No, despite all evidence to the contrary, I haven't dropped this one. Really.
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Lois couldn’t stop worrying about Clark. Undercover work had always been her strong suit, not his. Although she did have to admit the few times he had gone undercover, he’d managed to get the story he was after. And maybe, just maybe, being Superman counted as ‘being undercover’, and Clark had pulled that one off for years with no one recognizing the truth about Clark Kent.
Still, Deter’s attitude towards Alexa bothered her.
Plus, she hadn’t been able to sleep. Odd, but she’d slept alone all her life until the past few days. Now she missed having someone in the bed with her. Missed his scent, the sound of his breathing, the warmth of his body, his weight on the mattress.
They were supposed to be newlyweds. They would have been newlyweds, if that madman hadn’t gotten in the way.
Lois hoped that Clark would be able to get the goods on whatever was happening at the Center soon. She wanted him home, safe and sound.
Martha and Jonathan were already gone, no doubt meeting with Lois’s parents to finalize the funeral arrangements. That meant Lois was free for the day. Free for the day, with no job, no assignments, nothing to do but throw rocks at tin cans, and throwing rocks was frowned on in Metropolis.
There wasn’t even anything on television except for some old movies Lois had already seen too many times, and the preparations for Superman’s funeral later in the afternoon.
Henderson wasn't likely to have any new information, and she doubted Scardino would share what he had. If Lois was still in her own body, with a job at the Planet, she knew what she’d be doing – getting Jimmy to do research into the Neuroscience Center, Deter and Mendenhall. A look into suspicious deaths at the Center would be in order, and deaths Deter and Mendenhall signed off on.
But Lois Lane was dead and Lane Alexander didn’t work for the Daily Planet. But still, it wouldn’t hurt to ask.
Bob was Lois’s escort today. He didn’t comment when Lois ordered their driver to the Daily Planet to drop her off. He didn’t comment about her heading up to the paper’s newsroom or the fact that Mrs. Alexander wasn’t with them. But Lois knew he had to be curious and maybe even annoyed with her if he believed the cover story of Alexa being committed to the Neuroscience Center for having memory issues.
But it couldn’t be helped.
The elevator doors opened onto the newsroom floor. Normally the room was filled with noise and voices – people on the phone chasing down leads, chatting, typing. Lois has always loved the first moment when the doors opened and the noise washed over her like a wave. Today the noise was muted, subdued. It reminded her of the day after Clyde Barrow shot Clark and everyone assumed Clark was dead. It was a newsroom in mourning for not one but two of their own.
Lois spotted Jimmy cleaning out Clark’s desk. There was already a box on Lois’s desk. Her nameplate stuck out of the box at an angle, as though it was the last thing packed. She didn’t see Perry anywhere.
“It’s Jimmy, isn’t it?” Lois asked, stepping over to him. He looked up from his work and Lois was shocked to see how worn out he looked. Had he slept at all last night? Lois suspected he hadn’t.
“Mister Alexander,” Jimmy greeted her after a moment. “Um, sorry to hear about your wife. Must be hard, especially after everything else…”
“It’s not easy,” Lois admitted before going on. “I need to ask a favor. Is there somewhere we can talk?”
Jimmy nodded toward the conference room.
“And Mister White? He’ll want to know about this, too.”
“Perry’s got a meeting with somebody from the Mayor’s office,” Jimmy explained. “He should be back after lunch. But I can page him, if you think it’s important.”
“I’ll let you make that call, once I’ve told you what I need,” Lois told him, leading him to the conference room. Bob stayed outside as she closed the door behind her and Jimmy. Then she went over to the radio in the corner, turned on a jazz station and set the volume high enough to thwart most eavesdroppers.
“Let’s call what I’m about to tell you ‘deep background’,” she began.
“For a story?” Jimmy asked.
“I don’t know if there’ll be a story,” Lois admitted. “I hope there will be. It depends on a couple of things.” She gave Jimmy a brief run-down on what Scardino had told her about Deter and the drugs Luthor had given Lois Lane, the seed pods linking the Neuroscience Center to two recent murders, and Alexa going undercover. “There was also a suspicious death there yesterday,” Lois added. “I’m told that it’s being looked into, but I’m thinking that if there’s one suspicious death, maybe…”
“Maybe it’s not the only one,” Jimmy finished for her. Lois was heartened to see a new liveliness in his expression.
“And maybe some inquiries into the Center’s finances, complaints against it and its principals,” Lois suggested.
“I need to let Perry know that I’m working on this,” Jimmy said. “And he’ll want to assign a reporter to it. Eduardo or Lizzy, probably. They’re pretty good. Not as good as Lane and Kent, but good.”
“They were good, weren’t they?”
“Yeah. Best in the business.” The world-weary sadness had come back into Jimmy’s expression. She’d always thought of Jimmy as a friend as well as a co-worker. She knew how hard Jimmy, Jack, Perry, and Clark had worked to get the goods on Luthor, to rescue Lois Lane from his clutches the first time. But she hadn’t realized until now exactly how much she and Clark had meant to Jimmy.
