Let there be Truth – Tell no soul 4
Chloe played with the handle of her cup of tea, uneasy at the question she wanted to ask next. Lucifer had this weird sex appeal which seemed to work on nearly anyone that was remotely attracted to men, yet it didn't work on her. She couldn't deny he was charming, but not in the same way he immediately appealed to people's darkest desires. It was the way he cared about others despite his own carelessness. He didn't mind the consequences of his actions, but he still wanted to make people happy in his own way. That wasn't the sole source of his attractiveness, though, he looked nice.
"What about his appearance?" she asked.
"I'm sorry?" Egbert looked a bit surprised. "What do you mean?"
"Well, I've seen angels depicted as tall, blond men." But he really was dark-haired, and his so-called brother was black. Now that she thought about it, angel genetics had to be weird.
"Yes, I presume. You, much like everybody else in America, have been mostly subjected to European influences. On a continent where marble-like skin was considered to be a trait of beauty, it would be evident to depict them like that. The truth is that angels are not made of flesh and bones. They always seem to adopt a form that is pleasing to look at, but it isn't their own. Some say an angel's true form is too much for human eyes to behold. There are tales of people going blind after having a glimpse at such a thing."
"Or mad," Chloe added, thinking about what Lucifer had done to Barnes. The way he was convinced that he was the devil.
Egbert paused, apparently remembering something. "Yes, that's true." He smiled and glanced at the top of his shelf. "There is something Lovecraftian about heavenly creatures. Some angels have been described as having bodies of lions with several faces and an odd number of wings."
"But if they were here, on Earth, they would try to look human. Right?"
The Reverend nodded. "They would do their best not to disturb people with their appearance. Which means that they would look and sound like local people."
Chloe ticked at that last remark. Mazikeen and Amenadiel both sounded American, but Lucifer had a somewhat British accent, despite going straight to Los Angeles according to his own testimony. It didn't surprise her that much, though. He was the kind of man who would want to be set apart, and a lot of people found a British accent sexy.
The word clashed with her mind and she suddenly remembered him naked, a picture she didn't want to focus on, no matter how pleasing it might be. That might be why she asked her next question despite the questionable undertones it might have had. "Why would some angels be white and others black?"
The eyebrows of the Reverend rose on his forehead, but he didn't seem to judge her. Instead, he had another one of his benevolent look, and brought his hands together. "How do you picture Adam and Eve, Detective?"
She opened her mouth but not a word escaped. She did have a picture of two naked people standing near a tree, with an apple and a snake in mind. They were white with brown hair, and weren't too muscular, slim, or fat. Just average, in every aspect.
"As I said, our view of Christianity is largely influenced by Europe's Renaissance. When realistic interpretations were painted by great artists and became renowned, memorized, and plagiarized. But the truth is that the first Christians would look Middle Eastern to us, and the first humans… Well, Africa is known as the cradle of humanity, so we can imagine that they were black. It is most likely that Adam and Eve were as well."
Chloe didn't really understand how that would answer her question and the Reverend didn't seem to realize that, as he kept silent. "So…"
"If an angel had come to Earth in the infancy of the human race, it is most probable that they would have appeared as a black person. It is most likely that they would retain that form rather than taking a new one after that."
Chloe was almost ashamed to admit it, but she was worried about Lucifer. Soon after they inspected their latest crime scene, he had claimed he had something urgent to do at the club, and he had bailed on her and Ramirez. Nothing really out of the ordinary considering his usual tendencies, but he hadn't given her any sign of life ever since, and that was more than three days ago. Calling the Lux hadn't helped in the slightest and so she'd decided to go down there. If someone would know about his whereabouts, or any trouble with the club, it would be Maze.
She found the bartender slouching on a comfy chair, sharpening a nasty-looking knife with a whetstone. The sound made Chloe grit her teeth, but she didn't complain. She crosser her arms on top of the railing, staying on the stairs, and asked without coming any closer: "Your boss isn't home?"
"That's his workplace, not his home, and he isn't my boss," Maze flared, the knife rolling in her hand before suddenly stopping, its curved blade pointing at the detective.
It was enough of a threat to warrant an arrest, but Chloe didn't feel like trying to bring Maze in would do any good. No matter how dangerous the woman, she didn't think she would do her any harm – as long as Chloe didn't threaten her first.
"My point is, is he here?"
"No, why?" Maze met Chloe's eyes, intense as usual… Perhaps even more intense.
"I haven't seen him since the beginning of the week. He was supposed to help me with a case."
"That's weird," Maze said. "I haven't seen him either, I assumed he was too busy being your lap dog or something."
"Well, Lucifer might be a dog, but he doesn't sit on anybody's lap. You should know that." Chloe let out a sigh. "I guess he is half drunk and fully naked somewhere with a couple of models."
Maze sighed as well, "Sounds like he is having more fun than me." She put the knife on the table in front of her and tilted her head. "What's this case you're working on?"
Chloe would have wondered why she was interested if her tone didn't implicitly say, 'I'm bored, entertain me.'