by Leona Fox
“He probably just heard a cry for help and his hero instinct got the better of him, didn't dare let any crime go unpunished. You know what he was like. He was probably so jumped up on adrenalin that he didn't think twice about helping out, but somebody was there waiting for him.”
“But then surely whoever was being attacked would have come forward and said that The Phenom tried to save them.”
“Maybe they didn't want the shame of being the cause of his death. We're just going to have to go back to the start of the case and work this through again,” Andy said. But Ellen remained unconvinced.
“No, we don't,” she said, and in her mind she began formulating a theory. It was one she hoped would not prove to be true.
The facts fell into place like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle and it all seemed to make sense, but if it were true it would be a dark day indeed. Even Ellen herself didn't want to face the awful truth of what she had concluded. She did not dare share it with Andy, for fear that speaking it may make it come true. Instead, she held her thoughts tightly within her, close to her chest, hoping against hope that, for once, she was completely and utterly in the wrong.
Chapter 9
Now that the news had had a chance to settle in, the mood in East Pender had changed. Ellen noticed it as she held the fort at the cafe. People came in, but they lacked a spring in their step. The Phenom only had been around a short time, and yet, he had found a place in people’s hearts. They all had a story to tell about The Phenom, most of which were completely made up, since it was impossible for The Phenom to have directly influenced all of their lives in the short time he was the town's protector.
There still were many questions surrounding The Phenom’s death, but the columnist was more concerned with putting together his book than chasing the story, and people were more concerned with mourning the fallen hero than hunting the person who had killed him. The most popular theory was that it was some random person who The Phenom had stumbled upon, and they had managed to get off a lucky hit. It wasn't the most climactic of deaths, and if it had been depicted in a comic book it would surely have enraged the readers, but in life such things happened.
The mayor commissioned a memorial service to pay tribute to The Phenom, even though there were only a handful of people who knew his real identity. Andy and Ellen thought about releasing the name of Stanley Smith. Given the lengths to which he had gone to protect his secret identity, though, they decided he would want to remain anonymous, and his mother didn't need the attention from the press. But even though nobody knew who was behind the mask, people turned out in their droves to pay their respects. The service was held in the park and there was a plaque to commemorate The Phenom’s service to the town.
The mayor raised his hands to quiet everyone down. “This is a strange eulogy because I never met the man personally, and I do not know whose face was under the mask, but it is not important who wore the costume. There was a man inside there, a man who wanted to use his talents to do some good in the world. Too often we are lazy and complacent, and we don't do all we can to make the world a better place. The Phenom went above and beyond. He showed us how we should live and how we all can help each other. I think we should turn to our neighbor now and make a vow that we always will do what we can to make this town safe. Take a moment now to look at the people around you. Some you may recognize, some you may even know, but we all are here together and we should remember that.”
Everybody took a moment to turn their heads and look around. Ellen saw many people she knew from the cafe, but Adam and Susan were there as well. Adam smiled at her, but Susan looked away. Ellen's heart was troubled, although now was not the time or the place to say anything. Her heart still wrestled with what she had to do, for part of her was tempted to let the matter lie and let people write their own endings to The Phenom's story. The mayor clapped his hands and drew attention back to him.
“Now that you all have looked at each other, I hope you all saw the same thing I did, heroes. There is a hero in all of us. All we have to do is have the courage to embrace that part of us, just like The Phenom did. I am not suggesting everyone don costumes and roam around the streets at night. I think that would give our police chief a heart attack,” he said, and a tittering laughter rippled through the crowd, “but there is always more we can do to make sure we are being better brothers and sisters to our fellow man. Let us remember The Phenom, and this day,” he said, and a huge cheer erupted.
Although the passing of The Phenom was a saddening fact, the day was a joyous occasion and people recognized the ideals for which The Phenom stood. “And after the ceremony,” the mayor continued, “I am going to pay a visit to my local comic book store, because I hear there are a few heroes worth reading about.”
On the fringes of the crowd there already were people making their way to the comic book store, and Ellen saw Adam smiling. Spreading the love of comic books was one of the goals of their endeavor, and Ellen was sure that wherever Stanley was, he was smiling.
After the mayor spoke there were a few people who wanted to share their thoughts and feelings about The Phenom, and the ceremony was opened up to anyone who wanted to speak. Ellen listened carefully to all of them. Many people broke up into smaller groups and spoke among themselves, while Adam stayed at the edge of the crowd, privy to a secret that few other people ever would know. Perhaps someday the truth would come out and the name Stanley Smith would elicit an emotional response, and people would know him as a young man who only wanted to give something back to the world that already had taken so much. Ellen looked up at the sky and hoped that he and his father were reunited, and sharing stories about everything they could see.
“What are we going to do now? I don't like the idea of letting the killer get away with it?” Andy asked.
“I don't think they will,” Ellen said as she spied Susan Smith slinking away from the crowd, back toward her home.
Andy looked at Ellen quizzically, but she only said that she would tell him later. Andy was about to protest, but he had known Ellen long enough to trust that she knew what she was doing. So he let her go. Ellen smiled at various people as she made her way through the throng, and politely declined invitations to talk. Susan Smith was ahead of her, walking at a swift pace. Ellen followed steadily, knowing that she soon would catch up with her target.
Susan Smith walked through East Pender back to her own neighborhood, but ended up going past her house, and Ellen wondered if she noticed she was being followed. However, all soon became clear as Susan walked to the spot where The Phenom had been found, abandoned and alone in an alley. Susan was standing there, looking over the crimson stains seeping into the sidewalk as Ellen approached. Susan barely acknowledged her presence, her glazed eyes staring down at the empty alley.
