Espinoza paz
Dark and tall, the fallen angel was leaning at the glass railing, looking down to the flickering city lights and the black ocean, playing with a tumbler that reflected them and cherishing the light breeze that came from the hills. They had arrived about fifteen minutes ago and he had tossed his jacket and vest onto the lounge couch and left to the deck to spread his wings. The feathers shifted in the air and he felt a slight desire to use them properly. Tonight had been special. He finally felt at home. Not that he hadn't had the greatest feeling getting married to Chloe at City Hall or that his house wasn't comfortable and inviting, but tonight a sense of belonging had aroused. He was at peace with the world and himself.
Lucifer heard little barefoot steps and turned around, a smile on his fine features.
"Off to bed Beatrice?" He folded his large wings and held them close to his body.
"Almost." She clenched to him, but he didn't feel ambushed anymore, on the contrary. He petted her hair, now freed from the braid, and hugged her back.
"I wanted to ask you something." She looked up to him with her big begging eyes and he knew he wouldn't be able to decline. "Would you give me your name?"
"My name, urchin?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah. If we are a family now, I don't want to be the only one with a different name. I want to belong to you, just as my brother or sister we are going to get. I want to be a Morningstar."
"Your father will probably not be pleased if you drop Espinoza." Although that was a thought he could entertain. Detective Douche had been a pain in the back during the last couple of months.
"You changed your name and it didn't matter to you if your dad liked it or not."
These big dark eyes were going to be the end of him.
"True. But that was different. You are not mad at your dad, are you?"
"No, but I am not happy with him either. He's been rather angry or bitter and I don't feel like he likes to have me around, and you have always been nice to me."
"Well Beatrice, you should talk to him first. This is a big thing."
"But you would give me your name? I like how it sounds with mine since we went to that school once." She kneaded her fingers, staring at a spot somewhere down in the city.
"Of course I would. You are the most agreeable and loyal child I have ever encountered."
"Really?" She searched for his eyes and peered intently at them.
"Yes." He felt a knot in his throat and his eyes glistening, but not in a bad way. Something new.
"Thank you! I really want you to be my second dad." She squeezed him very hard this time and ran off, a huge smile plastered on her face. "Good night Lucifer!"
"Good night!" He finished his Scotch and looked back down to the City of Angels. His features went soft. These Decker women manipulated him like Play Doh and he actually enjoyed it.
It didn't take long for Chloe to join him. Her light brown locks moved in the breeze when she approached him, and Lucifer admired all of her. He shivered when she touched one of his wings.
"You did wonderful today and whatever you said to Trixie, made her very happy." She snuggled close to him and kissed him softly on the stubbles before she took his glass away and put it on a small table nearby. "Are you okay?"
He nodded and smiled at her lovingly. "She wants me to adopt her and I agreed."
"Oh!" She put her fingers to her lips, a gesture she always made when surprised or pensive. "Dan won't like it. At all!"
"I thought so. I told Beatrice to speak with him first." He embraced his consort and kissed her forehead. "She chose me. I can't imagine why."
"She has always adored you."
"True." He looked over to the hills. "Are you coming with me? I'll check up on LUX and I wanted to see Drago's place afterwards."
"No, love. You go. I'll do some research in the net. I am too tired." She pulled him down to her, gave him a long kiss and a slap on his butt. "Go, get them, Devil!"
Lucifer Morningstar had changed into his dark green suit and chosen a silken dove grey pochette matching his shirt and his sterling snake cuffs from Montblanc before heading off. It was well past midnight when he used the elevator to the small discotheque in the second basement of the upscale shopping building. The security personnel consisted of some broad shouldered, but rather short Latinos. The four men gave him a friendly welcome, he was well-known, and it was like a knighting when he showed up in an establishment other than his own, even if it was for business only. When the man who accompanied him in the elevator motioned him to the sliding doors, he stepped into the small hallway leading to the kitchen and the office. He raised an eyebrow but followed the waitress who asked him to advance further.
