The devil asks for a favor


"Mommy, did daddy forget to pick me up?" Trixie asked.

"No, monkey, I'm sure he's just stuck in traffic," Chloe answered. She looked at her watch and tried to hide her irritation for her daughter. Dan should have picked Trixie up fifteen minutes ago, but he was not here and he hadn't text he was late.

"Are you doing homework?" Trixie asked, looking at the tablet

"Um, sort of…"

"What's the assignment?" her daughter asked. The girl looked at the screen and read a few lines. "Dante, Inferno. Is that about the hell? Daddy always says hell and heaven don't exist."

"I'm just reading something, monkey."

Trixie bent over to her and whispered in her ear. "Is it because Lucifer plays he is the devil?"

"No, no. Lucifer and I are just friends. He helped me with two cases, that's all."

"But you have been on a date with him."

"That was not a date. It was only to celebrate we solved a case."

"Mm." Trixie looked a bit disappointed.

Her phone ringed.

"Is it daddy?"

"No…" The number was not in her contact list. "Decker."

"Detective. I hope you're doing fine this morning."

"Lucifer? How do you even know this number?"

"Last time in the precinct I found a booklet with phone numbers of all detectives. I took it with me."

"Mm. Ok." For a moment she had expected something supernatural, not simply him taking a list with phone numbers from the precinct. Taking it was stealing of city property, but she doubt saying such would impress him.

"I have here an emergency. Can you come immediately, detective?

"What has happened, Lucifer?"

He didn't want to tell what the emergency was, only that he needed her in the house of Ty Huntley.

"Ty Huntley? The star quarterback?"

"The same, detective. But we need you for one of the guests."

"Guests?"

"There was a party last night, detective."

He didn't give more details. Chloe was irritated because he didn't tell what the emergency was. She was irritated because she didn't know where Dan was. She called Dan, but he didn't answer. Gritting her teeth she left him an angry voicemail and called a woman in the neighborhood who more often took care of Trixie.


"Excuse the mess, but it's so good of you to come, detective," Lucifer said while he guided her through the house.

"Thanks for being super-cryptic in a really unhelpful way," Chloe reacted. "What's the emergency?"

"Someone died. Well, it's-it's better to show than tell, really."

They reached an indoor swimming pool. A girl was floating face down in the water.

"You should have called 911."

"I need you. I really need to know who did this. I owe you a favor if you can prove it is not…"

"It is not who?"

He shook his head. "I should trust you."

Chloe called for assistance. A coroner from CSI examined the body. "Hemorrhaging in the eyes. Contusions on the neck. Signs of strangulation. And one of the victim's fake nails was ripped off. Signs of struggle."

"We got a murder on our hands," Chloe concluded. "Thanks." She turned to Lucifer. "You said it was a party."

"Last evening and night. Ty was celebrating having set a new record for most completed passes in one game."

"You know the guests?"

"There were two hundred and fifty guests and more than two hundred I' never seen before."

"Did you see the victim last night?"

He hesitated and sighed. "I noticed her talking with Ty. She tried to seduce him."

"I don't follow football," Chloe said. "But even I know Ty's reputation. It is all over the media he is still a virgin. Rich, famous, in the newspapers each week and virgin."

"Attracts a lot of women, detective."

"I guess so. Where can I find Ty?"

"So what happened?" Chloe asked Ty.

"Um, well, I woke up early, 'cause my head hurt," Ty explained. "I, uh… I had a hangover. I... I've never drank before, so…"

"That's on me. Sorry," Lucifer interrupted with a shy smile.

"Yeah, so I came down to get some water, and that's-that's when I saw her in the pool."

"Did you know her?" Chloe asked.

"Not before last night. I talked to her for a little bit. Her name was, uh… Ali, maybe? I don't know. I mean, I'm having a hard time remembering. You think she accidentally slipped, fell in the pool and drowned?

"No, I think she was murdered," Chloe said. "Why didn't you call the police right away?"

"Well, I told Lucifer. He said... he said that he would call the police."

"And I did. Detective Decker's a homicide detective," Lucifer said. "And the best of the LAPD."

Chloe shook her head. "Next time call 911. I am not your personal police concierge." She gave him a smile with that.

"Please, detective. This is important for me."

"Right." She sighed and turned to Ty. "After you talked with her?"

"I didn't see her anymore."

"Let's first find someone who knows her full name," Chloe said to Lucifer.

