impossible | barry allen

103

"I hope it's not too sweet." The woman pours us lemonade once we sat down with Devoe and his wife.

Barry takes a small sip, as do I, I let out a small hum, as Barry speaks "This is amazing."

"Just like my wife." Devoe admires, "Somehow she finds time to take care of me and still keep an immaculate household. And her three-cheese macaroni? Second to none! Sometimes I think I'm the luckiest man alive."

"I could say the same." Barry folds his hands together.

"I've been wondering who the lucky man was." The woman looks at me, her eyes darting to my ring, her accent thick, looking at Barry, "It's you, isn't it?"

"Yeah-" Barry says, his voice dangerously low, as if he was hesitant to give up information, "This is my fiancée."

"Anyway, back to what we came here for-" I sat up, "We would like to ask you a few questions."

"How can I help?" Clifford Devoe questions.

"The name Devoe came up in an investigation of ours-" I began.

The woman cuts me off, "Why him? Devoe's a common name."

"Yes, I'd wager at least 1,100 individuals give or take a few with that last name in the Central City area alone." Devoe spoke.

"The name's been identified for its connection to four separate criminal cases." I told him, keeping my posture straight.

"So you think my husband is a witness to these crimes?" The woman asks, looking at us.

"No, we'd like to eliminate him as a suspect." Barry informs her.

"You can't be serious." The woman stares at us.

"That's all right, Marlize." Devoe holds her hand, revealing her name, "Do go ahead."

"So, Professor, what brought you to Central City?" I grab my notepad and pen, ready to jot down whatever he was going to say.

"I grew up in South Africa." Devoe began, "After studying history and econometrics at the University of Johannesburg, I took a teaching position at Oxford. That's where we met."

Marlize hums. "He swept me off my feet and we have been together ever since."

"It did take a tenured offer from Central City University to lure me away from the Oxford faculty.
That was four years ago." Devoe told us.

"Next question, do you know Ramsey Deacon?" I hand him a picture of Ramsey.

"No, should I?" Devoe looks at me after his eyes scanned the picture.

"What about Becky Sharpe?" Barry hands him a picture of Becky.

"No, I'm afraid not." Devoe shook his head.

"Ralph Dibny? Mina Chaytan?" Barry handed him the pictures.

"Mina Chaytan." Devoe stared at her picture, "Now, that name's familiar."

"Isn't this the Native American woman that left abruptly?" Marlize asked her husband, "You know, the anthropologist?"

"Yes, I remember." He nods, "I was so sad to see her go."

"So, you were colleagues." I nod, "Did she mention her work?"

"No, no, no." Devoe shook his head, "Mina was an animated woman. Then again, people like us who see education as a calling, we often are."

"That painting-" Barry points out, catching all of our attention, "Uh, it's beautiful."

"The samurai. They were formidable foes. They'd often make unstoppable enemies to their opponents. You wouldn't want to cross one." Devoe looks back at us. "The feudal history of medieval Japan is one of my areas of expertise."