Chapter 2 - Broken silence floating on the surface

A/N: Thank you for the reviews and the question. I have some ideas in my mind for the upcoming chapters, but I don't want to spoil anything - I hope you'll like it anyway. :) I'm sorry it took me so long to upload this new chapter (I'm having trouble finding a beta reader.) I have a song recommendation for this chapter: Lhotse ft Ellem - 'Flood' (particularly for the part when Chloe works alone at the precinct). Reviews are always welcome. :)

Warning: Mentioning of threesomes (I guess it is not so surprising, but better safe than sorry :)).

Chloe laid in her bed, exhausted. This case started to get on her nerves. She wrapped herself in her warm and fluffy turquoise blanket, leaned against the headrest of the bed and opened her notebook on her lap. Before going to sleep, she wanted to review the materials related to the case once more.

They questioned a lot of people after they left the victims house, but she didn't get any closer to solving the murder. They started with the couple's lovers at the company and interviewed some of the co-workers as well, which helped to draw a better picture about the Skalbecks. She clearly remembered arriving at SkyFly-Tech Solutions. The building of the company was huge and modern, and seeing the cars in the parking lot, she concluded that the employees here were paid quite well. No wonder Erin and Vincent could afford such a luxurious lifestyle. There were three lovers from the company on the list, two men and a woman, but one of the men was on leave, which meant they had to come back tomorrow as well. They occupied one of the spacious conference rooms for the interviews.

Surprisingly, the two lovers they could find at the company were quite talkative. Both of them attended a charity event last night, so they couldn't be the killers. Nevertheless, they could provide some information about the victim and his wife.

"And how would you describe them, as a couple?" Chloe asked Kimberley, one of the lovers. She worked at the human resources department and slept together with the couple once, according to Erin. She didn't look downright beautiful, yet there was some kind of passion in her eyes. She had a beautiful long neck, made even more visible by her short brown hair and special designer earrings.

"Oh, they were sweet. Really. If you see a couple so often together, you can spot some conflicts between them. But this wasn't the case for Erin and Vincent. They were just…perfect," she said in a wondering tone.

"But they slept with other people. Isn't this a little bit contradictory?" The question slipped out of Chloe's mouth before she could think it over.

Kimberley smiled at her understandingly, "I can understand why you think so. It can be quite hard to believe, but they could make it work. I have never seen anyone as committed to their spouse as Erin and Vincent were to each other."

"So, you are saying that Erin didn't feel jealous when Vincent invited you to their bed?" Chloe asked. She didn't mean to be so blunt, but it came out like that anyway.

"No." Kimberley shook her head firmly. "They asked me to spend a night with them, together. Vincent didn't do anything without Erin regarding this. And when we slept together, they really didn't leave each other out. I wasn't had sex just with Vincent, but with Erin as well. We wanted to enjoy the moment, that's all." She shrugged, then added, "And I think it really strengthened their relationship."

"Of course, it did," Lucifer commented with a lecherous grin. "Fulfilling our desires is always a good thing," he glanced at Chloe and his smile faltered slowly. First, she thought it was because of her scolding glare, but then it seemed that there was something more into it. Though she couldn't find out what else could be behind his changing reaction.

After they finished with Kimberley, they interviewed the other lover, Kai. He was a man in his twenties with some Hawaiian features on his face. He was wearing jeans and a blue shirt. His eyes were bright and a kind and innocent smile was on his face while he spoke about the couple.

"So… If I understand correctly, Erin was attracted to you and she asked you to sleep with her?" Chloe asked him.

"Yes, but Vincent knew about it. I spoke with him about the details the same day Erin asked me," he added.

"What details?" Chloe asked. She felt that they start to diverge from the original purpose of the questioning, but her curiosity got the better of her. She could feel Lucifer's gaze on her, and she started to blush.

"Well, you have to discuss some boundaries and rules with your partners in a threesome to make it work. Especially when two men are involved." Chloe felt the blush spread on her neck and decided to end the questioning, but the man continued. "You know, a lot of men dream about a threesome, but usually with two women. They find the other combination confusing because of the presence of another man. They are sometimes afraid of being labelled gay if they enjoy the presence of both sexual partners. Or they become competitive. But if they focus on the lady's wishes, it can be a unique experience. Well, I'm straight, but I admit I enjoyed being with Vincent as much as being with Erin when she asked us to…experiment with each other. Anyway, it was nice, but it was a one-night thing. They made it clear in the beginning that this is what they want, and they adhered to this."

