A/N: Here's the start of Season 4 of my Spider-Man series. As I said, this one will be darker than the previous ones, as it will include some of Spider-Man's deadest foes, and a few characters will be killed off, but who I'm not saying.
Please read and review?
In an alley in the Bronx, on the night of Thursday the 18th of August, was a masked man, holding a shotgun while standing in the shadows.
"Just wait for the sinner to show." he thought.
Coming down the street, was a Judge called Horace Rosenthal, who was a bit overweight, had brown hair and a small moustache, and glasses.
"Man, what a day." he thought. "Those two thugs on the bikes may have stolen, but since they didn't do much damage, I think they got off lucky by me giving just a three-year sentence."
He kept walking on, as the masked man watched, his eyes frowning.
"You made a big mistake, sinner." he thought coldly.
A little later, the Judge entered the Sheridan Plaza apartment building, and soon approached a room on the fifth floor. He opened it up and entered, sighing as he took his jacket off, which he hung up, before he heard a noise.
"Huh?" he gasped, turning left.
He looked around, seeing no sign of anyone, before he heard the noise again. He turned on the lights, seeing no one as he walked through the apartment, before he entered the bedroom, seeing the window was open.
"Wha? Who opened that?" he thought.
He walked towards the window to close it, when he heard a clicking noise.
"Hello there, sinner." came a cold voice.
The Judge turned around, before the masked man shot him in cold blood with his shotgun, who then hit the floor on his back, coughing up blood.
"You shouldn't have given those two thugs a light sentence for what they did." the man said.
"Who...are...you...?" the Judge asked.
"I am Sin-Eater." the man said coldly. "Bye-bye, sinner."
He turned and jumped out the window, as the Judge kept coughing up blood, which spread all over the floor, before he died of blood loss.
The next morning, on Friday the 19th at the Parker House, Peter was coming down the stairs while putting a blue-long sleeved shirt on, which had grey sleeves. Once downstairs, he walked into the sitting room, seeing his sister Teresa watching the TV, while sitting on the couch, still in her PJs.
"Oh, morning, Pete." she said, turning to him.
It had been four weeks since Teresa had moved in with Peter and Aunt May, and in that time, she'd managed to settle in, but she still had a bit to adjust too.
"Hey, sis. You okay?" he asked.
"Yeah." Teresa replied, turning to him. "You going somewhere?"
"Well, yeah, but not for a while." Peter explained. "It's Miles' birthday."
"Oh... Well, guess I better get dressed too." Teresa said, getting up. "He did invite me, right?"
"Yeah. Just keep in mind, you'll be the youngest there." Peter advised. "Everyone else will be around my age."
"I know. I wish Jessie and the Thompsons were here so I could meet her." Teresa sighed.
Peter nodded, for the Thompsons had left for a family vacation down in Florida the day after the car wash at FEAST, meaning Teresa still hadn't met them.
"Sis, when they come back, I'm sure you'll get along with her." Peter assured. "Unlike Flash, she's always been nice."
Teresa looked up at him, as he had told her how Flash used to bully him, but had changed quite a lot since Uncle Ben died and Spider-Man showed up.
"And like we said at FEAST during the car wash, you two are the same age, so she'll be one of your classmates." Peter explained.
"I know that, Peter." Teresa said. "That's why I wanna meet her before I start my new school, so at least I'll know someone."
"Sis, if I was in your shoes, I'd feel the same way." Peter assured. "I'm sure they'll be back before the school year begins."
Teresa sighed and nodded hopefully, before she walked out of the room and upstairs to get changed, as Peter turned to the TV, as a 'Newsflash' came on it.
"We interrupt this program for an urgent News bulletin." a man explained.
Peter sat down on the couch, wondering what was up.
The screen showed Whitney Chang at the Sheridan Plaza.
"This is Whitney Chang reporting live from the Sheridan Plaza, to sadly report the murder of Judge Horace Rosenthal." she explained sadly.
An image of him appeared in the top right corner of the screen, before it vanished.
"The Judge had only yesterday sent the so-called Biker Twins back to jail after they'd created chaos for driving recklessly in the city, before they were caught by Shadow-Spider." Whitney explained.
An image of the two twins mug shots showed up in the top right corner of the screen.
Peter gasped, as he recognized them as the two bikers to defeated when he had the Venom Symbiote, although due to his attuite under its influence, he didn't see they were twins.
"Those two again?" he thought, "For twins, they sure don't look much alike. I better ask Miles how he caught them."
Whitney came back on the screen, moving towards the door of the building.
"Members of NYPD's CSI are currently investigating the scene, but unfortunately, haven't found much yet to determine what happened, other than the fact he was shot." she reported. "We'll have more on this when the time comes, but for now, I urge people to be careful, in case the killer decides to strike again."
The screen went blank.
