And you all thought I'd dropped it - again.
TOC

Puzzle Pieces

The next morning, CJ was very quiet. Even Alice noticed it over breakfast.

“CJ, are you okay?” she asked gently.

“He had a bad night,” Perry told his wife. “I probably shouldn’t have said yes when they asked to work on this story.”

“And what story is that?” Alice asked.

“Lois Lane’s murder,” Lois answered for him.

Alice looked confused. “I thought that was an accident.”

CJ shook his head. “It wasn’t an accident if someone made sure she couldn’t be revived.”

Perry took a sip of his coffee as he considered what to do next. He honestly hadn’t thought the two kids would come up with anything new. He had known they were very much like the Lois and Clark of his newsroom – he just hadn’t known exactly how much like them they really were. He was still working on getting his mind around the fact that they really did have the memories of the dead counterparts. It was easier to believe it of CJ. He was Clark’s genetic duplicate. It was harder to understand with Lois. She wasn’t related to Lois Lane at all except by adoption. But there was still that eerie similarity. He wondered a little why Sam and Ellen hadn’t picked up on it or maybe they had and couldn’t believe it.

“Grandpa Perry?” Lois was asking. “Did you hear me?”

Perry set down his coffee. “Yes, hon?”

“I was thinking we should get appointments to see Judge Diggs and Constance Hunter. Today, if we can,” Lois said. “I have this weird feeling we’re running out of time.”

CJ nodded agreement. “Diggs and Hunter today and tomorrow, depending what they tell us, let’s go see Luthor. I have the feeling he’s the key. He may not have been involved in Lois Lane’s death, but there’s little doubt he was involved in Superman’s conviction and maybe even Clark Kent’s death.”

“Honey, your father killed himself,” Alice said gently.

“I know that,” CJ said softly. “But what if somebody wanted to make sure he did?”

-o-o-o-

Surprisingly, Judge Diggs agreed to meet with them before her first case of the day came up. If she was surprised to see that the people who had the appointments were mere kids, she didn’t show it.

“I can’t tell you how surprised I was to get a call from Perry White this morning,” she told them as they sat down opposite her desk. “I haven’t heard from Perry since… oh, my husband’s funeral.”

Megan nodded and smiled. Some quick research before they left the newsroom that morning had told them that Diggs’s husband had died two years before. Apparently Diggs had been preparing to retire from the bench, but on his death, she reconsidered. She was now running for the state Supreme Court and the pundits were saying she stood a good chance of winning.

The older woman studied the two children for a moment. “Perry said you were looking into Lois Lane’s death and Superman’s conviction,” she said.

“Yes ma’am,” Lois said. “We talked to Grant Clemens yesterday.” Lois briefly summarized what Clemens had told them.

Diggs was silent for a long moment after Lois was finished. “I wish Clemens had told me he was under duress,” she said finally. “I might have done things differently, but then, maybe not. I knew the autopsy report was flawed. I also knew that I was seeing a young man who desperately wanted an end to his pain even if it meant his death, and I was in a position give him an excuse not to die. I have to wonder, though, if Miss Hunter recognized the autopsy report was as flawed as it was. She had the perfect defense in her hands and she didn’t use it.”

“Do you think Miss Hunter was under the same duress as Clemens?” CJ asked.

Diggs shook her head. “If she had been, she would have agreed with Clemens to take the case to trial and suppress the autopsy report. No, I think she was simply inexperienced. I’m told Hunter was and is a good honest corporate attorney, but she had no criminal law experience, almost no trial experience. Superman would have been better off with an eager beaver public defender. Of course, it wasn’t my place to tell him that and I doubt he would have listened.”

“Your honor, were you under duress at the time?” Lois asked.

Diggs actually smiled at the question. “Are you asking if I was being threatened if Superman wasn’t convicted? No. I was getting a lot of unwelcome advice from people who should have known better, people who felt Superman needed to be made an example of regardless of the facts in the case. People who felt that if he made one mistake that meant he was out of control and a menace to the community. But I wasn’t being threatened in any way that I took seriously.”

“Do you remember who they were? The one’s volunteering their advice?” CJ asked.