Chloe was speechless for a long moment. She glanced at Lucifer and waited for him to throw in a dirty joke again, perhaps teasing her a little because she was embarrassed by the topic, but Lucifer did neither of them. He turned to Kai instead.

"Thank you for the information. Who do you think are the ones who know the most about Mr and Mrs Skalbeck?"

"Well, Erin's father, Mr Wayne Price, of course. He's one of the owners of the company and had known Vincent since he joined the company. In fact, it was Mr Price who offered him a job and persuaded him to leave a rival company. He was an excellent engineer and Mr Price always wanted to recruit the best of the bests. And Brian. I mean, Brian Morris, the other owner, and head of the scientific department. Oh, and also Claire," he laughed. At their questioning look, he explained, "Claire Woodberg. She's Brian's secretary and she knows everything. Maybe you want to start with her."

"Yes. Thank you again for your time," said Lucifer and they stood up. When Kai left the room, he turned to Chloe.

"Well, secretaries are always the best sources of information, and maybe she has something useful for us," he smiled.

"Yeah, I would appreciate it if we got something useful finally," she sighed. She was still surprised by Lucifer's behaviour. He could be so blunt sometimes and so considerate at other times. She was sure that he noticed her embarrassment, but he decided to ease the situation for her.

They could find Claire easily in the office behind the main hall. Luckily for them, Brian, too, had just had a free quarter-hour, so they could question both of them. Chloe had managed to regain her composure by the time they sat down in Mr Morris's office. She knew she had to focus on Vincent, and not on the couple's relationship, and that she had to finally get this stupid dream out of her head.

"Oh, Vincent was lovely," Claire gushed. The small woman was in her forties and oozed kindness. Her glasses slid down to the tip of her nose and she looked over the frame of her glasses at Chloe and Lucifer, her grey eyes gleaming enthusiastically. "He had a nice word for everybody. He was never late, did his job with compassion and loved his wife." Her lips trembled a little bit. "I hope you find that bastard who did this to him," she spat, on the brink of crying, then suddenly glanced at her boss. "Sorry, Brian. I didn't want to be so vulgar."

"There's no need to apologize, Claire. I think we all feel the same." He patted her shoulders encouragingly. Then he turned to Chloe and Lucifer. "Claire is right. Everybody liked Vincent here."

Chloe glanced from Brian to Claire, and back. It was quite strange that they called each other by their first names, but Brian didn't seem like a regular boss. He was wearing jeans, a checked shirt without a tie, and practical and comfortable shoes. There wasn't anything conspicuous on him. Although he started balding and wore metal frame glasses, he was not an ugly man. His straight nose and stubble gave him a masculine radiance, while his regular-lined, smiley mouth made his features softer. Altogether, he gave the impression of a humble but intelligent man.

"So, Mr Skalbeck has never had a conflict with anyone?" Chloe asked Mr Morris.

"You mean, a major conflict?" asked Brian.

"No, I mean any conflict," Chloe said exasperatedly. They hadn't found any clues yet, and she started to get very annoyed by that. She would be grateful for any leads at this point.

"Well…" Brian started and exchanged a knowing look with Claire. "He had a little argument a few days ago, but I don't think it was important."

"Tell us about it anyway, please. Who did Mr Skalbeck quarrel with?"

"Ehm…With Wayne. His father-in-law."

"Mr Price? And why were they quarrelling? Was it work-related or personal?"

"I think it was personal, but we only heard some minor fragments from the debate," Brian said and glanced at Claire, who continued.

"Mr Price called Vincent into his office, but barely after a few minutes, we heard they were engaged in a loud hassle. Mr Price said 'you have to finish this, you bring shame to the whole family' as I recall. And Vincent replied something like 'we live the way we like and no one can have a say in it that but Erin and me', then he added that 'until you have any complaint related to my work, we have nothing to talk about', and rushed out of the office."

