Home V: Obsession -- 9/?
by Nan Smith
Previously:
By this time of the day, rush hour had been in progress for a couple of hours, and she figured she could expect to take at least an hour to make it to the Planet. She maneuvered her way through the stop and go traffic, wondering why, with all the advances in human civilization, and human technology, that Metropolis still had to endure the annoyance of rush hour every day. At last she concluded that Metropolis was simply a very large city, with a very high population density. Whenever a lot of people wanted to get somewhere at the same time, there were going to be traffic jams.
It was somewhere about halfway between the gym and the Daily Planet that she realized that she was being followed.
And now, Part 9:
At first she wasn't sure. Traffic was heavy and cars were crowded closely around her. She gritted her teeth as one of the little one-person Slipstream Scooters, which were actually barely more than hoverboards with a seat and a steering wheel, cut sharply in front of her, nearly wiping out on her front right fender. The things were a hazard to navigation in her opinion because the occupants seemed to lose any sense of caution once they were behind the controls. Clark had once described it as the "We're little but we're mighty" syndrome. The scooters might have a containment field that protected the driver, but that didn't make them invulnerable. Lori hated it when she got one of them in front of her because the drivers were inevitably completely unpredictable and she fully expected that one day one of them would cut it too close and wind up crushed between her and the car ahead.
This particular driver was a teenager barely old enough to have a license, who obviously had no sense of his own mortality. Lori glanced at the rear scanner to see if there was the slightest possibility of changing lanes and getting away from this maniac but cars were packed around her like sardines. Four cars back, a green Chevrolet Meteor that seemed vaguely familiar caught her attention for a second, but she was forced to switch her attention to the traffic in front of her as the line of cars began to creep slowly forward again. The driver of the scooter seemed to take the slight movement of the traffic as his cue to split-lane between the rows of bumper-to-bumper vehicles and zipped four spaces forward, diving between a Ford Cruiser and a big ground truck with the name of a local supermarket on its side. Lori cringed, expecting to hear the crunch of impact, but again the driver seemed to defy the laws of physics and screeched to a stop inches from the truck's rear doors. The driver of the Ford leaned on his horn, but the scooter driver ignored him, squeezed around the truck and vanished among the crush of traffic ahead. From somewhere, she heard the wail of a siren and the blast of a horn, and a moment later a cop on a shiny black vehicle that looked like a heavier, meaner version of the scooter tore past her right window, its blue lights flashing.
It would be too much to hope, she told herself, that the cop was after the guy with the scooter. There was probably an emergency up ahead or something. She glanced at the scanner again to see if there were any more flashing lights coming up behind her.
The green car was still there. She squinted at it, trying to recall where she had seen it before.
The distance between her car and the green one had lengthened a little in the short distance that they had moved when she had first noticed it. She couldn't really see the driver's face -- just a pale blurry patch on the other side of the glass -- but the odd feeling that she had seen this car before wouldn't quite go away.
Traffic had begun to move while she studied the green car, wracking her brain to recall the occasion that she had seen it. The driver of the red VW Ferret behind her blew his horn, startling her out of her abstraction. She eased forward, wishing fervently that she could yell for Clark to come and carry the Jeep out of this mess.
She saw a space open in the lane to her right and gritted her teeth. With a sharp move, she shoved the nose of the Jeep into the tiny space, causing the man in the silver Tornado to step hard on his brakes. He blew his horn as Lori pulled triumphantly into the space that opened for her.
From somewhere behind her there was another chorus of honking. She glanced back in time to see the green Meteor pull into the right lane as well, nearly causing a chain reaction accident. It was only the fact that the cars were moving so slowly that prevented it. Trying to keep an eye on the crowded traffic around her, Lori nevertheless was aware of a faint sensation of uneasiness. It wasn't anything, she told herself. Imagination. Why should anyone be following her right now? It was broad daylight, and there were literally millions of potential witnesses around.