Diggs sighed. “Lex Luthor was one of them. Oh, it was never direct, always through people who worked for him, but I knew it was Luthor. That’s one of the reasons I took the route I did in the case. For Superman’s sake it needed to be handled quickly and quietly. I accepted his plea of guilty on the most minor charge Clemens gave me to work with and geared his sentence to keeping him safe from himself. I wasn’t going to give Luthor the pleasure of making Superman’s trial a public spectacle so he’d have a platform to spew his hate..”

“Do you know what Luthor’s reaction was to that?” Megan asked.

“I gather he wasn’t too happy about it, but there’s nothing he could do or say. If he so much as breathed a word that he had tried to suborn a judge and a district attorney to get Superman put away… well, there are laws against that sort of thing and I would have loved nothing better than to see Luthor spend even more time behind bars.”

-o-o-o-

“Do you believe her?” Lois asked CJ as they ate hot dogs by the fountain in Centennial Park.

CJ shrugged. “She believes it.”

“Now what?” Megan asked.

“I don’t know,” CJ admitted. “The crime scene’s gone. I checked yesterday. The building was demolished ten years ago. And Sergeant Zymak, the detective in charge of the Mazik robbery investigation, took early retirement. He’s in Nebraska now.”

Lois’s eyes lit on the playground by the Superman Memorial. “Last one to the top is a rotten egg,” she announced taking off for the playground.

CJ was only a pace behind her when she reached the entrance to the playground. They reached the top of structure at the same time. Lois sat on one of the cross bars, feet wrapped around the other two sides of the one of the metal triangles that made up the large dome climbing structure. CJ sat opposite her.

Megan was running to catch up to them.

“Diggs didn’t really tell us much, did she,” Lois commented. From where she was sitting she could see nearly the entire park.

“Only what we already knew,” CJ said. He was scanning the area around them just as she was. “Judge Diggs had to deal with Superman’s confession and Clemens’s hard nosed attitude, and she simply did the best she could.” CJ paused.

Lois frowned. “So what do we do now? I mean, we already have enough evidence to clear Superman’s name even without knowing who actually killed my Aunt Lois.”

“You think Mazik was telling the truth about this Tempus person?”

Lois shrugged. “That journal was written by someone who had a lot more information than they should have had. If Mazik was right, then Tempus could have walked right in using technology we know nothing about. Tempus may have even been the one who killed Mazik. But I’m also thinking we may be going about this the wrong way.”

“What do you mean?” CJ asked.

“Mazik said that Tempus said that he’d found a way to destroy Utopia once and for all.”

“Whatever that means,” CJ reminded her. “We don’t know what Utopia even is except as the ravings of a madman.”

Lois waved away his complaint. “Tempus wanted to destroy Superman to prevent Utopia from happening. Obviously, killing Lois Lane wasn't enough. He had to destroy Superman, not just kill him.”

“He wanted Superman to be seen as culpable in Lois’s death. He wanted Superman to…” CJ couldn’t finish the thought.

“He wanted to destroy the idea of Superman,” Lois said. “Now we just need to figure out how he drove Superman into a suicidal depression.”

“Red kryptonite, maybe?”

“But how did he get exposed?” Lois asked. “Was it a single exposure that had long term effects or multiple exposures?”

CJ shook his head. “I think maybe that’s what my nightmare was trying to tell me. He was first exposed when she was declared dead.”

“That was at Met General. Someone at Met General was waiting for Superman to show up?”

“It could have been anyone, a nurse, a doctor, a patient, a cop, even one of the guys fixing the ceiling,” CJ pointed out. “And Superman was practically a regular in the emergency room, bringing in victims to be treated.”

“So that’s a dead end. What do you think the odds are that it’s still in the hospital?” Lois asked.

“Well, I’m not about to walk in there and find out,” CJ stated.

“Maybe we don’t need to,” Lois said. “Wasn’t there a guy over at Star Labs who was studying Superman?”

“Doctor Klein,” CJ said. “Bernard Klein.”

