“Okay,
Ben, what do you have for me?” Peter asked his fellow Daily Bugle employee.
Pulling
out his everpresent noted pad, investigative reporter Ben Urich began flipping through
his notes. “Theres not much to tell
Pete. Rich Johnson wasn’t exactly a man
of mystery. Something of a New York oddity
tho.”
“How
so?” Peter leaned in to hear what had been found out.
“Johnson
was some kind of proto- Hefner. Made a
big stink back in the day because he was known to keep company with many a
pretty lady without ever actually settling down and he was rumored to be making
money off of pornography. Not that that
was ever actually proven. Not that there was ever any proof where he did make
his money, he just showed up one day independently wealthy.” Urich skimmed over
his notes.
“Okay.”
Peter nodded his head, “So why did he write me into his will? Along with three random
ladies?”
Ben
shrugged, “Hell if I know. He was rumored to be a pornographer and back in the
day that meant taking pictures, so we can assume he was a photographer. So maybe
he liked your photos of Spider-Man? He decided to do you a favor from one
photographer to another…?”
Peter
and Ben snorted and shook their heads.
“Still
doesn’t explain the three random women.” Peter furrowed his brow. “It’s just weird.”
“Ladies
man writes three very attractive blondes into his will. Shocking.” Ben
deadpanned.
“I’ll
give you that.” Peter nodded. “It just feels too easy.”
“Been
working at the Bugle too long, Pete. Not everything is a crime or a conspiracy.
Sometimes a senile old man’s crazy ass will is just a senile old man’s crazy
ass will.” Ben flipped his note book shut. “Nothing bad about that.”
Peter
sighed and nodded his head. “Yeah… but Parker luck means it usually is.”
“So
your not moving in?” Ben asked.
“Of
course I am.” Peter snorted, “Not like I got a choice. Harry is moving back home
to take care of Norman after he got tangled up in a fight between Spider-Man
and the Green Goblin so I’ve got to move out of the apartment. I can’t go back to Aunt May as she turned the
house into a place for fellow seniors. My original roommate Brian moved back to
England so the room got reassigned and Empire State said I’d have to wait till
next semester to find someplace.”
“No
help from you lady friends?” Ben asked.
“Gwen
still lives at home amd M.J. lives with her aunt. Something tells me that crashing
on the couch is not the impression I want to be making on either potential
future, um, significant other’s family.”
“So,
crazy old man’s mansion it is.” Ben smirked.
“So
it seems.” Peter huffed, “And, hey,
three lovely lady roommates. That each have their own places so I might not actually
have roommates. I mean, maybe Frost when she’s in town but since she’s Boston
based that maybe once or twice a year on business trips. So one lovely lady
roommate every once in a while. I can live with that. Peter Parker and three very
attractive blondes sounds like trouble.”