Chapter six: Why me

Chloe woke up, completely disoriented. She blinked her eyes. The first thing she realized was she was hungry. The second realization was she was in her bedroom. Did she go to bed yesterday? She remembered a shot, the bullet piercing from her back to her chest. Her hand went up and searched. No pain, no wound, no blood.

"You're awake?"

It was Ella's voice. Chloe turned her head. Her roommate was sitting next to Chloe's bed.

"What happened?" Chloe asked.

"Trixie told me you…" Ella hesitated, then shook her head. "I want to believe her, but she is only eight years old. Please tell me first what you remember."

What exactly did she remember? Chloe closed her eyes and dug in her memories. "Lucifer, I and Trixie, we had eaten ice cream and had walked on a beach. Lucifer brought us home. I heard a shot and I felt my back was hit. The bullet must have gone through for there was blood all over me."

Chloe touched her body again. No wound, no pain. "Then there were…" She took a deep breath. "White wings, giant wings, all around. I must have been hallucinating. Ella! You do agree, you must. Then I blacked out. The hallucinating preceded the black out."

Ella slowly nodded. "I came in at ten. You were sleeping, Trixie kept watch over you. She told me the same over the ice cream and the driving home. She said someone shot you, blood gushed out of your wounds. Lucifer suddenly had wings and he enfolded you and Trixie. She heard more shots, but Lucifer brought both of you inside. In the living room he picked two feathers from his wings. One he used to stroke your wounds and the wounds healed immediately."

Chloe clinched her fists. "It… it can't be true. My little girl has a lot of fantasy."

"There is a large stain on the floor in the living room," Ella whispered. "Blood." She bent down and picked up something. The shirt Chloe had been wearing yesterday afternoon. Covered with bloodstains."

Chloe looked at the shirt and shivered. "And the second feather?"

"Trixie…" Ella started.

At that moment Trixie entered the bedroom. In her hands a cup of coffee together with a large white feather, glowing even while the daylight entered through the window.

"That feather… monkey. What… How…?" Chloe whispered.

"Lucifer gave it to me, mommy. I was scared and he said the feather would give me courage and it did. You need breakfast."

Chloe was even more hungry, yes, but she needed to know more about Lucifer. "What more did he say?"

"I didn't have to worry, he said," Trixie answered. "You were healed. You would sleep for twelve hours but then you would need food. An angel feather helps humans to heal, but the human body provides the energy. So you must eat, mommy. He said that a dozen times before he left."

"He left?" Chloe also looked at Ella."

"Only you and Trix were in when I came home," Ella said.

"He left to chase the man that shoot you," Trixie said.

Chloe shivered. She had a vision of the devil, with horns, a tail and a pitchfork, prowling the city. She came out of bed and went for the bathroom. When she came back, Trixie was gone.

"It is all true," Ella whispered, still sitting in the chair.

Chloe sat on the bed, head in her hands. "Ella. I don't believe…" She went silent. She never had believed in god, the devil, all the bible stuff. The blood stains proved she had had wounds. From what she remembered bad enough to kill her. But they were healed in one night without a scar. "It is all true," she echoed. "He is not a method actor."

"He really is an angel, well…" Ells hold her breath for a moment. "Biologically an angel. I have talked with the devil. I have hugged the devil."

"I did eat an ice cream with the devil," Chloe whispered. "He made diner for us. Does this mean we go to hell?" She grabbed Ella's arm. "Does that mean Trixie will go to hell? How do I save my monkey?"

Ella shook her head. "Chloe, really, I have no idea. Nothing I ever heard matches our Lucifer. If he wants to take you to hell, why then did he save your life?"

"I…" Chloe gave it a thought. He could have taken her and Trixie yesterday evening, but hadn't. He had saved her!

"And you know how he looks at you," Ella said.

"What do you mean?"

"With hearts in his eyes," Ella told her.

"No. I've never seen that," Chloe objected.

Ella just looked at her with her eyebrows raised. She shrugged, suddenly lifted her nose and said: "I smell bacon."

Chloe sniffed. Bacon, indeed. Also pancakes. "O, my god. Trixie is trying to make breakfast. Hurry."

It would be a mess with burned bacon and pancake batter all over the place. Still only wearing the large t-shirt she stand up and she and Ella went for the stairs.

"Mommy likes them with strawberries and raspberries," they heard Trixie say below.

"I have both. Don't worry, urchin, only the best for your mother. Give me a plate for the bacon."

For a moment Ella and Chloe froze, both recognizing the voice with the London accent. Then they made a few more steps down the stairs until they could glimpse into the kitchen area.

"Satan is making breakfast in your kitchen," Ella whispered. She crossed herself. "He is making you breakfast."

She had only whispered and Lucifer was the hallway and a kitchen away, busy chatting with Trixie and making pancakes, but he turned and said loudly: "There is enough for all of us, miss Lopez."

