Lucifer watched Detective Decker walk out of the club. He was a little saddened to see her go. He had missed seeing her. After she stopped calling he tried going to the precinct but she did her best to avoid him. Eventually he got the message. He went to New York for Christmas to try and clear his mind. Visiting with his daughter did bring him joy. But he still felt the sting of Chloe's rejection.
He picked up his drink and gulped it down. His eyes still on the exit. Maze silently standing at the bar beside him. He poured another drink and took a sip. He gave a sideway glance at the demon. "What is it you want to say, Maze?"
"Why don't you go after her?" She stated. "I know not seeing her has made you depressed. I really don't want to deal with another bout of that."
"Oh I'm sorry that the death of my son cause you such inconvenience, Mazikeen." He growled. He glared at her and picked up his drink and walked over to the piano. Sitting down he began to play. Flashes of Chloe's smile came to his mind. He shook his head. She didn't want him around. He had to get her out of his mind.
He didn't notice the approach of someone to his side. "Mr. Morningstar?" A male voice said to him.
He turned to glance at the source. One of his bouncers stood there. "Yes." He didn't stop playing.
"Is it true? Is Bruno dead?" He asked.
Lucifer stopped playing and faced the other man. "It would seem so."
The man beside him. A large muscular man with tattoos up his arms. He could have passed for a professional wrestler. Lucifer saw a glimmer of tears form in the man's eye. "I can't believe this. Bruno was a good man. He just wanted to provide for his family."
Lucifer stood up. The other man was the same height. The Devil looked him in the eyes. "We'll find out who did this, Ralph." He picked up his drink and downed it in a gulp. He patted Ralph's shoulder. "We'll figure this out." He started for the door and turned back to Ralph. "Did you know anything about the drugs?"
He could sense Ralph's reluctance to say anything. The man looked at the ground. He shrugged. Lucifer eyed him. "You know it's useless to lie to me Ralph."
Ralph sighed. "Yes. But he was only doing it to support his family."
Lucifer nodded. "Thank you." He turned and walked out of the club.
The Rolling Stones blared out of the Corvette's stereo. Lucifer drummed his hands on the steering wheel. He hummed along as the streets of L.A. passed by him. A light turned red. He pulled alongside a convertible full of lovely young ladies. They wore bikinis. He smiled and nodded to them. Oh the fun he could have with them. "Hello darlings."
The light turned green and the car turned right. He sighed. For a moment he was tempted to follow. But he punched the accelerator and went straight ahead. He had another destination in mind.
The black classic Corvette pulled into a paring spot. He stood up and looked at the police station. Buttoning his jacket, he headed inside. The cool air felt nice. He headed for the elevator. He stood in it humming to the music. It dinged and he stepped off.
He spied her sitting at her desk. Her hand on the phone. Her brows bunched in concentration. Her dyed blonde hair pulled back into a braid. Some fell into her eyes. He had to concentrate on why he was here. He walked right up to her desk.
Slowly she looked up. He heard her sigh and put the phone down. "I told you I would call when if I needed you."
He smiled. "Good to see you too, Detective."
"What are you doing here. Lucifer?" Her voice laced with haughty impatience.
"To help. I told you I wanted to help." He looked down at her. Her blue eyes sparkling despite the apparent annoyance at his presence. "I need to do this for his family. He was a good employee."
Chloe's shoulders dropped. She looked down at her desk for a moment. "Fine. You can help. But you better be on your best behavior." She chided.
He held up his hands. "I'll be on my best behavior. Scout's honor." He grinned. "If not you can give me a proper spanking."
Chloe rolled her eyes. She stood up and picked up some notes then headed for the elevator.
Lucifer followed closely behind. Spying Dan speaking to another detective across the office. He gave a thumbs up. Dan just gave him the stare of death. Lucifer hopped onto the elevator and stood beside Chloe. The scent from her shampoo was enticing. She always smelled good.
The elevator reached the ground floor. Lucifer followed a very fast walking Chloe out to her car. He silently slipped into the passenger seat beside her. She was looking straight ahead as she started the car. A look of either anger or something else plastered across her face. He sighed.
"Are you angry with me, Detective?" He asked her.
She put the car into reverse and backed out of the spot then on they went to where ever it was they were going. "No." She said quietly.
"Are you sure? I can sense your anger, you know." He said to her.
