House of Luthot - Matchmaker Style
Rated PG-13
*Word* is for emphasis
<"word"> is thoughts
/*word*/ audiotape playback
Previously
That afternoon, Lois called and spoke to Lex, "Lex, I won't be over tonight."
"Might I ask, why? I was going to have Andre prepare one of his specialties."
"I really need to get together with my sister. She's been helping me with the wedding plans. I have some things to go over with her."
The tone of his voice was one of disappointment, however he was actually relieved. With Mrs. Cox's report that the rock was the genuine article he had some planning to do, "I'll miss you this evening then. Enjoy your time with your sister. Doesn't her current boyfriend live with her?"
Lois was wary and careful with her answer, "Yeah, but when we get together, he makes himself scarce. I think he takes the opportunity to go out and score. I'm really disappointed in my sister, taking up with a druggie."
"Do you want me to do something?"
Lois was hasty to answer, "No, that won't be necessary. None of her relationships ever last very long. I don't see this one lasting much longer anyhow."
"Okay, I was just thinking that if he was a problem or if he bothered you, I could have him removed."
"I appreciate the thought, Lex, but that won't be necessary."
"Will I see you tomorrow?"
"I don't know. There are some things happening that I want to cover for the station."
"You do know that you don't have to work, don't you?"
"I … know, but I want to. It's just who I am."
"Whatever makes you happy, dearest. Can I plan for dinner tomorrow night?"
"I'll have to let you know tomorrow."
"I'll look for your call."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
That evening, Lois showed up at Lucy's apartment. As soon as the door was closed behind her, she threw herself into Clark's arms. "Oh, Clark, I've missed you."
"I've missed you too, Honey."
"Look, it's nearing the date of the wedding. Let's finish this thing up so that we can give Luthor his surprise wedding present."
"There's nothing I'd like better, but we are still missing a lot of evidence."
"We'll just have to see about getting what we need."
"Uh, there's another thing …"
Instantly apprehensive, Lois asked, "What?"
"Kryptonite. I was exposed to it earlier."
The pieces of the puzzle started to fall together, Lois asked, "When?"
"There was a bank alarm a little before four PM."
"Could it have been 3:45?"
"Yeah, right about then."
"Series K"
"Series K? What is Series K?"
"Mrs. Cox came in to confirm a field test of Series K today at 3:45. It has to be Kryptonite. We have to stop this. Now that we know he had Kryptonite it places you in danger."
"We can't stop now. We are very close. We just need a little more."
"Okay, at my first opportunity I'm going to go in and get what I can and since we know he has Kryptonite, you, my very dear husband will have to keep your distance."
"What do you think you can get?"
"I won't know until I get there, but I'll get something."
And now
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Chapter 3
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
That evening, after a dinner for two served up by Andre, Lex and Mrs. Cox had retired to his bedroom. After a period of intimacy, Lex rolled over and had his arm over his forehead.
Mrs. Cox released a pleased sigh and then said, "You have always been better than the Mr."
"My dear, Mrs. Cox, you are easy to please."
Mrs. Cox's hand was groping under the covers when Lex stilled it in its quest. "We have important matters to discuss."
"What?"
"Now that we know that what we have is authentic, I need to decide what to do with it. I had an idea some time ago and I think it would be appropriate. Kent had me placed in a cage. I have gone him one better, he is in a grave. Now I think that what Kent did to me would be particularly appropriate for Superman. We need to construct a cage. A
cage of steel that will hold the
Man of Steel."
"Even steel won't hold him though."
"Perhaps not plain steel, but how about steel coated with Series K."
"How can we do that?"
"What were the effects that you observed when you exposed Superbum to Series K?"
"It looked like he suddenly was in pain and weak. He almost collapsed to his knees."
"I want a small piece of that rock. It will go into my vault. The rest I want ground to a fine powder. We will mix the Series K powder with paint and use that to coat the steel bars of the cage. Now, where would be a good place to hide it so that he could be lured into it?"