Slowly Ella went ahead. Chloe followed. The devil was in her kitchen. She didn't know what to do, fly, scream, panic… or saying thank you for saving my life. But Ella went to the kitchen and Chloe assumed Ella knew what she was doing, she went to church twice a week. Only the best for your mother, he just said to Trixie.

"Detective, miss Lopez," he greeted them.

"Why are you here?" Ella asked. "Do you want our souls?"

"No, miss Lopez. Contrary to what they told you, I'm not interested in souls. There are sixty billion of them already in hell, almost a hundred-thousand new ones coming every day. We are busy enough, thank you."

"So…" Ella looked around. "This breakfast is not a one-way ticket to hell?"

"No! As I told the spawn already, the detective needs to eat after being healed."

"You will not take Trixie to hell?" Chloe asked. He already said no, but she needed to ask. The devil was in her kitchen.

"Never, detective. Nor you, nor miss Lopez." His eyes went to her legs below the t-shirt. He grinned and gave her a mischievous look. "But if you appear dressed like this, I do consider taking you to…"

"Lucifer, there is a child that hears you!" It came out by reflex without thinking about what he was.

He laughed. "Sit down, you need to eat."

To sit at the same table as the devil? He had healed her, saved her life. Ella sat and Chloe followed. The devil was in her kitchen, but she was not afraid, just confused.

"Why me?" Chloe asked. He seemed to understand what she asked.

"I told you when you visited the Lux: we can be more than friends. Because you see me and not this irresistible body."

"But I'm just…" She swallowed. "Just a single mom, mid thirties, workaholic."

He grinned. "Well. Single mom. All children are hideous little creatures, terrible, taxing burdens, but yours is not that atrocious and we go along not too bad." He held his hand for a high five with Trixie and her daughter enthusiastically made the high five.

"Mid thirties," Lucifer continued. "So? Look at those legs and imagine…"

"Child in the room," she hissed.

"Workaholic. Yes. Perfect, for I love to do cases with you." Suddenly his expression became serious. "You now know the truth, detective. Do you still want to work with me? Go on with our non-date date?"

To learn each other, he had told her. But why would he care about any human. Why her? How could an immortal being be interested in her. She opened her mouth but was immediately interrupted by Ella: "You're not going to ask why me again."

"Thank you, miss Lopez," Lucifer whispered and put a plate in front of both Chloe and Ella. Chloe felt hoe hungry she was and took a bite. Next to her Ella did the same and moaned. "Lucifer. If this would have been a one-way ticket to hell… It really is not?"

"Absolutely not, miss Lopez."

"If this would have been a one-way ticket to hell, it would have been a first class ticket. Your breakfast is as good as your diner."

"The pancakes I learned from a Belgium widow in the eighteenth century," Lucifer said.

"Was it an old lady with seventy year experience in baking?" Ella asked with a grin.

Lucifer cleared his throat, looked a bit shy at Chloe. "Not exactly old," he mumbled. After a deep breath he stood straight. "Yesterday evening after I laid you in bed, I called Maze and we followed the sniper. That is: Maze followed his smell. A demon has a better nose than a dog. He fled by car, we had to follow the trace by feet. Even Maze wouldn't be able to follow the scent while inside a car. He had gone to Port Hueneme, so it took us some hours, but we found the shooter. It was Antonio Bahamontes himself."

The devil was in her kitchen, right. But now she shifted into detective mode. "The mob boss. We… I? we? need to arrest him."

"We, detective. But in this case Maze and I already did. Maze is preparing him for interrogation."

"Preparing?"

"He will talk, detective. Trust Maze, she is one of hell's head torturers."

Chloe raised from her stool. "Lucifer. She can't torture..."

"She won't touch him, detective, only describe to him what is waiting in the afterlife. Please, sit and eat."

She felt she needed more food and sank back to the stool.

"Thank you, detective." He shove more bacon and eggs on her plate.

"When will you and mommy go for a date?" Trixie asked him.

Lucifer went serious and repeated the question Chloe had not yet answered: "Do you still want to go on with our non-date date?"

With hearts in his eyes, Ella had said. She had answered she had never noticed that, but now she noticed the tension on his face.

"Yes," she whispered. He smiled. She remembered a remark Maze made yesterday. "You didn't sleep with anyone since we visited the Lux? Maze said."

"Did she? That demon talks too much." He turned away, was suddenly very busy with putting dirty plates and cutlery in the dishwasher. He wants to make our appointment a serious date, Chloe realized. Ella must have realized the same, for she elbowed Chloe and nodded her head.

"But when?" Trixie persisted.

"Coming weekend you're with daddy. Maybe Lucifer has time," Chloe answered.

Lucifer immediately turned to her. "Of course I have. Saturday?"