"Can I get you anything, Mr. Morningstar?" queried the black-haired woman dressed in a black and white waiter's uniform with a bowtie.
He hummed before responding "That would be lovely." No need to specify what he desired.
Finally he passed the bar and the waitress immediately handed him a fine crystal glass with a more than decent whisky. They proceeded to the office where Drago was awaiting him, again sporting a pink long sleeve polo shirt and a light grey sweater loosely knotted around his shoulders. It would have been fitting for a golf course.
"Hello Drago!"
"Lucifer! I cannot express my gratitude for showing up." The businessman actually looked relieved to see him.
"Oh, you will by giving me a seat next to your dancefloor right away. This office is no place to conduct a deal and even less an assessment of your situation."
"My apologies! Please accompany me." The bald man bowed slightly before he moved from behind the desk and out of the office. They got back to the bar and emerged in the square dancefloor. It would have been a stifling shoebox if it hadn't donned with a large windowfront on the right from the bar with a balcony for the smokers that faced a vertical garden and gave the illusion of not being underground. For sure no direct natural light would enter the place. The lounges were exclusively on the left of the bar, while some chairs and tables were placed at the windowfront. The DJ sat opposite the bar in his cabin, a screen above it showing the video of the music played. There were two old 4 by 3 TVs hanging in the room. The place was a blast to the eighties, but the music playing was from Bowie and Police, yet the volume was somewhat tuned down for such a place. That was superficially acceptable, although it had nothing to do with the "Drink, Eat, Rave"-theme of his guest DJ at his venue tonight who had been at Tomorrowland before and drew in many fans. The crowd here was at least double the age Lucifer was accustomed to have around at LUX, he was clearly overdressed in the more casual setting… no, actually they were visibly underdressed and not him, but people were clearly enjoying themselves chatting and dancing. The room smelled heavy after cigarettes and cigars but not sweetly like weed. Clearly Drago Montenegro had said the truth, the customers didn't consume, at least not at plain sight. The old man showed him to the lounge his wife was occupying. It was the heart of the place, strategically in the center of the place with a good view to the entrance and the bar. Handsome and tall, and therefore sticking out, Lucifer sat down after charmingly greeting the woman, and ignited a Dunhill as he was served another fine Scotch liquid. He didn't speak for a while and observed the surroundings, the hand with the ring from Hell resting on the table.
"No ashtrays?"
"California regulations." Drago shrugged and motioned a waitress to put a saucer on the table.
"You could declare it a cigar lounge." The dark angel reached for his glass.
"And have fifty percent less patrons?" The bald man simpered and then turned at his female companion. "I can't afford that. My customers want to feel young again and that includes a carefree environment where maybe twenty percent or less smoke."
"Anything or anybody out of the ordinary? The customers seem to be rather chopped from the same block. Your staff?"
"I had to replace a bartender and a waitress recently. They are in fact working today." Lucifer Morningstar looked over to the bar, a long black monolithic block that gave the place its name. A rather inconspicuous man in his mid-thirties was polishing some glasses but attentive to the place although he didn't seem to interact with the people sitting at the bar. He could have been an office clerk with his short brown hairdo and his light blue shirt. Maze wouldn't have hired him. The discotheque owner beckoned another waitress with tiny black curls and big eyes, a pretty thing with an air of Whitney Houston.
"Good evening Mr. Morningstar! Can I get you anything?" She smiled, clearly attracted to him.
"Well, hello there! Maybe something to pair with this fine liquid. What's your name, darling?"
"Camila." She actually blushed.
"Lovely. Tell the bartender to get me something salty and something sweet. He must have a nice stack of snacks behind that massive stone."
"Right away Mr. Morningstar." She left immediately.
"Elvira had been dealing with the staff after the deaths." Drago stated, looking at his companion.
Elvira! She looked like the Mistress of the Dark indeed, but Lucifer was sure she wasn't Cassandra Peterson, even though certainly her age, about ten years older than Penelope Decker. He smiled at her.