That turned out to be a major obstacle. No one of the guests that showed up, knew the girl. "Who invited her?" Chloe asked Ty.

"I don't know. I never saw her before."

They found a good picture of the dead girl on the security recordings, wearing a red dress. Chloe asked for a print of the picture and pushed it in Lucifer's hand. "You want to help? Go to everyone we did not yet ask and see whether anyone knows the girl."

"And you?" he asked.

"I'm going through all the items laying around to see whether I can find the ID of the girl."

For some time he looked at her while see was opening bags and searching coats that were laying around. She heard him mutter something as 'boring' and he disappeared. After a while Dan showed up.

"Lieutenant Monroe said this high profile and I have to help," he said.

"Wasn't this your day off? Trixie has no school today and you were supposed to take her to the beach."

"Hey, Chlo'. I'm a detective. You know what can happen. This is the second case today already where I'm needed."

"You can save your excuses for Trixie," she snapped. "On your day off you could have said 'no' to Monroe."

"I have a career to care about."

She didn't listen to him. She knew his career was more important than his child, reason number one for their divorce. She turned away from him before she would start shouting with two hundred and fifty witnesses. Her hands were shaking.

"What are you looking for?"

"Victim had no ID with her. Something, a purse or so, that matches her red dress."

"Matches a dress? How would I know?"

"Young girl that tries to make it in LA. Follow what you know of fashion and good taste. Well, you… don't even try."

He shrugged and picked up a coat. She slowly moved forward looking around. "Something small, classy, something sexy," she whispered. "Like this." She picked up a small silvery purse and found only car keys in it. She walked to a window overlooking the parking place and pressed the open button on the key. Lights of one of the cars flashed.

"Her ID was in the car," she said to Dan. "Ali Thornton, 23, from Boise, Idaho. She was a long way from home. What was she doing here? How did she enter the guest list when no one knows her?"

"Detectives," a woman from CSI walked up to them. "Found something in the master bedroom."

The something was the victim's missing fake fingernail laying in the bed. "Is this Ty's bedroom?" Dan asked.

"Of course. So they did more than talking," Chloe snapped. She felt tensed. A feeling that had not that much to do with the case. They heard a woman moaning passionately just outside the bedroom. Chloe frowned and went to take a look. She found Lucifer with a phone in his hand.

"Are you watching porn on your phone? At a crime site?"

"It is not my phone, detective."

"But it is porn."

"It is Ali's phone," he said.

"What?" She took it out of his hands. "That is evidence and you don't wear gloves."

The screen showed Ali and Ty having sex. It ended with Ty seeing the camera and pushing it away with an angry snarl. Chloe snatched the phone from his hands, searched for Ty and had him arrested. Lucifer was coming after her. "Detective. You have the wrong…"

"He had the opportunity and a motive: by taping she threatened his reputation as being virgin."

"He was horny, not murderous."

"Don't tell me how to do my job." She was very annoyed: Dan not picking up Trixie, not even telling he was not coming. Lucifer not wearing gloves.

"Detective, there is more on that phone."

"I don't need more porn." She walked away with the officers and the arrested Ty without looking back at Lucifer.


In the car on her way to the precinct came a small break down. Chloe realized she had not handled Lucifer well. He had found Ali's phone. He had wanted to tell her something and she had just walked away. If she he done the same with Dan, Dan would have been raging. She bit her lip.

In the precinct she interrogated Ty. It convinced her he was innocent. It also learned her Lucifer has pushed Ty to choose a girl and sleep with her. "Did he introduce you to Ali?"

"No. Ali come first to me. They didn't know each other. But he told me to follow my desire."

After the interview she wanted to call Lucifer to apologize, but as far as she knew he didn't have a mobile. She called the Lux and was told neither Lucifer nor Maze was in. She thought that over. Was he really not in the Lux or didn't he want to talk to her? Had she screwed up?

She took Ali phone and searched for the more Lucifer had mentioned. Two calls to… Her eyes went wide open. To the company that did Ty's management. She called the Lux again: still no Lucifer.

Chloe called the management company, told them it was a police investigation and let them check who took the two calls from Ali. During the ride she called the Lux once more and got Maze this time.

"No, Lucifer is not here. No idea where he is. Maybe with his psychiatrist."

"Lucifer has a therapist?"

"Doctor Linda Martin. I let Lucifer know you called when he shows up."

