Kneel

Case 12

  "Detective?" Lucifer questioned as I stepped out of the elevator. "What a surprise."

  "Hey, Maze."

  "Hi." The woman shot me a look that was angrier than usual.

  "Lucifer, where the Hell have you been?"

  "Ah, you know me- busy, busy. No rest for the wicked." He answered as Maze leaned on the piano with a curved blade in her hand.

  "Right, because deviant foreplay is so time-consuming." I furrowed my eyebrows.

  "Wanna watch?" Maze asked while licking the blunt side of her knife, and I felt my ears heat up.

  "It's been three weeks, so why are you avoiding me?"

  "Well, I do have a business to run, Detective. I can't play Good Cop/Handsome Devil Cop and Little Imp Cop all the time." Lucifer waved his hand at me.

  "Look....we've got a case that I- We can't do without you."

  "Really?" He grinned, but it quickly fell when he glanced at Maze. "What's so special about it?"

  "It's...." Clearing my throat, I put my hands on my hips. "Look, it's got to do with something I still have a hard time dealing with, so I could really use your help in picking up my slack, okay?"

  "You have a weakness?" Maze perked up.

  "Please, I'm human. A fuckin' spoon could kill me." I popped off, and she laughed.

~

  "This is sickening." Lucifer stated while looking down at the woman with 'Hail Lucifer' carved into her back and her body left in the center of a pentagram.

  "I know. It's horrific." Chloe added.

  "No, I mean, to blame it on me. It's an atrocity. These Satanists."

  "It's not Satanists." I stated. "Satanists believe in liberation, rebellion, and equality. They just use Satan as a symbol, and most are actually atheists. Devil worshippers are the ones that actually...." Trailing off, I shrugged. "Well, you get it."

  "This poor girl's death still has nothing to do with me."

  "This is your doing! This is your fault!" A man was shouting. "You're the Devil! You're the King of All Evil! The King of All Lies! You must be destroyed!"

  "Who let this guy through?" Chloe asked as other officers intervened and began dragging him away.

  "He's the Devil! I'll rise again against you!"

  "No thanks necessary! Just wanted to do my part for the man of the hour."

  "Yes, the wink with the porn stache is sending the wrong message, I think." Lucifer nodded.

  "Do you two know each other?"

  "Nope, just heard a lot about this guy." The detective gestured. "All bad, of course. Detective Malcolm Graham." He held out his hand to shake Lucifer's.

  "Misha, there's some subdermal implants on her arms that look like weird symbols. You think you know what they are?" Chloe glanced at me, and I paused. My gaze drifted to the body, and I didn't move from where I stood. "Crap, right. I'm sorry, I'll get you some pictures."

  "Hold on, why would that be necessary? Why does it seem like there's another problem here?"

  "Lucifer, come on." Chloe looked at him like he was stupid, and Lucifer just rose his eyebrows. "Have you completely forgotten about Misha being in the system and then-"