"Mr Price doesn't really approve of his daughter's lifestyle, I presume?" Lucifer asked while he was scrutinizing an award on Brian's desk.

"You can say that," Brian answered him. "Not that he had ever spoken openly about it. Vincent and Erin both started to work at the company six years ago. Vincent came from another company and Erin just finished at UCLA. She applied for a junior position at the department of communication and public relations. Neither Erin nor her father wanted to be accused of nepotism, so Erin submitted her CV under a pseudonym. We couldn't figure out that she is Wayne's daughter until she was hired. Erin achieved everything on her own at the company. I think Wayne was happy when she fell in love with Vincent, he really liked him. But something changed in the last years. After rumours spread among the employees about their…quirks," he ended somewhat uncertainly.

"Oh, no need to hold yourself back about it, we already know about these quirks. So, if you have any other juicy details-" Lucifer grinned, but Chloe cut him off.

"Do you remember any other incidents besides this quarrel?"

Brian and Claire shook their heads in unison.

"No. Wayne became more distant with Vincent, but that's all. That's why we were so surprised because of this hassle between them."

"Okay, thank you for your time. Could we speak with Mr Price right now?" she turned to Claire.

"His lunch break will start in a few minutes. I will inform him about your inquiry."

They met with Mr Price in his office, one floor up. The office was furnished with elegant furniture but didn't look particularly luxurious. There were pictures of the company's products and beautiful African landscapes on the wall, and they could also admire a few special aerial shots. There were a lot of papers lined up on Mr Price's desk, and a picture featuring Erin and him. Mr Price was standing at the huge window of his office and turned around when they entered.

"Hello, Mr Price. My name is Detective Chloe Decker, and this is my consultant, Lucifer Morningstar. We want to ask some questions about Vincent Skalbeck."

"Claire has informed me about your visit," he said with a friendly smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Unlike Brian, he was wearing an elegant suit with a deep green tie and looked like a real businessman. Despite his strong physique, he moved with such elegance and determination as a lion. He sat down in his leather chair behind his desk and pointed to the two chairs in front of him. As Chloe took a seat, he stroked his blond circle beard.

"What would you like to know?" he asked.

"We would like to reconstruct Mr Skalbeck's last day and to find out with whom he had any conflicts recently," Chloe answered and watched the man's reactions carefully. She decided to start with the information that Ella sent her while they were questioning the two lovers. "We know that you spoke with him in the morning on the phone. What did you speak about? Did he mention any plans for the night?"

"Yes, we talked yesterday. Vincent called me and we talked about his latest technical development, then we arranged a meeting for last night."

As usual, Lucifer soon became bored and started crawling around the room and playing with objects he could find in the office. He was poking an African figurine but jerked his head up at the last sentence.

"Really? I have to say, it's quite rare for a murderer to immediately admit being on the crime scene at the time of the murder," Lucifer grinned and sauntered towards the desk.

"We didn't meet eventually," Mr Price told him flatly. "He cancelled it, so I stayed home. But your accusations are outrageous. I would never have been able to kill my own son-in-law!" he raised his voice slightly at the end of the sentence. He sat straight in his chair, and his thick, blondish hair in the morning light reminded Chloe of a lion's mane, which she saw in some documentary long ago. A lion who isn't afraid of anything.

"We knew that you had a quarrel with him recently," she said matter-of-factly. "You told him that he brings shame to the whole family."

Mr Price's jaw tensed a bit.

"We had a little disagreement, that's true. But we reconciled. That's why he wanted to call me over; to bury the hatchet for good."

"It could be hard to resolve such a long-standing resentment. Especially because your daughter is involved, right?" Chloe asked carefully. Lucifer's impulsive comment nearly ruined the questioning, but hopefully, she could find his weak spot before he decided to lawyer up. The only personal item in his office was the picture of his daughter and him, so hopefully, it would be a good guess.

When Mr Price gulped and barely visibly slumped his shoulders, Chloe knew that her gamble paid up. He was looking at the picture for a long time before he started to speak again.

"Erin is a great girl and I wish her the best. If you have children, you must know that."

Chloe nodded.