"So much for us taking the day off for Miles' birthday." Peter sighed. "Guess we might have to leave the party early."
"You okay, Peter?" came Aunt May's voice.
Peter turned as she came into the room.
"Well, just saw something about a murder last night." he explained.
"Oh, how horrible." Aunt May said sadly. "Are you and your friends gonna investigate?"
"We might have too." Peter said. "If something similar happens, defiantly. I'm just annoyed it's happening today since it's Miles' birthday."
Aunt May sighed. "Well, if you have to go, be careful." she advised.
"I always do, Aunt May." Peter assured, getting up.
"When you leaving?" Aunt May asked.
"Once Teresa's dressed." Peter explained. "Figured I'd bring her along since you'll be at FEAST."
Aunt May smiled and touched his shoulder.
"I'm glad you're taking on this big brother role, Peter." she said. "I know Ben will be proud."
They both turned to the pictures on the fireplace, which now included a new one taken two weeks ago, which had them and Teresa, which was placed beside the one of them and Uncle Ben.
"I know he would've too." Peter assured. "Ever since we met Teresa, I've been wondering what might've happened if she grew up with us from the start."
"To be honest, I have too." Aunt May admitted.
They both smiled and hugged each other, before pulling apart.
"Um, is FEAST doing okay?" Peter asked, as he hadn't had a chance to be there since the day of the car wash.
"Well, it's a lot better now. That car wash you took pictures off really helped." Aunt May said. "They raised close to 5000 dollars for the shelter."
"That's good to know." Peter said. "Good to know."
They both turned as they heard a noise, seeing Teresa coming down the stairs, properly dressed.
"You ready, sis?" Peter asked.
"Oh, I am, bro." Teresa said. "We'll see later, Aunt May."
"Take care of yourselves." Aunt May said, as Peter and Teresa left the house.
At the apartment, six members of the NYPD's 13th precinct crime lab - including a slightly-grey haired man named Ray Cooper - were all examining the scene, all wearing white gloves. A woman with brown hair snapped pictures with a camera, as the others dusted and searched around, Ray examining the Judge's body.
"What a mess." the woman said.
"I know what you mean, Julie." Ray agreed. "It's times like this, I hate this job."
"Whoever did this, clearly had a reason to want to kill the Judge." came a voice.
All six CSI's turned as Capt. Stacy came in, then Ray got up and approached him, as the rest went back to work.
"Do you know what happened to the Judge, Ray?" he asked.
"Due to the way he looks, I'd say he was shot a point-blank range, and by the extent of the damage, it was most likely a shotgun." Ray deduced. "As for how the killer got in, he was either in here before the Judge got here, or he got in through the window."
"I think he got in through the window." a man with dark hair said.
Ray and Capt. Stacy both came over to him.
"I can't find any fingerprints, but I found an empty shotgun shell by it." the man explained, holding it with with tweezers.
"You sure, Taylor?" Ray asked.
"I can't think of how else he could've got in." Taylor said. "I checked the window and found it unlocked."
"Well, it makes sense." Capt. Stacy said.
(Montage)
Sin-Eater lifted up the window and climbed into the room.
"If it was unlocked, he could've easily have gotten in..."
Sin-Eater moved and hid himself in the shadows.
"...then properly waited for the Judge to arrive."
(Reality)
"Still, the question is why did he kill the Judge?" the Capt. said.
"I've photographed the room, sir." Julie explained, coming over to him.
"Alright, Willows, send the film back to the lab." Capt. Stacy instructed.
"Yes, sir." Julie understood.
She walked off and out of the room.
"Ray, make sure you have every inch of this apartment searched." the Capt. instructed.
"I will, George." Ray assured. "You can count on it."
"Ray, I found something." a red-haired man said.
He picked up a small card, then turned around and approach Ray and Capt. Stacy.
"'This man sinned and deserved to die. Sin-Eater'." he read.
Capt. Stacy frowned slightly.
"Caine, you sure that's what it says?" Ray asked.
"Yep. See for yourself?" Caine said, handing him the card.
Ray and Capt. Stacy both looked at the card, puzzling Ray, as it all it had on were the words Caine said, while Capt. Stacy gasped.
"Sir, you okay?" Ray asked.
"Yes, but...I think I know what's going on." Capt. Stacy said.
"What do you mean, sir?" Caine asked, confused.
"Some of the other precincts have told me about a serial killer going around, leaving these calling cards, and well... This is the fourth person Sin-Eater's killed in the past month." Capt. Stacy explained.
"Is that when he first showed up?" Caine asked.
"Yeah. Whoever this guy is, he seems to enjoy killing." Capt. Stacy said, disgusted.
"Sounds religious as well, although by killing, he's sinning himself." Ray added. "Whoever this guy is, he's crazy."