"So you are in charge of the staff? What else do you do besides HR?"
She sat upright and sighed. "Accounting, purchase, all the boring stuff Drago abhorred since the beginning. We are business partners, not only a couple. He has the people skills, but he can't use them to get us better bargains. Too good for this world." Montenegro patted her affectionately on her leather clad legs. "This killing spree is bad for our business. We are losing customers and rarely new people come in."
"Maybe it's the DJ? I can recommend you a guy willing to play once or twice a month. He digs out the old versions from today's covers and remasters them. Might work here. LUX could co-host for you, that might show an alliance and maybe deter this new cartel. We already have the Russians, Koreans and the Chinese and they practically leave us alone unless I ask them for a favour. We don't need more thugs." He received Camila's bowls graciously and gifted her with a lavish smile.
"My saying. I believe they feel encouraged because Elvira and many of our staff are Hispanics."
"But you are not."
"Definitely not. I am from the Balkans. My family name is too difficult for people to pronounce so I changed it into Montenegro. Like that actress from the seventies."
"Right. Let me talk to your newbie." Lucifer finished his glass and went over to the bar.
"Hello! Can you get me a nice 18-year-old refill? What's your name?"
"You can call me Bill, Sir." He turned around and fumbled with the bottles.
"Bill. I guess you are not familiar with me, are you?" Lucifer tapped his long fingers on the shiny countertop.
Bill looked at him from head to toe, noticing the immaculate manicured fingers, the precise shave of the beard line and the eyeliner. The sumptuous fabric and extravagance of the clothing and the accessories irradiated wealth and he managed to smile somewhat.
"Honestly, I don't. I am new to this circus, to this city. I'm completing a post-graduate degree at UCLA and I need the money to pay the rent. Expensive city, even if you commute for hours."
"I guess that's a fact for many in L.A." Lucifer Morningstar retrieved his glass. "Try to smile more, Bill. That gets you places." He passed the bartender a high denomination greenback before he returned to the lounge. "Do some work out and get a better haircut. It's all about appearances in this city."
Bill followed him with his eyes after he looked at the bill and started to speak with another waitress.
Lucifer observed the coming and going of the patrons. Upper-to upper-middle-class, mostly couples, maybe two lone wolves, a golden girl's night out, some younger eighties fans dancing awkwardly – overall the older Hills crowd enjoying their Saturday night. Six waitresses were working the shoebox, attentive, professionally and discreet. Elvira had a good hand in selecting her staff and he told her so.
At 3 a.m. he retreated, passed by LUX where the party was still going on heavy and then headed home. Chloe had left the light of the driveway and the main hall on, but she was deep asleep when he entered the bedroom. On his nightstand he found a little platter with homemade rum chocolates and a note. 'For my sweet tooth. XOXO!'
No wonder he was gaining weight!
The Devil doesn't make mistakes. There was no way he'd return right away. Maybe some demons would catch him, and he couldn't afford that. He hadn't thought this through. At all!
She was following the Devil through the basalt maze, stumbling over herself and small rocks and stones because of the dim light, and he was slowed down by it.
"Tell me how you got here again." He couldn't believe it just yet. The little urchin at his side in Hell!
"Awww Lucifer, I saw you just before you were popping down and wanted to ask you something and suddenly, I felt an airwave and stood here beside you." She looked innocently into his almost skinless face.
"So you're basically telling me you were trapped by my airstream. Oh dear Bernoulli!" the Devil sighed but it sounded more like a rumble. "At least you're not in your pjs anymore." He pierced her with his flaming eyes. "You did this on purpose, didn't you?"
Trixie averted his eyes and shrugged. "Maybe."
"Why on Earth would you do that?! It's dangerous, even for me." He shook his head. "Ok, this is what we do now. You keep two feet behind me, don't ever leave my side, do as I say and don't hug me or tell anyone your name. We don't want visitors from down South at home." Crazy Decker women! Stubborn and reckless!
