Chapter 3

UCLA School of Law was the most popular place to study law in Los Angeles. Chloe herself had debated going here after her atrocious and short movie career. She had been caught between cop/detective or a lawyer. In the end, she did believe she had made the right choice, even if this is how her father spent his last days. Spending her days any other way would not be as fulfilling.

"Ah yes. A place where money goes to die. You mortals do love your money, but you love throwing it away even more," Lucifer mocks.

"This is a place where education happens. I can see why you wouldn't know or approve of this place," Chloe remarks with a sass in her tone. She was taking none of his pestering today if she could help it. The only way to stand up for herself was to play his own game, and beat him at it.

The walls are pained dark red inside, a maroon color of sorts. The small amount of lockers stand out as they were a bright white. The place strangely smelled like a hospital, clean and sterile. Most of the walls had the scales meant to represent justice or some other form of symbol upon them. The floors are so clean that Lucifer's shoes let out a very light squeak as he walks, the little sound that he very quickly finds very annoying.

When they reach the front desk and ask for Professor Hare, Lucifer and Chloe are pointed in a very intricate path up two flights of stairs, down one long hallway and up yet another staircase. The room is a large lecture hall, with angled seats highest and the top and his desk in the middle at the bottom. The room is empty, and the man isn't viable behind his piles and piles of paperwork.

"Professor Hare?" Chloe shouts into the silent room. All of the seats are empty, and for this time of day Chloe isn't surprised. After looking at the crime scene and questioning a couple more unimportant nor suspicious bystanders, it was already well late into the afternoon.

"Who wants to know?!" A large and angry voice fills the room with ease. It is on an extremely low register, and Chloe's eyes widen. Most of the people Lucifer and herself had spoken with today did not hold such power in their voice. Chloe spoke up herself with her next words.

"Chloe Decker. Detective for the LAPD. We have some questions we need answered."

A strong looking black man stands straight up. His face is in shock and he quickly becomes apologetic, smoothing out his blazer, and quickly flying off the words, "I am...so...so sorry Detective."

"No worries. We need to ask you some questions about a homicide."

"Alright. I mean I don't see how I could be of much help but go on," his says with his facial features scrunched. He seems puzzled to say the least.

"How well do you know Royal Jacobs?"

He crosses his arms and puffs out his dress shirt collar. "Too well. Pardon my language but she only fits her name if bitch is placed at the end because that is what she is. A Royal Bitch. What did she do now? Screw another teacher? Or is she done school now and she has moved up to screwing judges? It really wouldn't surprise me if her actions finally landed her in trouble-"

As Lucifer holds his temple and turns the other way to laugh at this situational irony. Brent is flying off the handle, and his words are making him sound anything but innocent. Chloe tells the man the situation,, before he can dig himself a deeper hole. "Brent Hare, Royal was found dead this morning in an alleyway."

Instant regret was written clearly all over Brent's face. He runs his hands down his face slowly, stopping almost at his puffy (and now red) cheeks. While making a moaning sound, he runs them further down to his beard and before placing them on his hips. "Wow. I. Am. An. Idiot. It is way to late to take back what I said, but I assure you whatever happened I had nothing to do with that."

"Pretty quick to defend yourself there Professor," Lucifer accuses. "Especially after uttering such words about our victim."

"I'm a defense lawyer, what else can I say? Actually, what else can I do for you Detective?"

"We just have a few questions," Chloe restates. "Where were you last night between midnight and four this morning?"

"I was at that place in town...what was it called again...bucks? No...AUX? No. Um-"

Lucifer rolls his eyes. "I really hope you're not talking about LUX."

"That's it!" Brent cries. Lucifer feels a strong feeling of disgust. How and why was his name on this list? Or maybe one of the girls brought him in with them. Either way, LUX was a prestigious place, and hearing that this buffoon couldn't even remember the name of it dug under Lucifer's skin. "I got a little bit tipsy last night, and met some girls. We went back to my apartment after and...you can guess the rest," he finishes.

"Could those two women vouch for your whereabouts?" Chloe asks.

"Yes. I have their numbers in my phone. You can have then if you want."

"Just so we can check things out-"

"Yes," Lucifer adds in, his index finger up in the air. "Not for personal use. I swear."

Brent gives Lucifer an odd lock complimented with a raise eyebrow. "If she is the Detective, who are you?"

Lucifer straightens his jacket collar and spreads his arms out wide. "Why I'm Lucifer of course. The devil, here to make sure the proper person is punished for this terrible crime.."