"Indeed." the Capt. agreed.
A little later, at the Morales apartment, was Miles birthday party, who looked upset, while standing with Ganke and his mother, while around the room was Gwen, Harry, Mary Jane, Anya, Liz, Gloria, Randy and some other people. Harry and Randy stood by the window, talking quietly to each other, as the girls all sat around the table with a soda each, expect Mary Jane who stood alone in the kitchen.
"So, where's Pete?" Ganke asked.
"Probably running late." Miles deduced. "Or maybe he got called away by his boss. I told you how Jameson can be with him."
"Oh, I know." Ganke assured.
"Well, if he had been, I'm sure he would've called." Rio said. "He's probably been held up."
Miles sighed slightly, when they heard a knock on the door.
"I'll get it." he said.
He walked over to it, then opened it up, seeing Peter and Teresa.
"Oh, you guys made it." he said happily.
"Hey, Miles." Peter said. "Thanks for letting me bring Teresa along."
"Hey, no problem." Miles said. "I'm just sorry there's not many people her age around here."
"It's okay, Miles." Teresa assured. "I'm still getting used to this place. Maybe once I start school, I'll have more luck."
"Right. Well, come in?" Miles said, moving aside.
Peter and Teresa both stepped inside, before Ganke came over.
"Ah, you must be Peter's long-lost sister I've been hearing about?" he assumed, shaking Teresa's hand.
"Yes." Teresa said. "I take it your Miles' friend?"
"Yeah. Ganke Lee." Ganke said.
"Teresa. Nice to meet you." Teresa said.
She walked over towards the girls, as Peter and Miles and approached Ganke.
"Well, I have to admit, Miles wasn't kidding about the resemblance." Ganke admitted.
"Told you." Miles said.
"It's only been four weeks since she moved in, even though she had no choice, and I still can't believe it either." Peter assured. "If my parents and Uncle Ben were still alive, they'd be too."
"Hey, how's she doing?" Ganke asked.
"Well, she's managing to fit in." Peter assured. "It'll be better when she can meet some new friends her age, but she hasn't had much luck yet."
"Well, hopefully she will when school restarts." Miles assured.
"Hey, look, I'll be right back." Ganke said. "I've gotta check with something."
"Sure. I need a word with Miles anyway." Peter said, before he leaned towards Miles. "You, Gwen and Anya that is."
Miles nodded, before Ganke walked off past them, then Peter and Miles approached the table the girls were at.
"Um, Liz, Gloria, could you two go with Teresa for a few minutes?" Peter asked. "We need a private word with Gwen and Anya."
"Sure, Petey." Liz said, as Gloria nodded. "It's no problem."
She and Gloria both got up and walked across the room with Teresa, before Miles and Peter sat down at the table, making Gwen lean over and kiss Peter's cheek, as he was beside her.
"Glad to see you made it, Pete." Anya said.
"Hey, none of us would miss it unless we had too." Peter joked.
"True." Anya admitted. "So, what's wrong?"
Peter was about to answer, when he noticed Harry and Mary Jane standing on opposite ends of the apartment.
"They've been like that since they both got here, at different times of course." Gwen explained, noticing where he was looking.
"Guess Harry's still upset about the break-up?" Anya deduced.
Peter nodded in agreement, for his two friends had split up two weeks ago, which had hurt Harry badly. He could remember it easily as he'd accidently eavesdropped on them in the Watson house.
(Flashback)
Peter stood near the door to the living room of the Watson house, where Harry and Mary Jane were stood facing each other.
"MJ, what's going on?" Harry asked. "I mean, I know we've been getting distant, but this has gone on too long. What am I doing wrong?"
"Harry, it's not that...I just... I think I love someone else." Mary Jane said.
Harry gasped, as Peter peeked round through the doorway, seeing he was upset.
"You're... But MJ, we've been dating for about 18 months now." Harry said.
"I know, but when I'm with you, I feel nothing." Mary Jane explained. "Not that I still don't care for you, but it's not love. I only see as a friend or a brother these days."
"What... Who is it?" Harry asked. "Who is it, as I wanna have a word with him!"
Peter's eyes widened, but luckily, the couple hadn't spotted him.
"Well... I haven't really seen his face." Mary Jane admitted.
Peter quietly gasped, for he knew who she was referring to Spider-Man.
"But then, what's he like that's made you fall for him?" Harry asked desperately.
"Harry, he's just...incredible." Mary Jane said dreamily. "Amazing and...dreamy."
Harry looked upset, with a tear coming from his left eye, while Peter kept staring at them both.
"MJ, I..." Harry began.
"I'm sorry, Harry, but I think we're better off as just friends." Mary Jane said. "This guy has been in my dreams for months, and I just can't stop thinking about him."
Harry closed his eyes briefly, his heart breaking.