Her hands gripped the steering wheel. She just stared ahead. He could tell she wanted to say something. But she was holding back. He wanted to draw it out. But he knew that didn't work on her. He would try another tactic.
"You know I am just going to harp on you, until you tell me. It will make you feel better to get it all out." He smiled. He reached over and lightly brushed her arm.
She pulled it away and glared at him. "Let's just focus on the case. That's why your here isn't it?" Her voice was so angry and full of hurt.
It pained him. What had he done to hurt her? "Okay." He said reluctantly. "Where are we going?"
"To talk with Bruno's wife." Chloe answered. A little of the anger had dissipated. "Did you know her?"
Lucifer shook his head. "No. Not really." He put his head on his hand and leaned against the window. This was not going well at all. He really just wanted to get to the bottom of Chloe's anger and mood. Why was she like this? Women.
They arrived at a house on the Southside. They could hear dogs barking and growing. Toys were strewn all over the yard out front. A little boy sat on the steps to the front door. He didn't look more than four. He watched Chloe and Lucifer approach. They heard more ids inside the house. Lucifer scoffed. Why did there have to be so many?
The walked past the little boy and up the steps. Chloe knocked on the screened door. A woman with another child on her hip appeared. She was most likely Mexican. She had her black hair in a lazy bun. Another older boy appeared at her side. Chloe wondered why the boy wasn't in school. "Mrs. Potter?" Chloe asked.
The woman looked her up and down. "Yeah, what do you want?"
Chloe sighed and held up her badge. "I'm Detective Decker and this is my associate Lucifer Morningstar."
The woman's eyes widened at the mention of Lucifer. "You are my husband's boss." She said to Lucifer.
"Yes." Lucifer responded. "I am so sorry to hear about his demise."
The woman's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"
Chloe turned to Lucifer and gave him a hush up look. "Mrs. Potter- "
"Lorna." She snapped.
"Lorna. Is there some place we can talk?"
Lorna set down the child on her hip. She looked down at the older one. "Frankie. Take your brothers and go play." She opened the door to let Chloe and Lucifer inside. She leads them into the living room. More toys and food strewn about. She sat in a recliner and motioned for the broken down couch.
Lucifer reluctantly sat down. This was how his employees lived? He felt a little guilty for not paying him better. He looked around. A large bulky old TV was playing a fuzzy cartoon. Cracks in the walls. He thought he saw a roach crawling on the floor.
Lorna looked at them looking around. "It's a hellhole. I know. But we do what we can. Bruno worked three jobs. I work two."
Chloe sighed sadly. "Lorna. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but we found your husband's body this morning."
Lorna stood up and walked into the kitchen. She was in there for several minutes. Chloe and Lucifer could hear the woman sobbing. The oldest boy Frankie walked into the kitchen. They then heard them both sobbing. Lucifer stood up and walked into the kitchen. He eyed the dirty dishes in the sink. The faucet dripping Food on the counter. More roaches scurrying about. Lorna sat on the dirty floor against the fridge sobbing. Her son in her arms. He felt something akin to empathy.
She looked up at Lucifer. "What am I going to do?"
Chloe followed him into the kitchen. "Lorna. Did you know anyone who wanted to hurt your husband?"
Lorna kept sobbing. She held on tightly to her son. "I have six kids. I just found out I'm pregnant. What am I going to do? It was bad enough when your daughter broke Bruno's wrist and he couldn't work two of his jobs."
Chloe looked at Lucifer. "Persephone broke his wrist?"
Lucifer shrugged. "It was a misunderstanding."
"She did help pay his medical expenses and some other stuff. She was so nice, Mr. Morningstar."
"I'm happy to hear that." Lucifer responded to the woman. He sighed and watched her piteously sobbing. His time on earth had softened his approach to the humans. He bent down and offered a hand. "Why don't we get you off that floor?"
She took his hand and stood up. They sat at the table. Lucifer tried not to show his disgust at the stickiness. Two of the other children walked in. The one who had been sitting on the porch was looking at the floor not saying anything. The younger one ran over to his mother. Lorna looked at them. "My mother helps us a little. But I don't know how I am going to do it alone. My older kids are at school. Frankie wasn't feeling well. But he is helping with Miguel and Raul." She went on about the kids.
"Lorna. I hate to ask. But did you know about the drugs." Chloe asked her.
