Fic: I Play My Part (You Play Your Game) PG-13 3/12
Damn, I don't think I made it before midnight.... nope.
Oh well, close enough. This would have been earlier, but I got caught up playing Spore tonight.
Part 1 here
Part 2 here
Chloe looked up as she saw her best friend enter the Talon. “How did you get out of whatever tourist stuff they’re doing today?” she asked.
Clark laughed and sat down next to her. “Begged off for farm chores,” he said. “You know there are days that being able to run really, really fast is not the worst thing in the world.”
Chloe smiled at him. “So how are things with the happy couple?”
“Seem okay,” Clark said. “Lucy took off last night for a few hours, don’t know where she went. But she came back in one piece, and there doesn’t seem to be a warrant out for her arrest.”
“Nope. I’ve been watching,” said Chloe. “Although I might be able to shed some light on her destination.”
“Oh?”
“Well, there’s nothing conclusive, but I overheard someone saying an alarm went off at the Luthor mansion last night.”
Clark frowned. “You think she went to see Lex?”
“I don’t know, but it’s not every day someone tries to break in there.”
“Was anything taken?” Clark asked.
Chloe shook her head. “Not as far as I know. Did her boyfriend have any idea?”
“Xander? No. He just said he trusted her, and then went to bed.”
“Huh.”
“Yeah. Actually, we were hoping you could do a little more digging on him,” Clark said. “There’s something about him that doesn’t sit right.”
“Way ahead of you, actually,” Chloe said. She reached into her bag, pulled out a manila folder and handed it to Clark. “There’s not a lot in there. He graduated high school with slightly lower-than-average scores, worked for a construction company where he did pretty well, and then Sunnydale fell into the ground.
“Other than that, he had a police file in Sunnydale, but no arrests or convictions. Questioned in high school regarding a murder he witnessed, and again in ’02 about an attempted murder and another actual murder he witnessed, but he wasn’t a suspect in either.”
“He was around that much violence?”
“You remember all of those stories about the hallucinations in Sunnydale?” Chloe asked. “Well, according to a number of theories, that was caused by an underground gas chamber, which could have been leaking for years, and causing erratic behavior. Because, let me tell you, the crime numbers in Sunnydale are stunning and bizarre. Primo Wall of Weird material. But, him having been witness to all of that?” She shrugged. “It’s interesting, but not suspicious or outstanding. Not for that town.”
Clark nodded. “What about after Sunnydale?”
“It’s like he said,” she told him. “He and some of his friends fell backwards into this non-profit. They’ve got some testimonials on the website, areas where they’ve done work. It all looks very above board.”
“But…?” Clark asked, looking over the papers she had given him.
Chloe sighed. “But there are a couple of things that bug me.”
“Like what?”
“Well, one of his friends, umm Buffy Summers. She was the suspect for that first murder he witnessed. No charges were ever filed, but the cops were after her. And she was also ‘attempted’ in that second incident.”
“Okay. And?”
“And, the murder that happened at the same time was a young woman named Tara Maclay. She appears to have been involved with another of Xander’s friends, Willow Rosenberg,” said Chloe. “Or so say the police reports, anyway. This Rosenberg was listed as Maclay’s next of kin, and her partner.”
“Partner?”
“Lover,” Chloe said.
“Oh,” Clark said, nodding. “So that’s a lot of violence around one group. One person.”
“It is, yeah. To us. For Sunnydale? It turns out that kind of thing is pretty standard. Sunnydale had more murders per capita than Detroit. Which is very weird.”
“It sounds rough,” Clark said. “So this group of friends got out, and now they run a charity for girls.”
“Basically,” said Chloe.
“But other than that…”
“Other than that, as far as I can tell, he’s clean.”
Clark nodded. “Okay. How are you doing?”
Chloe smiled. “I’m fine. I’m a little busy these days, actually. I’ve picked up a lot of freelance work since being fired by Lex, and I’ve also got that um… other gig?”
