The devil and his wings


Father Frank was talking on the phone. Chloe and Lucifer were standing together on the balcony, looking at him. Suddenly the priest walked to the elevator and went in.

"Father," Chloe shouted and hurried into the penthouse, but the doors of the elevator were closed before she reached them. She turned, Lucifer was one step behind her.

"Did he run because of you or what else?" she asked.

Lucifer already had his phone in his hand and raised the other hand gesturing her to be silent. "Maze?" he said in the phone. "The priest is coming down. Can you go close to him to hear what he is up to. I need to know where he is going and why, but don't let him notice you keep an eye on him."

He turned on the speaker of his mobile.

"… he is coming out of the elevator," Chloe heard Maze saying. "He talking with someone on the phone."

Foe maybe a minute they heard the noise of the Lux and then Maze again. "Talking with someone named Conner."

The background noise of the Lux vanished. "Going out," Maze whispered.

Lucifer and Chloe were now in the elevator going down. Over the phone they heard footsteps and than the sound of the traffic outside. Maze informed them he was calling a cab and repeated the address he gave the cab driver.

"That's his church," Chloe said.

"I go there too," Maze said. "Call you again when I'm there."

"Maze should be able to arrive first," Lucifer said.

"Is that possible? She first has to get her car from the garage," Chloe said.

Lucifer grinned. "Motorbike. And if you're scared by me driving, wait until you see Maze. She will arrive before that cab."

The moment they left the elevator in the garage they heard the sound of a motorbike tearing away. "Maze," Lucifer said.

"Not the Corvette," Chloe said. "A car with backseats, just in case we need to take someone back with us."

Lucifer nodded and pointed at another car.

"What is this?" Chloe asked.

"Mercedes GLS 580," Lucifer said.

"European," she said when she was seated. She looked around. "Do I want to know how much this costed?"

"I can't tell you," he answered while leaving the parking spot. "I just signed the invoice, didn't read it."

She studied his face. As far as she now could read him, he didn't try to impress her with his money, he really didn't care about it.

They got a next call from Maze. "I'm now standing in front of the church. Three doors. All three locked and no-one is waiting here."

"No sign from padre Frank?"

"Not yet, a car parked at the other side with some youngster in it."

"Watch out for an attack," Chloe said to the phone.

"No gun to be seen. I'm no amateur. Wait he starts the engine. Leaves parking space, drives away."

"What car? Lucifer asked.

"Black SUV."

"That's the same as Conner drove when he fired at the father," Chloe said to Lucifer.

"Should she follow it?"

Chloe gave it a thought and shook her head. "Or first keep Frank safe?"

"There is the priest's cab coming." Maze told them.

"First Frank," Chloe decided.

Ten minutes later Chloe and Lucifer walked into the church where Frank was pastor. Light was on and Frank and Maze were in front of the altar.

"Why did you leave, father?" Chloe asked.

Frank sighed and shook his head. "Conner called and said he wanted to confess. But he is not here. Only this lady who says she is your bar lady and that you sent her."

"And why didn't you tell us?"

He sighed again. "I was afraid you would think he was setting a trap."

"And you were not afraid for a trap? He could have planned to shoot you."

"I was sure the Lord would have send me a guardian angel. I'm a priest and if somebody needs to confess I will help. Well," Frank looked at the open door, "Conner didn't come."

"We think he was here," Chloe said. "A black SUV drove away when Maze arrived."

"But…" the priest said.

"Why don't you call Conner?"

Frank tried three times, but each call was refused after ringing once. "We don't know."

"I do," Maze said. "He got nervous because there was suddenly a witness, me, and he ran. Well, in this case, he drove away. It looks more like the devil has send you a guardian demon."

Frank looked around, from Chloe to Maze to Lucifer, back to Maze, to Chloe and back to Lucifer. "They know what you are?" he whispered.

"Both know," Lucifer answered. "But how do you know?"

"I just… On the balcony I felt it. I prayed and He let me feel I could trust you."


"Do all your employees know?" Frank asked Lucifer the next morning.

Frank had slept in a guest room two floors down. Lucifer had asked him to join for a breakfast on the balcony together with Chloe and Maze.

"Only Maze."

Frank looked at her. "That is whisky? For breakfast?" he asked. Maze had filled a bowl with cereals and now poured bourbon over it.

She nodded and more or less succeeded to smile while chewing.

"Girl, it will destroy your liver. Before you're forty years old…"

"Me being forty?" Maze had emptied her mouth. "That was before Cain murdered Abel."

"Don't worry about Maze' body, father," Chloe said.

