Fic: Hidden Truths: A Sparrow Mends
Happy Birthday to me! Here is the second and third chapter to my Chlex fic!
Hidden Truths: A Sparrow Mends
Chapter 2
Chloe sat up in her bed, and stared up at the night sky. In a scant twelve hour time span, her life had gone from a somewhat normal existence, to a twisted mess of murder and mayhem. Chloe enjoyed ferreting out stories, but she was entirely too close to this to remain objective.
She had a knot in her stomach the size of a fist, and the more information she uncovered, the bigger that knot seemed to grow. She couldn’t tell if the knot was from the excitement of a new investigation, or terror at finding out the truth about her mother. She had tossed and turned in her bed, trying vainly to fall asleep She finally got out of bed, and gave into her need to brood.
There was investigating to be done, and her mind was not going to let her rest until she had exhausted every possible avenue. She needed a plan of attack, and organization was the key to figuring the puzzle out. Chloe rebooted her computer, and started to write an outline, where she typed out all of the information she had discovered.
Her father’s bombshell had shocked Chloe to the core of her being. She had never thought of her mother as being violent, especially towards her. According to Gabe, the police presence in the bedroom distracted Claire enough that Gabe had managed to grab Chloe, and place her out of harm’s way.
Chloe had hesitantly asked if her dad thought Claire would have really have hurt her. Her dad paused for the briefest of moments before he replied with, "Sparrow, if you had asked me before that night, I would have said not in a million years. But, I will never forget that look on her face, as she stood over you, with that knife raised. Her facial expression was completely blank. And I don’t remember ever being that frightened before."
His hands had started shaking, and he tried to stop them but he was too far-gone. "Something happened to you mom that was dangerous, and I was glad when she disappeared from our lives."
Chloe knew that her dad couldn’t help her anymore. As far as he was concerned, her mother had left them, and as much as it pained him to say this about his wife and the mother of his child, perhaps it was best that she had left, because she could have easily have hurt Chloe.
Or, Claire could have killed him, and then Chloe would have been left alone with a crazy, and dangerously violent mother, with no one there to help her. No, Chloe realized that her father didn’t know where her mother went, and he didn’t actually care, as long as Chloe was safe from her.
So, as an investigative source, her dad was an official dead end.
The next logical person with the most information on the crime, besides the victim and perpetrator, would be the police investigators, or better yet, the official police report. If Chloe could read the report, it would be like talking to the officers themselves, but without the personal reminisces and prejudices clouding their judgment.
The police report would reflect their immediate reactions to the crime, and for the most part, it probably wouldn’t be unusually embellished. Chloe managed to hack into the Metropolis Police Department archives with precious little effort. Their so-called security precautions were a joke, and easily evaded. She found the report, and pulled it up.
She skipped over the information provided by her dad, and went straight to her mom’s initial interview with the cops. After reading it, the feeling of dread that had been in the pit of her stomach since that morning, seemed to fill her entire being.
The investigation into Dr. Flint’s murder was barely an investigation. The doctor’s nurse identified Mrs. Sullivan as the last person to see Dr. Flint in his office. Mrs. Sullivan was next seen fleeing the crime scene, and she was picked up with the murder weapon, and she and the weapon were both covered in the victim’s blood. She was the obvious suspect, and according to the report, the only suspect.
Mrs. Sullivan’s first interview with the police was terminated early because she was deemed to be incoherent; she mumbled the same thing, over and over again. The police concluded that they were not going to get anything out of her, so she was transferred to the Metropolis University Hospital’s psychiatric ward, and kept for a twenty four hour evaluation.
After the twenty four hours, the police questioned Mrs. Sullivan again, where she was found to be cooperative, and responsive to questioning, if not slightly confused. She told the police that she had arrived for her appointment on time, and she remembered being escorted into his office.
Her next clear memory was being woken up in the psych ward. She did not remember going in to see Dr. Flint, how long her appointment lasted, or where she went after that.