“Ollie?”
Chloe nodded. “He’s been a busy little vigilante recently.”
“Well, make sure you stay safe,” Clark said. “I worry.”
“I’ll be fine, Clark. Besides, what do I have to worry about with my very own Kryptonian protector?”
Clark smiled at her. “I’d rather not have to make saving you a habit,” he said. Clark glanced at his watch. “Oh, I have to go. They should be back soon, and I have a few things to do yet.”
Chloe nodded, already engrossed in her computer screen again. “Say ‘hi’ for me. I’ll drop by tomorrow if I have time.”
“Will do,” Clark said. “And thanks.”
Chloe waved to him, and her fingers attacked the keyboard.
* * * * *
“So?” Clark asked that evening when Lois, Lucy and Xander returned from their journey.
“It was large,” Xander said. “And I guess it probably is the biggest in the world. But it was kind of disappointing.”
“I can’t believe you dragged us all the way out to the middle of nowheresville to see a stupid ball of twine,” Lucy said.
“Hey, I freely admit it was not my best idea ever.”
“What was your best idea ever?” Lois asked.
Xander paused in thought for a moment. “Ending my celebration of Halloween,” he said. “It just never turns out well.”
“Well, dinner should be ready in about twenty minutes,” Clark said, pointing to the oven.
“Aww, sweetie, you shouldn’t have,” Lois said, mockingly. “Slaving over a hot stove all day, just for us.”
“What are we having?” Xander asked.
“Frozen lasagna,” said Clark. “Mom would have a fit that I didn’t make it from scratch, but I do what I can.”
The four of them had a relatively tasty dinner, and afterwards sat up talking about everything from politics to sports to fashion and celebrities. At around 1 am, they finally gave up and went to sleep.
At about 3 am, Xander awoke with a pain in his chest. He flipped the light on and looked at his tattoo, then hurriedly put some clothes on, waking Lucy as he did so.
“Who is it?” Lucy asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
“Dawn,” he said as he put his shoes on. He grabbed the keys to the car and his cell phone from the bedside table. “I’ll be back as soon as possible.” He leaned down and kissed her.
“Be safe,” she said.
He smiled at her, then ran down the hall, jumped down half the stairs and sprinted into the driveway and into the car. Xander revved the engine and sped off into the darkness, throwing gravel in his wake.
When the car was long gone, Lucy had put on a robe and was leaning against the door that led from Clark’s kitchen to the driveway.
“So I guess you’re not the only one who runs off in the middle of the night.”
Lucy turned and saw Clark standing by the couch.
“He has better reasons for it than I do,” she said.
“What were you doing at the Luthor mansion last night?”
Lucy smiled. “Checking up on me, Clark?”
“Fool me once,” he said, shrugging.
“Fair enough.” She turned back to the driveway. “I was paying back Lex.”
Clark frowned. “All fifty thousand?”
“All of it,” Lucy said.
“Where did you get that kind of money?”
She shrugged. “I earned it.”
“How?”
She looked over her shoulder. “Legally.”
Clark walked up closer and leaned against the kitchen table. “You really care for him, don’t you?”
She nodded once.
“Where’s he headed?”
“Chicago,” she said. “A friend of his is in trouble. He’s going to help her out.”
“Chicago?” Clark asked. “That’s like nine hours from here.”
“Be surprised if he takes more than seven.”
“I meant, didn’t he have a meeting today?”
Lucy nodded. “Yeah. It’s not that important, though.”
“Not that important? I thought this was funding for his group. All those girls -”
“Will still get everything the group can give them,” Lucy said. “Today’s meeting was going to be a drop in a very large bucket, Clark. They’ll be fine.”
Clark frowned, but let it drop. “So, you’re just going to wait for him?”
“For now,” Lucy said.
Clark stood there for a minute, watching her watch absolutely nothing happening in the dark Kansas night.
“Do you want some coffee?” he asked eventually.
Lucy smiled at him. “That would be great, thanks.”