"I'm sorry, Harry, but it has to be like this." she apologized. "You'll always be my friend and important person in my life, just not as a lover."
Harry cried slightly, before he ran out of the house and down the street, covering his eyes with his hands, as Mary Jane and Peter watched through the window.
"So, she's dumped my best friend. She really loves my alter ego." Peter thought. "Oh, man. I'll have to tell Gwen this... No, I better not. Better let MJ break the News to her, then tell her. She won't be able to fool MJ otherwise like I will."
He turned and began to walk off, when Mary Jane came through the door and turned to him.
"Peter?" she said, making him stop. "Did you hear all that?"
Peter sighed and turned around, seeing no point in lying.
"Yes, but I didn't mean too." he said truthfully. "I'm sorry."
"No, it's okay. You, Gwen and the others will find out eventually." Mary Jane assured. "I will miss the double-dates we had, but I don't really love Harry like I do with this guy."
"Are you sure, MJ?" Peter asked.
"Positive." Mary Jane assured.
"Well, for your sake, I hope he feels the same, 'cause he might not." Peter cautioned.
(Flashback ends)
The four Spiders looked from Harry and Mary Jane, before they looked amongst each other.
"I wonder how long they're gonna be like this?" Gwen questioned. "It's gonna be tough since we've got one year of High School left."
"And since, for years, it used to be just us and them, it's gonna be even harder." Peter sighed. "No offence."
"Hey, we understand." Miles assured, as Anya nodded. "You told me yourself, it used to just be the four of you until the you-know-what happened."
Peter and Gwen smiled.
"So, anyway, what's this about?" Anya asked.
"Did you guys watch the News about that murder?" Peter asked.
"Yeah, we did." Gwen sighed. "It's terrible how that Judge was killed in cold blood like that."
"Terrible." Anya said.
"I know, it's just...I'm annoyed this happened on my birthday." Miles said.
"Miles, it can't be helped." Peter said. "On my last birthday, I had to stop Tombstone from hurting Robbie."
"You did?" Miles asked.
"Oh, he did. He told me during the party we'd arranged for him when he got back." Gwen assured.
"Still, thanks to this, my dad had to work." Miles sighed. "I really wish he was here."
Anya touched his shoulder, making him blush.
"Hey, at least your mom's here, Miles, for if it was Gwen's birthday and her dad had to work, she'd been sunk." she joked.
"Very funny." Gwen scoffed, folding her arms. "You'd be in the same boat there."
"O-kay, point taken." Anya said.
"So, Peter, what are we doing?" Miles asked. "I mean, since this was a murder, shouldn't we leave it to the Police. I mean, we don't know if this is a supervillain."
"Miles, I know that. I'm not saying we have to investigate yet, but we should keep our ears open in case something more comes up." Peter suggested.
"Okay, that sounds fair." Miles agreed.
"So, what do-" Anya began.
Peter's phone rang, making him take it out, but saw an unknown number.
"I'll be right back." he said, getting up.
He turned and walked off, putting it to his ear.
"Hello?" he said, wondering who it was.
"It's me, Peter." came Matt Murdock's voice.
"Mr. Murdock?" Peter gasped quietly. "How did you get my number?"
"I got it from Jen, who got it from Jessica." Matt explained.
"Oh, I see. So, why you calling?" Peter asked.
"Sin-Eater." Matt replied. "I heard about what happened, and well..."
"Do you sound okay?" Peter asked. "You seem a bit...upset."
"I am. That judge who was murdered was a close friend of mine." Matt explained. "Jen knew him as well, but not as well as me."
"Oh, I see. I'm sorry." Peter said. "Is there a reason you're calling?"
"Yes. I'm on my way to New York to help the Police, and I'm hoping to catch this Sin-Eater while I'm here." Matt explained. "I'll be in the city tomorrow."
"Right. Well, look, we'll help you out." Peter promised. "We're gonna start searching later."
"Understood. Hopefully we can catch up when we meet." Matt said hopefully. "I'll see you."
"Likewise." Peter said, before he hung up and put the phone away.
He got up and approached his fellow Spiders, who turned to him.
"Who was it?" Gwen asked quietly.
"Daredevil. Apparently that Judge was a good friend of his." Peter explained.
"Oh, that's awful." Gwen gasped.
"Yeah. When he gets here tomorrow, he's gonna find that creep." Peter explained. "It might be better if we help when he gets here."
"Well, I've got no problem there." Miles said. "It'll be after my birthday, after all."
Before they could continue their talk, Liz had turned the TV on, as a News bulletin came on, getting everyone's attention.
"What's going on?" Teresa asked.
"Uh, I thought they'd be a show on or something." Liz assured.
"Guess this is urgent News then." Gloria deduced, before Whitney Chang appeared on the screen.