Frank shook his head. "I should care about souls, not bodies. But please talk with a doctor about this. And about your soul, you're ok with working for the devil?" he asked Maze.

"Well, after being Lucifer's first lieutenant for many millennia, one gets used to him."

He stared at her. She smiled again before taking the next spoonful.

"She's a demon," Chloe said. "A real demon."

"I told you tonight," Maze said. "Guardian demon."

He opened and closed his mouth a few times before whispering to Chloe: "And you?"

"I'm just a normal human."

Father Frank didn't eat and was shivering.

"You said God send you here, father," Chloe said. "Have faith, neither of the two is going to hurt you."

"Why are they here?"

"I only followed my boss," Maze said, emptying the bowl with cereals and bourbon.

"And I am on vacation," Lucifer said. "A long vacation. Let's say I do not plan to go back."

"Are you enlisting souls?"

Lucifer chuckled. "Padre, what should I do with a soul? Do you think I get celestial bonus points for extra souls? Do you think I'm sitting on your mrs Madison's left shoulder, whispering in her ear she should kill her husband's mistress or whatever?"

Frank seemed to relax and smiled. "Mrs Madison confesses less bloodthirsty sins. Which I'm not allowed to tell you."

"Well. And I can't tell you about her sins, for until yesterday I had never heard of the woman," Lucifer said. "Let alone spoken to her."

"And how did you learn Lucifer is the devil?" Frank asked Chloe. "If I'm allowed to ask."

Chloe started to tell about Lucifer visiting her mom almost thirty years ago and had reached the Delilah case when her phone rang. "Excuse me."

She answered the call: "Detective Decker."

"With Nikki, from the Youth Center. He has taken Conner." The girl sounded as in panic.

"Try to calm down, Nikki," Chloe said and turned the speaker on. "Who took Conner?"

"Mister Doyle. I think he brings him to the cellar."

"Nikki, breath quietly. To which cellar?"

"Where Arietta brought someone he wanted to kill. And now the Spider took over and I think he uses the same cellar and Conner had to end the priest tonight, but he didn't dare."

"Is Eric Doyle the Spider?" Chloe asked.

"Yes. Yes. You must find him. He will kill Conner. First he will torture him and then strangle him."

"Nikki, where is that cellar?"

"No-one knows. Only Arietta and Doyle. Oh, god. Somebody's coming…" Nikki ended the call.

"Doyle is going to kill Connor," father Frank said. "And it's my fault. I should have…" He shook his head.

"It is not your fault, father," both Chloe and Lucifer said.

"It is," Frank repeated. "If Doyle kills Conner it's me to blame. I should have taken care of him. I'm guilty."

Lucifer grabbed him arm. "You're not guilty. You should not think that way."

"I am," Frank insisted.

"You better find that cellar," Maze said to Lucifer.

"How?" Chloe asked. "Only Arietta and Doyle know which and where and Arietta is dead."

"Exactly," Maze said with a grin, looking at Lucifer.

Lucifer frowned first, then slowly shook his head. "I don't have my wings anymore."

"Scratch the skin from your scars and place them back."

"I don't want my wings."

"Do you want to help him?" Maze asked, pointing at Frank, who didn't listen and only stared at his hands. "He is feeling too much guilt. You know what I mean."

"Of course I want to help."

"You know how."

"Where are you talking about?" Chloe asked.

Lucifer sighed, looking at Frank and clearly full of doubt. "I told you I had Maze cut off my wings."

"Yes?"

"If I still had my wings, I could fly to hell and ask Arietta where that cellar is," he explained.

"But you don't have wings anymore," she said. Only she realized Maze didn't bring this up without purpose.

"You must try not to feel guilty," Lucifer said again to Frank.

"It is my fault," Frank said with a broken voice. "I failed."

"As Maze explained," Lucifer said to Chloe, keeping his eyes on Frank. "My wings can be put back. Angel flesh doesn't decay."

"But…" She swallowed. "In hell you can talk to Arietta?"

"Talk with his soul. Yes," he said.

"No," Frank said.

"We need to go to find that cellar," Chloe. "Well, Lucifer will go."

"You can go with him," Maze said. "Make sure the right questions are asked. He can carry you down and bring you back safe."

"No reason for that," Lucifer interrupted her. He still looked at Frank, hands clenched into fists, He raised from his chair. "You stay with Frank. Maze comes with me to redress my wings."

Chloe grabbed his arm, looked at him. Her breath shivered, conflicting thoughts flashed through her head. She would like to see where he had lived for millions of years, she was afraid of being dragged to hell. It would not harm her, he would not harm her. It would be his opportunity to take her to damnation. Was this the opportunity he had been waiting for. She saw his worrying look and knew she would be safe. "I want to go with you, in case more questions need to be asked."

