One thing that is always true about killers, or at least those who kill in Central City, is that they always, always leave their victims in parks. No one is quite sure why they do that, it's almost as if the murderers want people to see the heinous crime that they've committed. As if they are boasting and showing off their work to the world. The cops of the CCPD have often had to deal with shaken passers-by, who have had to bear witness to any numerous and gruesome bodies and crime scenes over the years. Realistically, half the population should have gone mad by this point, but thanks to the cops and lately the Flash, the murderers had been kept away and the people kept safe. But as the crime scene is taped off, and people come to stand and watch the men and women in uniform do their job, there is a sense that this might be different. The body lying on the ground is broken and hunched in on itself, yet there is not a single trace of blood or damage anywhere on the body or near it. It simply looks as if the body had been crushed in, abnormally, and the people are freaking out.
As Barry hovers over the body, processing the scene and observing his surroundings, he can understand the urge for people to point and whisper. This is not normal; it really is not normal. A body that has been this damaged should be bloodied and scarred, not looking as if it has merely shifted in its sleep. He looks at the woman, and shudders, auburn hair, green eyes, she could have been his mother, but she is not. He has to keep telling himself that, to make sure he doesn't puke. He feels a hand against his shoulder, and sees Joe standing there looking at him questioningly. Rising slowly, he speaks. "I can't tell what happened here Joe. Nothing I've seen or read about can explain this. All I can tell you is that she's had the life sucked out of her."
Joe can tell how much saying those words haunts his son, and he knows that his son is thinking about the last time something like this happened, he certainly is. "Is there no DNA you can get off of her?"
Barry looks at his foster-father, and then at the body, seeing not for the first time, his mother's body lying there, he blinks once, then turns back. "I can try, I'm not confident though."
"Give it a try Bear." Joe says, taking a good look at the woman lying there, and seeing Nora Allen lying on the floor of the Allen's house all those years ago.
Barry nods, crouching down and trying to get something from the body that is before him, and trying desperately hard not to think of his mother. It is hard work, but eventually he manages to come away with a swab, which he files away into one of his bags. Standing up, he looks at Joe and says. "I'll run a few tests and see what comes up. I'll see you back at the lab." His foster-father nods, and Barry hightails it out of there, needing some air. He can't breathe for some reason.
Joe watches his son leave the crime scene, sadness blooming within him. It's obvious to him that what happened with Wells and the singularity is still affecting Barry, though his son won't talk about it with him. As far as he knows, Barry hasn't even talked to Iris about it. Sighing, he turns and looks at his partner. Eddie Thawne, a good man, and a good cop. "What do you have for me Eddie?" he asks.
Eddie looks at his partner, and he can tell the crime before them is having some sort of negative effect on him, but he knows Joe won't tell him why. He'll have to figure it out himself. He looks at the body before them, and shudders. He never met Nora Allen, but Iris has told him all about how she looked and what she was like. The woman before them, looks exactly like how he imagines Nora did. He can only imagine what this is doing to Barry. Sighing, he looks at his partner and says. "The witnesses who were here, said they saw this woman walking through the park at around six this morning. She looked a bit dishevelled, as if she was coming back from a night out. Everything seemed normal, but then apparently a man appeared and attacked her. Or rather hugged her and then when he pulled away, she was left like this."
"So he just hugged her, and when he pulled away, she was left like this?" Joe asks, nodding to the body, not quite sure what to make of it.
"Yes." Eddie replies. "I don't know what to make of it myself. I think it is possible, but then, how could he do something like that?" he lowers his voice then. "Unless he was a meta."
Joe takes a deep breath, he can understand why his partner might think that, but something about this doesn't sit right with him. "I can understand that. But if he was a meta, why didn't he have some distinguishing feature? All the metas we've had to deal with in the past year have had distinctive features have they not?"
Eddie nods. "I know Joe, but what if this guy was someone who knew that, and was trying to hide his active ability." He can think of one person who might be able to do that, but he doesn't want to bring him up. As far as he knows, that guy died a long time ago.
Joe sees something glinting in the sunlight, and he leans down, picking it up with gloved hands, he sees that it is a blue gem. He looks at it and feels his heart plummet. He wonders how Barry could've missed this. Looking at Eddie, he says. "Bag this will you, and take it to Barry."
Taking the glove and the gem from Joe, Eddie looks at it, and his heart starts hammering. "What is it Joe?" he asks, sensing that there is more to this than his partner is trying to let on.
Joe looks at the gem in Eddie's hands and then at Eddie. His voice is soft when he says. "That gem was part of the calling card that the murderer behind Cobalt Blue, would use whenever he took someone's life."
Eddie looks at it and swallows. He's seen this somewhere before. "Do you think it is the same person?" It could well be, and the person he thinks it is still dead, he hopes to God that that is true.
Joe nods. "I do. Meet me at the precinct. We need to talk about this with Barry." The urgency in his voice clearly gets the message across to Eddie, for soon enough his partner is walking back to his car, and getting in. Joe takes one last look at the body, knowing that it will arrive in the morgue soon enough. He sighs, hoping he is wrong, but knowing somewhere deep down that he is not. He turns and walks away walking back to the car.
As Joe and Eddie make their way back to the precinct, Barry Allen sits in his crime lab, going over the DNA swab he got from the woman, and trying desperately not to think of his mother. Instead he finds himself thinking back to the first time he saw something like this. The Cobalt Blue murders, so named for the blue gems that were left behind each time. They never managed to catch the man or woman who was responsible for those, and it has haunted Barry ever since. Still, the chances of the man or woman returning now are slim. At least he hopes so, he doesn't want the nightmares to return. The beeping of the computer brings him back to the present, he takes a look at the screen and falls back stunned. That can't be right, surely not? He runs the test again, and waits for the results to come back. As he waits, Joe and Eddie arrive.
The minute he walks into the lab, he can tell something's up with his son, Joe's not sure what, but he's sure it's something serious. Sighing, he knows that whatever it is will be made worse by what he has to tell him. "Bear, we found this at the crime scene." He nods to Eddie who puts the blue gem onto the table. As expected Barry flinches when he looks at it.
"Where was it?" Barry asks, kicking himself over missing something so important.
"Near the woman's stomach." Eddie says, seeing how worried Barry looks, and wondering just how deep the scars run.
Barry nods, but before he can respond, the computer bleeps, and he looks at it, feeling his heart sink. "No. That can't be right."
Joe feels worry beginning to grow inside of him at the worried tone of his son's voice. "What is it Bear?" he asks.
Barry merely gestures to the computer and says. "The results from the DNA swab I took came back. It says that the woman who we found there, is related to me. It says that she's my mother."