I walked back into the Cortex at the same time as Caitlin.
"Why is the scariest man I've ever seen roaming our halls?" She asked.
"Cisco." Barry and Joe answered together.
"Oh."
"Ok, so I've got the coroner's report for the death of the bus driver, but it doesn't seem like there's any signs of foul play. " Iris reported.
"Aside from him being the one guy that could have told us who else was on that bus."
"They logged his personal effects, let's see...credit cards, cash, receipts, um..." She scrolled past a business card that I instantly recognized the name on.
"Wait, go back." I said. She flipped back to the card.
Ralph Dibny
Private Investigator
And on the side, written in pen, it said I owe you $$ for the ride. 10/10/17
I looked up at Barry and Joe.
"No freaking way."
"Ralph Dibny." Barry stated.
"I'll be." Joe said.
"Who is Ralph Dibny?" Iris questioned.
"He used to be a cop."
"Dirty cop. He got kicked off the force." Barry explained.
"For what?"
"It's a long story."
"But he should've been kicked off the force before that, considering that Laura has logged over twenty sexual harrasment complaints against him." Iris pulled his picture up on the TV screen. It was in his police uniform. The smiling man that was very different from the one I had run into the other day.
"That's him."
"He's handsome in a square-jawed Oliver Queen kind of way." I nodded in agreement.
"I will give him that." I said. Barry turned to his fiancé.
"For real?"
"Babe, you know I've only got eyes for you."
"The IOU is dated the same day that I cam eout of the Speed Force."
"You think Dibny was on that bus that day," Caitlin theorized, "Maybe he's a meta-human now?"
"Let's pay him a visit."
"Laura, you might want to change into something more Dibny appropriate." Joe told me. I shrugged.
"It's not anythign I havent' heard before. Plus, I ran into him the other day, so it won't be surprising."
"You ran into him?" Iris asked.
"It was before Barry came back, so I wouldn't have noticed anything suspicous." I told her.
~~~
We found the building, and I wasn't surprised when a woman in a low-cut dress came out of his office with a disgusted look on her face.
"I feel ya, sister!" I called after her before turning back around. "You can't wear a dress like that in front of Dibny. Recipie for disaster." I walked forward, knocking on the door before walking in. Dibny was facing away from us, a mirror in his hand.
"Reconsidered, huh?" He turned around, putting the mirror down, only for his smile to fall when he saw Joe and I standing there.
"Ralph." Joe greeted.
"Joe West. Laura, good to see you again. Still look great, loving the skirt." I nodded awkwardly. Then Barry came out from behind us. Ralph now stood up, putting his hands in his pockets."Barry Allen. Been a long time, Rookie."
"Well, I'm not a rookie anymore, Dibny. You look healthy." He said, looking at Dibny's stomach.
"Yeah, got the spare tire out of the trunk. It happens, as Laura here so lovingly pointed out at Jitters the other day. Might even happen to you too, one day Slim Jim. So what brings you guys to Casa de Dibny?"
"Were you on the 405 bus four weeks ago? Around noon?" I asked.
"That's a very specific question." He replied.
"We found your IOU from the deceased bus driver's personal effects."
"Deceased? Hey. that's one less U I owe." he said, sitting back down. "What's it to you three?"
"It's a simple question, why don't you just answer it?" Barry asekd.
"You walk into my office after five years like nothing ever happened, and ask me for a favor? I smell a mystery."
"It's not a favor. it's information."
"And how much is this infomration worth?" He asked.
"Are you shaking us down?" He leaned forward, opening a desk drawer and removing a donut.
"I know something you don't. And you need to know it badly, or else you'd never swallow your pride and face me after what you did."
"After what I did?" Barry asked, starting forward. I put a hand on his shoulder.
"Barry, relax." I pushed him back, stepping forward.
"Ralph, the people on the bus were exposed to a dangerous substance." I said.
"Dangerous?" he put the donut back in the drawer, shutting it. "Dangerous like what, like Ebola?"
"No, not Ebola. It's-"
"Were you on the bus?" Barry asked, cutting me off.
"No."
"Ok. Let's go."
"Hey, I heard you shacked up with that Hot DA. She got a sister?" Joe glared at him. "Ok." Barry and Joe left, leaving me alone with Ralph. "Got more insults to shoot out, Laura?" I shook my head.
"I...I jsut wanted to apologize for the other day." he furrowed his eyebrows. "I was in a bad place, and while you disgust me with your vulgar comments...it wasn't right of me to take it out on you and I'm sorry. And thank you for the coffee."
"You...you're welcome." I grabbed one of his business card and a pen off of his desk.
"I just might live to regret this, but if you do have any important information...this is my cell phone number. Just call me or text me or...whatever. Goodbye, Ralph." I turned to leave.
"Laura..." I stopped, turning around, "All suggestive comments aside...you really do look good." I offered him a small smile.
"Thanks, Dibny." I turned, leaving his office. Both with the coffee, and jsut then, I saw something in Dibny that I didn't see five years ago. I'm beginning to think that there's more to him then I know about.
I met Barry and Joe outside.
"What took you so long?" Barry asked.
"I was...apologizing for the coffee shop the other day."
"I told you Laura, you don't have to apologize to him." I shrugged.
"Well, I was rude. And I beleive in taking responsibility for your own actions instead of justifying them with the actions of others."
"That guy hasn't changed a bit." Joe said as we walked past the Alley.
"You really expected him to?" Barry asked. I paused, questioning something I'd seen out of the corner of my eye. I stopped turning around to see Ralph Dibny hanging upside down, his legs stretching and slowly lowering him to the ground.
"Um...guys? It's possible he has changed...just a little bit." They came back, standing beside me. His legs flopped onto the pavement all around him.
"I guess he was on that bus." Joe stated.