"Someone should stay with the padre and I need Maze to get my wings back."

"We go for your wings," Maze said. "Then we come back. I stay with the priest and the two of you visit that Arietta."

"You really would go?" Frank whispered as soon as the elevator doors closed behind Maze and Lucifer.

"We think it is the fastest way to find Connor, father."

"But going to hell? I know it not… It sounds as… What if…"

It felt as if a clump of ice fell in her stomach, but she ignored the feeling. "Lucifer and Maze say it's safe."

He crossed himself and folded his hands. "I'll ask the Lord to protect you."


Lucifer and Maze hadn't mentioned how long they would be gone... It took almost two and a half hours before they were back. Chloe was at the point of calling Lucifer or Maze to ask whether everything was ok. Her brains had been bouncing between trust and fear all the time. Frank had been telling her to trust the Lord, but his Lord was also Lucifer's dad and she knew that trusting his dad was exactly what Lucifer was not doing. But around ten o'clock she had her phone out and had just unlocked it when Lucifer landed on the balcony, Maze in his arms, his wing out, white, gorgeous and at least twenty feet wide.

He put Maze down and looked at Chloe. They stared each other in the eyes. "If you don't dare to come with me I can go with Maze," he whispered, looking distressed.

The words 'don't dare' were the exact wrong words. If he would have said 'don't want' or 'don't see the need', she might have stayed on Earth, but now she stepped towards him and grumbled: "Getting your wings took enough time, let us go."

His arms lifted her, his wings spread wide and flapped. They raised from the balcony. For a few moment she saw the streets and boulevards of LA below them, then the sky and city were gone and they were surrounded by a silvery fog.

"This is some dimension between heaven, Earth and hell," he explained. "Something the angels use to travel. Look."

She turned her head and saw three spheres.

"That blue, brown and white one in the middle is Earth. The green, gold and silver one above it is heaven and the black one below with red lines and purple dots is hell." His wings moved and within a few beats they are above a crossing of two red lines on hell.

"Within minutes an angel can be above any place and then drop back in the real universe."

The sky turned dark, a desolate landscape of stones and rocks appears below them. He lands on the flat roof off a brown building. The air is chilly, ash comes down as a drizzly drizzle from dark grey clouds above them. Thunder rumbled in the distance.

She looked around and shivered. Around she noticed flames springing up from multiple pits between the rocks. "Where are we?" she whispered with a feeling like she could panic any moment.

"This is the administrative heart of hell," he explained. "Here they can tell us where Arietta's cell is."

"You don't know that?"

"Detective." He took her in his arms and kisses her. It helped her to relax a bit. "With sixty billion souls in hell: no, for most souls I do not know who is where."

He guided her to a latch and helped her to descend the stairs below. Torches gave some light in corridors without windows. Holding her hand he brought her to a hall where something was sitting on a high stool at a lectern. If it had been a human, it would easy have been the fattest man Chloe had ever seen. It had faceted eyes as a fly and eight arms. A ream of paper appeared out of a hole next to his lectern and disappeared some place at the other side that Chloe couldn't see. With two arms the creature moved the paper over the lectern while he was writing with six pencils in six hands all at the same time. "That is Maxwell," Lucifer said. "The demon who brings order in the chaos that hell tends to be. He keeps track of who comes in and where they are." Other creatures, some more or less human, some looking like huge insects, ran in with papers that they held up a few seconds for Maxwell, who copied the content before the paper was thrown in a large fire in the back of the hall.

"My king," Maxwell said when they approached. "How can I serve you?"

"I need to find a man named Lenny Arietta. He died yesterday in Los Angeles."

Maxwell stopped writing and moved the paper ream back at enormous speed. Suddenly he stopped and pointed. "Xavaro area, Lizar level, corridor seventy-one thousand, four hundred and thirteen, cell ninety-nine. Rymane is responsible for his loop."

"Thank you, Maxwell. You can continue with your work."

"Thank you, my king." The demon moved the paper ream already again and was again writing down the information from the papers the other demons showed him.

"Back to the roof," Lucifer said. "It would take days to walk to Xavaro, so we fly."


In Xavaro they landed on a bridge over a deep chasm. Ash still drizzled from the dark grey clouds. Thunder was much closer, a loud crack made her cringe. Lucifer grabbed her hand. "This way. Only effects to scare souls, detective. Same as this gate is only to panic you." The gate was a stone arc over the road with dark spots behind it, where she more or less expected demons to lurk. This was hell. Not that much fire and brimstone. Sad, gloomy, oppressive were the words that popped up in her mind. They walked through a corridor, closed doors on each side, no windows.

