Chapter 13
Metropolis – 2017
I'm at the park. Come find me! Lori hit send and relaxed in the warm sun that hinted at a hot summer in Metropolis. She was anxious to get back to Summerland Key and wished that Clark did not have to work all summer. But, she thought, maybe he'll find some time and race down to see me.
Her phone rang and she was glad she looked at the name before she answered her father's phone call with a wildly inappropriate greeting. "Hi, Dad," she said. "What's up?"
It was unusual for her to get a call from her father and even more unusual that he was calling her on a weekday. He is normally in his boat and has no cell phone reception from there which meant he was on land making a call. Her first thought was something was wrong with her mom.
"Is everything okay?" she asked cautiously.
"Not exactly." Her father paused to collect his thoughts.
"Nothing's wrong with Mom, is it?"
"No, nothing like that," he said. "It's about the stuff at the warehouse. Remember you went to the warehouse area a few times trying to identify the people who were buying our cultural antiquities on the dark web?"
"Yes, of course I do," she replied, "but I only saw one person and got a license plate on him. I didn't get any of the others."
"Well, Randle Dandridge…and you should know that is not his real name…was paid to track down those artifacts and get them back. Here is what we just learned.
"Big-time antiquity collectors, corporate executives and those type, were privately solicited by the salvage company through whatever channels they had to sell the pieces they plundered. Mickler was selling artifacts over the dark web to individuals on the side for his own profit. Since he monitored the warehouse, he controlled access to the antiquities and sort of curated the collection.
"Dandridge apparently was working Alvin Mickler over for information about the buyers to whom the salvage company and he sold pieces. Mickler was pretty adamant that he was not going to give Dandridge any information on the buyers for fear of them coming after him later and I guess Dandridge made talk."
"Wait, Dad. When you said working him over, do mean like beating him up?" Lori asked, horrified to learn of something like that happening in real life over artifacts.
"Sweetheart, I honestly can't answer that. I don't know what he meant when he told the group that."
"Go on."
"Last Thursday, Dandridge went to Mickler's house and found him dead. At least that's the story he's told us. He said that he would disappear and no longer be involved with the recovery of the remaining pieces."
Her father was nervous and talking fast. He had to pause to regroup. "Lori," he began, "this has the potential to blow back on you…possibly even Clark. Police are bound to find prints or DNA belonging to Dandridge. I'm told that he's former military and if that's the case, his DNA and photo are in a government database that law enforcement ultimately has access to. If not, then if anyone saw him at Mickler's house, or police find doorbell videos from any of the neighbors that show him at the house, they might be able to identify him through descriptions or facial recognition programs."
"Okay," Lori said, "that's troubling but why would I be in danger?"
"Sweetheart, didn't you tell us that there are security cameras at the warehouse and when the police interviewed you, they had photos of you taken from the videotapes?"
Suddenly her stomach knotted. "Yes," she said ominously. "And one of those photos was taken from the video on the 9th of December when Clark and I met with Dandridge and we went to the warehouse to show him which one it was." She thought about the picture they captured from the video. "It was still sunny at that time and the security cameras pointed toward the sun and it was at our backs so the picture was pretty dark. It was pretty clear of me and of Dandridge but not of Clark because he was behind us and amongst a few others walking around that day. I doubt any of the video show Clark and Dandridge together."
"But they know you two are together and they won't stop with you," he replied. "Even if they do have DNA, they won't know who it belongs to initially and they will canvas the neighborhood for witness information. If a neighbor saw Dandridge and described him, or the police find a doorbell video of him, they'll start looking at the tapes and photos again. If they look at the December 9th tape, they'll find you and Dandridge and eventually Clark, right?" She made a groaning sound and her dad continued. "I think you need to get home as fast as you can," he said. "You need to get out of there. Do you have final exams or anything?"
"I do, but maybe I can take them remotely or something. I can tell them I have an emergency and need to get home. You should call the university administration office, tell them you can't get in touch with me, and ask them notify me of an emergency and that I need to come home immediately…something like that."
"We can do that. You need to be ready to do whatever you can do, just get out of there as fast as you can. We'll figure it out from here." He paused. "Can you do that, Sweetheart?"
"Yes, I can Dad," she replied. "If you arrange it through the administration office, I'll talk to my professors and get it all the info for the exams." She paused. "Do you really think he killed that man?"
"I don't know. I never met him but I don't want you anywhere near him or his business activities if he did, do you understand?"
"Of course! I don't want anything to do with him now. Even if he's never arrested or charged for it, I'll always wonder if he did."
"Come home, Honey. Soon! We love you," he said and hung up.
Her head raced with the anxiety of being pulled into a murder investigation and her heart thudded in her chest. The burglary was one thing, a murder was something entirely different. There would be no quick closing of an investigation because of a lack of evidence or cooperation from the victim. A murder investigation was no joke and Lori could easily envision herself being pulled in and questioned. She would have Mason Drake protect her but that would not keep her from scrutiny and the more she was protected, the more the police would suspect she was hiding information from them.
