Caught in the Fire

Chapter XV: Sins of the Past

Chloe was waiting in the conference room at the precinct with Michael, waiting for Noah James to finish getting processed following his arrest. The conference room allowed her to talk to Michael privately and to keep an eye on the bullpen for any suspicious activity. And then there was Michael, playing with some markers he'd borrowed from her desk. He was drawing stick figures, just as Lucifer would do. How did he know about the stick figures when they'd barely spoken since Moses? His uncanny Lucifer impression was another thing she had to get to the bottom of, but it could wait.

"Do you deal with corruption often at the precinct?" Michael suddenly asked, startling her out of her thoughts, "John Barrow was able to relay a message to Noah James from behind bars, after all.  Did this start with Cain's arrival?"

"It didn't start with Pierce." She pushed away from the conference table and stood before one of the glass panels, looking out toward the bullpen, wondering which one of them was the informant. "There was another crooked cop, Malcolm Graham, who kept making deals with French drug traffickers. He got shot during a deal gone wrong and was in a coma for months. When he woke up, he decided to kill a bunch of people, then he eventually kidnapped Trixie, tried to kill me, and then shot Lucifer. After that..."

"He shot Lucifer?" Michael asked her, sounding very interested in her story. "This Malcolm Graham shot Lucifer? When was this?"

"Two years ago. Lucifer and I had just started working together. I think the bullet just grazed him. But Trixie and I wouldn't be here today if not for him."

"Was Amenadiel there?" he tentatively asked.

"No, he wasn't there," Chloe said with a brow raised, "Why?"

"Well, he was always so close to Lucifer. But I am happy to hear that Lucifer saved you and Trixie. He can be quite heroic when he wishes to be."

"Yeah," Chloe said, misty-eyed, "After that, there was Perry Smith, the warden from one of our jails who ran a whole scheme with the Russians for profit." She paused, trailing off, then she closed her eyes in pain. "He killed my father in what I thought was a robbery gone wrong. He never saw the inside of a cell, but at least he'll never leave another young daughter without a dad."

"I am sorry about your father. What was his name?"

"Oh, John Decker." She smiled, remembering her dad being so proud of her when she came running to him to tell him that she was starring in a movie—despite the subject of that movie. "He was killed because he was investigating that crooked warden. That was seventeen years ago. I still miss him so much."

"I believe I met your father at the gates of Heaven."

"What?" Chloe breathed, turning to stare at him, and tears pooled in her eyes. She could barely find the words. "My dad's... in Heaven?"

He nodded sadly. "He told me about a daughter that he was very proud of."

"Oh," she said in a small voice, feeling her eyes watering, and she dabbed at the corners of her eyes, "You talked to him?"

"Yes, and I could tell he loved his daughter very much." He gave her a sad smile. "Did you become a detective because of him?"

"I started out as an actress," she said tearfully, sniffling, "I starred in really cheesy movies. When I lost him, I decided to dedicate my life to solving murders in his honor." She bit back a sob and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm getting all emotional."

"Tears are nothing to be ashamed of, Ms. Decker." He stood and went to offer her a hug, which she took, and she was happy that he was there when she needed someone the most. "If I ever see him again, I will tell him that his daughter became a detective and is currently cleansing the police force of all corruption in his honor."