Supercop II: The Black Knight -- 4/?
by Nan Smith
Previously:
Nothing had been disturbed that she could see but, just to be sure, Norma conducted a search of the house, the .38 Special that all officers of the MPD carried while on duty in her hand.
All the windows were locked, she found, and both doors as well. There was no one hiding in the other bedroom, or in any of the closets. She even checked under the beds.
Feeling a little silly, Norma went back to her bedroom to prepare for bed. It had been nothing but a false alarm after all. The Midtown Rapist and his escapades must be getting to her more than she realized.
But just to be certain, she locked her bedroom door before climbing into bed.
**********
And now, Part 4:
"Jimmy!" Lois waved several sheets of paper in the air.
Jimmy Olsen picked up the chocolate bar that he had just purchased and turned at Lois's hail. Since it was Lois bringing him the faxes that had just arrived, he assumed with some justification that it was the information that they were expecting from William Henderson.
His search of the morning had turned up seventy-two newspaper articles published in the last two years across the country about serial rapists whose patterns were similar to that of the Midtown Rapist and who fit the other criteria that he was looking for. Of those, quite a number of them were follow-ups on earlier articles about the same man, and eleven of the criminals in question had been captured. Still, some seven of the cases remained unsolved. Assuming that this guy hadn't sprung out of another dimension, or just recently started his criminal career after having been a model citizen all his life, it was just barely possible that three months ago he had been in one of those seven other locations and found things getting a little too hot for his continued residence there. Jimmy was well aware that it was a long shot, but for the moment, it was all they had to go on.
"Here they are," Lois said, presenting the papers to him with a flourish as he arrived at his desk. "Do you think you can work a little of your magic with them?"
"Maybe," Jimmy said, cautiously. "I have some connections that can do some checks for me. Fortunately, the fingerprint databases in a lot of the big cities are computerized these days. Let me scan these into my computer, and I'll see what I can do. It's too bad there isn't a nationwide fingerprint database. It would sure make it a lot easier for the cops to track down these characters."
"That's what Henderson said," Lois said. "Maybe that's something the Daily Planet should highlight. I think I'll talk to Perry about it."
"That's a good idea," Jimmy said. "I'll get back to you as soon as I can."
Lois nodded, starting to reach for her phone. Then he saw her lift her head in the same way he had seen CK do countless times since he had come to work at the Daily Planet. She glanced at him, getting to her feet.
"If Perry asks, tell him I just remembered I have to meet Bobby Bigmouth in a little while. I need to go get him his lunch," she said.
Bobby Bigmouth was her most reliable, if somewhat exasperating, snitch, Jimmy recalled. "Will do," he said, to her retreating back. Lois ran up the steps and disappeared into the stairwell.
Jimmy shook his head. He'd always heard that married couples tended to pick up each other's mannerisms, but he'd never believed it until now. He'd thought CK's habits were a little odd, but now Lois was doing it! If the day came when Clark started to babble like Lois, Jimmy promised himself he'd have a man to man talk with him. This togetherness thing could definitely have its drawbacks.
From somewhere nearby, a sonic boom rattled the windows of the Planet. Wow! One of the superheroes must have passed by a little too close. Jimmy glanced at the monitors, just as the picture shifted to the scene of a local chemical plant that was blazing merrily and pouring out a dense cloud of smoke. Several fire trucks could be seen and men in protective gear were swarming around the building like ants whose hill has been disturbed. As he watched, Jimmy saw the black-clad figure of the Knight zip across the screen and vanish into the smoke. An instant later, a pink and blue streak approached from the left and followed him. Ultra Woman was on the scene.
The cameras shifted. Superman could be seen, hoisting a large container of fire retardant, and, as Jimmy watched, he disappeared after the other two superheroes into the smoke. It must be fairly serious if all three of them were there, Jimmy thought. They must be afraid of an explosion or something.
Perry stepped out of his office, glanced around and spotted him. "Olsen! Grab your camera and get over there!" he commanded.
