Something Immortal

Three and a Half Years Later

        Peter stood at the top of a building, looking down at the ground below, crouching, waiting to pounce. This wasn't an unusual sight around here, a young man clinging to a window, wearing a black trench coat and a fedora even in the middle of summer. But temperature didn't really affect Peter anymore; he slowly became used to it. The watch that you had given him glinted brightly against the black fabric, reflecting the sun that partially peeked out from behind a cloud. Today was a rather lazy day, hardly even a jaywalker passing through. Eventually, Peter stood up from his crouched position and walked down the side of the building. Slipping into a nearby ally, Peter took off his mask and put his glasses back on. Then, he quickly blended into the sidewalk traffic. He still got quite a bit of attention, being a six-foot-two man where the average height was five-foot-four. Also, any person wearing an over sized, dark trench coat in July was bound to gain some attention.

It had been about a month since that portal had opened up, spitting Peter into a strange world that he still did not fully understand. He still had the rubix cube, which had taken two weeks for him to figure out. It was a challenge that he had appreciated, especially to distract him from missing his new friends. He understood Gwen, not wanting new friends. But, now that he had them, he missed them. Even with his new job, he didn't have too much to distract himself from the lonely hours that passed.

After walking for about twenty minutes, Peter came upon a small building that he had turned into his office. His stories that he sold to the Daily Bugle earned him enough money to start a low-key private eye business. Not very many people knew about him, and so it took some digging to find him, but, once they did, they got their case solved. It didn't matter how difficult it was or how unsolvable, he found some way to get a solution. He slipped out of his trench coat and switched into a dress shirt and tie.

No sooner did Peter sit down at his desk did a woman barge into the office, seeming frantic. Peter got this a lot, especially with the great depression continuing to spread across the country. Men would often leave their families, thinking that they were probably better off without them. This would leave their wives panicked and stuck, trying to provide for their children and wondering whatever could've happened to their husband.

"I heard that you could help me?" she asked quietly.

"Of course," he replied, leaning forward on his desk. "So what brings a dame such as you to me?"

She was obviously rich and well-off, her nails painted and the latest fashionable dress around her waist. Sitting down across from Peter, he could see that she was pretty. Young, with round eyes and full lips.

"It's my husband-" she started, the per usual, "I think he's been stealing from me."

Peter sat up straighter. This was new. Yes, he'd heard of men suddenly leaving, but they had never stolen from their wives. At least, as far as he had heard.

"What makes you think that he is?" he asked.

She sighed. "Well, we've never really gotten along, not since the wedding day. Then, about a week ago, some of my best earrings disappeared and my husband suddenly had about two-hundred-dollars extra laying around in his safe."

Two-hundred-dollars? For earrings? Peter thought in disbelief. "Anything else, ma'am?"

"Yes. My diamond brooch, my alligator purse, and some old family records, including my grandmother's will. That included the fact that my grandmother's estate and inheritance went to me, her only grandchild," she reported. "That estate costs about three-million-dollars and the inheritance is five-million-dollars."