Chapter 4.

Looking around, Clark noted that there were more waitresses than customers inside the Talon, which was a far cry from earlier. Lana was behind the counter chatting away to one of the customers, and the other was sitting in one of the side booths laughing and joking with one of the waitresses. Though there were several hours to go before closing time, it felt a lot like closing time already.

Chloe had retraced the steps from the counter to the back door, even walking outside and looking around the alley. There was absolutely nothing to suggest that anything had happened here. Lois had been found lying unconscious and was suffering from amnesia but she didn't have any physical marks to indicate she might have been involved in a scuffle. The whole thing was baffling, raising more questions than answers. Questions were being met with more questions. Stranger still was that nobody but Lois had seen the thief. She came back inside.

Clark was still feeling confused. "I just can't remember going out that door. All I remember is talking to you about Miami, and then waking up out there near the alley."

"So…you can't remember about a minute of your life, and Lois has forgotten nearly everything from this past year. You and Lois are the only ones who went after the guy who robbed this place, and both of you have been left with amnesia. I'm wondering if we're dealing with somebody with a new meteor power," offered Chloe grimly.

She had researched the meteor infected for years but after witnessing Clark using his abilities to catch a car in mid-air before speeding away, she felt that to dub them as freaks was unfair. Even the ones who went crazy. She had considered removing her Wall of Weird but after realising the burden and impact carrying such a secret had obviously had on Clark's life, she'd decided to leave it be and let it be a reminder to look for a more positive spin on stories involving those with special abilities. They were how they were because they carried a similar burden to Clark.

Just then, Sheriff Adams walked in. Seeing her, Lana came over to Clark and Chloe.

"Hey, I called the Sheriff to tell them about what had happened. I have to report it in case we put in an insurance claim."

"That's understandable. The trouble is, the only eyewitness is currently sitting at home with a severe bout of amnesia, and the one other person who might know something can't remember what happened at the time either."

"Are you guys sure Lois is OK? Maybe she needs to be checked out at a hospital," said Lana.

"Apart from her memory, she seems to be alright physically. She didn't want to go to hospital but I guess we'll just have to wait and see if anything changes," Chloe replied.

Sheriff Adams came over to speak with Lana.

"Miss Lang, just so we're clear, you're reporting a robbery took place right here in broad daylight in front of a packed house." She could barely hide her scepticism, and the weariness that came from knowing there would be follow-up paperwork didn't help her mood.

"Right, Sheriff. I wasn't here at the time but I called it in after Chloe and Clark filled me in on what had happened."

"This two-hen town has seen its fair share of strange goings on, and it seems Mr Kent and Miss Sullivan are never too far from the centre of it. Care to fill me in on what happened here?"

Chloe spoke up next and gave a full account to the best of her knowledge. "Uh, well, it was pretty busy. Clark and I had just walked in to grab a coffee, and that's when Lois yelled out that somebody had taken the money from the register. Clark saw Lois about to give chase so he went to help. He went out the door just before Lois. I went to see what was going on and I found Clark sitting just outside. He didn't know why he was there. I then went into the alley and I found Lois unconscious. She's at home right now and she has no memory of the past 9 months."

"I see," said the Sheriff. "And you Mr Kent, do you happen to have a description of the suspect?"

Clark felt himself shrinking with helplessness. He didn't really want to answer the Sheriff but he knew he had no choice. "No. I don't remember going after anybody. I can't remember what happened."

"So Miss Sullivan, that leaves you as the only person who can confirm a robbery took place, and yet you didn't see the suspect yourself. I may be little old in the tooth but I know that duck don't hunt."

"We're not making it up. You can speak to Lois if you like but I'm not sure she can tell you anything right now. We left her at home to take a nap. I'm hoping it clears the cobwebs because she'll be able to describe the thief for you," said Chloe.

"Sheriff, the other girls confirmed that the money had been taken. And there was no money on Lois when she was found in the alley," Lana added.

The Sheriff was still looking sceptical. "I have to be able to rule your friend out, so I need to be sure she didn't empty that register and hand over the money to an accomplice."

Chloe leapt to her cousin's defence. "Lois would never do something like that. I know everybody she knows here, plus she lives with the Kents at the farm. She would never do something like that to Mrs Kent, or to Lana."

"I may well need to speak to her at some point just to confirm that. If either of you can add any more, you be sure to keep in touch now, you hear?" said the Sheriff sternly.

She motioned for Lana to step aside so they could talk privately, leaving Clark and Chloe by the counter again.

Clark looked around the near-empty Talon hoping for some sort of clue. He had nothing at all to go on. Peering at the display of muffins and cakes at the bar, he suddenly felt his x-ray vision kick in. Within a second, he was looking through the display and beneath the counter at the floor. He spotted a card of some sort. Stepping idly around the counter, he bent down to reach under the mat and picked it up.

Walking back to Chloe, he showed her the card. "I think we might have our first clue. I found that under the mat."

Chloe took the card and looked at it before looking behind the counter at the black mat.

"Clark, how did you even see it?"

Clark realised he had to make up an excuse pronto. "Uh, it was sticking out. Maybe it belongs to one of the waitresses, or maybe the thief. There's no name on it. Do you think you can find out who it belongs to?"

Chloe had a quizzical expression on her face. When she's looked around earlier, she hadn't spotted anything sticking out from under the mat. She looked at the card again. "I think that part should be easy."