Lucifer looked startled at Chloe. When the latter gave no sign in his eyes that he had any idea where his mistake might lie, she growled. The detective rolled her eyes. Any further, and only white would have been visible. She slapped the steering wheel once with both hands in frustration. She looked at him again and said in a still rather pissed-off tone:
"That son of yours is right; you are an IDIOT! Lucifer, you may mean well, and deep in your soul you are a good person. But your Father put too much of goodness into your heart, So he had to take some stuff out of your brain to get a more or less balanced finished product."
She shook her head for a moment in an attempt to release the frustration she now felt. She said in a softer way:
"All right, let me break this down for you into little pieces and use little words to see if you can get behind your own huge blunder!"
The Devil swallowed and anticipated a revelation that would not please him at all. Doc Linda could make certain things that had to do with his confused emotions and certainly human emotions a little clearer for him in her own therapeutic way. The detective was more of a sledgehammer hammering clarity into his brain pan. He still hadn't figured out which of the two techniques he preferred. At times like this, he definitely preferred doc Linda. But here he was, sitting next to Chloe and there was nowhere to go unless he made a run for it. The Devil didn't run from anyone; the very idea was ridiculous. Although the detective would certainly manage that if he remained an idiot. The detective asked:
"Who has free will?"
Somewhat suspiciously, he replied:
"Mankind is the only species with full free will; that's why all this misery started."
Sarcastically she said:
"You see, if you think things through, you'll get a gold star just like Trixie at school. Before you know it, you two can brag to each other who has earned the most stars."
He wanted to make a comment that he was the Lightbringer and that he had hung all the stars but the look in her eyes and a little strange voice in the back of his head that he didn't often hear and much more often ignored told him to keep his big mouth shut for the time being.
Next question: Who has the free will to say no to your Father?"
"Basically no one. But since he doesn't interfere with Hell and leaves mankind alone since he has given them complete free will, I think you mean in Heaven. So, basically nobody, with the only exception being, and even then to a certain extent, Michael. But I explained that just now."
"Good little Devil, with that you deserve your second gold star. If I were to make the comparison that your Father, God, is a kind of king because he has his own kingdom, Heaven, and sits on a throne, would that comparison be somewhat accurate?"
He thought for a second:
"Well, in the terms you're using now, somewhat, yes, if we leave out his divine powers, you can indeed compare him to a kind of king."
She merely nodded:
"Then who is the King of Hell and who sits on that throne?"
"Although I have not sat on that blasted throne for many years, I am still the King of Hell. Alexander has long since taken that task away from me in a completely natural way. It just happened. The Demons just seemed to flock to him and accepted him as their leader without too much opposition. But I already told you that too, detective."
"Yes, Lucifer, but please, for the sake of my sanity, try to stay on track here, or I'll have to take your gold stars back, okay?"
The Devil nodded and wondered where in Heaven's or Hell's name this conversation would lead.
"If no Angel can say no to the King of Heaven. Which Demon can say no to the King of Hell?"
He replied:
"Well, since Alexander turned eighteen, there are now a few Demons who can. He just did that snap of his fingers thingy et voila, it was done. Maze, Celine, his generals who he sees more like brothers and Dromos his best friend, brother, confidant, you name it, that's what those two are since he was a toddler. Before that moment, there were none. All Demons answer to the one on the Throne, thats how Father created Hell. When Alexander reached that milestone, I bound him to the secondary throne of Hell. In addition, I gave him full power over mine, the primary throne. If not for the fact that Father bound me to the primary one I would have given Alex the primary one and be just done with it all. I just can not that blast that connection Father made. It's like being shackled to something for the rest of your life, no possibility whatsoever to cut the shackles. It's basically the same principle as in Heaven. Father on the primary throne. Mother was on the secondary throne. That is, until he also threw her into Hell. Father never wanted to give her full power over his. There was always a lack of trust between the two. Something I do not have with Alexander and thus never hesitated for a second to give him full power. In retrospect and in a messed up way, I have to admit that Father was right about Mother. If she had had full power over his throne, humanity would have ceased to exist thousands of years ago. Not that she didn't do her best to make that happen, but that's a whole other story."