Lois sighed. “Tell you what, you get started on this and I’ll let Mister White know what’s going on. If I’m lucky, I can catch him at lunch.”
Jimmy chuckled. “And you know where he’ll be?”
“Having lunch with someone from the Mayor’s office? Either Bennie’s or Rose’s,” Lois said, listing Perry’s two favorite restaurants close to City Hall.
Jimmy’s eyes widened in surprise and Lois realized that while Lois Lane might know Perry White’s favorite haunts, Lane Alexander certainly wouldn’t.
“Well, those are the two best lunch places around there, aren’t they?” Lois asked, trying to sound innocent.
Jimmy managed a chuckle. “You know, for a moment there, you sounded just like Clark.”
***
There were distinct advantages to having x-ray vision, especially when looking for someone. Lois had her driver cruise the area around City Hall. She had told him and Bob that she was looking for Perry White’s car, even though she was certain it was parked in the garage beneath the Municipal Building across the street from the Mayor’s office. Both restaurants were within easy walking distance of City Hall.
She spotted Perry at Rose’s, seated at a table with an attractive middle-aged woman. She also spotted two gunmen – one holding a gun on the cashier and the other going from table to table collecting wallets and jewelry.
“I can't believe this. In broad daylight,” Perry’s companion was complaining. Super hearing had some advantages as well.
“Maybe if the Mayor didn't cut back the police force by fifteen percent, this wouldn't be happening,” Perry responded.
“It's not her fault that she inherited a massive budget deficit when she took office. A tough situation called for tough decisions,” the woman said hotly.
The second gunman was almost to Perry’s table when she ordered the car to stop. She was out of the vehicle almost before the driver hit the brakes. She wasn't sure what she was going to do, except that it needed to be done without bringing suspicion on herself. She headed for the restaurant, stopping before opening the door. Walking into a robbery wasn’t a good idea. The last thing she wanted to spook the gunmen into doing something stupid.
The second gunman was at Perry’s table. “Do you know how hard it is to pull a robbery when you two won't shut up?” he complained.
“I didn't realize pointing a cannon in someone's face required a lot of concentration,” Perry spat back.
“Hand over everything you got,” the gunman ordered Perry and the woman. As they emptied their pockets, Bob managed to catch up with Lois still standing at the front door.
“There’s a situation inside,” Lois told Bob. “Two gunmen.”
Bob simply pulled out his cell phone and punched in 9-1-1. Lois didn’t know if the restaurant had a silent alarm or not, but it wouldn’t hurt to call the cops anyway.
The gunman reached for a silver locket that was hanging from the woman’s neck.
“Please. That was my grandmother's,” she pleaded. “It's not worth much.”
“It's not worth anything to you, lady,” the gunman told her with a sneer.
“Now hold on a minute, here,” Perry said, getting to his feet.
“Shut up!” the gunman ordered. He yanked on the necklace, breaking the chain.
To Lois’s horror, Perry took a swing at the guy. “No, Perry,” Lois muttered as she jerked open the door. Perry’s punch connected, splitting the man’s lip.
The gunman smiled. “I hate heroes,” he said, bringing his gun up and leveling it at Perry.
Perry’s companion screamed.
Time slowed as Lois concentrated on the gun in the man’s hand. The spot where the trigger emerged from the body of the gun reddened and softened, spot welding the trigger in place. Lois saw the gunman’s finger squeeze back on the trigger and… Nothing.
The gunman’s eyes widened as he realized his gun had failed. His victim was still standing.
Perry took another swing at the failed killer, this time knocking him to the floor.
Lois caught a movement in the corner of her eye. The other gunman was taking aim at Perry. He fired but a quick burst of super breath sent the bullet high and wild. A shot of heat vision disabled that gun as well. Ultrawoman had never had this fine a control of her abilities.
Sirens sounded somewhere close. The police were on their way. The gunman at the till turned and ran for the exit. Lois stuck out a foot, sending the man crashing to the floor.
Bob was not amused. “You hired us to keep you safe. We can’t do that when you insist on walking into volatile situations,” the older man stated after the police arrived to take charge of the situation.
“I wasn’t the target,” Lois said. “Perry White was. Of course, that raises the questions of who wants him dead, and how they knew Mister White was here.”
“You don’t think it was random,” Bob observed.
Lois shook her head. “Nope.”
The officer interviewing Perry and his companion moved on to his next witness. Perry’s eyes lit up when he caught sight of Lois.
“Are you all right, Mister White?” Lois asked. “I saw that thug pull his gun on you.”
“I’m fine,” Perry answered. “But I know I shouldn’t be. How the Sam Hill that gun failed at just the right time… it was almost like…”
The woman touched his arm as if to remind him she was there.
“Oh, Sally Reynolds from the Mayor’s office, Lane Alexander and uh…”
“Robert Maynard, Mister Alexander’s personal assistant,” Bob introduced himself, shaking Ms. Reynolds’s hand.
Reynolds gave Lois an appraising look. “Alexander… you’re Luthor’s…”
“Long lost, never heard of before, heir?” Lois filled in for her. “Yeah, that’s me.”