"This is Whitney Chang, reporting from outside the 13 Precinct, where the CSI's inside - along with those from other Precincts - are working on the case to find the mysterious killer known as Sin-Eater." Whitney reported. "As I said earlier, Sin-Eater had killed a Judge called Horace Rosenthal, but it's recently been revealed that the Judge was the man's fourth victim."
"Sin-Eater killed three people before the Judge?" Gwen questioned.
"Looks like we have a serial killer on our hands." Anya deduced.
"Yeah." Peter agreed.
"His other victims were all killed the same way as the Judge, with the same calling card left behind." Whitney reported. "For now, we can only hope and pray that this killer will be brought to justice, before he claims anymore victims. Now back to your regular programming."
Liz turned the TV off, as she wasn't in the mood now.
"That's just...horrible." she said.
"I know what you mean." Gloria agreed.
All around the room, the other guests were thinking and talking about the same thing, while the four Spiders leaned closer together.
"Okay, now, I think we need to investigate this." Peter said. "If he likes killing for fun, we need to stop him fast."
"Well, let's go." Miles said.
"Miles, it's your birthday. You stay here." Peter said. "We can handle this."
"Okay...but call and tell me what you find?" Miles asked.
"We will." Peter said.
He, Gwen and Anya all turned and walked into Miles' bedroom, before Gwen closed the door behind them.
"So, what do we do?" Anya asked.
"Well, first, we need to find if there's a pattern in these murders." Peter said.
"I'll head over to my dad's precinct and see what I can find." Gwen said. "Maybe some of the crime lab's found something."
"Okay, and while you do that, Anya and I will head to the scene of the judge's murder and see if they missed something." Peter said.
"Right. Makes sense since that's the most recent. Ha. Looks like we're playing CSI ourselves." Anya joked.
"Looks like it." Gwen teased, giggling. "So, we leave now?"
"Better now than later in case Sin-Eater strikes again." Peter said. "The quicker we find the pattern, the quicker we can stop him."
Gwen and Anya both nodded in agreement, knowing what they had to do, despite it being Miles' birthday.
"Well, what about Teresa?" Gwen asked.
"As Aunt May knows who I am, she'll understand." Peter sighed. "I'll ask MJ to look after her."
"Makes sense, since she lives next door." Gwen teased.
"Right. Let's go." Peter said.
Anya and Gwen both nodded, before they left the bedroom, then the main room, while Peter walked over to Mary Jane.
"MJ, can you do me a favor?" he asked.
"Sure, tiger. What is it?" Mary Jane asked.
"Can you watch Teresa and make sure she gets home safe?" Peter asked. "I gotta go. Urgent call for Jameson, and you know how he is."
"Oh, don't I know it from what you've told me." Mary Jane said. "I take it you don't know how long you're gonna be?"
"No, I don't." Peter assured. "Can you please do it? Since you live next door, you're the best choice. Even Gwen admits that."
"Well, don't worry. I'll make sure she gets home safe." Mary Jane promised.
"Thanks, MJ." Peter said. "I owe you."
He turned and left the room, as Mary Jane looked around, before noticing Gwen and Anya were missing too.
"Huh? I wonder why they left?" she thought.
Meanwhile, at St. Paul's Chapel Church, in the Financial District, an African-American Reverend named Bernard Finn was sitting in a confessional room, with a man sitting on the other side.
"What troubles you, my son?" he asked.
"Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned." the man next door said.
"How have you sinned, my son?" Reverend Finn asked.
"I... I've done some awful things, but I feel like I've been chosen for a mission, which means I have to sin in order to do so." the man explained.
"How so?" the Reverend inquired, puzzled.
"I... I don't know. I feel like...I have to do unthinkable things." the man said.
Reverend Finn looked confused, putting his hand to his chin.
"My son, I believe you must do what you think is right, in the name of the Lord." he said. "If he's chosen you for this mission, he must have a reason. Let's just hope you don't take it too far for his sake."
"Thank you, Father." the man said. "I will do what I know to be right."
"Say your prayers, my son?" the Reverend asked.
He stepped out of the confessional room and walked down the aisle, when the man did the same thing.
"Oh, Father, one more thing." he said, making a clicking noise.
Reverend Finn turned around, before he was shot right through the head with a shotgun, killing him instantly before his body hit the floor. The man walked over to his body, before he crouched down near it, revealing he was Sin-Eater.
"May the Lord have mercy on your sinning soul, Father." he said. "You shouldn't have been against the death penalty."
Blood poured all over the Church floor as Sin-Eater walked away from the body of his fifth victim.
Later, at the 13th precinct, Capt. Stacy walked down a hallway and entered the crime lab, seeing Ray, Taylor, Caine and Julie all working and wearing white jackets which 'NY Crime Lab' on. While Ray and Caine both looked through a microscope each, Julie went over the photos she'd taken, and Taylor was photos of the other victims killed, which they'd been given. The other two CSI's from the scene were in another part of the lab, doing something else.
