Author's Note: Sorry it took a few days to post. My Muse decided to take a day off. I want to thank everyone for the positive and amusing reviews. Enjoy.

They both looked at me like I was crazy. The two most important men in my life were staring at me like I had lost my mind. "Come again" My father said.

"Stu killed my mother."

"Oh don't be silly Persephone. Stu isn't capable of that. He is a bumbling idiot." My father laughed.

I was angry. I know what I saw. She was standing right next to him in the club. It wasn't an apparition. I know it wasn't. "Didn't you see her?" I said to my father.

"No."

"She was standing next to him." I felt tears coming down my cheeks. Bryan tried comforting me. "No. Dammit. You guys don't believe me."

They glanced at each other and shrugged. "Persi…" Bryan started to say.

"No! Don't Persi me."

"Honey, your under a lot of stress. Maybe you should get some sleep." Bryan put a reassuring hand on my stomach. I just glared at him.

Piece by piece the memories from that dreadful night were coming back to me. I remember my mother screaming. I remember Stu's laughing. I remember her garbled cries for help. Too scared to move I hid in a closet. Only coming out when he left. I remember it all.

"I know what I saw."

"Persi- "

"Persephone." My father said.

"What?" Bryan looked at him.

"Her name is Persephone. I named her after a Goddess not a 1930's bootblack."

"Dad, can we focus." I shook my head. I was tired. Maybe I was hallucinating. Maybe my mind was playing tricks on me. "Fine. I'll sleep on it.'

My father left the room and I was alone with Bryan. He helped me get into bed. "I must say I loved your singing."

I issued a weak smile. "Thank you." Laying down on the bed did feel nice. He kissed me. It wasn't long before I fell into a restless sleep. The nightmares kept coming. The blackened forest. My mother's voce calling to me. I lay awake most of the night. I could hear Bryan and my dad laughing.

"Persephone," She would call "Persephone." I could hear her. The fog shrouded her from me. I panted as I ran. She kept calling.

"Mom." I shouted. My voice coming out in rasping breaths.

A blonde woman was standing at a cliff. A glow emanating from her. I ran towards her. She jumped.

"MOM!" I shouted.

I awoke with a jolt. The bed moved suddenly. I lay there panting. Sweat covered me. I heard someone breathing. It was Bryan. He had finally come to bed. He was mumbling. I put my arm on him.

He kept mumbling. I rolled over to look at him. "Hi honey." He said. His eyes were blood shot and glossy.

I rolled my eyes. Gee, thanks Dad. You got my husband completely plastered. I thought to myself "Hi."

"Did you know?" He laughed. "Did…you…know?" He said again. More laughter. "Your Dad is the Devil." He whispered and then burped.

I sighed heavily. "Yes dear." He scooted closer to me and put his arms around me. I let him. Even though his breath was like a dragon's. I hate the smell of booze. I lay there for a few minutes before my eyes became heavy and I fell asleep again.

I awoke again and the sun was making its presence known. Bryan was snoring loudly. I rose from the bed. I had to look into my mother's death. I knew where to find answers. Quickly I threw some clothes on. Pulled my long black hair into a ponytail. I found the keys to my dad's car.

The black Corvette roared down the road. She was fun to drive. I could see why my Dad liked her. Sitting at a stop light my mind wandered. Then a beep alerted me to a greenlight. The Corvette lurched forward. Finally, I reached the precinct.

I walked towards the reception desk. The woman answering the phones looked up at me. "Can I help you?"

"I am looking for Detective Decker. Is she here yet?"

The woman made a face. "I think so." She gave me directions then returned to the phone.

The elevator dinged and I walked into the squad room. People were rushing around. Phones ringing. I had been here the other day. I spotted Chloe sitting at her desk. Her eyes glued to the computer. I walked towards her.

She looked up with a jump. "I'm sorry." I said to her.

"Oh Persephone." She shook her head. "What are you doing here?"

I pulled up a loose chair and set down. Sighing. I was trying to keep it together. "I was wondering if you could help me."

Her brow furrowed. She leaned back in her chair. "Maybe."

"I was wondering if it was possible to look up old police reports."

"For what exactly?"

"The day my mother died."

Her eyes widened. Then she shrugged. "I assume those would be at headquarters." She looked at me. Must have seen something in my eyes. She stood up. "Hold on." She walked to a closed office.

I sighed and closed my eyes for a moment. The baby kicked a few times. The only comfort I had right now. I knew it was a shot in the dark. But I wanted to look at the police file for the day my mother had died. See if they missed anything. The last few months of desk duty I had been going over cold cases. I had managed to get at least two moving along with suspects. I had a hunch.

Chloe returned with a tall beautiful woman. She wore a badge also. I assumed this to be a superior officer. I stood up slowly. "Persephone this is my lieutenant."

The woman smiled. She held out a hand. "I am Lieutenant Olivia Monroe."

I shook her hand. "Persephone Lockhart."

"You are the one that helped out on the Harris case."

I nodded.

"Decker tells me that you are seeking files on your mother's death."

"Yeah."

