STING [peter parker & betty cooper]

Chapter Six: Roof-Crawler

I sat in the dining room eating my breakfast with my phone opened to page one of the Riverdale Register as I glanced at the main title.

MASKED MAN DRESSED IN ALL BLACK PREVENTS DISASTER AT LOCAL POOL PARTY. POLICE HAVE NO LEADS. HERO OR WEIRDO?

Police are looking for a masked man who was caught on video smashing a control panel attached to a malfunctioning hot tub (...)

According to the police, the security video shows the control panel being ripped out of its place by the masked man, who mysteriously appears on the roof of the backyard of the house and intervenes precisely when the incident is occurring, using a strange device attached to his wrist to impose the damage (...)

The man was dressed in all-black clothes with a black vest and black boots. He was also wearing white goggles to hide his identity. According to the description provided, the man might be in his twenties or early thirties.

Riverdale Police say the occurrence happened just before 3:30 pm on Saturday, October 21 at a private residence located on Providence Street. There were at least thirty-five teenagers inside the house when the hot tub started malfunctioning in the backyard. No injuries were reported.

(...)

Members of the private residence are working with the authorities and seeking protection and advice. In view of the confusing circumstances, they have provided all security footage that could be relevant to the case. The footage has not been released to the public as the investigation is conducted.

(...)

After the incident, police say the man jumped out of the roof and probably headed south, directly to the forest. If you have any information, you're asked to call police at [...]. You can also submit a tip online at [...]

I sensed my mother enter the room before I heard her voice. "Morning."

I rolled my eyes without looking at her and exclaimed, "Mom, don't you think this title is a little sensationalist? Hero or weirdo?"

She glanced over my shoulder at my phone and sighed. "Well in this case I can't agree. The man's behavior and the circumstances are extremely strange."

"Yeah I know but c'mon... he helped." I defended.

"He did, thank god. I don't want to imagine what could've happened if he didn't intervene. I guess if the Muggs hadn't called the police you wouldn't tell us anything. We had to hear it from the Brown's for Christ's sake. It's good to know you lock yourself in your room and don't confide in us after something like this happens." Her eyes blazed with anger and concern.

"Please, mom, don't start this again." I could tell where this conversation was going and I was beginning to get defensive.

"Good morning." My dad forced a smile when he walked in, observing us discreetly.

"Hi." I said curtly.

We ate in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes before I cleared my throat. "So there's really no progress? The police have no clue who this man might be?"

"They couldn't solve this if the man himself strode into the station in broad daylight and handed them his id card." Mom said lightly.

Dad laughed. "They're not that bad. They're just not used to this kind of case. I wouldn't want to be in their shoes right now."

"Betty, the best thing to do is stay away from Ethel for the next few days." She said.

I didn't know if the coffee was having some sort of bizarre effect on me but I was getting visibly annoyed at my mother's voice. She thinks just because she owns the Riverdale Register she knows more than most. Well little did she know I possessed my own copy of the Mugg's security footage and I had been doing research of my own.