Mason Drake, she thought. Is she up to defending me against the police pressure in a murder case? While Drake seemed to be a competent attorney, she was young and had likely just passed the bar exam. Lori judged that Mason Drake was no more than two or three years older than her. Drake's youthful appearance might camouflage a crafty, hard-boiled attorney but Lori did not want to be the person that found out she was not as tough or competent as she seemed.
Perhaps it was the young attorney's good looks. She was clearly no stranger to a gym. Her blonde hair and piercing blue eyes complimented her athletic build and pleasing features. Drake was not a drop-dead beauty, but she could give most Hollywood starlets a run for their money and win at least fifty percent of the time. So, this Barbie doll of an attorney was effective when the question was about protecting her client against zealous detectives trying to close out a weak case. But what about Drake's effectiveness defending her against detectives in a murder investigation if Lori was in their crosshairs as a possible source of information or suspected accomplice? That was the question she wished she had no doubts about.
And then there was the matter of Clark. If they could not get to her, would they go after him? If they somehow tied Dandridge to Mickler's murderer, would they find Clark in that video and go after him? What would she tell him when he arrived? What would his reaction be if he knew that she had drawn him into a situation that had put him in the orbit of a murder suspect?
Lori knew Clark loved her, but she also suspected that there were limits to love. Being the moral compass that he was, Clark would not be evasive if he was questioned by the police. If they showed him that picture, Clark's moral compass would compel him to speak the truth. That would cause her and her family considerable problems and may very well expose the secrets they hid so closely. Tears streaked down her cheeks as she silently wept.
She was working herself into a bundle of nerves and she needed to clear her mind. Playing the 'what if' game was pointless and she had to find a way to get out of Metropolis and fast. She got up from the bench she was sitting on and began to walk along the path toward the West Metropolis River. She needed to clear her mind and she needed to focus on solving the problem, not create obstacles in her mind.
At the opposite end of the park, Clark was pulling up in his truck. He looked at his phone and saw her text. I'm at the park. Come find me! He smiled. If the park had been empty, he could have found her almost instantly, however, people were enjoying the beautiful day and there was no rush after all. He got out and began wandering in the park.
He got another text, this one from his mom. Can you come home this weekend? It was a bit odd so he called her. "Hi Mom. I just got your text. What's up?"
"Oh nothing to worry about, Sweetheart. But your dad hasn't been feeling himself lately and I thought he could use a hand and take a break to rest this weekend if you can come here. I don't know if you have exams or reviews coming up but…"
"Of course, Mom," Clark interrupted. "I will come right after class on Friday. I've actually finished the requirements for three of the four classes I'm taking this semester so if you need me to come sooner, let me know. You and Dad will always be my first priority, I told you both that."
She sighed. "It's not that urgent, Son. He's just been worn down and he came in today so exhausted he could hardly eat dinner! I think he's getting to that age where maybe he should be considering leasing out the fields instead of working them. But you know your dad!"
He smiled. "Yes, I know he's hard to convince otherwise once his mind is set. If he's got a date in mind to quit farming, he's not going to stop until then. But I can come lighten the load for him anytime. You know that it hardly affects me."
"That would be so lovely, Clark. If Lori's free to come, bring her along. We'd love to visit with her."
"Sure! I'll see what she thinks, and we can get there whenever you need me, but I'll be there by Friday afternoon at the latest." He told his mom he just had to inform his supervisor at the store, and then he would call her back to let her know his or their plans.
"That would be perfect, Honey. I just know your dad will be happy, too, if you come. He'd never dream of asking for your help if he thought it was interfering with school, of course. So, if you can, try to make it sound like it's your idea to come, okay?"
"Sure, Mom," Clark replied. "If Lori is free, I'll just tell him that Lori will be leaving right after her final in an ecology elective and she wanted to say goodbye before then. If not, I'll say that I wanted to visit before finals and make arrangements for staying here while keeping my job at the store and then what to do once football starts back up in August."
"That sounds good, Sweetheart. Your dad will never know we had this conversation." She paused. "I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing. I love you, Son."
"I love you, too, Mom." He hung up the phone and sat for moment thinking about his dad. He wondered if he could convince him to give up farming and either sell the farm outright or just lease the fields and enjoy retirement. He doubted he would ever use the farm himself.
His thoughts returned to Lori. He listened but could not hear her voice. He looked around and continued walking. There was a group of people lying in the grass in an open area, enjoying the mid-May sunshine and the fresh air that gently blew through the curtain of green that surrounded them.
He suddenly noticed a heartbeat and with no other super power, he decided it would be an interesting exercise for him to find her using only that ability. The heartbeat was strong and rapid, he figured she was hiding and moving around to keep him guessing. She was playing a game of hide and seek. Come find me.
As slowly turned his head back and forth to find the direction from which the heartbeat was coming. He locked on to the sound coming from behind a wooden facility with concessions and restrooms. He followed the sound, and the heartbeat grew stronger and louder as he approached. Clark knew exactly where Lori was now, and it had been simple to find her. She would laugh and be amazed at how he did it. He reached the building and detected that she was somewhere on the side of the building. He walked past the concession window and turned the corner. Nearly colliding with her. He stopped abruptly and she was looking at her phone but sensed him, and stuck out her hand to keep from running into him. He grabbed her hand and looked at her, smiling.
