NA: I have to admit that it feels a bit strange coming back to a three-year-old story. If you don't mind, spare a moment to leave a word in the review section. Let me know if it's not too jarring.

Let there be Truth – Tell no soul (End of Part 1)

Chloe kept staring at the page. Age had turned it yellow and brittle; it truly looked more like parchment than paper. She still couldn't make sense of the alphabet, but somehow she had to find some kind of meaning to this. She remembered the words Ecbert had used. The Girl with Two Faces. Maybe that was it? If Maze was a liar, perhaps what she'd said about Lucifer wasn't true.

Her experience as an investigator warned her against that train of thought. She was trying to make the evidence match her theory. That was the best way to put innocent people in jail or, in her case, to let the devil off the hook.

"Detective?" Ecbert's sweet voice brought her back to the present.

"Yes?" Chloe raised her head and swallowed hard. I don't want to cry, she told herself, I'm a professional.

"I must say that I'm glad to see you again. I generally discuss these things with boring old men, often older than me if you can believe it, and even the most passionate of them only speak in hypotheticals. You, on the other hand, seem to be very practical about this. It's as though you were dealing with angels and demons on a regular basis, and I guess you do…" Chloe's heart skipped a beat. "Fighting crime must confront you to the worse humanity has to offer." She let out a sigh of relief.

"Well, it's not always easy, I'll admit it." How blind have I been, thinking Lucifer was a good guy even after I found out he was the devil?

"I was a bit surprised that you would ask me about a specific demon like this. I was under the impression that your main interest was Lucifer, at first."

Chloe squinted a little. There was something the Reverend wasn't saying, which didn't really fit with his personality so far. He must have seen the suspicion in her eyes, because he immediately offered a disarming smile.

"I don't mean to presume what the purpose of these questions really is. Whether it's for a case or a more personal endeavor, I do not need to know. But I feel that perhaps there's a question you should have asked."

"And which question is that, Reverend?" Chloe asked carefully.

"What have I told you so far about angels?"

Of course, the old man had to dodge her question. She usually didn't mind a little puzzle-solving, in fact she loved it, but she wasn't in the mood today. So her tone was a bit brusque when she replied, "They're immortal and were made by God, each for a singular purpose."

He nodded to agree with her reply, then added, "And Lucifer was created to bring light into this world."

Chloe just gave an affirmative grunt, annoyed that he would only bring up things she already knew, when it suddenly hit her. "Then why was he in charge of Hell?"

Being in Ramirez car felt very much like being back on patrol, Chloe found out. She'd seen him check the back-up shotgun he kept in his trunk before they left the station, and the police scanner on his dashboard kept spewing violation codes. In truth, it wasn't the best place to think about a murder investigation, especially with his rather aggressive way of driving. I'll make sure we use my car most of the time from now on, she promised herself.

"So you found a lead?" Chloe asked. Her partner had told her to get in as soon as she came back from consulting Maze, but he hadn't given her any information yet. Even now, she wasn't sure he'd reply as he was focused on the road ahead.

"We got an ID back on the victim, Marc Seaworth. He was a small time crook with a penchant for mugging according to his rap sheet. He rented the flat we found him in under a fake name, but his bank statement indicates he's booked a room in a hotel near the beach."

"Either his card was stolen, or he was meeting someone who wouldn't have approved of his neighborhood. Girlfriend, maybe?" Chloe said.

"I called the hotel and they said that whoever stayed there didn't check out. Maybe they'll be able to tell us more about our victim."

"Good job, Ramirez. Sounds like you've been busy," she congratulated him but her partner didn't seem all too pleased with it. Well, it was a little hard to tell since he kept his eyes on the street, which was probably a good idea since he drove like a maniac.

"I guess that you were pretty busy as well. I haven't seen your British friend since the crime scene, and you left not long after that." Some guys in the force would have put some extra meaning into those words, but somehow Ramirez didn't seem the type. He was clearly curious about where she'd gone off to, but she didn't feel any judgement in his voice.

"I was running the M.O. by some people I know. The stitches and the slashed throat seem a bit redundant to be a message, like I told you, but they couldn't be the sign of a serial killer."

"And did you find any match?" Ramirez finally spared her a look after he eased the car into the hotel parking lot. She simply shook her head with an apologetic look. Both Detectives quickly got out of the car and stepped into an outside elevator. It looked like a pretty costly place to stay in. Even the lift was all glass walls and wooden panels encircled with fake gold plating.

Exactly the kind of place Lucifer would stay in, she thought before reprimanding herself for thinking about the man. She was still calling herself ridiculous in the back of her mind when she noticed her new partner stiffening. Ramirez quickly drew his gun and nodded towards the broken lock. The door had been kicked in.

"LAPD!" Ramirez shouted, naturally taking point when Chloe didn't. There was no reply, so he gave her a signal and she opened the door so he could get in with both his hands on his weapon, then followed.

The smell of blood reminded her of Seaworth's crime scene. She thoroughly checked the bathroom while Ramirez moved deeper into the room. She was about to call it clear, but Ramirez was the first to raise his voice.

"Decker, get in here!"

Chloe rushed back out, sweeping the room with her gun for any possible danger, but she didn't find any. Instead, she noticed Ramirez kneeling in front of a bed with sheets drenched in fresh blood. The body of a woman was lying face down on the circular mattress, and although Chloe didn't see any wound from where she was standing, she knew it was too late.

Then, she saw the man sitting naked in front of her partner.

Lucifer was alive, awake, but unresponsive.