"Ray, do you have something?" the Capt. asked, approaching him.
"Well, it was confirmed. The Judge was indeed killed by a shotgun." Ray explained.
"Is that what the coroner says?" the Capt. asked.
"Yes." Ray said, nodding. "Doc Woods confirmed it. And judging by the shell casing, it was a Ithaca."
"Just like the others." the Capt. sighed. "The members of the other precincts found the same calling card at their murder scenes, and they were killed the same way with the same gun."
"So, every precinct is working on this case?" Julie inquired.
"Yes." Capt. Stacy sighed. "I just hope we can catch this Sin-Eater before he kills again."
"It would help if we knew a pattern." Caine sighed. "I mean, what kind of 'sins' did these people commit that made him kill them?"
"Good question." Ray agreed. "Taylor, what do those people have in common?"
He and Capt. Stacy walked over to Taylor, who put the pictures of the four victims down beside each other. Besides the Judge, there was a woman with short-blonde hair woman with a nurse's hat, an Asian man with long hair that went past his shoulders, and a bald white man.
"Well, I do know that Judge Rosenthal was known giving out light sentences to criminals." Taylor said, pointing at the picture. "This nurse here was called Kelsey Evans, and she was known for caring for dangerous criminals. This bald man's called Henry Savage. He worked at Ravencroft and was considering releasing a patient there, but due to what's happened, I don't know what's gonna happen."
"And this man?" Ray asked, pointing at the Asian picture.
"His name's Wu Chan, and he was a man who saved a criminal's life last year, but he didn't know the man was a crook at the time." Taylor explained.
"So, there's still no pattern?" Capt. Stacy inquired.
"No. I can't see it." Taylor sighed.
"Maybe this Sin-Eater just likes killing." Caine suggested. "He's killing people at random."
"Doesn't look like it." Capt. Stacy argued.
"Well, it would help if we had more evidence." Julie reasoned. "I mean, maybe the other precincts have more evidence that just pictures of the victims."
"Alright, Taylor, you and Caine head back to the scene of the Judge's murder since it's the most recent." the Capt. instructed. "See if you can find something you might've missed."
"Right." Taylor understood.
"I'll get in touch with the other precincts and we'll gather up all the evidence." Capt. Stacy explained. "There's got to be a connection here."
"I hope so. Come on, Caine." Taylor said.
He and Caine walked off and took off their jackets, before they left the lab, as Ray looked back through his microscope, while Julie looked back at the evidence.
Capt. Stacy walked out of the lab, seeing Taylor and Caine walking off, before he saw Gwen coming towards him.
"Gwen, what are you doing here?" he asked, surprised. "Thought you were at your friend's party."
"Oh, it finished early." Gwen lied. "So, I thought I'd come by and see how you're doing. We heard about the murders this Sin-Eater's caused on the News."
"Well, I'm afraid it's worse than that, Gwen." her father sighed. "We haven't found a pattern in the murders, so we don't know who he might kill next."
"Dad, I'm sure you and the others will." Gwen assured. "You always find a way."
Capt. Stacy smiled at his daughter, who turned and looked around, seeing Lt. DeWolff leaving the room, with Sgt. Davis and Lt. Watanabe working at a desk, along with three other Cops, but saw Sgt. Carter was missing.
"Uh, dad, where's Sgt. Carter?" Gwen asked.
"Oh, he called in and said he was taking some time off." her father explained. "Said he wasn't well."
"Oh... Well, I hope he's okay." Gwen said, wondering what was wrong with him.
A little later, Spider-Man and Spider-Girl were both wall-crawling up the Sheridan Plaza apartment building, before they reached the Judge's apartment window.
"Do you see anything?" Spider-Girl asked.
"No. The CSI's might've cleaned the place up." Spider-Man said. "Still, better check in case they missed something. Just remember, always touch with your gloves."
Spider-Girl nodded, before she opened the window, then they both climbed inside.
"So, where do we look?" she asked.
"You take the kitchen and I'll start with the living room." Spider-Man instructed.
"Understood." Spider-Girl nodded.
They were both about to move off, when Spider-Man's Spider-Sense tingled.
"Wait?" he said, holding his hand up.
"What is it?" Spider-Girl asked.
"My Spider-Sense. Get on the ceiling." Spider-Man said.
They both jumped up and clung to the ceiling, just as the door opened, and Caine and Taylor came in, still in their uniforms.
"Hey, the window's open?" Taylor said. "I thought we closed it when we left?"
"So did I." Caine said.
They both looked around, before they looked up and saw the two Spiders on the ceiling.
"Spider-Man? Spider-Girl?" Caine questioned, shocked.
