Chapter 8 [Five Minutes Later]
DeWolff raised an eyebrow at the piled-up maze surrounding Crosby, Stacy and herself. A multi-billion dollar guy can't get a storage locker? We're practically tripping over ourselves in here. They could hide that body back here without anyone being the wiser. Interesting that they have it here but chose to call us. "They'd better be here, Dr. Crosby." Frustration increased her cigarette urge.
"Excuse me? I know this may seem like a wild goose chase. I can assure you that it is not, Detective. We're almost there." Crosby pointed straight ahead toward the opening in the storage morass. "I can offer you a place to sit down when we get there, Captain Stacy."
"I'd appreciate that very much." Stacy stopped for a minute. His leg ached from the length of the walk. "My apologies." He leaned on his cane. "I didn't anticipate the walk being this long."
"Excuse me?" Clark stuck his head into the pile. "Hi, I'm Clark Kent. Would you like some help?"
"Yes, Mr. Kent. I would appreciate that very much." Stacy straightened himself. He leaned on Clark's shoulder. "That is most welcome indeed. Your accent…Midwestern?"
"My friends, Mom and I are from western Kansas." Clark glanced over at DeWolff. "Thanks for understanding." Their formal yet out of uniform attire surprised him. He studied the duo. They aren't like the police in Smallville! That thought ground around in his mind.
"I'm with him, Mr. Kent. I appreciate your willingness to help out." DeWolff followed them out of the maze and into the computer/seating area. She noted Martha, Lana, Miranda and Swann waiting for them. Martha, for her part, was speaking on her phone. "Good afternoon, Everyone. Detective DeWolff, NYPD. This is Captain Stacy. We're here in response to the call about a body? We had some questions for you all as well."
"Yes indeed, Detective. I'm Dr. Swann. I made the call." Swann wheeled toward the newcomers. "The Kents, Miss Lang and Miss Arighatto are here at my invitation. I had arranged for a small plane to fly them up here. The pilot, Michael McFlannery, died in the cockpit during the flight. Dr. Crosby and I attempted to contact him at that point. That was right before the plane started falling."
"We got into the cockpit and got him out," Martha jumped in. "We brought him with us when we jumped out of the airplane, Detective."
"And you have that voice recording?" Stacy glanced over at the deactivated computers. "We'd like a copy of that."
"We can get a warrant if needed, Dr. Swann." DeWolff scribbled notes onto a pad. Pity and Admiration moved her over his situation. She marveled at his efforts in spite of his condition. Area's surrounding clutter belied and even complimented Bunker/Command Center in front of them. "Mr. Kent said you all are from Western Kansas?"
"We're from a town called Smallville, Detective. I'm Martha Kent. You've met my son, Clark, already. They're Lana Lang and Miranda Arighatto. Dr. Swann invited us here." Martha stepped between DeWolff and the teens. "My husband, Jonathan, is on the phone from Smallville." Martha extended her hand to DeWolff and Stacy. "It's like Dr. Swann said. The flight seemed to be fine. Clark brought me some coffee. We were talking. Lana and Miranda were talking. That's when everything went wrong."
"Went wrong?" Stacy quirked an eyebrow at Martha. "You mean with the plane?" He mused over Swann's invitation to the Kents and their companions. Memoria recalled full well Swann's own plane crash thirty years prior. His seclusion caused uproars in scientific circles to say the least. Virgil Swann has been underground all of these years. Now, he not only talks to this family but flies them up here in a private jet? What are we missing here? Who are these people?
"I'd like to get the kids' take on that, Captain." DeWolff scribbled a few notes on a small pad. Instinct told her to haul them back to the Precinct right then and there. "Who wants to go first?" Her eyes met Clark's, Lana's and then Miranda's in turn. She knew when someone held something back from her.
Clark ground his teeth. Déjà vu disconcerted him to say the least. DeWolff resembled Sheriff Adams right from the start. Perhaps not as gruff and lacking a few wrinkles but as determined nonetheless. "Everything seemed normal, Detective. We were flying up here. Miranda and Lana were talking. I saw that Mom needed coffee. I got the coffee pot and brought it over to her. We were talking. That's when the plane started to go down." He glanced toward Martha.
"You did pour the coffee, Clark. We were talking." Martha agreed. She went back to the phone once again.
"We've got that much." DeWolff scribbled more on her pad. "That sound right to you, Miss Lang? Miss Arighatto?" Her eyes flicked toward them.
"Pretty much. We were talking. Clark did those things. Then, the plane started its dive." Lana frowned. "Miranda and I tried to knock on the door. Mr. McFlannery didn't answer. He left the door ajar…kind of a good thing, you know?" Nerves ate at her.