Chloe breathed deeply. Would Maze lie to her about Lucifer being in the Lux or not? The demon probably would if he had asked her. Although, thinking of it, she couldn't remember Lucifer ever lying to her or to anyone. She almost hit the car in front of her when it stopped for a traffic light.


Entering the agency company she went to the reception. "Detective Chloe Decker, LAPD. I'm here to see Ty Huntley's agent, Joe Hanson."

"I'm sorry, without an appointment…" the woman at reception started.

Chloe looked up when she heard laughter nearby. It came from the top of a broad stairs from the hall to the next floor. She saw Lucifer talking and joking with a group of men.

She walked upstairs and heard him say: "… before I go. Which of you is into killing attractive redheads?"

"Lucifer?" she said

He turned and widened his eyes. "Detective!"

"A word? Please." She didn't look while she walked away from the men, just hoping he would come with her. Her skin tingled, her arms strained. She turned and he was right in front of her. His look was a mix of seriousness and uncertainty.

"I want to apologize, Lucifer. I was angry, but I should have listened to you."

"Apologies accepted, detective." He smiled. "I should have trusted you." She looked at him, he looked at her. She was not sure what to do. Somehow she would like to hug him, but she swallowed and said: "You also found Ali called with this agency?"

"Yes, detective." He coughed and moved a bit back.

"She talked with his agent Joe Hanson," Chloe said. "Why did the dead girl even know Ty's agent? I mean, she was Ty's one night stand."

"That's what I'm here to find out, detective," he said. "And I guess so do you. We better team up again."

She relaxed. "Indeed. Cause we're a good team. Let's see Joe Hanson."


Joe Hanson was a big, large guy, looking as he once was a great athlete but now gained a few pounds too much. "Ty wouldn't do something like this," he claimed. "He's such a good kid."

Chloe was sitting in front of his desk. Lucifer was walking along all the trophy's he had on display. "I'm actually more curious about you, Mr. Hanson," Chloe said.

"Me?" Joe chuckled. "Why? I didn't even go to the party. I had to work."

"You spoke to the victim a few hours before she was killed."

Joe's face tightened. "Maybe it's best if I don't say anything without my attorney."

Lucifer turned to them. "Joey! Joe, Joe. There's no need for that." He came closer and looked Joe in the eyes. "Why don't you tell me what you really want, hmm? What desires drive a man such as yourself?"

"I want to be the greatest agent of all time," Joe stammered. "And to do that, I need to protect my clients."

"If you want to protect Ty," Chloe said. "Tell us what you know."

"Ok, ok." Joe gestured them to sit back. "Let's make a deal. I'll tell you everything. You look into something."

"Here's a deal," Chloe said. "Tell us everything, and I don't cuff you in front of your co-workers and take you in. I know how this goes. Ali's a young actress looking for a break. An agent promises to help her out, in exchange, she's will entertain his star client."

"Okay, okay. I had calls with Ali. I hired her to have sex with Ty."

"Wow." Lucifer laughed. "Seems I wasn't the only one who wanted the young virgin to loosen up."

"No, I loved the virgin angle, got him a lot of attention. But Ty messed up." Joe stood up and took a folder from a cabinet behind him. He put it on the desk in front of Chloe and Lucifer. "This comes from his ex."

"Popular boy, this Ty... isn't he?" Lucifer grinned, looking at some pictures.

"So what, did this anger his ex or something?" Chloe asked.

"No, it's from his ex, Debra Macall. She left this behind one of the many times she came here trying to find him. She used to call all the time trying to get a hold of him."

"So, he dated a crazy fan?" Chloe asked.

"He didn't know it at the beginning. When I figured it out, he had already fallen for her. After a while, Debra got possessive, controlling... she thought she was managing him. She broke a girl's nose just because the girl was buying Ty a mojito."

"Hmm," Chloe said, studying the pictures.

"If Debra found out that Ty slept with that poor girl…" Joe said.

Lucifer and Chloe looked at each other and nodded both.


"Hmm. Finally, some rain," Chloe said. They were on their way to the high school were Debra had college that afternoon. "Maybe someone up there is looking out for us."

"I can assure you, He's in no way meteorologically inclined," Lucifer said. "Apart from the whole Noah thing, and that was a one-off."

Chloe gave him a quick glance and gave that a thought. "I… Well… Oh." Better change the subject. "So it might be this Debra girl."

"I told you you had the wrong man," Lucifer said. "Wrong gender as well, apparently."

