry, I won't."
Lex didn't want to be there. After yesterday's lunch with Dawn, he'd done another seven hours at LuthorCorp. It would have been even longer if Clark hadn't showed up with pie and flowers. Clark forced Lex out of work and over to the University, where they dragged Dawn out of the lab and sat down to a dorm supper of cereal and milk, followed by Mrs. Kent's wonderful rhubarb pie. Over dinner, they'd all agreed (including Buffy on the phone from Smallville) that there was probably nothing to be done about any possible space invasion until it got close enough to see. Clark pouted until Lex had to accept the roses his mother had sent, and made him promise to deliver them to Lionel the next day. Then Clark, proxy-mother-henning accomplished, had Supermanned off, leaving Lex and Dawn to foolishly go back to her lab and work on the damaged interdimensional apparatus until three a.m.
He still didn't know why he'd ignored Clark's parting instructions to "get some rest." Maybe the bossy red-and-blue persona just brought out his inner rebellious brat. In any case, he'd ended up with only three hours' sleep.
Lex had made the resulting bad temper work for him. Every LuthorCorp employee he'd seen that morning had come away from the encounter with a certain sense of caution.
Lex wished he could just leave Lionel to his own devices in the hospital, to recover or not without Lex's assistance. He knew that would be dangerous, though. Dad was at his most devious whenever he seemed helpless -- look at that whole ugly prior episode of "blindness." Besides, he'd gotten one incoherent phone message from Lana already, warning him that his dad had hired goons going around Smallville to try and get the damn Kawatche Caves away from LexCorp again. That whole stupid tug-of-war had become pretty damn important, once he knew what Clark really was, what the ancient Indian information in the caves really meant. He couldn't let Lionel get that much leverage over Clark. He had to find out what the old bastard was up to.
Unfortunately, the show of temper that had worked so well on the minions probably wouldn't work on Dad. Lionel had better be pretty damn debilitated by his injuries, or this upcoming conversation was going to be horribly one-sided.
The door was (what else?) purple. Lex squared his shoulders and went in.
Lionel was propped up in the bed. The broken arm was encased in an elaborate brace, and the other arm was hooked to an IV and a couple of monitors. His ruined eyes were heavily bandaged.
Lex couldn't tell whether he was awake or not. The uncertainty was strangely disturbing.
"Dad?" Lex asked quietly.
The wounded man started. "Who's there? Lex?"
Lex sighed and sat down in the bedside visitor's chair. "Yeah, it's me. What can I do for you?"
"Lex," the old man rasped. He moved restlessly and stretched out his good arm, trailing tubes and wires. Lex could only stand to watch his father's blind groping for a moment before taking his hand.
"I'm right here, Dad."
"Don't tell your mother."
"What?" Lex asked, startled and a little horrified.
"She doesn't need to know. About Rachel. Tell her it was a disgruntled employee. She'll believe you. And it's even true." Lionel's attempt at a carefree chuckle was horrible to hear. He didn't sound like he was shamming.
Of course, he wouldn't.
Lex couldn't think of anything to say.
"She hasn't been to visit. She must be furious. Tell her, it's... It's not what she thinks. I..." Lionel's head rolled back and forth against the pillow. "Is it the baby? They don't allow children during visitors' hours. She should leave him with that damn friend of hers. The nanny. Why?"
"It's okay, Dad," Lex interrupted. He hesitantly put his free hand on his father's forehead. Lionel quit tossing at his son's touch. Lex didn't think a forehead should feel that blazing hot. "I'm going to go get a nurse, now."
"No," Lionel protested. His grip tightened on Lex's hand, but it was weak, and Lex untangled himself without much difficulty. This was worse than the time after the tornado.
"I'm just going to get a nurse. It'll only take a moment. I promise."
Lionel's voice followed him out of the room. "Lex! You have to tell her!"
Lex got a nurse, then slipped silently away while she busied herself with his father's IV. If Lionel wasn't behind the inquiries about the caves, who was?