That was all the information that the police report held. No follow up interviews with her mom, or the nurse, and the investigation was dropped. Chloe pulled up the transcript from her mother’s arraignment hearing. Again, the brevity of the court records caused alarm bells to go off in Chloe’s head.
Her mom was represented by a court appointed lawyer, who tried to get her released on bail. Unfortunately, her request for bail was denied. Mrs. Sullivan was about to be taken back to her cell, when a Dr. Baxter stood up and volunteered to run a psychiatric evaluation on Mrs. Sullivan and to continue treating her.
Apparently, Dr. Baxter shared a psychiatric practice with Dr. Flint, and she felt that Mrs. Sullivan should continue seeking treatment for her mental problems, with the court's permission. The Judge concurred, but with the stipulation that Mrs. Sullivan needed to be placed in a lockdown facility, because she was considered a danger to herself and others.
Dr. Baxter agreed, and Mrs. Sullivan was lead away to a waiting ambulance, where she was whisked off to Dr. Baxter’s private mental asylum. The only other court document that Chloe could find was her parents divorce decree, filed a few weeks after Claire was sent to the mental hospital.
Chloe was shocked by how quickly the public forgot about the murder, and the fact that her mom seemed to have gotten away with it. She decided to wait until the morning to ask her dad all the questions she still had swirling around in her head. She had questions about the divorce papers, where were they sent from, why didn’t her dad ever visit her mom at the hospital, and when was Claire officially released from the hospital.
There were too many questions that needed to be answered, and she had to wait until morning. With a frustrated sigh, Chloe decided to do one more search before she called it a night. She typed in the name "Charles Flint" into The Daily Planet archives to bring up any story where his name appeared in the article.
The first couple of articles had to deal with his being named to various boards. The next set of articles had to deal with Dr. Flint’s charity work. The set after that were about his murder.
Chloe went back a couple of articles, to look a the charities that he had been involved in, when Chloe found a small article, easily over looked, but so important, that Chloe felt that knot in her stomach expand two sizes more, and the vague feeling of unease, become full blown fear.
Underneath the article about the latest Luthor Corp. charity auction, there was an article about the death of Julian Luthor, where the coroner ruled the baby’s death as SIDS. It was the information on the next line that made the color drain from Chloe’s face and caused her to shiver in fear.
Lillian Luthor, the wife of Lionel Luthor, and the mother of the Alexander and Julian, had to be sedated for Julian’s funeral. She had been hysterical and was placed in the care of her psychiatrist, a Dr. Charles Flint.
Chapter 3
The morning found Chloe, awake, dressed and ready to go by 6:00am. This would have been a shock to many people, with no one more shocked than Chloe herself.
After all, it was a Sunday morning, and nobody in his or her right mind was awake before 9am on a Sunday. Then again, not many people discovered the day before that their mother had been accused of murder.
Gabe was not surprised that Chloe was up early, and he knew that she would have more questions for him. Chloe didn’t want to bring up painful history again, but she had to have all the facts to continue her investigation.
What took her by surprise, though, was her dad’s beating her to the punch. Chloe found Gabe in the kitchen, sitting at the table waiting for her, with papers spread out on the table.
He smiled tiredly at his daughter and asked her, "I’ll bet you’re wondering why I never visited your mom at the hospital. This is the reason why."
On the table, he had a copy of the divorce decree and the name and address of the lawyer who sent it. After Chloe looked over the documents, Gabe continued, "Your mom was barely gone a week, when I received her divorce papers in the mail. The return envelope was addressed to a lawyer in Metropolis. That entire week, I had tried calling the facility to speak to her, but every time I got through, Dr. Baxter would take the call and tell me that she didn't want me disturbing her patient. When I received the papers, I figured that your mom didn't want to have anything to do with me, and rather than fight it, I signed the papers."
Gabe paused in his story, and he looked at his daughter carefully. He didn’t want to hurt her anymore; yet, he didn’t want her harboring any daydreams about his former wife. "I never would have thought that she’d drop off the face of the planet, and never get in touch with you again. Sparrow, I wish, for your sake, that I had tried harder to find her when she first left."
