Author's note: Stories need their time and I go on when the Muse feels like it. And Spidey deserves one big story to chew so let's go!
3. Dancing in the Flames
Peter had never seen so many people together in one room in a really long time. Old JJ, Robin, Mss Hardy and her daughter, Wilson Fisk and wife, Silvermane and a list that went on and on with characters like the Special Deputy to the Mayor, Mr. Delson, or the sponsors of Dr. Connors, all standing in the same room. And there was MJ with Harry. They seemed so happy together. The Connors went to talk with their usual contacts and Parker was left alone.
"Hey, Peter!" she looked wonderful in her new dress. A gift from Harry, no doubt.
"Hey! You surely look like today's news, MJ!" he smiled. "Harry"
"Pitt. How is life in the lab?"
"Busy as ever but you two seem happy" Peter held a sigh.
"Well, one year with no wall-crawler and all happy news. I guess we can all say that the world looks brighter" young Osborn smiled. "Especially now that the 'hero' is on vacation" he was obviously still crossed about the attack on his father.
"Harry! Spiderman saved many lives" Mary Jane frowned.
"And ruined a few others"
"…" Peter did not answer and pulled out his cell phone. "How about a picture? For old time's sake"
"We were thinking you would never ask" the three stood together and did a selfie. "Hey, MJ. How about if you go get Mss Hardy? Peter and I will get the drinks"
"Sure" she knew they needed a moment alone.
"She's not stupid, you know?" Parker sighed.
"I wouldn't be her boyfriend if I didn't" Harry smiled and gave his friend a concerned look. "Now for real, you ok, Peter? I have hardly heard from you this year. MJ and I have been worried sick about you. I know Wen was your friend and you two were very close but…"
"I'm ok, really"
"Please, Pit"
"… I just can't get it out of my head, Harry. It's my fault she's gone"
"No, it's not. It's all because of this city and those freaks"
"…" Parker looked down.
"Hey! This is a whole new year, Peter. We will face it together" the young business man gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Just like in the old days, when we were brothers and nothing could stand in our way"
"Thanks, Harry" a sincere hug did the trick.
"Hey, Parker!" and there's JJ. "Where have you been? I've haven't seen you in months, kid. Mr. Osborn"
"Jameson. Peter here has been working hard with an old friend, Dr. Connors"
"So I've heard. Well, if that is your wish, go ahead. But mind this, Parker. You'll come back begging for your old job. Heed my warning" the editor walked towards Fisk.
"Do you think he's still mad at me?" whispered Parker.
"Nah! If he is, he'll give you your post back as soon as you get tired of playing with tubes. But, to be honest with you, Peter. I was hoping to have you working at my OWN lab"
"You mean that?"
"Like the Plague"
"Harry…"
"Cross my heart" they were soon joined again by Mary Jane and Mss Hardy. Peter hoped to have a moment with Felicia but he kept having the feeling that Delson was keeping an eye on him. Why would the Deputy be interested in him? Hu? Norman Osborn was having a small chat with Wilson. Were those two again in cahoots? His train of thoughts was interrupted when they announced that the ball was going to start. The music was going to start so Peter went to a corner while all the pairs joined in the middle. The young man sighed. If only he hadn't ruined every single relationship in his life, if only Wen hadn't died, if only…
"Care for one last dance, Mr. Parker?" Felicia stood before him. She looked gorgeous in that black dress.
"I'm not really a good dancer, Mss Hardy"
"And who says you have to be one? C'mon" she grabbed his hand and they were soon surrounded by all the other dancers. "It's been a long while since you and I danced, Peter"
"Indeed"
"You know? We could always start over again. Just you and me"
"Well, I… That would be wonderful but…"
"I'm always open to offers, Peter. Place your bet and we will see"
"Ok" the evening was perfect when something went through his head. The scene at the docks, the strange man, the four roses… What if nothing was a coincidence? A buzz crossed his skull. Spider sense! Right now? Why? Uh? A strange smell began to fill the room as one of the old fireplaces began to be filled with ashes that came from bellow. The workers couldn't understand it until a thud was heard and a horrible scream followed. The guests retreated in terror.