"Yes, sir!" Jimmy put the printouts Lois had given him down on the surface of his desk, set his empty coffee mug on top of them to hold them in place and snatched up his camera. A moment later he was on his way down the stairs, disdaining to wait for the elevator. Maybe CK had a point he reflected, as he thrust open the door to the lobby and headed for the street where he had parked his motorcycle. It was a lot faster than the elevator. No wonder CK was such a good newsman -- and managed to stay in such good shape, too. Jimmy roared away from the curb, barely missing the front fender of a taxi. Maybe, he thought, his career as a photojournalist was looking up. He'd actually been Perry's first choice this time. He'd be extra-careful to get some good shots for the paper. Maybe if he was very lucky, he'd even get one on the front page.
**********
The flames were finally out, and the three smoke-stained superheroes exited the chemical plant after checking to be certain that there was no chance of the fire re-igniting. Investigators wearing breathing gear and special suits, to prevent chemical contamination, were already entering the building to attempt to determine the cause of the blaze.
William Henderson and Ultra Woman followed Superman as he led the way to the fire chief. Chief Walters was speaking to one of his men as they approached. The other man nodded.
"Right away," he said and hurried after the group of men preparing to stow their fire fighting tools back onto one of the big hook-and-ladder trucks. Walters turned to them.
"Did you need anything?" he asked.
"No." Superman acted as their spokesman. "We just wanted to let you know that we've checked to be sure there's no chance of re-ignition. It's your baby, now."
Walters smiled a little. "Thanks," he said.
"You're welcome," Superman replied. The three of them lifted off together. Once well out of hearing range, he turned to Henderson. "Does the Black Knight want to talk to Commissioner Brighton, or would you rather one of us did it? How well does he know you -- Inspector Henderson, that is?"
Henderson snorted. "And I used to think it was strange hearing you talk about yourself in the third person. Now I'm doing it." He shook his head. "I'm going to have an identity crisis if I'm not careful. I think we'd better do this together. That way there'll be no room for misinterpretation. Brighton'll be able to tell the representative from New York that all three of us said 'no' in no uncertain terms."
"I agree," Lois said. "I know these bureaucrats. They want what they want when they want it and think they can invoke a city ordinance or something to make it happen, even when there's no rule covering the situation. We're going to have to remind them that, as private citizens, we have the right to live and work where we choose and no state official can change it."
"I have to agree," Clark said. "I sympathize with New York -- but we live in Metropolis."
"Just because we live here, it doesn't mean we can't do them a favor once in a while," Lois added, "but demanding that the Metro Police Force transfer one of us to them is getting a little presumptuous, don't you think?"
Neither Henderson nor Superman answered the obvious. Clark glanced at his companions. "I take it we're all agreed?"
"I think so," Henderson said. "I think only one of us should do the talking, though."
Lois nodded vigorously. "I agree. You still act too much like Bill Henderson. You're getting better," she added as Henderson cast a sideways glance at her, "but you and I are still new at this, and you contact Brighton pretty often as yourself. You don't need to take the chance."
"I'm not arguing," Henderson said. "That's why I think that Clark should be the spokesman, and you and I should keep our mouths shut."
"All right," Clark said. "When should we do this?"
"No time like the present," Henderson said. "Brighton said to pass the message to one of the supermen if we could. If we all show up at once, I can't see him refusing to see us."
Lois glanced down. "There's Jimmy," she said irrelevantly. "Think we should talk to him? He's waving at us."
"Sure," Clark said. "Let's give him a quote and then we'll head over to see Brighton."
The three of them swooped down to land on the sidewalk next to the younger man.
"Hi, Jimmy," Clark said. "I'm sure you know my friend, Ultra Woman, but I don't think you've met the Knight before. Jimmy Olsen, Black Knight."
Henderson nodded briskly.
Jimmy's eyes were huge as he looked from one to the other of them. "Gosh," he said. Then he appeared to recollect his purpose. "What happened in there?" he asked.
"It looked like an accident," Clark said, "but of course we won't know for sure until the investigators have finished their work. The fire was fueled by a shipment of volatile chemicals that apparently arrived this morning and hadn't been properly stored yet."
"Do you think there'll be any environmental consequences?" Jimmy asked dutifully.
"I'm not qualified to give an opinion on that," Superman said, "but we got it under control pretty quickly."
"Okay," Jimmy said. "Do you mind if I take a picture of the three of you together?"
"No problem," Clark said. The three of them assumed their usual heroic poses and moved closer together. "How's this?"