The thin preteen walked in silence for a while. Trixie adjusted her eyes bit by bit and felt less helpless by the minute. The huge red Devil with his high held wings was quite a sight in this almost colorless surrounding.
"Ugh! Does that stupid ash ever stop?" She was trying to get it out of her hair, but it stuck even more to it.
"Now you get how it feels. One of Dad's most annoying gifts to me."
"So he essentially punishes you with that for being a neat freak?" She grinned, playing with ash particles between her fingers and rubbing them onto the stones which vibrated like living things.
He turned around, leaned down to her, cloaking her with his leathery wings, lowered his voice which came out as a growl. "Careful urchin! Don't disrespect the King of Hell. That usually ends up with being smashed out of existence. Demons can't be shown that someone is capable of getting away with it. So abstain yourself …"
"Ok!" She chimed as if he had told her she had forgotten to close her bedroom door. "I have my daggers with me."
That got her a stern eye flash.
In the meantime several demon spawns had detected them and followed them cautiously at a safe distance, trying to be silent and not cause ash or dust clouds which would give them away. The Devil ignored them so far as they posed no threat to the not so little human and continued his path in order to inspect his realm. He refrained from scratching the surfaces of the columns this time, they would be spotted soon enough by the older demons anyway.
"Come, come, you have to catch up with me!" He hissed when Trixie looked too long at a small grey lizard-like beast lurking between some rocks.
"Coming!" She responded happily. "They are just too interesting."
"I wonder if you will still find them interesting if you lose a finger or two."
"Why are they following us?" She pointed to the spawns and those squirmed and hid not very skillfully behind a corner, trying to catch an eye on the living human walking almost side by side with the Lord of Hell.
"They find you equally interesting." He stared at them, flaring his wings and they darted further into hiding.
"They are afraid of you."
"Everybody here has to be afraid of the Devil. It's imperative. That ensures they stay down in Hell."
When they came to an open crossroad, he shouted in Lilim: "Bring me Nirazeen, Namaah and Torothin!" The whole realm seemed to tremble at his voice.
It didn't take long for Nirazeen to appear. She wasn't wearing an armor but a long-sleeved but cropped leather top similar to ostrich skin and some short pants of the same material. Being an experienced archer she was carrying her arrows in a quiver on her back. She knelt in front of him, a lock of her hair dangling into her face.
"What's with the human, my king? She is still alive." She stood up and sniffed at Trixie but kept out of reach of her and him.
"She is and I want her to stay that way, Nirazeen." He grumbled in response.
"She is carrying weapons, my king." She eyed the two daggers Trixie had gotten from Maze and was clutching in her hands after Nirazeen approached her, her knuckles white.
"She is. What is taking so long? Where are the two young demons I left in your care?" He nearly put his clawed feet on hers, stepping into her personal space, almost pushing the demon against a basalt column, his face merely inches from hers, staring her down, tense and anger barely contained.
"They will be here soon. They went to fetch some provisions. We were going to the lake to train." Nirazeen replied breathlessly while lowering her head into a submissive posture.
"I guess we could accompany you and see their improvements." He relaxed and rested his claw on Trixie's shoulder. "That might be interesting for you, urchin. You might learn two or three things Mazikeen hasn't taught you yet."
The girl looked up to him, nodded and smiled.
Nirazeen was confused. Every human soul and every demon feared the Devil, but this one trusted him, and felt at ease with him. Apparently, she was trained by Mazikeen. She hoped the two youngsters in her care arrived soon so she wouldn't get into trouble or worse, punished.
The Devil proceeded to the Lake of Fire, the human and three demons in tow. So far there had been no incidents on the way. Beatrice had observed everybody quietly and neither bombarded him with questions nor the demons, although she eyed them with huge interest, especially the male and his long blackish tail. Other young demons kept their distance but sniffed into the air. To see a living human was obviously exciting, especially with the bright colors and the apparent softness of the clothing, and she bore a new distinctive scent, but they were too fearful of the Devil to come nearer than 20 feet.
