CHAPTER 6

"District Attorney's Office. District Attorney's Office" Clark repeated while searching the phone book for the address. "Here!"

When he looked up, he saw he was next to a bar called My Alibi. Determined, he went inside to ask the barman where Robinson Park was.

"You just follow this street, then you pass by the Clock Tower and you'll see the Lady Gotham. Then, you go two more blocks to your left" he explained.

Clark smiled. "Thanks" he said.

However, leaving would not be so easy. The barman called him back. "Wait!"

Confused, Clark turned back and looked at the man, and he asked: "You're not from around here, are you?"

As Clark looked around, he saw a tall man coming from the shadows of the bar. He seemed to be a security guard. From the other side of the place, another man came in his direction too. There were two police officers sitting at a table in the back of the bar drinking some beer. They just smiled while they watched the scene. Clark felt sure something bad was going to happen.

"Everybody knows that all information has a price in Gotham" the barman explained, with a smirk.

"What do you mean?" Clark asked. He couldn't believe he was hearing that. No place could be that bad. Not even in Suicide Slums had he heard of a situation like this.

"You heard it, big boy" the man said, taking a baseball bat from behind the bar.

"I don't want to cause any trouble" Clark warned.

"Me neither" the barman replied, with a smile still on his face. Suddenly, both the security guards took Clark by his arms and dragged him back to the bar. "So, open your wallet, pal" he ordered.

Clark looked at the table where the two police officers were talking aloud, but they simply ignored the situation, and didn't do anything about it.

"What kind of a place is this?" Clark asked, shocked.

"Gotham City, my friend" the barman said, while the guards examined his pockets.

Then, Clark decided he couldn't waste any more time letting these goons get the better of him. He pulled both security guards forward with his strength, sending them flying across the room. Perplexed, the barman walked back, letting the baseball bat fall down to the floor. The police officers imediatly stood up and put their hands on their guns. But they didn't remove them from their belts. Shocked, they just faced Clark and then looked at the security guards who had fallen down on the floor.

Astonished, the barman said: "Wow! You're good!" Clark just stared at him and didn't say anything. "I wish I had someone like you working for me... What do you think about it?" he smiled, not afraid of what Clark could do.

But Clark didn't do anything. He turned back to see the police officers sitting back in their chairs, while they raised their glasses to him in a toast. He shook his head. He couldn't believe what he had seen. Gotham was definitely a city without law. With that thought, he left the bar.

Finally outside, he could still hear the voice of the impressed barman, commenting on what had just happed to his latest customers. So, when Clark saw there wasn't anybody in the streets, he just used his super-speed and simply disappeared.


Seconds later, Clark arrived at the District Attorney's Office in the middle of the city. It was night. He sped through the office doors, right past the vigilant cameras and security guards without being seen. He used his x-ray vision and saw there was someone in the next room. It was Rachel Dawes. She was sitting at an office desk with open files and some books around her.

Silently, Clark entered the main District Attorney's office, and using his x-ray vision he searched for Joe Chill's file. But there was no sign of it. Next, he examined Rachel's office. The file was with her. She was probably studying the case for the hearing. After all, she was the DA's Assistant, Clark remembered. He took a deep breath and wondered if there was anything else he could do.

Suddenly, he heard a noise and saw that Rachel was getting ready to leave. Following her moves, Clark saw her putting on her coat and picking up all the files from her office desk. Surprised, he saw she was coming to the room where he was.

Rachel opened the door to the office and put the files in her boss' desk. As she was turning to leave, she had a strange feeling, as if she was being watched. She turned around to see something, but there wasn't anything unusual there. She shook her head, afraid she was becoming paranoid.

When Rachel turned the light off and finally left, Clark emerged from behind an archive and imediately went to the desk where she had put the files. Joe Chill's file was right on top. Clark sat at the desk and read all the documents as fast as he could until he finally found the prison's registers.

There wasn't anything special, since all the visits that Chill had in prison were from his mom. But before Clark could think about giving up, he found out something more interesting. Chloe was right, he thought. There were registers of all his phone calls from prison. And two of them were to Metropolis. Clark examined all the notes and the list of calls again, and became convinced that they happened at the exact time when Chill started to talk with the District Attorney about a deal. However, he still couldn't figure out how all this related to Bruce's murder attempt.

