After spending the night in the hospital for observation, Claire Morgenstern had been released with a clean bill of health and now sat alone in the precinct's interrogation room, fidgeting nervously with her phone. She'd had quite a shock the day before, after literally walking in on her boss's murder, but she seemed to have recovered her senses and was now lucid enough to explain what she'd seen to those who were interested.
Unbeknownst to her, she was being observed by Detectives Decker and Monaghan, along with Lucifer, who'd been asked to consult.
"She's really petite, isn't she? Maybe five feet tall, and at the most, 95 pounds?," Sean asked in surprise. "How did she manage to fight off Ms Hughes' attacker?"
"From what I can gather, she didn't actually have to fight anyone off." Chloe pulled a page from a file and handed it to Sean. "In her statement from yesterday, she said she walked into the workshop, saw someone attacking Carys, and screamed loudly. When the attacker saw her, he took off, running her over as he went out the door."
"You said he.," Monaghan mused. "Does she know for sure it was a guy?"
"Let's go ask her." Chloe turned to Lucifer, who was directing a baleful glare at Sean. "Listen, I need you to stay here in the observation room and listen for any sort of Satanic references, okay?"
"Really, Detective, I think I could be more useful going into the room with you…"
"Not gonna happen...not wih one of my cases. I don't need some lunatic who thinks he's the Devil interfering with real police work, okay?" Detective Monaghan crossed his arms over his chest and stood nose to nose with Lucifer. "You're lucky you get to stay at all! The only reason I'm not kicking your ass out of this precinct is because Chloe thinks you might know something helpful, okay? So stay in here and keep your mouth shut."
Before Lucifer could retort angrily, Chloe took hold of his arm. "I know you feel left out, Lucifer, but it's better this way, in case someone really is out to get you. I also know you want to be involved in the case, and this is an easy way for you to do so, okay? Trust me. It's really the best way to handle it."
Seeing the genuine concern in her eyes, he sighed softly. "Very well." Pouting a little bit, he moved over to the window. "How shall I contact you if I notice something?"
She held up her phone. "Just send me a text. Come on, Sean…"
"Send a text?! Bloody Hell! That's unbelievable…" Watching as they left, Lucifer puffed out a sigh. He needed to be in that room, if for no other reason than to keep Detective Monaghan from encroaching on his partner's personal space. "Well, I may not settle for 'just sending a text'. My information may be so important that it has to be delivered in person."
As the detectives entered the interrogation room, Chloe made the introductions. "Hi, Claire. I'm Detective Decker and this is Detective Monaghan. We'd like to ask you a few questions."
"I guess that's okay." The young woman was barely audible as she wound a strand of stringy blonde hair around her finger, avoiding eye contact with her visitors. "What do you want to ask me?"
"As I'm sure you're aware, we're investigating Ms. Hughes' death." Monaghan cleared his throat. "How did you and Ms. Hughes get along?"
"Badly." Claire sighed softly. "Carys didn't get along with anyone. She could be really mean if she wanted to be. Everybody knows that."
Chloe nodded. "Ms Leveau was concerned because Ms Hughes mentioned to her yesterday morning that she needed to 'straighten you out'. Do you know what that was about?"
"Yes, I think so. Maybe it was because I, um...I was supposed to get some heavy metal band tee shirts for Mr. Morningstar's costumes, and she didn't like what I picked out. She said they were too tame."
As he listened from the observation room, Lucifer smiled as he sent Chloe a text. I definitely need some crazy tee shirts for my part, preferably some with nude pictures on the front where I can enjoy them. Ask her what she bought for me.
Hearing her phone chime, Chloe grunted as she glanced at the text before pushing it away. "Okay...so you should've picked out better shirts. Why would that be a reason for her to chew you out?"