Still, she couldn't help the feeling. The story of the murdered women was too fresh in her mind. She needed to get back to the Planet pronto! Once she got there she would no doubt feel a little silly, but she'd promised to be careful, and Clark was the last person who would laugh at her if her imagination were to run away with her right now.
She still couldn't see the driver's face. The car was too far back, and the tinted windows made it nearly impossible to get a clear look at the person behind the wheel. She could see a human shape, but she couldn't even tell the sex of the driver.
Making up her mind, she turned right at the next cross street, out of the bumper-to-bumper traffic. This one was crowded, but nothing like the one she had just turned off of. Traffic was actually moving at a reasonable pace. She glanced at her rear scanner again, and saw the Meteor hugging the tail of the car in front of it. Tailgating wasn't exactly unusual, but whoever this guy was, he was practically climbing into the other car's trunk. If the car ahead stopped suddenly there was bound to be a collision.
She lost sight of the green car within seconds as the tall buildings intruded into her line of sight and gave a faint sigh of relief. It was almost certainly her imagination, she knew, but the behavior of the other driver made her nervous.
She had reached the cross street ahead when, glancing at the rear scanner prior to changing lanes, she saw the green Meteor turn the corner.
Her heart leaped and began to pound a little harder. It had to be coincidence, she told herself firmly. It wouldn't be a bit surprising if the driver of the car wanted to get out of the heavy traffic, just as she had. The car was certainly making no effort to try to catch up to her now.
Still, it wouldn't hurt to try a little test. Instead of shifting into the middle lane, she signaled and turned right. She could make a left turn at the next cross street and get back to the Planet that way. It would take a few minutes longer, but at least she would know if her imagination was working overtime.
She was nearly to the cross street, and had changed lanes preparatory to making a left turn, when she saw the green car round the corner. It's left turn signal came on immediately, and it cut instantly left in front of a silver Mustang that had to slam on its brakes to avoid the other car.
Lori's heart climbed into her throat. This was looking more and more as if it wasn't a coincidence after all. The red light ahead of her stared at her like a malevolent eye, and she gulped, keeping one eye on it and one on the green car which had managed to come within five cars of the Predator. She glanced at her door indicator, which told her that all the locks were engaged.
The light turned green and Lori stepped on the accelerator. The Predator leaped forward, taking the corner on two wheels. Her tires howled in agony, but she dived into the nearest open space and cut into the right hand lane inches ahead of a compact economy car. The driver behind her blew his horn at her, but she ignored it as she concentrated on her driving. The green car followed her around the corner, but it was now well back as another car cut in front of it. Lori turned right and then immediately left down a short alley. She bounced and bumped her way down it and emerged onto another street. The Planet was only a few blocks away now. She headed single-mindedly toward it, glancing frequently at her rear scanner, but there was no sign of her stalker. It took her another fifteen minutes to make her way through the thick, rush-hour traffic to her place of work, but at last she drew up to the barrier that regulated access to the lot. She flashed her pass at the entryway scanner, glancing back the way she had come, but there was no sign of the green car. As she pulled into the parking place assigned to her, she heaved a sigh of relief. That had been a little scary. Of course, this wasn't the first time she had been followed. It was one of the hazards of her job when she annoyed certain elements of the population of Metropolis, which was one reason that Clark had insisted on a large, heavy car with a secure containment field for the protection of the driver. He had also extracted a promise from her even before they were married that if she ever felt herself to be in real danger that she would yell for his help. She hadn't done so this time because she had been reasonably sure of her ability to avoid the tail. Still, being followed wasn't a pleasant experience, and she would be certain to tell Clark about it when he got back. It might or might not have anything to do with Connor. There was still a slight though somewhat unlikely possibility that it had all been her imagination, but there was no point in taking chances.