It wasn't Lori. "Oops, excuse….you! You're Lois Lane, from the Daily Planet, right?" She nodded. "I remember checking you in to the Christmas party. I'm…"
"Clark Kent," she finished. "Uh…I…um… hi!" she managed and smiled awkwardly.
"Hi," he replied with a widening smile at her awkwardness. Something about this woman is captivating, he thought. She's beautiful but that's not it. It's something else, like we're familiar; closely related or something.
Ever since seeing her at the Daily Planet Christmas party, she had left him with an unanswered question. The question was like an old Post-It note reminder that kept resurfacing because the task had never gotten checked off a To-Do list. This was his chance. This was the opportunity to at least sort out what the connection he seemed to feel meant and if she felt it as well.
The two shared some opening conversations that, in retrospect, would be hilarious to anyone observing the exchange but were painfully awkward at the time. Clark finally suggested that they go to a nearby bench and chat for a while, mercifully sparing Lois Lane the embarrassment of more babbling, which he found absolutely adorable.
"It's hard to ask someone you just met something like this without leaving the impression that you're a stalker or a lunatic! I wasn't sure I could even ask the question." Lois chuffed. "And I'm a reporter, even!" She paused. "If I'm being totally honest, for the last five months, I've felt a very strong need to ask you about it and try to figure it out."
Listening to her and sharing his thoughts seemed to be an almost mystical experience. They had a connection that neither could quite define or describe. Clark had the best description, a familial-type connection between estranged twins separated at birth who suddenly bump into each other.
It was an interesting comparison but not entirely accurate because there was a component that neither admitted aloud. That uncredited component was a primal need to be part of the other that was so strong, it bordered on lust and simmered deep beneath layers built by years of lectures about propriety and acceptable social behavior. It existed and though neither one considered it, it would surreptitiously steer their thoughts, their actions, and their motives.
They sat in momentary silence once again, staring at one another and trying to make sense of the moment. Her phone vibrated again. "I'm sorry, I have to take this." She dug in her pocket and pulled her phone out.
He sat and watched as she scrolled through her message and noticed a change in her disposition. "Is everything okay?"
"I don't know," she replied and stood up. "Excuse me while I check this." She turned away and held the phone close to her ear. When she was done, she turned back to Clark. "Sorry, I have to go," she said, "Mr. Corben needs my assistance." She started to leave and then added, "Thanks for talking…I enjoyed it and maybe we could continue it," she said and as she passed by Clark, she added, "Soon."
Her strange response to the texts and voicemail made him wary of the situation. He did not question her sincerity but it was no mere coincidence that she and her partner were there and wanted to talk to him and Lori.
Meanwhile, Lori had noticed a guy following her as she walked along the path that paralleled the West Metropolis River. She picked up her pace and he matched it. As she reached the corner of the park, instead of turning and following the path, she stepped off and continued straight toward the street that bordered the park.
"Miss Lemaris!" the man behind her called. She slowed her pace to think. This was not some random stalker since he knew her name and he was not a policeman because he would have identified himself and ordered her to stop.
"Miss Lemaris, I'm John Corben with the Daily Planet, I'd like to talk to you!" he called out.
She stopped and turned to face the man. He was a nice-looking man, she observed, who appeared to be in his mid-thirties. He looked to be in good shape, and he had a rather disarming smile.
"Sorry," she said as he approached her. "I thought you might have been some creep."
The disarming smile widened. He extended his hand. "I'm sorry, I should have identified myself sooner. I didn't mean to startle you."
Lori shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Corben," she said. "What is it you'd like to talk about?" She had hoped that it had something to do with journalism and a possible internship at the Daily Planet, although she knew that the last part of that thought was a long shot.
He looked around. "To be honest, I wanted my partner here as well and I don't know where she's at right now." He laughed a bit. "It takes the creepiness away when there are two of us. I've texted her and left a voicemail so she should be here in a minute or two." He paused. "You're a journalism student, correct?"
Journalism. Lori lowered her defenses and relaxed a bit. "Yes, I am. I've completed over two years of undergraduate journalism courses at Met U. It's what I'm interested in and hope to get a job at a paper like the Daily Planet someday. Mr. White mentioned that I should contact him about an internship at the Christmas party."
"The Christmas party, that's where I recognize you from!" John lied. "I remember now. You were there with your boyfriend, right? The quarterback, um, Clark Kent, right?"
Lori smiled. "Yes. I was sitting right next to Clark." But I never introduced him to anyone at the party as my boyfriend. Certainly not to you. She continued to smile but she began to raise her defenses again. "Corben. In fact, you would have been in his line."
"Yes, I remember him. Tall, good-looking guy, right?" Corben asked.
She nodded. "Yes, large, strong, handsome. He is here at the park somewhere. He's hunting for me at this very moment. Maybe I should call him to let him know where I am."