"I also ruined an expensive bolt of velvet fabric that we were going to use for one of Ms. Kelly's costumes. I cut it all wrong...and then I made bad measurements on another dress we were altering for her and now we have to find a different one for her on short notice...something fancy that could be altered if we had to, but I don't sew very well, so with Carys being dead...it's gonna suck trying to find something like that."
"You work as a costumer and you don't sew very well?" Sean shook his head, laughing softly. "How's that working out for ya?"
Annoyed, Claire narrowed her eyes at him. "I want to be a costume designer, not just a seamstress! I tried to explain that to Carys, but she ignored me...stupid bitch! Seamstresses are a dime a dozen, but a good, creative designer is hard to find."
Surprised at the young woman's vehement answer, Chloe raised an eyebrow at her. "I see. So there were several disagreements between you two. Okay." The Detective folded her hands in front of her, studying the young woman carefully. "I need you to tell us what happened in the wardrobe room yesterday."
"I can't!" Rubbing her eyes, Claire looked like she might cry. "It was so scary."
"Yes, I imagine it was." Pausing, the Detective opened her file folder. "You said in your statement that you walked in the wardrobe room to talk to Ms. Hughes, and you saw someone standing over her. Can you describe that person? Was it a man or a woman?"
"I...I don't know for sure. It all happened so fast…" Claire shrugged slightly. "I don't remember much…"
Monaghan glanced at Chloe, and seeing her nod, he gently pressed Claire for details. "So this 'person' ran into you as they fled the room, charging past you as they went for the door, and you don't know if it was a man or a woman? Are you sure? Think about it for a minute, please. You walked into the room and…then what happened…"
"Um…there was a tall person in a long black robe with a hood standing over Carys." Claire closed her eyes, shuddering slightly. "Whoever it was was holding a big knife with blood all over it. I screamed, and they turned around…" She brushed away a tear. "Please don't make me remember…it's too frightening..."
"I know this is hard for you, but I need you to be brave, okay?" Chloe reached over and patted the young woman's hand. "Can you tell me what this person looked like? Come on, Claire...it'll help us find out who did this…"
After hesitating for a minute or so, the young woman sighed. "Oh, okay." She began to trace circles on the table with her fingers. "It was a man. He's real tall and slender, and he has blond hair that's sort of loosely curled, okay? It's not in ringlets, but it's not wavy. either."
Grimacing slightly, Monaghan nodded as he wrote down the information. For someone who didn't want to remember, that seemed to be an odd detail. "Go on…"
"His eyes are bright blue, and I think he has dimples...definitely some freckles."
As he listened from the interrogation room, Lucifer couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Bloody Hell...it can't be him…"
Scrunching her eyes shut, Claire seemed to be reliving the day before. "He looked a lot like Mr. Dixon's boyfriend. He even had the same kind of gold feather necklace that Mr. Dixon used to wear…"
Astonished, Lucifer fired off a quick text. I don't believe her...if she was in shock, how does she remember all those details?
Claire hesitated for a minute. "In fact, except for the jewelry, he looked like a blond version of Mr. Morningstar. He was wearing a fancy gray suit under his robe, too…with a bright blue shirt..."
Exasperated as the text alert sounded, Chloe read the message and shot a pointed glance at the one way mirror before turning her phone face down. "You said this happened really fast, but you remember all of these details?"
Claire wiped away a tear. "He practically ran me over before pushing me out of the way, so I got a good look at him. Anyway, I work in costume design. I have to pay attention to details...I have to notice what people are wearing." Her eyes widened in terror. "Oh, God...I saw him! I can identify him, and he must know that! Do you think he'll come after me, too?"
Closing his notepad, Sean tried to smile. "I think we can get you some police protection. Detective Decker, can I speak to you in private for a moment?"
"Yes...I think we're finished here." She turned to Claire. "I'll have Officer Hernandez give you a ride home, and I'll put in a request for a squad car to sit outside your apartment building. Don't worry...you'll be fine, but don't leave town, okay? If you wait here for a minute, Hernandez will be here shortly." Rising from her seat, Chloe pointed to the door. "Shall we, Detective?"