At the mention of his Mother, the detective's eyes seemed to glaze over for a moment until she shook her head. It was clear she wanted to put this aspect of his story on the back burner for a moment, but he knew her well enough to know she would come back to it. She asked:
"Alex is twenty-three now, right?"
He nodded, not understanding.
"That means he was sixteen when you decided to retire as King of Hell. So it would be another two years before you gave him, as you kind of describe it, the keys to Hell, which came with the full power of the thrones, and told him he could do whatever he wanted with it. Correct?"
"Absolutely correct, detective. But where do you want to go with this history lesson?"
She snapped at him:
"Proving you're an idiot!"
In a slightly calmer tone, she continued:
"Immediately upon your arrival in LA, you decide never to return to Hell on your own. That bit I applaud. How you managed it for that part, I want to strangle you right here and now. You told Maze to cut off your wings so you couldn't return to Hell under your own power?"
Something very unpleasant began to gnaw at his subconscious as he slowly answered:
"Yes..."
Chloe closed her eyes and said:
"No demon can say no to the King of Hell. You told Maze to cut off your wings. It doesn't matter one bit how you said those words, Lucifer. Asking, smiling, pleading. The King does not ask; the King ORDERS! Even if Maze had wanted to refuse, she couldn't. Her king ordered her to mutilate her king, and she had no choice; she was forced to follow that order."
Lucifer's mouth opened, and only one letter came out:
"O..."
The detective shook her head:
"That's what I mean, Lucifer. For Fuck's sake you didn't give a second thought to what this must have meant to her. You said she was your bodyguard for thousands of years. All this time she was there to look after your physical well-being, and now she had to put her daggers into that body she was sworn to protect at all costs. You said she is your best friend and you have shared the bed from time to time. If the feelings you have for her are even partially reciprocated, it must have been a terrible experience, a trauma, for her to have to do such a thing without being able to offer the slightest resistance to your words. Demon or not..."
Lucifer slumped forward with his head in his hands, feeling nauseous for the first time in his impossibly long existence because of the emotions he now felt. He muttered:
"For the love of my little brother, what have I done..."
Chloe gently placed a hand on his back and rubbed reassuring circles. She understood all too well what must be running through the Devil's mind right now. For someone who had nearly caused a revolution in Heaven to get exactly that free will, he had unwittingly nipped Maze's free will in the bud. She did not dare paint a picture in her mind of how many Demons he had denied part or all of their free will in any way over those thousands of years.
Maze stood behind Lux's bar checking some papers from a supplier who had just dropped off a rather large delivery of exclusive liquor. She noticed Alexander coming down the stairs with a slightly wider, happier smile than the one he normally seemed perpetually to have on his face. She also noticed that he had just a little more swagger in his gait. He came to the bar and pressed a firm kiss on her cheek. With a secretive smile of her own, she retrieved his personal pitcher from the refrigerator and poured him a large glass of ice-cold vodka-lemon. She asked:
"To what do I owe this, so early in the day?"
He replied innocently:
"Correction, so early in the day for you. Can't a nephew be happy to see his favorite aunt?"
She chuckled:
"Boy, you see me just about every day. So what's up?"
"Why always so suspicious, Mazi?"
Now she laughed out loud and said:
"Because I've been the bodyguard of that idiot you call Daddy for thousands of years and because you, little guy, are the Antichrist and my sister seems to have been spoon-feeding you mischief since you were born."
Alex nodded eagerly:
"Those are two damn good points, Maze."
He took a couple of big gulps:
"No idea, auntie. This looked like it was going to be a rotten day after you informed Mom of the theft of that cursed container. And yet, for some reason, the day is running like clockwork. Dad and his detective have a new colleague as of today. As it turns out Ella, that's her name, knows none other than our own little bubbly Rae Rae personally."
Maze drew big eyes and asked suspiciously:
"Rae revealed herself as an Angel to a human?"
A sneaky smile crossed his lips:
"Hmmm, not quite. It turns out that Ella appeared on Rae Rae's list as a child, a false alarm. The problem was that Ella could see her. When she asked who and what she was, our chaotic bubble in angel form could come up with nothing better than to say that she was a ghost. Long story short, the two continued to see each other and became best of friends. When things threatened to go the wrong way in Ella's private life, our Angel of Death pretty much sent her here. By that I mean sunny LA, away from dark Detroit. Not to us personally; that was a perfect coincidence."