The basalt rows broadened and disappeared completely as they arrived at the sandy shore of the lake. It was burning just as the day the former angel fell into it and its glow colored the surroundings red and orange, the shadows of the five beings flickering, seemingly alive. Here was no ash but it was hot, perhaps too hot for Beatrice, he thought, but she didn't complain, taking in the wonders of his kingdom. The spire could be seen far away, but it still towered everything as Hell was mainly a huge plain and most of the basalt steles just over ten feet tall.
"You see that urchin? That's my throne", he exclaimed with pride. "Only a celestial can reign over this place, as you can see, and only Amenadiel and I have sat on it."
Trixie acknowledged the information with a nod, looking at the Devil with her huge black eyes. She was dying to ask questions, but it didn't seem to be a good place to do so. Maybe at breakfast.
The demons were preparing for their sparring. Nirazeen supervised how Namaah and Torothin ordered the weapons according to tradition as the fights were also rituals followed for eons. She barked some orders and both youngsters ogled Trixie after Mazikeen's name fell. The girl looked back at the Devil who grimaced - although this was probably a smile, she reckoned.
"They know now you are trained by Mazikeen and she is a legend around here. They will either fear or challenge you. I do hope it's not the latter." He patted her reassuringly on the shoulder and she sighed. She had wanted to accompany him but hadn't thought about possible implications. The youngsters did look rather strong and well trained but hadn't dared approaching her. Anyway, they probably didn't speak the same languages, Trixie thought. She just stood there and tried to appear taller and confident. From school she knew she had to feign to be strong in order not to be bullied and Mazikeen had trained her for years when her mother wasn't looking, showing her some useful tricks. Trixie went to look at the weapons and nodded. She had seen them at home and knew for what they were for. She smiled at the youngsters before she returned to the Devil.
Namaah tried to smile as well, copying the behavior of humans she had witnessed in the loops. She reached for a javelin and threw it quite far, but it failed to reach a mark Nirazeen had drawn on the ground if only by inches. Torothin surpassed her, obviously. The male was unsurprisingly stronger than her. She then went for the sword and held it with both hands as it was a heavy blade. Torothin took his and hit Namaah's blade, this time better prepared than the day in the pit. Both fought for several minutes, Namaah still having a slight advantage, being smaller and faster than him. She slid on the sand; her boots better suited for it than his claws, avoided several strikes and caught him off guard, pulling his tail and throwing him into the sand. He gasped and growled but jumped up throwing his sword against hers and she equally fell but grabbed a dagger and cut his middle when he stretched out over her. Blood dripped from the wound on her, but he managed to hit her arm and she lost her weapon. The Devil huffed approvingly and demanded to see the use of the scythes and polearms. Both youngsters had improved considerably and equally caused damage to the other.
Finally Nirazeen threw them some curved daggers, the same Trixie had, although hers were not forged in Hell but a copy of stainless steel, Mazikeen had given her on her eleventh birthday. The demon stared at her, motioned at them and said something the human couldn't understand. The growl of the Devil sounded threatening and his fleshy forehead twisted somewhat.
"She wants you to pitch in..." he told her in his British accent.
Trixie put up an earnest face, sighed again, clutched her blades even more but stepped forward. In a blink of an eye she darted towards both young demons and sliced their legs. They fell immediately to the ground, holding them in pain, bleeding. Evidently Mazikeen's gifts worked against demons. She stepped to the Devil's side and repeated her training mantra.
"If you go for their legs, they can't betray you."
Nirazeen gasped, she had clearly underestimated the young human female. She hissed as the King of Hell guffawed at the words of the girl, but she didn't dare attacking her. Human souls and living humans were obviously quite different. Who knew what else she'd do to them or what her lord would do instead?
