Chapter 9: Soft Green Tissue Paper

She sat there staring into her computer screen. She was trying to work on the article about the rabbit attack for the next edition. Working early Saturday mornings usually helped her get things done, it was quite in the school on these mornings and with the few distractions she usually got a lot of work done. Plus Clark would sometimes come pick her up after getting his chores done and they would go have lunch somewhere or just sit in the Talon and talk about what had gone on during the week.

Clark. He was the reason though that she couldn't get anything done today. His reaction had not been what she was expecting. She was expecting him to just go with it, brush it off as a good idea and then try and make it seem like everything was normal. Or maybe even agree with her, say he had the same idea, but that didn't happen and she was left wondering now if she had made a mistake. Her heart told her that she had, that Clark was the one person who could make her happy. But her head told her differently. Her head told her that Clark was still in love with Lana and eventually he would realize that and go back to her. Leaving her alone...again. She looked down at the floor, at the green package lying there.

She picked up the bundle and set it on the table. Carefully unwrapping it she pulled the soft green tissue paper aside and displayed what was wrapped within. Three soft silk tulips, one red, one yellow and one blue. To a lay person they might not understand the significance of those colors but the reason behind them shined brightly to her. Those were the colors that she always associated with Clark. He always seemed to be wearing some combination of those three colors, at least when he wasn't wearing plaid. She teased him about it all the time and thinking about it brought a small smile to her lips and a tear to her eye.

'Clark must have had them made special' she thought. Had she made a mistake? Maybe she should run out to the farm right now and beg him to take her back. Maybe just being with Clark for a little while was worth the cost of losing him later?

No, it was better this way. This way she could still, at the least, be friends with him. Better to be friends forever then to be lovers for a day. This is the better thing to do, she had to make herself believe it.

"Better." She said to the cold empty room. She carefully wrapped the flowers back up and put them in the drawer of her desk. She wished she could lock her feelings away like that too. Another tear escaped from the corner of her eye. She tried blinking them away. Wiping her cheeks she went back to the computer screen. Then her phone rang.

Looking at the caller id screen she flicked it open.

"Hey Pete whats up?" She said trying to keep her voice steady.

"You busy?" Pete asked "Because I think I might have something to go with your rabbit article."

This was what she needed. Something to focus her mind on other then Clark.

"What do you got?" Her voice displayed the attention she focused on him.

"Meet me out here by the hardware store downtown."

"The hardware store. What could be going on down at the hardware store?" She questioned.

"It's hard to explain but you need to get down here, quickly."

"I'll be there as fast as I can." As she clicked her phone shut she heard Pete say "I'll be waiting.

Downtown

As Chloe approached where the hardware store was she could tell that Pete was right. Whatever was going on here she would be interested in it. Almost every police car that Smallville had was lined up along the road and she could see yellow police tape across the entrance to the alley that went behind the stores that lined the main through fare of downtown Smallville. She had to park her car almost two blocks away and was forcing herself not to run all the way back. She saw Pete standing by the corner of the alley outside the police tape, he waved her over.

"So whats going on Pete?" She asked as she came. In spite of not running she was still a little out of breath.

"I don't really know all the details. I was coming home from the store and saw all the commotion. I came over to check it out and then I called you. From what I've over heard though it looks like someone was murdered."

"Really!" That peaked her interest. If you took out the odd meteor freak incident there very few murders in Smallville every year. Of course that did not bode well for this situation. "Maybe we can sneak past and get a look at the crime scene. Follow me." Pete looked at her a little nervous for a second but then started to follow.

Chloe watched for when the two sheriffs deputies who were standing guard at the tape had their backs to them and then dived under the tape. With Pete right behind her she smiled and turned the corner into the alley way. Walking right into the badge of the Sheriff.

"Well Ms. Sullivan I should have expected you would show up." He said as he pushed them back to the tape line. "Do I have to remind you that this is a crime scene? We don't need two kids running around all over it contaminating any evidence we find."

"Come on Sheriff can you at least tell me whats going?" She tried to get a look over his shoulder but he blocked her view.

"A statement will be released when we have something to say. Until then you will have to wait."

"At least give us something, just what the crime is, whose the victim?" She tried her best smile

"As I said Ms. Sullivan a statement will be released to the press as soon as we have something to report to the public. Now Please move along or will I have to have a Deputy escort you away?" Hands on hips he gave his most intimidating Police Officer pose.

She didn't by it for a second.

"Ok, come on Pete lets go." She grabbed him by the coat sleeves and pulled him down the street.

"Aren't you giving up a little easy there Chloe?" He asked.

"I am nowhere near giving up." After walking about a block away she turned into a clothing store. There was one clerk and two other customers inside. Keeping Pete with her she slowly made her way to the back of the store. As the clerk turned to help a customer she dove into the back room pulling Pete with her.

