"Whoa that is nasty… Poor dude, wow…"
Lucifer sighed, watching Ella move around Ashton, inspecting and taking pictures. Chloe stood nearby, a puzzled expression on her face as she stared. Lucifer honestly hadn't moved aside from moving from the doorway to let Ella and Chloe in - And Michael was still casually leaning against the wall, an amused grin on his face as he stared at Ashton, not even bothering to disguise his curiosity. Again, Lucifer wondered if the irritation he felt right then was how Chloe felt, when she was working with him - Especially when the two of them just started out working as partners…
The Devil swallowed, closing his eyes for a moment. Two people were dead, and all he could focus on were his problems with his brother. His self-loathing was at its peak right then - Not that he'd let it show.
"Yeah, poor dude," Michael finally spoke up, and Lucifer blinked his eyes open to look over at him, annoyance returning. "And unfortunately our biggest suspect turned victim..." After a moment of thought, his eyes lit up, turning to Lucifer. "Liorah's boyfriend."
Lucifer blinked at him, thinking about that for a moment. "Why would he kill his girlfriend?" He finally asked, narrowing his eyes. Michael hummed, thinking about that for a moment before shaking his head.
"Dunno, but we should still bring him in for questioning. Once we find him…" Michael narrowed his eyes a little, looking kind of frustrated for a moment, before the amusement returned. "Hey, I wonder if his throat was cut open by the same thing that was in Liorah's," he snickered. "Fingernail clippers of doom."
Lucifer gritted his teeth slightly, fixing his older brother with a glare. "You're being incredibly disrespectful, Michael."
"Oh, relax," Michael told him, his voice dropping slightly as he smirked at his brother. "We all know the two of them are in a much, much better place now." Lucifer thought about that for a moment, eventually relenting. Heaven had been horrible for him, but he knew that it was a better place for the poor souls than Hell. The Devil sighed and shook his head, looking away for a moment.
"I'll look into contacting her boyfriend," he mumbled. "Check back in with Miss Turner, get a name out of her."
"That's my Little Lightbringer," Michael snickered, amber eyes sparkling with amusement as he stared down at his brother. Lucifer narrowed his eyes slightly, glaring up at him wordlessly before turning away, back to Ella and Chloe. Chloe had turned her attention to the arguing archangels, looking rather suspicious now as she eyed Michael, but Ella was completely focused on Ashton.
"You know," Michael spoke up again after a moment, looking thoughtful. "Possible he still killed Liorah, then came back and offed himself…"
"In that case, the murder weapon should be here," Lucifer told him, his gaze flickering to the floor around the chair - The room was practically spotless, and there certainly weren't any fingernail clippers lying about. "Something, at least. But, no. This wasnt a suicide, Michael, this was murder." Michael gave nothing more than a grunt of acknowledgement, eyes narrowing wordlessly, and Lucifer went back to staring at the floor.
"Well, fine," Michael eventually sighed, and Lucifer didn't have to look to know he was grinning again. "I love a good mystery." He brushed past Lucifer, lightly clapping him on the back as he did. The Devil bit back a gasp and screwed his eyes shut. His brother had done that on purpose, he knew. The marks where he'd cut off his wings were still sensitive, and they hurt like all Hell on contact - Especially since Michael was purposefully trying to hurt him. By the time he'd recovered, Michael had left, and Lucifer straightened up, shoving his hands into his pockets and gritting his teeth.
"Are you okay?" Chloe took a few steps toward him, eyes wide with concern. Lucifer blinked, looking down at her and forcing a small smile, glancing after his brother.
"Just fine, Detective," he assured, clearing his throat. "But, now, this isn't about me, is it? Of course not. Miss L-" He started toward Ella, but paused when Chloe tugged on his suit jacket, narrowing her eyes as she pulled him back.
"Look, as much as I like you being responsible for once, there's clearly something going on here."
"Detective, two people are dead and the killer is still out there," Lucifer muttered, meeting her gaze. He was internally pleading at this point, not wanting to talk about this - Especially not with Michael nearby. "Now isn't really the time to worry about my brother issues, hm?" When Chloe continued to stare, the Devil frowned. "Look, we… We can talk about this later. Just, not…" He glanced after Michael.
Chloe's eyes flickered, understanding crossing her face, and she nodded and let him go. Lucifer offered a small smile before lightly brushing past her to head over to Ella and Ashton, sparing the dead man a glance before turning back to Ella. "Alright, Miss Lopez, what've you got?"
"It's weird," Ella hummed, putting her camera down and turning her wide-eyed gaze to Lucifer. "No signs of struggle or anything - But the chair was facing the door, so it would have been impossible for someone to sneak up on him. No sign of forced entry either."