"Normally we don't do that. But you were a help to us. SO maybe we can help you. What is your mother's name?"

"Joanie Lynn Collins."

Olivia's eyes got bigger. She glanced at Chloe. "Come again."

"Joanie Lynn Collins. She was an actress."

"Yes, I know. I've seen all of her movies. She was your mother."

"Yes."

The lieutenant looked me in the eye. I held her gaze. She nodded. "I'll see what I can do. But I have to warn you. It may not be something you want to see."

I reached into my purse and pulled out my NYPD badge. "Don't worry I have seen some pretty bad things."

She nodded and walked back to her office. Chloe sighed. "Are you hungry?"

I hadn't eaten anything before leaving this morning. My stomach rumbled. I still had a growing baby to nourish. "Yes."

I walked with her to a break room. Staring at the vending machine I contemplated what to eat. It was mostly healthy food. A sure sign I wasn't in New York. The only thing the least bit appealing was some sliced apples. Other officers walked in and would glare at Chloe. She seemed to ignore them.

Chloe and I sat at a table eating. "We arrested George Harris's wife. She confessed to everything."

I nodded. "That's good."

"Yeah. You helped a great deal."

I smiled as I ate an apple. "You are welcome." More silence for a moment. People walked in and out of the break room. They would all look at Chloe with disgust. Some murmured names. "What is with everyone here?"

She sighed. "I'd rather not talk about it."

I nodded. I decided to let it go. My brain went back to thinking about my mother's death. I had repressed the memories so long. But I know what I had saw.

Chloe's voice interrupted my thoughts. "SO, you think it was her manager?"

I nodded. "Yeah. He used to creep me out. That much I remember."

We returned to Chloe's desk. She was telling me about one of the cases she had worked on with my Dad. "He seriously threw that guy through a plate glass window?" I said to her.

"Yeah. With one hand. I still can't figure out how he did it."

I laughed. I did. My father is the Devil. He was quite a bit stronger than a human. I had inherited some of the that strength. Which is how I being able to judo flip a suspect so easily. She kept talking and I spaced some of it.

"Persi?"

"Oh sorry Chloe."

"Detective Decker?" A man stood in front of the desk with a dolly with four boxes on it.

"Yeah that's me." She said.

"I have some files for you."

I looked at the stack of boxes. "Those are all the files on Joanie Lynn?"

"Yep." He said and handed Chloe a clipboard. He pulled the dolly out and left.

I stared at the stack of boxes. There was a lot of work to do. I let out a sigh.

We moved the boxes into an empty conference room. I was looking for the files on my mother's death. Chloe was sorting through files. "Thank you for helping." She nodded. "I hope I am not keeping you from other things."

She shrugged. "I don't have any new cases right now."

I found the police report on my mother's death. I steeled myself to look at the autopsy report. The photos were graphic. I had seen plenty of death in my career. I saw horrific carnage in Iraq. But this was my own mother. The report stated that she died of a drug overdose. But I saw what looked like strangulation marks on her neck.

"Chloe what do you make of the marks?"

She examined the photos. Her eyes got wide. "Looks like she was strangled." She read the report. "But it says nothing about that."

"I know." My mind flashed to that night. From the closet I had remember my mother's gasping for air. I had seen their shadows on the wall. I was afraid to move. "He did it." Tears formed in my eyes.

"Who?"

"Stu Mannon. He was my mother's manager."

"Yeah I know who he is. He was my mother's manager for a little bit until- "She paused. "Until- "She trailed off again. "I think I remember my mother saying he attacked her. She said it to my father." She put down the file and picked up her phone. "I have to call her."

I looked over the other files. There were reports of my mother being arrested for drugs. There were DUIs, an assault. I sighed. There was so much I didn't know about my own mother. My aunt had told me none of this.

"There you are." Bryan's voice made me jump. I had been concentrating so hard on the files that I hadn't noticed the passage of time. Bryan was standing there with my Dad.

Chloe walked in behind them. "Hey Lucifer."

He smiled at her. Then turned to me. "You stole my car."

Bryan looked at him. "Really Lucifer, that's what you are focused on?"

"I like that car."

I rummaged in my pocket and pulled out the keys and set them on the table. "Take it."

Bryan sat next to me. "Persi, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like? I am looking through these files. Seeing if they missed anything. I know it wasn't a drug overdose." I showed him the photos.

He looked at them for a moment. Then I saw the look. He saw what I saw. He sat down. He looked at the report. The report did not match the photos. Nothing about strangulation. "I think you are onto something."

I was relieved that he was on board. It was nice to have him helping. I glanced at my father. He had a strange look on his face. "Dad, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." He said quietly.

Chloe must have noticed it. She had spent enough time with him to know that his behavior was out of character. Void of jokes or his usual self. She didn't say anything.

"You didn't notice anything unusual that night?" I said to my father.

He shook his head. "I wasn't there Persephone. I only arrived the next morning…. after." I looked at his dark eyes. The sadness and grief was apparent. Normally he was able to hide his emotions, even from me. But seeing the photos of my mother must not be easy.

"How did you know, Lucifer?" Chloe asked him.