Clark set about making a pot of coffee, and when it was ready, they stood together in silence. Waiting.
* * * * *
“You two look like the walking dead,” Lois said, when she joined Clark and Lucy at the kitchen table in the morning. “Only without the walking.”
“Morning, sis,” Lucy said, over her third cup of coffee.
“What’s going on?” Lois asked. She poured herself a cup of coffee and glanced out the window as she did. “Hey… um, where’s your rental?”
“Xander took it,” Clark said.
“I thought his meeting wasn’t until later.”
“It’s not,” Lucy said. She glanced at the clock on the wall. “Actually, I’m going to head back to bed.” She put her cup down and squeezed Clark’s hand in her own. “Thanks for keeping me company. Catch up my sister, would you?”
Clark nodded.
Lucy stood up and gave her older sister a hug. “That’s a good one you’ve got there, sis,” she whispered. “Hold on to him.”
“No, we aren’t -”
“Even for a friend,” Lucy said, before pulling herself up the stairs and into bed.
“What was that about?” Lois asked, sitting across the kitchen table from Clark.
“Xander went to Chicago,” he said. “Apparently one of his friends is in trouble.”
“And she stayed up, waiting for him to come back? Chicago’s not exactly close.”
Clark shrugged. “She’s honestly worried.”
Lois shook her head. “Lucy worried about somebody who isn’t herself. Will wonders never cease.”
She sipped her coffee and looked at Clark, who appeared to be debating something internally.
“What?”
He sighed. “She paid Lex back.”
“She what?”
“The other night. She went to his mansion and paid him back all fifty thousand.”
“With what money?” Lois asked, angrily.
“Her own. She says she earned it legally.”
“And you believe her?”
“Actually,” he said, barely believing his own words, “I think I do. I don’t know what happened, Lois, but… I think your sister’s changed. I think she grew up.”
“I don’t know. I can’t shake the feeling that this is all one long con.”
“That makes sense, I guess” Clark said. “But wouldn’t your life be easier if you tried to trust her?”
“Only if she’s actually changed,” said Lois. “Otherwise I’m just setting myself up to be played again.”
Clark thought about that for a moment. “Well then don’t trust her,” he said. “Trust me.”
“You?”
“Yeah. Listen, I think she’s changed. You don’t see it, but you’re willing to trust me on it. That way if I’m wrong, I’m the one who’s a fool, and you’re the one who believed the simple farm boy.”
“Clark, you’re not simple.”
“I just mean,” he said, “if you can’t trust her that she’s changed, trust me that she has. You know I wouldn’t want to hurt you.”
Lois sighed, and sipped her coffee again. “I’ll consider it,” she said.
“Do,” said Clark. “I really think it would take a lot of weight off your shoulders.”
“When did he leave?”
“Around three,” Clark said.
“And you’ve been up since then?”
He nodded.
“You should get some sleep too,” said Lois. “And go use your bed, for crying out loud. I’m going to bug Chloe and probably head into the Planet for a few hours.”
Clark smiled at her. “I mean it,” he said, standing up and heading for the stairs. “Think about it.”
“I will,” she said. “And Clark?” He turned around. “Thanks.”
Clark smiled at her and climbed the stairs. Lois shook her head, grabbed her own keys and headed for her car. It had been six hours since Xander left. If he was going to Chicago and coming back almost immediately, then the earliest Lois thought he could be back was twelve hours.
She decided she’d be back in ten. Once in town, she stopped in at the Talon to see her cousin.
“Chloe,” she called. “Just the woman I’m looking for.”
“Ohhh no,” said Chloe. She ducked her head toward her laptop, pretending not to see her cousin.
“Why is that everyone’s reaction whenever I come around?” Lois asked.
Chloe smiled up at her. “What can I do for you?”
Lois rolled her eyes and sat down at the table. “I don’t know. Clark said you cleared Xander.”
Chloe shrugged. “Basically. From my point of view, anyway. There was some hinkiness around Sunnydale, but not much more for him than for anyone else in that town.”