Gabe looked like he wanted to continue, but Chloe stopped him. "Dad, you did the best you could. I couldn’t have asked for a better dad, and I’m sorry for putting you through this, and making you worry, but I have to know what happened to Mom. Please understand."
Gabe took one look at his daughter’s determined face, and he knew she wouldn’t stop till she was satisfied. He stood up, hugged her, told her to be careful, and left the room.
Once she was alone, Chloe’s eyes filled with tears, and she allowed herself to wallow briefly in self-pity.
Chloe was shocked that it still stung when she thought about how casually her mother walked out of their lives. She looked down and tried to blink back the tears that burned behind her eyes. She wiped furiously at them with her balled up fists, and took several ragged breaths, trying to calm herself.
She would not get the answers she needed by becoming hysterical. She took one final deep breath and steeled herself for the call she had to make next. It was now 7 am and she didn't even pause before she started to dial the phone. She knew that he'd be awake.
"Lex? It's Chloe. I need to talk to you."
************************************************** *********************
Chloe arrived at the mansion in fifteen minutes. Her mind whirled about how she was going to ask for Lex’s assistance without telling him about her mom. It was not that she didn’t trust him; it was more along the lines that she didn’t want to bring up painful issues involving his parents and the death of his baby brother.
She and Lex were close, but it was a closeness born of fighting a common enemy. Yet, she did find comfort in being with him, and sometimes, just near him. Chloe tried not to dwell to often on this too often, but, sometimes, all she needed was to hear his voice or smell his cologne, and she felt safe and protected.
Chloe and Lex had formed a bond when she agreed to help him fight Lionel. They had finally succeeded in gathering enough evidence to get Lionel indicted, but Chloe knew the war was far from over. Lionel still had resources that the Feds were just learning about, but Lex seemed unsurprised at how far Lionel’s reach extended.
There was only one other person who knew that Chloe and Lex were partners in crime. Her dad knew from the beginning that she was helping Lex. She was overwhelmed with guilt that her moment of weakness might have placed her father in jeopardy.
Thankfully, Lex had formulated a plan to ensure her and her dad’s well being. Lex’s firing of Gabe was all part of a carefully orchestrated plot designed to convince Lionel that Lex was completely under his thumb. It had worked beautifully, because Lionel was behind bars, awaiting his trial, Lex was running Luthor Corp., and Chloe and Gabe were safe.
Chloe smiled grimly to herself and marveled at her own lousy timing. Life should have finally been looking up for the Sullivans, and instead, she had the specter of her mother having killed someone looming in front of her. She only hoped that Lex wouldn’t be averse to using his influence to help her.
She knocked on the front door, and smiled in relief when Lex opened it himself, welcoming her with a warm smile. He took one look at her tense expression and bypassed the pleasantries, opting to take her directly to his study, where he had coffee waiting for her.
Once Chloe was seated with a steaming cup cradled in her hands, and she looked calmer and more like the Chloe he knew, did Lex finally decide to speak. "On any other day, I enjoy it when you visit, but somehow, this visit seems more professional that personal. What’s going on?"
Chloe was grateful for Lex’s bluntness, it made things easier for her. "Lex, I need your help getting an interview with Dr. Dana Baxter."
Lex tried not to let his shock show on his face, but he tried to maintain a calm demeanor. Dr. Baxter’s name brought up memories that he had tried to bury, along with the remains of his brother and mother.
He remembered his mother’s long crying jags, and then Julian would start crying as well, affected by his mother’s unhappiness. Lionel would get disgusted, and hide in his study, and Lex would be left trying to sooth both his mom and baby brother.
Some of his pain must have shown on his face, because Chloe took a few steps forward, and placed her hand on his arm. "Lex, are you okay?"
Lex could hear the concern in Chloe’s voice, and it helped to bring his mind’s eye back to the present. That, and the feeling of her hand on his arm filled him with warmth that he had forgotten existed.