"Why are you so hell-bent on proving Ty's not the killer?" Chloe asked. "Is it 'cause you pushed Ty towards Ali at the party? You want to make sure you're not responsible for her dead?"

Now he gave her a quick glance, looked away for a moment before he changed the subject. "Something else. I found out I have another problem."

"Please do tell."

"A guy is ruining my reputation. Visiting parties, saying he is Lucifer Morningstar. Leaving the girls unsatisfied and getting drunk."

"Also saying he is the devil?" she asked. "He could be the real one."

"That is a bad joke, detective. I need to stop this man."

"You can file a complaint at the LAPD," she said.

"That's even a worse joke. You sound like Linda Martin."

"Your therapist? You still see her?"

"Thrice a week, detective. To understand you humans."

She raised her eyebrows. The devil in therapy? She had no idea what to think of that. "This is the school. We just wait until her class comes out."


The rain had stopped. They were waiting and she looked at him. She had missed him… That was a ridiculous thought. There had been less than four hours between leaving him at Ty's house and seeing him again at the agency.

"Why do you smile, detective."

"Nothing special. Just smiling. There! That is Debra."

They left the car and hurried to the girl. "Debra Macall?" Chloe shouted. "I'm Detective Decker, LAPD. We need to ask you a few questions about Ty Huntley."

"I've got nothing to say," the girl shouted back and started to run.

"It's either here or down at the station."

"Leave me alone!" Debra yelled. She was almost at a car, when that car exploded, throwing Debra and Chloe to the ground.


Three hours later they knew Debra was not the murderer. Someone had blown up Debra's car with a remote control. Debra had been around Ty's house early in the evening but she had a solid alibi for the night around the time of the murder. It was Dan who found a new fact on a security cam recording: "I think I found who rigged the car: Ronnie Hillman."

"The big Hollywood fixer?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah. A cam caught her walking nearby, right after the explosion. Someone must've hired her for this." Dan said. "I've been trying to build a case on her for years, and every time we've approached her, she's lawyered up immediately.

"How do we approach her?" Chloe asked.

"She's picky about talking to strangers. Definitely no cops."

"What about someone she'd never expect you to work with?" Lucifer said.

"You?" Dan said sharply. "I don't understand why you're here in the first place."

"Lucifer is helping me," Chloe said.

Dan muttered something she didn't understood.

"Me indeed could approach this miss Hillman," Lucifer said.

"All we need you to do is vouch for Dan as someone that needs her services," Chloe said.

"Vouch for detective Douche?" Lucifer shook his head. "Not with Ronnie. No cops and a real problem to fix. Once I engage with her, I will hire her to fix a problem of mine. She goes there to solve my problem and the LAPD can come in to arrest her."

"What real problem?" Chloe asked.

"My impostor, of course."

Dan was strongly against it and Chloe had her doubts, but Lucifer insisted and when Chloe started to supported him, Dan had to accept Lucifer's plan.


Three days later Chloe was with Dan behind the scene in the Lux waiting for Ronnie Hillman to show up. A phone on the bar had a call to Chloe's phone and they could hear Ronnie coming in and talk to Lucifer.

"Your dime," Ronnie said.

"Right. Let's see the face of my impostor, Lucifer said.

Maze laughed and said: "The resemblance is uncanny."

"It most certainly is not." Lucifer sounded offended. "How could anyone think that you were me?"

Lucifer and Maze discussed the guy. In the end Ronnie said: "Pleasure doing business with you, Lucifer."

"Yes, it was, wasn't it?"Lucifer answered. "Which is why I'm going to have to apologize for my friends."

"What friends?"

Chloe entered the main area of the Lux. "Ronnie Hillman, you're under arrest for kidnapping and assault."

Ronnie shrugged. "Would you mind calling my lawyer? Her number's in my back pocket."

"No problem. You need her for the kidnapping, for which we have the airtight evidence, the attempted murder on Debra Macall, and then we will connect you to Ali Thornton's murder."

"Hang on... I had nothing to do with Ali's murder. Debra Macall, Ty Huntley's ex, she's the murderer."

"Debra didn't do it. She's got an ironclad alibi."

"But I was told…" Ronnie seemed to be shocked. "This is my fault. I promised Ali I would protect her."

"You can explain if you want. If you couldn't protect her, at least let us find the murderer," Chloe said.