She pulled the phone from her pocket, but John reached out and lightly blocked her from raising the phone to dial it. "Let's talk a minute before he finds you, okay?" He smiled and withdrew his hand. "Just for a minute."
Alarms were going off in her head. "About what, Mr. Corben?" Lori asked and slipped the phone back in pocket.
He looked around, frustrated that his partner had not appeared yet and then looked at Lori. "I wish my partner was here. I am writing a piece about…"
"Who's your partner," Lori interrupted.
"Lois Lane. She's a writer at the Planet."
"Oh! Yes," she responded. "I've read a lot of her articles. I've even used one or two in my classes. I like her articles because she reports a lot of facts instead of opinion or conjecture. I prefer that." She paused. "So, she's your partner?"
"Yes, and I thought she would have joined us by now," he said with an edge to his voice.
"Well, my boyfriend, Clark, should be finding me any minute as well," Lori countered.
"While we're waiting, I'd like to ask you about a burglary at the Hobbs river warehouse district last December. The police talked to you about that, right?" Lori said nothing. "I was wondering if you had any insight into the burglary?"
"Why would you think I had any insight into it?"
Corben countered, "The police thought you did," he said. "They have photos of you there and on the night of the burglary."
"I was at the Daily Planet Christmas party," she replied. "You just told me you saw me there."
"You're right. I also saw the photo from a security video and I know your whereabouts weren't confirmed when that video was taken."
Lori was getting irritated. "You know, Mr. Corben, I think I'm done talking to you about anything."
She began to walk away and John said, "What are worried about, Miss Lemaris? If you had no knowledge of what happened that night, why are you so reluctant to answer my questions?"
She stopped, turned around, and walked back to him. "You're right. I didn't specifically answer you question, did I? So, here's your answer to your first question; I had nothing to do with that burglary. Now here's the answer to all your follow-up questions; fuck off!" She started to walk away but stopped and spun around. "And you don't want to make my boyfriend mad, so I suggest that you leave and take your partner with you, if she's even here."
"So, you're telling me your boyfriend is capable of great violence to protect you? Is that what you're saying, Miss Lemaris?"
"I said nothing of the sort. All I'm saying is it's in your best interest to leave me alone." She was getting angry but also worried. What was his angle and what was his interest in that burglary when the cops are not even interested in it?
"Is that what happened to Alvin Mickler? Was he bothering you somehow? Did he have something to do with Mickler's murder?"
Oh shit! Lori thought. I've got to get away from this guy. He knows about Mickler! Oh shit! What else does he know? What did the police tell him? Lori sped up and began to walk as fast as she could up the Hobsneck Bridge. She did not know exactly where she would go but her instinct told her to get away from Corben. She looked back and saw Corben coming, closing the distance.
"Get away from me!" she shouted.
She nearly reached the crest of the bridge before Corben sprinted around her and blocked her direction of travel. As she tried to sidestep him, he blocked her. Lori turned back around and began to quickly head back down the bridge but saw Lois Lane running towards her.
"Miss Lemaris," Lois called as she closed the distance. "Wait!" she said. "Lori, stop!" she called out.
From behind her, Corben barked, "Answer the question, Miss Lemaris. It's us or the police," he said.
Lori stopped, trapped between two aggressive reporters with the question of Alvin Mickler on their minds. She knew the 'no comment' response would be an invitation to draw her into suspicion and the police would happily follow. It was worse than what her father had told her and somehow, these two had information that linked her to Dandridge and Dandridge to Mickler's murder…possibly.
Her stomach knotted and she cried, her breath coming hard, and her chest felt like it was seizing. There was one place that she could feel safe and it was flowing beneath the bridge.
"Lori, please just hold up," Lane called to her.
"Listen to my partner," John barked from behind her.
Lori spotted Clark at the foot of the bridge; they locked eyes. "I'm sorry, I have no choice," she shouted. Then she whispered, "We'll see each other again," and turned to the railing.
"Lori…no!" Clark yelled to her and began running but not at superspeed.
"No Lori. Stop!" Lois screamed.
She looked to him, yelled, "I love you, Clark," and vaulted over the railing and into the West Metropolis River forty feet below.
"Nooo!" Clark yelled.
"Oh, God!" Lois screamed and ran to the railing near the spot from which Lori had jumped and where Corben stood looking on.
Clark had stopped at the railing and was looking down with his x-ray vision, but he could not find Lori. As long as she survived the fall, he thought, she should be okay. But that's a long way down.
As he was scanning the river, he heard the two reporters squabbling and the sound of a police cruiser arriving. He heard Lois's partner began to explain what happened to the police officer, conveniently leaving out the fact that the two reporters had been badgering her and blocking her exit from the bridge.
Clark moved quickly and grabbed Corben by the lapels of his jacket. "You did this! You!" he repeated angrily. The patrolman tried to break Clark's grip on Corben but could not. Clark pushed Corben hard against the police cruiser. "She jumped because of you," Clark he said menacingly. "She's gone because of you," and pushed Corben harder until Corben cried out in pain.
"Take it easy, buddy," the police officer said. "Let him go."