Chloe sighs heavily. I told him not to open his mouth I really did...

"You do realize this is highly unprofessional?" Brent questions while giving the side eye to Chloe. All Chloe can do is look up at the ceiling. Cursing that she even brought Lucifer along. "I'm aware. Another question, I want to confirm your relationship with Royal, so how do you know her?"

"Well," Brent begins. "Royal was taking my defense class, and her mark was relatively high until she failed her midterm. Looking back it was slowly after that she began staying later in class. Asking for help...and listening to mine too. I was just finalizing my divorce, which I know was no excuse, but she helped me out too. In more ways then one. I bumped her mark higher on a couple of assignments. I thought we really had something. But as soon as the second semester started, Royal stopped seeing me all together. I confronted her about it and she told me she was using me. I was furious."

"Did you do anything?" Chloe asks, aware of her empathy towards the man before her.

"No because I would have lost my job, which I can't afford," he admits.

Chloe decides to let him in. "I can sense you have let your anger build up, so did you act upon it? You have to know if your alibi doesn't check out, you are going to have a strong motive and you will be a prime suspect."

"I promise you that I was with those girls. Here are there numbers," he says, handing them over to Chloe after writing them down on a singular yellow sticky note.

"Are those chicken scratches?" Lucifer remarks under his breath at the awful penmanship.

"Do you have anything else to add to your statement, such as anyone you could think of wanting to hurt Royal besides you?" Chloe adds, completely ignoring the comment from her partner.

Brent scratches his forehead, sliding his finger's through his hair, resting his hand on the back of his neck while looking up in thought. "I can't think of anyone who would want to hurt her. I mean she had a fling with a guy, but I don't know much about that. You may want to give her best friend a talk though. Olivia Anderson. Royal and Olivia were so close, some people mistook them for lesbians. They've been best friends for years. She might have some insight on some of your questions."

"Thank You for your time Professor. We will be in touch," Chloe recites. Learning lines like these was like practicing for a play, and it had to be perfectly memorized. Certain phrases and sentences that were mandatory to say in case of any legal actions, like Miranda Rights and Warnings.

"So Detective, ready to turn in for the night?" Lucifer suggests. "We could go for a drink to conclude a hard day or interrogation, or just skip the drinks and head to my place."

"It is getting late, but at the very least I want to look into this Olivia girl. Make sure we know how to reach her for questioning," Chloe replies, as quick as her pace back to the car.

"I missed that, it sounded boring. So is it a yes or no to a perfect night with me?" Lucifer smirks.

Chloe lets out a small chuckle without hesitation. "Full of yourself much? I'd hardly call you perfect. And if you think your accent is helping you out at all you are sadly mistaken."

"Oh please," Lucifer draws the word out as long as he can in the short breath he had taken prior. "I could read most women the dictionary and they would be enthralled with me!" His arms shoot out to their sides, his palms turned towards the moon, his shoulders relaxed, his posture suggesting he was really trying to show off here.

Chloe took a moment before getting in the driver's side to look at Lucifer. Well, he certainly did take more pride in how he dressed than any other person here in Los Angeles, but something was off about him. Chloe herself couldn't quite place what. His cocky attitude was really the only turn-off she could think of. She thinks to herself about how everything else is perfect, from the light scruff on his chin that frames his sharp jaw, to what looked like the plumpest and what could be the most softest of lips-

She was getting more than distracted from her point. Sure, maybe she didn't hate Lucifer, but he certainly had the tendency to tick her off and push every last button. He brought out the more wild side of her that Dan had tried so hard to suppress. Chloe wants to scream at him to stop being such an ass, yet come back with her for the night at the same time. Instead, she opts for much more sharper words. "Luckily we have already established I'm not most women."

"You certainly are not Detective. I know I have already asked this, but are you truly alright darling?" Lucifer wonders again. His arms fall, and bewilderment crosses his features. All he could want for the rest of this fine night is to spend more time with her. He knows that he is drawn to Chloe, and that a few more hours might not make the biggest difference, but it would be more than the most nights he spends without her presence. Maybe tonight would finally be the night he figures out what makes the Detective so special.

Chloe sighs, and with a bit of hope asks, "If I have one drink with you will you get off my back about the whole you and me thing?"

Lucifer's eyes brighten, and he feels a sense of accomplishment at finally bending Chloe's will to detest and place space between them. "Of course! One drink!"

"That's all you want?"

"That's all that I want," he answers. But the little voice that is rarely repressed in his head can't help but think, That's all I want...for now.