"Yeah." Sean shook hands with their witness. "Thanks again, Ms. Morgenstern."
She offered a weak smile. "No problem. Glad I could help. I hope you catch the guy real soon."
Still stunned, Lucifer stared at the young woman before him. She just described Michael to a T, but it couldn't be him...he's such a rule follower, and he knows angels aren't supposed to harm humans...he simply can't be the murderer. Besides, he loved Alan. Why kill him?
He watched her for a few seconds, surprised to see how her expression had changed from that of a shy, forlorn girl to a mature, determined woman.
What's this? Is she a changeling as well? She can't be telling the truth about who she saw. I've got to talk to the Detective…"
He quickly made his way to her desk, just in time to hear her discussion with Sean.
"You know who she was describing, right, Chloe?" Sean shook his head. "I knew it was a mistake to let him see those crime scene photos…"
Chloe sighed softly. "It really does sound like she saw Michael Prince at the crime scene, doesn't it? Do you think he's killed all three of our victims, Sean?"
"Well, we know from what Fiona said that he and Mr. Dixon argued frequently. Maybe he killed Alan and then later he killed Erica and Carys to make it look like a serial killer was at work."
Chloe nodded. "He knows a lot about ritual killing, too. I suppose it could be him…"
"Let me set the record straight, Detective!," Lucifer interjected loudly as he joined them. "Michael Prince did not murder Mr. Dixon, Ms. Hughes, or anyone else, for that matter…"
"C'mon, man...you heard Ms Morgenstern just like we did. Her description sounds just like him, especially with that gold feather pendant." Sean laughed mirthlessly. "There's no way it could not be him. And it was the exact same MO...I'd be willing to bet he killed all three of them."
"I will admit...it was a devastating eye witness account, but, if I'm not mistaken, we'll need more than just that woman's word to get a conviction." Lucifer turned to Chloe. "Has Ms Lopez found any forensic evidence tying Michael to the crime?"
"I haven't gotten her full report yet, but since when are you concerned with forensic evidence, Lucifer?" She paused, narrowing her eyes at him. "There's something you're not telling me. Why are you so concerned about Mr. Prince? You said he was just an acquaintance…"
"Well…" The Devil shrugged slightly. "Let's just say...Michael's an acquaintance who also happens to be my relative…"
"What the everlasting fuck?" Detective Monaghan was now thoroughly enraged. "So you're related to a killer? The killer from my case? I don't fucking believe it…" He threw up his hands in anger. "You know what this means, right, Chloe? Since I'm listed as the lead on this case, if there's any problem about a conflict of interest with your idiot consultant, it goes on my record! We may not even be able to take this case to trial…"
"Lucifer, you said you wouldn't compromise this case!" Chloe was livid as she scolded him. "How could you do this to us? Mr. Prince is related to you? So basically you lied to me!"
"I most certainly did not lie! It had been literally eons since I'd seen him before a couple of weeks ago, and we do travel in some of the same circles." He gave her a coy smile. "I just neglected to add that little detail about being related. To be honest, it never occurred to me that you would think Michael had committed murder, so it shouldn't have made any difference. I mean, he is my twin, but I'm supposed to be the evil one, not him. Anyway, he asked me to look into Alan's death, since he knew I worked with a homicide detective, and I agreed. That's all..."
"YOU'RE TWIN BROTHERS? OH MY FUCKING GOD!," Monaghan roared as he took a step towards Lucifer. "And you've been on this case the whole time…and now it's shot to HELL!"
"To begin with," Lucifer snarled as he moved towards Sean. "...Dad doesn't approve of fornication. Surely you know that, right? After all, it is one of the Commandments. And secondly, I'm sure my relationship with Michael won't impact your case, Detective Shamrock, because I'm positive he had nothing to do with any of it."
