CHAPTER 7

"I want to hear everything. From the beginning" Lois demanded, crossing her arms and facing Clark firmly.

"I don't know what you mean, Lois" Clark said, raising his eyebows, pretending he didn't know what she was talking about.

In fact, he hadn't yet thought a way of telling Lois about his and Chloe's discoveries involving Falcone and Mannheim. And he wondered if he should really tell her about it.

Lois smiled. "You're a good liar, Smallville. But you have to be really good to deceive me. So, tell me, where have you been? And what did you find out?"

"Lois, I really decided to take a stroll into town" he answered, calmly.

Clark didn't want to lie to Lois. She didn't deserve that. On the other hand, he didn't want to involve her anymore in dangerous situations. And things were becoming even more complicated since he and Chloe had found out that Bruce's murder attempt could be related to a Metropolis and Gotham Mafia.

"You're definitely hiding something from me" she insisted. "Do you really think I believed that crazy story of yours? A tour… in Gotham? Give me a break, Smallville! I saw how sleepy you were when we drove through the city earlier today"

"I'm sorry, Lois, but I don't know what you mean" he kept lying.

Lois raised an eyebow. "Okay. No problem" she said, taking her cell phone from her pocket.

"What are you doing?" he asked, worried.

"I'm simply calling Chloe and she's going to tell me everything" Lois answered, confident.

"But Lois… He isn't even going to the hearing anymore" Clark said, referring to Bruce.

"Were you listening in on our conversation?" Lois asked.

"Of course I wasn't!" he said, readily.

"Um. Okay. I'll pretend I believe you. But you're wrong if you think that Bruce won't go to that hearing" she said, looking at the mobile's display then putting it next her ear to wait for Chloe's answer. "He lies as much as you, Smallville. And neither one of you can fool me"

Clark gave a nervous smile. Lois' persistence was not only surprising him, but it was also putting him in an even worse situation . And he didn't know what to do.

"Hello?" Lois asked. "Oh, she already left? And she forgot her cell phone? Um. Okay. Thank you. Good night"

"What happened?" he asked when Lois turned the cell phone off.

"Today is your lucky day, Smallville. You and Chloe are together in this and you don't want to tell me what's going on... That is what happened" Lois answered, irritated, while she searched for her cousin's dormitory telephone number in her cell phone contact list.

Clark took a deep breath. He couldn't do it anymore. It was impossible to keep lying to Lois. So, he decided to do what he believed was the best thing.

"Falcone has an enemy in Metropolis" he finally said.

Lois glanced at him, and stopped searching for Chloe's telephone number.

"And it seems both of them have been sabotaging the each other's businesses for a long time" he concluded.

"Do you mean Mannheim?" she asked.

Surprised, Clark raised his eyebows. "How did you know?" he asked.

"I have my ways of finding out things too, Smallville" she explained.

Confused, Clark added: "It seems that Chill contacted a man named Maxwell Jensen, who's supposedly the lawyer for this Metropolis guy"

"And Chill agreed to testify against Falcone if Mannheim ordered somebody to kill Bruce" Lois added.

"Wow. I think you already know everything, Lois. Did you talk with Chloe?" he asked, perplexed about Lois' conclusions.

Lois smiled. "No. I didn't talk to Chloe. But it makes sense, doesn't it?" she asked, walking through the living room.

Clark listened to her intently:

"If Joe Chill fears somebody, and Falcone is probably not this person, I can only imagine he really fears the only survivor of the Wayne family--"

"Bruce" Clark said.

"That's right" Lois pointed. "Chill's probably afraid of some kind of revenge. And knowing that Bruce would be in the city for the hearing freaked him out"

"But he's not smart enough to plan something big like this" Clark deduced.

"Of course he's not" Lois agreed. "Wanting to get Falcone out of his way, Mannheim discovered that Chill shared the cell with him, and started to convince to him to make a deal" she concluded.

"Um. It makes sense" Clark said. " But revenge? Do you really think Bruce is able to do something like that?" he asked.

Lois smiled. "Of course he's not, Smallville! I don't have any doubts that the prim and proper Mannheim put into Joe Chill's weak head the idea that Bruce could want to avenge his parents' death just to make him to testify against Falcone"

"Chill called twice to Metropolis from prison--" Clark added.