Suddenly, his cell phone started to ring. "Chloe?" he whispered after seeing the identification in its display. "What are you doing? I told you I'd call--"

"Sorry Clark, I couldn't wait... Did you find out something?" she asked.

"Well, I have two different Metropolis' telephone numbers that Chill called from prison"

"I knew you'd get it. Tell me." Chloe asked, taking notes.

Clark told her the numbers and while he continued checking the files, Chloe investigated the numbers.

"Um. One of these numbers you gave me is listed at the same address as the Lucchesis Suicide Slums' deposits you and Lois went to" Chloe said.

"And what about the other one?" Clark asked.

There was a silence, while Chloe did the search, then she finally said: "This is weird"

"What?" Clark asked.

"It's the phone number of a law office at Glenmorgan Square--" she answered.

"In the name of who?"

"A man named Maxwell Jensen" Chloe said, confused.

"Great. It just keeps getting better and better, huh?" Clark said, wondering if he'd have to go to Metropolis to investigate that guy too.

"Wait a minute" Chloe asked, after made a search on the web. "It seems Maxwell Jensen is a successful lawyer who always appears in periodicals--"

"What do you mean?" Clark asked.

"He works for Bruno Mannheim" she said, reading an article.

"Do you mean Bruno 'Ugly' Mannheim?" Clark asked.

"Exactly" she confirmed. "Boss Moxie's son--"

"The Intergang chief" Clark concluded. "Everything makes sense now, Chloe... Chill will testify against Falcone because he didn't just make a deal with Gotham's District Attorney but also with Mannheim, who is probably Falcone's enemy in Metropolis"

"Yeah. But you know that there's still a blank here, don't you?" Chloe asked, thoughtful.

"I know..." Clark said, following her thoughts. "What's the relation with Bruce Wayne in all of this?"

"I'll keep searching here, Clark" she said. "Maybe there's something we missed."

"Do you think I should go back to Metropolis to find out something about this Maxwell Jensen?" he asked.

"No. I don't think it's a good idea. We don't have much time. How would you explain all of this to Lois?"

Suddenly, Clark heard some steps coming from the corridor and used his x-ray vision to see who it was.

"Chloe, I have to go" he whispered, after seeing that it was he night watchman.

"Okay. I call you later"

Then, the night watchman opened the door, and turned the light on. But there wasn't anything unusual in room except for the opened window.


Seconds later, Clark was back at Bruce Wayne's Mansion.

"Hi Alfred" he said, when the butler opened the front door.

"Evening, Mr Kent" he replied with a generous smile.

And before Clark could come up with something to say about his absence, the butler said: "They're in the living room. I will show you in."

"That's not necessary, Alfred" Clark said, politely. "Just show me where it is"

Indifferent, the butler pointed: "Follow this corridor, turn to your right and then go straight ahead. You can't miss it."

Clark smiled. "Thanks" and before he left, the butler said:

"By the way, Miss Lane decided that you two will stay the night here in the mansion instead of going to a hotel"

Clark raised an eyebow. "She decided, huh?" but he didn't like the idea.

"I prepared your bedroom next to hers. It's at the west side. Third door of the corridor of your left" he pointed.

"Thank you, Alfred" Clark said.

"You're welcome, sir" the butler answered, leaving.

While Clark walked throught the long corridor into the living room, he wondered how many rooms there were in the mansion. Strangely, something ocurred to him. How well did Lois know this place? After all, she and Bruce seemed to have been friends for a long time. So she had probably come here many times. And maybe they were more than friends. Clark took a deep breath. That was a strange thought. Could he be not only jealous of Lois, but of her past too? He'd probably have to think about all of this before they returned to Metropolis.

Finally, Clark saw a room illuminated by a fireplace. Many things would probably happen before they returned to Metropolis, he thought. Bruce was still in danger. And he didn't have any idea how to tell Lois about the things he and Chloe had discovered. At least, they had found out something that could help them. But he was afraid that it wasn't enough.

Clark's next thought was a morbid and not entirely dismissable possibility that he decided to keep to himself. What if Bruce Wayne was involved in some crime? What if he was as corrupt as almost all of the people of that dark city? He could be working with Mannheim or maybe Falcone. That could be a good reason for someone try to kill him. After all, Bruce was a very mysterious and shady man. And no matter how difficult Bruce's childhood was, people could still be surprising. Clark solemnly remembered Lex, and how his ex-friend was always surprising him lately. Maybe Lois was wrong. Maybe Lex and Bruce weren't so different. Clark's real concern now was about Lois' feelings and how much she'd suffer if that proved to be true.