Maze saw his eyes light up every time he mentioned the name Ella.
"Okay, that explains why Rae Rae knows her. But not that sneaky little smile of yours. Out with it, kid, or no more jellybeans for you..."
Demonstratively, she retrieved a bowl of the sweets from under the bar but strategically kept it just out of Alex's reach. He said:
"Now I understand why they call you the best torturer in Hell ."
He greedily reached for the bowl and got hold of a whopping two of the Jelly-beans, which he quickly popped into his mouth after which he also stuck his tongue out at the Demon.
"You know the situation that Dad and his not-so-secret flame for the detective got on my nerves quite a bit. That his perpetual dilly-dallying might cause him to miss out on something very special. Well I was right. I arranged for a lunch where Rae Rae and Michael also appeared with wings out in the open and all. Two birds with one stone so to speak."
Maze looked thoughtful:
"What was the reaction?"
"Well there was no immediate existential crisis in either of them so that's a win. Miss Decker seems to have been reassured by a sermon from uncle Mickey that dad is yes an idiot but no not evil. This does allow Dad to be open with her from now on about who and what he is and who knows... Ella is especially happy that she is reconnecting with Rae Rae and, thanks again to Uncle Mickey, will be able to spend more time with her. A successful lunch if I do say so myself."
The Demon looked him straight in the eye:
"Successful in more ways than one when I look at that smile of yours and then there's that extra spring in your step."
The Antichrist turned a little red and said softly:
"No Maze, it's not like that. Yes it is a very special young lady. So much light in a soul I have rarely seen. She is cheerful and...well.... bubbly. But it's just friendship. She seems to be as fond of toys like the Senna and the Aston as I am. That's why I invited her over tonight to talk and look at Dad and my cars."
He jumped from his barstool:
"That reminds me I need to notify security that she's coming and have her put on the special guest list."
With rapid strides, Antichrist disappeared toward the hidden part of Lux where the offices were located. Maze looked after him smiling and muttered,
"Sure, sure.... Just friendship and cars...sure kiddo..."
Lucifer had regained his balance somewhat and said softly:
"We really need to go to Los Diablo's detective, we need to find that damn container, fast."
She nodded, started the engine and made her way. A while later, she had found the perfect parking spot. It seemed like she had a special talent for finding those kind of spots. They had a full view of the bikers gang clubhouse but their car remained more or less concealed. The bar was anything but inviting to strangers. A few more or less dilapidated older muscle cars in the parking lot and a multitude of heavy motorcycles were warning enough that outsiders were not really welcome here. Both got out and Lucifer said:
"Let's have a chat with the clientèle of this outstanding establishment."
She looked at him suspiciously knowing very well that there must still be a storm of emotions swirling around inside the Devil and so she said:
"Just talk Lucifer!"
"But of course detective..."
He replied with a not too sincere smile. He turned on his heels and walked toward the entrance. Although it was the middle of the day, the place seemed filled with a collection of individuals you would be more likely to encounter in a police cell than on Wall Street. Loud music sounded from an old-fashioned jukebox and was clearly assaulting Lucifer's ears. He practically yanked the cord of the machine out of the wall. An act that was immediately followed by an uproar among the regulars. The Devil jumped on a table, stuck his hands in his pockets and said loudly:
"Right, one of you village People rejects stole my property. If you would be so kind as to move on to a confession so I can appropriately punish you."
Chloe stood watching the whole thing from a few feet away and rolled her eyes. She could so see this whole interaction getting out of hand in less than no time and she would have to start intervening before accidents happened. Something that became a reality just about immediately. A not too savvy looking but broad biker with a rich collection of tattoos stepped forward and said,
"You better leave before accidents happen."
Lucifer jumped off the small table, stood directly in front of the biker and smiled. In his mind he was already imagining how he was going to take this one to task. He said:
"I notice that your ability to listen is underdeveloped so I will repeat myself slowly. One of you has stolen something that belongs to me.... Give it back!"