"Mr. Kent, don't," Lois said. "It's not worth it, you're only going to hurt yourself."
He let Corben go and swiveled around. "And you were part of this," he accused Lois. "This is your partner. Your job was what…keeping me occupied while he harassed her? Distracting me so I couldn't protect her? Is that why you are here?" Clark said, seething at feeling duped into falling for their scheme.
Clark pushed past Lois and returned to the railing and looked into the water again. Then he let out an anguished scream, turned, glared at the two reporters. "You did this," he said ominously. "Both of you," he said through a clenched jaw, and then began walking back toward the park.
"Sir! I need you to stay. I need your information and a statement from you of what happened," the police officer yelled to him.
He stopped and turned. "My name is Clark Kent, officer. You have two Daily Planet reporters, right there. They're renowned for their fairness, honesty, and integrity. You don't need me when you have them."
"Yes Sir, I do!" the officer called out, but Clark turned and began to pick up his pace until he reached the foot of the bridge. He stopped, looked out again at the river, staring into its murky, churning water for nearly five minutes before he turned and ran to the park. Once he was out of sight of those on the bridge, he blurred to his truck.
His anger gave way to sorrow and he felt tears pooling in his eyes and a lump in his throat, but he also held out hope that Lori was alive and safe underwater. There she would be able to recover and, once the police had left, she could find a safe location to leave the water and call him. He did not understand why she jumped, only that she had felt that she had no other choice. But the police had closed the burglary case and she had an attorney to protect her from any overzealous detectives. It did not make sense why she would feel so cornered over that.
Clark returned to the dorm room and Pete was there. He told Pete what had happened and that in less than two weeks, he had planned on asking Lori to marry him once they graduated from Met U. Pete hugged his best friend and Clark said that he hoped Lori made it safely to the bottom of the river. He said that as long as she survived the fall, she should be okay.
Pete reminded him that the distance was about the same as the ten-meter platform that swim team members often jumped from and that gave Clark a glimpse of optimism. Later that day before they went to work, Pete met Tracy after he texted that he needed to speak with her. He told her what had happened, and that Lori's body had not yet been recovered. He told her that Clark was devastated because not only did he love her but because he was going to ask her to marry him.
Tracy cried. She knew Clark and genuinely liked him. Although she did not know Lori very well, she did know that Clark was truly in love with her, and she wept thinking of the pain and sorrow that Clark was feeling. He did not deserve to have this happen. He was the most decent, kind, and thoughtful man she had ever met and it hurt her to think of something this tragic happening to him. The fact that he was planning to propose to her made the situation even more pitiful to Tracy.
Clark went to work that night and spent a lot of the time in close proximity to Pete. Pete was Clark's rock that night, keeping him upbeat about Lori's chances without being Pollyanna. When it was time to go home and he had not heard from Lori, Pete cautioned him about expecting her to call too quickly.
"Clark," he began, "think about it. Whatever made her jump, she did so to give them the impression she committed suicide. They must have been badgering her so badly, she wanted them to think she was dead so they would leave her alone. She's not going to miraculously appear six or seven hours later because they'll just keep coming then." Pete paused. "Give her a couple days before you start thinking the worst. By then, she'll either have called or someone will have recovered her body. But my money is that she'll be calling."
When they got to the dorm room, Clark opened his laptop and went to the Daily Planet page. He saw two stories that suddenly made sense of Lori's decision. The first one was a brief article by John Corben about a young woman, whose name was being withheld pending notification of next of kin, who committed suicide by jumping from the Hobsneck Bridge. The article claimed the young woman was a potential witness to a burglary of purportedly priceless artifacts from the riverfront warehouse district and police divers were unsuccessful locating her body due to darkness and that efforts would be resumed the next day.
He showed Pete and his roommate opined the police divers would never recover her body because she is still alive and hiding out somewhere. "If they don't find her body by Thursday or Friday, she's alive. Every day that passes, the odds that she died drop. A body would float to the surface by Thursday or Friday," Pete asserted.
The second article was the story of Alvin Mickler who was found murdered in his home by police. His cause of death was determined to be asphyxiation and his manner of death was ruled a homicide. The medical examiner determined put the time of death between 8 PM and midnight, Thursday, May 4th.
Five days ago, Clark thought.
The story went on to say that Mickler had been under suspicion of selling high-end stolen property to buyers using dark web chatrooms. The operation Mickler ran, the article said, resulted in two Metropolis PD patrolmen ending up in hot water over allegations of willful violation of department protocols. The article mentioned a person of interest being sought by the authorities. A police sketch of the person of interest was included and Clark thought it looked similar to Randle Dandridge. If Lori thought that the police would be looking for Dandridge, that would be a reason to fake her suicide.
He shared the story with Pete. "My guess is that the Planet reporters knew that Mickler had been found dead and a sketch of the person of interest to police was very similar to a man Lori and I met at the riverfront. They were competing with the police in uncovering the scheme and players. They probably assumed Lori knew the man she is in the photo with and the reporters were trying to corner her and coerce her into giving them some information."