"Guys...back off, okay?" Stepping between them to push them apart, Chloe glared at her consultant as Sean stormed off. "No matter how you twist it, Lucifer, you only told me part of the truth, which in this situation is as bad as lying. How can I trust you if you only tell me your version of the truth, or if you leave out details that you want me to find out about? How will I know that you're not leaving out some really important information that puts things in a whole new light, or that may affect the outcome of our case? We can't afford any appearance of impropriety, because a good trial lawyer will pounce on that and this case will be thrown out of court on the first day it's heard."
A frown creased the Devil's handsome face. "When you say it that way, it sounds like I've done something wrong."
"Well, DUH! That's because you HAVE done something wrong!" Scowling angrily, Chloe jabbed a finger at him. "Using your connection to me in order to influence the investigation of a case involving your brother is not only inappropriate, it's a huge violation of police protocol, not that you actually pay attention to that sort of thing! Your meddling may have made all our work on this case a complete waste of time. Our perp may get away with murder, and where's the justice in that?"
"Detective…"
"No...don't even start with me, Lucifer." She rose from her desk. "I'm too upset, and I can't handle having you and all your weirdness around right now, so here's what's going to happen. You're going to tell Michael to turn himself in, and then you're going to be off this case until we know exactly what's going on.'
"But…"
"No...no buts. Go home and call your brother. Tell him we'll be expecting him at the precinct first thing tomorrow morning." She pointed to the stairway leading out of the offices. "GO…"
"Oh, alright...fine. Don't believe me about Michael. " Lucifer shook his head in disgust. "Just don't forget to check Ella's forensic report…"
Biting her lip, Chloe turned away from him. "Go home, Lucifer. You've done enough damage for one day."
Her dismissive tone cut him deeply. "I...I'm…" Realizing an apology wouldn't alleviate her disappointment in him, he exhaled slowly as he turned to leave. "I'll call Michael immediately. Goodbye…"
Clenching her fists as she watched him leave, Chloe shook her head in frustration, knowing that after his monumental mistake, there'd be very little chance of her working with her partner again.
OOOOOOOOOO
Later that afternoon, Dan approached Chloe's desk with some trepidation, knowing she wouldn't be in the mood to see her latest visitor, but the man had refused to take 'no' for an answer. Clearing his throat softly, he tapped on the desk to get her attention. "Hey, Chloe?"
Her eyes fixed on her monitor, she entered some information into a document. "What, Dan? I'm busy…"
"I know, but Greg Lawson is here to see you. I told him you were working, but he says it's urgent, okay?"
Looking up at him, she rolled her eyes. "Of course it is. Fine. Tell him I'll see him."
Seeing Dan wave, Greg walked over to the desk and sat down. "I'm sorry to interrupt your busy day, Chloe, but I have a problem."
Exhaling slowly, she flicked her ponytail over her shoulder. "Well, that's what friends are for, right? To help with problems. So what's going on?"
He pulled an envelope out of his jacket pocket and handed it to her. "I just received this subpoena. I'm being sued…"
She quickly skimmed through the enclosed letter, and handed it back to him, obviously concerned. "Well, that's unfortunate, but…"
"I know...you're a homicide cop." He wiped his eyes with his handkerchief. "But I think I've been threatened."
"Really?" Chloe glanced at Dan. "What's going on?"
Dan shrugged slightly. "I guess the guy who wrote this letter made some comments to the effect that Greg's life would be in danger if he didn't comply with his demands."
Greg rushed to explain. "It's complicated, Chloe. See, I had some financial dealings with this Chad Helton fella when we first considered producing The Devil Calls the Tune, but at that time, he decided he couldn't put up the cash. However, he wanted the right of first of refusal if we had any change in plans, and I said that was fine. Erica had arranged alternate financing, but that fell through when she died, so I contacted Ms Leveau, and she put up the cash, but now Helton says he's taking me to court...or worse...if I don't cut him in, saying I should've called him first before making any changes in the money situation."