He looked at her but didn't say anything. He just sighed. "I was only there to make sure my child was safe. I found her in a corner. No one seemed the least bit concerned about her. I got her away from there."

I smiled slightly. I almost felt bad for dragging him into this. He didn't have to be here. "Dad, you don't have to help, if you don't want to. I can do this."

He shook his head. "No, I'll stay."

A few minutes later Lieutenant Monroe walked in. She spied my dad and smiled. "Well, hello Lucifer. What a pleasant surprise?"

He brightened a bit seeing her. I had to admit she was Avery beautiful woman. He stood up and walked over to her. "Why hello Lieutenant."

"So, how did Decker talk you into working this one?"

Chloe looked up. I watched the exchange. My father looked at me. "Oh she didn't. My daughter took the liberty of stealing my car this morning. I found it here of all places."

The lieutenant looked at the group of us. I saw that confusion on her face. "Daughter?" She said.

He smiled. He gestured to me. "Yes, my daughter Persephone. She is determined to find out what really happened to her mother. I have decided to help."

Olivia looked at him and then me and back at my dad. "She is really your daughter. That's not possible."

Chloe started laughing. "Trust me lieutenant, I am still trying to wrap my mind around that too."

Bryan looked up from the files. He was stifling a laugh too. My dad smiled. "Oh and this Is my son-in-law."

Olivia shook her head and looked at me. "Have you guys found anything?"

I stood up and walked over to her. I showed her the photo. "It looks like she was strangled."

The lieutenant scrutinized the photos. She nodded. "I see that. What did the autopsy report say?"

"Nothing." I handed it to her. "It just says drug overdose. But see how it looks like it was altered."

The woman's eyes widened. "Yes. I think you are on to something. But you know how hard it is going to be to get a conviction."

I sighed. I knew. But I was determined to try. I had to. Stu needed to be brought to justice. Not just for my mother but for everyone else he hurt.

Olivia's voice came through my thoughts. "Decker, I need to talk to you." Chloe nodded and followed her out of the room.

I set the photos down and stood up. The baby was shifting and making sitting highly uncomfortable. I paced the room a bit. My mind was racing. So much going through at once. My stomach rumbled. I was hungry too. I felt bad for neglecting my body. My head started to hurt. I paused and placed my hand on the bridge of my nose. I closed my eyes. I sensed Bryan standing there. His hands on my arms.

"Persi, when was the last time you ate?"

I shook my head. "Earlier."

"Maybe we need a break. We can go get lunch."

I sighed. "Yeah." Tears formed in my eyes. Hopelessness set in. I started pacing again. "What are we doing here?"

"To find out what really happened to your mother," Bryan tried comforting me.

My mind was going back and forth. I wanted to go about this legally. I wanted to see Stu on trial. He needed to be punished. I knew deep down that it was going to be a tough road. Most of the evidence was gone. The only thing to do would be to exhume my mother's body. I didn't want to do that. The files looked altered. Were they paid off? I sat down again. I placed my head in my hands.

I felt my husband's hands on my back. "Let's go get lunch." He insisted. I appreciated that he took care of me. When I got buried in work I would forget to eat, or sleep. Now with a growing baby it wasn't good. I nodded.

I looked up as Chloe and Oliva walked back into the room. "Lieutenant. I want to thank you for allowing us to do this."

"You can call me Olivia."

The Marine in me wouldn't allow it. I smiled. "Anyway, is there anything you guys need? New bulletproof vests for the K9's? Anything."

"That is very generous of you. But we are fine. We are happy to help."

I wasn't kidding. I f they needed a new helicopter I would buy it for them. My mother had named me soul heir of her fortune. She had accumulated quite a bit of money in her career. And some of her songs still collected royalties. I had donated quite a bit to charity. I didn't have to even work with what I had left. But sippy margaritas next to the pool and shopping was not my cup of tea. Sitting around while servants did everything for me was not something I liked. So I used it to help people.

Chloe spoke up. "You guys want to go get lunch?"

"Yes. Got any good taco joints close by?" I heard Bryan say. That made me laugh.

"Tons." Chloe said.

Everyone got up to leave. I was hungry but I didn't want to eat. I wanted to confront Stu. My detective side was trying to prevent me from going over there. But my devil side. My devil side was screaming to go to Stu. Use my powers to get him to confess. I knew that going about it with the legal system would not yield results. I pocketed the keys to my Dad's car.

While everyone was standing around talking I snuck out of the precinct. I thought I was home free. But I should have known better than to deceive the Devil. As I approached the car he leaned against the door. Smoke rose from a cigarette in his hands. His dark eyes watching my approach. His other hand in his pocket.

"Going somewhere?"

I stopped before him. "Um."

He chuckled and dropped his cigarette on the ground. He held out his hands. I handed him the keys. "You know this isn't the legal way to go about this." He said while sliding into the car.

I walked to the passenger side. "I know." As I opened the door and got in.

He nodded and started the car. "Well, now that we established that. Let's go punish the bastard."

Putting the black Corvette into gear. We headed into traffic.