-o-o-o-

Bernard Klein hated meetings. He didn’t mind seminars and symposiums – there was a chance he might learn about some interesting new research or lines of inquiry – but business meetings and staff meetings left him cold and always had. He much preferred to be in his lab exploring the outer edges of science. Nothing was too far out for him to at least take a look at.

Unfortunately, his current job as chief administrator of the Metropolis branch of STAR Labs left him little time to assuage his own vast curiosity, which was why he had absolutely no qualms about walking out of a staff meeting to meet with two children and a teenager claiming to be from the Daily Planet and looking into Superman’s death.

“You were Superman’s personal physician,” the boy, CJ, began after introductions had been made.

Klein was surprised and he let it show. “Yes, I suppose I was,” he admitted. “STAR Labs was the only research facility he cooperated with in any studies on him. And I had the privilege of being one of the few people he trusted with the information he gave us.” He studied the boy. There was something eerily familiar about him. “But that information isn’t exactly common knowledge,” Klein added. For security reasons, STAR Labs had kept a tight lid on their relationship with Superman.

“Doctor Klein, did Superman ever come in for an examination after Lois Lane’s death?” the little girl, Lois, asked.

Klein shook his head. “No, even though I tried to get him to come in for a check up. We all knew there was something ‘off’. There are natural stages in recovering from grief and he wasn't going through them. A lot of people knew he was in trouble, but we couldn’t exactly demand he come in for an intervention. I was glad when those people from New Krypton showed up. I was hoping they’d be able to help him. I hadn’t realized…”

“Realized what, Doctor Klein?” the older girl prompted.

Klein shook his head. He had never voiced his suspicions that the person wearing Superman’s suit in the recordings of Superman’s wedding to Zara wasn’t Superman at all but a human who bore a remarkable resemblance to the Kryptonian.

“It was all a long time ago and I doubt it matters,” Klein said aloud. “Superman’s dead.”

“And that’s what we wanted to ask you about,” CJ said. “You said that people knew that something was ‘off’ with him. Assuming there was an outside influence, what would it have been?”

“Oh, I know what it was,” Klein said. “Repeated exposure to an isotope of kryptonite. It was common knowledge that green kryptonite was dangerous to him, but there was another isotope that was red. It affected his mental state rather than his physical one. A good-sized piece of the red isotope was found inside one of the ceilings in the Metropolis General Hospital emergency room about eight years ago. I’ve no doubt it was placed inside that wall at least a year before his death.”

“I don’t remember hearing anything about that,” Megan said.

“The discovery was kept quiet,” Klein said. “It wouldn’t have been good for it to be known that someone had deliberately planted radioactive material at a hospital.”

“So, where is the piece now?” Lois asked.

“In a secure vault with the other pieces of kryptonite we’ve collected over the years,” Klein said. “We keep hoping we can use it as a power source, but so far we haven’t had much luck. And don’t ask to see it. Kryptonite is harmful to humans too. It just takes longer to have an effect.”

“Doctor Klein, at the time, how many people would have known about red kryptonite?” Lois asked.

“Hard to say since the first pieces were found in the hands of criminals,” Klein said. “But I know Lexlabs had a number of pieces they were working with. I’m fairly certain the piece that was found at Met General was from their collection and I have no doubt their people knew exactly what its effects were on Superman.”

-o-o-o-

“I think that answers everything,” Lois said outside STAR Labs. “They were both murdered. Aunt Lois and Superman.”

“But who was responsible?” CJ asked. “Luthor was in prison but capable of pulling the strings, but Masik was blaming Tempus – someone who may not have even existed. And even if we knew which one it was, we can’t prove it.”

“Maybe they were both responsible,” Megan suggested. “Tempus murdered Lane but Luthor was responsible for taking out Superman.”

“And only Luthor knows the truth,” Lois added.

Megan checked her watch. “Well, we’re not going to have time to see him today. We’re barely going to make our appointment with Miss Hunter.”

-o-o-o-

Constance Hunter’s office was in a bright new building in Midtown. Apparently she’d done fairly well for herself in the twelve years since Lois Lane’s death.

A male receptionist ushered them into a posh corner office.