Chloe nodded, a bit confused. Did she just plan a date with the devil? And the devil was looking at her, looking so happy. "Ok, next Saturday," she said.

He took her hand and kissed the back of it.

"Wow," Ella said. "This is so sweet. You're so different from what I expected." Then the smile went from her face and she frowned. "O my god."

"Wrong deity, miss Lopez."

"No. Yes. Only I promised father Frank…"

"Your dad?" he asked.

"No, a priest where I go for confession," Ella said.

"A priest…" He raised his eyebrows.

"A friend of me," Chloe said.

Lucifer looked at her, moved his lower jaw a few times, then looked away and shrugged. After a minute or so the smile on his face returned and he looked at Ella. "You promised him something?"

"Before he was a priest, he was a musician."

"Let me guess. Cowbell?"

"Piano," Ella said. "He opened for Dylan, the Rolling Stones."

"The Stones, really?" Lucifer was suddenly serious, even impressed.

"I told him about our previous case and Chopin's letter. He would like to hear that polonaise if you ever play it. I promised to ask whether you would play it."

"But the letter is stored in the evidence room," Chloe said.

"That is no problem," Lucifer said. "I read it quickly before I handed it over to the LAPD. I can play that polonaise."

"But you just said you only read it quickly…"

"Eidetic memory, detective. I can play it. Someone that opened for the Stones, detective. You know what. I invite you all to come to the penthouse this evening and I play the empress' polonaise for the four of you."

Chloe came down again, now dressed as usual: jeans, shirt and jacket, hair in a tail. Just when she reached the last step of the stairs, someone knocked on the front door.

It was Maze that came in bringing a handcuffed Antonio Bahamontes with her. "I brought him to that precinct but you and Decker were not there."

"You could have left him in the precinct," Lucifer said.

"You told me to make him ready for Decker." Maze turned to Chloe. "He will answer."

For a second Chloe looked at the man that almost killed her yesterday evening. He looked pale and stared at the ground before him.

"Did you order the killing of Francis Wallace?"

"Yes," he whispered.

"Why?"

"She has a brother who stole drugs from me. He has to pay me back, but refuses. It was to warn him."

"You wanted to shoot me. Why?"

"You arrested my son." he spoke softly as if he was not interested at all.

Chloe thought for a second. "Someone did warn you that Justin Latoya was talking?"

"Yes. Anthony Paolucci. He is my inside man in the LAPD."

She gritted her teeth before asking: "Do you also know Malcolm Graham?" Lucifer frowned and looked at her questioningly.

"Another cop," Bahamontes said. "I used him a few times before he was shot."

"Did Aoudi knew Graham?"

"Yes. Graham was corrupt and working mostly for Aoudi," Bahamontes answered. The mob boss was still looking at the ground, never raising his eyes. "More for Aoudi than for me."

"That was not a problem for you?"

"No. My customers are in Beverly Hills and on the campus of UCLA. Aoudi sold in San Bernadino and Pasedeno. We didn't compete."

"Who shot Aoudi and Graham at Palmetto Street?" Chloe asked.

"I don't know. I never found out."

Chloe turned to Lucifer. "Will he talk again when we are in the precinct?"

Lucifer grinned. "Oh, detective. He will prefer to talk, rather than meeting Maze again.

As Lucifer predicted Bahamontes talked in the precinct. Chloe and Lucifer sat in an interrogation room with him while lieutenant Monroe and two colleagues of Narcotics watching through the one-way mirror. He didn't ask for a lawyer and with the recorder running he repeated what he told her before plus more details. After an hour the two detectives of Narcotics took over to go into the details of his drug's business.

"Paolucci left yesterday afternoon," lieutenant Monroe informed Chloe. "He is not at home and his phone is powered down. I put a bolo out for him. You were right about Palmetto, you will get the credits you deserve."

"Maybe we can celebrate this by make my consulting official," Lucifer said, beaming his most seductive smile at Olivia Monroe.

The lieutenant blushed and giggled. "That's an excellent idea, mr Morningstar. We all love to see you more in the precinct."

"What is this Palmetto?" Lucifer asked as soon as they were at Chloe's desk.

Chloe took a deep breath and looked around. Colleagues were looking at them, Dan was staring at them. It was absurd, this couldn't be real. Yesterday her career was going down the drain, even her job at stake, due to Palmetto. And now it was clear she had been right about Palmetto. Even more absurd, up to yesterday she was convinced this handsome man next to her was a method player. She had never believed in God, heaven, the bible. But now she knew the actual, biblical devil was sitting at her desk. He had helped her with her cases and had asked her on a date.

Her eyes met his eyes and she took a deep breath.

"Detective?"

Chloe bent over to him and softly told the story of her following Aoudi, seeing him with Malcolm at Palmetto, seeing Malcolm accepting money and then suddenly the shooting.