“Any idea why he would have run off to Chicago at three in the morning?”
“Lucy didn’t know?” Chloe asked.
“She did. Something about one of his friends being in trouble.”
“And you don’t trust her.”
Lois sighed. “I don’t even know any more, honestly. I mean, she hasn’t done anyth-”
“Wait, did you say three in the morning?”
“Uh, yeah,” Lois said. “Why?”
“Like four cars tore out of here just after three,” Chloe said. “They just sped off at like ninety miles an hour.”
“What were you doing up that early?” Lois asked.
“Jimmy was late getting in,” Chloe said. “Some bullcrap assignment in the city.”
“You stayed up for him?”
Chloe shrugged innocently. “I like to know he’s safe.”
Lois took a moment to digest that. “Okay,” she said. “Anyway, four cars?”
Chloe nodded. “I barely saw the first one, but each of the others had a couple of girls in them. I can’t say they were headed to Chicago specifically, but they were going in the right general direction.”
Lois frowned. “Clark mentioned something… about some girls he thought were following us around the museum. Two of them, actually. Do you think that’s something?”
Chloe shrugged again. “It’s the first I’ve heard of it.”
“Do any of his friends live in Chicago?”
Chloe looked incredulous. “I’m supposed to know everybody he’s ever met before, all of a sudden?”
“Do you know or don’t you?”
Chloe stared at her for a few moments. Then she opened a file on her computer. “Okay. I only have a few of his known associates, basically the ones who are also on the board of that charity. One of them… um, Dawn Summers. She’s in Chicago pursuing her PhD in Classical Languages and Archaeology.”
“So that part is legit, at least.”
Chloe sighed. “Look, I’m not promising anything, but give me a few hours and I’ll see if I can dig anything up.”
Lois stood up and kissed her cousin on the forehead. “I love you, babe.”
“I get the love,” Chloe muttered, “she gets to keep her job. Yeah, this world is fair.”
----------
End Chapter 3
Continue to Chapter 4
Oh well, close enough. This would have been earlier, but I got caught up playing Spore tonight.
Part 1 here
Part 2 here
Chloe looked up as she saw her best friend enter the Talon. “How did you get out of whatever tourist stuff they’re doing today?” she asked.
Clark laughed and sat down next to her. “Begged off for farm chores,” he said. “You know there are days that being able to run really, really fast is not the worst thing in the world.”
Chloe smiled at him. “So how are things with the happy couple?”
“Seem okay,” Clark said. “Lucy took off last night for a few hours, don’t know where she went. But she came back in one piece, and there doesn’t seem to be a warrant out for her arrest.”
“Nope. I’ve been watching,” said Chloe. “Although I might be able to shed some light on her destination.”
“Oh?”
“Well, there’s nothing conclusive, but I overheard someone saying an alarm went off at the Luthor mansion last night.”
Clark frowned. “You think she went to see Lex?”
“I don’t know, but it’s not every day someone tries to break in there.”
“Was anything taken?” Clark asked.
Chloe shook her head. “Not as far as I know. Did her boyfriend have any idea?”
“Xander? No. He just said he trusted her, and then went to bed.”
“Huh.”
“Yeah. Actually, we were hoping you could do a little more digging on him,” Clark said. “There’s something about him that doesn’t sit right.”
“Way ahead of you, actually,” Chloe said. She reached into her bag, pulled out a manila folder and handed it to Clark. “There’s not a lot in there. He graduated high school with slightly lower-than-average scores, worked for a construction company where he did pretty well, and then Sunnydale fell into the ground.
“Other than that, he had a police file in Sunnydale, but no arrests or convictions. Questioned in high school regarding a murder he witnessed, and again in ’02 about an attempted murder and another actual murder he witnessed, but he wasn’t a suspect in either.”
“He was around that much violence?”