"Geez! What a couple of scumbags," Pete judged. "Why not just let the police do their job?"
Clark sighed. "Investigative reporters often walk a tightrope between chasing down leads to a story and interfering with a police investigation." He reflected on that and added, "These two reporters obviously crossed the line and may end up getting fired or possibly even arrested. It all depends on the relationship between the police chief and the editor in chief and how critical Lori's help might have been."
"I hope they're arrested," Pete offered. "It would serve them right."
Clark nodded but he thought about Lois Lane. He did not regret the things he had said to her because it may have been their plan all along, but in hindsight, it was John Corben who was most responsible for what happened. Deep down, he doubted that Lois Lane would endorse badgering a young woman to the point that she would jump to her death just to get away. He did not wish for Lois to be fired or arrested, but he was angry at her for not intervening and stopping Corben from provoking Lori.
The next two days were rough for him. He missed Lori terribly. The more he considered what she had done, the more he believed that she was alive and was hiding until the whole thing blew over. But that made the separation even more painful. Whoever killed Mickler, whether it was Dandridge or a thug hired by a wealthy buyer from whom Dandridge had 'repossessed' an artifact, until someone was arrested and charged, she would have to hide. But how long would that take?
Amid his feelings of loss, the anger, and the concern about their future, there was also his connection with Lois Lane that had been severed when Lori jumped. Although he was angry at her, his thoughts kept returning to the short time that they had shared together. That conversation confirmed that there was a strange connection between them, and it was far deeper than he ever had with another person, even deeper than his connection with Lori. They both knew it. They had both felt it for months. It was frightening, mysterious, exciting, and yet, for Clark it was also worrisome because it would be nearly impossible to keep those thoughts from Lori.
"Clark," Pete began, "let's talk about what's happening." Each were eating a frozen dinner before getting ready to go to work later that night. "It's now been a little more than two days since Lori was thought to have committed suicide and we both know that that isn't the case. Right?" Clark nodded. "So, I know you are deeply in love with her, and I know you said you were going to propose to her in about a week and a half. But what's going to happen now? Have you thought about that?"
Clark frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Okay," Pete said and shifted in his chair. "She's presumably dead but then, she'll be alive and you're suddenly back together with her. Don't you think if she shows up, everyone is going to wonder what the hell happened? It's going to create a whole new set of problems for both of you. Have you thought about that? Thought about all the questions and why she faked her death and hid for so long?" Pete cleared his throat. "How she stayed underwater so long?"
Clark sat silently for a moment, thinking about what Pete said, and then spoke. "All I've been thinking about is where she might be, if she's okay, and when I can see her again." He paused and looked at his friend. "I haven't really thought about the rest of it." He slowly nodded his head. "But you're right, Pete. I don't know how to explain it if she reappears. I don't know what people's reaction will be. It won't be safe for her or those like her. I don't know if we can even be seen in Metropolis again once we're reunited."
"And what will those reporters do if she resurfaces?" Pete added. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. "Clark, I'm telling you this as your oldest and closest friend. You can't be seen with her. It will expose her secret, and her family's secret and if they dig hard enough, maybe even yours. I don't know, man, but you need to start thinking about that. It's dangerous for both of you. And if she thought those reporters were badgering her before, imaging what she would face from them and the police if she resurfaces."
"We can always go somewhere else, somewhere where no one knows us," Clark proposed.
Pete took a deep breath. "And where would that be? And what would you do when you get there?" he asked.
"I'm playing devil's advocate and I hate to do it, Clark but you need to stop and think. It's not like either of you kept a low profile. She was an Olympic hopeful and you were on national television at the Outback Bowl sucking face with her." He paused. "Man, I hate to be saying all of this, but I love you both and I'm trying to help keep you safe. What happens if you're recognized?"
Clark let it all sink in. "You haven't said anything to Tracy about Lori not being dead, have you?"
"No, man. I really like her a lot but it's not like we're that serious. I wouldn't tell Tracy something that she doesn't need to know. As far as she is concerned, she believes what every other student, staff, and faculty member here at the university believes; that Lori disappeared underwater after jumping from the bridge and drowning in the West Metropolis River."
He was silent for a while and then spoke. "Everything you've said makes sense. Thanks for having our backs, Pete. You're a good friend and just know that I will always have your back, too."
"You should stay here tonight and get some rest. Think about what I said. Mr. Becker will understand that you need some time alone. You don't want to mess this up, and this situation has the potential to do that and more." Clark agreed.
Pete got changed for work and then left while Clark thought about what had been said. The more he thought about them, the more he realized that there may be no solution. He concluded that he and Lori must stay separated until Metropolis PD solved the murder of Alvin Mickler. The reporters and police closely watched the river after she jumped to see if she resurfaced but no one saw afterwards for at least a half hour. Lori could never resurface now and assume her true identity again without risking her secret. Not in Metropolis and not anywhere that she could be recognized.