"There are any number of warehouses owned by LexCorp. They have high ceilings. The cage could hang suspended from the ceiling and dropped on him."
"Ah, but what excuse could I give to have him come to a warehouse?"
"Perhaps a break-in?"
"That might work, but there is an old saying, ‘keep you friends close, but your enemies closer' and I want him close so that I can keep an eye on him."
"The only place with a high enough ceiling then would be the wine cellar."
"Yes, that would work and I have video surveillance. That would be ideal."
Mrs. Cox's hand began its quest once more, this time finding the object of her desire.
His excitement at the possibility of overcoming his adversary transferred to his anatomy and as he moved over on top of her, he said, "See to the construction of the cage. We can't be sure how quickly his strength will be removed so make the bars stout. It will have to be assembled in the wine cellar. Under it create a false ceiling, some flimsy material painted with a lead based paint. We don't want him to be suspicious ..."
His orders were interrupted by Mrs. Cox's sighed, "Oh, Lex."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
While Mrs. Cox and Lex were being intimate and discussing his plans, Clark had returned to the cabin.
Once they were all together, Jimmy filled him in, "I found John Black. His address is in a rundown apartment building on the west side."
"You need to go there and see if you can find anything that will give Bill probable cause. We need him to be able to get in there and search."
"Jack and I will go first thing in the morning."
"Good. He is relative small fry and I don't think Luthor will miss him if he is picked up."
Perry reported, "I've been looking into the insurance angle. I'm expecting a call back."
"I need to get back to the apartment, in case Lois calls. See you guys tomorrow."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The next day Lex had been called away, on short notice, to a meeting in Milan. He had invited Lois to go with him, but she had refused citing wedding preparations so Lex had taken Mrs. Cox with him in her stead. She was very thankful that he hadn't insisted because she was afraid of being cooped up with him in a small aircraft with a big bed for God knows how long. He could have forced himself on her and if that had happened, she didn't know if she'd live through it. It had become clear to Lois that there was something going on between Lex and Mrs. Cox and it pleased Lois that it was the case because it, at least in some respects, took some of the pressure off of her.
In this case, knowing that he would be away for at least a full day, Lois had bided her time and that evening had executed her plan.
Lois was dressed all in black. She had left the apartment by a back way and avoided Lex's surveillance. Two streets over she had caught a cab directing it to drop her off two blocks from LexTower. After the cab pulled away, she reached under her skirt and pulled down her pants legs. Undoing the catch on her wrap skirt she removed it and rolled it into a small cylinder which she stuffed into her bag. When she did, she retrieved a black ski mask which she donned. Staying in the shadows she had made her way to the underground parking garage entrance and remained out of sight.
Pulling a slingshot from her bag, she loaded a piece of metal and swinging it around let fly at a far wall. The clang of the metal went unnoticed so Lois repeated the procedure and this time drew the attention of the guard and he exited his little shack to investigate. Once he was out of sight, she slipped around the barrier and into the shadows. Making her way to the elevators she waited for the guard to return to his post. In his little shack he could not see the elevators. She used Nigel's keycard that Bill Henderson had given her to access the elevator to the penthouse. She was surprised and pleased that Lex hadn't disabled Nigel's card. Apparently he still hoped that Nigel would return from parts unknown after disposing of Clark's body and resume his normal duties. When the doors opened in response to the use of Nigel's card, she reached in and up so that she could place a cap over the lens of the camera. Once the lens was covered she used Nigel's card to operate the elevator. If Luthor discovered that he had been broken into, she wanted Nigel to take the blame. This was her first opportunity to get in there without any chance of observation. Over the course of the last month she had caught glimpses of Luthor looking at a particular area of his office. They were surreptitious glances always at one particular area. That was enough to pique her interest.
Once she was in the office she immediately went to the area that Lex had expressed an interest in and started to examine it. The area was covered with floor to ceiling bookshelves. She recognized a number of priceless first editions on the shelves. She was convinced that if there was something hidden here it would be done in such a way that he wouldn't have to move a lot of books to get to it.