"What are you two doing here?" Taylor asked.
Spider-Man and Spider-Girl both sighed and jumped down in front of them.
"We heard about the murder." Spider-Man explained. "Thought there might be a clue here on this Sin-Eater."
"Well, we were ordered back here to investigate ourselves." Caine explained.
"Oh, right." Spider-Man said.
"Right. I'm David Caine, this is Gary Taylor." Caine explained. "We're with the crime lab."
"We can tell that by your uniforms." Spider-Girl assured.
"So, you two find anything?" Taylor asked.
"Well, we only just got here." Spider-Man explained. "Haven't had a chance to look around."
"Well, we could use the extra eyes." Caine said. "Give us a hand."
"Sure." Spider-Man said, as Spider-Girl nodded.
She and Taylor walked into the kitchen, while Spider-Man and Caine looked around in the living room.
"I'm surprised your whole team's not here?" Caine inquired, as he looked at the couch. "Where's Ghost-Spider and Shadow-Spider?"
"Well, they're both searching the city for Sin-Eater." Spider-Man lied, looking under a desk. "Better to be sure in case he strikes again."
"Good idea." Caine admitted, turning around.
Five minutes later, Taylor and Spider-Girl soon came out of the kitchen, as Spider-Man came out of the bedroom.
"Nothing in the bedroom." Spider-Man sighed.
"Nor in the kitchen or bathroom." Spider-Girl sighed. "Whoever Sin-Eater is, he's defiantly smart not to leave a lot of evidence."
"He really is cleaver." Taylor said, before his phone rang.
He took it out, seeing it was Ray, then held it to his ear.
"Go ahead, Ray?" Taylor asked.
The others all looked at him, as his face looked shocked.
"Oh, my God!" Taylor gasped. "Are you sure? Right. Thanks, Ray."
He hung up and put his phone away.
"Sin-Eater's killed again, this time a Reverend called Bernard Finn." he explained. "Happened under an hour ago."
"Reverend Finn?" Spider-Girl questioned. "I heard about him. On top of being a man of God, he was strongly against capital punishment."
"Well, guess Sin-Eater doesn't agree to that." Spider-Man said. "Where was his body found?"
"In his own Church." Taylor explained. "Odd place to kill someone."
"Yeah." Spider-Man agreed. "Well, we've covered this whole area and nothing."
"You two might wanna help your friends try and find this bastard." Caine said. "Whoever he is needs to pay for what he's done."
"Oh, we can agree there." Spider-Girl said.
"We'll get him, you just try and find a pattern to his killings. We'll let you know if we do before you guys." Spider-Man promised.
Both Spiders turned and walked over to the window.
"Wait?" Caine asked.
Both Spiders turned to him and Taylor.
"I thought you might wanna know, that I don't believe a word Jameson says about you." Caine assured. "My nephew admires you and your friends, Spider-Man. You're his heroes."
"Thanks." Spider-Man said.
"And my wife owes you and Ghost-Spider." Taylor added. "She was among those you saved during that RHINO rampage."
Spider-Girl turned to Spider-Man, who was shocked, because other than her father and Miles', they didn't know the names of anyone they saved from back then.
"I... Thanks." Spider-Man said. "Come on?"
He climbed out of the window and began to swing away, with Spider-Girl right behind him, before they landed on another rooftop.
"Well, now what do we do?" Spider-Girl asked.
"I don't know yet." Spider-Man admitted. "This Sin-Eater's big trouble."
His phone suddenly buzzed, making him take it out, seeing it was a text from Gwen.
"Dad hasn't got much more than the News said, but apparently the News was right, as they've all been killed the same guy. I think we should all meet in the Spider-Cave and talk about this, even Miles. Gwen. P.S. He's just recently killed a Reverend too."
Spider-Man and Spider-Girl looked at each other.
"It's Gwen. We all better meet at the cave." he said.
"Right. Maybe Miles heard something at his party." Spider-Girl hoped.
They both jumped off the rooftop and began to web-swing away.
That night, at 7pm, the Web-Warriors were all in the Spider-Cave, all out of their costumes, standing around the computer.
"So, Sin-Eater's killed again?" Miles asked.
"Yeah, a Reverend called Bernard Finn." Peter explained.
"It's worse. He was killed inside his own Church." Gwen explained. "I overheard my dad and a CSI named Cooper talking about it."
"Man, not a nice way to go." Miles shuddered.
"No, it's not." Anya sighed. "It's horrible. I understand if people get killed in there during a war, but to be murdered in your own Church? Sin-Eater must be a sick creep to do that."
"I know. Nightcrawler would be sick if he found out." Peter sighed.
"Oh, yeah. You told us he'd be a Priest if it wasn't for how he was treated." Gwen recalled.
"Yeah. Unlike other X-Men, he'll defend himself, but never kill." Peter explained.