“You remember all of those stories about the hallucinations in Sunnydale?” Chloe asked. “Well, according to a number of theories, that was caused by an underground gas chamber, which could have been leaking for years, and causing erratic behavior. Because, let me tell you, the crime numbers in Sunnydale are stunning and bizarre. Primo Wall of Weird material. But, him having been witness to all of that?” She shrugged. “It’s interesting, but not suspicious or outstanding. Not for that town.”
Clark nodded. “What about after Sunnydale?”
“It’s like he said,” she told him. “He and some of his friends fell backwards into this non-profit. They’ve got some testimonials on the website, areas where they’ve done work. It all looks very above board.”
“But…?” Clark asked, looking over the papers she had given him.
Chloe sighed. “But there are a couple of things that bug me.”
“Like what?”
“Well, one of his friends, umm Buffy Summers. She was the suspect for that first murder he witnessed. No charges were ever filed, but the cops were after her. And she was also ‘attempted’ in that second incident.”
“Okay. And?”
“And, the murder that happened at the same time was a young woman named Tara Maclay. She appears to have been involved with another of Xander’s friends, Willow Rosenberg,” said Chloe. “Or so say the police reports, anyway. This Rosenberg was listed as Maclay’s next of kin, and her partner.”
“Partner?”
“Lover,” Chloe said.
“Oh,” Clark said, nodding. “So that’s a lot of violence around one group. One person.”
“It is, yeah. To us. For Sunnydale? It turns out that kind of thing is pretty standard. Sunnydale had more murders per capita than Detroit. Which is very weird.”
“It sounds rough,” Clark said. “So this group of friends got out, and now they run a charity for girls.”
“Basically,” said Chloe.
“But other than that…”
“Other than that, as far as I can tell, he’s clean.”
Clark nodded. “Okay. How are you doing?”
Chloe smiled. “I’m fine. I’m a little busy these days, actually. I’ve picked up a lot of freelance work since being fired by Lex, and I’ve also got that um… other gig?”
“Ollie?”
Chloe nodded. “He’s been a busy little vigilante recently.”
“Well, make sure you stay safe,” Clark said. “I worry.”
“I’ll be fine, Clark. Besides, what do I have to worry about with my very own Kryptonian protector?”
Clark smiled at her. “I’d rather not have to make saving you a habit,” he said. Clark glanced at his watch. “Oh, I have to go. They should be back soon, and I have a few things to do yet.”
Chloe nodded, already engrossed in her computer screen again. “Say ‘hi’ for me. I’ll drop by tomorrow if I have time.”
“Will do,” Clark said. “And thanks.”
Chloe waved to him, and her fingers attacked the keyboard.
* * * * *
“So?” Clark asked that evening when Lois, Lucy and Xander returned from their journey.
“It was large,” Xander said. “And I guess it probably is the biggest in the world. But it was kind of disappointing.”
“I can’t believe you dragged us all the way out to the middle of nowheresville to see a stupid ball of twine,” Lucy said.
“Hey, I freely admit it was not my best idea ever.”
“What was your best idea ever?” Lois asked.
Xander paused in thought for a moment. “Ending my celebration of Halloween,” he said. “It just never turns out well.”
“Well, dinner should be ready in about twenty minutes,” Clark said, pointing to the oven.
“Aww, sweetie, you shouldn’t have,” Lois said, mockingly. “Slaving over a hot stove all day, just for us.”
“What are we having?” Xander asked.
“Frozen lasagna,” said Clark. “Mom would have a fit that I didn’t make it from scratch, but I do what I can.”
The four of them had a relatively tasty dinner, and afterwards sat up talking about everything from politics to sports to fashion and celebrities. At around 1 am, they finally gave up and went to sleep.
At about 3 am, Xander awoke with a pain in his chest. He flipped the light on and looked at his tattoo, then hurriedly put some clothes on, waking Lucy as he did so.
“Who is it?” Lucy asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
“Dawn,” he said as he put his shoes on. He grabbed the keys to the car and his cell phone from the bedside table. “I’ll be back as soon as possible.” He leaned down and kissed her.
