Kate Fuller is a young deputy working her first homicide case and unknowingly seeks out the help from the devil himself. | Lucifer on Fox AU. Cross-posted on AO3.
I started Lucifer and it ruined my life and now, this happened. I worked really hard to keep everyone in character and I hope I didn't flop.
I don't own Dusk and I don't own Lucifer, either. Song title comes from the song 'Lucifer' by XOV.
Right now, I have about five chapters planned, but that may or may not be subject to change.
White female, late twenties to early thirties. Attractive. Found sprawled across the sheets half-naked in a lavish hotel suite by the maid.
Even if this wasn't Kate's first time taking on an actual homicide as a case, she's seen this story before. Thousands of Hollywood films, countless procedural crime dramas on television, on the pages of every mystery novel.
Still, none of that has prepared her for this. Nothing makes stomaching this scene any easier.
"You alright, Kate?" asks her partner, as though he can sense her discomfort. She's been working with Freddie since she'd been made deputy a little over a month ago, and he's in many ways became more like a friend than a mentor.
She nods weakly in his direction.
He nudges her shoulder reassuringly and crosses over to the bed to get a closer look at the body.
Kate takes in her surroundings as she slowly follows his lead. Aside from the unmade sheets on the bed and a few articles of clothing strewn across the floor, the room is relatively tidy for a crime scene.
"Bloodshot eyes," Freddie says, crouching over the victim's face. "We have to wait for forensics but this looks like suffocation."
Kate finds herself staring at the woman's face; her features are delicate, skin pale, lipstick smeared around her mouth, which had been left slightly agape in her struggle. Her eyes hazel, blown wide and rimmed with red, gaze lifelessly at the ceiling above her head. Kate isn't sure how a stare so cold could seemingly burn holes.
There is a tug at her heart that she tries hard to ignore. It's the only way she's going to be cut out for this.
"I can't seem to find an ID," Freddie says, breaking Kate out of her trance. "Receptionist downstairs says this room is under a Manuel Guerrera. Not to be presumptive, but I highly doubt that's our vic's name."
Someone from forensics enters the room and Freddie glances over at Kate, who is just realizing how quiet she has been they've gotten here.
"I'm going to finish up in here," Freddie tells her. "Do you want to head downstairs and find the receptionist? See what she else she or anyone else might know about our Jane Doe?"
Kate nods, appreciative for the chance to step out and regain her focus, but admittedly a little bit disappointed in herself.
Freddie steps closer to her and whispers in her ear. "I threw up right after my first time, kid. You're doing just fine."
Down in the lobby, Kate approaches the woman behind the counter. She's not the same girl they'd spoken to upon arriving to the hotel just a little while earlier, but the gold tag on her blazer identifies her as the manager.
"Deputy Fuller," she introduces herself. "I'm investigating the death in room 202. May I have a moment of your time?"
"Of course," the woman says. She has long dark hair that Kate finds herself envying for a split second.
"The victim is a woman. Possibly in her late twenties. Brown hair, small frame. Does this fit the description of anyone accompanying whoever that room was checked out to?"
The woman, whose name tag also identifies her as Kisa, frowns. "Not to my knowledge, I'm afraid. To tell you the truth, I never even saw the man himself."
Kate purses her lips. "Do you know of anyone who has?"
"I'm sorry, I don't. But I can get you access to security footage if you would like?"
"That would be extremely helpful."
The manager types something into the computer in front of her. "Records show Manuel Guerrera checked in two days ago. I will go and retrieve all the footage we have since then. Just give me a minute."
"Thank you so much," Kate says in response, turning her attention to the lobby. Adorned with expensive-looking pieces of art and various shades of grey and silver, the hotel presents itself with a sleek, sophisticated atmosphere, reeking of money. She wonders how much a room must go for.
A man in a fine pressed suit appears beside her, as if materializing from out of nowhere, and startles her.
"Are investigating the murder?" he asks, almost a little too casually.
Potential red flag, Kate notes.
He is considerably handsome, with dark eyes and a mouth that could get anyone into trouble. But now really isn't the time for noticing things like that.
"Yes. I'm Deputy Fuller," she introduces herself, flashing him a glimpse of her badge, which she kept in the inside pocket of her jacket.
"A little young to be a cop, aren't we?"
She rolls her eyes. Comments regarding her age aren't new to her, and his isn't necessarily as rude as they tend to be, but nevertheless she is annoyed. "A little early in the day to be condescending, isn't it?"