He focused on Chloe and smiled at her, one of his rare heart-melting smiles that very few people actually got to see.
Chloe willed herself not to swoon, and to focus on the words Lex was speaking. "Yes, Chloe I’m fine, my mind just drifted for a second. Now tell me why you want to interview Dr. Baxter."
Chloe answered quick and to the point. "I’m doing a history project that involves a patient formerly treated by Dr. Baxter. I’m going to see what the good doctor will tell me about her. However, I don’t think she’ll be to impressed with a high school student, but if Lex Luthor, the man who made several steep financial donations to the University wanted to speak to the doctor in charge of the research directly, I doubt he’d be turned down. "
Lex looked unconvinced and a little skeptical. "I appreciate your flattery, but aren’t you concerned about Dr. Baxter’s doctor/patient confidentiality? She might not answer any of your questions.’’
Chloe dismissed his question with a wave of her hand. "It shouldn’t be a problem. The people involved are either dead or MIA."
Lex’s eyebrows rose at the "dead or MIA" comment but he decided not to press the issue. He knew that if Chloe needed his help, whether it was financial or emotional, she wouldn’t hesitate to come to him, and he would help her anyway he could. He trusted that she would know when she got in over her head, and, until then, he’d wait for her call.
Lex nodded his head in acceptance and said, "Okay, Chloe, I’ll set up the interview for tomorrow. We’ll leave for Metropolis at 8 am. Sound good?" Chloe sighed audibly when she heard his words and smiled gratefully in agreement with his plan.
Lex walked over to the door, and held his hand out to her. "Now, how about some breakfast. I’ll bet you’re starved." Chloe took Lex’s offered hand, and suddenly realized she was famished. "I’d love some breakfast."
The pair grinned at each other and Chloe led the way to the dining room. She couldn’t quite keep the hopeful expression of her face. Tomorrow, she’d start to unravel the mystery of her mother’s disappearance, and, with any luck, be on her way to uncovering why she left in the first place.
Chapters 4 and 5
Hidden Truths: A Sparrow Mends
Chapter 2
Chloe sat up in her bed, and stared up at the night sky. In a scant twelve hour time span, her life had gone from a somewhat normal existence, to a twisted mess of murder and mayhem. Chloe enjoyed ferreting out stories, but she was entirely too close to this to remain objective.
She had a knot in her stomach the size of a fist, and the more information she uncovered, the bigger that knot seemed to grow. She couldn’t tell if the knot was from the excitement of a new investigation, or terror at finding out the truth about her mother. She had tossed and turned in her bed, trying vainly to fall asleep She finally got out of bed, and gave into her need to brood.
There was investigating to be done, and her mind was not going to let her rest until she had exhausted every possible avenue. She needed a plan of attack, and organization was the key to figuring the puzzle out. Chloe rebooted her computer, and started to write an outline, where she typed out all of the information she had discovered.
Her father’s bombshell had shocked Chloe to the core of her being. She had never thought of her mother as being violent, especially towards her. According to Gabe, the police presence in the bedroom distracted Claire enough that Gabe had managed to grab Chloe, and place her out of harm’s way.
Chloe had hesitantly asked if her dad thought Claire would have really have hurt her. Her dad paused for the briefest of moments before he replied with, "Sparrow, if you had asked me before that night, I would have said not in a million years. But, I will never forget that look on her face, as she stood over you, with that knife raised. Her facial expression was completely blank. And I don’t remember ever being that frightened before."
His hands had started shaking, and he tried to stop them but he was too far-gone. "Something happened to you mom that was dangerous, and I was glad when she disappeared from our lives."
Chloe knew that her dad couldn’t help her anymore. As far as he was concerned, her mother had left them, and as much as it pained him to say this about his wife and the mother of his child, perhaps it was best that she had left, because she could have easily have hurt Chloe.