Dipping into her bag she brought out a mini-flashlight and hooding the light with two fingers she used it to search. She started at one side and checked both visually and by touch every square inch till she reached the other side. Then she stopped to think, <Luthor wouldn't have inconvenienced himself. However this works it won't be too high or too low. Concentrate in the middle where it is easy to reach.>
She restarted her search, this time in the middle height shelves. She had only gone a foot when she felt a screw head that seemed out of place. Bringing her flashlight to bear she saw that what was supposed to look like a screw head was a little too perfect. Most screws have at least a little marring from the screwdriver being used on them. She tried to pull it out, but it wouldn't budge. When she pushed on it she heard a subdued click and the entire bookshelf started to move. Smiling in self-satisfaction she stepped back to allow it room to move.
After moving out from the wall slightly it slid to the side revealing the door to a walk in safe. On the face was the dial of a combination lock as well as a keyhole. Nodding in satisfaction, Lois stepped to the safe and up to the challenge. First she delved into her bag and brought out her lock pick kit. She selected what she believed to be the appropriate tools and went to work. Within two minutes the slot was horizontal as if the key had been inserted and turned ninety degrees. She felt that she was half way there. Looking at the dial she reached into her bag once again and brought out another piece of equipment. She muttered, "I have to remember to give Jonathan a kiss to thank him again for his present." She plugged in the headphones and then an appliance that looked like a suction cup on a tube. Reaching under her mask she put the earphones in her ears, attached the suction cup to the face of the safe near the dial and turned on her sound amplifier. She started twirling the dial experimentally and was satisfied to hear the whir of the dial.
She slowed the movement of the dial, turning it to the right. Finally she heard a distinct click. She pulled back and noted the number, 34. She started to turn the dial in the other direction. She was becoming anxious when she went all the way around and passed 34 going in the opposite direction, but she continued on. She was turning the dial slowly, but slowed even more for fear that she would miss the sound of the click. Finally there was a sharp click and she smiled in satisfaction. Pulling back she looked at the number, 24. She thought, <34 … 24 Nah, it couldn't be.> Making up her mind, she listened while she confidently turned the dial in the opposite direction again. As she neared what she knew had to be the final number she mentally crossed her fingers. As the dial hit the number she had expected she heard a click again. She thought, <I can't believe he did that! My measurements!>
Grasping the handle she gave it a quarter turn and pulled. The safe swung open on well oiled hinges. The first thing that greeted her was a sickly green glow. <Oh, no! He has Kryptonite. This must be here as a trap for Superman. I'll have to tell Clark to stay away when the police open this vault.
The Kryptonite was out on a table in the center of the vault. Next to it was a lead enclosure. Looking around the perimeter of the room she saw drawers and shelves. She pulled down a book that looked like it had been handled a lot and opened it up. On the inside cover was a list of numbers with either a ‘S' or a ‘C' beside them. She delved into her bag once more and pulled out her camera. She snapped a picture of the open pages and then started flipping through, snapping as she went.
On other pages were lists of names, sometimes full names, but mostly just last names and then under another column dollar amounts. Because of the indicated dates she decided that these were older transactions, she turned to the back of the book and copied the last ten pages. As she was doing so, she recognized some of the names as members of the Board of Directors of the Daily Planet.
On a date shortly before the explosion that had destroyed the Daily Planet there was an entry referring to a purchase from a firm she recognized as a construction company. The only explanation she could come up with for this was - whatever he needed, if there was residue, he didn't want it traced back to a LexCorp business.
She pulled down a couple more books and filmed pages at random until she had used up her whole roll. She placed everything back where she had found it and closing the vault again, pushed the screw. Nothing happened. Grasping a shelf she tried to pull the unit closed, but it refused to budge. She had been so sure, now she was starting to worry. She thought, <Don't panic. There has to be another button.>
Placing everything but the flashlight back in her bag she began another search. She found a screw at the opposite end of the bookshelf and when she pressed it the mechanism that closed the hidden door operated again. When it finished she discovered why Luthor was constantly checking it. It didn't close all the way. She moved to the end of the unit and pushed. With a click it moved into place and locked.