Shaking her head, the Detective grimaced as she handed the letter back to Greg. "Look, it sounds like a mess, but I don't know much about entertainment law. You need to find a good lawyer…"
"Oh, I've done that, but I was wondering if maybe you could go talk to Mr. Helton and tell him to back off. Being a homicide cop, you could set him straight, right? I mean, I know you're busy, but...I'd feel so much better about it..."
She couldn't help but feel a prick of guilt as she considered Greg's request. I just yelled at Lucifer for using our professional relationship to help his brother, and here I am thinking about doing the same thing for my friend. Great...just great.
She nodded slowly as she thought things through. "I tell you what, Greg...we need to talk to Mr. Helton anyway to see if he knows anything about the murders or the problems with the production, so maybe I can just slip in a word about leaving you alone as well. Will that work?"
"That'd be great! Thanks, Chloe! I knew I could count on you!" Smiling happily, Greg jumped up and gave her a hug. "Hey, don't forget, opening night is next week. I want all of you to come. You'll love it."
"Yeah, Lucifer said something about leaving some tickets for me at the box office, so I'll think about it." As Greg turned to leave, she coughed quietly. "So, um...when you said something about Lucifer being really talented and having a future on the stage, did you mean it?"
"Oh yeah!" Winking at her, Greg grinned. "I'm so glad you introduced him to me! He's really an excellent singer, and with all of his attractive physical attributes, he could be a star! I've already discussed the idea of his going to New York with us when we finish our run here in LA. He's got a really bright future on the stage, or maybe even movies if he wants to do that. I hope to help him make some good choices, and maybe I can be the executive producer on some of those projects, if I get things straightened out with Helton, that is. Anyway, with Lucifer's talents and my business skills, we could both make a lot of money."
As she listened to Greg gush over his new best friend Lucifer, Chloe sighed sadly. "Well, that's good news for both of you." She focused her attention back on her monitor. "I'll let you know how it goes with Helton."
"Okay, thanks. Talk to you soon." Waving at her, Greg walked away, relieved that his friend would be handling things for him.
Seeing Dan's smirk, Chloe glared at him. "What?"
He shrugged as he checked his nails. "Nothing. Hey, I'm really looking forward to seeing that musical…"
"Don't you have work to do?" Dismissing him with a disdainful grunt, she pretended not to notice that he was laughing as he walked away.
She sat back in her chair, trying to figure out her feelings. As angry as she was at Lucifer, the thought of him leaving LA was too hard to deal with at that moment.
"Why do I care what he does?," she muttered to herself as she pounded noisily on her keyboard. "Ridiculous man…"
Oooooooooo
It was almost midnight as Lucifer sat in his darkened penthouse, pensively smoking a cigarette. Overall, it had been a spectacularly wretched day, and the following day promised to be even worse.
He checked the time on his phone once again, wondering why his brother hadn't arrived yet. Michael was such a stickler for rules, and he hated being late. He should've arrived an hour ago. I wonder what's keeping him...
As a clock chimed midnight softly somewhere in the penthouse, Lucifer finally heard the swish of wings on his balcony, and he looked up to see that his brother had finally arrived."
Folding his golden wings, Michael strolled in and plopped down on the settee. "Sorry I'm late...I had to do some last minute errands for Dad. You know, you have to wonder...if He's so omnipotent, why can't He ever do His own stuff, you know? He ought to be able to snap His fingers and get whatever He wants, right?"
Seeing his brother's dark scowl, Michael rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Lucifer...that's funny. It's a joke, okay?"
"I might've found it amusing some other time, but at the moment, we have a rather pressing problem." He snuffed out his cigarette and walked over to the bar to pour himself a drink. Turning to his brother, he slowly took a sip before asking the question he'd pondered all day.
"Tell me, Brother...why did you murder Carys Hughes?"