Or, Claire could have killed him, and then Chloe would have been left alone with a crazy, and dangerously violent mother, with no one there to help her. No, Chloe realized that her father didn’t know where her mother went, and he didn’t actually care, as long as Chloe was safe from her.
So, as an investigative source, her dad was an official dead end.
The next logical person with the most information on the crime, besides the victim and perpetrator, would be the police investigators, or better yet, the official police report. If Chloe could read the report, it would be like talking to the officers themselves, but without the personal reminisces and prejudices clouding their judgment.
The police report would reflect their immediate reactions to the crime, and for the most part, it probably wouldn’t be unusually embellished. Chloe managed to hack into the Metropolis Police Department archives with precious little effort. Their so-called security precautions were a joke, and easily evaded. She found the report, and pulled it up.
She skipped over the information provided by her dad, and went straight to her mom’s initial interview with the cops. After reading it, the feeling of dread that had been in the pit of her stomach since that morning, seemed to fill her entire being.
The investigation into Dr. Flint’s murder was barely an investigation. The doctor’s nurse identified Mrs. Sullivan as the last person to see Dr. Flint in his office. Mrs. Sullivan was next seen fleeing the crime scene, and she was picked up with the murder weapon, and she and the weapon were both covered in the victim’s blood. She was the obvious suspect, and according to the report, the only suspect.
Mrs. Sullivan’s first interview with the police was terminated early because she was deemed to be incoherent; she mumbled the same thing, over and over again. The police concluded that they were not going to get anything out of her, so she was transferred to the Metropolis University Hospital’s psychiatric ward, and kept for a twenty four hour evaluation.
After the twenty four hours, the police questioned Mrs. Sullivan again, where she was found to be cooperative, and responsive to questioning, if not slightly confused. She told the police that she had arrived for her appointment on time, and she remembered being escorted into his office.
Her next clear memory was being woken up in the psych ward. She did not remember going in to see Dr. Flint, how long her appointment lasted, or where she went after that.
That was all the information that the police report held. No follow up interviews with her mom, or the nurse, and the investigation was dropped. Chloe pulled up the transcript from her mother’s arraignment hearing. Again, the brevity of the court records caused alarm bells to go off in Chloe’s head.
Her mom was represented by a court appointed lawyer, who tried to get her released on bail. Unfortunately, her request for bail was denied. Mrs. Sullivan was about to be taken back to her cell, when a Dr. Baxter stood up and volunteered to run a psychiatric evaluation on Mrs. Sullivan and to continue treating her.
Apparently, Dr. Baxter shared a psychiatric practice with Dr. Flint, and she felt that Mrs. Sullivan should continue seeking treatment for her mental problems, with the court's permission. The Judge concurred, but with the stipulation that Mrs. Sullivan needed to be placed in a lockdown facility, because she was considered a danger to herself and others.
Dr. Baxter agreed, and Mrs. Sullivan was lead away to a waiting ambulance, where she was whisked off to Dr. Baxter’s private mental asylum. The only other court document that Chloe could find was her parents divorce decree, filed a few weeks after Claire was sent to the mental hospital.
Chloe was shocked by how quickly the public forgot about the murder, and the fact that her mom seemed to have gotten away with it. She decided to wait until the morning to ask her dad all the questions she still had swirling around in her head. She had questions about the divorce papers, where were they sent from, why didn’t her dad ever visit her mom at the hospital, and when was Claire officially released from the hospital.
There were too many questions that needed to be answered, and she had to wait until morning. With a frustrated sigh, Chloe decided to do one more search before she called it a night. She typed in the name "Charles Flint" into The Daily Planet archives to bring up any story where his name appeared in the article.
The first couple of articles had to deal with his being named to various boards. The next set of articles had to deal with Dr. Flint’s charity work. The set after that were about his murder.
Chloe went back a couple of articles, to look a the charities that he had been involved in, when Chloe found a small article, easily over looked, but so important, that Chloe felt that knot in her stomach expand two sizes more, and the vague feeling of unease, become full blown fear.