"That's great!" Jimmy snapped two photos. "At least one of those should turn out pretty good. It was a pleasure meeting you," he said to Henderson.
"Likewise," Henderson said.
"Now, if you'll excuse us," Clark said, aware that several other journalists had noticed their presence and were converging on them, "we have an appointment with the Police Commissioner."
"Sure!" Jimmy stammered. "Thanks a lot!"
They lifted off, and Lois was aware that her youthful colleague snapped several more pictures as they flew away.
"That's a good way to deal with people who know Inspector Henderson," she remarked to the police inspector as they flew. "Keep it short and sweet."
"Point taken," Henderson said. "No need to rub it in. Let's get this thing over with."
**********
The three superheroes stepped through the doors of the Twelfth Precinct. Commissioner Brighton was making the precinct his headquarters today, since his office upstairs was being painted and, as Henderson recalled him mentioning at the meeting this morning, the paint fumes gave him a headache. Henderson remained silent as Superman walked up to the desk and spoke to the officer currently manning it. John Braxton, Henderson noted.
"Inspector Henderson tells me that Commissioner Brighton wants to speak to the three of us. Could you let him know we're here?"
The young officer regarded the superhero thoughtfully. "Do you have an appointment, Superman?" he inquired.
"No. Henderson told us to drop by when we could."
"I believe the Commissioner is in a meeting," the young man said. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait."
Meeting? Henderson didn't remember any meetings that Brighton had scheduled today. A quick glance with his x-ray vision toward the room that his boss had commandeered for the afternoon showed him Brighton listening to the radio and frowning over what Henderson could see were vacation schedules. Not exactly high priority work when Superman wanted to speak to him. He glanced at Johnny's face and could see the faintest of smirks twitching the corners of his mouth. Johnny was apparently enjoying his tiny position of power a little too much.
"Excuse me a moment," he told Lois. "I'll be right back."
He left the room at high speed, and re-entered a moment later from the rear as himself. "Superman and Ultra Woman?" he said. "I take it you're here to speak to Commissioner Brighton?"
"Yes," Lois said, a touch of acidity to her tone. "Officer Braxton here seems to think we need an appointment."
Henderson turned to eye the young officer with a raised brow. "I believe you were informed with the others that the Commissioner wanted to speak to Superman, Ultra Woman or the Black Knight if you were to see one of them, weren't you?"
Johnny squirmed slightly. "It slipped my mind," he said.
Henderson's eyebrow climbed a little higher. "I think you and I need to have a little talk about certain unwritten rules around here, Officer Braxton," he said. "See me in my office before you go off shift."
Johnny nodded, looking slightly uncomfortable. "Yes, sir," he said.
"And give the Commissioner a call to let him know Superman and Ultra Woman are here to see him," he added. He glanced back at his fellow superheroes. "Sorry for the misunderstanding," he said.
"That's all right," Clark said, a little uncomfortably.
Henderson nodded politely to Lois and exited via the front doors, to return seconds later as the Black Knight. "Sorry," he said. "Kid's cat was stuck in a tree."
Johnny had been speaking into the phone, and now he turned to them. "Sorry about the wait," he said. "Go right in. Conference Room 3 on your left, halfway down the hall.
"Thanks," Clark told him. The three of them proceeded down the hallway.
**********
Norma Randall awoke at the sound of rapping on the bedroom door, and a glance at the alarm clock told her that it was nearly four in the afternoon.
"Norma!" her husband's voice called from the other side of the door. "Are you all right?"
"Just a minute," she called as she pushed back the sheet and slid out of bed.
"What's going on?" Neil asked, when she unlocked and opened the door. "Why'd you lock the door?"
Looking back now, the whole incident seemed silly. She shrugged. "It wasn't important. I was a little spooked when I got home. The Midtown Rapist broke into someone's place last night. I took the report."
"Oh," Neil said. "I guess I can't exactly blame you. Have I mentioned that I'm going to be really glad when you're off the night shift?"
"No gladder than I will be," Norma said. She lifted her face to kiss her handsome husband. "I just wish you didn't have to travel so much on business."
"So do I," he said. "At least this trip will be short." He set his briefcase inside the bedroom door. "Let me get changed and put my bags in the car, and then you and I can go get something to eat."