"All she ever wanted was to be an actress. You know how that goes. Endless rejection, she ran out of money. Ty's agent hired Ali to sleep with him to blackmail Ty. Slip him a roofie, get naked and whip out a selfie stick."

Chloe mentioned Lucifer to come along with her away from Ronnie.

"You think Joe's the killer, that he took things into his own hands, quite literally," Lucifer asked.

"We don't have any proof Joe was at the party. Joe pointed the finger right at Debra, painted her as crazy," Chloe answered. "How do we prove he was at the crime scene?"


Chloe and Lucifer entered the meeting room where Joe Hanson was giving a presentation for a group of investors. Ty was there and Ty was what they could invest in.

"We got you out of jail," Chloe heard Joe saying. He was standing behind Ty's chair, his hands on Ty's shoulders. "We will always protect you... and make you a bigger star than ever." He pointed at the slide that projected and turned to the audience. "This is Ty Huntley... rebranded."

Chloe and Lucifer walked to the front of the room. Everyone turned to look at them. "Rebranded, eh?" Lucifer asked. "Does it come with a new scent? Free toy inside?"

"What do you want?" Joe asked. "Ty is free on bail."

"We have to talk to Ty down at the station again, maybe walk him past a few reporters," Chloe answered.

"Oh, come on! This is ridiculous," Joe shouted. "What about Debra? I told you to look into her. She's the crazy one."

"Debra says she was at home with a friend the night of the murder," Chloe said. "There's no evidence placing her at the party. No one saw her."

She took Ty at the arm to take him with her. "So are you ready to face the cameras?"

Lucifer patted Joe on the arm. "His sponsors will love the free publicity. Tell me, what's ten percent of nothing?"

"I saw Debra there," Joe said. "I went by the party. But a work call came up, and I never made it inside. When I was driving away, I saw Debra outside Ty's window."

"So you admit you were there that night?" Chloe asked him.

"Yeah, and so was Debra."

"That's the proof we need," Chloe said. "We have a sworn statement from Ronnie Hillman saying that you hired the victim to make a sex tape with Ty to blackmail him."

"See, that's why I don't lie," Lucifer said to Joe. "It's so hard to keep track of who knows what."

"I don't understand," Ty said. "Why is it my own agent would want to blackmail me?

"Because he thought eventually you were gonna leave him."

"What, because I took one meeting with another agency? I only did that to make Debra happy."

"Ali didn't want to give you the video," Lucifer said. He looked Joe in the eyes. "And you desired the video, didn't you?"

"Stupid bitch," Joe said. "She said she realized Ty was a good guy. The bitch didn't want to go through with it."

"Her name was Ali Thornton, and you killed her," Lucifer said. His voice filled with anger. He walked up to Joe who stepped back.

"I just wanted her phone. And… But I squeezed too hard."

Joe tried to walk past Lucifer. Lucifer placed one hand on Joe's chest and pushed. The big guy was thrown trough the room. His body shattered a glass wall and ended up against a desk at least five yard behind that wall.

"O, sorry," Lucifer shouted. "Did I squeeze too hard?"

Chloe hurried forward and stepped in front of Lucifer. "Lucifer, what are you doing?"

"Finally focusing my anger where it belongs," he said looking over her shoulder at Joe. His eyes were red pools of fire. For a split second his face was burned flesh with scars and blisters all over.

She had seen this face thirty years before. Her instincts told her to run, but she had to handle this. She could handle this: this face had helped her mom against aunt Jenny. "Lucifer! Control, yourself."

He looked at her and his eyes went brown again. He turned away and Chloe stepped through the shattered wall to arrest Joe.

She handcuffed Joe and brought him back to the conference room. While she called for assistance, she noticed Lucifer was gone. A bit later when two officers took Joe with them, Ty said to her: "I still can't believe Joe did this. I wasn't ever gonna leave him, you know that? Where is Lucifer?"

"I have no idea," Chloe said.

"Why did he leave? Tell him I'm thankful you and he solved this murder."

"I will tell him."


Driving to the precinct she called the Lux. "Yes, Lucifer is here. He went the penthouse," someone told her. A few minutes later that someone could add: "He ordered me to leave him alone."

Chloe took a deep breath. Why? Was Lucifer angry at her because she interrupted him with Joe? He had not looked upset when she told him to control himself. But he left after she said it. What did she do wrong, she asked herself. At a traffic light she hid her face in her hands and sighed. She had to go to the precinct, but decided to make a detour to the Lux first.