"Oh, my…" Felicia was so horrified that she hid her face against Peter's shoulder. The burnt body of a man had just fallen from the chimney. Dread began to fill the room so Delson decided to intervene.
"Ok, everyone calm down! Please do not panic. We have just called the police so do not scream or lose your wits. This is a police business from this moment on so please, head for the next room and remain calm" the Deputy kept a cool tone and was able to move most of the guests. When he saw Peter walking towards the door with Mss Hardy, Delson decided it was a good time to step in. "Mr. Parker, if you don't mind, I would like a word with you if that's all right"
"I'm a bit busy right now, Deputy"
"I know but it's important. Please" he insisted so Peter left Felicia with her mother and walked to the older man. "Detective Lee went to you this evening with an unusual request or so I've been told"
"…" Peter looked around and lowered his voice. "How did you…"
"I'm a man of resources, Parker. And trust me, you will want me nearby in this shady business"
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't you recognize the man in the fireplace?"
"Uh, no"
"It's Hector Lemans"
"No shi… For real? It's one of Dr. Connor's sponsors"
"And a suspect in a much larger investigation. He's also one of Osborn's colleagues and this is not going to help in the gang war that's in the air. But whoever killed him is not interested in the mob war"
"How can you be so sure?"
"Trust me. You'll get your answer in three, two, one…" the Deputy looked at his watch.
"MR DELSON! Come and see" one of the members of the police department was wearing gloves and examining the body. Right under the victim's tongue, there was a silver coin. Peter stared at Delson.
"Ever heard of bribing your way into Hell, Mr. Parker? Well, you're about to find out what that means" the deputy recognized the coin as a special edition of Susan B. Anthony dollar. "Well, this guy got really lucky" they sat and waited until the whole building was filled with forensics and special units.
"Why here? Why kill Lemans? And how do you know…"
"Questions one by one, please" Delson kept on typing in his phone. "I'm trying to concentrate so I can explain the whole thing to a friend of mine"
"Right" Peter threw a glance to his friends. MJ was crying in Harry's arms while JJ kept on talking on how this article had to look to show the outrageous scandal. Norman is standing near his son while Fisk attends to his wife and the Connors try to get over the idea of losing their most important sponsor.
"I also have questions, you know? Have you noticed anything strange today, Parker? Anything at all, no matter how small it is" Delson stopped typing.
"Like what?"
"Anything, Peter, please. I know you are no longer a reporter but this is important. A man has just died and we need to know why. Please, work with me"
"Well, it may sound stupid"
"No matter. Do tell"
"After Detective Lee visited, I went to Hickory Docks. I wanted to see where that girl was killed and I saw four roses in the ground. I was…"
"Four? You sure?"
"Yeah, very sure. She saw them too" Peter stared at MJ.
"Ok, anything else?"
"There was a man at the docks but he walked away and I couldn't see his face"
"Ok, that will do. Thanks, Parker" he typed in silence. "Now look, what just happened here is going to trigger a crossfire between the mobs because, as far as I can tell, Lemans was a shady person. His business was a pharmaceutical company. Billions of dollars every month but Hector didn't get those just from saving lives. We are not sure from where did his income came but he did have friends in high places"
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Cuz you're in this hole just like the rest of us, Parker. Lemans was murdered and most probably, by the man who left those flowers in the docks"
"How do you know?"
"Cuz I was there when that poor girl went missing and was found again. And if he saw you at the docks, he'll go after you"
"Who the hell is that guy?" shouted Peter.
"The Devil, Parker. A demon who swore revenge against those who killed Alice and believe it or not, many of the mobsters in this town were involved in that death and that means that they are hip-deep in trouble. Or should I say, under the butcher's knife" Delson was dead serious. "Today's murder is just his calling card. His way of saying 'Hello' to the city with his usual theatrics. Fisk and the others are now next"
"You know who it is" that was not a question.
"Perhaps, but for now, I suggest you walk back your friends. We will stay in touch" Delson gave him his card and walked towards the Special Police Force. Peter was clueless. Who would want to kill a tycoon like Lemans? And what did he have to do with that little girl? Parker walked to Harry and MJ. They were both too shocked to talk so the three took the door while Delson just watched from the distance with a sigh.