“Judge Diggs called and warned me you about you,” Hunter said, coming around the broad slate-topped desk to greet them. “But I have to ask, why is Perry White risking his reputation by letting two kids use the Daily Planet’s facilities for a lark?”

“We’re looking into Lois Lane’s murder,” Megan explained.

“That case was closed twelve years ago,” Hunter stated. “Superman pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced for that. There was no murder.”

“That’s not what the autopsy report said,” Lois said.

Hunter didn’t bat an eye. “Really? The report I was given said Lois Lane died as a result of being flash frozen, by Superman.”

“The report we’ve read said her body was tampered with, making it impossible for him to revive her,” CJ said.

“But her body wouldn’t have been tampered with if she hadn’t been frozen first,” Hunter said.

“Is that why he was willing to plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter?” Megan asked.

“He didn’t give me his reasons,” Hunter said. “And even if he had, that would be covered under the umbrella of attorney client privilege.”

“But Superman’s dead,” Lois protested.

“And I’m not going to sully his memory by bringing up lies and rumors about things long since buried,” Hunter stated. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have a busy schedule.” With that she headed back to her seat at the desk.

Megan began to usher Lois and CJ out of the office.

CJ stopped and looked back at Hunter. “Ms. Hunter, we’ve been told that D.A. Clemens was being threatened by someone who wanted Superman convicted. Were you being threatened as well?”

She glared at him. “This interview is over.”

Outside Hunter’s offices, Lois turned to CJ. “Awfully nice digs for the one honest lawyer in Metropolis.”

CJ’s expression became distant then he beckoned for Lois and Megan to follow him down the corridor and around the corner to another door. This one was marked ‘private’. CJ pressed his ear against the door and Lois followed suit.

“What are you…?” Megan began but CJ held up a hand to shush her. After several minutes, both Lois and CJ grabbed Megan’s hands and hurried her around another corner just before the door opened. They watched as Constance Hunter checked the hallway before heading to the elevator. She seemed to be in a hurry.

“Do you want to follow her?” Megan asked.

“I’m pretty sure we know where she’s going,” Lois said.

“And where’s that?”

“To see Lex Luthor,” CJ said.

-o-o-o-

“A problem, sir?” Asabi asked as Luthor hung up the phone.

“I’m not sure,” Luthor admitted. “The redoubtable Miss Hunter has informed me that young Master Kent and Miss Olsen are investigating the murder of Lois Lane.”

“After all this time, is there anything for them to find?” Asabi asked.

“That is something we need to find out,” Luthor said. “Check the ‘other’ records again, only this time see if the keepers will tell you who actually killed my Lois. Maybe there’s something in Masik’s record that will help us.”

“And if the information you want isn’t there?”

Luthor smiled. “I trust you will use your unique talents to get me what I want.”

“And what will you be doing while I do that, if I may ask?”

“Entertaining our favorite corporate attorney, naturally.”

-o-o-o-

Hunter was flustered when she walked into the store. Normally questions about Superman’s conviction and death didn’t get to her but there was something uncanny about Kent’s son and Lane’s niece. It was like they knew she hadn’t done her best job for Superman.

She had put in a good effort for him, but she had also warned Superman, and the Kents, that she wasn't a criminal attorney. She had little trial experience and she knew a more experienced attorney would do a better job for him. But Superman hadn’t wanted a different attorney. In fact, she wasn't convinced he wanted an attorney at all but she had promised the Kents and Perry White that she would do her best for him.

On the day of the arraignment, she’d been surprised to find that the District Attorney himself was handling the prosecution’s case. She was even more surprised at how intransigent Clemens was being concerning the charges he had decided to press against Superman and any offer to plea bargain. Finally she threw her hands up in disgust and frustration. The rest was history, but she had been left with the unsettled feeling that there was more she should have done even if Superman hadn’t wanted her to do it.

She told herself that she had done what she could for him and she had been willing to face the consequences of her failure. Oddly enough, the consequences had been the opposite of what she’d been expecting. She had expected that her practice would suffer for her failure – new clients wouldn’t be interested in working with the attorney who allowed Superman to be convicted of Lois Lane’s death. Instead, within a week of the sentencing, Hunter had two new corporate clients and generous retainers from both of them.