"All right," she said. "What should I wear?"
"Something casual. I figured we could go over to Mi Casa and have a nice dinner before I have to leave."
"That'll be nice," Norma said. "I *am* sort of in the mood for Mexican food."
**********
Mi Casa was doing a reasonably good business for a Thursday night, Norma thought as she and Neil walked into the place an hour later. It was just past five, and the usual dinner crowd hadn't really begun yet, which was fine with her. The slightly creepy feeling of earlier in the day hadn't quite gone away. She hoped she wasn't developing a case of nerves over the Midtown Rapist. The man was just a sleazy coward who, for some reason, needed to take out his anger toward women in a particularly vile way. If he were to be so stupid as to come after her, she could handle him. She'd certainly handled worse in the five years she had been a cop.
There was a couple seated in the waiting area that drew her attention. For a second, she couldn't think why the man looked familiar and then with a jolt she recognized Bill Henderson. Instead of the usual drab trousers and rumpled jacket that she was used to seeing him wear, he was nicely dressed in a pair of tan slacks and a contrasting sports coat, his black, lightly greying hair was neatly combed and there was no sign of the dark glasses that he habitually wore at the Precinct. Accompanying him was a small, dark-haired, very pretty, and very pregnant woman that must be his wife. Norma had heard from someone that Bill Henderson's wife was due to have a baby any time, but the thought of anyone of his age becoming a parent had been hard to visualize. On the other hand, Bill would probably be a very good father to his son or daughter. She had seen him deal with the occasional child that somehow made his or her way into their station. For all his cynicism with his colleagues, Bill Henderson liked kids, and more tellingly, kids liked him.
She tugged on Neil's hand. "I see a friend of mine. Come over and be introduced."
Obediently, Neil followed her as she led the way to a pair of empty chairs next to Henderson and his wife. "Hi, Bill! Painting the town red tonight?"
Henderson smiled dryly. "Absolutely," he deadpanned. "I plan on dancing on the tables -- if I can find a lampshade."
The image almost made Norma choke. His wife gave a snort of laughter.
"I hope you'll reconsider," Norma said, trying for an equally deadpan expression. "Somebody might have to call a cop."
"True," Henderson said, solemnly. "I guess I'll have to pass, then. By the way, have you met my wife? Sue, this is Norma Randall, one of our people at the Precinct. Norma, Sue."
"Pleased to meet you," Norma said. "This is my husband, Neil. Neil, I've mentioned Inspector Henderson, haven't I?"
"Once or twice," Neil said, extending a hand. "Good to meet you, Inspector." He paused. "Weren't you the officer that was nearly hit by lightning a few months ago? I seem to recall something about an assassination attempt, and then a near miss by a lightning bolt."
"Yeah, that was me, all right," Henderson said. "During the Quigley trial."
"Now I remember," Neil said. "You seem to lead exciting lives down at the station."
"Only occasionally," Henderson said. "We prefer it dull."
"That's for sure," Norma said. She turned to Sue Henderson. "I heard that you were supposed to be having a baby soon. Is this your first?"
"Yes," Sue said. "We're kind of in a holding pattern right now. The doctor told me that we could easily go another week, though."
"Well, if your husband doesn't show up at work some day soon, we'll know where to find him," Norma said. "Congratulations, sir."
"Thank you," Henderson said.
"Henderson, party of two," the loudspeaker announced, abruptly.
"That's us," Henderson said. "Enjoy your dinner. I'll see you in the morning, Randall."
"Hopefully not," Norma said, and Sue laughed.
After the Hendersons had disappeared, Neil glanced around and went to select one of the take-out menus from a rack on the wall. "While we're waiting, I guess we can check over what's available. Too bad you can't have a glass of wine, honey, but I guess it wouldn't be a good idea."
"Not tonight," Norma agreed. "I'm on duty in a few hours." The faint feeling of uneasiness that had led her to lock her door this morning before going to sleep had returned. "I hope it's a quiet night."
"So do I. Try to stay out of trouble for another month," Neil said. "Then you'll be on the day shift."
"Don't think I'm not looking forward to it," Norma said. She reached out to take a second menu for herself. "Let's see; what should I pick ...."
**********
tbc