….
"Rain falls on the channel, the stream runs
Down and shows the way to the sea.
Everyone's asleep now"
It was a warm soft morning of a nice Monday in the New York docks. Hot days. After a week of pressing meetings in the high stances and several more in sight, the New Yorkers kept their attention on daily issues like the weather or President Bush's speeches. The sun crept from behind the clouds and shone over the waters. The wharf had been quiet for hours as the ships were arriving with the first day lights when a loud scream was heard.
The Mayor of New York was having the promised meeting with the union leader of that borough to see to the strange arrival of illegal shipments when they heard the sounds. A large crowd was surrounding a small corner of the busy harbor that had been blocked with the dumpsters for hours and now someone had pulled back the curtain. The large bodyguards surrounded the mayor and the politicians. The young assistants stared in amazement while the place got filled with all the coppers and forensics. Eyes were fixed; hearts were broken that day as everyone recognized the small body that was on the wet cobblestones. For months, everyone had seen that brown and slightly curled hair and those big oak-colored eyes. All the media had covered that story and now, the denouement had come to be true.
Alice Wright, that angel-faced girl that had been kidnapped shortly after her eleventh birthday, lied still on her back covered in blood and dust. Her dress had been torn to shreds and the thought of raping couldn't be ruled out. The poor thing was all black and blue, as if all her bones had been cracked. Her parents had begged for her return for months, had posted photos and had the police working extra hours and all for nothing. The little girl had been savagely killed.
Joan Webster, the young forensic, was the first one to approach the cold body. It took all her strength to keep her from throwing everything. She had hoped all along that this day didn't come. Joan nodded to her team and the forensics started their work along with the coppers. Little could be found but everything was worth in order to somehow avenge the memory of that poor girl. Joan could felt her always steady hands tremble; she couldn't get herself to examine the victim. She simply couldn't do it. She had known Alice's parents. Two brilliant and hard working people, good people who didn't deserve that. Alice's mother had died just a few weeks ago, unable to withstand the sorrow anymore. Now Mr. Wright was alone and the future was dark for him. The commissioner had appointed him as the prime suspect. Joan sighed. The most devoted father in the world was now a cold-stone murderer. It was an awful thought.
Joan closed her eyes and she felt someone kneeling beside her. A young man, one of the small fries in power. She couldn't even remember his name from the press but Joan could tell he was shaking even more than her.
"Sir, I have to ask you kindly to leave this place. This is a crime scene" she said pushing him away with her gloved hands.
"Is it? You guys were supposed to prevent this from happening" the young man kept a soft tone but there was a brush of rage in there.
"You think I like this? We thought for weeks that we had it. Today was going to be the last stance of those murderers" Joan growled.
"Well, it's not. So be ashamed of yourself"
"So do you. The council has done nothing to save her either"
"…" he looked away."That's the sad truth of this. We are all accomplishes of those bastards. Somehow. By doing nothing, we ruined everything" the young man put his gloves on and closed Alice's eyes. "And now... This poor thing pays the bait and gets killed like a dog while her father stands trial"
"... You should go back with your tight suits or they will start missing you" Joan grabbed her things. "Like I said, this is a crime scene and you're not allowed in here"
"I guess that much" he stood up. "Just promise me one thing. You will find out who did it. Who REALLY did it"
"You can bet that I'm not gonna let that filthy son of a bitch get away with this" she nodded.
"I'll see that you do"
"Didn't get your name though, Mr. Fancy Clothes"
"…" short smile."Eliot Delson, small assistant of the government"
"Joan Webster, forensic"
"Do your magic then… Joan"
"And you do your papers… Eliot" she watched him walk away and started her analysis while the young man joined her co-workers. He could still feel that tug in his chest as he looked at Alice one last time. The young man swore to himself that that event would never again repeat itself.
Eliot comes from Unforgettable and I felt that I would be in need of him for this one.
Lyrics are from Copenhague by Vetusta Morla
We move on, guys!