Kara finds herself back at the prison the next day, after asking James for some time off. She'd asked Carr first but he had refused her so Kara had gone over his head. Perks of being friends with the boss, she'd thought as she exited CatCo. She'd waved at Snapper on her way out.
Now, wearing her blue and red costume, she stands in front of the prison gates, alone. She hasn't exactly told anyone she would be coming back here and she can already hear Alex scolding her. But it doesn't matter, not with what's at stake.
Supergirl takes a deep breath and marches forward.
"Back so soon," Lillian asks as Supergirl enters a room very similar to the one they were in the previous day.
"I have your attorney's number. I can call him as soon as I'm out of here to offer a deal."
Lillian stares at her, smiles and leans back in her chair.
"But?"
"But the lead you gave us yesterday gave us nothing. Lex wasn't there. Not even a hint of where he could be hiding. So if you want me to give that phone call, you're going to give me new leads."
"Is that so?"
"That's the only way it works. Anything you can think of, anywhere Lex could be."
There's a long pause as Lillian considers her options. Kara doesn't like the way the other woman looks at her, as if she can see her. She forces herself to be still and waits for a reply.
"No," Lillian says to her surprise.
"What?"
"I said, no. I won't give you anything more. You must think me stupid, Supergirl. As if I don't know you're never going to get me that deal. Yesterday was a show of good faith, and yet it got me nothing in return. If you think I'm going to help you track down my son without you holding up your end of the deal, I'm afraid you're mistaken."
Before Kara even has a chance to argue or to offer another deal, Lillian calls for the guard and she is escorted off, back to her cell. Kara remains seated, stunned by the turn of events. She didn't expect Lex's mother to actually refuse.
Another guard clears his throat to get her attention and Kara stands numbly and follows him out. Alex is going to kill her.
Kara weathers the angry storm that is her sister when she tells her the news. She argues that Lillian's answer would have been no different had Alex come with her. Alex retorts that they should have come up with a plan instead of acting recklessly. J'onn puts an end to the argument by ordering them both to take a walk.
Winn and Mon-El offer to go out and get lunch with Kara, but the Kryptonian wants to be left alone. She flies away with no particular destination in mind, but she's not exactly surprised to end up on the roof of L-Corp.
She hasn't been back here since the explosion. The building has been repaired completely by now. It's as if nothing has happened to it. But Kara remembers the flames and the smoke. She recalls vividly the smell of sulfur and death. It's a miracle that only one floor was entirely destroyed, and not the whole tower.
Lex had planned this very carefully.
Kara contemplates the city below for another minute before an idea forms in her mind. There's one place she hasn't been to yet. Maybe she'll find something there.
A little breaking and entering isn't what she's used to, but somehow Kara doesn't think Lena will mind. The balcony to her penthouse is huge, and the view is to die for. But Kara isn't here to watch the sun set.
She turns to the sliding door and uses her strength to break the handle and get in. The place is clean, almost empty and most likely ready to be sold to the highest bidder. Kara doesn't know what she's looking for, but she opens every door and uses her x-ray vision to see if there isn't something the FBI or the DEO could have missed.
But there's no hidden safe behind paintings or drawers with false bottoms. No suspicious belonging and no element that seems out of place. Kara sighs as she sits down on the couch. Something doesn't feel right but she has no idea what it could be. It's the vague impression that someone has been here recently, more recently than governmental agents.
It takes Kara a while to understand what it is that's nagging her. And then, suddenly, just as she takes a deep breath to focus, she gets it. The whole place has a lingering smell that Kara knows well. A smell that should not—could not—be there after so many weeks.
It's Lena's perfume.