The devil doesn't exist


"Come to the lab," Ella said. Ella had her hands folded as praying while they walked with her and seconds after Lucifer closed the door Azrael appeared. Ella and Azrael kissed, then looked at Lucifer and Chloe.

"We're dating," Ella said.

"I told Ella that… Well you must understand we were drinking and chatting…" Azrael smiled at Ella. "...that I like looking at her and I always imagined kissing her."

"So we spent the last four evenings together and last night we decided to tell the two of you," Ella said. "We can't tell anyone else."

"Wow," Chloe said.

"And you were sleeping together tonight?" Lucifer wanted to know.

"Yes," Ella said.

"And you…" Lucifer wanted to ask further, but Chloe interrupted him.

"We know enough, Lucifer."

"I don't," he said with a grin.

They were interrupted by Chloe's phone. "Olivia," Chloe said before answering the call. "Decker."

"Can you and Lucifer come to my office now?"


Lucifer walked with Chloe and opened a door for her. "She is not in her office?" he said with surprise.

"Olivia is next door, Lucifer," she said and opened that next door herself. They seated and lieutenant Olivia Monroe pushed a folder towards Chloe. "The Missner case."

"Yes, lieutenant?"

Apparently Olivia saw her amazement. "The case Madden has been working on, together with Espinoza."

"Ah. Sorry, lieutenant. I didn't know the victim's name. But it is Don Madden's case."

"He closed it yesterday evening. He has concluded the two murders were robberies committed by a tramp who left the city. He even told me which bus the man took to Santa Barbara. We asked the CHP to follow up."

"That's annoying," Chloe said. "But can happen."

"Early this morning a new victim was found, again stabbed with a knife," Olivia said.

"The same knife?" Chloe asked.

"I have no idea. But I will assign the case to you. If it is not related to Madden's case, then it is a new one and yours. If the cases are related, I reassign Madden's case to you."


The victim was found in his study room at the Loyola Marymount University. "He is Zach Dawson, Associate Professor Theology at LMU," a colleague of the man told them. "I found him this morning when I came in. We share the room." He gestured to one of the two desks in the room.

"And who are you?" Chloe asked.

"Andres Zapata, Assistant Professor at LMU."

"Detective Chloe Decker, LAPD, and my consultant, mr Morningstar." Chloe decided to avoid Lucifer's first name at a Theology faculty.

"Stabbed in the back," Ella reported in the meanwhile. "One stab. The killer found an artery with the first stab. Either he knew exactly where to hit or he had luck."

"Or the victim had bad luck," Lucifer said. Ella grinned at him before continuing taking pictures.

"Yesterday when you left, was mr Dawson still here?" Chloe asked Andres.

"I don't remember. I left at half past five and he was not in the room, but I think his laptop and bag were still on his desk. I didn't really pay attention."

"Do you know whether he had problems? Students complaining, dispute with colleagues?"

"Students are always complaining… There are always questions about grades for a test. But Zach…" Andres shook his head. "Zach supervises a few master students and has two PhD candidates. I see them regularly in this room, but I never heard anything that looked like a serious problem."

"I think he died between nine and eleven yesterday evening," Ella said.

"Where were you yesterday evening," Chloe asked Andres Zapata.

"At home. You can call my wife. Oh, and my neighbor. We had a short talk in the garden."

"Thank you. We will check. Was Zach married?"

"No. No relation. His last girlfriend was years ago and she left him."

"We would like to have her name. Did he have relatives?"

"A mother and a sister, both in Toronto, Canada."

"Almost your neighbors, miss Lopez," Lucifer said.

"From Detroit to Toronto is almost four hours by car," she said.

"Less then three hours the way you drive," he reacted. Ella smiled.

"Guys, serious," Chloe said. "Mr Zapata, did Zach often stay late in his room?"

"Not often, but it happened. Wait, I can check his agenda for you."

Andres went to his desk and opened his laptop. A few minutes later he said. "Zach had an appointment with a Jacob."

Chloe came to Andres' desk and looked at Zach's agenda. Just the name Jacob, no last name, no phone number, no email. "Any idea who that is?"

"Zach never mentioned him." Andres scrolled through Zach's agenda. "No other appointment with a Jacob."

"Any security cams?" Lucifer asked.

"Only at the entrance of the building."

They interviewed the master students and PhD students Zach was supervising in the students' own study rooms while Ella stayed behind to finish her forensic work. The general consensus was Zach was an Associate Professor that worked eighty hours a week on his papers and for his students and none of the students had an idea why one would kill him.

Dan came to report the findings of the security cams. "The pictures are blurred, because the camera lens is dirty. You can see someone with a black coat entering at nine twenty and leaving nine fifty." He handed Chloe two pictures that indeed showed a vague silhouette of a person that could be any man or woman of average size.