"So he knew whoever did this," Lucifer mumbled, clicking his teeth together and looking down for a moment.
"Not only that - Trusted 'em." Ella shook her head, tilting her head for a moment before speaking up again. "Well, I'll know more when we can get him out of here. Try and figure out exactly what's done this." She nodded to the cut on Ashton's neck, a nice, neat little slice across. Lucifer followed her gaze, frowning a little as he looked the dead man up and down. It must have been a pretty horrible way to go.
"Have you already tested for fingerprints?"
"Well, my guys are working on it," Ella replied, picking the camera back up. "Hopefully whoever did this wasn't wearing gloves."
"Hopefully," Lucifer mumbled, stepping back and glancing after Michael. He didn't really want to follow his brother - Much less ride in a car with him again… But he did have to get back to the police station. The Devil bit down on his lip before turning back to Chloe, who had just been listening in silence, staring at Ashton. "Detective," he hummed, catching her attention. "Any chance I can hitch a ride back to the station with you?"
Chloe blinked, and opened her mouth, seemingly about to question why he wasn't riding back with Michael - But she seemed to remember, to realize, because she snapped her mouth shut for a second before responding. "Of course, Lucifer."
"Wonderful," Lucifer hummed, offering her a smile through the relief. Well, he'd dodged that. Now if only he could avoid Michael like that for the rest of the day, he'd be all good.
So, he headed out at Chloe's side, and for a moment, just a moment, it was back to normal. He noticed the car he and Michael had arrived in was gone - His brother had left without him anyway. Well, that was good, at least, his brother wouldn't have any protests to him riding with Chloe. He sighed, though he couldn't really bring himself to be happy about that, exactly. He'd still have to deal with Michael later, he wouldn't be free forever.
And now that he was gone, he guessed he had a bit of an explanation to give to Chloe.
The Devil frowned a little, getting in the car and shutting the door wordlessly. Chloe got into the driver's side, putting the key in the ignition and starting the engine, casting a glance toward Lucifer as she pulled pulled out and started driving. Lucifer simply looked out the window, watching everything else pass by for a moment as they drove.
It was Chloe who broke the silence. "Were you in a cult?"
Lucifer blinked once, then again, tilting his head and trying to figure out if he'd actually heard that correctly, turning his head to stare at the Detective. Her expression was completely serious, and her gaze kept flickering from the road to Lucifer and back again, waiting for a response. When Lucifer realized she wasn't joking, he twisted in his seat to face her. "No, Detective."
"I just don't-" Chloe cut off, letting out a huff. "Your brother shows up and starts saying crap about you, and your Father, and going back - And you clearly don't want to and just, the way you interact, it's not even like siblings, you know? I mean - Yes, I'm an only child, but… And it would explain the Devil stuff and…"
"Detective, I assure you, I am not in a cult," Lucifer sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. "Me and Michael have a complicated relationship. He's less my brother and more…" He trailed off, glancing away for a second. "Well, I worked under him. It was his job to teach me things, so I suppose you could say he was more of a mentor."
Chloe seemed to consider that for a moment, looking faintly confused. She took a turn, and Lucifer gripped the seat a little tighter, glancing over to make sure she had her seatbelt on. A little hypocritical of him considering he hadn't bothered with his, but whatever - He cared more about Chloe's safety. "What do you mean, teach you things?" She finally questioned, quite obviously at a loss. "What did he teach you?"
"Oh, all sorts of things," Lucifer responded, keeping his gaze fixed out the window. "Mostly fighting, though I was never quite sure that would come in handy, with us being angels. Dad never quite approved of that particular thing - And of course, it all came back to bite Michael in the you-know-where when I rebelled," he smiled a little, proud of himself for a moment.
Chloe sighed, shaking her head a little and staring ahead. "Lucifer, can we please just - For once, talk without bringing up that metaphor?" She prompted. Lucifer looked toward her for a second without quite moving his head, returning his gaze to look out the window almost immediately after. That was probably the best part about talking to Chloe - She was so practical, so "see it to believe it", that no matter what Lucifer said about who he was - what he was - She never believed him. For some reason, it just made talking to her so much easier.
"Right. Well, long story short, Michael and I are less close than most of our other siblings. I'd prefer any of them over him - Even stone-cold Raphael." Lucifer rolled his eyes, looking down at his hands for a moment before speaking again. "I don't want to go home, Detective."
Chloe glanced at him, gaze lingering for a moment before she looked ahead again. "Then don't."
"I wish it were that simple," Lucifer mumbled, staring out the window once more. Chloe went silent, and Lucifer kept his mouth shut for the rest of the ride, finally forcing his signature smile at Chloe when they were back at the station. "Thank you for the ride, Detective."