Trixie searched for a package of chewing gum in her jeans jacket and popped one into her mouth. The youngsters looked at her, puzzled. She went over and handed them one each. They sniffed at it before they tried it. Namaah and Torothin made huge eyes when chewing and Namaah mimicked Trixie's smile again. Torothin looked not only surprised but as interested in her as she was in him. He approached the human crawling, sniffed and licked the fingers where she had held the sweet stuff. Sugar was a luxury in Hell. Her skin was much softer than his rough tongue. He was still chewing, as was she and Namaah. He then showed his long fangs and Trixie laughed delighted.
"It's time to return, urchin." The Devil put his red claw onto her shoulder. He said something in Lilim, and the three demons retreated, when he grabbed her waist and flew upwards.
When Chloe got up, her family was already by the heated infinity pool. Trixie sat on an inflatable doughnut texting while Lucifer was reading a book on the outdoor daybed, a jar with sparkling water and melon slices on the small table. It wasn't really that warm but, in the sun, it was more than agreeable.
"Morning guys! Why didn't you wake me?" She shielded her eyes from the light with one hand. She was still wearing some wine-colored cotton pants and the white top with which she slept.
"There was no need for it. I made us brekkie and yours is waiting on the kitchen countertop. Coffee is hot and the Greek yoghurt with granola and red berries and is not getting cold, actually it will taste better the more it soaks. Shall I make you a Croque Madame?" He sat upright, leaving the book next to his highball, looking at her expectantly.
"Yes. Why not?" She suddenly realized she wasn't in a restaurant placing an order. His language was always formal, and she fell for the firm but inquiring tone. His food was mostly much better than anywhere else, and she was getting used to it. She felt she needed to be more appreciative. "Yes, please! Yours are delicious!" She placed a light kiss on his lips. Dan had never made her a decent breakfast. Coffee, yes, and maybe some cereal bowls. But that was it.
"I am delicious, as well. You might try me for dessert." He whispered and his eyes sparkled.
Lucifer jumped up, killed the Grimes song on the soundbar and strode to the kitchen. Even barefoot and in a speedo, he emanated the admirable grace and elegance of a predator. She looked down at herself. Plain, as always. And unkempt hair. She still couldn't fathom what made him choose her. She took a sip from his glass. No alcohol? She had at least expected some white wine in it. She waved Trixie, who was still texting, and returned to the house. "I'll be right back." At least she could shower and comb her hair while he cooked.
xxxxx
Efficient as she was it took her less than thirty minutes to reappear on the main floor and directly steer towards the kitchen island. She contemplated the perfected table setting: a small fruit plate with sliced kiwi, honeydew melon, watermelon, starfruit, pitahaya, strawberries with green pepper on top and glazed with pure honey. Then there was the cold glass of yoghurt he had mentioned before, another of fresh strawberry-orange juice, a white cup with its saucer for the coffee and finally the main plate and a silver placing plate. All this and the silverware on a white starched napkin on top of a tray – over the top for a simple breakfast.
He appeared out of nowhere and breathed down her neck while he embraced her. "I had no idea whether you fancied joining us at the pool or not, so I put it on the tray, but as I can see I have to take you out to town so we can show you off. Pretty little red dress, Mrs. Morningstar! And nice high heels! Am I finally rubbing off on you?"
She was startled at first when she felt his hot breath, even scared for a split second, sensing the danger he emanated, then relaxed as her brain told her that it was him, then turned her head and looked on his delicious lips and she pressed herself onto his bare, well-groomed and toned chest before she kissed him, savoring his presence. "This is just a small appreciation for all your effort."
"You deserve no less, Chloe." He stated matter-of-factly, but he enjoyed being praised, loved, needed it. She snuggled a bit more, inhaling his scent until he interrupted her.
"Your food is going to get ruined if you don't eat right now. When you have eaten properly you can show me all your appreciation." He grinned lasciviously, sucked on her lower lip, went back to the gas stove and pushed the toast with the sunny side up out of the pan and onto her plate.
"Well, what did you find out about the cartel?" He inquired. "So far, I know that they target the Spanish speaking community of Los Angeles and they seemed to think that Drago is part of it as his wife is. They are many Latinos working at his place. There are two new employees, one seems to be Cuban and the other is definitely from the most boring place in the Midwest and barely escaped the palliative life of an accountant. Perhaps they have links to the cartel but most likely they have not. The majority of the staff is with the Montenegros for more than two years."