"I liked Vincent and I was glad that I could see my little girl have found her happiness. But when they started this nonsense…" he huffed and shook his head. "We didn't raise her like that. And I can't believe that it would have been good for her in the long run. I was afraid that she will hurt eventually. When I first heard about their…habits…I just didn't believe it. Months passed, and then I heard about it again, here, at the company. I asked Erin about it and she told me everything. She insisted that they were happy, and everything was fine. It was still hard to believe all of this, but she never lied to me before and she looked genuinely happy. Then a couple of weeks ago, the neighbours were started to talk about their unusual lifestyle as well. Unfortunately, the rumours also reached my wife. She had a heart attack last year, and I thought that this malice and prejudice would ruin her and Erin as well. That's why I got into a fight with Vincent," he sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Then Erin sat down with me and her mother and told us that she didn't care what others think about them, and neither should we. Their marriage is better than anyone else's in the neighbourhood, and the neighbours will see it as well in the long run. The only thing that bothered her was that I treated Vincent coolly. That's why I agreed to meet him."

"Why did he cancel your meeting?" Chloe asked.

"I don't know. He wrote me an email in the afternoon saying that it turned out that he won't have time to meet me in the evening, but let's meet another time. That's all."

"I see," that was all she reacted. According to Erin, Vincent didn't have any particular plan for that evening, but she didn't want to share this information with him.

"Where were you last night between 10 and 12 PM?" she asked finally.

"At home."

"Can anyone attest to this?"

"My wife was at a charity event, but you can check the footage of my security cameras if you want," he said and folded his arms. "And if you bring a warrant," he added coldly.

"Oh, we will," Chloe said firmly and stood up to leave the office.

After leaving the building of the company they went back to the crime scene and questioned some of the neighbours from the list, but they didn't say anything new. They never saw the lovers with only Erin or Vincent, both of them were present at every encounter. Since one of the neighbours had a large barbeque party last night, everyone who they interviewed had an alibi. Lucifer went to LUX from the scene, leaving the boring background checking to Chloe as usual. But this time she was quite grateful that she didn't have to listen to his constant innuendos and lewd jokes.

The sky darkened in the afternoon, and rain began to fall. Chloe continued to work at the station, silently and alone. Sometimes she noticed the rain drumming on the large windows, breaking the silence. Only this monotonous noise could keep her floating on the surface as her thoughts tried to pull her down into the deep constantly.

Now that she was lying in her bed, she started to regain her composure.

The soft squeak of her door broke her reverie. Marcus stepped into the room with two mugs in his hand.

"Still working?" he asked with a kind smile.

"Yeah, something doesn't add up in this case," she sighed and smiled back.

"You can tell me about that. I'm a good listener. And a fresh ear can help sometimes." He sat on the edge of her bed. "Or a mug of hot chocolate." He handed her one of the mugs.

"Thank you," she smiled and took a sip of the hot beverage. She patted the bed and Marcus sat beside her.

"So?" he asked expectantly.

"Well, you read my report, so you know the basics." She bit her lower lip and closed her laptop. "What bothers me most is that we don't have a suspect. I mean, there is one, the woman's father, but I have a gut feeling that he didn't do it. We need to check his alibi tomorrow. Anyway, today seemed like a complete waste of time, I felt as if we didn't make any progress."

"It seems to me that you have come a long way. Didn't Lucifer get on your nerves?" he asked. She felt that he was trying to sound nonchalant, but he couldn't cover the little tension in his voice. She wouldn't say that he was jealous of Lucifer, but the two men didn't get along well. She tried to pick her words carefully.

"Well, he was a handful as usual. He was quite presumptuous at the questioning, but it paid off at the end."

"How so?"

"Mrs Skalbeck's father started to be defensive after Lucifer accused him of the murder, but instead of lawyering up immediately, he shared some details of his relationship with her daughter and his son-in-law imprudently."

"I bet it was mostly due to your ingenuity." Marcus leant forward and pecked her lips. When he pulled back, he scrutinized her. "So, you have a possible suspect, a lot of information about the spouses and still think that your whole day was a waste of time. I think something else is bothering you."

"You're right, there is something." She averted her gaze, put the mug on her nightstand and snuggled closer to him. It was eating her since they spoke with the widow and she desperately wanted to discuss it with somebody, even if she felt embarrassed about the topic.