Underneath the article about the latest Luthor Corp. charity auction, there was an article about the death of Julian Luthor, where the coroner ruled the baby’s death as SIDS. It was the information on the next line that made the color drain from Chloe’s face and caused her to shiver in fear.
Lillian Luthor, the wife of Lionel Luthor, and the mother of the Alexander and Julian, had to be sedated for Julian’s funeral. She had been hysterical and was placed in the care of her psychiatrist, a Dr. Charles Flint.
Chapter 3
The morning found Chloe, awake, dressed and ready to go by 6:00am. This would have been a shock to many people, with no one more shocked than Chloe herself.
After all, it was a Sunday morning, and nobody in his or her right mind was awake before 9am on a Sunday. Then again, not many people discovered the day before that their mother had been accused of murder.
Gabe was not surprised that Chloe was up early, and he knew that she would have more questions for him. Chloe didn’t want to bring up painful history again, but she had to have all the facts to continue her investigation.
What took her by surprise, though, was her dad’s beating her to the punch. Chloe found Gabe in the kitchen, sitting at the table waiting for her, with papers spread out on the table.
He smiled tiredly at his daughter and asked her, "I’ll bet you’re wondering why I never visited your mom at the hospital. This is the reason why."
On the table, he had a copy of the divorce decree and the name and address of the lawyer who sent it. After Chloe looked over the documents, Gabe continued, "Your mom was barely gone a week, when I received her divorce papers in the mail. The return envelope was addressed to a lawyer in Metropolis. That entire week, I had tried calling the facility to speak to her, but every time I got through, Dr. Baxter would take the call and tell me that she didn't want me disturbing her patient. When I received the papers, I figured that your mom didn't want to have anything to do with me, and rather than fight it, I signed the papers."
Gabe paused in his story, and he looked at his daughter carefully. He didn’t want to hurt her anymore; yet, he didn’t want her harboring any daydreams about his former wife. "I never would have thought that she’d drop off the face of the planet, and never get in touch with you again. Sparrow, I wish, for your sake, that I had tried harder to find her when she first left."
Gabe looked like he wanted to continue, but Chloe stopped him. "Dad, you did the best you could. I couldn’t have asked for a better dad, and I’m sorry for putting you through this, and making you worry, but I have to know what happened to Mom. Please understand."
Gabe took one look at his daughter’s determined face, and he knew she wouldn’t stop till she was satisfied. He stood up, hugged her, told her to be careful, and left the room.
Once she was alone, Chloe’s eyes filled with tears, and she allowed herself to wallow briefly in self-pity.
Chloe was shocked that it still stung when she thought about how casually her mother walked out of their lives. She looked down and tried to blink back the tears that burned behind her eyes. She wiped furiously at them with her balled up fists, and took several ragged breaths, trying to calm herself.
She would not get the answers she needed by becoming hysterical. She took one final deep breath and steeled herself for the call she had to make next. It was now 7 am and she didn't even pause before she started to dial the phone. She knew that he'd be awake.
"Lex? It's Chloe. I need to talk to you."
************************************************** *********************
Chloe arrived at the mansion in fifteen minutes. Her mind whirled about how she was going to ask for Lex’s assistance without telling him about her mom. It was not that she didn’t trust him; it was more along the lines that she didn’t want to bring up painful issues involving his parents and the death of his baby brother.
She and Lex were close, but it was a closeness born of fighting a common enemy. Yet, she did find comfort in being with him, and sometimes, just near him. Chloe tried not to dwell to often on this too often, but, sometimes, all she needed was to hear his voice or smell his cologne, and she felt safe and protected.
Chloe and Lex had formed a bond when she agreed to help him fight Lionel. They had finally succeeded in gathering enough evidence to get Lionel indicted, but Chloe knew the war was far from over. Lionel still had resources that the Feds were just learning about, but Lex seemed unsurprised at how far Lionel’s reach extended.