"Shouldn't we hurry?" she asked.

"Time in hell goes fast. For every hour we spend in hell only six seconds elapse on Earth. What looks like a full day down here, is less than three minutes for the living humans. Down this steps." He shook his head to let ash fell of his hair.

She glanced at her own shoulders and saw a thick layer of almost black ash.

"This door," he said and knocked. A woman opened the door. Her skin white as paper, her hair pale red. She was wearing a long black robe with a deep cleavage that should some magnificent breasts. The top half of her face could have won a Miss Universe election, the bottom half was wounds, cuts, blood and ulcers with pus dripping out. A small white worm crinkled in one of the wounds.

"My king," she said and knelt on one knee. "You bring me a soul? This cell is already in use."

"Detective, this Rymane of the Lilim and sister of Maze. Rymane, this is Chloe Decker, a living human and homicide detective that accompanies me to interrogate the soul in this cell and after she will be brought back to Earth."

The eyes of the demoness flashed to Chloe and within a second the face was all human, whole and beautiful. "You know my sister?"

"Less than an hour ago we were having breakfast together," Chloe said.

The woman raised and smiled. "Did she entertain you this night?"

"No, Rymane," Lucifer answered and he said to Chloe: "As Maze Rymane likes sex, fighting and booze."

In the cell they heard a child crying and a man cursing. Chloe reached for her gun.

"There is only his soul and illusions," Rymane said. "He is experiencing killing his daughter. He was drunk, the girl was five and made him angry."

They heard a scream from the man.

"This is when he realizes he killed his child with a broken bottle. Takes fifteen minutes if you want to see it."

Lucifer glanced at Chloe and said: "Better not. Stop the loop and dress up the cell with a table and three chairs."

"As in a police office, an interrogation room, my king?"

"Indeed, Rymane."

The demoness went in and returned within a minute. "Please, follow me."

Chloe followed the woman. The cell – as they called it – looked as a normal interrogation room. Table in the middle, two chairs on each side, a mirror along one wall.

Lenny Arietta's soul was a man in his twenties, younger than the dead body of the director of the youth center. The dead director had short brown hair, his soul had brown hair down to his shoulders. He was sitting in one of the chairs. Chloe and Lucifer took a seat opposite of him. Lenny was sobbing. He flinched when she started to talk to him, seemed to realize he was in hell, but didn't understand she was a living human. It didn't really matter, for he answered ever question she asked.

Arietta had run a drugs ring, Eric Doyle had been his right hand, before he revolted and took over the business. He had indeed a cellar, he gave her the address, where six persons where killed. Eric had strangled them, but he, Lenny, had ordered Eric. Arietta gave names of the people who had worked for him, who now most likely worked for Eric.

"Thank you, Rymane," Lucifer said when they were back in the corridor in front of the cell. "It was a good interrogation room."

"I'm happy I could serve, my king." The demoness turned to Chloe. "Please say hi to Mazikeen for me."

Chloe put one arm around Rymane's shoulder, took her phone and took a picture of herself and the demon. Rymane looked eyes wide open at the result. "A picture of me. I've seen that magic in hell loops, but never I was in one. You're going to send this to Maze, as those souls call it?"

"I will."


While flying in the silvery fog between hell and Earth he asked: "To the penthouse or to that cellar immediately?"

"To that cellar." He was carrying her in his arms. She kissed him. "You ran away from that, from hell I mean."

"I did. As often as possible. I hated it. You did great."

"Walking hand in hand with the devil through hell?" She smiled. "Only because your hand gave me the strength."

Before she could say more the sky around turned blue. They were coming down to an empty space behind a large, derelict building. "This is the address?"

"No, that is next street," he said. "But I need a place where no one sees our landing."

She took a few seconds to app Maze the picture of her and Rymane, together with the text: 'Hi from your sister. Lucifer and I go directly to the cellar'.

The doors of the building above Arietta's cellar were locked, but Lucifer's touch opened them. They heard screams and ran down the stairs. Eric Doyle was taken by surprise. He had his back to the stairs and was beating a bound Conner with a bat. Lucifer was at Doyle before he could turn, lifted him with one hand and through him against a wall. Chloe freed Conner and took her phone to call for assistance.