He lay in bed with his eyes closed, analyzing scenarios where they could end up together but in the final analysis, each scenario was unrealistic. They might have to wait a decade or more before they could safely be together again. He began to drift off, exhausted from analyzing different scenarios and depleted by waves of emotions he had felt over the last two and a half days. In the misty realm that exists between consciousness and slumber, his final lucid thoughts meandered to Lois, their incredible sense of connection, and the regret he felt knowing that it was probably lost forever.
When his cell phone rang, he jumped up thinking it had to be Lori. She had come safely ashore under the cover of darkness and called to let him know where she was and that she safe. He grabbed his phone and saw his mom's name.
"Mom, what is it?" he answered.
"Clark," she said solemnly, "your dad's had a heart attack. We're at Smallville General and you need to come home right now. Hurry Son," she added, and her voice cracked.
Clark arrived at Smallville General within two minutes of hanging up from his mom's call. He found her in the waiting room and could see she had been crying. He hugged her and she disappeared within his massive frame. "When did it happen?" he asked.
She cleared her throat. "A little over an hour ago. He laid down after dinner saying he was tired. He was on the couch, and he didn't turn on the television, he just laid down. I was doing the dishes and heard a thud. I looked to see what it was and I saw your dad curled up on the floor with his arms wrapped around himself and groaning." Tears began to streak down her cheeks. "I called the ambulance, and they got there right away. He's been in surgery ever since."
"Let's sit down, Mom," Clark said, leading her to loveseat-like sofas in the waiting room. "Can I get you anything to drink?"
Martha shook her head and leaned onto his shoulder. "I don't know what I'll do if he doesn't recover," she said. "That whole farm…I can't run it and it's too late in the year to lease the fields."
"Don't worry about the farm right now, Mom. Keep your thoughts on Dad. I'll take care of the farm."
"Oh Clark, you have your life to take care of," she said and broke down. When she recovered a bit, she continued. "You can't change everything in your life to take care of ours."
"You did it for me," he said softly. "Why shouldn't I do it for you? There won't be any discussion about it."
He sat with Martha while they waited silently in the darkened waiting area. Clark texted Pete and told him that he had gone to Smallville because his dad suffered a heart attack. Pete replied that he prayed that Jonathan would make a full recovery. He told Clark that he would let Mr. Becker at the store know that he would not be returning any time soon. He ended it by telling Clark that if there was anything he could do for him to let him know.
Back in Metropolis, Lois Lane struggled to find the right words to write to Clark. She was angry too. Angry with herself for not intervening by telling Perry sooner. Angry with herself for going along with the charade simply to talk to Clark. Angry that a jerk like John Corben could even hold a job as a reporter with a reputable newspaper. And angry that the most exciting and potentially life-changing connection she had ever had with a man was now imperiled because of Corben and his bullshit.
Although she would not tell Clark, Corben's firing was based on her statement to Perry in the presence of the Daily Planet legal advisor and its human resources director. Corben put the final nail in his own coffin with his cavalier and unapologetic demeanor when he met with Perry, taking no responsibility for coercing the young woman into committing suicide by implying the police would connect her to Mickler's murder. In his eyes, she was a victim of her own guilt rather than his abusive conduct.
Alone in her apartment, she strained to find the words to make him believe how devastated she felt at Lori's death and the lives she knew that she had a part in ruining. And while Clark laid in bed drifting off to sleep and thinking about their incredible connection, Lois was fighting the urge to cry just thinking about it.
In the Smallville General waiting room, Martha told Clark that she and Jonathan had heard about a young Met U woman who committed suicide in Metropolis several days ago, and she asked Clark if he knew her.
He explained the tragic story to his mom as they sat waiting. It shocked and saddened Martha because she knew Clark was so in love with the girl. They talked softly about the repercussions her decision to jump had caused and the impossible situation in which it had put them. She wiped her eyes knowing the pain and grief it had to have caused her son and now, his father's condition on top of it. Knowing Clark's decision to propose to her at the end of the semester made it even sadder, and she secretly wondered if he would ever find love like that again. She had never seen him so happy and now the source of his happiness had left him.
After three and a half hours, a cardiologist came out and explained that Jonathan had suffered a heart attack but that it had been a relatively mild one. He explained that after conducting a virtual consultation with a cardiologist in Metropolis, they did not feel the need to operate. He explained Jonathan had a small blockage that they would treat with medication and monitor over the next few months. The doctor advised that he would be kept in the cardiac care unit for a couple days to make sure he was stable, and was safe for him to go home. "His prognosis is very good though, Mrs. Kent. He should make a full recovery. But he'll need to watch his diet. I presume he gets plenty of exercise running a farm, but he's going to have to take it easy until he fully recovers."
"How long will that be?" Martha asked.
"I imagine a month and or two," the doctor said. "Other than the blockage, he's in excellent condition."
For the next month and a half, Clark ran the farm on his own. Jonathan guided his son on what needed to be done and Clark accomplished those things. It amazed the younger Kent how tired he would get by the end of the day and wondered how his father had done that work by himself with very little help over the years. Clark could accomplish the work much faster than his dad, but he had to take care not to draw attention to the speed with which he accomplished chores. People knew Jonathan had suffered a heart attack and that Clark was completing the day-to-day tasks of a working farm. They often offered to help or stopped by to see Jon. Between unscheduled visits and occasional appearances offering to help, it made super-speeding through chores practically impossible.