"You don't understand, Lois... I have to go to the hearing" Clark heard Bruce saying to Lois, realizing that she had been unsuccessful in her attempt at getting him not to go to Joe Chill's hearing.

"I see" she replied, with soft and amiable voice. "But you know even better than I do, that it won't bring them back, Bruce"

"You're a good friend, Lois" he said. "You always know what to say" Clark listened intently with his super-hearing, thinking about his last words. "And you know me better than anyone. Maybe better than Alfred... So, you know I have to go" he insisted.

"I'm very concerned about all of this, Bruce" she said. "Going to he hearing will only increase the enormous wound in your heart"

"I have to face him... Once more" he replied.

"I just hope you don't have in mind what I think you have" Lois warned.

Bruce smiled. "Lois... You don't have to worry about anything. I believe in justice" he said, darkly.

"Good. Because there's a great different between justice and revenge. Do you know that?" she asked.

Bruce smiled, and placed his hand gently in Lois' face, who closed her eyes with his gesture and inclined her head to the side. He definitely wasn't interested in talking about that subject anymore.

"OK, if it makes you feel better, I won't go to the hearing" he said. "We can watch it from here on TV"

"Would you do that?" she asked, with a smile.

Bruce nodded. Then, he approached her and she hugged him affectionately. Clark saw everything with his x-ray vision and something happened to him. Clark felt a deep pain in his heart. And he finally knew the truth. The truth of what was really happening to him. He was in love. With Lois Lane. And she was there, with that dangerous and mysterious man he didn't trust. His blood boiled. He couldn't believe it. He had to do something.

"Hey guys, I'm sorry I was gone so long." Clark said, entering in the living room, making Bruce and Lois jump to opposite ends of the sofa where they were sitting.

"Smallville?" Lois asked, surprised, while he crossed the room.

"I was very anxious to see the Lady Gotham statue" he said, coming close to sit on a sofa next to them, without taking his eyes off of either one. "I heard that it looked like the Statue of Liberty in New York--" and only moving her lips, Lois asked him: 'What are you doing?', but Clark ignored her and kept speaking: "And what a surprise when I saw they really are quite similar!" he smiled. "Except, of course, for the band on the eyes and the shield... By the way, have you ever seen the statue, Lois? It's very beautiful, isn't it?"

Lois wrinkled her forehead, and looking at Clark and then at Bruce, she said: "Well, of course I've seen it, Smallv... I mean, Clark"

Confused, Bruce smiled at both of them.

"So you decided to take a tour through Gotham by yourself?" she asked, trying to hide her embarrassement. "You could have waited. We could have gone together. The three of us--"

"Lois is right" Bruce finally said, still surprised at seeing Clark so talkative. "I could have showed you the best places in Gotham. We could have taken the train"

"Oh no" Clark said, looking at Bruce then to Lois. "I didn't want to bother you. You seemed to have alot to talk about and, although I appreciate the company and the hospitality, I like to check out new places by myself" he concluded, smiling and looking at them both.

Bruce smiled, with both hands resting on his knees, looking intently into the fire in the fireplace. It was pretty obvious to him what it was going on there.

"Don't hate me guys, but I'm very tired" he said, standing up, wondering if those two needed a moment by themselves, since it was almost possible to see the sparks in the air.

"It's early, Bruce" Lois said. "And things are just getting amusing here—" she added, giving a cold look at Clark, who only gave her a cynical smile.

"I can see that" Bruce agreed, looking at her and then to Clark. "But I'm really tired. So, what do you think about going out tomorrow morning? The three of us could do something different like play tennis. What do you think?"

Clark wrinkled his forehead. Play tennis? he thought.

"I'd love it" Lois said, smiling, not taking her eyes from Clark.

"Well, if you need anything, you can call me or Alfred" Bruce said, kissing her on both cheeks. "By the way, did he show you your bedrooms?"

"Sure" she answered. "The same as always"

Bruce turned back to look at Clark, and asked: "Clark?"

"Everything is fine. Thanks" Clark answered, with a smile, and still facing Lois.

Bruce crossed the room, and before leaving, turned around to look at them once more. Then, he left with a smile.

Alone, Lois and Clark exchanged a look full of sparks. They had a lot to talk about.

To be continued...