It wasn’t until Superman’s death that she found out who actually controlled LLL and ACL Corporations. By that time she knew she would be unable to convince anyone that she hadn’t been on Lex Luthor’s payroll at the time Superman was sentenced.

“Ah, Ms. Hunter,” Luthor greeted her, coming out from the back of the store. “Such an unexpected pleasure.”

She felt a chill as though a cold dank breeze had blown through the store.

“The Daily Planet is looking into Lois Lane’s murder and Superman’s death,” she announced.

“And how does this concern me?” Luthor asked. He poured a cup of coffee from the carafe on the sales counter and held it out to her. She ignored his offer and he set the cup down next to the carafe.

“They came to my office to ask me why Superman pled guilty,” Hunter said.

“He pled guilty because he was guilty.”

“He pled guilty because someone wanted to make sure he believed he was guilty,” Hunter spat. “Mind telling me how you managed that?”

“You give me too much credit,” Luthor protested mildly. He moved across the room to a glass display case that held a green glowing crystal. Hunter’s eyes followed him.

“Apparently Clemens was being pressured to get a conviction, even though he knew he’d likely lose if went to trial,” Hunter said. “He also knew the autopsy report on Lane had been deliberately falsified.”

“Was it?” Luthor asked. He sounded surprised but Hunter knew how disingenuous the ex-billionaire could be – he had fooled everyone for years into believing he was Metropolis’s benevolent benefactor when in fact he was a mob boss the likes of which Metropolis hadn’t seen since the Thirties.

“You expect me to believe that you didn’t know?” Hunter asked.

“Do you expect me to believe you didn’t realize what you had while you were defending that…”

Hunter saw a flicker of something cross Luthor’s face. Hatred, maybe…

“Man,” Luthor continued. “The man that killed my Lois.”

“Your Lois?”

“She was my soul mate, my beloved, the one who was destined for me until he stole her away,” Luthor said.

“She left you at the altar,” Hunter reminded him. “She did everything in her power to bring you to justice.”

“Justice?” Luthor shouted. “Was it justice that put the third richest man in the world behind bars? Was it justice that creature stole my Lois from me, turned her against me? I owned this city. She was mine!”

“Is that why you had her killed?” Hunter asked. “Because she chose someone else over you?”

“She did not choose him!” Luthor spat. “He seduced her away from me! And she would have come back to me if I hadn’t been betrayed by… by…”

“St. John may have betrayed you,” Hunter said. “But Lois Lane would never have willingly gone back to you.”

“She would have,” Luthor stated. “And she will come back to me. She has already come back to be with me.”

“Lois Lane is dead,” Hunter said.

“No,” he assured her. “I’ve seen her. She looks just like she did. She even has the same name so I would know her. And she will be mine.”

Hunter stared at him. There was a sinking, clenching feeling in her gut. ‘She even has the same name so I would know her.’ The little girl with the woman from the Daily Planet – her name was Lois.

Hunter’s mouth was dry. It was becoming obvious that Luthor had lost his mind.

“Mister Luthor, you’re out of your mind if you think people will just stand by while you have your way with a ten year old.”

“How dare you!” Luthor’s face was red with outrage.

“And I will dare what I have to, to keep that little girl safe from you!”

“You work for me! I own you!” Luthor screamed, spittle spraying.

Hunter stepped back from him suddenly afraid for her own safety. She hadn’t imagined that the urbane Luthor, even if insane, was capable of such hatred and rage.

She tried to keep her voice steady. “You don’t own me and as of right now, I don’t work for you.”

“No one walks out on Lex Luthor,” he stated, his voice suddenly cold. “No one quits until I say they’re quit.”

“Watch me,” Hunter stated, turning on her heel. The skin between her shoulder blades crawled but she wasn’t going to let him know how afraid she was.

“No one walks out on Lex Luthor,” he repeated.

Hunter felt a sharp pain in the back of her head and then there was nothing.


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The World of Lois & Clark
Richard White to Lois Lane: Lois, Superman is afraid of you. What chance has Clark Kent got? - After the Storm