The Saturday night following his father's heart attack, Clark dashed to the university to clear out his room and get his truck. Pete was studying at the frat house and Tracy was staying with him. He went in the early morning hours in order to load the truck at superspeed. When he arrived back at the farm, he unloaded all of the things from his dorm room into the loft and left them there. He knew at some point he would need to put it all away and get rid of things that he was not going to keep. But until his dad was back home, he alternated his time between hospital visits, doing what needed to be done at the farm, eating, and sleeping.
At night, he often wondered when he would hear from Lori. Her body had not been recovered and Pete had called the following Wednesday, asking about Jonathan and boasting to Clark that he knew all along Lori was safe. "You just need to listen to me more often, Kent," Pete crowed. "I'm sure you'll hear from her once she thinks it's safe. Just hang in there, buddy, and let me know if I can do anything for you."
Clark received his grades for the semester. He completed the necessary requirements for all of his courses except one and the one final exam he could not take was waived by the professor. He awarded Clark a B+ grade for work performed and participation.
Two months after Jonathan suffered his heart attack, he was back to work doing most of the things that Clark had been doing. The most strenuous tasks were left to Clark but Jonathan took over the rest.
At the end of July, Clark received a handwritten letter, postmarked Miami, Florida, with no return address and no sender information. He recognized the handwriting and tore open the letter. It began, "My dearest Clark." Lori wrote that she was safe and hiding in the Florida Keys. She begged his forgiveness for what she felt that she had to do and the pain and worry that she assumed it had caused him.
The letter went on to say that after talking with her parents for a long time, she arrived at the conclusion that there would be no safe way to be together with him like she had dreamed about since she met him. She said that she would always love him, that he was her first love, and would always be special in her heart. The letter went on to say that someday, when things were different and people had forgotten about the two of them, maybe they could reconnect and continue the amazing life that she had once thought was assured them. Until that time arrived, she said for the safety of her family and their people, she must remain hidden and begged him not to seek her out.
Clark went out into the cornfield to grieve in solitude, but his grief was not as deep as he thought it might be. He knew from talking with Pete and thinking it over that ending the relationship would be the only course of action they could take without jeopardizing their secrets. The sadness was tempered by the feeling of relief of not having to persuade Lori of that course of action. He felt empty and heartbroken, like a piece of him had been taken away, but he also felt a strange sense of peace with the knowledge that it was the only decision they could make. And he felt fortunate for the experience of love that Lori, and to some extent Lana, had given him.
That night at the dinner table, he told his parents about the letter he had received and the decisions that were made. Martha grew misty-eyed and Jonathan said how much they liked Lori and were sorry it had to end for them that way. He paused and the asked, "What are your plans, now? Will you be going back to Met U?"
Clark furrowed his brow. "What do you mean, Dad? I thought that I would just stay here and work the farm with you."
Jonathan looked at Martha and then back at his son. "Clark, this is your home but not your life. Your mom and I both know that. You need to go find your life and live it, Son. That doesn't mean we don't want you to farm if that's what you truly want to do, but we both believe there are answers you need to find before you decide what to do for the rest of your life.
"We thought journalism was a great idea because it may afford you the chance to use your gifts to help people in a way that farming just can't. There are thousands of farmers, Clark, but there is only one of you. You owe it to yourself and to the rest of the world to figure out why your biological parents sent you to us and what their hopes and dreams were for you." He put his hand on his son's arm. "Stay here for a moment," he said and got up and left the room.
"Your dad's right, Clark. You can change the world with your powers and abilities. Maybe that's what your parents wanted for you. But I also want you to know, as your mother, they would want you to live your life the way you want to live it. My hope for you is that you will be able to find that special person who makes you whole and with whom you can share your gifts, not just your abilities. I hope you can find a wife and, God-willing, raise a family and know the joy of sharing your gifts with those closest to you, not just the world, Clark."
Clark rose, walked to his mom and hugged her. "Oh Sweetheart, you have brought us so much joy and pride that it will be hard to see you leave again. But you must find your calling. Just never forget that you have two people here who you can always count on and who love you unconditionally."
Jonathan returned with a long green object in his hand. I had been wrapped in an old rag. "This was lying next to you in your ship. We knew it was important, but we don't know why." He handed it to Clark. "Take it, Clark. Keep it close and I can only imagine that its purpose will be revealed in time."
As Clark held it, the crystal glowed once faintly and then returned to its deep green color. The momentary glow surprised them, and Jonathan remarked, "It recognizes you, I guess. We knew it was there for a reason that was not simply a reminder of home."
Clark slept soundly that night and dreamed of a vast crystal palace. He awoke with the longing to head north, far north, and told his parents that he was leaving to find what was there. He packed a backpack, jacket, some toiletries, a picture of his parents, and a picture of him and Lori. He left the keys to the truck with his father, hugged and kissed his parents, and walked north in the direction of where the crystal drew him.
End of Part Two