“Be safe,” she said.
He smiled at her, then ran down the hall, jumped down half the stairs and sprinted into the driveway and into the car. Xander revved the engine and sped off into the darkness, throwing gravel in his wake.
When the car was long gone, Lucy had put on a robe and was leaning against the door that led from Clark’s kitchen to the driveway.
“So I guess you’re not the only one who runs off in the middle of the night.”
Lucy turned and saw Clark standing by the couch.
“He has better reasons for it than I do,” she said.
“What were you doing at the Luthor mansion last night?”
Lucy smiled. “Checking up on me, Clark?”
“Fool me once,” he said, shrugging.
“Fair enough.” She turned back to the driveway. “I was paying back Lex.”
Clark frowned. “All fifty thousand?”
“All of it,” Lucy said.
“Where did you get that kind of money?”
She shrugged. “I earned it.”
“How?”
She looked over her shoulder. “Legally.”
Clark walked up closer and leaned against the kitchen table. “You really care for him, don’t you?”
She nodded once.
“Where’s he headed?”
“Chicago,” she said. “A friend of his is in trouble. He’s going to help her out.”
“Chicago?” Clark asked. “That’s like nine hours from here.”
“Be surprised if he takes more than seven.”
“I meant, didn’t he have a meeting today?”
Lucy nodded. “Yeah. It’s not that important, though.”
“Not that important? I thought this was funding for his group. All those girls -”
“Will still get everything the group can give them,” Lucy said. “Today’s meeting was going to be a drop in a very large bucket, Clark. They’ll be fine.”
Clark frowned, but let it drop. “So, you’re just going to wait for him?”
“For now,” Lucy said.
Clark stood there for a minute, watching her watch absolutely nothing happening in the dark Kansas night.
“Do you want some coffee?” he asked eventually.
Lucy smiled at him. “That would be great, thanks.”
Clark set about making a pot of coffee, and when it was ready, they stood together in silence. Waiting.
* * * * *
“You two look like the walking dead,” Lois said, when she joined Clark and Lucy at the kitchen table in the morning. “Only without the walking.”
“Morning, sis,” Lucy said, over her third cup of coffee.
“What’s going on?” Lois asked. She poured herself a cup of coffee and glanced out the window as she did. “Hey… um, where’s your rental?”
“Xander took it,” Clark said.
“I thought his meeting wasn’t until later.”
“It’s not,” Lucy said. She glanced at the clock on the wall. “Actually, I’m going to head back to bed.” She put her cup down and squeezed Clark’s hand in her own. “Thanks for keeping me company. Catch up my sister, would you?”
Clark nodded.
Lucy stood up and gave her older sister a hug. “That’s a good one you’ve got there, sis,” she whispered. “Hold on to him.”
“No, we aren’t -”
“Even for a friend,” Lucy said, before pulling herself up the stairs and into bed.
“What was that about?” Lois asked, sitting across the kitchen table from Clark.
“Xander went to Chicago,” he said. “Apparently one of his friends is in trouble.”
“And she stayed up, waiting for him to come back? Chicago’s not exactly close.”
Clark shrugged. “She’s honestly worried.”
Lois shook her head. “Lucy worried about somebody who isn’t herself. Will wonders never cease.”
She sipped her coffee and looked at Clark, who appeared to be debating something internally.
“What?”
He sighed. “She paid Lex back.”
“She what?”
“The other night. She went to his mansion and paid him back all fifty thousand.”
“With what money?” Lois asked, angrily.
“Her own. She says she earned it legally.”
“And you believe her?”
“Actually,” he said, barely believing his own words, “I think I do. I don’t know what happened, Lois, but… I think your sister’s changed. I think she grew up.”
“I don’t know. I can’t shake the feeling that this is all one long con.”
“That makes sense, I guess” Clark said. “But wouldn’t your life be easier if you tried to trust her?”