**********
By the time she stepped out of the elevator into the newsroom the adrenaline rush had subsided and when she reached her desk, she found that her hands were beginning to shake. She grabbed the mug that Clark had given her for her office coffee and made her way to the coffee machine. Deliberately, she forced herself to take her time preparing a cup of coffee, heavy on the chocolate. There was even half a doughnut left -- probably the result of Andrea's inevitable habit of taking half a doughnut in order to protect her enviable figure, and she appropriated it. Making her way back to her desk, she encountered Greg, who glanced at the doughnut and grinned. "You and doughnuts have a real relationship, Lyons," he announced. Andrea glanced at him with one eyebrow raised.
"You could say that," Lori said absently, and continued on to her destination. Greg followed her, a slight frown on his features.
"You okay, Lyons?" he inquired.
She set the mug carefully on the desk, trying to conceal the shaking of her hands and settled into her chair. "Why shouldn't I be?"
The man regarded her for a moment. "Where's Kent?"
"He went to meet a source," she said. "Why?"
"Nothing," Greg said. "You sure you're okay?"
She nodded, taking a bite of the doughnut. "I'm all right," she said, glancing sideways at him. "Low blood sugar, that's all. I've had a lot of it recently."
"Huh. Okay." Greg nodded and walked away. Lori looked after him a moment, slightly puzzled.
Her wrist talker beeped at that moment, and she raised the little device to her lips. "Lori Lyons."
"Hi honey," her husband's voice said. "Where are you?"
"Back at the office," she said.
"That's convenient. I'm just coming up the stairs." As he spoke, she heard a distant sonic boom, and an instant later the door to the stairs opened and Clark stepped out.
The rush of relief was somewhat disproportionate to the circumstances. Clark glanced instantly at her, and she knew that he must have detected her increased heartbeat. He hurried down the steps to the Pit and was at her side in record time. "What's the matter, honey?"
Lori drew a deep, relieved breath and leaned her head against his side. "You know, you may not read minds, but you might as well." She smiled at him a little shakily. "I'm probably overreacting, but I'm glad you're here."
He frowned slightly. "Are you all right?"
"Now I am." She looked up into his worried face. "Someone was following me."
Clark's face changed. "Following you! Are you sure?"
"Someone in a green Meteor followed me," Lori said. "At least, I think he did. I first noticed the car because it seemed familiar. I'm still trying to remember where I saw it before." She frowned in an effort of memory. "I *know* I've seen it before, and recently, but ..." She snapped her fingers. "I think I've got it. This morning, after we left the coffee shop, some guy tried to cut off somebody else behind us. I heart him honk and looked back, and saw the somebody-else flip him the bird, but he didn't do it back. That was kind of weird all by itself. The one that tried to do the cutting-off was in a green Meteor. It might have been the same one -- or maybe not. I don't know for sure, but it made me think I'd seen the one that followed me before. Anyway, it made me notice him, and then it looked like he was trying to follow me. I'm still not *really* sure he was, but if he wasn't it was a heck of a coincidence. I mean, what are the chances that two green Meteors are going to attract my attention the same day? I don't even like the things. They're ugly cars, and then they paint a lot of them that weird shade of green. It reminds me of moss or something. Anyway, I went around some corners and it sure looked like he followed me, but I finally managed to shake him and came here. I'm still not sure he was actually following me, but if he wasn't it was quite a coincidence."
The look on Clark's face was classic. It broke into the verbal stream and made her giggle. "Sorry. You know how I babble when I'm nervous."
Clark shook his head sharply. "And *you* talk about having deja vu. Okay, let's take this a little at a time. What happened first?"
"Well ..." Lori took a deep breath, telling herself to calm down. There was no point in falling apart just because Clark was here. She'd managed all right on her own. "I just happened ..." She broke off as Carla approached. "Did you need something, Carla?"
The intern laid several sheets of hardcopy on the corner of her desk. "I got that information Mr. Kent asked for," she said. "The employees of the Metropolis Fitness Center for the last three years."
"Oh, thanks," Lori said. "That should help a lot."
The intern smiled a little nervously. "If you need any more research, I'll be glad to do it, Ms. Lyons."
Lori took a deep breath and forced the jitters to subside. "Well, there's not anything right now, but I may have something for you tomorrow after Clark and I have a chance to look this over."