“You should be proud of him,” Ellen said softly. A sad smile appeared on Susan's face.
“I tried my best to protect him. I wanted to give him the best chance at life. It's difficult being a single parent, especially when it's so unexpected. He was only little when his father died. They barely got to know each other. I still remember that night I got the news. I didn't know how to handle it myself. My husband was the love of my life, and I knew when I met him that, no matter what, I never would fall in love with somebody else. When he died, I knew it would be just me and Stanley, alone, forever. I tried to be a mother and father to him...I'm not sure if I did a good job, but I tried.” Her voice quavered and Ellen could see how difficult it was for her to talk about this.
“I don't think he quite understood what was happening when I told him his father had died. He had this strange look on his face, like it wasn't quite real, and then he started losing himself in the world of comics. I never liked them, you know, all those comics?” she looked at Ellen and let out a harsh laugh, “I always thought they would corrupt him and give him stupid ideas. All I saw were the bright colors and the big words.
“I never took the time to ask him why he loved them so much, but now I know. I g
uess he answered me by putting on that costume. Maybe if I had been more understanding, more welcoming to him, he would have felt comfortable sharing it with me.” At this she placed her hand on her mouth to stifle the tears.
“He wanted to tell you,” Ellen said. Susan turned toward her in shock.
“We spoke to Adam. He and Stanley planned this together. Adam told us he wanted to tell you, but they decided not to tell their families anything in case anything happened, in case anyone tried coming after you. He wanted to keep you safe. I think that's a large part of what drove him to do this. You should go talk to Adam.”
“I will,” Susan said, sniffing back the tears. She began walking back to her home. Ellen joined her. Susan didn't seem to mind.
“He was always a sweet boy, very protective and caring. He got that from his father. Before Stanley was born our house was robbed, so I kept trying to make Stanley see that he had to be able to defend himself, and that the world was dangerous. I taught him too well. It was difficult for both of us after his father died. I think Stanley always was looking for a role model, and he was going through that period of life where he was starting to choose the type of man he was going to become. I guess The Phenom stepped into the void that was left by his father.”
“It makes sense. He must have been searching for some kind of identity and I guess it seemed like a simple solution. He didn't have to be Stanley Smith anymore, he could be The Phenom, and people just would see a hero, not a quiet boy who only wanted to read comics and draw.”
They walked on in silence for a few moments. Ellen let Susan digest their conversation. Their footsteps were the only sounds as they made their way back to Susan's house.
“It was a nice turnout today,” Susan finally said, her voice still weak and trembling. Ellen got the sense that she just wanted something to talk about to keep her mind occupied.
“A lot of people loved your son. At least, they loved what he did. I can't blame them. He saved a lot of people.”
“Why didn't you tell anyone what his real name was?”
“After talking with Adam it was clear Stanley wanted to remain anonymous. He knew The Phenom could be bigger than just one person...and we also didn't want the press harassing you. I know what they can be like, and they would have wanted to know everything about Stanley. I'm sure, at some point, the truth will come out, but at least this way Stanley just can be your son. I think it's important that the people who knew him get to grieve privately, and get to miss Stanley the young man, rather than The Phenom.”
They reached Susan's house. She placed the key in the lock and opened it, gesturing for Ellen to follow her in. They walked to the kitchen where Susan stood against the counter, hands gripping the side so tightly her knuckles were white. Her eyes were fixed on a point in the distance, but she didn't seem to be staring at anything in particular.
“Do you want to tell me what happened that night?” Ellen said gently. Susan licked her lips and swallowed before she answered.
“I always was so scared after what happened in the city. My husband used to work late, and I always would have to wait up until he got back. We had to do a secret knock so I knew it was him, and Stanley knew it as well. He always teased me about it. He said that nothing bad would happen to us in East Pender. Eventually, I was able to move on, and even sleep through the night.
“Then, recently, I started to hear noises. At first, I tried brushing them off. I thought they were Stanley, but he was staying over Adam's, and there was no sign of anyone. I thought I might have been going crazy, but I knew the noises were real. Now I wish I had gone crazy. I didn't know Stanley was sneaking out at night. So when he said he was at Adam's, and I heard a noise, I feared the worst.
“I was all alone in the house, and I had to defend myself. I started keeping a knife in my room, and I swore that next time I heard a noise I would not be frightened. I would go out there and prove that I was strong, that I could defend myself and my son on my own. So I heard a noise. My hands were trembling. I almost stayed in bed, but I managed to summon the courage. I knew that somebody was in the house and all I remembered was that I was praying for Stanley to be at home, wishing that he hadn't stayed at Adam's.
“I left my room and saw a shadowy figure in black, and all I felt was fear. I lashed out and stabbed him all those times, and then it was him. He cried out, trying to stop me, but it was too late. He ripped off his mask and called out to me. I pulled out the knife and tried to stop the bleeding, but I couldn't. It just ran through my fingers, and I didn't know what to do. He was my son, my only son, and I had just killed him, all because I was too scared to live in fear anymore.
“I always wondered what it must have been like for my husband to die alone. I stayed with Stanley as he died. At least I could do that for him. I kept telling him I was sorry and I loved him, but it didn't seem to be enough. Nothing seems enough. And I thought, if I left him there, that I could live with it, because it wasn't really him. It was The Phenom. But I can't. I need justice. That's what Stanley would have wanted. It's the right thing to do.”
With that she walked to a cupboard and reached into the back, pulling out an old, rusted tin. She forced off the lid and pulled out a blood-stained knife, handed it to Ellen, and sat down at the table. Ellen looked down at the knife and then called Andy. It was the worst she ever had felt after catching a murderer.
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