“Will we be seeing you at the funeral this afternoon?” Reynolds asked.
“Which…?” Lois asked, knowing that Lois and Clark’s service was planned for the next day. Then it clicked. “Oh, the service for Superman. I’m not sure it would be appropriate considering who it was who murdered him.”
“Nobody’s going to hold that against you,” Reynolds assured her.
“Plus my wife is in the hospital,” Lois added. “I should be spending the time with her.”
“How’s the little lady doing?” Perry asked.
“I need to talk to you about that,” Lois said. “How about I give you a lift back to your office?”
***
Perry sat back in his office chair and nodded gravely as Lois briefed him on Scardino’s suspicions and the real reasons why Alexa was checked in at the Neuroscience Center.
“You know, Lois and Clark had a run in with Scardino last year,” Perry said when Lois had finished. “I try not to get involved in my people’s personal lives, but Lois and Clark were goin’ through a rough patch a while back and Scardino tried to weasel his way in to her good graces. Not sure I’d want to trust a man who would try to take advantage like that.”
Lois managed to avoid chuckling at Perry’s statement about not getting involved.
Jimmy knocked at the door then walked in. “I’ve got some of what you asked for,” he announced, looking to Lois. “The Neuroscience Center is one of the top rated facilities of its kind in the country. It was founded ten years ago by Doctor Elias Mendenhall. His specialty is degenerative brain disorders and he’s made some major breakthroughs in the field of brain repatterning and memory.”
“And Deter?” Lois asked.
“Mendenhall has a reputation for only hiring the best. Maxwell Deter is considered one of the best around concerning memory loss and recovery. Some of his theories and treatments are a little controversial, but he’s known for getting results.”
“What else?” Lois prompted.
“Deter’s been married twice,” Jimmy related. “First one ended in divorce. The second one, his wife died in an accident and left him with enough money so that he doesn’t have to work if he doesn’t want to… but there were suspicions. It seems his wife was a former patient and her family wasn’t real happy about the relationship. They claimed he brainwashed her into marrying him and then killed her for the money but nothing could be proven. The Center’s patient list is confidential, but it’s pretty well known that Mendenhall only takes older patients and Deter seems to prefer his patents young, female, and connected. He has a reputation as a ladies man, but so far no one’s been able to actually prove he’s overstepped any boundaries with his patients. Although a couple of patients’ wives have made complaints that he seemed a little too interested in them.”
“What about deaths associated with them or the Center?” Lois asked.
Jimmy shook his head. “The only death certificates I could find that either of them signed off on were for suicides. Without patient names I’m at a dead end. Sorry.”
“Anything on their financials?” Lois asked.
“Still working on it,” Jimmy said. “I will say this, though. Mendenhall doesn’t live the lifestyle you’d expect of the head of a world famous hospital. Hasn’t taken a vacation in years, drives an old car, lives in an old house with two mortgages on it and not in one of the better neighborhoods.”
“Gambling problem?” Lois suggested.
Jimmy shook his head. “Not that I could find.”
“Keep working on it Jimmy,” Perry ordered, nodding his dismissal.
Jimmy shut the office door behind him.
“I was afraid you’d tell him to stop,” Lois admitted.
“It sounds like there might be good story there,” Perry said, “if your allegations can be proved.”
“You think there’s any doubt?”
Perry chuckled. “Oh, I don’t doubt you’ve got good instincts.”
Lois didn’t try to hide her surprise at Perry’s statement.
His expression turned more serious. “Henderson and I go way back, you know. He told me that Luthor was playing around with things he had no clue about. Things no responsible cop or newspaperman would admit to believing, much less let the public know about.”
“And you believe him?”
“Like I said, we go way back. And I’ve seen things…” His voice trailed off as he watched her. “You told the police that you saw Luthor kill Clark Kent before he shot Superman. And I think we both know that wasn’t quite the truth.”
“And what makes you think that?”
“A man in my position doesn’t get to be a man in my position by just knowing how to yodel,” Perry said. “Why did you lie to the police, and why is Henderson letting you get away with it?”
“You don’t think Clark’s dead?”
“Oh, I know he’s dead. There’s no doubt of that. I’m just wondering why you told the police you saw him die when you can’t have.”
Lois didn’t answer. She had no idea exactly how much Henderson may have told Perry or how much was guesswork. She didn’t know if Perry knew that the genetic research for Luthor’s two perfect specimens had included Superman’s DNA as well.
Perry continued after a moment. “And I’m wondering how both of those thugs ended up with defective guns. One might be luck, but two?”
“Maybe you have a very worried guardian angel. And he’s wondering who wants you dead,” Lois said. “Those thugs weren’t there by accident. They were looking for you.”
“I admit, the Planet’s been on the mayor’s case for a while,” Perry said. “But I doubt she’d resort to actual murder.”
“Somebody hired them to kill you,” Lois reminded him. “And whoever it is bound to try again.”
“Then it’s a good thing you’re looking out after me, isn’t it?”
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Forget Me Not was written by Grant Rosenberg