"What are we doing in here?" He asked.

"Just follow me." She said. They made their to back of the shelves. Finally they came to a door.

"Aha, Yachtzee!" She exclaimed.

"Did you just say Yachtzee?" Pete asked giving her an amused look.

"Never mind that." She replied. "This door should open up to the alley where whatever happened happened. Hopefully we are far enough past and there isn't anyone near by so that we can sneak down and get a look at whats going on."

"Sneaky Chloe, very sneaky." He smiled.

"Alright just keep quite and move fast ok." He nodded.

She pushed open the door as quietly as she could and peeked her head around the end. At the far end of the alley to her right she could see the opposite end of where they met the Sheriff. There were two deputies standing in front of the tape there but they had their backs to them. 'So far so good.' she thought. The crime scene was about half a block to her left. She eased open the door slightly and they both moved out into the alley. Chloe took a small rock and propped the door open just a crack, for a quick escape. They moved down the alleyway jumping from dumpster to dumpster. They got as close as they thought they could with out being seen and took in the situation. She could see a Medical Examiner kneeling next a body lying on the road, he was making notes on a clip board.

"Thats James Marsden." Pete whispered. "He was in my gym class."

Chloe shushed him though as the Sheriff walked up to the ME.

"So tell me what you know Doc." He asked kneeling on the other side of the body.

"Well I'll tell you what I can. He's been dead since about 10:30 last night."

"That would make sense, the store closed at 10pm."

"From the marks on his hands and fingers it appears he fought whatever did this and from the drag patterns on the ground it looks like he was dragged a good ten feet."

"Can you give me a cause of death?" The Sheriff asked while taking notes.

"Oh yes I know what killed him I just don't understand it."

"How so?"

The Doctor pointed to the side of James's neck. Whatever was there was out of sight of Chloe and Pete but they got a more then adequate description.

"He died from massive blood loss caused by this wound to his neck. Whatever did this though didn't cut his throat open, it appears that it was ripped maybe gnawed open. But it's to a very specific area so whatever did this knew what it wanted."

"You said 'Whatever' and 'It' doctor. You don't think a person did this?" The Sheriff stared at him hoping for enlightenment.

"That's just it, it doesn't make any sense for a person to have done this."

"I don't follow you Doc." He was getting a little annoyed with the good doctors answers.

"Well just look around." He pointed around the body and alleyway.

"I don't see anything." The Sheriff said taking a quick look around.

"Exactly. There's almost no blood."

"What do you mean?" The Sheriff said still looking around.

"The human body holds almost 6 quarts of blood. Do you see anything like that around here? There is a little bit around the wound area where the body fell and some on the walls that are probably from the initial puncture into the artery but other then that there's nothing. That's why I thought animal."

"What do you mean Doc?"

"I have heard of animals killing for blood but the alternative for a human to have done this is just to strange."

The Sheriff just looked at him.

"If a person did this then they either collected all the blood and took it with them or...drank it themselves."

"You saying a vampire did this Doctor? Is that what your saying?" He was getting agitated. Nothing was ever easy in Smallville.

"I am not saying anything, I am just giving you the facts of the situation."

"Alright thanks Doc., let me have the report as soon as you can." He got up and walked back towards the end of the alleyway writing furiously in his notebook

Chloe just looked over at Pete and stared. Finally she whispered, "Come on lets go."

They snuck back towards the clothing store door and went back inside. "Ok that's pretty gruesome Chloe. Poor James."

"Yeah I know. At least it would have been pretty fast though, a wound like that." Her thoughts were racing. She did feel sad for James but the dead could not be helped. "This is eerily similar to the rabbit story Pete." She just looked at him.

"I know what your mean. Throat ripped open, no blood…yuck" The possibility of this being an animal was getting really slim.

"It looks like our bunny killer has moved up in the world."

Just then the clothing store clerk came into the back. "Hey what are you kids doing back here?" She yelled.

"I told you this wasn't the bathroom Pete. Come on lets go." She said looking around, she grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the store.

After parting ways with Pete she headed back to the Torch. She wanted to call Clark and fill him in on the situation but she had Pete do it, she wasn't sure she could. She needed to get all her notes typed up so that she could start getting the article together. She thought about merging the bunny story and this one into one big expose. Something bigger then dead rabbits was going on.

Chloe walked into the Torch's office and stopped. Something was different. These offices were her second home and she knew them intimately. She scanned the room looking for what was out of place. Then she saw it, a splash of color that wasn't there before.

She went over to her desk. The three tulips were sitting on her desk inside an old polished Coke bottle that she usually put pencils in, the green tissue paper neatly folded next to it. She looked around trying to see if anyone was in the room with her but she was alone. There was a note sitting against the bottle. She carefully picked it up and opened it.

Meet me at the Talon tonight. 8:30, we need to talk.

Love, Clark

She read it again…Love?