He blinks at her and then sighs. "I'm sorry. Let me start over. Is there any way I can be of assistance? I own this hotel."
"You own this place?"
"Built it from the ground up, as they say," he explains, gesturing upwards with both of his hands, and then extends one of them out to her. "Only theoretically, though. Seth Gecko."
"Seth Gecko," she repeats and stares at his hand before slowly shaking it.
"The one and only, Deputy."
"Your manager is actually retrieving some security footage for me as we speak," Kate explains. "But you wouldn't happen to know anything about the victim or the man who was supposedly staying in the room, would you?"
"There are few things that go on around here that I don't know about, Deputy Fuller. But unfortunately, I think security footage is your best bet right now."
"Two days worth of security footage," Kisa reemerges, a small USB drive in hand. Kate notices the hotel's initials printed in gold on the side. Fancy.
"Kisa," Mr. Gecko greets her with a nod.
She ignores him and looks at Kate. "Is there anything else we could help you with?"
"Not right now, thank you," Kate says. "We will be in contact."
Kisa slips away again and Mr. Gecko steps behind the desk, busying himself with a task on the computer. The two-way on Kate's hip makes a sound, indicating contact from Freddie.
She reaches for it. "Freddie."
"We've got a possible ID on the victim," he says through the static.
"Possible ID?"
"Yeah. Found a purse with like… three different driver's licenses inside. All different identities. Sonja Lam, Stefanie Marques, Emily List."
"I'll see you back up there in a minute," she tells him. "Hotel manager got me a copy of some security footage."
Freddie clicks off and Kate releases a sigh. She'd been hoping this case would get more complicated.
"Wait. I'm sorry. Did he just say Sonja Lam?" Mr. Gecko asks from behind the counter.
The hotel owner - who insists on being addressed as Seth - follows Kate up to room 202. She notifies Freddie on the two-way along the way that she's found someone who may be able identify the body for them.
Seth is only half-way into the hotel room when he freezes, his hand moving to cover his mouth.
"Shit. Yeah," he nods. "That's Sonja."
Freddie steps closer to him, his hands firmly at his hips. "Is that her real name?"
"Yeah. Sonja Lam. Damn it."
"What was your relationship to the deceased?" Kate asks.
It was… business, mostly. I guess."
"Business?" Freddie raises an eyebrow, the tone in his voice suspicious. "What kind of business?"
Seth lowers the collar of his dress shirt to reveal the sharp end of a black flame tattooed on the side of his neck. "I'm a client of hers. She's a tattoo artist."
Kate and Freddie exchange a look.
"And how recently did you acquire her services?" Freddie asks.
"A few weeks ago, actually," Seth replies, scratching the back of his neck as he speaks. Kate finds she has a hard time reading the look on his face. "She filled in the ink on my neck."
"If you don't mind, we're going to have to take you in for questioning."
"Oh, I don't mind, Sheriff," he says to Freddie, but his eyes land on Kate. She returns his stare with one of confusion. "Anything you need."
After she and Freddie finish things up at the crime scene, Seth rides quietly in the backseat on their way to the station, only speaking when they finally pull into a parking spot.
He leans forward in his seat and speaks to Kate over her shoulder in a low, hushed tone. "Am I going to be needing my lawyer today, Deputy?"
She glances back at him and rolls her eyes, unclicking her seatbelt. Freddie opens the the back door and asks Seth to step out of the vehicle.
In the interrogation room, Kate sits across the table from Seth.
"Can I ask you something?" he begins, leaning back in his seat. "I've always wondered. Everyone knows the mirror is a two-way mirror at this point, right? Why does everyone still act like it's not?"
Kate smiles, cocking her head to the side. "You watch a lot of television, Mr. Gecko."
"Actually, no. Film, mostly," he says. "But seriously. Does everyone who comes in here just pretend no one is standing on the other side of that?"
She sighs, already having had enough of this and it's barely even began. "I think I'll be the one asking questions here. You mentioned that Ms. Lam was your tattoo artist?"
"One of the best around," he answers with a nod of his head.
"Would you happen to remember the exact date of when you saw her last?"
He thinks back for a moment before answering. "Well, like I said. The last time I saw her for tattoo-related purposes was a couple of weeks ago. I don't remember the day exactly, but I can probably find out for you if that's important. But," he pauses and furrows his brow, "the last time I physically saw her alive was maybe… four or five days ago."
