“I’ve been a hotel clerk for almost ten years. The hotel is nice enough for what it is. We’re not a dive, but we’re not the Plaza or the Ritz either. We’re right on the edge of town in a nice neighborhood, and we occasionally get the rich and famous there-I mean actors, athletes, musicians and politicians-the whole ball of wax. Mostly they are trying to go incognito. Sometimes they use their real names, though we have those that won’t sign anything. Their ‘companions’ get that job. Still what do they say? Discretion and valor and all that junk, right?” I could tell some stories though-name names, be one of those ‘anonymous’ sources in the tabloids, but I’m not that kind of woman. It’s tempting though, when you get assholes in…but I haven’t been hit with a phone yet, so that’s a plus.

I cleared my throat and took a sip of the water they had provided. The lights were a little bright because of the camera, not to mention I was pretty nervous about the whole thing. I tried to focus on the people in the room listening intently rather than the red light recording my every move. 

“About six months ago, he came in for the first time. I knew who he was right away. I mean Texas may have their good-looking-governor, but we have our Senator Sex.”   I’m not the only woman whose trip to the polls was at least- twenty percent determined by slim hips and a sly grin.

“Like I said, we have people that use us like their own high-priced no-tell motel. So when Lex Luthor shows up at one a.m. and gets a room-without Mrs. Luthor, I can pretty much figure out what’s going on.  That first morning, he left about um…four am.” 

“So you never actually saw who he was with?” 

I directed a glare at the speaker. Fric, or the anti-Luthor member of the duo that was questioning me. They brought me in here, interrupting my personal time and I’d finish when I finished. I stretched a little and leaned back, getting as comfortable as I could in the hard-backed chair. 

“Not then, no. After that night, he…” 

“Senator Luthor?” 

I sighed. “Yes. Senator Luthor. After that night. Senator Luthor was there at least twice a week. He always kept pretty much the same hours. Showing up between midnight and one am, and leaving by four thirty or five.  About two months in, I happened to be up on the third floor getting supplies around the time he usually leaves, and I actually saw him leaving the room.” I guess, in my head the Senator was seeing some pretty blonde Barbie half his age, so when the door opened and he stepped out, I admit I was shocked to see who he was with. Pretty is about the only thing I got right. 

“Would you like to take a break now?” The offer of course came from Frac. His niceness was no doubt fake, but we were on the same side, so what the hell. 

I nodded and stood up, stretching again. After a quick bathroom break and a snack from the vending machine, I was ready to start again. 

“Where was I?” 

“You had just seen the Senator with his companion for the first time.” 

“Yes. It’s not like scandals aren’t a part of the politics, but seeing the Senator and one half of his biggest critics going at it in the hall was a new one for me.”  I don’t even think they were aware I was there they were so wrapped up in each other.  I’d pictured something sleazy, and I admit I’d been a little disappointed in the Senator, but seeing them together, arms wrapped around each other, foreheads touching and so focused on each other that they were oblivious to the rest of the world, well, it was possibly the most romantic thing I’ve ever seen. 

“And for the record, can you state clearly who you saw Senator Luthor with?” 

“Clark Kent, the reporter from the Daily Planet. Anyway, after that, I’d see Mr. Kent occasionally in the mornings. Every once in a while he’d come down and get juice and pastries for two before the Senator left. He’d always smile and say hi.” 

“The day in question. Exactly what happened?” 

“It was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. We were typically slow. The Senator came in about midnight, as usual. I was surprised because well like I said, it was the day before Thanksgiving.  I noticed he looked upset.” He was his usual kind self to me though, which, believe me is, hard to find in guests.

“Did you notice anything else about him? Anything different from the way he normally looks?” 

“No.  Anyway, about thirty minutes after he showed up, Mr. Kent called asking if he was there. I put him through to Mr. Luthor’s room.  I don’t know when Mr. Kent actually arrived, but about two thirty I got a noise complaint on their room. The people next door reported arguing. I called up and Mr. Kent answered and promised to keep it down.” 

When Mr. Kent came down for breakfast at four thirty, Mr. Luthor was with him. They ate downstairs for the first time and then left.” I don’t know what their fight was about, but it was obvious that they had resolved the problem. They looked as happy and in love as I’ve ever seen two people. I have to admit it made me a little envious.  

“So you can’t swear to his whereabouts for the entire night. He could have easily left and come back without your noticing it.”

“It’s possible I suppose, but there are cameras at all our entrances. If he had done that, you would have seen it on the tape.” 

“Okay, I believe that’s all the questions we have for you-unless you have anything else Mr. Davis?”  Frac had a slightly smug look on his face. 

Fric shook his head. “No. You’re free to go. Thank you for your time.” The last came out through gritted teeth.  

“I just want to say for the record? Senator Luthor didn’t kill his wife.” 

Fric turned back to me, with a raised eyebrow. “So after checking him in and out, you think you know he’s not capable of murder?” 

I shook my head. “No. But I do know that he would have gotten a better alibi.” 

It never did go to trial, though the newspapers had a field day speculating about it. And the tabloids made it their daily opener for almost a year. They could cover details the newspapers were supposed to be too professional to touch.

The National Inquirer’s headlines blared:  Senator-Sex-Scandal. Politico’s Secret

Lover- did their affair lead to murder?  Of course it went down from there.  Headlines accusing them of everything from being part of a satanic sex cult to being aliens.  No part of their lives went unexamined. Facts like the Senator and Mr. Kent had known each other when they were younger, and that two of Mr. Luthor’s ex wives were currently in jail, and that Mr. Luthor had been accused of murder before were brought to light gleefully.

I admit I read all the papers I could get my hands on. I felt proprietary towards the case. It wasn’t like I really knew them-I wasn’t crazy-I realized that, but it felt like I did, and I was relieved when the charges were dropped for lack of evidence.  That doesn’t mean anything to the general public though. Once it’s out there, you’re guilty until proven innocent.

 Happily, they were proven innocent a few months later. The fifth Mrs. Luthor had apparently been straying at the same time as her husband-only she’d been juggling two at once. When One found out about Two, he killed her in the clichéd jealous rage. Two finally admitted the affair, and that he’d known about One. He also admitted a lot of other things, including that Mrs. Luthor and One had talked about killing her husband.

The attitude went from accusatory to sympathetic overnight, and suddenly the Senator was once again Kansas’ beloved son. Pictures of the Senator and Mr. Kent were everywhere and even the most cynical could see the same thing I’d seen when they were here. The genuine love and happiness that rested over them like a cloud.

When it came time for reelection, the op Ed piece-not by Clark Kent, but by his partner and ex wife Lois Lane, published in the Daily Planet that turned the tide. It citied all the good things the Senator had done for Kansas; cautioned against glass house living, and urged an open heart and mind. I don’t know if it was the novelty of the ‘ex’ supporting the ‘ new love’ or the terrific writing that captured the imagination of the state, and made his victory not only assured, but a landslide.

I left Kansas not to long after that, and while I’d hear occasionally about them, it wasn’t part of the landscape like it had been in Metropolis. The cynical part of me always expected I think, to hear of the big break up, but it never came.

Nearly ten years later, when Lex Luthor was sworn in as president, Clark Kent was by his side as the first husband. Watching the inauguration on TV, my heart was glad to see the same look of love and adoration between them I’d seen that morning so long ago.

The End