"It's Erin and Vincent, and their relationship. They didn't just have lovers, they shared them, always. They did the whole thing together. And I was convinced at the beginning that the husband's murder is related to that. Because there is no way that they could make it work. But after questioning their colleagues, neighbours and even Erin's father, I became unsure about my initial opinion. They seemed genuinely happy. Having these affairs even strengthened their relationship, and I cannot understand, how this could work."

She stopped her rambling and gazed at Marcus from her half-lying position on his chest. "What do you think about this?"

He caressed her hair and seemed pensive for a while. "I think it is about trusting each other. By confessing these attractions to each other, they showed that they trusted the other. And they also had faith that they will resolve the situation together."

Chloe was taken aback a little by his answer. She had to gather some courage before she could form her thoughts.

"It's like you're talking from experience. Have you ever…" she trailed off and was gaping like a fish on the shore. It wasn't so easy to ask him about it after all. Marcus understood it anyway. He took a shuddering breath and answered honestly.

"Yes, I have participated in threesomes. So, if you want to know how it works you can ask anything." After a few second of silence, he added, "Unless you don't want to be familiar with these details of my past. I can understand if it makes you uncomfortable."

"No, no, absolutely not!" Chloe assured him. "It's not that. It's just…I don't want to ask something stupid or ridiculous."

"Don't be silly! I would never laugh at you." He snuggled down on the bed and Chloe mirrored his movement. Now they were lying fully on the bed, turning towards each other.

"Come on," Marcus encouraged her and looked at her expectantly.

"Okay," she sighed. "So…you said 'threesomes'… Does this mean that you tried it several times?"

"Yes, but I didn't make a habit of it if this is what you would like to know."

"Oh, right," Chloe uttered a little uneasily. It was a little bit strange to ask his boyfriend about his previous sexual experiences. But it seemed he didn't mind it.

"And was it always a 'one man and two women' thing?" she asked a little bolder this time.

"No. I mean, sometimes it was a 'one man and two women' constellation, but I was involved in threesomes with other men as well. In fact, I think I have more experience with the latter," he was thinking loudly.

"Huh," Chloe mused. "But why?"

"Good question. I think it was because I was asked to be a part of it. And probably women rather want to be with two men than with a man and another woman. Having two men who both try to satisfy you and fulfil your fantasies instead of competing with another woman could be more appealing for a woman, right? At least, this is my experience."

"And did you enjoy being part of a threesome? I mean, sexually and emotionally?"

He seemed pensive for a minute.

"I…I think…yes. I enjoyed it. It was a liberating experience. But it only works well if those who participate in it trust each other and know each other to some extent. And you have to set the rules beforehand. For example, it had to be clarified in the beginning whether the guys want to hook up, too."

Chloe's eyes widened. She was already surprised by this when Kai mentioned it, but it sounded even stranger from Marcus's mouth. "And…Aren't the guys avert to this usually?"

Aren't you avert to this? was her silent question, and Marcus understood what she really wanted to know. He studied her expression for a while, then chose his words carefully.

"It depends on the partner. If you find the appropriate partner for it and if you're open to new experiences, then an MMF threesome can be very satisfying. And sometimes this is what turns the female partner on."

Although he didn't give a clear answer, Chloe got it and she gulped audibly. She insisted on opening this box, and now she had to deal with its content. First, she thought she will dread knowing about Marcus's past sexual experiences. But it didn't make her uncomfortable. It made her curious, and it was surprising.

"Oh, wow… Well, thank you for sharing your experiences. Now I can understand this case better," she joked lightly. Marcus was watching her intently.

"Chloe," he said finally. "You have to know that I don't want to be with any other women. I want you. Just you. But if you want to try something new, I will gladly try it with you."

Chloe started blushing furiously.

"No, I don't want anything like that! I just…this case vexes me, that's all," she stammered finally.

"Okay. But I hope you know that you can tell me if there is something more that you desire."

"Of course," she smiled and cleared her throat. "I think we should go to sleep. We have to get up early in the morning."

"Right," Marcus said. His gaze was still intense, but he didn't force the topic. He turned off the lights, embraced her, and mumbled a soft 'good night' as he nuzzled her hair.