"Of course, Lucifer," Chloe sighed, offering him a small smile back. Lucifer gazed at her for a moment, silent and speechless, before simply turning and opening the door, getting out. He pushed the door shut behind him, glancing around briefly for the car he and Michael had been in previously, but there was no sign of his brother now. Which relieved Lucifer greatly as the Devil turned and headed into the station, once more falling into step with Chloe. "So, are you going to talk to Zoe a bit more?"
"Indeed. She hasn't left yet, has she?" Lucifer paused, glancing over at the Detective.
"Nope, we're holding her for a little while until we know she's not in danger," Chloe explained, keeping her gaze fixed ahead. "Considering what we just found, she'll probably be in custody for a little while longer." After a moment's pause, she looked up at Lucifer. "You know, I really am proud that you're taking this case seriously."
"Well, whatever it takes to get back to being your partner," Lucifer chuckled, letting out a soft sigh and looking away. Chloe chuckled a little herself before brushing past him and heading off in another direction; Lucifer cleared his throat and straightened up before heading for the interrogation room.
Zoe was leaning over the table, arms crossed and her head in her arms, eyes shut. However, she lifted her head when Lucifer entered, and the Devil offered a smile to her as he shut the door behind him. "Detective Morningstar?" The girl mumbled, rubbing her eyes and sitting up completely.
"Yes, hello Miss Turner," Lucifer hummed, walking over and pulling the chair out to sit across from her, crossing one leg over the other and leaning forward. "I'd like to know what you can tell me about your sister's boyfriend. Like, a name, for starters."
Zoe blinked, seeming faintly surprised by that as she leaned back in the chair. "Alexander Miles," she responded, shaking her head. "But, um, he would never do this. He loved Liorah." Her voice cracked a little as she spoke, rubbing at her eyes.
"Right," Lucifer mumbled, staring at her for a moment. There was a certain expression on her face that the Devil recognized - Apprehension, waiting for something horrible to happen, anxiety, Hell - Bone deep terror. And it didn't seem like this was because of what had happened, no - To Lucifer, it looked like the girl had always seemed to expect the worst.
Something stirred in the back of Lucifer's mind, a simple, fleeting thought that lasted a second, barely enough for Lucifer to grip onto. He dropped his gaze for a second, studying his hands folded neatly in his lap, and narrowed his eyes. "Miss Turner, what was your sister like?"
There was silence for a moment as Zoe considered the question, taking in a shuddering breath and letting it out slowly as she looked down. "Um… She was… She was sweet, for- For the most part, and, uh, she loved acting. A lot." She seemed to grow more uncomfortable as she spoke, staring down as she twisted her hands together.
"And your relationship with her, what was that like? I suspect the two of you were close?" Lucifer prompted. Zoe flinched - Just faintly, and barely noticeable, but she flinched.
"I guess so."
"Do you have any other siblings?" Lucifer questioned, the gears in his head turning. Zoe sighed, shaking her head and looking up at him.
"No, it's… It's always just been me and Liorah."
Lucifer nodded, staring at her in silence for a moment, then cleared his throat and leaned forward. He locked his gaze with Zoe's, holding eye contact with ease. "You seem afraid, Miss Turner."
Zoe's eyes widened, but her gaze held, unable to look away. "I… I am afraid…" She whispered, her voice slightly shaky now. "B- But I don't… I don't want to be afraid, I… I want…"
"Yes?" Lucifer lowered his chin slightly, holding her gaze. "What do you want?"
Zoe's lower lip trembled, tears brewing in her eyes as she stared at the Devil, unable to break eye contact and unable to stop talking. "I just want to be safe," she breathed.
Lucifer blinked, tilting his head and opening his mouth to speak. Before he could, however, the door opened again - Taking his attention off of Zoe. He broke eye contact and looked up, watching Michael take a few steps into the room. His brother nodded to Zoe, but he didn't look at her. "Sammy." He gestured to the door.
"Right…" Lucifer grimaced, disappointed and annoyed at the interruption, and he offered Zoe a small smile before getting up. "Thank you, Miss Turner." Zoe only nodded as Lucifer turned, leaving the room before his brother and turning to face him when he heard the door shut behind the both of them. "Nice timing, Michael," he grumbled.
"Whatever. Did you get a name?" Michael shoved his hands into his pockets, lifting his chin and fixing him with a calm stare.
"I did. Alexander Miles," Lucifer sighed, shaking his head and glancing past him, looking through the window of the interrogation room for a moment. Michael hummed and nodded, biting down on his lip and glancing down at Lucifer.
"Alright. We'll track him down, bring him in for questioning."
"It doesn't matter," Lucifer muttered, looking up at his older brother. "He didn't do it."