There was only one other person who knew that Chloe and Lex were partners in crime. Her dad knew from the beginning that she was helping Lex. She was overwhelmed with guilt that her moment of weakness might have placed her father in jeopardy.
Thankfully, Lex had formulated a plan to ensure her and her dad’s well being. Lex’s firing of Gabe was all part of a carefully orchestrated plot designed to convince Lionel that Lex was completely under his thumb. It had worked beautifully, because Lionel was behind bars, awaiting his trial, Lex was running Luthor Corp., and Chloe and Gabe were safe.
Chloe smiled grimly to herself and marveled at her own lousy timing. Life should have finally been looking up for the Sullivans, and instead, she had the specter of her mother having killed someone looming in front of her. She only hoped that Lex wouldn’t be averse to using his influence to help her.
She knocked on the front door, and smiled in relief when Lex opened it himself, welcoming her with a warm smile. He took one look at her tense expression and bypassed the pleasantries, opting to take her directly to his study, where he had coffee waiting for her.
Once Chloe was seated with a steaming cup cradled in her hands, and she looked calmer and more like the Chloe he knew, did Lex finally decide to speak. "On any other day, I enjoy it when you visit, but somehow, this visit seems more professional that personal. What’s going on?"
Chloe was grateful for Lex’s bluntness, it made things easier for her. "Lex, I need your help getting an interview with Dr. Dana Baxter."
Lex tried not to let his shock show on his face, but he tried to maintain a calm demeanor. Dr. Baxter’s name brought up memories that he had tried to bury, along with the remains of his brother and mother.
He remembered his mother’s long crying jags, and then Julian would start crying as well, affected by his mother’s unhappiness. Lionel would get disgusted, and hide in his study, and Lex would be left trying to sooth both his mom and baby brother.
Some of his pain must have shown on his face, because Chloe took a few steps forward, and placed her hand on his arm. "Lex, are you okay?"
Lex could hear the concern in Chloe’s voice, and it helped to bring his mind’s eye back to the present. That, and the feeling of her hand on his arm filled him with warmth that he had forgotten existed.
He focused on Chloe and smiled at her, one of his rare heart-melting smiles that very few people actually got to see.
Chloe willed herself not to swoon, and to focus on the words Lex was speaking. "Yes, Chloe I’m fine, my mind just drifted for a second. Now tell me why you want to interview Dr. Baxter."
Chloe answered quick and to the point. "I’m doing a history project that involves a patient formerly treated by Dr. Baxter. I’m going to see what the good doctor will tell me about her. However, I don’t think she’ll be to impressed with a high school student, but if Lex Luthor, the man who made several steep financial donations to the University wanted to speak to the doctor in charge of the research directly, I doubt he’d be turned down. "
Lex looked unconvinced and a little skeptical. "I appreciate your flattery, but aren’t you concerned about Dr. Baxter’s doctor/patient confidentiality? She might not answer any of your questions.’’
Chloe dismissed his question with a wave of her hand. "It shouldn’t be a problem. The people involved are either dead or MIA."
Lex’s eyebrows rose at the "dead or MIA" comment but he decided not to press the issue. He knew that if Chloe needed his help, whether it was financial or emotional, she wouldn’t hesitate to come to him, and he would help her anyway he could. He trusted that she would know when she got in over her head, and, until then, he’d wait for her call.
Lex nodded his head in acceptance and said, "Okay, Chloe, I’ll set up the interview for tomorrow. We’ll leave for Metropolis at 8 am. Sound good?" Chloe sighed audibly when she heard his words and smiled gratefully in agreement with his plan.
Lex walked over to the door, and held his hand out to her. "Now, how about some breakfast. I’ll bet you’re starved." Chloe took Lex’s offered hand, and suddenly realized she was famished. "I’d love some breakfast."
The pair grinned at each other and Chloe led the way to the dining room. She couldn’t quite keep the hopeful expression of her face. Tomorrow, she’d start to unravel the mystery of her mother’s disappearance, and, with any luck, be on her way to uncovering why she left in the first place.
Chapters 4 and 5