"They are the brand-new kids on the block. There's next to nothing in the database. Maybe they are poking around and the ones that get scared or are not involved with some other gangs or the mob get to be their new marketplace?" She took a bite of the savory sandwich, noticing the crisp bacon hidden under the cheese and the bechamel sauce. "Wow! This is amazing!"
He smiled satisfied in return. "I'll try to pull some favours. Most likely I can provide us with more information later today. In the meantime I have offered the Montenegros an strategic alliance. I'll place two events there to make everybody clear that Petra is my turf now." He leaned over the island, getting closer to her face and plate.
"Either they'll withdraw, or they'll come for you. That's your game plan?"
"Precisely, my dearest detective!" Lucifer had his complacent smile plastered on his face. "And you know that the latter is pretty exciting for me." She let him get a bite of the Croque Madame he had been staring at shamelessly. Egg yolk dripped on his chin which she caught with her fingers, but he licked it off before she could retrieve them, and sucked her tips, his eyes flashing briefly at this feat.
Christmas shopping with Lucifer was a hell loop for Chloe.
First, he stood in front of every display of every store on any story of two different malls additional to Beverly Drive, be it Williams-Sonoma, Pandora or just H&M at Trixie's request, commenting the products on display. He rated their attractiveness, their pleasure value, the grade of temptation they offered, the quality of the material or the wow factor. The Christmas window dressings were absolutely beautiful, Chloe had to admit, but standing five minutes in front of each one before entering the stores and him pestering the shop assistants was tedious and embarrassing, although the young women were quite eager to help out. He hadn't pulled her into a Victoria's Secret store and when she said she wanted to have a glance he almost had an outcry: "That's for middle class teenagers! Not for an active adult woman who needs stability and support for her jewels and tempt her husband at the same time!" He had then heavily breathed in and out and concluded with: "We get some nice Italian wear at Saks."
"As a good detective you must understand that hunting for the right gift is as rewarding as catching a killer. It takes time to gather all the information. We need to comprehend how much the person to be gifted longs for the object of her or his desire. We have to know why certain types of people go to certain shopping malls while others prefer a different setting. We cannot get Dr. Linda the same gift as Miss López. They are fundamentally different. They experience different types of joy. And then there is the need to get Beatrice something colorful and pretty. She wanted to upload a little dance with her friends on TikTok. Right, urchin?"
Chloe stood in front of him, looking perplexed, while Trixie nodded fervently.
"Are you going to write a thesis on shopping behavior or a market research for every friend and family?" She felt somewhat steamrollered. This crazy shopping spree was something she hadn't experienced before, and it was getting to her.
"Already did that. I actually hired a personal shopping consultant and therefore we will be super-efficient. We are meeting her at the café downstairs in ten. I already submitted our needs and Beatrice can enjoy a nice shake while we speak to her."
"So what did we do the last four hours?" She rolled her eyes.
"I needed to see your reaction." He said as if that was explanation enough, put his arms around her and kissed her on her temple.
xxxxx
Sunday slipped into a red, white, green and golden blur after that and it was getting dark when Chloe remembered to talk about the Virgen Morena again.
"You were texting a lot today. Did you get anything on the cartel so far?"
"Nothing. Practically unknown. Perhaps it's just a hoax."
"And the deaths?"
"There we are getting somewhere. The late clients were all customers of a certain law firm, or at least their offspring is."
"That is interesting!"
"Indeed. They make their last will, and somebody makes sure it stays that way. Devious!"
"Tomorrow in the morning I will check on the law firm. Maybe I can pull something out of the database or on the owners and employees."
"I thought Monday is home office and Tuesday is already Christmas Eve. Beatrice is on holiday, I was going to stay at home, too." Lucifer complained and started playing with her hair.
"Okay, maybe they can send me something."