The biker, however, did not seem to be in the mood to talk and was about to start lashing out toward Lucifer but was skillfully intercepted and worked against the ground by the detective in one fluid motion. At that moment, someone in the bar whistled and things immediately quieted down. An already slightly older biker stepped toward Chloe and Lucifer. The way the rest of them made room for him left no doubt, this was the boss. He smiled and said,
"You must forgive my boys. They don't have the best...euch.... people-skills. Why don't we talk in my office."
Not waiting for an answer, the man turned and walked toward the back. Once the office door was closed behind the three, his disposition seemed to change instantly. More friendly, more businessman, much less leader of a biker gang. The conversation rippled back and forth for a while until Lucifer had enough of the smalltalk and used his mojo to get Hank Cutter, as the guy was called, to confess what he desired most. The answer they got left both Chloe and the Devil momentarily speechless. The detective blinked her eyes a few times and then said to no one in particular while looking of into the distance:
"Wow.... I hadn't seen that one coming in... like forever..."
Lucifer repeated his question as if he feared he heard wrong the first time:
"A clothing line of your own?"
That question was like a button being flipped in Cutter. He got a broad smile and began to talk broadly about the clothing line he had in mind and the business they were starting. That it was therefore of the utmost importance that his gang stayed out of trouble. Most of the members of Los Diablos were also starting to get well over forty, so no one had much trouble just going legit. No more hassling on the docks, pursuing their own biker lifestyle but making their money the legit way. So no more hassle with the cops and everybody a lot more relaxed and becoming more the dads and even grandpa's a few of them really were. That was also why los Diablos was no longer to be found on the docks; they had completely withdrawn from that little world. For a moment it seemed like the detective and Lucifer were following a dead end until Chloe, as a last resort, showed a photo to Cutter. It was an impression that an iron cross belonging on a armband had left on the victim's neck during the strangulation. Cutter denied having any idea who that cross might belong to but cut the conversation short almost immediately after that. Lucifer seemed all but done with the conversation and wanted to put additional pressure on Cutter but the extremely calm words that Chloe uttered as if it were some sort of command made him restrain himself momentarily.
"We're done here!"
She turned and left the office. The Devil was left with no option but to follow the detective very much against his will. So once inside the cruiser he let it be known:
"Detective, we were far from finished with that Cutter!"
She looked at him in annoyance and said,
"How long do you think it would have taken him to say the magic words; call my lawyer if you have any further questions!"
"And?"
She rolled her eyes, fearing that if she continued to work with Lucifer for any length of time she was going to need the services of a damn good optometrist.
"Lucifer, Cutter absolutely knows who the bracelet belongs to! I saw it in his eyes when he looked at the picture. He gave the order that the docks be off-limits and someone in his gang ignored that order. That means someone undermined his authority. Something he can't allow, which he's going to have to personally rectify and that somewhere no one can see it happen."
The Devil snorted:
"Detective I know our new friend Cutter is no brain surgeon but sitting here like plants in the car isn't going to help us either. It's not like..."
He got no further as Chloe pointed a finger at Cutter. The expression on her face was like she was asking:
"You were saying?"
The gang-leader had just left the bar while busy talking on his cell phone. Jumped on a heavy motorcycle and drove off. Lucifer got a wide smile and said,
"Well done detective..."
Chloe started the cruiser and began to follow Cutter discretely.
Alexander stormed into Fred's office and said:
"Fred, I have a name to put at the top of the special guests list. She is coming here tonight and she has access to everything, including minus 2 because she already has the code. Her name is Ella Lopez. Tell the boys to treat her with all due respect, will you. I know they do that with all customers but this one is just a little more special than the rest you understand."
Fred looked at the young man and thought his own thing. Alexander was absolutely no match for Lucifer. Compared to his father, the son's sex life was rather boring. Which did not mean that he had not already seen a few girlfriends and boyfriends pass by. But never before had the young man been so worked up. Fred thought the young lady who would pass by had to be very special to get junior in such a mood. He asked:
"Do you want something special at minus 2?"
Alexander thought for a moment and then said, "Yes, let someone put a couple of bottles of champagne, the 2000 Krug Vintage cold in the fridge there will you. I'll just grab a couple of Dad's special crystal glasses and his ice bucket."
Alexander pulled the door back shut behind him and made his way to his own office that he used when he was here in LA. Fred shook his head softly and thought:
"Yep, special young lady..."