"The victims of Don Madden's case were also killed by a single stab," he added.

"Which is unlikely," Lucifer said. He frowned. "Finding a vital organ with a knife is not that easy."

Chloe nodded, hesitated for a second and then decided: "Dan, can you see whether there are pictures from security cams in surrounding buildings? We will first finish the interviews. We have one left."

That one was the professor leading the research group in which Zach was working. "Steve Marcicano," the professor introduced himself.

"Lucifer Morningstar," Lucifer reacted before Chloe could.

"The devil?" Steve asked with a raised eyebrows.

"Indeed."

"We have someone claiming to be the devil at least once a month at the faculty," the professor said with a sigh. "Claiming to be God or Jesus happens more often, around five times a month. Having seen Maria is a bit in between."

"No one claiming to be Maria?" Lucifer asked.

"Seldom. Most of the people claiming to be someone are men, women claim to have seen something."

"Interesting," Lucifer said. "One could write a research paper on the difference, I presume?"

"No doubt," Steve answered. "But that is more for the Psychology Faculty and not for us, Theology."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Lucifer, can we stick to the murder investigation?"

"Of course, detective." He smiled at the professor. "Being the devil is nice, but as you can see, the detective is in the command seat."

She gave him a stern look. He first raised his hands to surrender and then gestures she could take the lead.

"What can you tell us about Zach Dawson."

"Good researcher, publishes at least three papers each year. Also good teacher, giving courses for men who want to become a priest. It's a bit ironic mr Morningstar tries to find his murderer."

"Why?" Lucifer asked.

"Well. You play to be the devil…"

"I am the devil."

The professor smiled. "… whatever. While the central theme in Zach's articles is the proposition the devil doesn't exist."

Professor Marcicano couldn't add much more to what they already knew of Zach Dawson, so they decided to go back to Ella to hear whether she had found anything new. Lucifer turned right in the corridor. Chloe looked left and right. "Lucifer?"

"What is it, detective?"

She pointed left. "Zach' room is over there."

He shrugged and followed her.

"I checked with the pictures Dan has of the Madden's Missner case," Ella said. "I think all three wounds are made by the same knife."

"Let me take a look at the wound," Lucifer said. He went on one knee next to Ella and took that look, then raised and grabbed his phone."

"What is it Lucifer?" Chloe asked.

He hesitated, closed his eyes taking a deep breath and then said. "Can you two listen in so you know I'm not cheating?"

"What?"

He shook his head and made a call. "Patrick?"

"Yes, mr Morningstar?"

"You were in the Lux yesterday evening between eight and eleven?"

"Yes mr Morningstar. Why are you asking?"

"Was Maze at the bar all evening?"

"Definitely mr Morningstar. Laughing, drinking and flirting until her shift was over at ten thirty. Then she went upstairs with three young men."

"Thanks, Patrick."

He made a second call.

"Jean?"

"Yes, Lucifer?"

"Can you take a look at the recording of security camera five? Between eight and twelve. Was Maze' motorbike in the garage all the time?"

They had to wait a few minutes before this Jean – Chloe had no idea who she was – answered: "Hasn't moved between six pm yesterdaywhen she arrived and nine am today, Lucifer. Maze left on it ten past nine this morning."

"Thanks, Jean." He ended the call and said: "It was not Maze."

"I had no reason to suspect Maze," Chloe said. She and Ella looked a bit amazed at him.

"Let me send Maze a picture of the wound." He took the picture and sent it to Maze. Within a minute he got an incoming call. "Hello, Mazie."

"What the fuck!! That is done with my knife!"

"Thanks, Maze. That's exactly what I wanted to know. I think it's done with the knife Amenadiel took from you."

"Where is that bastard?"

"We will find him, Maze." He put away his phone and looked at Chloe.

"Who is that Amena-what?" Ella asked.

"Amenadiel," Chloe said. "Lucifer's brother. An angel."

"And what about the knife?"

"This wound is made by a hell forged blade," Lucifer answered. "A blade that itself will find a vital organ, that is why that one stab killed. Maze – you know she is a demon – has some of these blades with her and Amenadiel has stolen one of them."

Ella looked confused. "Why would an angel kill this Zach?"

"He is not allowed to kill humans," Lucifer said. "So we will ask."


Within half an hour Lucifer knocked on 'doctor Canaan's' door. There was no answer and he opened the door. The room was empty. "Lucifer? Chloe?" a voice behind them asked.

They turned and faced Linda Martin.

"Ah, doctor," Lucifer said, beaming his Lucifer smile at her. "How nice. We came to see my brother. You have any idea where he is?"

"No. I didn't see or hear him today yet."

"Can you give me a call when he comes in?"

