The Flash, Barry Allen, would never know how many Flashes had traveled back in time on the day his mother died.
Hawk had always thought that saying was a joke.
Until the story reflected his own life.
He had originally thought that on the day his biological father, Andrew Kloe, died, there was only one Angel who had traveled back to New York City, and that was Father John.
Who would have thought... on that day, the two tall and thin White gunmen who feigned a chance encounter and shot his biological father, Andrew Kloe, were also Angels.
They were just from an earlier timeline than his.
And they were Angels who had severed their own Angel wings, cutting themselves off to become ordinary people... Death soldiers?
Hawk thought to himself.
It was precisely because of this that he had recorded the aura of these two gunmen on the day Andrew Kloe died twenty years ago, but after he returned to New York City, under the shroud of his seven senses, he could find no trace of them.
However—
Since the metaphysical approach didn't work, he would go the scientific route.
And he knew who to find.
George Stacy!
Yes.
His future father-in-law.
"My dad was the patrol officer on this case back then?"
On the way to the 21st Precinct, Gwen, sitting in the passenger seat, looked somewhat disbelieving: "Was he the one who went to notify Amy Kloe that Andrew Kloe had unfortunately passed away?"
Hawk smiled slightly, glancing at Gwen.
"Surprised?"
"This isn't a surprise, Hawk."
Gwen looked at Hawk with a serious expression: "Death is never a serious matter, especially since that day was your turning point."
Hawk readily agreed.
"Sorry."
"But..."
Gwen accepted Hawk's apology for treating hardship as a joke, and asked curiously: "My dad was just the patrol officer on this case. If you want to find those two gunmen, shouldn't you go to the detectives who were in charge of the case at the time?"
Hawk smiled slightly. While waiting for the traffic light, he reached for the back seat, and a file that Sharon Carter had printed out from the trunk appeared in his hand, which he then handed to Gwen.
Gwen took it and flipped through the contents of the file.
Just as Gwen had said.
Initially, George Stacy was just the patrol officer on the Andrew Kloe case.
But!
This case was also George Stacy's first homicide case in his patrol officer career.
As everyone knows.
The first time, for a man, is always quite special and always quite memorable.
As for the reason—
"Hiss!"
"Dad reopened this case a month ago?"
Gwen flipped to the end and saw that George Stacy, the Captain of the 21st Precinct, had reopened the investigation into the case. She couldn't help but widen her eyes: "Wait, was this case never solved?"
Hawk shook his head: "No."
For George Stacy, this was the first homicide case of his patrol officer career.
But for the two detectives in charge of the case at the time, this case was just one of many unsolved cases in their detective careers.
Ordinary.
Without any distinguishing features.
After investigating for two weeks, the two detectives simply declared the investigation suspended, citing gang retaliation as the reason.
Nothing else.
Who made the port where Andrew Kloe worked back then indeed the territory of the Hell's Kitchen gang? So the two detectives' reason of gang retaliation was, at the time, a perfectly reasonable guess... what a load of crap!
"Amy Kloe refused to sign the body release form, insisting that the deceased (Andrew Kloe) was not a gang member, and refused to acknowledge the significance."
"Thereafter, the body remained in a freezer at a medical examiner's office in Brooklyn."
"A month ago, the 21st Precinct, which reopened the case, took possession of the body."
"..."
Gwen flipped through the file to the end, then looked at Hawk, opening her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but felt like she couldn't say anything at all.
Hawk spoke for Gwen.
"Are we very fated?"
"..."
Gwen rolled her eyes and said softly: "I know you don't have feelings for Kloe, but try not to treat hardship as a joke."
Hawk met Gwen's gentle, admonishing gaze, the smile on his face disappearing. He acknowledged her, stopped talking, and drove to the 21st Precinct.
Sitting in the Captain's office, George, wearing his daylight ring, leaned back in his chair, eyes wide, looking at Hawk, his tone also somewhat incredulous.
"You are Andrew Kloe's child?"
"Yes."
"Dad, you've already asked for the third time."
Gwen, standing to the side, said speechlessly, then quickly got the conversation back on track: "Dad, you were the patrol officer on this case back then?"
"Yes."
"I remember it very clearly."
"It was the day after your baptism. My patrol partner and I were out on the street, received information, and as per the precinct's request, found Amy Kloe, brought her back to the precinct to identify the body and be questioned."
"That was the first homicide case of my patrol officer career."
"And Amy Kloe even came to cause trouble a few times back then, so I remember it very clearly."