“Only if she’s actually changed,” said Lois. “Otherwise I’m just setting myself up to be played again.”
Clark thought about that for a moment. “Well then don’t trust her,” he said. “Trust me.”
“You?”
“Yeah. Listen, I think she’s changed. You don’t see it, but you’re willing to trust me on it. That way if I’m wrong, I’m the one who’s a fool, and you’re the one who believed the simple farm boy.”
“Clark, you’re not simple.”
“I just mean,” he said, “if you can’t trust her that she’s changed, trust me that she has. You know I wouldn’t want to hurt you.”
Lois sighed, and sipped her coffee again. “I’ll consider it,” she said.
“Do,” said Clark. “I really think it would take a lot of weight off your shoulders.”
“When did he leave?”
“Around three,” Clark said.
“And you’ve been up since then?”
He nodded.
“You should get some sleep too,” said Lois. “And go use your bed, for crying out loud. I’m going to bug Chloe and probably head into the Planet for a few hours.”
Clark smiled at her. “I mean it,” he said, standing up and heading for the stairs. “Think about it.”
“I will,” she said. “And Clark?” He turned around. “Thanks.”
Clark smiled at her and climbed the stairs. Lois shook her head, grabbed her own keys and headed for her car. It had been six hours since Xander left. If he was going to Chicago and coming back almost immediately, then the earliest Lois thought he could be back was twelve hours.
She decided she’d be back in ten. Once in town, she stopped in at the Talon to see her cousin.
“Chloe,” she called. “Just the woman I’m looking for.”
“Ohhh no,” said Chloe. She ducked her head toward her laptop, pretending not to see her cousin.
“Why is that everyone’s reaction whenever I come around?” Lois asked.
Chloe smiled up at her. “What can I do for you?”
Lois rolled her eyes and sat down at the table. “I don’t know. Clark said you cleared Xander.”
Chloe shrugged. “Basically. From my point of view, anyway. There was some hinkiness around Sunnydale, but not much more for him than for anyone else in that town.”
“Any idea why he would have run off to Chicago at three in the morning?”
“Lucy didn’t know?” Chloe asked.
“She did. Something about one of his friends being in trouble.”
“And you don’t trust her.”
Lois sighed. “I don’t even know any more, honestly. I mean, she hasn’t done anyth-”
“Wait, did you say three in the morning?”
“Uh, yeah,” Lois said. “Why?”
“Like four cars tore out of here just after three,” Chloe said. “They just sped off at like ninety miles an hour.”
“What were you doing up that early?” Lois asked.
“Jimmy was late getting in,” Chloe said. “Some bullcrap assignment in the city.”
“You stayed up for him?”
Chloe shrugged innocently. “I like to know he’s safe.”
Lois took a moment to digest that. “Okay,” she said. “Anyway, four cars?”
Chloe nodded. “I barely saw the first one, but each of the others had a couple of girls in them. I can’t say they were headed to Chicago specifically, but they were going in the right general direction.”
Lois frowned. “Clark mentioned something… about some girls he thought were following us around the museum. Two of them, actually. Do you think that’s something?”
Chloe shrugged again. “It’s the first I’ve heard of it.”
“Do any of his friends live in Chicago?”
Chloe looked incredulous. “I’m supposed to know everybody he’s ever met before, all of a sudden?”
“Do you know or don’t you?”
Chloe stared at her for a few moments. Then she opened a file on her computer. “Okay. I only have a few of his known associates, basically the ones who are also on the board of that charity. One of them… um, Dawn Summers. She’s in Chicago pursuing her PhD in Classical Languages and Archaeology.”
“So that part is legit, at least.”
Chloe sighed. “Look, I’m not promising anything, but give me a few hours and I’ll see if I can dig anything up.”
Lois stood up and kissed her cousin on the forehead. “I love you, babe.”
“I get the love,” Chloe muttered, “she gets to keep her job. Yeah, this world is fair.”
----------
End Chapter 3
Continue to Chapter 4