Uni's came together with Ella and one other CSI colleague. They found seven dead bodies in a cold store in a next room. Conner and Doyle were taken away. The CSI colleague called for more investigators to check the frozen bodies while Ella searched the cellar for evidence, looking at the ropes and torture instruments. "You're all grey and dust," she said to Chloe.

Chloe touched her hair, looked at Lucifer and realized they were still covered with hell's ash. They patted their clothes and clean their hair using a hairbrush Ella had with her.

"One of the things I hate," Lucifer said.

Ella raised her eyebrows. "Where does all that dust come from?"

"Oh…" Chloe took a deep breath. "When Lucifer and I walked around to find this building, at some place we got it all over us."

"Not in this cellar?"

"No, miss Lopez," Lucifer said. "No evidence. Also not Peter Pan's fairy dust."

"So I can't fly with it?" Ella asked with a grin.

"In my dreams you always fly to the stars, miss Lopez."

Lucifer and Ella both laughed, while she put the brush back in her bag.


"Connor is safe?" father Frank asked. He was back in his church now the Spider was eliminated.

"He is," Chloe said. "He is in hospital."

Frank sighed. "I visit him tomorrow."

"He is still suspect for dealing drugs, father."

"I know, I know. I will try to help him."

"Find a good lawyer," Lucifer said and immediately added: "I will pay."

Frank smiled. "Your father was right. I had to ask the devil for help."

Lucifer tensed, then shrugged and placed one pointing finger on Frank's chest. "We still need to figure out who is the best piano player."

Frank laughed and turned to Chloe. "You are ok? I mean you have been in a place no human should ever enter."

"I'm fine, father. It was… most depressing, but I don't think my soul was or is in danger."


Maze joined them as soon as they were back in the penthouse. She inhaled the air close to Chloe and smiled. "Ash and brimstone, home."

"You mean I need to take a long shower," Chloe said.

"Whatever you want, Decker. How was my sister?"

"I told her a few things and she would like to come up to party with you."


Next morning the captain of the Robbery & Homicide Division came to the floor where Chloe and her fellow detectives were having their desks. Chloe had mentioned to colleagues who asked she had solved the murder on Arietta, but now their captain called her to the center of the room. He publicly announced Chloe had solved eight murders on one go and had given the Gang & Narcotics Division the information to arrest five persons involved in the drugs ring.

"All nice," she muttered to Lucifer when finally all people who had come to congratulate her where back to their own desks. "But there is a hell of a lot of paperwork to fill in for seven frozen bodies."

"We now know you can handle hell, detective," he said with a smile.

She grumbled. "Get me another coffee."


Around noon Ella came to her desk. "That dust that was in your hair and on your clothes…"

"Yes?" both Lucifer and Chloe reacted.

"I took a look on what was on my hairbrush. Olivine and pyroxene containing a lot of iron. Where did that come from?"

"We've been wandering a bit to find that cellar," Lucifer said. "Not all places were clean as an operating room."

Ella shook her head. "This is not normal rubble."

"Not? What else could it be, miss Lopez?" he asked.

"Can you show me where you did get it?"

"The detective and I have been walking quit some distance and it's hard to say where exactly we picked up the stuff that ended on your hairbrush."

Ella sighed. "It is so weird. I… I will see." She stared at the paperwork at Chloe's desk and then asked: "How you find all the names of the victims and gang members?"

"We poked a bit in Arietta's and Doyle's stuff, Just a bit here and a piece there," Chloe answered.

"I thought we were friends…"

Chloe raised from her chair and embraced Ella. "We are friends."

"But you're not telling everything."

"What do you want to hear, miss Lopez?" Lucifer asked. "That I really am the devil and we went to hell to find that information?"

"And that debris also comes from hell?" Ella laughed. "Always in character, Lucifer. Ok. Keep your sources secret, if you promised them to stay nameless. I'll see what more I can find from that dust."

"Can she find the truth?" Chloe whispered after Ella left.

"How?" Lucifer asked. "Even if she finds something strange, she can't know what is normal for hell. Even I don't know whether there is a difference at the molecular or atomic level."

"You don't know?"

"I never thought about it, detective. Never questioned it."


Two days later Ella was sitting at Chloe's desk when Chloe and Lucifer entered the precinct. She had a grim look and drummed with her fingers on the desk.

"Chloe, please. Where does that dust come from?"

Chloe looked at het friend, closed her eyes and let fell her head. "I… We told you."

"Hell? Chloe, please. This is serious."

"What is wrong, miss Lopez?" Lucifer asked.

Ella looked at Lucifer. "You really don't know what is wrong with your dust?"

"I really have no idea, miss Lopez."

Ella raised to her feet. "Come to my lab."