George glanced at his obedient daughter, Gwen, then looked at Hawk, recounting memories related to the Andrew Kloe case as if in thought.
Since becoming a Vampire, he found his memory to be much, much better than before.
"Amy Kloe never accepted Gioruno and Bruce's conclusions."
"Gioruno and Bruce were the detectives in charge of the case at the time."
"Amy Kloe insisted that her husband was not a gang member, and she said that on the day of the incident, the convenience store owner had also said that a patrol officer had chased after the two gunmen."
"But this was not mentioned in Gioruno and Bruce's report."
"So Amy Kloe did not accept Gioruno and Bruce's investigation and insisted on having different detectives investigate."
"So, were they eventually replaced?"
Gwen asked curiously.
George smiled.
"1995?"
"Replace detectives?"
"How could that be."
Gwen was speechless.
That's right.
In the nineties, that was the golden age of New York detectives, when they grew most wildly.
Hawk frowned: "So, was there a patrol officer who chased them at the time?"
In his memory, there were indeed two patrol officers who passed by at the time, and one patrol officer did indeed chase after them.
George glanced at Hawk.
"Yes!"
"This matter caused quite a stir."
"The Captain at the time also inquired about it, severely scolding Gioruno and Bruce. At that time, there was indeed a patrol officer who went after the two gunmen, but he didn't catch them."
"And that patrol officer didn't get a clear look at what the two gunmen looked like."
"Furthermore, that patrol officer had asked Gioruno and Bruce not to write an additional report, so the two of them didn't include this matter in the report."
"Afterward, the Captain asked me to go explain the situation to Amy Kloe."
"I went."
"But that house had already been sold, and Amy Kloe was nowhere to be found."
"Until—"
"A month ago!"
"..."
Hawk raised an eyebrow.
Gwen also watched her father without blinking.
George didn't keep them in suspense.
"A month and a half ago, on my way home, I was stopped by someone."
"Amy Kloe."
"She said she saw news in the newspaper about us eliminating the Shoe Foot gang and knew that I was now the Captain of the 21st Precinct."
"Amy requested that the investigation into her husband's Death be reopened."
"But how could a case from another precinct be reopened just like that?"
"I initially refused, so I told her that back then, that patrol officer was just afraid of trouble, which is why he didn't report it."
"As a result..."
"Amy Kloe told me that she had been threatened, and it was precisely because of this that she chose to move and send her child to the church."
"It's just..."
At this point, George looked at Hawk with a strange expression again, his tone filled with emotion: "I didn't expect that child to be you."
Hawk was already used to George's surprised gaze.
He shrugged, his expression calm.
Gwen, sitting to the side, was engrossed and pressed on.
"And then, did Mrs. Chloe tell you who threatened her?"
"Yes."
George withdrew his gaze, looked at Gwen, and nodded with a smile: "She said that after she refused to sign, before moving out of that house, she was followed and threatened by Bruce and that patrol officer."
Hawk raised an eyebrow.
Gwen's eyes widened.
"So, you chose to reopen this case investigation?"
"I wanted to, but these are only Amy's statements. I can't reopen a homicide investigation based solely on one person's statement, especially when the subjects of the investigation are our own people."
"Not to mention, Bruce sacrificed himself in an arrest operation nineteen years ago."
"That patrol officer also sacrificed himself in a Fire a year later."
"Under these circumstances, if I were to investigate them, even if I am the Captain of the precinct, I would be cursed to Death."
George shook his head, his expression helpless.
Again.
He was just serious, not pedantic.
As someone who came up from the grassroots, no one understood better than him the storm that an investigation targeting officers would stir up.
Especially two officers and a patrol officer who sacrificed themselves in the line of duty.
Let alone him, even the Chief of Police, if they wanted to reopen the investigation into these two officers and the patrol officer, would face resistance.
It's possible the police union would even go on strike and protest because of it.
Hawk listened to George's words, frowning.
"But you still reopened the investigation, so that means you did gather some evidence, didn't you?"
"Yes."
George looked at Hawk, smiling slightly: "I saw Bruce."
Hawk raised an eyebrow.
Gwen blinked.
"Dad, didn't you say Bruce died nineteen years ago?"
"Yes."
George nodded: "I even attended Bruce's funeral nineteen years ago."
As he spoke.
George opened his drawer, took out a photo, and handed it to Hawk: "But a month ago, I saw Bruce at a Vampire bar."
Hawk reached out and took it.
Gwen, sitting beside him, leaned closer to Hawk... (End of chapter)
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