Candice and Frank stared at the flat screen monitor in front of them as the television reporter stood in front of the Brady Print Inc. building broadcasting the late breaking story amid the chaos of the press crowding the offices of Catwalk magazine.
“Citizens of Utopia City are mourning the loss of one of our finest superheroes this morning as the street vigilante The Peregrine was found dead alongside a female companion identified as Catwalk magazine’s Editor in Chief Deborah Bourne. Investigators are ruling it out as a homicide as both victims were discovered with their necks broken as they were thrown off a thirty story building. The assailant has yet to be caught and no suspect has been named.
What makes this story even more shocking is the revelation of The Peregrine’s secret identity as the debauched millionaire playboy Jonathan Brady, founder of the nude girly magazine Centerfold. Mr. Brady had been a tabloid favorite with life constantly marked by some sex scandal. With this information of his sordid past, allegations are surfacing that Deborah Bourne and Jonathan Brady had been involved in a secretive relationship and that perhaps a jealous rival had murdered the couple in a fit of passion. As of now a motive has yet to be determined.
We do know that police captain Ryan King and Jonathan Brady’s adoptive father, the elusive mega-billionaire Jeremiah Brady of Brady Conglomerate, will be making statements at offices of Catwalk fashion magazine. We turn to our live news crew who are waiting inside this building at Brady Print Inc as wait for both parties to make an important announcement.”
Candice covered her mouth in shock. “Oh my God, Deborah’s dead.”
“Well the queen bitch deserved it,” clucked Frank. “She wasn’t ever nice to people so I guess karma finally got her in the end.”
“How can you be so cold?” asked Candice. “Two people just died.”
“Oh shut the fuck up!” snapped Frank. “You’re just sad that you to have kiss someone else’s ass to keep your featured writer’s job! Fat chance of that happening.”
She ignored his hateful comments as employees of Catwalk huddled in a group around the microphone podium as news cameras, reporters, and photographers snapped pictures of the arriving speakers. Captain Ryan King of Utopia City’s police department got to the stage first to address the public’s questions.
At only thirty years old, Ryan King appeared to be quite young to be made captain of a police force but he proved all the naysayers wrong with his tough, go-getter attitude, his courageous experience on the beat, and his countless victories arresting murderers, rapists, and thieves. Plus, it helped that Ryan looked good on camera.
The man was gorgeous! He put all male models to shame with his rugged handsomeness, dark hair, jade colored green eyes, tall chiseled physique, and perfect muscular tan. Ryan King had many admirers, both female and male, and proved to be a positive role model and poster child for the city’s law enforcement.
Immediately a barrage of questions bombarded him as soon as he hit the podium.
“With the revelation of Jonathan Brady as superhero The Peregrine, do you believe he might also have been connected to any criminal activities?”
“At this time, we have no reason to suspect Mr. Brady had been involved with anything criminal,” explained Ryan. “Since he assisted with cleaning up the city and bringing villains to justice it is highly unlikely he was doing anything illegal except participate in vigilante situations.”
“Were the victims Deborah Bourne and The Peregrine a couple? Did they participate in any debauched sexually fueled immoral situations? How can we trust our superheroes with the knowledge they might be perverts?”
“Right now we no very little of the nature of Miss Bourne’s and Mr. Brady’s relationship,” said Ryan. “Yes, we do believe they both were involved in some way but how deep the connection ran is still under research. As far as the late Peregrine’s personal life, it is up to public opinion. Whether he was debauched or immoral is beside the point, he was simply a human being who did some good for this city. I think we should remember him for that and not what he did his personal life.”
“Any suspects at this time? The Peregrine must have had some archnemesis with a grudge against him?”
“I’m sure The Peregrine has several enemies he’s angered,” he continued. “However at this time, this case is still under investigation as we get more clues and a possible lead. As of now, we have no motive or a suspect.”
“What does his father Mr. Jeremiah Brady think about all of this?”
“I’ll answer that.”
A strong voice entered the room as uber-billionaire Jeremiah Brady stood in front of the podium to interrupt Captain Ryan. At sixty two, Jeremiah still looked good for a man his age despite the gray hair, his blue eyes which were now visually impaired and wrinkles that outlined his pale skin. A science prodigy since an early age, he began making wise investments and business decisions which shaped his future corporation.
By the age of eighteen, he became a multi-millionaire garnering economic and international specializing in computer software and technological inventions. But it would be the age of thirty that Jeremiah Brady would reach his financial peak as his empire went globally mainstream making Brady Conglomerate a household. Thereby, cementing his reputation as the world’s richest man.
Jeremiah made his way to the microphone to voice his perspective. He glanced around the room as flash bulbs went off in his face.
“Hello I am Jeremiah Brady. I am also the adoptive father of Jonathan Brady and his brother Minasi. I adopted both boys as my wards when they were very young and groomed them to be my heirs for Brady Conglomerate. Jonathan was always a spirited lad. Irresponsible. Always refusing to take over the reigns of the family business so I had little faith I could groom him as my successor.”
Ten years ago we had a falling out forcing me to disown him as my son. My intent was for him to mature and take his life more seriously. Obviously he did the exact opposite with what little money I gave him to squander and create that smut rag Centerfold which I abhor to this day. We haven’t spoken since which was a decade ago.”
“The revelation of Jonathan’s vigilante activities as The Peregrine sickens me! My family had no prior knowledge that he was participating in this kind of activity and I’m completely embarrassed and ashamed of our connection to him. I do not condone this type of behavior for I believe that being a costumed crime fighter or a maniacal villain is no different than one to the other.”
With that said, my family has been put through enough humiliation and I do ask that the public respect my family’s wishes as I bury my son in peace. Furthermore, please forgive Jonathan for being the flawed, troubled man that he was as the police go about bringing his and Miss Bourne’s murderer to justice. Thank you for your time.”
Questions immediately began to fly toward Jeremiah to which he reciprocated his response with the usual NO COMMENT until one journalist managed to grab his attention explaining why he was there.
“With the passing of Miss Deborah Bourne as Catwalk’s Editor in Chief, have you found a suitable replacement for her?”
“As I matter of fact of I have,” he told the reporters.
He beckoned across the room to a well dressed twenty seven year old Eurasian man in a designer suit. This man was exotically handsome from his jet black hair, dark eyes, olive skin, slender well toned stature, and mysterious smile entrancing the crowed as he joined Jeremiah at the podium.
“Ladies and gentleman, I would like you to meet Catwalk’s new Editor in Chief. My son Minasi Brady!”