Kate nods. "May I ask in what context was your last meeting with Ms. Lam?"
He clears his throat and drops his gaze for a moment before allowing it to return back to Kate. Suddenly, she knows what he's going to say before he says it. "We were involved… intimately."
"For how long?" Kate asks, and for some reason, she finds herself feeling rather embarrassed. She pushes the feeling to the back of her mind.
"Not long. In fact, she broke it off the last time I saw her. Said she was leaving town."
"Did she say why? Or where she was going?"
He shakes his head and scoffs. "No, I'm afraid not. We didn't really have a 'sharing' kind of relationship, Deputy."
"So there is nothing you can tell me about her personal life?"
"The most intimate detail I knew about her was that she was sleeping with me. She wasn't much of a talker. Though to be fair, it isn't like I asked her much about herself."
"Alright," Kate sighs, sitting back in her chair.
The room is quiet for a moment while Kate looks at the notes she's scribbled on the legal pad in front of her. Sure, Seth's given them a lot of information they didn't have, but she can't shake the feeling that there's something Seth's not telling her.
He is the first to break the silence between them. "Actually," he begins. "There is something else. In the spirit of honesty, being under oath and not offending the big man upstairs and everything-"
"You aren't under oath," Kate cuts him off to correct him.
"Whatever. I think Sonja had a side business. Now, I swear, I don't know what it was, but… it's probably worth looking into."
That is definitely something they can work with. She carefully throws a glance in the direction of the mirror, where she knows Freddie is standing on the opposite site, and begins to rise to her feet, readying herself to tell Seth Gecko that he is free to go.
"Deputy," Seth says, and her attention turns back to him. There is a smug grin playing on the corner of his lips as he stares into her eyes. "Are you sure you don't want to answer my question about the mirror thing?"
She raises an eyebrow and crosses her arms, not as charmed by his weirdness as he clearly wants her to be.
"You're free to go," she says, ignoring his question again. "Do you need a ride back to your hotel?"
"That would be great, if you don't mind."
She opens the door and calls out into the room on the other side for Rafael, one of the department's newest recruits, and the only other person on the force even close to her own age.
He joins her in the doorway, their bodies only a few inches apart. "I'd, uh, kind of like a ride from you, actually. If you don't mind."
She doesn't know what his angle is, and doesn't really know if she wants to find out.
"That doesn't sound like a bad idea, does it, Sheriff?" Seth asks Freddie, casting a look in his direction.
Freddie stands there frozen for the slightest second before shrugging one shoulder. "Why the hell not?" he agrees. "You give him a ride to the hotel and bring us some takeout on the way back and then we'll get cracking on the security footage."
"That sounds like a great plan," Seth says. Again, this comment is directed at Freddie, but his eyes hover back to Kate as he speaks.
The car ride back to the hotel is pretty silent at first, and Kate finds herself wondering why this guy wanted a ride back to the hotel with her specifically if he isn't even making an attempt at a conversation.
"How did you end up a deputy at your age?" he asks, his attention shifting from the road ahead of them to her. "How old are you, anyway? If you don't mind me asking."
"Uh, well…I'm 24," she answers him. "And I don't know… I'm good at my job. Sometimes, you work hard and people take notice."
"Sometimes," he agrees, and she notices the weight of the word as it falls from his lips.
She looks over at him for a split second to find that he was no longer staring at her. "What about you?" she asks. "What's your story?"
"My story?"
"Yeah. Like… did you really start up a hotel empire on your own?"
He laughs, but for some reason it comes out sounding slightly defensive. "Yeah. Is that hard to believe?"
"No," she shakes her head. "Not exactly. You're just pretty young-looking yourself, you know. To not have inherited it from your family or something."
"Don't know about that," he says dryly. "Believe me when I say, I don't want anything my father's left me to inherit."
"Well," she attempts to shift the conversation away from the direction it's going in. "You have a beautiful hotel, so by the looks of it, you know what you're doing. You must have more money than the devil."
"Or just as much," Seth responds, the smirk from earlier returning to his face.
Within minutes, they are outside the hotel again, and they it in shared silence for a moment.
Seth unclicks his seatbelt. "Thank you for the ride, Deputy."
"Call me Kate," she says. She's not sure why. "Thank you for your help. We'll be in contact with you if we have anymore questions."
"I'm sure you will," he says before shutting the door behind him and waving her off.
For some reason, a reason beyond the obvious, she is sure she will too.