Linda smiled, swallowed and asked with a small voice. "Why don't you call him?"

"We want to surprise him, doctor."

"Ok, good." Linda nodded. "I will give you a call when I see him."


They visited father Frank Lawrence in his church. "Dawson? Yes, he was a teacher on the seminary, a good one. But I didn't see him since. That is ten years ago." Then Frank smiled. "You know he told us in his opinion the devil doesn't exist?"

"Yes, yes," Lucifer answered. "But you have no idea why someone would kill him?"

"Not from my class at the seminary. We all liked his teaching."

Chloe took at the file of the Missner case and showed Frank the pictures of the other victims. "Brett Missner, Dylan Quinn. Do you know them?"

"That Brett I never seen. Dylan Quinn… I heard the name. That is a coincidence…" Frank took the picture and frowned. "Let me call my colleague."

He took his phone. "Shani? Frank here. Dylan Quinn? …. Yes, I thought so … What did he always say about the devil …"

Chloe looked at Lucifer and saw that – just as she herself – he had raised his eyebrows.

"… thanks, Shani," Frank ended his call. "The devil owns you a beer. I will tell him."

Frank laughed and put his mobile in his pocket. "Shani will believe that last remark is a joke."

"But it's not?" Lucifer asked. "I own him a beer for what?"

"For helping you. Dylan Quinn is a pastoral assistant for Shani Muller. Shani is the pastor of an Anglican Church I know."

"Competition, father," Lucifer said.

Frank laughed. "But listen: Dylan is always saying we should talk less about the devil. He always says we should not blame the bad things on the devil, but on ourselves… Doesn't that sound as Zach Dawson?"

"It does," Chloe mused. "Madden didn't mention in the file that Quinn was active in his church. We will check whether the third victim, Missner, has anything to do with religion."


Brett Missner had been living together with his boyfriend. That boyfriend raised his eyebrows when he heard Lucifer's name. "The name of the devil?"

"I am the devil," Lucifer answered with a small bow.

The boyfriend shook his head. "Brett wouldn't like that. The devil was a very serious deity for him, for us."

"Serious? What do you mean?"

"He was a Luciferianist."

"A Luciferi… what? Is that Satanism?" Chloe asked.

"No. Satanism is a strange group of atheists. Luciferianism believes Lucifer is the true god, the destroyer, liberator, light-bringer and guiding spirit to darkness."

Chloe glanced at Lucifer, who rolled his eyes and sighed. "Light-bringer and guiding spirit to darkness?" he asked.

"That is what we believe," the boyfriend said.

"As if I don't know where to go?"

"Already twice today you didn't," Chloe said with a grin.

"Ha, ha. Funny, detective."

Still smiling Chloe turned to Brett's boyfriend. "Did Brett know a person with the name Jacob?"

The boyfriend looked at Chloe and frowned. "Jacob? You mean Jacob Williams? Brett mentioned someone with the name Jacob Williams who had words with him, more than once. Brett sometimes goes out in the streets to spread the believe in Lucifer. And he had a clash with a Jacob Williams about our believe in the devil."

"How does this Jacob Williams look?"

The man shook his head. "I never saw him. Brett only told me twice he had a fierce discussion with him."

A beep on Lucifer's phone interrupted them. "Linda. My brother is in his office."

"Thanks for the information," Chloe said to Brett's boyfriend. "But we have to go."


Lucifer didn't waist time by knocking. He pushed the door open and they found Amenadiel sitting behind his desk. The angel looked up, his eyes opened wide. "What are you doing here?"

"You killed three humans," Lucifer said.

"Me? Did you go insane? I will never break father's rule."

"You stole a hell forged blade from Maze," Chloe said.

"I didn't steal it. I made sure she couldn't use it to do evil here on Earth," Amenadiel said. He gave her an angry look.

"Three humans are killed with that blade and you own it," Chloe told him.

"I don't… he should…" Amenadiel raised. "I don't believe you. I don't know anything about humans killed."

Chloe laid three pictures on the desk in front of him. "Maze recognized the wounds as caused by the blade you took away."

"Maze is lying," he shouted. "She is a demon. I am an angel."

"You are a murderer," Lucifer answered, also shouting.

Two wings appeared behind Amenadiel, grey with some sharp feathers ending in white points. "I can not be."

Lucifer's wings also spread out with a whooshing sound. "Where is that knife?"

"What the fuck are the two of you doing?" a voice snapped.

Chloe turned. Behind them were Maze and Linda; Maze looking angry, Linda with eyes wide and mouth open, slowly turning pale.

"Wings," Linda stammered. "He is…" Her eyes trained on Lucifer. "You are… No metaphors… I had sex with Satan." Her voice winced, she started to faint, to fell, but Maze could get hold of her before she hit the floor.