"How do you know that?" she asked, surprised.

"Well, I, er, huh--" he stuttered, not knowing how to tell her that he trespassed in the DA's file cabinet.

"That's okay. It doesn't matter" she said, more interested in concluding her reasoning. "The fact is that, fearing a retaliation of the only survivor of the crime that placed him behind bars, Chill decided to make the deal Mannheim asked for, a deal with the DA to deliver Falcone--"

"And in exchange for this, Mannheim contacted somebody to eliminate Bruce" Clark added.

Lois nodded and took a deep breath. "How did you?--" Clark asked.

"Deduction, Smallville" Lois said. "And that's what's going to happen tomorrow, before or after the hearing. Under the searchlights. And then Mannheim would show all his power even though he's not in Gotham"

"Now we have a good reason to call the cops" Clark said, concerned.

Lois smiled. "Right. And where is the proof?" she asked. "Don't forget that even if they were arrested the Luchesis would never say they work for Mannheim. And we don't even know where the murderer will be"

Clark didn't say anything, but he agreed.

"The only thing we can do for now is try not to let Bruce go to the hearing" she repeated.

Thoughtful, Clark didn't say anything. No matter how hard Lois was convinced that Bruce was in danger, and no matter how hard he could really be, Clark still didn't trust him. And he was still worried about how Lois would feel if she discovered that the young Wayne could have caused everything that was happening to himself.

"What's wrong?" she asked, facing him.

"Nothing" he answered, not taking off his eyes from hers.

"Good. Because it's late and tomorrow is going to be a long day" she said, crossing the room to the door, while Clark watched her. "By the way, do you know where your room is?" she asked. "Because I don't want you to accidentally come barging into mine."

Clark wrinkled his forehead and didn't answer that. But before Lois could leave, he called her: "Lois, wait!"

She turned around to face him, and he said: "I need to know something"

"What?"

"Well, I, er, huh--" he started, not sure if he should really ask it.

"Say it, Smallville!" she asked, impatient.

"When we finally solve this situation..." he said, without knowing how to finish the sentence.

And Lois raised an eyebow, distrustful. "Is there something wrong?"

"It seems that you and Bruce have unfinished business to discuss" he finally said, not sure what he was doing. "So, I don't want to get in your way--"

"Smallville!" Lois protested, smiling and approaching him.

Clark smiled a nervous and confused smile. Then, he wondered if maybe he shouldn't have said that because Lois'd probably come with some of her sarcastic commentaries.

"Are you jealous?" she asked, still smiling, and wrinkling her forehead.

"Off course I'm not!" he immediatly said.

Clark suddenly felt like he wasn't sure of what he had said. And he finally knew he was lying to himself. Clark simply didn't understand what was happening to him. Jealous? Over Lois? How did that happen? When did that happen? As if the complexity of the problem was not enough, with this whole situation involving mobsters and murder attempts, there was also that increasing feeling for Lois that was simply knocking him off his feet. And why Lois? he asked himself, still keeping his eyes on her.

"Do you know what? You almost had me going there..." she said, smiling. "You're a good friend, Smallville... but sometimes you annoy me with this over protecting thing of yours. I think it's time for you to find someone to fall in love with and leave my personal life out of your business"

Clark also smiled, confused. Maybe he had already finally found that someone. "Sorry, I just don't..."

"You don't trust Bruce" she interrupted. "I know" she said, firmly convinced that not trusting in Bruce was Clark's biggest problem. "You don't trust him as much you didn't trust in AC and lots of other people. But people can always surprise you, Smallville" she warned.

Clark nodded. And while Lois kept talking, he approached her and raised his hand to her face and, almost touching her cheek, he deviated slowly for her hair, plucking off a tiny tree leaf that must have been there since they had come back in from the garden.

Lois saw the leaf in Clark's fingers and looked at him in surprise. For a moment, she had thought he would do something else. But she smiled wondering about the possibility, that was as absurd as as it was insane.

"That's it, Smallville" she said, with a smile, but she was still skeptic about her fertile imagination. "Let's go get some rest... we have to wake up early in the morning"

Then she turned and walked away, still confused, leaving Clark alone with his thoughts.

To be continued...