Chloe watched from her desk as several officers and detectives stood around Malcolm Graham. He'd woken from his coma a couple of weeks ago. Obviously, most of the department was glad he was back. Chloe, however, still didn't trust him, despite the fact that she still had no evidence to suggest he was dirty.
Chloe never liked or trusted Malcolm, and she couldn't deny that that increased after Trixie disappeared. The realistic part of her knew that Malcolm wasn't responsible for that. It was Dan's responsibility to look after their daughter, not Malcolm's, but Malcolm being there certainly didn't help. She felt like him being there at least added to Dan's neglectfulness. It wasn't right for her to think that way, but she couldn't help it. She just couldn't help but ask herself over and over if she'd still have her daughter if he wasn't there.
Trixie wasn't the only reason Chloe didn't trust Malcolm though. She never had. She was sure he was dirty. That feeling got worse a few years ago. He suddenly came into money a few years earlier that he couldn't have gotten from a cop's salary. He claimed he inherited it, but Chloe never believed that. She was sure he was corrupt. That feeling only got worse by the time the Palmetto incident happened. Unfortunately, she had no proof.
Just then, Lucifer came over. "Good morning, Detective."
"Hey," Chloe said, finally tearing her eyes away from Malcolm.
Lucifer turned to where she had been looking. "Is that the detective you were telling me about?"
"Yeah, that's Malcolm. He's made a pretty quick recovering considering. He'll probably be back to work soon," Chloe said as she stood up. She wasn't looking forward to that. She hated dirty cops, and she knew Malcolm was one. She did not want him in the precinct. "Anyway, I got a call about a case about five minutes ago. I was just waiting for you. We should go."
"Certainly," Lucifer said, leading the way out.
Xxxxxxxxxxx
Lucifer couldn't help but notice how tense the detective was. He noticed it at the crime scene and as they were driving back. Her hands were gripping the steering wheel quite tightly. "Detective, is everything alright? Are you still upset about that detective at the station earlier?"
Chloe sighed. She did still have Malcolm on her mind. She didn't know how to get him out of it. All she kept thinking was that he didn't belong with the LAPD. "I've never liked Malcolm. He's always been a smug bastard who treats anyone under him like garbage."
"Such as yourself?" Lucifer asked.
"Yeah. I was a patrol officer when I met him. He and Dan were friends, so I saw him often enough. He was actually at my house with Dan the night Trixie disappeared," Chloe said.
"I see," Lucifer responded. He could tell that some of her dislike for this man came from the fact that he participated in the neglect of her child.
"I have told myself over and over again that it wasn't his fault, and I know that that's true. It wasn't Malcolm's responsibility to watch my kid," Chloe said.
"Perhaps not, but I imagine there are things he could've or couldn't have done that would've prevented the situation," Lucifer said
"That's what I keep coming back to. If Malcolm and Dan hadn't been getting drunk together, my kid might still be here. If one of them had thought enough to close the damn door, she'd still be her. But again, it wasn't Malcolm's responsibility. Dan was responsible for his choices that day. I shouldn't blame Malcolm, but I do. It probably doesn't help that I didn't trust him before that. I didn't want him in my house that day," Chloe said.
"Then he shouldn't have been there," Lucifer said. He was sure the douche knew that his wife didn't trust that man. He should've had the courtesy to keep him out of her home. But he was a douche, so Lucifer wasn't surprised.
"Like I said, I know I shouldn't blame Malcolm for it. It's not really his fault. But if he's corrupt, and I'm sure he is, that is his fault. He's an insult to every decent cop," Chloe said.
"What makes you think he's corrupt?" Lucifer asked.
"Well, for one, his income isn't nearly as big as his spending habits. He and his wife both got brand new cars a few years ago, along with a big house. We're talking expensive cars too, the kind you would buy. He said he inherited some cash, but…"
"You think he was lying," Lucifer guessed.
"Yeah. There were other things. Some things from crime scenes would turn up missing. It didn't happen often enough to prove anything though, and he didn't leave anything to implicate himself. He was smart with whatever he did," Chloe explained.
"Would you allow me to help you investigate him?" Lucifer asked.
Chloe sighed. "I should just let it go. The entire department already hates me for trying to prove a 'hero' dirty." Truthfully though, she didn't want to let it go. If Malcolm was corrupt, he didn't belong in the department. People like him made cops look bad, and they made it possible for criminals to get away with things.
"I don't think you'll be able to do that, Detective. You're too good of a detective to walk away from it. I may be able to help you prove it. I could at least find out if the money you mentioned really was given to him through legitimate means," Lucifer said.
Chloe was really tempted. She was sure she was right about Malcolm and she wanted to prove it, but she wasn't sure about opening that can of worms again, especially if she turned out to be wrong. She didn't think she was wrong, but a good detective always had to consider the possibility that they were. Plus, it wasn't exactly ethical for to have Lucifer dig into Malcolm's past. She knew he wouldn't exactly use legal means. "I don't know. Let's talk about it later. We have a crime scene to get to."
Lucifer decided he was probably going to look into it either way. The detective was clearly bothered by this man, and Lucifer wanted to help her in any way he could. "Of course. Oh, will you still be joining me tonight at Beatrice's school."
Chloe smiled. "Of course. I promised her I'd come see her play. I'm looking forward to it."
"Good. Perhaps you can keep me from utter boredom," Lucifer said.
Chloe chuckled. "You don't fool me, Lucifer. You can pretend you don't want to go, but I know you would never miss one of your daughter's functions.
"Of course not, but that doesn't mean it isn't boring. But at least I won't be there alone," Lucifer said.
"Isn't Maze gonna be there too?" Chloe asked. She just assumed Beatrice would ask her, and she didn't think Maze would turn her down. She didn't know Maze well, but she knew she loved Beatrice and would do whatever the little girl asked.
"Maze isn't permitted at Beatrice's school anymore," Lucifer said.
"Did she torment a child?" Chloe asked.
"More than one, but the little demons deserved it. The brats was lucky it wasn't me," Lucifer said. He wouldn't have harmed children, but he would've made sure they knew not to bother his child again.
"Well, I will say that Beatrice is lucky to have the two of you to protect her, even if you go overboard," Chloe said.
"There is no such thing, Detective."
Chloe shook her head and smiled as the pulled into the driveway of the crime scene.