Anya looked down slightly, before she looked up.
"Did you get the names of the victims, Gwen?" Peter asked.
"Yes, I did, and well... I don't think they have anything in common." Gwen explained.
"What do you mean?" Miles asked.
"One was a nurse called Kelsey Evans, and she was known for caring for dangerous criminals. Another was called Henry Savage, who worked at Ravencroft and was considering releasing a patient there. The last was called Wu Chan, and he was a man who saved a criminal's life last year." Gwen explained.
"Well, there has to be a pattern then." Anya deduced.
"I don't think there is." Gwen said. "Whoever Sin-Eater is must see one, but I can't."
"That's not a lot to go on, Gwen, but it's a start." Peter reasoned. "We just need to find his pattern."
"Well, what was the Reverend killed for?" Gwen asked.
"He was a strong objector to the death penalty." Anya explained. "My dad interviewed him once."
"A strong objector to capital punishment?" Miles questioned. "Sin-Eater must think criminals deserve to die."
"Well, if he is, why is he not killing crooks like an Anti-hero?" Gwen wondered, folding her arms.
The four of them all looked amongst each other.
"I still can't see a pattern here." Anya said, puzzled.
"Neither can I." Gwen said.
"Well, good thing Daredevil will be here tomorrow." Peter said. "At least then we'll have some more help."
"So, what do we do now?" Anya asked.
"Well, I hate to say it, but we're just gonna have to keep searching for him. As it's getting late though, we'll resume the search in the morning." Peter said.
"Good idea." Miles agreed. "Let's just hope he won't strike again until then."
"We can only hope." Gwen sighed.
"So, do you have a plan for the morning?" Anya asked.
"Well, I'll go to the station and find out what's going on. Maybe they'll have more evidence by then." Peter said. "You three split up and see if you can find him."
"Understood." Gwen said, as Miles and Anya nodded.
"Right, you guys go on. I got make a call before I leave." Peter said.
"Okay." Miles said.
"See ya." Anya said.
"Take care." Gwen said, kissing his cheek.
As they all left, Peter took out his phone and dialled Mary Jane's number, before putting it to his ear, waiting for about 30 seconds before she answered.
"Hey, tiger. Everyone okay?" she asked.
"Yeah. I just called to check up on Teresa." Peter explained.
(Parker house)
Mary Jane stood outside the sitting room, where Aunt May and Teresa were watching the News.
"Oh, she's fine. I got her back safe and sound." she assured.
"Thanks, MJ." Peter said, sighing with relief.
"Have you had something to eat?" Mary Jane asked. "Due to how late it is and all?"
(Spider-Cave)
"Oh, I did." Peter said truthfully, as he and Anya had stopped at a cafe on their way to the cave. "Tell Aunt May I'm sorry for not calling earlier, but I've been busy."
"I will." Mary Jane promised. "I had to have dinner with them anyway, as Aunt Anna's away right now."
"Oh. Well, look, tell them I'll be home soon?" Peter asked.
"I will." Mary Jane promised.
Peter sighed and hung up, before he put his phone away.
(Parker house)
Mary Jane lowered her phone and entered the sitting room, making Aunt May turn to her.
"Peter's on his way home." she explained. "Apparently he took longer out there than he thought."
"Did he get something to eat while out?" Aunt May asked.
"Oh, yeah, he did." Mary Jane assured.
"Well, that's good to know. And thanks for bringing Teresa home." Aunt May said.
"Yeah, thanks, MJ." Teresa said, turning to her.
"Don't mention it. Sometime's Peter's boss can be a bit demanding." Mary Jane explained.
"Oh, don't I know it." Teresa assured. "He told me that the day I met him, when he had to go to the White House for that conference."
Mary Jane smiled, while Aunt May looked at her, for she had a feeling she knew the true reason why Peter left, due to what they'd seen on the News all day about that Sin-Eater killer.
"Right. Well, I better get home. Aunt Anna should be back by now." Mary Jane said.
"Okay, and thanks again, Mary Jane." Aunt May said.
Mary Jane smiled as she turned and soon left the house.
"When Peter gets home, I'm having a word with him tomorrow." Aunt May thought.
That night, Lt. Jean DeWolff - George Stacy's right-hand woman - was walking away from the 13th Precinct, before she approached her car and pressed her keys. She opened the door and got inside, while unknown to her, Sin-Eater was watching from a car across the street in the shadows.
"You're next, Lt.." he thought. "You shouldn't have let my friend die like that years ago."
As Lt. DeWolff began to drive her car away from the station, Sin-Eater slowly followed her, not knowing she was his next target.
To be continued...
A/N: With the exception of Ray Cooper, all the CSI's are my OC's, as apparently, I haven't been able to find any others in any form of Marvel media.