"Is something wrong?" Carla asked.
Was *everyone* in the newsroom a mindreader? "No, not really. Something happened a little while ago ..." She broke off. "Never mind. It was just one of those hazards of the job. It's all right now." She glanced at her wrist talker, surprised at the time. "I guess we'll see you in the morning."
Carla nodded, still looking at her at her a little oddly. "Okay. See you tomorrow."
After the intern had left, Clark rested a hip on the corner of her desk. "Care to tell me what happened?"
"Yeah." Lori gathered up the papers that Carla had given her and thrust them into her briefcase. "Let me close down here and I'll tell you on the way to the car."
"Good idea. I'll do the same." He stepped over to his desk and began to clear the surface. Lori picked up her mail, swept the remaining contents of her desk into a bottom drawer and told her computer to shut down. She wasn't in the mood to do her usual thorough job of clearing up. The earlier events of the afternoon were still jangling her nerves somewhat. If the driver of the green car had really been following her, what could he have been up to? He couldn't really have believed he could get her to open the doors so he could stun and stab her.
On the other hand, if he didn't realize she was looking for the mysterious killer who had apparently been dogging Connor for three years and killing his female friends, -- which he probably didn't -- he might figure that he could catch her unawares, which was a scary thought.
"Ready to go?" Clark asked.
She slipped her feet back into her shoes, grimacing at the tight toes. That was it. She was wearing flat shoes from now on. These things just plain hurt her feet. Besides, if she had to do any running in the future, the last thing she wanted to have to do was run in heels or do it barefoot. Resolutely, she refused to let herself consider why she might have to run. Nothing, of course, to do with someone following her this afternoon.
Besides, as Clark had remarked yesterday, if she looked short maybe people would underestimate her. She had continued taking self-defense classes after the attempted mugging at New Troy State when she had first met Clark, and was in excellent shape. Her instructor had barred her only from taking falls, for obvious reasons, and she had recently passed her test for brown belt. It didn't make her feel invulnerable by a long way, but it reassured Clark that she was at least better able to defend herself in many situations than she might otherwise be. Still, martial arts were no defense against a stunner.
Resolutely, she dismissed the thought. This had nothing whatsoever to do with this afternoon. Nothing at all.
She got to her feet and smiled at her husband. "Let's go."
They made their way toward the bank of elevators. Lori handed the briefcase to him. "Do you mind if we stop at a shoe store on the way home? I want to pick up a pair of flat shoes. I've had it with these."
Clark glanced at the fashionable footwear and grinned slightly. "I don't blame you. I don't see how women wear those things without turning an ankle, anyhow."
"Lots of practice," Lori said. "Personally, I'm tired of sore feet. Besides, Ronnie told me I'd need to get flat shoes pretty soon anyway. Something about my balance being thrown off because of Junior."
Clark nodded. "Sounds good to me," he said. "We'll stop by Broadhurst's on the way by and get you some." He took her elbow and steered her up the steps. "So what happened?"
"Well, I spotted the green car about halfway here ..." she began. As they waited for the elevator, she gave a quick description of what had happened. "Sorry about the babblefest," she concluded, looking down in embarrassment. "I was still a little shaken up."
He put an arm around her shoulders. "I don't blame you a bit," he said. "You handled it pretty well. If someone was following you, you were safe as long as you were in the car."
"Whoever it was -- if it was anyone -- doesn't know we're after him," Lori said. "He won't expect me to be on guard."
The elevator door opened and they boarded. Clark nodded. "That's true. Still, I wish you didn't have such an affinity for trouble."
"I really don't go looking for it," she said. "Parking," she added to the elevator.
"I know. It doesn't seem to matter, though," Clark said. "It just seems to find you."
The car dropped toward the first floor and then changed direction toward the big parking tier. As it braked to a stop and the doors popped open, Clark's head jerked up. "Stay here," he said. He stepped from the car and vanished.
**********
tbc
