Central City Police Department, rooftop.
The wind was fierce, whipping Joe West's trench coat around him. He leaned against a rust-streaked ventilation duct, holding an old flip phone with no SIM card.
The call connected.
"Found it." A raspy voice came through the receiver amid a crackle of static. "Harrison Wells lived in Star City until fifteen years ago. He and his wife, Tess Morgan, founded the predecessor to S.T.A.R. Labs."
Joe held half an unlit cigarette between his fingers, his brow furrowed. "When did he come to Central City?"
"Fifteen years ago. Specifically, the second week after Tess Morgan died in a bizarre car accident." The informant paused and lowered his voice. "Joe, that accident happened one month before Nora Allen was murdered."
Joe's fingers tightened sharply, drawing a crisp creak of protest from the plastic casing.
One month.
A car accident in Star City, his wife's death, a move to Central City, Nora's murder, Henry's imprisonment.
The timeline fit together perfectly, the coincidences chilling.
"What do the Star City Police Department files say about the accident?" Joe asked.
"That's the damnedest part." The informant sucked in a breath. "The files were sealed. The encryption level is extremely high. I asked a hacker friend on the inside, and he couldn't even get past the outer firewall. Someone deliberately erased every detail of that accident."
"Got it. I'll transfer the balance to your offshore account tonight."
Joe hung up, took the old phone apart, and removed the battery, tossing it and the handset into the rooftop trash can.
He turned toward the stairwell.
Pushing open the door to Inspector Singh's office, Joe slapped a leave request straight onto the desk.
"I need to go to Star City," Joe said bluntly.
Singh looked up, glanced at the words "personal business" on