The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive (Male Reader Insert)

6.4 Inspection and Invention

Joe, Cisco, and Patty were walking through a rundown, lower section of town. The suburb that once housed well kept yards and fresh houses was now home to rundown homes with faded paint jobs and sagging roofs. The suburb had at one point in time been known for its family friendly neighborhood and atmosphere. But that was long gone. Now it was better known for its crack houses and gang membership. 

One house in particular seemed worse than the others. The front porch sagged like a tired, sad dog. The once blue paint job had long since faded, now appearing a sick shade similar to a dark cloud. Vines and roots grew across the yard and over the front driveway. Some of the windows had been smashed from previous gang activities. The two detectives and one scientist walked up the porch towards the house.

Cisco: Joe, what are we doing here?

Joe: Something still doesn't feel right about this whole Zoom thing. If we want to catch him, instead of focusing on what he's been doing on other Earths, I thought we should look into his history with ours, start from there.

Cisco: Right, but what are we doing here specifically?

Joe: This is Barry's childhood home. I thought about investigating it again at some point, but I've never been able to find the time or any good reason to. But with the man in black's return, I thought it'd be best we start building our case to help get Henry out of Iron Heights.

Both Cisco and Patty stared at the house with open eyes. They took in its rundown appearance. This was it. This was where Nora Allen had been murdered.

Cisco: Guess this place really fell from grace.

Joe: After the incident, nobody really wanted to buy a home where a recent murder had taken place. Local rumors ranging anywhere from the murder being a bad omen to the house itself being haunted. Eventually, the whole neighborhood fell with it. 

Joe pulled out a spare key from years ago and unlocked the door. Even after unlocking it, the door was still jammed. Joe had to apply a little force and shove it open. The old wooden door gave in, opening up to the small home inside. Dust bunnies and mothballs covered the place. If the outside was bad, the inside was even worse. Some parts of the floor had given way and opened up, holes leading down to the crawl space under the house. Still, some parts of the house remained fairly well kept.

Joe: I've tried my best over the years to keep as much of the crime scene intact as possible. I never knew why, some part of me grasping at some useless idea of hope. Maybe some uncovered truth that could prove Henry's innocence. Now, Barry doesn't know we're here and I'd like to keep it that way. He and Y/N have enough going on to deal with Zoom. The last thing they need is a personal connection. Those boys are smart, but they can become a little overconfident with themselves. Understood?

Cisco: Right.

Both Cisco and Patty nodded. Joe walked into the old house, Cisco following behind him. Patty stayed behind, hesitant to enter. She paused at the doorway and looked at the room inside. Joe turned back to her.

Joe: Detective?

Patty: Barry never wanted me to see this place. I can see why. 

She was hesitant to enter, knowing this was something deeply personal to her boyfriend. Joe walked over to her and eased her worries.

Joe: I know you respect Barry, and I appreciate that. It's what I myself appreciate about you, Detective. But right now we need to cast aside personal relations and do our job. Barry would understand.

Patty nodded. She took a deep breath and crossed the threshold into the rundown home. The group all made their way to the living room where the murder had taken place. Old, torn up police tape still covered the room. Cisco placed down the briefcase he was carrying and unlocked it. He pulled out a small device that resembled a speedometer. He walked around the room with it, scanning the walls. After a bit, he shook his head.