Lois retraced her steps out of the office and took the elevator back down. As she exited the elevator she removed the cover from the camera lens. Easing up beside the guard shack, she peeked in and saw that the guard was engrossed in a novel and the door to the shack was closed. Crouching down, low to the ground and below the windows, Lois crept by the shack and out without being seen. As soon as she was away she removed her ski mask and returned it to her bag. She pulled out the skirt and after donning it rolled up her pants legs so that they wouldn't be seen. Two streets over she caught a cab and went to Lucy's apartment.
When she arrived, Lucy was by herself. "Where's Charlie?"
"He rushed out of here a little while ago. I figured it must be a rescue or something. How do you do it, Sis? No warning, suddenly he rushes out and there's no way to know if it's the last time you will see him. You must worry yourself half to death when that happens."
Lois smiled an enigmatic smile and said, "He promised that he will always come back to me. I take him at his word."
"You don't worry about him?"
"Of course I worry about him. What wife wouldn't? There is a major difference between him and a cop or a fireman though … there isn't very much that can hurt him. "
Lucy had her arms around Lois in a fierce hug. "It's such a relief to see you. I've been so worried about you, too. Cl … Charlie has been telling me how dangerous Luthor is. The longer this goes on, the more worried I get. I hope this will be finished soon."
Lois patted Lucy's shoulder and said, "I'm being careful." She looked around and said, "Since I'm here, why don't we go over some of the wedding stuff while we wait for Charlie."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Half an hour later, Charlie came in and as soon as the door was closed behind him, Lois bounced up from her chair and threw herself into his arms. As he wrapped his arms around her, he asked, "What are you doing here? Is there a problem?"
"No, I just missed you, that's all." She extricated herself from his arms and picked up her bag. Pulling out her camera, she said, "Success!"
Clark was interested, "What kind of success are we talking about?"
As she rewound the film into the canister and then removed it from the camera, she said, "I managed to break into Luthor's vault. I took pictures of some of his ledgers. You need to have Jimmy print these pictures. I think they will help with the investigation. There are account numbers, names, dates and amounts."
"None of that will be admissible in a court of law."
"I know, but with it as a source of information it can all be investigated and maybe, just maybe, it will be enough to provide probable cause so that Bill can get a search warrant."
"Well, it'll be worth a try. How did you get this?"
"Luthor is away. I let myself in. Remind me to give Jonathan another kiss to thank him for my super-hearing. I used it to crack the vault. Now, make yourself scarce. Lucy and I have a wedding to plan."
He chuckled and said, "Far be it for me to interrupt wedding plans. I'm surprised that Luthor is allowing you to plan your own wedding."
"He wanted to hire this high powered wedding planner, but I nixed that. I need to plan this. Now, go away and let us work."
"Okay, if you insist."
With a smile, she said, "I insist." He hesitated for a second before turning away, reluctant to leave her, but he finally turned away, sat on the sofa and turned on the TV. He muted the sound and turned on the closed captioning so that the sound wouldn't distract Lois and Lucy.
After a time, Lois joined him on the couch. She sat next to him and leaned into him as he put an arm around her. He asked, "So, what's so special about these wedding plans?"
With a conspiratorial look, she said, "Well, this isn't going to be your usual wedding. For one thing, I expect my husband to be there along with my ‘fake' fiancé," she chuckled. "I sent out two separate sets of invitations. The one that Lex knows about and a second set that he doesn't know about."
"Why two sets of invitations?"
"There was a slight alteration made to the second set of invitations that we sent. We've been getting in the RSVP already."
Suspiciously, he asked, "What alteration?"
With a conspiratorial smile, Lois replied, "Well, for one thing, they will be going to a different set of people and for another, well, you'll just have to wait and see about the other."
"Oh, before I forget. You will need to fly in your parents. I'll be spending most of my time here so they can stay in the apartment. You should pick them up soon so that they will be here."
comments go here TBC