Lorna sighed. She picked up at paper towel and blew her nose. "Look. Bruno was a good man. He did what he could. One of the Bloods offered him a lot of money to transport drugs for him. He knew it was illegal. But we need the cash. She sobbed.
Chloe felt for her. She did. "We found several bundles of coke."
Lorna paused. "That's strange. Why would they kill him and not take the drugs?"
"That's what we want to know." Chloe pondered. "It did seem odd."
"Talk to Steve Costas. He is a former gang member. He thinks himself some kind of sheriff. He had words with Bruno the other night. He was trying to get Bruno to stop with the drug. I wanted him to stop. But he was bringing home good money. Miguel needs expensive medication. We don't have insurance." She eyed Lucifer.
Lucifer sighed. "I will help you. Anyway I can." He said to her.
Chloe looked at Lucifer. She was impressed that he was behaving so well. Was he trying to impress her? She shook it off. "Is there anything else?"
Lorna shook her head. "No." She blew her nose. "I'm a mess."
Lucifer pulled out a bundle of cash from his jacket pocket. It was probably a few thousand dollars. He set it on the table. "Take this."
Lorna's eyes widened. "You serious?" She gasped and slowly took the money. Eyeing it carefully. "For real. I can't pay it back."
"Consider it a gift." He said to her.
Chloe's eyes were wide too. She mouths oh my god. "Look we have to go talk to a few more people. We'll be in touch. Call us if you need anything."
Lorna nodded. "I will."
Lucifer and Chloe stood up. Lorna stood up and hugged Lucifer. "Thank you Mr. Morningstar."
Lucifer patted her back but said nothing. Lorna released her hold on him. They exited the house and walked to the car. They spied an older Mexican man staring them down. He walked towards them.
"What is going on?" He asked with a thick accent.
Chloe eyed him. "You are?"
"Max Ermas, I'm a neighbor. My wife and I help them out sometimes."
"I can't really say."
"Something happened to Bruno. Didn't it?" Max said.
Chloe nodded. " I'm afraid so." She leaned against her car. Lucifer stood silently eyeing the man.
"I heard him out here last night yelling at Steve Costas. He was telling Steve to stay out of his business." Max explained. "That Mr. Costa likes to play neighborhood watch. Always getting into everyone's business. You should talk to him."
"Thank you Mr. Ermas. Do you have his address?"
He pointed three houses down. "He lives there. But he won't be home till later. But I think you should talk to him." Mr. Erma's walked away.
Chloe opened the door and slid into the car. Lucifer got in silently beside her. She started the car.
As they drove both were lost in their thoughts. Lucifer glanced at Chloe. Her earlier anger seemed to be gone. Now she was focused on the case. He sighed.
"Your daughter seriously broke his wrist?" Chloe said after a few moments.
Lucifer nodded. "Yes. They didn't know who she was. She used her gifts to gain access to Lux. When he realized she had tricked him he came looking for her." Lucifer chuckled. "He tried escorting her out and she broke his wrist. She doesn't realize her strength sometimes. It's much stronger than a human."
Chloe took in what he said. Still having trouble processing the whole Devil thing. It would stand to reason his daughter would have remarkable strength. Still she didn't want to believe it. "So, Persephone paid his medical expenses?"
Lucifer nodded. "Yes. She felt guilty." He chuckled. "She is always doing stuff like that."
"And you are okay with that?"
Lucifer looked at her with slight confusion. "Why wouldn't I be okay with it?"
Chloe shrugged and glanced at him. "Well, it goes against the whole devil thing, doesn't it?"
Lucifer scoffed. "Is that what you think I am? Totally incapable of compassion. Void of any real emotion." He felt his own anger rising.
"No that's not what I meant. It's just-"
He cut her off "My daughter is a kind hearted, compassionate woman. She would give the shirt off her back to anyone who asked. I could not be more proud of her."
"Sorry. I didn't mean to imply anything like that. Let's just forget it." Chloe stopped talking. They both fell silent.
Lucifer looked out the window. He knew she was struggling with the whole Devil thing. His identity out in the open. She was having trouble coming to term with it. Lucifer wanted to help her. Help her understand him. He was the Devil. But he was more that the evil, heartless beast that he had been portrayed as.
"Where are we going, Detective?"
"I was hoping to talk to a few of your employees."
He nodded. "Fine."
They headed towards Lux.
Author's Note: Hmm that was longer than intended. Oh well. Needed for some good drama.