"… We have no idea who shot Malcolm or Aoudi. There is no other entrance to that room, no-one could have entered or left without me seeing him. But in the end Malcolm was deadly wounded. I was convinced he was dirty, but Paolucci is telling everyone Malcolm was a hero and I was a slut, hallucinating, no doubt using drugs while working. I didn't belong in the force and I needed to be raped to let me learn my place."

"He literally said that?"

She nodded.

"You should have told me," Lucifer said. "Had I known this, I would have dragged Paolucci to hell and I would already have questioned the other two men."

"These other two are dead, Lucifer."

He looked at her, head tilted. O, shit. She realized.

"If they are in hell…" She hesitated.

"Their souls are," he interrupted her. "But I have never spoken with them, never visited their hell loops. They arrived before we met and I never considered them as important. Demons are dealing with them."

"But you can question them, just as you talked with the souls of Paul Rice and Justin Latoya," she finally understood. "You really did!"

While they were talking two mails had arrived and Chloe noticed some restlessness in the precinct. Many colleagues were throwing glances at her and Dan was continuously staring.

Ella came out of the lab, rushing to Chloe to hug her with a loud: "Congratulations."

"What?"

"Didn't you read your mail?"

While Ella also hugged Lucifer, Chloe opened her mail. Two messages from Monroe. First that a bolo was out on Anthony Paolucci for taking bribes. It also stated that the Palmetto case would be opened again and integrity of Malcolm Graham would be investigated by Internal Affairs. The second mail stated that Chloe Decker was promoted from detective grade one to detective grade two and Lucifer would be working with her as her consultant and partner.

After Ella it was officer Paula Cacuzza who came as first to congratulate Chloe and after her more came. Dan didn't. He just sat at his desk with a grim expression.

"I will visit Graham and Aoudi," Lucifer said when all colleagues had gone back to their own desk. "I'll be back in an hour."

Dan came to Chloe's desk while she was filling in papers for the Francis Wallace case. "How did he become your consultant? Even partner. Can't you tell Monroe you don't want that?"

"Lucifer and I solved three cases in a row, Dan. And I enjoy each ride in the car with Lucifer. Why would I not want him as partner?"

"He is just an insane playboy. Delusional. And why is Palmetto opened again? Why is their a bolo out on Tony?"

"As you could read in Monroe's mail. Paolucci took bribes," Chloe answered. "I'm sure Graham did the same."

"Who told that?"

"Bahamontes. The prep of our last case," Chloe answered.

"A case in which Lucifer was involved," Dan said. "I bet he payed this Bahamontes to slander Tony."

"Why do you defend Tony Paolucci, Dan?"

"I partnered a few times with him since Malcolm died. I'm your husband, remember? If he is dirty, it might damage my career also. Didn't you think of that?"

Chloe studied her soon ex-husband. "Internal Affairs will look into Graham and Paolucci, Dan. I guess you know yourself whether that is dangerous for you or not."

"I never took any money!"

"I'm glad to hear," she answered.

Dan looked over her shoulder and pursed lips, still looking angry. Chloe looked behind her and saw Lucifer coming to them.

"Detective," he said, ignoring Dan. "You have time to go?" He grinned.

"But I have paperwork to finish," she objected.

"Palmetto. I talked with Graham and Aoudi. You were at a front door, looking in an empty shop."

"Yes," Chloe said.

"Graham saw you and wanted to shoot you, but was shoot himself by someone in a storage room next to the shop."

"Yes," she admitted again. "But there was no exit from that room, apart from the shop."

"Aoudi told me there is a hatch in the middle of the room. Through the hatch you can enter a tunnel that leads to the street."

"What?" Chloe grabbed her jacket and car keys. "Let's go to take a look."

"Chlo', he is crazy. Talked with Aoudi? Aoudi is dead," Dan snapped. "You will not find a hatch."

She ignored Dan, put her arm in the arm Lucifer offered her and headed for her car.

During the ride he told her exactly what Aoudi and Graham had said, but neither of them had seen the shooter. At Palmetto they found the hatch and descended in the tunnel. It brought them to the street as Aoudi had told him.

"Anyone could have been the shooter," Lucifer said.

"Anyone who knew this entrance could have been the shooter," Chloe corrected.

He shrugged. "Only a detail, detective."

"I always heard the devil is in the details."

He laughed.

"Let's walk back," she decided. "Check whether we oversaw something."

At the end, under the hatch, Lucifer stopped and pointed at the ground. "A shiny something."

Chloe stooped and reached for it. "A 999 key. There was a cop down here, who lost his 999 key."

She reached for her phone and called the precinct. "Is there anyone who reported his 999 key missing just after the Palmetto shooting?" she asked.

"Wait a minute, detective Decker," the officer at the reception said. "I'll check the log."