"Not so much for him in most cases given regulations. In this case, Miss Lang, I would agree." Stacy assessed Lana. Observation noted Evasiveness, Nerves and Apprehension in her face and manner. She seemed to be formulating a response. Watching them reminded him of a certain daughter's boyfriend in certain regards.
Secrets, evasions and half-truths…what were they?
"And then what? Mr. McFlannery got from the cockpit to the cabin. That you?" Expectation raised DeWolff's eyebrow.
Lana nodded. "I dragged him out into the cabin. Miranda and Clark were getting the parachutes ready. We put them on. We got one rigged up on Mr. McFlannery. Then, we jumped out of the plane. I had his body with me." She cleared her throat. "Can I back up to how I found him in the cockpit?"
"Sure, Miss Lang. More details and insights are always welcome." DeWolff scribbled a few more notations. "By the way, you have a parent or guardian that we can contact?"
"I'm emancipated, Detective. Thanks for asking though." Lana put on her best smile for her. "I found Mr. McFlannery slumped over in his seat. He had no pulse. He wasn't breathing at all. I'll admit I thought we could still get him to the ground. Maybe we could get him medical help?" She winced. "I couldn't just leave him there."
"None of us could, Lana." Miranda jumped in. "That's why we got that chute on Mr. McFlannery and guided him down." She rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry, Detective."
"It's okay. Just don't guide your friend's assessment." DeWolff narrowed her eyes. "You and she good friends?"
"We're best friends. We've been that way since I moved to Smallville. We work together at the Talon Café in town." Miranda kept her composure. What if they call the Step-Bastard? How do I explain that to him? Implications spun through her mind. "I'm a year ahead of Clark and Lana at Smallville High School."
"Fair enough." DeWolff took that information down. She'd run the backgrounds on these folks at the precinct. "I'll be in touch with your parents too."
"My parents are dead, Detective. I just turned 18. So, I can speak for myself." Miranda kept her expression as neutral as possible. She really needed to keep Arighatto from finding out. I wish I could call Uncle Dave. Dr. Swann's got to know where he is! Right?
"If you're living with a guardian, Miss Arighatto, we still need to speak with that person." Stacy raised an eyebrow at Miranda.
DeWolff's walkie talkie went off. "Yes? This is DeWolff."
"Detective, this is Chief DeWolff. You are to stay there until CSU recovers the body. Afterwards, drop Captain Stacy off at home. Return here. Dr. Swann and his guests are free to go. They will need to stay in New York until we resolve this matter."
Way to go, Dad! What the Hell? DeWolff ground her teeth. "Captain, I understand. Out." She replaced the walkie talkie in her coat. "Good news, Folks. That was the Chief of Police. Somehow, he already knows about this whole thing. Q and A's over. We're to wait for our coroner and crime unit. After that, we'll take Mr. McFlannery's body back to the precinct. You're free to go but don't leave town."
Crosby held up a flash drive. "This is the digital file from the cockpit. Our conversation is included." She offered it to DeWolff.
"Everything that I believe you will need, Detective, is on there." Swann noted a light flashing at his side. "I believe that should be your coroner now. I will allow you to tend to Mr. McFlannery. After that, Mrs. Kent, I think we can meet tomorrow. Given that it's been a stressful day, I'd rather you all rest. I can have you taken to your hotel if you'd like?"
"Actually, I'm really craving a coffee and a sandwich right now. Detective, sorry to ask but can you recommend a good place to hang out and get something?" Lana rolled her eyes. "I know this is New York City and there are tons of places. It's kind of a dumb question but…."
"That's fine." DeWolff shrugged. "There's a place like your café over by Empire State University. It's called the Coffee Bean. It's a hangout for the college." She turned to Stacy. "Gwen's there, right?"
"She could be." Stacy glanced at his watch. "Her classes are done for the afternoon. I imagine she's there with her friends." He nodded. "Perhaps our visitors would like lunch? The chili is quite good from what she tells me."
"It is very similar to the Talon, Mrs. Kent," Swann concurred. "That would be satisfactory. Thank you, Captain, for the suggestion. Dr. Crosby can give you the phone number. You have only to call when you are ready to go to your hotel."
"That would be great. Thank you, Dr. Swann. I am hungry." Truth be told, Martha would've rather have gone straight to the hotel. Jonathan will want to talk about everything. We're all exhausted. Still, we're starving. The detective said we're okay for now.
"As soon as the coroner gets here, we can go." DeWolff shrugged. Craving wanted a cigarette at that point. She needed to wait for the coroner too.
So much for the best laid plans….